07/26/2025
Chet is a tiny tuxedo with a mighty story! 🩷✨
Chet arrived at SAFe Rescue with 20 other young kittens. At first, all seemed well, but within days, they were dangerously ill. These tiny felines were experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and lethargy, so our team moved quickly, launching emergency protocols and testing.
The diagnosis for Chet and his litter was serious…panleukopenia, a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease. Other kittens in the same transport tested positive for giardia and coccidia.
Treating three infectious diseases at once meant a temporary adoptions pause, an emergency shift in surgery schedules, and all hands on deck for intensive kitten care, deep cleaning, and contact tracing. Chet needed advance testing, multiple rounds of medication, and a stay in our ICU for careful monitoring. Thanks to our dedicated team, we were able to contain the outbreak, prevent onsite spread, and support each sick kitten.
Today, Chet and the other kittens have made incredible progress. Some have found adopters, and others, including Chet, just need a little bit more time to fully recover before finding a loving home, but are hanging out in foster and are back to being playful, curious, and courageous!
In the aftermath of the outbreak, Orphan Kitten Club awarded us a Mightycat Medical Grant that helped offset the costs of our adoption closure and the extended care that Chet and the other kittens needed. We’re so grateful to the Orphan Kitten Club for helping us bounce back - and to our community who showed up when it mattered most!
