A New Family Forms

“It was wintertime, and I was feeling really down,” RJ recalls, reflecting on the day he first met Nova and her sister Juno in December of last year. “I was struggling, and I have an ESA letter that I’ve never used before, so we decided to take a look at adoptable animals.”

Juno (left) and Nova (right) when they were first adopted

Nova and Juno arrived at HSSV as strays from Sunnyvale and were treated for severe upper respiratory infections (URIs). Juno lost an eye due to the infection, and Nova nearly lost one too, but was able to keep it and now has a distinctive ‘wink’. “It’s actually really cute,” Kyra shares. “We immediately fell in love with them. RJ really wanted a one-eyed kitty – and we were pretty set on getting two kittens together so they could bond and have each other when one of us wasn’t home.”

Nova when she first arrived at HSSV

Three months later, Kyra and RJ found themselves in a position that no pet parent wants to be in. Suddenly and without explanation, Nova’s health began to decline. “She was breathing really heavily, and was lethargic, so we brought her to the vet and they weren’t sure what it was at first. They ran a whole bunch of tests and eventually concluded that she probably had FIP.”

A Devastating Disease

FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) is a rare condition caused by the feline coronavirus (FeCV), which typically causes only mild symptoms in most cats. 5-10% of cats exposed to FeCV develop FIP – and this can occur weeks, months, or even years after initial exposure. Symptoms vary from cat to cat and can range from loss of appetite and fever to fluid accumulation in the abdomen and chest cavity, making breathing difficult.

A young cat with a fluid-filled abdomen – one of the symptoms of FIP

“I’ve been practicing for 20 years, and for 19 of those years FIP was a death sentence. There was no treatment, and the best and most humane option was euthanasia,” says HSSV Staff Veterinarian Dr. Campbell. “Veterinarians go into this field to alleviate suffering and help animals, so FIP has always been a devastating and frustrating diagnosis, especially since it is most common in young cats and kittens.”

“They told us, it doesn’t look good, you should consider euthanasia,” Kyra remembers, her voice filling with emotion. “They told us we could bring her to a veterinary hospital for a second opinion, but that FIP was a grave diagnosis. She was only a baby. She was so little.”

A Second Opinion

Kyra and RJ brought Nova to a veterinary hospital, where she spent two days and the couple accumulated over $6,000 in bills – but the veterinarian gave the same opinion. “They were saying she’s really young, she’s really little, her lungs are full of fluid. In their eyes, Nova was too far into the disease for treatment. So RJ called HSSV to see if they could help in any way. We just weren’t ready to let Nova go.”

“As soon as I called, it was instant,” RJ recalls. “It was just, ‘Yes, let’s do this. Bring her here right now.’”

Nova sits in RJ’s lap on the way to HSSV

“What we heard from HSSV’s team was completely different– that we had caught it early, and that she was a great candidate for treatment,” Kyra added. “They were very confident. It was so reassuring to come to HSSV – to find that your team had that knowledge and felt so optimistic.”

A Timely Treatment Option

That knowledge did not come easy. Due to the sheer number of cats cared for and the fact that many kittens come from crowded environments and hoarding situations, FIP is simply something shelter veterinarians encounter more often than general practitioners.

“There was a treatment called GS-441524 that had been approved to treat FIP in other countries,” recalls HSSV Chief of Shelter Medicine Dr. Kamiya. “We knew it was super effective because Dr. Peterson from UC Davis had done 30 years of research [on it] and we were closely watching all the field trials and clinical trials. We were very excited about it.”

Before and after photos show the rapid impact of GS-441524 on ocular symptoms of FIP after just two weeks of treatment

GS-441524 became available for use in the U.S. in June of last year – and its >90% cure rate is worth getting excited about. “This new treatment is giving us the opportunity to treat and, in most cases, cure this horrible disease.” Dr. Campbell says. “This is uplifting and such a relief to many veterinarians who for years of our careers, have had to euthanize these cases to alleviate suffering because there has been no other choice.”

Providing Access to Care to Keep Families Together

There was one problem though – the treatment was expensive, and Kyra and RJ had already exhausted all their financial resources on vet visits and hospital stays. Fortunately, HSSV was able to help by providing Nova with the lifesaving treatment at no cost to her owners.

“The hard part is people adopt a kitten, and they fall in love very quickly – and then they present with FIP symptoms months after adoption,” Dr. Campbell explains. “And because the diagnosis can be tricky, they’re spending thousands of dollars. They’re running out of resources by the time they get the diagnosis and cannot afford treatment. So they reach out to us, and we want this kitten to stay with the person who’s fallen in love with them, so we’re so happy to help because we can do it basically at cost.”

Nova recovers at home

“We want to ensure that animals are able to stay home with the people who love them,” Dr. Kamiya adds. “Every case is addressed individually, based on need. If they can’t afford treatment or they don’t have access to veterinary care, then that is where we come in to support them.”

After a visit with the medical team at HSSV, Nova began her 12-week GS-441524 treatment course. “She was still overall a pretty happy cat, just on the lazier side,” Kyra remembers. “But we saw progress as she was taking the medication – she started to have more energy. She was playing more and running around. She looked forward to getting her medication mixed with Churo, we’d ask her to say ‘please’ and she would meow for her meds. It was adorable.”

HSSV supported Nova’s recovery by providing her medication and bloodwork. “Nova is alive, and happy,” Kyra shares. “Without the help of Humane Society Silicon Valley, Nova would not be here today.”

A Miraculous Recovery

Today, Nova is fully recovered and enjoying life with Kyra, RJ and her sister Juno. “There’s honestly no other way to describe Nova other than she is just a very, very, happy cat,” says Kyra. “She is so cuddly and affectionate. She loves to play with us and her sister, and she’s just honestly one of the best cats I’ve ever had in my life. Any time we’re down or feeling sad, she’ll come crawl into our lap and make us feel better.”

“I feel like every day we’ve been so lucky,” RJ adds. “I mean, shoot, we’ve been to the vet so many times in her early life! But I still feel really lucky.”

Juno and Nova relaxing together at home

RJ credits the two kittens for improvements to his well-being: “Juno is my interactive cat. She’s zero or a hundred in terms of affection and war crimes. Nova really calms me down. I don’t feel stressed out ever anymore when I’m home [with them]. Before I used to come home feeling like I’m never going to make rent, I’m never going to make it. I’m going to be stuck here. This feels terrible. There was no one to talk to. If Kyra was at work, there was nothing to do. Now, I have a sense of responsibility. I have a schedule feeding them and playing with them. I’m so glad they’re here.”

“I really did enjoy working with HSSV,” Kyra says, reflecting on Nova’s care. “I found your veterinarian and your staff to be very knowledgeable and compassionate. Overall, it was just a very positive experience to work with people who knew so much and, you could really tell, cared so much about every single animal that came in.”

A Commitment to Learn and Evolve

Nova’s treatment didn’t just save her life – it will help countless others with the knowledge gained from her recovery. Dr. Campbell shares, “With every new case we treat, we are learning best practices, gathering data, and determining how to best support these cats moving forward.”

Nova today, fully recovered from FIP

Nova’s story highlights the importance of monitoring new research and ground-breaking developments in veterinary medicine when it comes to saving lives. “I feel like [HSSV is] at the forefront of shelter medicine, pushing the envelope and keeping tabs on what’s happening,” says Dr. Kamiya. “We’re not afraid to try new treatments or do different things and learn new things – and so we’re constantly evolving. We stay connected with national shelter medicine groups and up to date with the latest research – and we are willing to learn and explore how we can apply new practices to shelter medicine to make saving lives more efficient and more effective, with better care.”

People like you make it possible to save the lives of animals like Nova. Support ground-breaking shelter medicine and increase access to care that keeps pets with the people who love them by making a gift today.