July 24th 2022, I visited Hidamari Cat Cafe (保護猫カフェひだまり号) and met a tiny black kitten with a white belly and a broken tail. She had been found a couple of months earlier with her stray parents and siblings in Midori-ku, Nagoya.

I always thought I wanted to give a cat an old lady name - maybe Barbara or Marjory - but around this little chaotic kitten's neck was a collar with the name もふ Mofu. Coming from もふもふ mofumofu meaning something soft to the touch, it fit her perfectly.

On July 29th 2022, I went back to the shelter to bring her home for a one week trial but I didn't need to take her back - Moff had already changed my life for the better.

On July 25th 2023, after noticing her going off her food (what I thought was due to the intense Japanese summer heat), and her belly suddenly ballooning out, I took Moff to the vets. After examination, extracting a yellow fluid from her belly, and an ultrasound, the vet informed me he was sure Moff had wet FIP.

Seeing the ultrasound, there was fluid surrounding all of her organs, including her heart.

Historically, FIP has been a death sentence for cats but with positive outcomes using different medications (though unlicensed), there is hope for little Moff.

After just 9 days of injections of GS-441524 and 5 days of Molnupiravir we visited the vet for a checkup. There was only a small pocket of fluid left in her abdomen, she no longer has a fever, and she has started to put on healthy weight.
No she has the zoomies and plays fetch everyday again!

FIP treatment is 84 days long, with a further 84 days of observation after that.

It has been recommended for me to take Moff to the vets every 2 weeks for blood tests as FIP can change so quickly. Due to the medications for FIP being unlicensed, insurance can't help.

In the past 2 weeks I have spent 81,203JPY (Approx. £447) on vet visits and medication for Moff. We have a very long way to go and I can't sit by and not give all I can to save my best friend.

Hopefully, Moff's successful treatment can go towards the increasing positive data these medications are showing, so that one day they can be more accessible to give more kittens a second chance at life.

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