Jikai is a Burmese we got from a breeder when he was 4 months old. He was recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection when we got him and it turned out he had feline herpes virus. He immediately snuggled his way into our hearts. At around 5 months, his belly began to swell. At first we thought it was just because he was eating a lot, but eventually it became so big that we were concerned. We already had a vet visit scheduled for him in the near future so we didn't do an emergency visit. We were still more concerned about his FHV when the vet told us that our 6 month old kitten would likely be dead from FIP within a few weeks, max. He said we could either euthanize him then or get a few more days with him before he got so bad that he would be in pain. We were truly devastated and after getting home we cried. We had never heard of FIP before so we did a little research. We found the FIP Warriors group and discovered the life-saving medication. We weren't sure we could afford the treatment, but ultimately, we decided that we loved him too much already to give up on him. Two days after his fatal diagnosis, I met a woman in a closed Walgreens parking lot late at night to make the first illegal drug deal of my life. We gave him his first shot the next day. My wife wasn't sure we were doing the right thing and worried that we might be causing him unnecessary suffering, but we carried on. Within a few days, he was clearly more lively and feeling better. Within two weeks all of his belly fluid was gone and he was a playful maniac. He was usually a real struggle to inject and became increasingly more so as we continued treatment. On Day 54 of treatment, we decided to switch to pills. Jikai is difficult to pill as well, but at least it was better than the injections. Jikai's labs improved right away and kept getting better. We took him off treatment on Day 87 and he sailed through his 84 observation period. As I write this it has been over a year since he was diagnosed with less than 3 weeks to live, and he has been cured for almost a year. There is not a day that goes by that Jikai doesn't make us smile or laugh. Heck, there's hardly an hour that he doesn't make us smile or laugh. He is such a joy in our lives and we are so grateful that we had the means to get the life-saving meds and the courage to try it. It is shameful that this drug isn't legally available and less expensive. It breaks my heart when cats die because their parents can't afford this medicine or their too scared to try it because it's not legally available.