Success Stories

All three arrived totally skin and bones. Pepper was completely unresponsive and lateral. I didn’t know if she was going to make it. I immediately started supportive care, placed her in my incubator… and she popped up only minutes later. It was incredible. Pepper continued to improve that night, but the next morning everything changed. Her urine suddenly became orange/red, very foul-smelling, and her appetite disappeared. The veterinarian with the shelter I was fostering for agreed it was likely a UTI, and she was started on antibiotics that day.

Pepper responded very quickly, but I then noticed her and another kitten suckling on each other’s genitals. This is extremely dangerous behavior and can cost a kitten their life at this age. I separated them, but Pepper quickly began suckling on herself. Given her level of emaciation, it was clear she and her sisters had likely been starving for a long time and had begun this behavior before they arrived in a desperate attempt to survive. I created a soft donut to prevent self-suckling, which worked well. After some time apart and with proper nutrition, the kittens gained healthy weight and the behavior resolved. They were eventually reunited.

However, only a week after finishing her first course of antibiotics, Pepper’s symptoms returned. She began urinating small volumes frequently and even passed several blood clots. In total, she was treated with the same antibiotic three times for a suspected UTI before she was even three months old.

Her final course was 21 days long, per the shelter veterinarian. She improved for several weeks afterward, was spayed, and finally had a urinalysis done. It came back clear, as expected. The shelter elected to place her on the adoption floor as a healthy kitten, but I wasn’t convinced she was fully resolved. I had fallen deeply in love with her sweet soul, and so had all of our existing animals. I decided to adopt her!

About a month after finishing her last course of antibiotics, her symptoms returned again. Her GP veterinarian suspected that while she may have initially had a UTI, her ongoing issues were more likely due to cystitis (inflammation of the bladder). She was started on pain medication and responded very well. I was hopeful we were finally on the right track.

Her doctor and I continued to work closely, carefully managing her medication with the goal of eventually weaning her off. Each attempt to taper resulted in symptoms returning. Her GP was stumped, so she recommended we see a urologist.

Pepper and I took an eight-hour road trip to San Diego with two neonates in tow so she could see a specialist at around eight months old. The specialist was intrigued by her case and said she had never seen anything quite like it. We began trialing one medication at a time to see if anything other than pain control would help. First, we tried a heavy-duty antibiotic in case of a deeper bladder tissue infection that hadn’t been addressed earlier. It quickly became clear this wasn’t effective either.

Next, we tried a medication for bladder spasms. Again, we slowly weaned her off pain meds... and this time, it worked!

Pepper is still on this medication, but both her specialist and I hope to wean her off completely one day. We have already reduced it once successfully. Her specialist still doesn’t fully understand her case or have a definitive explanation. I’ve often wondered if this could be related to the genital suckling she experienced as a kitten. Her specialist agrees it’s possible, but it’s impossible to prove, especially given how little research exists on long-term effects of neonatal genital suckling.

I hope to advocate for that to change in the future, so more kittens like Pepper can find answers.