URGENT Help Margaux, a 3 mo. stray kitten suffering from life-threatening flesh-eating fungal infection

On 16 February 2022, while biking through Soi Polo, Bangkok, I and my boyfriend found a kitten covered with scabs and flesh wounds. We decided to adopt her and took her to the vet. What we didn't know is the wounds she has are not just normal catfight wounds as we initially thought but were caused by a systematic fungal infection. A flesh-eating fungal that attacks the skin and respiratory system and if left untreated, the result is a slow but sure death. 

The treatment requires a lot of expenses and could last years until the body is completely rid of the fungi. Moreover, the disease is extremely contagious and can spread from animals to humans. We need support from all cat lovers to cover her medical expenses.

Let me tell you an in-depth story:

Bangkok is a city of contrast where the most prestigious sports club is situated in the middle of one of the biggest urban slums. This place is known as "Soi Polo." Soi Polo's community has suffered from various malaise and diseases; poor sewage system, a rotten canal filled with debris and bacteria, feral cats and dogs living in colonies. This is where we found "Margaux" as she sat by the rotten waterway. Her body was covered with flesh wounds and fleas. The condition would be described as near-death. The scene was surreal. Margaux was sitting waiting for her death while flies swarmed all over her body with dirty canals and rows of the makeshift house as a backdrop.

We took her to see the local vet and were informed that the wound, which we thought was caused by a catfight, was a life-threatening fungal infection called Streptococcosis. The disease has already halfway developed. If left untreated, she will suffer a long but sure death. On top of that, we found an open surgery wound on her belly during vet examination. It was a wound from neutering. We assume someone or some charity has recently taken her to neuter but hadn't provided her with needed follow-up care resulting in a badly infected opened surgery wound filled with pus.

What is Streptococcosis?

Streptococcosis is a type of fungi found in animal and vegetation debris. Poor sanitation is the big factor causing its spread. The fungi infect the internal organs such as the respiratory system and external body parts. It can infect animals and humans. It is zoonotic, meaning that animals can transmit it to other animals and humans and vice versa. Cats are found to be most suffered from this infection. Streptococcosis, if left untreated, will lead to death. It is one of the top causes of death amongst feral cats in Thailand since it is easily transmissible. 

We believe Margaux might catch the fungi from the open surgery wound mentioned above.

What is the situation now?

Since Streptococcosis is an easily transmitted fungus and her body is flea-ridden, we decided to send her under the supervision of an animal hospital to prevent the spread of fungi and flea to our other cats and dogs. Many hospitals denied her admission due to their policies of not allowing pets with Streptoccoccosis in their ward until we found one that has a specialized isolation ward. Now she is in good hands. However, we were informed by the vet that getting rid of this fungal infection could take years. Sometimes, the owners could not bear the medical bills and had to put the pets to sleep or simply abandon them. We're adamant that we will not let economic euthanasia or abandonment be an option, but we need your help.

What is our goal and what will the fund be used for?

We hope to raise 30,000 THB to support her medical bills and at-home isolation ward.

Your donation will go to

- Margaux's medical expenses

- At-home isolation ward 

This sanitary ward is essential if we are committed to a year-long treatment. It is not economically viable to leave Margaux in the hospital's care for one year. Once she is cured of the primary wounds and fleas, she will have to return to be under home care. It is not possible to let her stay in the shared area or share any appliances with other pets in the household. Thus, we will need to make a cleanroom dedicated to her with big enough space to roam around and not feel claustrophobic. We also have to provide her with designated appliances and utensils such as feeding bowls, a water fountain, and a scratching post to ensure her well-being physically and emotionally. As care providers, we also have to protect our bodies from catching fungi; protective clothes, gloves, and masks are required.

Another fantastic work.

I'm pleased to share that we've made big progress on Margaux's condition and the campaign.

Margaux's wounds greatly improved all over her body except only the tail part, which somehow became more infected. The vet suggested we might have to amputate her tail for her better well-being and to relieve her from pain. But that would be the last resort; we're monitoring the infection for now.

Her blood cell counts are okay now, so no blood transfusion is needed.

The good news is we will bring her back home this week. Let's see how that will work out.

Finally, a big shout out to all our donors. Your kind heart helps us with the fight for Margaux.

Hi everyone

It has been a fantastic week. So far we have received 6,551 THB. My sincere thanks and gratitude to all donors. 

Finally some good news, her surgery wound has greatly improved. We no longer see pus and inflammation.

Margaux suddenly has a great appetite. Sadly we couldn't upload the video of her eating on the post.

Hi everyone!

First of all, I'd like to send my deepest gratitude to our first two donors: Pon and another donor who wants to remain anonymous. Thank you so much for your contribution. To anyone who sees this post, if you are not in the position to donate, you can share this page with your friends and families to help spread the word. 

Updates on Margaux's condition - 21 February 2022

Her mental health

After 4 days in Vet 4 Hospital - Margaux's spirit is strong. She is very friendly to all the hospital staff and has a good appetite. She still learns how to use a sandbox.

Skin lesion from Sporothricosis

There's no significant improvement as it requires more than one month of anti-fungal medication to show any real progress. However, with the lesion being cleaned every day, it slightly improved compared to the first week we found her.

Surgery wound from careless neutering

The surgery wound is still open and infected. The vet suggested we do an operation to seal the surgery wound once the fungal infection gets better.

Blood test result

The most worrying aspect of her condition now is the low red blood cells resulting from multiple lesions and the surgery wound. The vet gives her a supplement and monitors her blood cells, if it gets lower, we will have to do a blood transfusion.

The vet informed us that we could take Margaux back home and bring her in for a check and wound/lesion cleaning every day. We are preparing an isolated room for her until we have enough funds to consider getting her a big cat house of her own. We still don't have a cat house for her yet, so we have to be extremely careful when providing her care and separating other pets in the household. As I mentioned before, Sporothricosis transmits very quickly to other animals and humans.