{"id":40120,"date":"2025-07-05T06:50:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T06:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/40120\/"},"modified":"2025-07-05T06:50:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T06:50:13","slug":"kittens-with-mystery-illness-were-about-to-be-put-down-then-hope-arrived","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/40120\/","title":{"rendered":"Kittens With Mystery Illness Were About To Be Put Down \u2014 Then Hope Arrived"},"content":{"rendered":"

When\u00a0Macy Lyle<\/a> agreed to foster a stray cat and her five kittens through A Cat\u2019s Life Rescue<\/a> in Maryland, she was ready for some classic kitten mayhem: needle-sharp claws, tiny meows and maybe a few late-night zoomies.<\/p>\n

What she got instead was \u2026 a total mystery.<\/p>\n

\"KittensMacy Lyle<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, they were just your average wobbly kittens,\u201d Lyle told The Dodo. But within days, three of the kittens \u201cwent from walking to essentially flopping and not being able to walk at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cue the emergency vet visits. Lots of them.<\/p>\n

Lyle and the rescue team tried everything. Antibiotics for toxoplasmosis? Nope. A round of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) meds? Nothing. A parvovirus test? Negative.<\/p>\n

They went to vet after vet, but the kittens \u2014 Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto \u2014 got worse and worse. \u201cNothing helped or made their symptoms better,\u201d Lyle said. Soon, they could barely eat, drink or use the litter box.<\/p>\n

Then, while she was out of town for a family emergency, Lyle got a phone call no foster mom wants to hear.<\/p>\n

Macy Lyle<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vet called to talk about euthanasia,\u201d she said. \u201cThey asked if I wanted to be there when they were put to sleep. I said, \u2018Yes, of course. I\u2019m with them until the end \u2014 but I want answers.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, after ruling out every infection and illness they could think of, the vets landed on a likely cause: cerebellar hypoplasia \u2014 a brain condition caused by exposure to feline panleukopenia virus in the womb that affects balance and coordination. It\u2019s not curable, but it\u2019s also not painful, and it\u2019s not contagious.<\/p>\n

So, Lyle made a decision: \u201cI said, \u2018I take this burden on. If euthanasia is the only option, let\u2019s revisit it in a couple of months. Let\u2019s see if this is going to get better.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

She and the rescue started researching physical therapy for cats. First, they tried water therapy in Lyle\u2019s bathtub.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hated it. I felt like I was traumatizing them,\u201d she laughed. So, she tried play therapy instead. \u201cWe just played and played and played, all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CatMacy Lyle<\/p>\n

Slowly but surely, the kittens started getting stronger. They started to reveal their true personalities \u2014 Sasuke and Naruto are relaxed lap cats, while Sakura loves trying to climb her cat tree and exploring her surroundings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can sit up now. They can stand to drink water. They use the litter box on their own,\u201d Lyle said, adding that she wished she could keep them. \u201cThey don\u2019t know any different. This is their world, and they\u2019re OK with that. They’re so much more than the mobility issue; they’re so much more than cerebellar hypoplasia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instagram\/riverdale_community_cats<\/p>\n

In late June, Lyle shared an update on the kittens: \u201cI\u2019ve been ignoring the reality that my Wobbles have been adopted,\u201d she said on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cThe best part is they were adopted by a group of friends so they will have lots of play dates! I couldn\u2019t imagine a better outcome. Clearly they are already in love (they could seriously act like they will miss me though) \u2026 Happy ever afters all around!\u201d<\/p>\n

If you’d like to help cats like Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto find homes, you can learn about making a donation or volunteering with A Cat’s Life Rescue on their website<\/a>.\"Cyclist<\/a>Cyclist Finds Stray Baby After Race \u2014 And Discovers She Loves Biking TooShe’s a little daredevil \ud83d\ude0d<\/a>