“What Keeps Me Going” – Kira’s Happy Tail
March 4th, 2026
By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –
When Kayla’s family cat escaped on her great adventure outside, she returned home pregnant. Her litter was small, just three kittens. The other family kept one kitten while Kayla kept two, Kira and Kain.
“Kira means everything to me. I have two other cats, his brother Kain and my older cat, Kaneki. I’m only twenty-three with no kids, and they are like my babies. Although my cats aren’t service animals, they are my emotional support animals. I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and bipolar depression. I need them more than anything; they are what keep me going.”
As her babies, Kayla made sure to keep excellent care of the cats. They lived indoors only and had never been outside unsupervised. She even purchased cat food that claimed to prevent urinary tract infections, knowing how often that could be a problem for male cats.
“I noticed Kira was frequently peeing or struggling to pee. I considered taking him to an emergency veterinarian, but I knew it was going to be expensive, so I called about six or seven different places. They said he showed good signs; he had urinated in his kennel on the drive there and seemed overall well, so he had no blockage at the time. They prescribed him antibiotics and sent me home with veterinary-grade cat food for urinary tract infections. The vet told me to keep an eye on him because he could still become blocked.”
She gave Kira his antibiotics as prescribed. For two weeks, he was doing much better – urinating normally, eating normally, not vomiting or straining. But one night she came home and caught him trying to urinate on random things: her bed, in the sink, clothes baskets, etc. She brought him into the bathroom and monitored him as he used his own litter box. He tried multiple times but passed no urine. It was already after midnight when she’d come home, so she had to wait until the morning to take him back to the veterinarian. By morning, he had become lethargic and was whining in pain.
“When the veterinarian inspected him, he said Kira is most definitely blocked. His bladder is bloated and tight, and there is blood in his urethra. They said he needs to be hospitalized and have a catheter inserted, which I know will be expensive since the same thing happened to his brother, Kaneki, once before. I am unprepared for this; I moved into my new place only three weeks ago, and finances are tight after paying a major deposit, rent, and utilities, so I’m trying everything that I can to find help. The timing of this is crazy. I don’t want to lose Kira or have to put him down.”
While Kira was hospitalized, Kayla went home to figure out what she could do to save him. She hoped she could quickly find her solution online and came across the RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant program. If she were approved for a grant, that would be enough, combined with the money she had left over, to pay for his full treatment. Within hours, she got the good news: RedRover wanted to help.
We can say yes to pets in crisis because we can count on the recurring support of our FurEver Friends to be there when families need it the most. Once her grant was approved, she called the veterinarian to let them know Kira was ready for treatment, and they proceeded to unblock him. By the end of the day, he was being monitored after a successful surgery, and he went home with Kayla the following morning.
One week later, Kayla had these words of gratitude for our FurEver Friends.
“Kira has been home from the vet for a week now and has been feeling so much better! I cannot thank you enough for helping me out; I am forever grateful and so, so blessed to have had your help. It meant so much to me. Thank you!!”
We’re proud that, because of you, this family of four can enjoy their new home together in good health and happiness. Thank you for being a FurEver Friend to families like Kayla and Kira!
