10/11/2026
Not every story has a happy ending. This is Bolt.
Bolt was a 6 month old kitten who was deeply loved by his family. Unfortunately, they were struggling financially and couldn’t afford veterinary care. After three days of Bolt being sick and not eating, they reached out to our clinic, desperate for help after being unable to find anyone who could see him. Of course, I told them to bring him in.
I was expecting something like a linear foreign body or pancreatitis. What I wasn’t expecting was what we found in such a young kitten.
Bolt arrived extremely lethargic, dehydrated, and in significant respiratory distress. Our team immediately jumped into action, preparing to place an IV catheter and stabilize him.
I’m sharing this video for an important reason. I want you to recognize what respiratory distress looks like in a cat. If you ever see your cat breathing like this, it is a life threatening emergency that requires immediate veterinary attention.
Unfortunately, Bolt’s X-rays were consistent with congestive heart failure, most likely caused by an underlying congenital or hereditary heart condition such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. At just 6 months old, his little heart was failing him.
Given how critically ill he was and his poor prognosis, the kindest thing we could do was end his suffering.
So we held his paw, gave him gentle pets and head scratches, and told him over and over how loved he was as we helped him peacefully pass.
Bolt’s family loved him. They wanted to help him.
I wish we could have given Bolt a different ending. But I’m grateful that in his final moments, he was surrounded by kindness, compassion, and love.
