The Black Market for a Lifesaving Cat Drug
In 2023, Marlena Arjo adopted a one-eyed kitten with a penchant for destruction. She named him Otto, and over the next eight months, Otto grew into his own little chaotic personality. “ He’s laying on houseplants, he’s tearing books out of the bookshelves, […]
In 2023, a one-eyed kitten named Otto brought chaos into the life of his adoptive owner, Marlena Arjo. Over eight months, Otto displayed destructive behavior by laying on houseplants, tearing books from shelves, and ripping calendars off walls. When Otto suddenly fell ill and stopped eating, Arjo rushed him to a veterinarian who diagnosed him with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a fatal disease. The vet informed Arjo that there was nothing his clinic could do to help Otto.
However, the vet did offer a glimmer of hope. "I shouldn’t tell you this," the veterinarian told Arjo, "but you can get drugs for this if you go to this Facebook group." This revelation led to the emergence of the cat drug black market, a topic explored in a recent episode of Reveal in partnership with the Hyperfixed podcast.
The episode delves into the reasons behind the necessity of this black market and the efforts of cat lovers to initiate significant changes. By sharing this story, the podcast aims to shed light on the challenges faced by pet owners and the lengths they may go to ensure their pets receive necessary medical treatments.
Written by urgent.news from Mother Jones's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
