Sweet little Jeremy is just a baby – only about five months old – who came to Tabby’s Place in October, 2011. Jeremy arrived from a New Jersey animal shelter where he’d been brought after being found living on his own as a stray.

Jeremy is an all-black kitten, and he’s very shy. Usually he is timid and quiet, but if you are patient and hold him gently, he’ll reward you with kitten snuggles and head bumps. It’s just a matter of winning this little boy’s trust. In addition to being so shy, Jeremy doesn’t play much, either – we suspect that this is due in part to the fact that he was fending for himself outside and didn’t have the opportunity just to be a kitten.

Unfortunately, being timid isn’t the only reason Jeremy isn’t your usual rambunctious kitten. Jeremy has to be quiet, because this tiny boy has a severe heart defect. In fact, we think that another reason Jeremy doesn’t play much is because he simply can’t take the physical strain.

Jeremy was born with a ventricular septal defect (VSD): a hole in his heart between the left and right ventricles. With every beat of his heart, Jeremy loses a significant amount of his oxygenated blood. Many kittens are born with heart murmurs, and some even grow out of them, but this will not be the case with Jeremy. On a six-point scale, Jeremy scores a six; he loses so much blood through the hole in his heart that the swishing sound is audible – without a stethoscope, and without even putting your ear to his chest.

Jeremy’s heart condition will ultimately prove fatal. Because of the severity and location of the defect, Jeremy would not survive surgery to repair it, so that is not an option. Over time, the right ventricle of his heart will become enlarged as it struggles to compensate for the abnormal flow of blood. We are treating Jeremy with heart medications to help make him more comfortable and to ease the pressure on his heart and lungs, but he is not responding well so far, and we’re concerned that he may have other congenital defects that are contributing to his poor health. Jeremy most likely only has a matter of months to live.

In spite of all the challenges he faces, Jeremy is a sweet darling who is learning to trust in the love and care we can provide for him. It is heartbreaking to know that there is no cure for his condition, and while we will provide him with the very best care possible, his future is uncertain. In the meantime, we are providing him with all the love and affection he could want and giving him a chance to learn to love us back.

Will you consider sponsoring this very special little kitty? You can help support Jeremy with the specialized care he requires, and even better, you can help fill his every day with love.