Aeris: A Movie About a Kitten and FIP

I cried as I watched this kitten story….just look into the eyes of Paul Castro Jr. and Aly Miller as they tell their story, of a kitten, named Aeris, who succumbed to feline infectious peritonitis (FIP).

I get Kickstarter and GoFundMe pitches just about every day. I can’t possibly repost them all. But this one touched my heart. If you love cats, it should touch yours.

Aeris

To honor Aeris, this couple is making a movie to shed light on a feline disease. How often does that happen? With the movie, will come awareness, which may save lives. And, with awareness, perhaps more dollars to fund research, which is what is needed most.

Much of what we know about FIP — considered a fatal disease — has been funded by the Winn Feline Foundation Bria Fund. Winn Board member Susan Gingrich, founder of the Bria Fund, supports this project, as do I (for those who may not know, I am a longtime Winn Feline Foundation board member).

I believe that FIP is the worst diagnosis for any pet owner to hear. Generally, even the worst cancers or kidney disease happen to older animals — that is not good — but FIP typically occurs in kittens. No one knows how many kittens and cats succumb to FIP annually, but it’s unfortunately not an uncommon disease, and it’s complicated.

Paul Castro Jr. and Aly Miller

Please check out this page and watch the video. If you don’t give at least a few bucks, I will be surprised.

If you think this is a fly-by-night effort, check out who else is in the film: several actors we’ve all seen on TV, Frank Deal from the Netflix original series Gypsy and Law and Order: SVU; Drama Desk and Obie Award winner Betsy Aidem; and Arabella Oz of Hunter’s Cove. And while the filmmakers themselves are young, they offer an impressive list of previous credits.

Lots more details can be found HERE. They do need to raise the dollars by Christmas, so don’t procrastinate.