08/11/2025
💔 A Difficult Week at St. Sophia’s – and a Thank You to Our Community
This has been an incredibly difficult week for our St. Sophia’s family. Over the past several weeks, we have faced a series of heartbreaking losses among some of our youngest kittens. Despite every effort from our medical partners and foster families, several kittens became critically ill, and tragically, not all could be saved.
Yesterday afternoon, our sweet Baddaboom took a sudden turn for the worse. Because of his extremely low white blood cell and platelet counts, he developed both internal and external bleeding that could not be stopped. Our veterinary partners worked tirelessly and tried everything possible, but ultimately, we had to make the incredibly difficult decision to let him go. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge peacefully in the loving arms of his foster mom, surrounded by compassion and care.
Our brave little Marion is still at VEG Oak Brook, stable and continuing to fight for her life. She is receiving around-the-clock care from an incredible veterinary team, and we are giving her every possible chance. We are profoundly grateful to everyone who has rallied around her with prayers, encouragement, and generosity. We will continue to press forward to find answers and ensure she receives the best treatment possible.
Our team is working closely with multiple veterinary hospitals — including VEG Oak Brook, VEG Schaumburg, Countryside Veterinary Center, and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine — to determine what exactly has caused these rare and severe illnesses. All of the kittens received comprehensive medical care, extensive testing, and every available treatment. Samples have been sent for advanced diagnostics and necropsy to help us find answers.
Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily paused all new cat intakes while we await results and review our shelter medicine protocols with our veterinary partners. Our foster families and shelter caretakers are providing exceptional care for the cats currently in our program, and our leadership team is focused on ensuring that every measure is taken to keep them healthy and safe.
To our incredible community: your support has carried us through this heartbreak. From donations of supplies and funds, to kind messages, prayers, and veterinary guidance — you have reminded us that we are not alone in this fight. We are deeply grateful to our fosters, volunteers, vet partners, fellow rescues, and everyone who has reached out to help. Your compassion truly embodies the heart of animal rescue.
As the Director of St. Sophia’s, I grew up with a family story that’s been passed down for generations — that every animal placed on this earth is a cherub, a baby angel, dressed in costume and sent by God to teach us how to love and be loved. When their lesson is complete, they are called back to Heaven. I don’t know yet what lesson God is teaching us through this loss, but I do know that each of these kittens was deeply loved and left a permanent mark on our hearts.
At St. Sophia’s — named after Our St. Sophia, the Mother of Orphans — we believe strongly in the theology that God gave humanity two first commandments:
1️⃣ Do not eat from that tree.
2️⃣ Name all of the animals and care for them.
While we can’t do much about the first, we take the second very seriously. Every day, we strive to live that mission — to care for them.
Thank you to everyone who continues to believe in us, stand beside us, and help us carry this mission forward. We will keep fighting for our cats, finding answers, and honoring the little lives that have touched ours so profoundly.
With gratitude,
Lauren Rizzo
Director, St. Sophia’s Forgotten Felines
