Cross posting--Can anyone help...

[Chris]

This was a cross post on Purring Pixie yahoo group…  I feel bad that this woman was left high and dry by the local rescuer…..  I sent her an e-mail directly suggesting she join this group as she seems real devoted to these two …. ___________________________________________________________________   contact vivian_kao @ yahoo.com   ----- Original Message ----- From: vivian kao Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2005 12:55 AM Subject: 2 feleuk positive cats need placement   Hi Heidi,   We are looking for help for 2 stray cats we trapped in our backyard. We are located in Takoma Park, MD. Of course if someone was willing to adopt them we'd drive them there.   We trapped them last week and followed the advice of a local rescuer who recommended getting them fully vetted and not euthanized regardless of their test results for feleuk. Unfortunately they tested positive. I cannot adopt them since I have 2 indoor cats that I don't want to infect.   Here's a recap of their story as I know it:   They were first sighted late last year on our street, a gorgeous adult cat traveling with a kitten. We thought they belonged to a neighbor since they appeared kept and healthy, and would make the rounds each day at a specific time. Also many people around here don't have collars on their pets. It wasn't until the winter, when we'd see them out in cold weather and looking more haggard that we realized they were homeless. We didn't see them regularly, since the weather was bad but we began leaving food out. When the weather became warmer they appeared more regularly but the adult cat disappeared for a while. When we saw her again she was really thin and looked unwell. We assumed they were mother and son. Later we'd see the younger one trailing the adult and the adult seemingly annoyed and trying to get away. The younger cat came regularly at mealtime. Then for whatever reason they started traveling together again.   I had been calling rescue organizations since August but didn't have much success getting calls returned. I didn't want to call animal control since I feared they would just be euthanized. Finally I became desperate when the older cat appeared ill and found a local rescuer who told me that I needed to seek immediate medical attention for the cats and adopt them. He loaned me traps, gave me basic instructions and the name of a clinic. He said to get them tested also and not to put them down since he'd probably be able to find somewhere to place them. They did need medical attention since the older one had tonsillitis really bad and the younger one had a huge abscess that required surgery. However, they also both tested positive for Feline Leukemia and the younger one is also FIV positive. So after paying a pretty large vet bill we didn't have anywhere for them to go. Currently they are residing in a kitty condo in our shed. We cannot let them in the house since we have cats and we cannot set them free since they are contagious.   Since returning from the vet's the older cat has had a really healthy appetite and the younger one as well (she always had a good appetite). The funny thing is that the cat we thought was the mom turned out to be male. He is rather tame and appears to be an abandoned pet. He didn't seem to mind being contained as much and feels comfortable enough to eat as soon as I put food in the cage. The younger, more spirited cat is female and seems more frightened of people. She hides and will not eat until I leave. She is about one and has been outside most of her life. They have a very special bond.   Please post this on the listserv. I will attach some photos. Please stay in touch and I will try to remain hopeful that we find a good situation for these little cats.   Thanks for your time, -Vivian Kao 301.445.2207     Chris [EMAIL PROTECTED]