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]
