From Desperate Kittens to Hooligans
Donation protected
In animal rescue, it sometimes seems like no good deed goes unpunished, and this is one of those situations. But with your help, it can turn into happy endings for six precious animals.
I was helping a friend with a trap-neuter-return effort in a rural area when she found a litter of six orphaned and sickly kittens. She rushed them to a local vet, and four of the six had pneumonia and needed immediate care.
They were at the vet clinic for 5 days last week and fortunately all pulled through, but they still have many vet visits and treatments in the future to get them to the stage of being healthy kittens ready for adoption to loving homes.
My friend, who is new to TNR, has so far spent more than $1,000 on these kittens’ vet care (that's with a 50% rescue discount) that she can't afford. That's not counting the high cost of the Royal Canin kitten food we’re feeding them ($150 a week) and all the other supplies they've needed.
When my friend got overwhelmed, I took the four sickliest kittens into my home to foster. This week at their follow-up vet exam, two of these four tested positive for ringworm, which means even more treatment and expenses and a ton of work for both of us. Unfortunately, they're still too fragile for the lime-sulphur dips or oral medication, so I'm treating the lesions topically and doing a lot of laundry and environmental disinfection.
I got involved with this situation when my friend asked for help TNR'g a colony of 14 feral cats that was soon going to become a colony of dozens. We didn’t foresee finding orphaned kittens, and it’s just escalated into one of those medical nightmares you're seldom prepared for.
Any contribution you can make will be used for these kittens’ future vet bills and food expenses. They’re going to need weekly follow-up vet exams ($20 per exam x 6 kittens = $120 per visit plus meds), multiple Fugassay cultures and treatment for ringworm as well as vaccinations and sterilization when they're old enough and hardy enough. (They're currently 5-6 weeks.)
Hopalong (one of the three black kittens) is missing a back paw (either a birth defect or a predator-related injury, according to the vet). His stump has healed somewhat over the past 2 weeks, but it's possible he'll need that back leg amputated in the future. I'm conservatively guessing that when all is said and done, these kittens are going to need another $1,000 in vet care.
These kittens didn't ask to be born, and they're finally at the point where they feel well enough to play and snuggle and purr. They have a lot of personality and real survivor spirits.
If anyone wants to contribute by check, you can mail a check, payable to Diamond Veterinary Hospital, to me: Julie Falconer, 22812 Clarkbrooke Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871.
I'll provide regular updates on the kittens' progress, so you'll be able to see how your contribution has made a difference in these six furballs’ lives.
If you have any questions or advice, please feel free to contact me (I feel like I've read everything on kitten pneumonia and ringworm the Internet has to offer over the past few days, but I'm always open to more tips or commiseration from fellow rescuers who have "been there.").
Thank you so much for caring and helping these kittens get through this rough patch so they can go on to live long, healthy, happy lives.
Julie
I was helping a friend with a trap-neuter-return effort in a rural area when she found a litter of six orphaned and sickly kittens. She rushed them to a local vet, and four of the six had pneumonia and needed immediate care.
They were at the vet clinic for 5 days last week and fortunately all pulled through, but they still have many vet visits and treatments in the future to get them to the stage of being healthy kittens ready for adoption to loving homes.
My friend, who is new to TNR, has so far spent more than $1,000 on these kittens’ vet care (that's with a 50% rescue discount) that she can't afford. That's not counting the high cost of the Royal Canin kitten food we’re feeding them ($150 a week) and all the other supplies they've needed.
When my friend got overwhelmed, I took the four sickliest kittens into my home to foster. This week at their follow-up vet exam, two of these four tested positive for ringworm, which means even more treatment and expenses and a ton of work for both of us. Unfortunately, they're still too fragile for the lime-sulphur dips or oral medication, so I'm treating the lesions topically and doing a lot of laundry and environmental disinfection.
I got involved with this situation when my friend asked for help TNR'g a colony of 14 feral cats that was soon going to become a colony of dozens. We didn’t foresee finding orphaned kittens, and it’s just escalated into one of those medical nightmares you're seldom prepared for.
Any contribution you can make will be used for these kittens’ future vet bills and food expenses. They’re going to need weekly follow-up vet exams ($20 per exam x 6 kittens = $120 per visit plus meds), multiple Fugassay cultures and treatment for ringworm as well as vaccinations and sterilization when they're old enough and hardy enough. (They're currently 5-6 weeks.)
Hopalong (one of the three black kittens) is missing a back paw (either a birth defect or a predator-related injury, according to the vet). His stump has healed somewhat over the past 2 weeks, but it's possible he'll need that back leg amputated in the future. I'm conservatively guessing that when all is said and done, these kittens are going to need another $1,000 in vet care.
These kittens didn't ask to be born, and they're finally at the point where they feel well enough to play and snuggle and purr. They have a lot of personality and real survivor spirits.
If anyone wants to contribute by check, you can mail a check, payable to Diamond Veterinary Hospital, to me: Julie Falconer, 22812 Clarkbrooke Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871.
I'll provide regular updates on the kittens' progress, so you'll be able to see how your contribution has made a difference in these six furballs’ lives.
If you have any questions or advice, please feel free to contact me (I feel like I've read everything on kitten pneumonia and ringworm the Internet has to offer over the past few days, but I'm always open to more tips or commiseration from fellow rescuers who have "been there.").
Thank you so much for caring and helping these kittens get through this rough patch so they can go on to live long, healthy, happy lives.
Julie
Organizer
Julie Falconer
Organizer
Clarksburg, MD