What happens when BCR gets the call that there are crew members out there in need of rescue? While the details may vary based on individual cats' needs, our routine tends to stick to these basics. Peek inside the magical world of cat intake! We're using the kittens we rescued from dumpster life as our example here. One of our foster moms let us know that there was a mom and her five kittens living under a dumpster. Mom would range around, and scrounge in the dumpster, and the babies mostly hid underneath it. That's no way for kittens to grow up! You can't rescue cats if you can't get them! These babies are about 6 weeks old, but they are already very wary of humans. They would dart back under the dumpster at the slightest provocation. And while we were trying to trap, there were cars and trucks going by, people slamming doors, and trash being chucked in above their heads. As we caught the kittens, we put them in a carrier behind the trap, to encourage the remaining members of the litter to enter the trap as well. Three and half hours later, we had the whole litter! (And an hour after that, we got mama as well.) Once we have our newest crew members, we snap a quick photo, so we can fondly remember how weird they once were. Aww. Then, we're off to the vet, to make sure that none of our new babies have Feline Leukemia, or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. (FeLV/FIV) While FIV is manageable, FeLV is highly contagious, and bars these kittens from being fostered with other cats. Luckily, everyone tested negative! These kittens all have flea anemia; the blood drawn for their tests was watery and pale. We'll help them strengthen up with an iron supplement. They also get an intake exam to listen to their hearts, and make sure there isn't anything glaringly wrong with them. (So far, so good!) Once we know they aren't carrying FeLV, all new crew members come to BCR headquarters for their official intake. First, we deal with the most pressing need...NO MORE FLEAS. The kittens are given a portion of a CapStar right off the bat. That is a small pill that kills fleas within 30 minute. It's amazing! Because they were living under a dumpster, and infested with fleas, these kittens were in desperate need of a bath. Most of our kittens get their introduction to civilization with a nice warm bath. 4/5 kittens found bathtime calming. ...Eventually... After everyone is dry and cozy, we continue the war on parasites. These kittens had fleas, ear mites, and big roundworm bellies. Because they are only 6 weeks old, we don't want to overwhelm their tiny systems, so we do smaller doses of everything. They get single drop of Revolution each. Revolution kills fleas, and ear mites. Since fleas in this area haven't build up a resistance to it, it actually works! We kind of adore it. Which is a weird thing to say about poison...
Because of their age, and the mild amount of ear mites they have, we decided against yet another treatment. In two weeks, they will be treated for ear mites with Ivermectin. With the exception of one kitten, everyone has clear eyes and noses! Because they were being fed by staff members, and their mama was taking good care of them, these kittens have nice strong immune systems. Many kittens born outdoors or in neglectful situations have upper respiratory infections. If these kittens were goopy of eye and nose, we would give them a couple of days on Lysine and colloidal silver, to see if that gave their immune systems the boost they needed...and if not, we would utilize antibiotics. Luckily, these kittens are gorgeous! Once the basic "get you clean and not sharing your friends" parts of intake are taken care of, the kittens are entered into our intake sheet. We record where they were found, any health issues they might have, and what treatments they received when. We'll continue to support their health with nutritious food, regular de-wormings, and lots and lots of love! Now all we have to do is figure out what their names are going to be...
1 Comment
12/5/2018 09:12:10 pm
I amazed those people doing like this to our pets. Most of pet parents their fur baby are from the pet adoption shelter and some from pet shop. I adored those people help the animal welfare and instead of buying, they just choose to adopt and help the fur babies in the shelter. Please refer to this link: https://wagspetadoption.org/adopt
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AuthorThe Captain of Browncoat Cat is a self proclaimed crazy cat lady. Of course, we're all mad here... Archives
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