23/02/2021
Hey Guys,
Our last post was a bit ominous with with announcing our closure.
I wanted to put something into words but the last 5 weeks have been gruelling and challenging.
on the 6/1/21 a lot of our kittens had started to fall ill, we had taken them and a few of our adults to the vets for assessment and medication. The symptoms were that of cat flu, we had mums and kittens on Doxy and a few other kittys went onto antibiotics.
they were all closely monitored for the next week, improvement was slow but they were all eating, playing, being kittens, a few adults had developed snotty noses and were monitored for eating and drinking and changes in behaviour.
14/1/21 is a day I wont forget. The night before I had started my rounds and walked in for feeding, I had found 1 of our smaller kittens passed (Pebble), on either side two more had passed, an adult cat names Stubbs, and an older kitten names Sprout. I was in shock.
I checked everyone again to find Po (baby kitten) struggling for life and the rest severely dehydrated, I remained up the whole night manually giving fluids and forcing spark and a/d slurry down the kittens throats keeping them warm with my body and water bottles.
I took every sick soul back to the vets that day.
Iccy, the mother of Sprout had started to give birth so she remained home (we had no idea she was pregnant).
26 cats were assessed. Blood tests were ran, we had somewhere contracted Feline Parvo, (feline panleukopenia). I was devistated, I was running on no sleep and I was barely emotionally functional. So we returned with a few cats, but Luna and her remaining 6 kittens (Feather, Wobbi, Binki, Suki, Edgar and Allen) stayed hospital bound, Po didn't make the trip to the vet, and Angel remained for closer monitoring and fluids.
We changed antibiotics and started injections twice daily for all survivors, then we stripped the cattery, scrubbed everything and removed anything unneccicary, and started a quarantining the rooming to prevent it from further spreading.
Not all our cats in care are street cats, some are long term fosters for familys who are going through a tough time, this making it all the more tougher for everyone involved and I think about them everyday and the cats we have lost.
We had a total of 41 cats in care, we have since lost 16, it hasnt discriminated among kittens or adults, and it hasnt slowed down just yet in the cattery.
I have worked every effort, and spent every moment of my emotionally and physical allowence throughout this, I have pushed and given so much, I have had some dark days and very few bright ones, but I keep pushing to keep them going.
It could have been as simple as vaccinating to prevent but unfortunately that's becoming less and less common, especially with street cats and lower income family's. Please prevent another disaster and vaccinate your cats! Every cat vaccinated, or vaccinated once but out of date has survived this with nothing more than a sneeze. This virus has been on a recent rise in Sydney, among cat colonies, it will live environmentally for up to 12 months. This being said, as a precaution we will be closing for the next 3 years for cat rescue, as it will be too much of a risk to any new cats entering into the cattery. The cats who remain will be vaccinated, processed and placed up for adoption where possible, but when we are fully cleared of anyone still sick with the virus.
Please keep your thoughts and prayers to the familys who have lost their animals, the animals still fighting to survive, and the animals we have lost.
We will remember you, and the fight you put up, and we hope your trip over the rainbow was kind:
Stubbs
Garfield
Angel
Missy
Luna
Pebbles
Binki
Po
Suki
Edgar
Allen
Sprout
Treasure
Shark
Pirate
Jewel
I know we werent open as a rescue for long with our cats, publicly, but we have been rescuing cats for years privately for awhile. I wish like this photo that it was all kitten cuddles and happy thoughts but rescue is hard, its risky, challenging and expensive. We will achieve saving the cats we have left, we will fight for them and by darn will they only go to the best homes possible, but learn from our mistakes and please ensure your fur babies are safe and fully up to date on the vaccinations.
With much love:
-Bree
(photo of Feather and Wobbi the last surviving kittens from their litter)
