Kittycat Rescue Issue 3 February 2015 by Jenni Ferreira

Kittycat

Rescue

Issue 003 | February 2015

Cats/Kittens

sold in Pet Shops

Ticks

And Fleas

FIP

What you Need to Know

Kitten

Foster Guide Together we CAN make a difference

www.kittycat.co.za

EDITORIAL Jenni Ferreira - Editor|Publisher

Inside

KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 003

DESIGN Jenni Ferreira - Layout|Design Graham de Klerk - Websites

CONTRIBUTORS

Dr Arnold Plotnick Dr Remo Lobetti Ban Animal Trading Taryn Vlok

PUBLICATION Kittycat Rescue Magazine is an online/digital magazine and is published four times a year in February, May, August and November. Read Kittycat Rescue Magazine for free on your smart phone or digital device on www. issuu.com, purchase PDF from www.kittycatmagazine.coza or purchase/subscribe on www. magzter.com

10 01 Message from the Editor

RESCUE STORIES

03 Feline Infectious Peritonitis 08 FIP Testing 10 Stormâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Story

Have you got a rescue story for Kittycat Rescue Magazine? Please email: kittycatsa@gmail.com

14 Diseases Associated with Ticks and Fleas 19 Warning 20 Happy Ending / Rescue Stories

ADDRESS P O Box 1220 Randburg 2125 South Africa Email: kittycatsa@gmail.com Fax: 086 428 5044 www.kittycat.co.za www.kittycatmagazine.co.za

ADVERTISING Jenni Ferreira kittycatsa@gmail.com A portion of all advertising is donated to animal rescue.

Kittycat Rescue Magazine is dedicated to saving the lives of homeless cats by promoting shelter adoptions. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy, safety or performance of the info or products presented. The opinions expressed in the Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor / Publisher or Advertisers.

30 Kitten Foster Guide 38 Cats/Kittens being sold in Pet Shops 18 Feral Cats 20 Responsible Pet Ownership 27 Rescue and Shelter Directory 46

Classifieds

ADVERTISE WITH US Please email: kittycatsa@gmail.com

On the Cover

Welcome

Message from the Editor

Welcome to issue 3 of Kittycat Rescue Magazine. Kittycat Online Cat Community was founded in 2004 and has been actively involved in helping homeless cats and kittens find homes ever since. I decided to create a Rescue Magazine to encourage the adoption of shelter cats in South Africa after receiving numerous emails on a daily basis to help home kittens and cats, help with lost/found cats etc. Kittycat Rescue Magazine was launched just after WODAC in July 2014. Shelters and the animals in them, need our help. They are full of homeless animals that deserve a second chance at happiness and a loving forever home! Many animals end up spending several years in a shelter, sadly some never leave. My mission is to try and help as many shelter cats as possible to find loving homes. Kittycat is passionate about CATS but love other animals too, they all deserve a loving home and a second chance. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for a cat to add to your family, why not start with your local shelter? Adopting a rescue cat or two can be extremely rewarding! Kittycat Rescue Magazine will focus on cats and cat rescue, but will feature and showcase as many rescues and shelters as possible. Many cat lovers love dogs and other pets too. We would like to build up our rescue and shelter directory and will need your help to do this, so please spread the word and let us know of any other shelters to include. Please visit and support us on Facebook. Kittycat Online Cat Community www.facebook.com/KittycatSA. Visit and help us share/network cats that are looking for their forever homes, lost and found cats, and participate in Kittycat of the Month Competition. Please email any lost/found, adoptions and shelter information to be showcased in Kittycat Rescue Magazine to kittycatsa@gmail. com. Please join our Kittycat Rescue Magazine Group on facebook and help us help cats (and other animals) in need

by sharing and networking. Sharing is instant, sharing is caring and sharing really works! https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1601149226785113/

Donna and 3 beautiful siblings were born in an office park in November 2014. The kittens were rescued and raised by a foster Mom until they were old enough to be adopted. Donna found her new forever home in January, together with 2 of her siblings and is now part of a big happy family. Cover Photo by Jenni Ferreira

Kittycat is passionate animal rescue and believe in giving back. A portion of ALL advertising will be donated to animal rescue. If you feel the same way about animal rescue please consider advertising with us. Advertising is not restricted to pet products and services. Together we CAN make a difference! Please email your comments, suggestions, article ideas, rescuer (animal angel) nominations, requests and happy ending stories with photos to kittycatsa@gmail.com. Volunteers to assist with getting in stories and shelter information are welcomed with open arms, as are sponsors! Social Media is fantastic - people of all ages are literally glued to their cellphones these days, so we will continue to network lost/found, rescues and adoptions on our Facebook Pages which works exceptionally well! To all those that have helped us share/ network cats in need, thank you! In this issue, there are several Happy Ending stories, Dr Arnold Plotnick explains what you need to know about FIP . If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to help by fostering kittens, learn more in our Kitten Foster Guide. Dr Remo Lobetti discusses Allergic Skin Disease in Dogs. Ban Animal Trading Ban Animal Trading (BAT) explain why you must not support Pet Shops selling live animals. I hope that you enjoy this issue and look forward to seeing you next time!

Follow us on Facebook Kittycat Magazine www.facebook.com/ Kittycatmagazine Kittycat Online Cat Community www.facebook.com/KittycatSA Kittycat SA FB Profile https://www.facebook. com/kittycat.sa.7 Kittycat Magazine Rescue Group https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1601149226785113/ Kittycat Magazine Group https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1447932208770601/

Jenni Ferreira, Editor|Publisher kittycatsa@gmail.com KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

Article

Feline Infectious Peritonitis DR. ARNOLD PLOTNICK, CAT EXPERT, EXPLAINS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FIP

Introduction Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is an uncommon, fatal viral disease of cats. It is caused by infectionwith feline coronavirus (FCoV). There is much confusionand much misinformation about the disease. I hope the information contained in this article addresses most ofthe concerns and questions that commonly arise,especially when a veterinarian suggests that your catmay have the disease. Transmission and Development of FIP Coronaviruses can affect many different species. Theycause intestinal and respiratory disease in dogs and pigs, and are a cause of the common cold in humans. Feline coronaviruses are related to these other corona viruses. The most common form or “biotype” of FCoVis the enteric (intestinal) form of the virus.

Dr. Arnold Plotnick MS, DVM, ACVIM Dr. Arnold Plotnick is a board certified veterinary internist, feline specialist, and the owner of Manhattan Cat Specialists. In addition to his medical work, he is an award-winning veterinary medicine writer. He is a featured article writer in Cat Fancy magazine, an advice expert on CatChannel, and authors the blog “Cat Man Do.” Dr Plotnick is owned by 2 cats, Crispy and Mittens.

This form is easily transmitted between cats. Cats become infectedby the fecal-oral route. In other words, FCoV is shed inthe feces of one cat, and somehow is ingested by another cat. After the virus is ingested, the virus replicates(i.e. reproduces, making many copies of itself) within the cells that line the intestinal tract. When cats become infected with this form of the virus, they usually show no overt clinical signs. Occasionally, infected cats will get transient, self-limiting diarrhea, probably as a result of the damage to the intestinal cells during viral replication. Most cats, when they become infected, will shed the virus in their feces for a period of time, usually a few months, and then stop. Infected cats produce antibodies to the virus in response to the infection. Cats may become re-infected with FCoV in the future, and begin shedding again, if they encounter more virus. Again,most encounters are via the fecal-oral route. Although most infected cats shed the virus for a fewmonths and then stop, a few become persistent shedders, releasing the virus in their feces continuously. Coronaviruses have an important characteristic: they are fairly prone to genetic change, and seemingly harmlesscorona viruses can mutate into a variant virus that maybe more pathogenic than the original virus. This, infact, is how clinical cases of FIP are thought to arise. The relatively benign intestinal coronavirus mutates into a new form type of coronavirus, one that can leave the intestinal tract and cause problems in many different organ systems. This mutated coronavirus is now the deadly, evil FIP virus. KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

The FIP virus triggers an immune response by the body. The immune response, however, is ineffective and actually makes things worse. Antibodies produced against the FIP virus do not neutralize the virus. The antibodies bind the virus, and these antibody-virus complexes circulate in the bloodstream eventually settling down and accumulating in the walls of the bloodvessels where they trigger an intense and harmful inflammatory reaction. These inflammatory lesions canoccur in virtually any body system, accounting for thewide range of clinical signs seen in FIP. Normally, when an antibody binds a virus, an immune system cell calleda macrophage will gobble up the antibody-bound virus and destroy it. Macrophages, however, don’t destroy the FIP virus, however. Instead, they gobble up the virus and then transport it to other parts of the body, disseminating the disease throughout the body. Which cats are affected? Most cases of FIP occur in young cats. In fact, manycases probably occur right after their first infection. This likely has to do with the fact that corona viruses are prone to mutation. Mutations are more likely to occur when viruses are reproducing themselves, and the highest amount of viral replication occurs right after infection, increasing the risk of the benign intestinal coronavirus transforming into the evil FIP coronavirus. Other stressful factors are often present in young cats,such as an immature immune system, recent re-homing, neutering, vaccination, and perhaps concurrent illness.The peak age for development of FIP is between 6 months and 2 years. Although youngsters fall victim most often,cases are also seen in older cats. Infection with FCoV is common in cat populationseverywhere. Approximately 25 to 40% of household catsare infected with FCoV. In breeding catteries and otherlarge colonies, the number rises to 80 – 100%. Despitethis high level of exposure to the virus, FIP is arelatively uncommon disorder. This is because most infections, as stated above, are with the fairlyharmless strain of FCoV – the one that produces only mild diarrhea. Cats from breeding catteries and other large multicat households show a higher prevalence of FIP, and this is a reflection of the fact that exposure to FCoV is hard to avoid. In a multicat environment, there may be a few cats who are carriers that continually shed the virus in their feces, reinfecting other cats in the household who also shed the virus, even if only intermittently. In fact, studies have suggested that as few as six cats sharing the same environment are enough to maintain persistent FCoVinfections.

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So, in a multicat environment, the more cats that are chronically shedding FCoV, and the more cats that become reinfected, the higher the risk of FIPdeveloping. Other factors are probably involved, such as genetic susceptibility. A study of all cats diagnosedwith FIP over a 16 year period at North Carolina State University revealed that purebred cats were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with FIP, and that Abyssinians, Bengals, Birmans, Himalayans, Ragdolls, and Rexes have a significantly higher risk, whereas Burmese, Exotic Shorthairs, Manxes, Persians, Russian Blues, do not appear to be at increased risk. In colony situations, the incidence of FIP is typically 5%, although this number can vary widely between differentcolonies. It is not uncommon to see FIP develop in several or all of the kittens from an individual litter over a period of time. In households containing one or two mature cats, the incidence of FIP is very low,perhaps only 1 in 5000.

Having your cat neutered or is the What are thespayed signs? ultimate of are mild Clinical signs associated withsign FCoV infection –a little diarrhea, perhaps a little vomiting, for a few responsible pet days duration. FIP, however, can present with a wide variety of clinical signs. There are no clinical signs ownership. associated with FIP that are unique for this disease. In general, the disease presents itself in one of two majorforms: the effusive (“wet”) form, and the noneffusive(“dry”) form.

As stated above, when the immune system produces antibodies against the FIP virus, the antibodies, rather than neutralize the virus, will bind the virus, and then these antibody-virus complexes circulate in the bloodstream eventually settling down and accumulating in the walls of the blood vessels where they trigger anintense and harmful inflammatory reaction. The inflammation of the blood vessels causes proteinrich fluid to leak through the walls of the blood vessels and accumulate in body cavities. This accumulated fluid iscalled an effusion, and is the hallmark of effusive or“wet” FIP. On the other hand, the FIP virus can induce an inflammatory response that leads to the formation ofclusters of inflammatory cells (called granulomas)accumulating in a variety of organs and structures. The most common sites for granulomas to develop are the abdominal organs such as the liver, kidneys, intestines, and lymph nodes, as well as the eye and the nervoussystem. The clinical signs that develop depend on which organ or body system is affected.

Effusions are not seenin this form of FIP, hence the name non-effusive, or “dry” FIP. “Wet” FIP is more common than “dry” FIP, and probably accounts for 60 – 70% of FIP cases. Early in the course of the disease, the clinical signs of both wet and dry FIP tend to be non-specific and include fever, lethargy, poor appetite, and weight loss. The vague nature of these signs is what makes FIP so difficult to diagnose early in the course of disease. As the disease progresses, other clinical signs may become more apparent, perhaps allowing the disease to be categorized as the effusive (wet) or non-effusive (dry)form. Accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, often causing dramatic abdominal distension, is an obvious manifestation of wet FIP, and is the most common place that fluid tends to accumulate. Less commonly, the fluid will be present in the chest, causing breathing difficulty. Now and then, fluid will be present in both cavities. Occasionally, fluid will accumulate in the pericardial sac (the membrane that surrounds the heart), causing cardiac dysfunction. In many cats with the wet form of the disease, the eyes and the central nervoussystem will be affected. The liver is commonly affected, sometimes causing jaundice.

How is it diagnosed? FIP is one of the most difficult feline disorders to diagnose. The vague clinical signs early in the courseo f the disease are seen in many other feline illnesses as well. There are no routine laboratory tests that candefinitively confirm one’s suspicions of an FIP diagnosis. Instead, one must evaluate the historicalresults, clinical signs, physical exam findings andlaboratory tests. At this point, one may conclude that they have enough evidence for a presumptive diagnosis of FIP. In cases where the diagnosis remains in doubt, tissue biopsies may ultimately be necessary to make acertain diagnosis. Historically, cases of FIP are more common in young cats (less than 2 years), purebred cats, and cats from multicat environments. Routine laboratory tests won’t prove or disprove the diagnosis, but may offer evidence to support or refuteone’s suspicions of FIP as the cause of the clinical signs. A complete blood count often shows a low lymphocyte count and high neutrophil count. These are very non-specific changes and are seen in many other illnesses. A serum biochemistry panel also tends to show nonspecific changes, however, elevated globulins are a common and important finding, seen in 50 to 80% of FIP cases. Hyperproteinemia is usually present, the elevation being due to increase in globulins. Albumin levels may be normal, although frequently they are low or low-normal. Because the liver is an organ that isfrequently affected in cases of FIP, elevated liver enzymes and high bilirubin levels are not uncommon.

Clinical signs of the dry form of the disease can bevery vague, making diagnosis a real challenge. Persistent fever that doesn’t respond to antibiotics, progressive weight loss, and lethargy tend to be themain signs. As the disease progresses and granulomas develop, other clinical signs will develop depending onthe organ that is affected and the degree of involvement. The FIP virus has a predilection for the eyes and central nervous system and signs of neurologicdysfunction (uncoordinated walking) or eye inflammationare not uncommon.

Coronavirus serology – measuring the level of antibodies against corona virus in the bloodstream – is common and very misunderstood test. A positive test result simplyconfirms that the cat has been exposed to a strain of FCoV. Excessive reliance should not be placed on this test. It holds no more value than results of routine hematology and serum biochemistry. Keeping I mind that 25 to 40% of the general cat population and 80 – 100% of cats in multicat households are seropositive for corona virus, a positive result must be interpreted cautiously. As a general rule, cats with FIP tend to have higher FCoV antibody titers, but there is much overlap in titers between healthy cats that were simplyexposed to FCoV vs. sick cats currently suffering from FIP. Again, excessive reliance should not be placed on this test.

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In fact, there have been cases of FIP in which the corona virus antibody test showed a lack of detectable antibodies. To summarize: low or medium levels of corona virus antibodies have no diagnostic value because the virus is so ubiquitous. Negative levels suggest a cat is unlikely to have FIP (although about 10% of cats with FIP will have no detectable antibody); and very high levels of antibody offers support for a diagnosis of FIP, but a strongly positive test is not, in and of itself, diagnostic for the disease. A valuable diagnostic test is the evaluation of effusions in cases of wet FIP. These effusions tend to be “straw-colored” in appearance and is thick, with a sticky feel to it. The protein content is high, with globulins making up more than 50% of the proteins. There are few diseases that produce effusions with such characteristics. Taken with other supportive evidence,an effusion of this type can provide strong evidence for a presumptive diagnosis, especially if this type ofeffusion is found in more than one body cavity.

If there is stilldoubt as to whether FIP is the cause of the inflammation, additional confirmation can be pursued through immunohistochemistry – using special tissue staining procedures – to detect the presence of FCoVwithin the biopsy specimen. Is there any treatment? FIP is progressive and fatal. Cats with FIP tend to succumb to the disease rather quickly, in a few days o rweeks. Wet FIP tends to progress faster than dry FIP. Treatment is generally symptomatic and supportive. Nutritional support, antibiotics, and cortico steroidsmay produce a temporary alleviation of clinical signs, but the disease invariably progresses. In 2004, a report was published that described the use of recombinantfeline interferon and glucocorticoids for the treatmentof FIP.

Detection of corona virus particles within the cells that are found in the FIP-induced effusions offers very strong support for a diagnosis (in one study, a positivetest was 100% predictive for FIP), but this type of test tends to be performed in research laboratories and most commercial laboratories do not offer this test.

Twelve cats with FIP underwent therapy. Fourcats succumbed quickly; four cats showed a partialremission (surviving for two to five months), and four cats showed a complete remission (survival time greater than 2 years). The four cats that showed long term survival were older cats – between the age of 6 and 16 –and all had the wet form of the disease.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has become a popular high-tech method for detecting the presence of infectious organisms. It does this by detecting minute quantities of viral or bacterial DNA and amplifying it to millions or billions of copies so that it can be detected by a routine laboratory method.

Although the number of cats in the study was small, the results were encouraging in that they suggest an apparent therapeutic effect of recombinant feline interferon in select casesof FIP.

Like everyother test in veterinary medicine, PCR has its pitfalls,and when it comes to FIP, the PCR suffers from the same limitations as antibody testing – it is unable to distinguish which strain of FCoV to which the cat has been exposed. Those PCRs which claim to have detected the mutation which differentiates the harmless intestinal FCoV from the virulent FIP corona virus have never been validated by the scientific community. If significant doubts remain concerning the diagnosis of FIP, a truly definitive diagnosis can be achieved through biopsy of appropriate organs. Biopsy specimensmay be obtained via exploratory surgery, or by percutaneous needle biopsy,

using ultrasound guidance if necessary. When examined under a microscope by a pathologist, affected tissue samples demonstrate pyogranulomatous inflammation, a characteristic type of inflammation seen in cases of FIP.

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However, the high cost associated with feline interferon, and the fact that it is only available in Japan, the UK, and the EC countries may be an obstacle for treatment. Ultimately, nearly all cats diagnosed with FIP are euthanized to alleviate suffering. In terms of contagion, the fact that there have been reports of FIP outbreaks in individual colonies of cats suggests that direct transmission of the FIP-causing coronavirusis occasionally possible, however, the FIP virus does not appear to be commonly transmitted in nature and usually dies out when the affected cat dies from the disease. Prevention and Control Because the virus causing FIP is an uncommon mutation ofa widespread virus, it can be difficult to prevent and control.

The most effective management strategies center around preventing and controlling the prevalence of the underlying infection with FCoV. To prevent FIP inhousehold pets, one should avoid obtaining cats from a source where many cats are housed, and try to obtain them from a place where cats or kittens are kept insmall stable groups. To put it more simply, one should obtain healthy kittens/cats from a healthy background.One should avoid having large numbers of cats sharing one living space. Household cats kept singly or in smallgroups are unlikely to develop FIP. In breeding catteries, one can attempt to control FIP by reducing the incidence of FCoV infection, or one can try to completely eradicate FCoV within the colony. Eradication of infection, however, is very timeconsuming and laborious. Maintaining a FCoV-free colony can be quite a challenge, given the ubiquitous nature of FCoV infections. A more realistic approach is to consider eliminating FCoV infection in kittens born into the environment where FCoV is present. If a pregnant queen is isolated from other cats one to two weeks before giving birth, and is then kept isolated with her kittens while practicing good hygiene procedures to prevent environmental spread of infection to the kittens), most of these kittens will remain free of infection.

RaisingFCoV-free kittens requires considerable commitment frombreeders. Good hygiene is always important when trying to minimizethe prevalence of FIP. Bearing in mind that the fecal-oral route is thought to be the major way in which the virus is spread, some practical control measures that have been suggested include having enough litterboxes (ideally, one for every two cats), keeping litterboxes away from places where food and water are kept,and keeping all litter boxes very clean. Feces should be removed at least once daily, and litter should be changed as often as practical. Cats should be kept in small stable groups. Regular brushing of the hair coat(especially longhaired cats) is recommended to remove any feces or litter that might get stuck in the fur. A commercial FIP vaccine is available, however the use of the vaccine is controversial. The vaccine is administered intranasally (i.e.drops in the nose). Different studies of the vaccine have yielded verydifferent results, and the efficacy of the vaccineremains questionable. The American Association of Feline Practitioners and the Academy of Feline Medicine, in their regularly published guidelines for feline vaccination, currently do not endorse the routine use ofthe FIP vaccine at this time.

Testing kittens for FCoV antibodies before they are weaned will yield invalid results because kittens derive their antibodies from their mothers, and a positive result merely confirms that the mother was exposed to FCoV. After weaning, however, the queen canbe removed and the kittens still kept isolated andtested at 12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16 weeks of age for antibodies to FCoV. If the litter tests negative, the isolation procedure has been successful. These kittens are FCoV negative and would theoretically be incapable of developing FIP since they do not have the coronavirus in their body. The isolation procedure sometimes fails if the queen herself is shedding FCoV in her stool and passes it to the kittens. This might be avoided if the kittens are weaned early (at 5 to 6 weeks of age), because the antibodies against FCoV that the kittens obtain from the mother may prevent the kittens of acquiring the infection.

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Article

FIPTesting Arnold Plotnick MS, DVM, ACVIM, ABVP Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal viral disease of cats. As a veterinarian, FIP is frustrating, as it can be difficult to achieve a diagnosis. As a cat specialist, I am frequently consulted for a second opinion regarding a diagnosis of FIP. If I have a hunch that a cat might have FIP, I try my best to disprove my hunch, because a diagnosis of FIP is a death sentence. The disease is caused by a type of virus called a corona virus. Most cats are exposed to this virus as kittens. On initial exposure, the virus causes mild enteritis (intestinal inflammation), and maybe some mild diarrhea, or no clinical signs at all. The immune system makes antibodies against the virus, but does not eliminate it, and the virus continues to reside in the intestinal tract, causing no problems. Occasionally, the harmless intestinal coronavirus mutates, and gains the ability to leave the intestinal tract. Immune system cells, called macrophages, attack and engulf the coronavirus, but they do not kill it. Instead, the virus reproduces itself inside the macrophages. These cells travel throughout lymphatic vessels, spreading the virus throughout the body. This mutated intestinal coronavirus is now the evil FIPinducing coronavirus. The immune system tries to respond, however, the extent of the response determines the clinical symptoms the cat will exhibit.

mune response, viral replication is slowed, and cats develop nodular accumulations of inflammatory cells called granulomas throughout the body. This form of the disease is known as the “dry” form of FIP. Diagnosis of the disease is difficult because clinical signs are vague. Most cats are young (usually less than one year), and show lethargy, weight loss, poor appetite, and a fever that doesn’t respond to antibiotics. A serum chemistry panel often only shows elevated protein (consisting mainly of globulins), unless the virus has begun to affect the kidneys or liver, in which case the liver and kidney parameters may be abnormal. The wet form is easier to diagnose because the presence of fluid in the abdomen or chest is relatively easy to detect, and fluid analysis can give additional information supporting the diagnosis. The dry form remains difficult to diagnose. Biopsy of the affected organs or tissues has remained the only way to definitively diagnose FIP. A rapid, reliable test is critical to allow veterinarians to make the diagnosis, to lessen suffering in affected cats, and avoid euthanasia of unaffected cats.

A strong cellular immune response doesn’t eliminate the virus completely, but does contain it, preventing further dissemination. Cats can keep the virus in check for months or years. Age, stress, and malnutrition may reactivate the virus, resulting in full-blown FIP. In cats that do not mount a cellular immune response, viral replication goes unchecked, and the FIP-inducing coronavirus spreads.

Nearly every veterinary diagnostic laboratory offers a “FIP test” to veterinarians. This test is simply a test to measure the presence of antibodies against coronaviruses. These coronavirusspecific antibodies are present in 80-90% of cats in catteries, and in 10-50% of cats in single-cat households. The presence of antibodies in the blood stream DOES NOT mean that the cat has FIP. Only 5-10% of coronavirus-infected cats develop FIP in a cattery setting, and the incidence is much less in a single-cat household.

Damage to blood vessels ultimately develops, and fluid leaks out through the damaged vessels. Effusions (collections of fluid) can develop in the abdominal cavity, chest cavity, and pericardium (the sac around the heart), resulting in what is referred to as the “wet” form of FIP. In cats that mount a partial cellular im-

A recent article in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (November/December 2003) critically analyzes the various methods used to diagnose FIP in clinical cases. They studied 488 cats with biopsy-confirmed FIP, and compared the results to that of 620 non-infected cats. Most

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of the affected cats (80%) had fluid accumulation in a body cavity, although this alone was not diagnostic for FIP, as there are many reasons for a cat to have fluid accumulations. Many cats had elevated protein and globulin levels in their serum, but this too proved to be a poor diagnostic test for FIP. In cats with the wet form of FIP, measurement of the globulin levels in the body cavity fluid had more diagnostic utility compared to measuring globulins in the bloodstream, but this still was not definitive. For cats with fluid accumulation, a simple test called Rivaltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s test, can be used to differentiate fluid resulting from FIP vs. fluid resulting from some other disease with very good accuracy, and may be helpful for diagnosing the disorder in cats with the wet form of the disease. Because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a test on body cavity fluid, it is not useful in diagnosing the dry form of the disease. The inadequacies and pitfalls of measuring antibody levels as a diagnostic test for FIP have been debated extensively amongst veterinarians for years. The researchers examined the usefulness of measuring coronavirus-specific antibodies, and they demonstrated that the presence of antibodies in general had a poor predictive value in diagnosing FIP. More interestingly, it was possible for cats to test negative (i.e. have no detectable antibodies against the coronavirus) and still have FIP; 10% of cats who truly had FIP had no detectable antibody on the test. Cats with a very high level of antibodies, however, had a high probability of having FIP (94%). To summarize: low or medium levels of coronavirus-specific antibody had no diagnostic value, negative levels had limited value, and very high levels, if present, raises the probability of FIP considerably. Unfortunately, very high levels were present in only 36 cats in the study.

in macrophages found in body cavity fluid was evaluated, and indeed, there were no false-positive results. A positive test, in other words, predicts with 100% certainty that the cat has FIP. Unfortunately, this type of test tends to be performed in research laboratories, and most commercial laboratories do not offer this test. One must keep in mind that while a positive test is 100% diagnostic, a negative test does not mean that the cat does not have FIP. Also, the test is performed on body cavity fluid of affected cats. It is not useful for cats with the dry form of the disease. In conclusion, the only way to definitively diagnose FIP is by biopsy, or by detection of coronavirus in cells from body cavity fluid of affected cats. There is no simple blood test that can make the diagnosis, and I shudder to think of how many cats have been euthanized unnecessarily due to a mistaken belief amongst many veterinarians that a positive antibody test is diagnostic for FIP. FIP remains a death sentence for cats, and I urge all cat owners whose cat is diagnosed with the disorder to question their veterinarian extensively as to how the diagnosis was achieved, and seek a second opinion if there are any doubts about the diagnosis.

One approach to the diagnosis would be to try to detect the coronavirus, and then determine whether the virus was the harmless intestinal virus or the mutated, evil FIP virus. A relatively new test called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is very good at detecting the extremely small numbers of specific infectious organisms in humans and animals, however, the investigators found that while PCR is very sensitive at detecting coronavirus infection, it cannot distinguish between the harmless intestinal coronavirus and the mutated, FIP-inducing coronavirus, despite some grandiose claims to the contrary. Another method to detect the virus is to search for it inside macrophages and other cells present in body cavity fluid. A study published in 1995 showed the presence of coronavirus in 34 out of 34 samples from cats with FIP-induced fluid accumulations. In the present study, detection of intracellular coronavirus

Manhattan Cat Specialists http://manhattancats.com

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Storm’s Story Taryn Vlok

Little Storm came into my life very unexpectedly, I wasn’t looking at adding another family member, let alone a deaf baby. I have never met a deaf cat before in my life, and I was unsure of how to look after her, if there was something special I would have to do, or understand. Storm being deaf had its challenges. We had to remember that calling her wouldn’t help, infact we probably just looked stupid to her. She would often go into strange places, like behind the fridge and sleep. We would spend hours looking for her, end up in a complete panic, only to find her cuddled up, even on the dstv decoder in the cupboard. Storm use to communicate with us in a very different way, she would never make a noise when she “meowed”. All it was, was an open mouth, with a bit of a bodily movement. That was her “meow”. At night when we would sleep, she would have this habit of constantly pawing your face, I always said it was because she can’t hear you breathing, that she had to wake you up, just to be sure. Stormie was never a stressed baby, she made the best of every situation, whether it be coming into contact with a dog, or another cat, a car ride to the vet. She was a happy baby. Storm taught me that no matter how different she was, that infact she was just special. Often I would catch myself having a full on conversation with her and then remembering she can’t hear me, I’d pick her up and kiss her, and she would in turn give me a great big purr. Secretly I felt she had “selective hearing” and chose what she wanted to hear. She had a good heart, a heart of pure gold, love. One Saturday I noticed she seemed a bit off. Her stomach looked “bigger”. I was convinced it was from

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the milk my mother had given her, because “cats drink milk” according to her. But there was something, something very off with Storm, she wasn’t her usual tom-boyish self. Off to the vet we went. Stormie had a bit of a high fever, not drinking much, besides the milk she was given, I mean, she was an indoor cat, she didn’t come into contact with the “bad stuff” out there, what else could it be? We had been given a whole lot of antibiotics that Storm was to have daily. The Monday she seemed almost herself again, she was playing. By the Wednesday I saw something wasn’t right again, off to the vet. This time they wanted to do a sonar to see why the tummy was so big. My biggest fear was confirmed. FIP. I have lost two babies in 2011 to this dreaded disease, but Storm was different. She didn’t have all the “FIP symptoms” besides the swollen belly. I took her home, and cried my heart out. Why Storm!! I then got involved with another vet, she drew fluid off the stomach to send it away to be tested, because I was NOT convinced it was FIP. As I saw the syringe fill up with the yellow fluid, my heart sank. But I didn’t give up. I wanted to give Storm a fighting chance, because I could feel it’s what she wanted. We did endless Homeopathic meds, which seemed to help then, drew fluid off the tummy a few times to make her more comfortable. Some days I would be at the vet twice if not more. I was determined to help Storm for as long as she would fight. Things went well for about a week, I was confident that we would beat this FIP. Miracles do happen. The Wednesday she spent a lot of time outside, enjoying the grass, fresh air, trying to catch bugs. That was the last time she ate. The next day, Thursday, everything went down hill, she

had started to vomit, didn’t want to eat, she allowed me to syringe small amounts of food into her mouth, but that was it. I rushed her to the vet who then gave her a sub cut and meds for nausea, which helped a bit. That night, we decided to do Dr Dianne Addie’s Rivalta test. It was simple. Distilled water, vinegar, and the fluid from the tummy. This was going to determine whether we do more tests or not. This was going to give me the answer I knew in my heart, but I didn’t want to believe. We managed to drain around 200ml of fluid off my tiny babies tummy, she instantly deflated, she was comfortable. We gave her more fluid to keep her hydrated. The Rivalta test was set up, we coloured the yellow liquid to a blue, to make it easier to see, as the Dr dropped a drop of the fluid into the test tube, my heart sank, finally reality had set in. The fluid “hung like a jelly fish” which ment 86% positive for FIP. The Dr and myself stood there in complete disbelief. How could my baby girl have FIP. We went home, and Stormie was keen on eating again, she even gave me a very loud set of purrs as she kneaded on her blanket. Friday came. I will never forget it, as it plays in my mind over and over. Storm had a bad night, she wasn’t interested in the syringing food, she was annoyed, restless, she was ready. She was ready to go, but I wasn’t ready to let her go. She spent the day with me at work, where I checked up on her every 5 minutes just about. I noticed she was lethargic, didn’t want to use her litter box. I realised that this was it. A week and a half of fighting and her tiny body had given up. I packed up, went home to fetch my mom, and we took her to the vet for her final time. My Stormy was tired. She held on and

helped me fight this battle, but her tiny 13 week old body couldn’t hold on any longer. I had to accept it. Grant her freedom. I held her and kissed her as she left this terrible world. For one last time I told her I loved her. Stormie had touched many peoples hearts, many people I will never meet. I joined groups on face book, FIP fighters and some FIP support group. As I typed the message that she was gone, I could feel the sadness over the group, sadness from people we had never met, but had become so incredibly important, people who had prayed for me and Storm, for her not to give up. My little deaf white kitten, that I never planned on having, came into my life, taught me how special “special needs babies” are, she brought people together, friendships where formed, lives and hearts were touched, hope was restored, tears where cried, love was realised.

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Her mission on Earth had been completed. A tiny kitten who lived up to her mighty name, Storm.

RIP Storm December 2014â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 23 January 2015 Gone too soon.

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The Rainbow Bridge By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill, Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still. Where the friends of man and woman do run, When their time on earth is over and done. For here, between this world and the next,Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest. On this golden land, they wait and they play, Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day. No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness, For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness. Their limbs are restored, their health renewed, Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued. They romp through the grass, without even a care, Until one day they start, and sniff at the air. All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back, Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack. For just at that instant, their eyes have met; Together again, both person and pet. So they run to each other, these friends from long past, The time of their parting is over at last. The sadness they felt while they were apart, Has turned into joy once more in each heart. They embrace with a love that will last forever, And then, side-by-side, they cross overâ&#x20AC;Ś together.

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Article

DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH TICKS AND FLEAS Common diseases that are associated with ticks are babesiosis (tick bite fever), ehrlichiosis, skin irritation, and skin necrosis. Fleas on the other hand can cause skin irritations, allergic skin reactions, and can transmit tapeworms. Common diseases that are associated with ticks are babesiosis (tick bite fever), ehrlichiosis, skin irritation, and skin necrosis. Fleas on the other hand can cause skin irritations, allergic skin reactions, and can transmit tapeworms. TICKS AND TICK BORNE DISEASES Ticks are temporary parasites of animals that only stay on the host for short periods BVSc (Hons) and thereMMedVet are more than (Med) 800 species Dipl. ECVIMof (Internal ticks occurring Medicine) worldwide. The Veterinary tick adult Specialist can live for Physician months without feeding. many Lobetti terrestrial Dr Remo

Adultinticks canwith be readily with He Graduated 1987 a BVScseen degree. the naked eye whereas unfed larvae spent the next 2 years in the Veterinary 1 mmAfrican in length and thus sectionare of about the South Defence Force. just visible. With one host ticks, the Then in private practice for 2 years at from larva to Orangeentire Grovedevelopment Veterinary Hospital in JHB. adult takes place on one host; two He joined the Department of Medicine, ticks the larva and nymph occur of Facultyhost of Veterinary Science, University on one host and the adult on anothPTA, as a senior lecturer in 1992 and was er; and with threeprofessor host ticks, promoted to associate in each 1997. stage of development, larva, From 1997 -2000 he was Sectionnymph Head of and adult takes place on Faculty. a different Small Animal Medicine at the In host. The life cycle can take as long 2001, he moved to Bryanston Veterinary as as three years to complete. Hospital a specialist physician but is still appointed as a Professor in the Department The life Animal cycle of Clinical three host ticks is of Companion Studies, briefly as follows. The fertilized, enFaculty of Veterinary Science, Pretoria. gorged female drops off the host and Dr Lobetti owns four dogs: GSD (Yoda), eggs, Maltese usually more than a thouBeaglelays (Tessa), (Tommy), cross sand. Eggs hatch yielding six-legged breed (Snoopy) and 2 cats (Baloo and larvae that live on vegetation, e.g., Sherkan). grass and shrubbery. They attach to an appropriate host, feed for several days, drop off and moult into eight-

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TICKS AND TICK BORNE DISEASES Ticks are temporary parasites of many terrestrial animals that only stay on the host for short periods and there are more than 800 species of ticks occurring worldwide. The tick adult can live for months without feeding. Adult ticks can be readily seen with the naked eye whereas unfed larvae are about 1 mm in length and thus just visible. With one host ticks, the entire development from larva to adult takes place on one host; two host ticks the larva and nymph occur on one host and the adult on another; and with three host ticks, each stage of development, larva, nymph and adult takes place on a different host. The life cycle can take as long as three years to complete. The life cycle of three host ticks is briefly as follows. The fertilized, engorged female drops off the host and lays eggs, usually more than a thousand. Eggs hatch yielding six-legged larvae that live on vegetation, e.g., grass and shrubbery. They attach to an appropriate host, feed for several days, drop off and moult into eight-legged nymphs. These attach to an appropriate host and after a blood meal, drop off and moult into an adult. Physical irritation Any tick species can affect the skin and can result in scratching, skin infections, or necrosis. The most common sites of infestation are the head, neck and ears, which are the less accessible areas for scratching and grooming. Some ticks can produce some inflammation of the skin and possible allergic reactions at feeding locations, whereas other ticks can cause severe inflammation (Figures 1, 2, and 3). Heavy infestations, on rare occasions, can lead to anaemia. Babesiosis Canine babesiosis is a tick-transmitted disease caused by Babesia canis or Babesia gibsoni. Babesia canis occurs in Europe, North Africa, and Southern Africa; whereas Babesia gibsoni occurs in Asia, North America and North and East Africa. Although babesiosis can occur in animals of all ages, the majority of cases are young animals (Figure 4).

may harbour the organism for as long as five months. Typical clinical signs include recurrent fever, nosebleeds, nasal discharge, vomiting, subcutaneous haemorrhages (Figure 7 and 8), depression, emaciation, anaemia, and enlarged spleen. The diagnosis can often be difficult and requires blood smear evaluation, laboratory testing, and serology. Treatment is a 3-week course of antibiotics (doxycycline) with additional treatment necessary, particularly in the chronic disease. Without antibiotic therapy, dogs may remain carriers for many months. Prevention of ehrlichiosis is by control of ticks by daily removal, topical treatment and spraying the premises with acaracides. A considerable number of human infections have been reported, although, infection is not thought to be acquired directly from dogs. Ticks are the probable vectors. FLEAS AND FLEA BORNE DISEASES The incubation period for canine babesiosis is 10 21 days. The main effect of the parasites is that they cause red blood cell destruction resulting in anaemia. The disease can be clinical classified into uncomplicated and complicated forms. Uncomplicated cases typically present with fever, anorexia, depression, pale mucous membranes (Figure 5), and enlarged spleen. This form is further divided into mild, moderate or severe disease, according to the severity of the anaemia. Common complications included acute renal failure, neurological signs, jaundice, enlarged liver, respiratory failure, low blood pressure, and cardiac involvement. Overlap between the different categories of the complications can also occur. The diagnosis of babesiosis is made by demonstrating Babesia organisms within infected red blood cells on a blood smear (Figure 6). Babesia canis

appears as pear-shaped organisms usually present in pairs. The primary therapeutic aim in the treatment of babesiosis is the reversal of life threatening anaemia via blood transfusions and elimination or suppression of the parasite with specific drugs. Prevention of babesiosis is by control of ticks by daily removal, topical treatment and spraying the premises with acaracides. There is currently no vaccine available in South Africa. Ehrlichiosis (Tropical canine pancytopenia) Canine ehrlichiosis is an acute to chronic disease caused by Ehrlichia canis, which may be complicated by concurrent infection with Babesia. The disease has a worldwide distribution. Puppies and German shepherd dogs appear to be particularly susceptible.

Fleas are small (1 - 5 mm), brown to black, wingless insects (Figure 9). They reside in the hair coats of mammals including the dog and cat. The development stages consist of egg, larva, pupa and adult. They attach to the skin of the host by piercing mouthparts. The long bristly legs enable fleas to make relatively long jumps (over 3 cm horizontally). The 2 most important fleas that infect the dog and cat are Ctenocephalides canis (the dog flea), which infects both the dog and cat and Ctenocephalides felis (the cat flea), which is the most frequent flea affecting both dogs and cats. The ovoid (0.5 mm long), white eggs are laid on the host from which they fall to the carpet, floor, soil, lawn, etc, where, if warm temperatures and moderate to high humidity are present, the life cycle is completed. White, legless, worm-like larvae hatch from eggs usually within 10 days.

The disease is tick transmitted and ticks KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

They move under the soil surface or organic material outside and into carpets and cracks in the floor inside. They feed on adult flea faeces and in 5 - 12 days they produce a silk-like cocoon in which they pupate. Adults emerge depending upon conditions in from five to as long as 140 days, then move to the host where they reside for their entire life, which lasts up to 100 days. The life cycle is usually completed in 3 - 4 weeks. Fleas mate after feeding and begin egg production within 48 hours of taking their first blood meal. Clinical features Fleas consume relatively large amounts of blood which, when excreted as reddish-black faecal pellets or long tubular coils, are referred to as flea dirt. Heavy infestations can cause anaemia particularly in puppies.

There may be areas of hair loss, pustules, skin thickening, and blackening of the skin. Some animals may also develop “hot spots” or secondary skin infections. In areas having cold winters it is usually seasonal, whereas warm humid coastal areas experience severe problems throughout the year. It is important to remember that the inability to demonstrate fleas or flea dirt does not exclude fleas as a problem. Effective management is by flea control, remembering that the majority of the life cycle is off the animal and hence control must be directed at both the environment and the animal.

Public health significance Fleas have a role in the transmission of several human diseases: • Fleas can transmit the rickettsial agent of mouse typhus, which can affect humans. • Children playing with pets can accidentally ingest an infected flea and thus become infected with a tapeworm. • Some humans are hypersensitive to fleabites. Fleabite hypersensitivity This is an allergic skin disease in animals that have become sensitised to allergenic material(s) in flea saliva. It is the most common allergic skin disorder in dogs. Lesions develop on the dorsal back, tail base, inner thighs, ventral abdomen, flanks and neck (Figure 10). There is intense itchiness, restlessness and discomfort. The scratching, biting and rubbing exacerbates the dermatitis.

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Tapeworms Both the dog and cat flea are the intermediate hosts of the tapeworm, Dipylidium caninum (dogs and cats) and Dipylidium reconditum (dogs). Flea larvae ingest the eggs of the tapeworms and then transmit the tapeworm. Dogs and humans become infected with tapeworms by swallowing fleas.

Figure 1: Tick attached on a dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ear

Figure 5: Pale and yellow gums of a dog with babesiosis (tick bite fever).

Figure 2: Tick attached to the skin of a dog with an associated reaction on the skin.

Figure 6: Blood smear from a dog with babesiosis showing a number of pear-shaped Babesia canis parasites in the red blood cells

Figure 3: Severe skin reaction (moist dermatitis) secondary to tick infestation

Figure 7: Dog with ehrlichiosis showing multiple areas of bleeding in the skin

Figure 4: Chow-Chow affected with babesiosis

Figure 8: Dog with ehrlichiosis showing multiple areas of bleeding in the gums KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

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PLEASE READ THIS WARNING! Dr Larry Kraitzick, BSVc Bruma Lake Veterinary Hospital http://brumalakevet.wix.com/bruma-vet https://www.facebook.com/BrumaLakeVeterinary

The intentional poisoning of dogs with Aldicarb has reached epidemic proportions. This neurotoxin with the street name TWO STEP is a tasteless odourless black powder. It is placed in food by would be robbers. They toss the laced food over walls and fences; then wait a few days for the dogs to die. Dogs may die suddenly only 20 minutes after ingestion. Dogs may also show various symptoms and die hours to days later if not taken to a veterinarian. Cat lovers beware! Cats may inadvertently be poisoned by burglers targeting dogs. Symptoms vary and can occur in different combinations. They include foaming at mouth, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle twitching, muscle spasms, weakness, difficulty breathing,change in behaviour and collapse. If you suspect intoxication you should get your dog to the vet immediately. You must wear gloves and wrap your dog in a towel to avoid contact with secretions which are toxic even on contact.You must search your property for other contaminated food. Clean up any body secretions in the environment using detergent and copious amounts of water. You must wear gloves and take care not to have contact with these secretions. I always advise keeping dogs inside at night. They are less likely to be poisoned or neutralised this way. This provides better protection for your dogs and your family. PLEASE KEEP YOUR PRECIOUS PETS AND FAMILY SAFE!

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Happy Endings

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Cat reunited with owner after 13 years KRISTIAN MEIJER

Shiraz the cat has been reunited with his owners after going missing more than 13 years. Shiraz, a Birman breed cat, has miraculously been reunited with his owner after wandering off more than 13 years ago. Elsa du Plessis, Shiraz’s owner, originally got him for her daughter while living in Wonderboom South. He was only a chubby little kitten at the time. A year later Shiraz disappeared without a trace, leaving the Du Plessis family heartbroken. Years of searching followed and the family eventually gave up hope, assuming Shiraz had died. In 2010, a Mr Holtzhausen from Pretoria West found a cat taking a nap on his motorcycle. He thought the cat was friendly and decided to give it a saucer of milk. The cat, loving the milk, decided to come back, day after day. Holtzhausen started putting flyers out around his neighbourhood in an attempt to find the cat’s owner, but to no avail. Eventually, Holtzhausen took the cat in as his own, and christened him Panda. During his stay with Holtzhausen Panda was left to roam the streets, as he was a very adventurous cat. Panda

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always returned home though. One night, Panda was seriously hurt by one of the neighbours, and Holtzhausen, knowing that not everyone loved cats as he did, decided to keep Panda indoors. As the years went by, and Holtzhauen’s business and personal life grew busier, he was unable to properly care for Panda. Jaco Oosthuizen and his wife knew Holtzhausen and offered to take care of panda temporarily, while they tried to find him a new home, as they could not keep him in their complex. They quickly grew to love Panda, and treated him as their own. After six months and complaints from neighbours, Panda had to find a new home. Oosthuizen made a plea on Facebook for anyone who would be willing to take Panda in. Chrizelda Humphries and Lindie Berelowitz saw the post, and decided to take Panda in temporarily. Lindie’s daughter Tahlia, who volunteers at Catz R US, a re-homing and fostering organisation for cats, started networking with other organisations in an attempt to find Panda a new home.

While at Catz R Us, Panda was taken to veterinarian, Dr Bosch at Be Wise Sterilise. One of his assistants scanned Panda for a microchip, and surprisingly found one. Panda had a home and was going back. Bosch got hold of the cell phone number of Panda’s former owner from the microchip. The number, had not changed in 13 years. Dr Bosch phoned Panda’s original owner, Elsa du Plessis, and informed her that he had her cat, originally called Shiraz. Du Plessis was over the moon. Her beloved cat was finally coming home. On 10 February Panda war reunited with his original owner. Du Plessis, her husband and daughter had since moved to Waterkloof Ridge, where Shiraz settled into his new home. “It is so strange. We have Shiraz at the start of his life, and in his late years. Everything in-between we missed,” said Du Plessis.

Shiraz is happily living in his new home and his appetite was also picking up after suffering from mouth ulcers which were being treated. He loves to take naps, just like any old man, and is quite grumpy if you wake him from his sleep. He is slowly getting used to his new environment, and the other cats in the Du Plessis home. Slowly but surely he is getting back to his old self, and will now live out his days in comfort. Catz R Us is a Non-profit Organisation that helps cats find their forever homes. They offer sterilisation for cats at low prices. The cats they take in are also de-wormed and vaccinated. Anyone who wants to get involved with Catz R Us or interested in adopting a cat can phone Tarryn Parker on 082448-3945 or visit their Facebook page CatzR-Us-SA.

Tarryn Parker from Catz R Us said this story can be a real lesson for animal lovers. “This shows just how important it is to take proper care of your pets, not just to implant a microchip, but to sterilize them as well. People who pick up a stray cat often don’t realise the cat might have had a home to go to. If anyone picks up a stray they should immediately take it to a vet to be scanned. Most vets do this for free, and will help reunite a cat with its owner.”

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Happy Endings

Akira GEORGE AND MELISSA JOAO

Akira is a rescue boy we adopted from the Kitty and Puppy Haven shelter. His name has Japanese origin meaning bright or intelligent but also Hindu origin meaning graceful strength. We had originally visited the haven to just to see their operation but when my husband saw him he saw that this cat was extremely sad and depressed and needed a rather special touch. His previous owners had immigrated and he has suffered horribly emotionally. He was about a year and a half when we adopted him. He was very scared initially and used to even hide in cupboards or under the bed and wherever else he could fit. It took two weeks to gain his trust and George worked with him over this time all the while forming a very strong bond with him. He is a very affectionate and sometimes very vocal cat with the

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prettiest bluest eyes. At times when he is most vocal while we bath, its almost like having a conversation with him, I am just not sure what he is saying. George says he is worried we will drown! If you lift your hand just above his head he jumps up and head bumps you, almost like a high five.He loves cuddling, even under the blanket and purrs so loud its like he is purring into your ears.

Do you have a Rescue story to sharewith us? Please email your story and photos to: kittycatsa@gmail.com

Gina NATALY RUNNER

We adopted this little girl in November 2013. She stole our hearts from the minute she walked into our home. When we brought her home she had a few unwanted companions with her “fleas”!!!. We did not know how to get rid of them so we spoke to the vet who gave her some medication and told us the best way to rid these unwanted companions is to bath this little girl. As soon as my fiance and I heard “bath” we were immediately shaking in our boots as we know just how kittys behave when they need to be washed by their humans. To our suprise Gina absolutely loved the water and relaxed in the warm water in the basin while we attended to wash her. From that day on she is obsessed with water and any and every time our taps are switched on in our home she immediately runs to the water and begins to play with it....needless to say we don’t have any problems should we need to bath her. We knew that our little Gina would be such a special and loving little cat from when she was very little as she refused to sleep alone at night time in her basket and used to cry until we picked her up into our bed. I used to cuddle with her while keeping her on my chest until she fell asleep and since a kitten to an adult cat she still loves to cuddle on my chest. Gina can be quite the diva when it comes to her personal items. The other week I needed to wash her cushion that remains in her basket and I replaced the cushion with a temporary one while hers was drying and she would not put one little paw in the basket until her own cushion was returned. She also has this fascination with elastic bands and loves to play with them all day long. It goes as far as her climbing on top of my head during the night to remove my elastic out of my hair as well as removing some of my hair with it. Needless to say I no longer sleep with elastic bands anymore. With all her funny quirks and a very large personality for such a little body we absolutely adore her and are so blessed to have her apart of our family.

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Happy Endings

Ariel A J VISSER

I got involved in kitten fostering about 5 years ago. Love every minute of it. To me its not just something you do, but a complete giving of yourself to something so small, helpless and needing. It fills my heart and soul. Of course I cry each time they leave and find their new homes, but it opens the door to so many other in need. Ariel, was one of those babies, she came with 3 siblings. They were aprox 4 days old when I received them, their mommy died giving birth. All 4 of them grew wonderfully, they were strong healthy and beautiful. Around the age of 6 weeks photos were sent out and people started booking them. Ariel was booked to go to a lovely couple together with her brother Alvin. As they were eating on their own and not needing to come to work with me anymore I started leaving them at home to run and play.

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One this day my domestic came in and a handyman as I had much repairs needed to be done. My domestic placed the kittens in one room of the house, but failed to take them out when the handyman was working in that room. We are unsure of what exactly happened, but according to my domestic the handyman fell off the chair. She found Ariel under the bed, blood on her tail and unable to walk. I raced through immediately and found my domestic sitting with Ariel in my night gown to keep her warm. The handyman had decided to leaveâ&#x20AC;Ś. I rushed through to the vet obviously in tears and panic. The vets examination reviled that Ariel was paralyzed waist down. There was no movement or feeling at all. He told me he would take her home with him for 24 hour observation.

The next morning I received a devastating call. There has been no improvement whatsoever and it would be best to put her to sleep. I asked the vet not to do it as I would like to be there with her. In my state of tears throughout the day I started looking for answers, second opinions wherever I could. Another foster mother and friend went to the vet that afternoon (as I was still at work) and spent some time with Ariel. She told me to give Ariel a chance (as did others) she said the little one is fighting and wanting to live. She is playing let see… So that’s what I decided to do. This has now been 4 months ago and we have walked a road together and our bond is closer than ever! Ariel is the light of my life. A little piece of sunshine that always warms my heart. Ariel is still unable to walk, but we have had improvement although it be slow. Feeling has returned to her legs and feet. I have tested this on various occasions. Hot and cold gets a reaction and even tickling her feet while she sleeps. It would seem Ariel is able to move her legs, especially when in water. So we do work with water therapy. Our routine consists of emptying her bladder in the mornings (as she is unable to do so herself), breakfast, a little bit of physio and them I’m off to work. Ariel has other kitties to play with in the day and duvets and blankets and everything she would need for the day on the ground. I would like however to invest in more toys that would suit her needs and a larger climbing/ scratch pole. I have gotten old carpets to place throughout the house so that she has more “grip” then on the tiles. This will also assist in her exercising her legs. After work I am greeted at the door. It’s all hugs and love and then of course dinner. After everything is done we start an hour of physio / play. She loves it when the legs are being moved. Its like she enjoys the relieve of the stiff muscles being bent and stretched. Her bladder has to be emptied again for the evening and she sometimes has a snack before bed time. She usually wakes me up during the night a few times as she wants to get on and off the bed J We have been given a gift of “soft cushion pet steps” that I have next to my bed and although Ariel has learned she can use them to get off the bed she has not figured out getting on it yet.

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Every Saturday we have physio with Dr Diana Bollweg who has been absolutely amazing. And so our journey continues, through good times and bad. Who knows what the future would bring. Will she ever walk again? No one can tell me or give me a guarantee, but that does not matter. I will be committed till the end of time. A lot is on the planning cards. I’m looking at a few things to assist her from handicapped pets and also would love to build a cat run outside (with a “doggy door”) so Ariel can enjoy the outside world a little. All this will come in good time as we manage to get the funds together. The main thing is Ariel is happy! She is not in any discomfort. Although there are a few things she is unable to do she still lives a full kitten life. I think Ariel has a message to teach us all. A message of hope of love. A message of all things are possible for those who believe.

Ariel – “Lion of God” – Hebrew

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Do you have a Rescue story to share with us?

Please email your story and photos to: kittycatsa@gmail.com KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

Happy Endings

Office Park Kittens STEVI GLENDINNING When the company I work for transferred me to one of its operational sites located on a large, plot-like property, I quickly noticed that the site was also home to several mostly feral cats. Three of the cats (black-and-white Socks, fluffy Prince, and Bowie with his two different coloured eyes) were wild and would come close but not permit anyone to touch them, while the fourth cat, Kimberley, was domesticated and enjoyed sitting under the chair of one of my colleagues.

even slept in her carrier on route to the vet, however during her sterilisation the vet found abnormal bone growths in her uterus and on spleen (from some kind of physical trauma to her midsection in the past, the vet thought, such as a fall, kick, or maybe being hit by a car), so she spent an extra night at the vet recovering and was discharged with twice the vet bill but I didn’t care, she has the sweetest nature and we were saving her life.

While several of my colleagues had been sharing the responsibility of feeding the cats, the cats lacked a permanent outside clean water source and a shelter. This was easily solved by providing a self-filling water bowl (the kind you attach an upside-down 2l bottle to) and a large plastic dog kennel padded with straw and fleece blanket. But the cats had presumably never had any kind of veterinary care and were not sterlised. It was also obvious that Socks was expecting a litter.

By the time Kimberely was returned Socks had clearly had her litter but the kittens were nowhere to be found; we began to fear that none had survived. I decided to delay Socks’s sterilisation in the hope that the kittens were merely hidden and that she was still nursing them, and so moved on to trapping wild Bowie and Prince next.

I knew that each cat needed to be trapped, neutered and returned and undertook the responsibility of getting it done. Domesticated Kimberely was obviously the easiest and

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The veterinarian who’d seen Kimberely suggested renting cat traps from our local SPCA. I paid a refundable R500 deposit for each of the two cages that were available and was informed that the charge was R20 per day’s usage per cage. The assistant at the SPCA instructed me to leave the cages out at the office for two full days before I actually intended to

catch either cat, to allow Prince and Bowie to become less weary of them. I was also advised to have blankets handy to cover the cages once either cat was trapped, to help them calm down. Wet food bait and Prince and Bowie’s hunger made the job easy and both boys were captured in less than 30 minutes. I was later told by an SCPA employee that I got lucky, and that extremely feral cats can take more than a day to catch. During the days leading up to Prince and Bowie’s return from the vet my colleagues had noticed Socks frequently walking a far corner of the building roof and began to think that her kittens may be hidden there. The veterinarian had advised that they little ones would emerge on their own soon enough once they’d finished nursing but, before we could see the wait through, Kimberley appeared inside the office carrying one of Socks’s kittens. Being a Friday, we decided to get onto the roof and move all of the kittens (assuming there was more than one) into the kennel that I’d provided, rather than risking Kimberley bringing one of them down again over the weekend and Socks maybe not being able to return it to the roof. There were four gorgeous balls of fluff, all with their tiny bright blue eyes wide open. On the Monday I took all four off to the vet who guessed that they were 3-4 weeks’ old – they were also dewormed and the vet recommended that I bring the mom in for sterilisation as soon as possible, lest she fell pregnant again while still nursing the four babies. Trapping Socks thankfully went as smoothly as it had been with the boys. The kittens were alert and friendly from that first day. Only little Donna, the brown tabby girl, would hiss at first but quickly settle down once you held her close. With Socks no longer able to nurse post her sterilisation and us wanting to find the kittens forever homes, the veterinarian suggested I begin fostering them to ensure that they were domesticated as early as possible. Panic set in when I realised that my husband and I had planned a two-week December holiday and that the kittens would need to be fostered until the start of the new year, but thankfully we had already arranged for Jenni of Kittycat Pet Sitting to look after our adult boy, Scorpio. A quick call to Jenni put me at ease: she was more than happy to look after the kittens while we were away and even went so far as to babysit them at her house for several days when they’d clearly become fed up with their small space in our apartment and needed for more stimulation. Leading up to our holiday Jenni also assisted with midday check-ups on the kittens while my husband and I were still working. We definitely couldn’t have successfully cared for, domesticated and homed the kittens without her. Sweet and clownish Sam, naughty and fearless Dean, Donna the lovable diva and gentle little Phoenix have since all joined their forever homes and it’s clear that they have plenty of love to give. It’s been such an honour to play a part in giving them a second chance away from what could have been a harsh and dangerous feral life. c

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Kitten Foster Guide Copyright: PAWS Humane, Columbus, USA

Generally, kittens in a Foster Care are those who have not yet reached 8 weeks old. These kittens are very small, and often require more individual care than they can receive in a shelter environment. It takes a lot of work and a lot of patience to care for kittens. Fostering requires a flexible schedule and a personal commitment to the kittens. In a typical day, you can expect to give food and water to the kittens a few times. The litter box(es) will also need scooping at least twice a day. Don’t forget to allow for a little playtime and snuggling! If the kittens you are fostering are sick, you will have to medicate the kittens as well. Although fostering is a lot of work, it is a very rewarding experience. You get to help kittens grow from helpless little beings into confident, well-adjusted family pets. You also get the fun of raising a kitten without the responsibility of lifetime care. Most importantly, you are saving lives!

Providing a Safe Environment The Safe Room Choose a space that is free of things that can hurt a kitten. You must be able to control the temperature of the room—be sure there are no drafts. The kittens should be isolated from any pets other than your own, as some kitten illnesses are transmittable and occa-

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sionally fatal, even to grown cats. The room your foster kittens are living in should be able to withstand litter box accidents, vomit, and spilled medicine. A bathroom is often a good choice for fostering (just don’t forget to close the toilet lid and hide the toilet paper!). Kitten-Proofing Remember that kittens are babies, and consequently they will try to get into everything! Block any electrical outlets and put away anything that a kitten could swallow or get tangled in. Hide any breakable items. Block any small holes where a kitten might hide and become inaccessible to you. It helps to lie down on your stomach so that you can see the room from the kittens’ point of view and identify potential hazards. Any windows in the room should be kept closed or securely screened. Inside the Kitten Room The kitten room should contain everything the kittens will need to eat, drink, eliminate, sleep and play: • Have at least one bowl for water, one for food. It is best to provide more bowls if you have several kittens so no one has to compete to access food. • Put the litter boxes as far away as possible from food, water, and bedding. • Be sure to provide enough boxes so that each kitten has a clean place to eliminate.

• Old towels tend to work well as bedding. A secure sleeping area, such as a cat carrier with the door removed or a box on its side, will help the kitten feel safe—especially important for shy kittens. • Provide safe, disposable or easily sanitized toys to entertain the kittens when you are not with them. • Finally, some type of scratching post or cardboard scratch pad will be necessary.

Daily Care Health Monitoring It is important to monitor a kitten’s health daily. If you notice anything wrong with your your kittens’ health, please contact the vet and the shelter you are fostering for immediately. Feeding Please feed your foster kittens only what the shelter/vetsuggests. These kittens will generally be given one brand of food. Also, the kittens have brand new digestive systems that can be irritated by introducing too many food choices. Some human foods can be toxic to cats, so it is best to not experiment. If your foster kittens refuse to eat, contact your vetor the shelter you are fostering for immediately. The person you talk to will help you determine whether this is a medical problem or a preference issue and will advise you of the next step to take. Do not attempt to make this decision yourself.

Daily Routine Feeding • Kittens should be fed at least 2 times a day (depending on age) • Pick up dirty food dishes • Monitor appetites

Cleaning Schedule • Scoop litterbox at least 2 times a day • Monitor diarrhea • Clay litter should be dumped and changed every other day for 2 kittens, daily for more than 2 kittens or if the kittens have diarrhea Health Check • Look over your kitten everyday for any changes or potential medical problems • Check body and fur • Look closely at eyes, in mouth and ears • Check energy levels Playtime & Mealtime Stimulation • Kittens should receive one to two play sessions daily with interactive toys (or more!) • Remember to discourage play with hands • Interactive toys should not be left unattended with kittens • Safe solo toys such as ping pong balls should be left out at all times • Change up the environment in small ways (add card board boxes or move things around in room) Socialization • Socialize kittens a minimum of two to three 20 minute visits daily • Undersocialized kittens, 3 to 4 20 minute visits daily • Encourage affectionate behavior • Kittens should meet new people a few times weekly if possible Handling & Gentling • Medium or long-haired kittens especially may benefit from daily exposure to brushing in very small amounts • Gently handling paws in preparation for nail trimming • Exposure to being picked up

Cleaning Up Between Litters When you return the foster kittens to the shelter or rehome them, you will need to sanitize the fostering room before putting new kittens in. Start by removing everything the kittens slept on, ate from, played with and eliminate it. Scrub everything the kittens could reach (don’t forget the walls) with a weak bleach solution. Food and water bowls can be washed in the dishwasher; the heat will disinfect the bowls. If you don’t have a dishwasher, then soak the bowls in the bleach solution for approximately 10 minutes. Clean the littler box and any reusable toys with the bleach solution as well. Wash all bedding using bleach and hot water. Throw away any toys made of cardboard or other non-cleanable materials. This should prevent any new litters from catching anything that the previous kittens contracted.

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Fostering Mom Cats With Kittens Fostering a mom cat with kittens in a very exciting and rewarding job. You will get to see intimately how a mom cat cares for her kittens as well as the stages of development in their relationship. What Type of Setting Do Mom Cats Need? A calm one! Instinct tells mom cats to keep their kittens safe and, in order to feel safe, they need privacy, quiet, and minimal activity. Stress can cause cats to become aggressive, to not take care of their babies properly, and, in some instances, even causes extreme behaviors such as cannibalism. Your role is to give the mom cat the type of environment where she can feel comfortable raising her young. Every household that intends to foster a mom cat with kittens should have a separate room away from the hub of daily activity. A home with no other pets is ideal but, if you do have pets, you should be able to prevent your pet from going up to the door of the fostering room. Mom cat fosters are not recommended if you have a dog unless it is a very mellow and quiet dog. If your home environment is loud and/or active, such as with young children, you may want to consider a different type of foster. Home Introduction—You will need to set up the room for your foster mom and babies before you let any of them out of the carrier. Ideally, you should do this before you get the mom and litter to foster. This room should have one or two larger “safe spaces” or nests, boxes on their sides, or an empty litterbox lined with towels, etc. Mom will want to choose somewhere to keep her kittens. When you first let mom out, do not pet her or make too many advances. Leave her alone with the kittens to explore her new home. Adult cats can take a while to adjust to new places and mom cats are no exception. They may take a few days or more to come out of hiding. Litterbox—Ideally, the litterbox will be as far away from the food and water as possible. It should have regular, unscented clay litter in it, be scooped 2 times a day, and be dumped out once weekly. Once the kittens start using the litterbox, you will likely need to add lowsided boxes that are easy for the kittens to get in and out of, and/or clean more frequently. Handling & Socialization—Proceed slowly with any adult cat you do not know—let her come to you, pet her only as much as she is comfortable with, and stop petting at the first signs of discomfort. These signs may include: swishing tail, ears laid back or to the sides, head jerk towards your hand or the area where you were petting her, tensing up, cranky overdrawn meow, moving away, hissing, or growling.

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Even a momma cat needs playtime. Make sure to have solo-play toys as well as interactive play sessions with mom. After kittens are 2-3 weeks old, she may show more interest in play.

Mom’s Care of the Kittens For the first few weeks of life, mom should do everything necessary for the kittens. After that, you can start sharing some of the kitten care duties with her, if she is willing! Below is an explanation of the normal care a mom cat gives to her kittens, with an approximate timeline, so you will know what behaviors to expect. All cats are slightly different, with some being more attentive moms than others, but if a mom cat fails to care for her babies in any of these important functions, let us know as soon as possible so they can all be evaluated by staff.

Nursing—Kittens begin to nurse 1-2 hours after birth. Though born with their eyes closed, they can find their mother by her warmth, and she should make this easier by lying near them on her side. The nursing/suckling relationship occurs over 3 stages: First stage - the mom initiates each nursing episode, waking the kittens by licking them and then encircling them with her body. After a little searching, kittens quickly latch on. The second stage occurs after the second or third week, when the kitten’s eyes and ears are functioning and they can interact with mother both inside and outside the nest. At this stage, the kittens also initiate some of the nursing episodes. The mother generally cooperates by lying down and taking up the nursing position. In the third stage, starting at about 5 weeks postpartum, the kittens initiate virtually all nursing. The mother becomes gradually more evasive and uncooperative. Near the end of this stage, the mother begins to wean her kittens by becoming less and less available. In wild cats, this is the time when the mom would begin to provide them with fresh killed prey. You can help in the weaning process by encouraging the babies to eat

canned and, later, dry food. Grooming—Kittens receive a lot of grooming and licking from their mothers during their first 2-4 weeks. This anogenital grooming stimulates elimination, and the fecal matter and urine are consumed by the mom. This is effective in keeping the nest and babies clean. Later, as the young are able to leave the nest area, the anogenital licking subsides, and the young deposit feces and urine nearby. At this point, providing low-sided litterboxes nearby will teach them to use the litterbox. You generally do not need to intervene at this point.

behaviors but sometimes they will develop down the line. If faced with this situation, move very slowly around the mom cat and the nest. Wear a long sleeved sweatshirt to protect yourself as you clean around her. Try to bribe her with tasty treats such as chicken baby food. Speak in a soft, reassuring voice, and try to not react if the mom cat hisses or growls. DO NOT correct the cat by spraying her with water or undertaking other types of correction.. Remember, she is acting out of a natural instinct to protect her young, and if you act in a threatening way, her behavior may escalate.

Problem Behaviors in Mom Cats

Call the shelter at the first sign of maternal aggression.

Maternal Neglect—About 8% of kittens die from inadequate maternal care. The deaths are usually due to hypothermia if the kitten strays away and is not retrieved, or improper/inadequate nursing at birth and after. Maternal neglect has several causes— some cats seem to lack maternal instincts. In some cases, it is nature’s way: if kittens have birth defects or are otherwise week at birth, the mom may ignore them, or as discussed below, cannibalize them. In many cases, it seems that environmental stress plays a role, and thus it is very important that the environment be kept quite, calm and with few visits. Cats should primarily be left alone the first 2 weeks postpartum except to feed, clean, and check in on the babies a few brief times a day.

General Criteria for Emergencies Emergency situations include: • Continuous weight loss • Continuous diarrhea • Continuous vomiting • Bleeding of any kind—nose, urine, stool • Any trauma—hit by a car, dropped, limp, stepped on, unconscious • Difficulty in breathing/blocked airway

You will need to watch them daily for signs that a mother is neglecting her young, especially in the first few weeks. Call the vet if:

• Lethargy

• The mother spends all her time away from the kittens • She does not groom or nurse them frequently • The kittens cry and she seems to not respond

• If the animal has vomiting or diarrhea, but is still active, eating and drinking, it can probably wait until the next day to receive help. However, if the animal is lethargic and shows no interest in food or water, it is wise to seek emergency help at the time.

Maternal Aggression Towards Other Animals—Aggressive behavior towards cats or dogs is very common in mom cats, as they are trying to protect their young. Please do not try to introduce your foster cat to other animals. This can be very stressful and offers no advantages. Please block any avenues they may have for seeing other cats or dogs, and strictly enforce separation from your resident pets. If, for some reason, the mom cat sees another animal and is upset, quickly remove the source of anxiety (cover up window, etc) and leave the room. Do not attempt to comfort or reassure the mom cat or babies. Come back in 20 minutes or so to check on them.

• Dehydration

• Coughing or sneezing should pose no immediate problems unless accompanied by blood or symptoms such as lethargy or dehydration.

Signs of Sick Kittens & What To Do Due to the shelter environment and the fact that these kittens have very frail immune systems, kittens are prone to catching colds and other sicknesses. These illnesses range from mild to life-threatening in nature.

Maternal Aggression Towards People—Occasionally, mother cats have strong protective instincts against humans as well. They may hiss, growl, or strike out if you approach the kittens. We try to screen for these KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

How do I know if the Kittens are Sick? Healthy kittens have a lot of energy when they are awake. They are playful and will only spend a short time in your lap. Their eyes and nose should be generally free of any discharge. The stool will be firm and well-shaped. Kittens eat a lot, but the amount they drink depends on how much wet food they consume (the more wet food, the less water). Kittens may sneeze occasionally. They may also scratch a little. These are normal kitten behaviors. It is not always obvious when the kittens are sick. In nature, cats will hide any sickness so they don’t appear vulnerable. Worms (roundworms & tapeworms)—Worms are common in kittens. Generally, kittens are dewormed with their vaccinations when they first come in to PAWS. Roundworms look like spaghetti, and will come out in the litter box or in vomit. Tapeworms are white and segmented. Occasionally you will see the whole worm, but more often you will see what looks like dried rice stuck to the kittens’ hindquarters. If you see any worms, please see your vet. Vomiting—Vomiting is not serious unless it happens more than once. If your kittens keep vomiting, call the vet right away. If the kitten ingested something poisonous, the faster it is treated, the better the outcome. Eye Discharge—It is normal for kittens to wake up with a little dark crust in their eyes. If you notice that the kittens have yellow or green discharge coming from their eyes all the time, call your vet. You can treat the symptoms of an eye infection by wiping the eyes with a warm, wet towel until it is time for your appointment. Sneezing/Nasal Discharge—Occasional sneezing is quite common in small kittens. If the sneezing becomes frequent, examine the discharge coming from the sneeze. If it is clear, the infection is probably viral and medication may not be needed but it is important to monitor the kittens in case the problem gets worse. If the discharge becomes colored (e.g. green or yellow), it is time to make an appointment with the vet because the kitten may have a bacterial infection. Be sure to monitor the kittens’ breathing as well. If the kittens seem to be struggling to breathe or are breathing with their mouths open, call the vet. Also, be sure the kittens are still eating, as a kitten won’t eat what he or she can’t smell. Lethargy— Healthy kittens are normally active when they are awake. Sick kittens may have low energy and want to just sit in your lap. Each kitten is different, depending on their socialization level, but if you notice a drop in the kitten’s individual energy level, it is best to make a medical appointment with your

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vet. Some undersocialized kittens will have a tendency to move less because they are frightened, so it may be difficult to monitor their energy level. If you are not sure whether your kitten is lethargic or just being quiet and still, please call the vet. If a kitten can’t be roused or seems weak, this is an emergency! Call the Vet immidiately. Fleas, lice, & ear mites—Many of the kittens received in the foster care system were born outdoors so they may come to us with fleas. Also, fleas are just a fact of the shelter environment. Kittens with fleas will scratch themselves a lot. Daily brushing with the flea comb and daily bedding changes will reduce and maybe even eliminate the fleas. If you see lots of fleas despite these efforts, contact tyour Vet or the shelter you are fostering for to decide the next step. Lice are a different matter. You will not see the actual adult lice. Instead, you will see white dots on the kittens’ fur. If you can brush the dots off, it is dandruff. If you cannot remove the dots, then it is probably lice. Make a medical appointment and the techs will treat the lice. Lice are species-specific, and you cannot catch them. Kittens with ear mites will scratch their ears and shake their heads a lot. Inside the ears you will see a dark discharge resembling coffee grounds. Call the Vet to get the kitten treated . Ringworm—Normally the fur around the lips, on the eyelids, and on the ears is a little thin. This is nothing to worry about. However, if you notice hair thinning or completely coming out in patches, call the Vet. Fur loss is the first indicator of ringworm, which is a fungus that can be spread to humans and other household pets. The young, the elderly, and people and animals with suppressed immune systems are most susceptible. While it is not fatal, ringworm is itchy to people and very hard to get out of your home. Wash your hands and any clothing that you wear in the fostering room with the kittens before touching your pets.

Establishing Good Household Behaviors Litterbox—The litter box you provide for you kittens should have low sides so that it is easy for the kittens to get in and out. Plastic boxes are usually the most cost effective and easy to use because they can be sanitized often. Some foster parents prefer disposable litter boxes. Litter boxes should be kept clean all the time. Scooping the box twice a day is a good guideline, unless you have lots of kittens or the kittens are sick, in which case, you may need to clean it more often. If you’re using a plastic litterbox, make sure to dump all litter out regularly, and wash with hot soapy water. A clean box will encourage good litter box habits and will limit the kittens’ exposure to germs. Many kittens experience some litterbox problems. This can be from a medical concern (usually diarrhea)

or due to the fact that the kitten is still being housetrained. Another possibil- ity is that the kitten has too much territory, and cannot get back to the litterbox in time to eliminate there.

and counterproductive. Additionally, water bottles should not be used to correct kitten misbehaviors. Playtime— Playtime is a very important part of kitten development. Kittens will need toys to play with so that they can occupy their minds as well as get exercise. It is crucial for young kittens to have other kittens to wrestle with in order to develop appropriate play skills and be properly socialized with other kittens. As long as it is medically feasible, shelters will be sending out kittens in pairs at a minimum. If you have only one kitten that is becoming increasingly active or starting to nip, you will want to contact the Shelter to see if the kitten can get a playmate . There are 2 types of toys you should provide for the kittens: solo toys and interactive toys

A few tips: Keep the kittens confined to a small territory. The younger the kittens, the smaller the space should be. If they are allowed to have more space, there should be at least one litterbox in each room. Return the kitten to its litterbox regularly. Do not force the kitten to stay in the litter box, just gently place her near or in the box every 15-20 minutes as a reminder . Clean all “accidents” well with enzyme cleaners (such as Nature’s Miracle). Never yell at or otherwise punish a kitten for urinating or defecating outside the box . One or two litterbox misses are acceptable, but if a kitten is having repeated problems with litterbox usage, please contact the shelter. Discipline—The best way to handle most undesirable feline behaviors is to prevent them. Kittens are at the most playful and curious stages of their lives. They are likely to explore and test the environment in ways that an adult cat may not. Many kittens will grow out of this tendency as they get older, so it’s best to allow them to enact their natural kitten curiosity while trying to establish good habits.

Solo toys should be easy to clean and impossible for the kittens to consume. Ping-pong balls, toilet paper tubes and wine corks are great examples of solo toys. These toys can be left for the kittens to play with even when you aren’t there. On the contrary, interactive toys should never be left with an unsupervised kitten. These toys are great for encouraging the kittens to exercise and to enact their natural hunting skills, but if you aren’t looking, a kitten could eat parts of the toy or get tangled in them. Also, kittens have been known to chew off pieces of rubber and get them caught in their intestines, so just watch them closely! Interactive toys include anything with string or parts (like buttons or feathers) that can come off and cause harm to the kitten. Always have toys available to play with when you are visiting with your kittens. Discourage kittens from biting hands or feet and/or using body parts as toys.

In most cases, it’s better to distract a kitten from an inappropriate behavior and directthem to something more positive. Distracting a kitten beforehand is even better because it lowers the risk that a kitten may view the distraction as a reward.You can do this by getting their attention with noise, toys or treats. Another way to address inappropriate behavior is to modify the environment. This may involve such things as putting plants out of reach, or using double sided tape on off-limit surfaces. Any type of physical punishment, such as nose tapping or scruffing, is recognized by leading cat behavior experts as detrimental KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

Claw Sharpening—Encourage good habits by providing your kittens with a cardboard scratching pad. Encourage use of it by dragging toys across or up the post. Never “make” the kitten scratch by holding their paws and doing the scratching motion. Cardboard scratchers should be changed in between your foster litters (there may be some more permanent options as long as you are able to sanitize them between litters). Discourage kittens from scratching furniture by distracting them when they start, or covering the surface with a loose cloth or double sided tape (“Sticky Paws”).

Socializing & Handling New People—Many times foster kittens only get exposed to their foster parents, but ideally, they would be exposed to various people. Control the interactions so that it is a good experience for the kittens- make sure the petting is gentle, and that people use interactive toys for play. Interacting with respectful children is also helpful. Children should always be supervised when handling kittens and should be old enough to understand how to handle kittens gently.

of the CLOSED door to the safe room and, once the kitten is acclimated to that over time, crack the door open. This process can be repeated with other household appliances. Grooming & Body Handling—It is important for young kittens to get handled frequently, so that they become accustomed to it. This will make them less defensive about different areas of their body being touched in the future and also helps prepare them for vet visits and general grooming in the future. Typically sensitive areas include toes/paws, chest and belly, and the mouth. Touch these areas in a gentle way, as part of your petting sessions. Nail Clipping—Get your kittens used to having their nails trimmed at a young age (you can have this demonstrated if you are unsure how to do this). Pet and hold their paws gently as part of their daily handling. This can be paired with a treat to help them build more positive associations. Being picked up—Make sure your kitten is picked up a few times a day or more. Try to make it a positive experience by petting the kitten and encouraging purring and affectionate behavior when holding him/ her.

If a kitten seems hesitant or fearful, it’s best and safest to give the child other ways to interact with the kitten that are positive and safe, such as using interactive toys or hand- feeding treats. New Environments—If your kittens are comfortable in the safe room and you have the ability to kitten-proof other spaces in your home, you can expose them to other rooms. Allowing the kitten to explore new spaces while having treats and interactive play available will create a positive association with these novel experiences. Keep the sessions brief and return the kitten to the safe room if they seem overwhelmed. A large dog crate or kitten playpen is another way to expose the kitten to other rooms in a safe manner. Not all kittens will be ready for these adventures, but many will benefit. You must disinfect any areas your kittens have had access to, so keep that in mind before you let them into a new space. New Noises—It is beneficial to expose kittens to normal household noises as much as possible. The trick is to do it without traumatizing them. For example, start out with the TV or radio at a very low volume; if the kitten is fine with that, increase it gradually over a period of days to a normal volume. You can run the vacuum briefly on the other side

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If you would like to help out by fostering kittens, call your local animal shelter.

Article

Responsible Pet Ownership

Owning a pet is a privilege, but the benefits of pet ownership come with responsibilities.

Identify

Be a Responsible Pet Owner:

Make sure your pet is properly identified (i.e., tags, microchips, or tattoos) and keep its registration up-todate.

Commit Avoid impulsive decisions when selecting a pet. Select a pet that’s suited to your home and lifestyle. Keep only the type and number of pets for which you can provide appropriate food, water, shelter, health care and companionship. Commit to the relationship for the life of your pet(s). Provide appropriate exercise and mental stimulation. Properly socialize and train your pet. Invest Recognize that pet ownership requires an investment of time and money.

Limit Don’t contribute to our nation’s pet overpopulation problem: limit your pet’s reproduction through spay/ neuter, containment or managed breeding. Prepare Prepare for an emergency or disaster, including assembling an evacuation kit. Make alternate arrangements if you can no longer provide care for your pet. Recognize any decline in your pet’s quality of life and make timely decisions in consultation with a veterinarian.

Make sure your pet receives preventive health care (vaccinations, parasite control, etc.), as well as care for any illnesses or injuries. Budget for potential emergencies. Obey Clean up after your pet. Obey all local ordinances, including licensing, leash requirements and noise control. Don’t allow your pet to stray or become feral. KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

Cats/Kittens being sold in Pet Shops Ban Animal Trading (BAT)

Ban Animal Trading South Africa (BAT) is an animal rights organisation. BAT was originally established to alert potential pet owners specifically about the cruelty of the pet trade, informing them about where these poor animals come from and what eventually becomes of them. This obviously links to the familiar “backyard breeder”/ “puppy farm” / “large producer” source of animals. However, the name “Ban Animal Trading South Africa” was consciously selected, knowing that in the fullness of time, BAT would want to embrace broader issues dealing with the trade in animals in all of its forms. So, while banning the live animal trade in pet shops remains a valid and ongoing objective, BAT is also now looking to supplement other important initiatives. BAT supports Pawesome Wacky Whiskers Rescue & Rehoming, and we thank them for the article that sets out the issues involved when animals are bought from pet shops. ALWAYS ADOPT, NEVER SHOP. Cats / Kittens being sold in pet shops Pawesome Wacky Whiskers Rescue & Rehoming (NPC 2013/163090/08) has been actively involved in the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of kittens and cats over the past four years. During this time it has become increasingly obvious that pet shop owners care very little for the safety, comfort or other interests of cats and /or kittens displayed for sale as commodities in their shops. In fact, the animals are seldom “worth” any money to the pet shop owners, and as such any expense to ensure their wellbeing or best future interest is often of little or no concern. Pet shops that have been investigated in the past, either gave the kittens away for free, or sold them for a mere R50. None of these kittens had at any time been tested for Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), nor had they been vaccinated or sterilised. Pet shop owners argue that it would simply be too expensive and they won’t be able to recoup the money spent, as the general public are generally not willing to pay more than R50 for a kitten. In our view,

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they are just seen as “second class citizens” of the animal world by the pet shop owners, with no profit to be made. The only benefit to the pet shop owner is that the kittens attract attention to the shop ~ but in the end, the kittens have to pay the highest price due to ill health, etc. Being exposed to unfamiliar territories ~ being caged at a pet shop, exposed to continuous pedestrian and vehicle traffic in a prominent position where they can attract attention from passers-by, unwanted handling, etc. ~ causes unnecessary stress and anxiety to the kittens. There is usually not proper supervision from responsible adults when very young kittens are handled by children at pet shops, which could result in these kittens getting injured. People are often manipulated to feel sorry for the poor kittens displayed in cages and as a consequence may feel compelled to take the kittens off their hands. This is mostly done on impulse, without truly considering that the kitten will be a lifetime companion, who will need food, love, attention, medical treatment, etc. for his/her entire life (which could be for 20 years +) and customers are not informed of these aspects by the pet shop owners. People also only realise at some later stage that it is quite expensive to test, vaccinate, sterilise and properly care for a cat, and more often than not, neglect this responsibility. This results in unwanted litters, infection of neighbourhood cats, etc. Additional to the above, pet shop owners do not consider it their responsibility to ensure or assist with the sterilisation of the parents of the kittens who are surrendered to the pet shop for trade. They also do not educate the new kitten care-givers that the kittens need to get sterilised at four months of age to avoid unwanted litters. Thus the breeding continues with more unwanted animals coming into the world. A vicious, downward spiral! When you adopt a kitten, the adoption is subject to a compulsory adoption procedure where a nominal fee is charged to cover the basic expenses required to ensure /prevent the adverse issues mentioned above, from occurring.

The adoption “package” includes: Individual FeLV and FIV testing, vaccinations, deworming, tick and flea treatment to date of adoption as well as sterilisation. Adoption fees vary amongst organisations, but is definitely less expensive than buying ~ or taking for free ~ a traumatised, untested, unvaccinated, unsterilised kitten from a pet shop. We’ve been involved with some unfortunate cases in the past where the welfare of kittens sold or displayed at pet shops was wilfully ignored, and as a direct result, these kittens had to be humanely euthanized due to improper or lack of care. The pet shop owners’ excuse for not taking the kittens for medical treatment, was that it would have cost them money which they would not have been able recoup when selling the kittens. The kittens, however, paid the highest price with their lives for human greed. The issues discussed above, put a huge burden on animal welfare, which is where many of these animals and /or their litters end up. We urge the public to adopt and to stop the vicious cycle of kittens being sold / handed over for free by pet shops. You can make a difference between life and death by consciously opting to adopt, rather than to shop.

Fan Animal Trading South Africa Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bananimaltradingsa Twitter @BAT_BWC Email bananimaltrading@gmail.com If you would like to contribute to help BAT: ADOPT DON’T SHOP (BWC) Standard Bank Johannesburg Branch (code 000205) Account number: 000327492.

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The Animal Anti-Cruelty League is to launch two exciting facilities on Friday, December 12th, 2014 at their Johannesburg branch. Freedom Village for cats: The facility was conceptualized in 2013 and thanks to generous sponsorship, became a reality with building being completed mid 2014. Freedom Village is able to house up to 32 cats at any given time, thus relieving the pressure on the original cattery, especially during peak intake periods. Cats in the Village are all over one year in age and are immediately available for adoption, as they have already undergone a period of quarantine and have been subjected to strict veterinary protocols. This forward thinking facility lends itself to feline luxury, with each cubicle equipped for comfort, including the fitment of panel heaters for those cold wintry months. Toys and scratch-posts have been provided to stimulate idle minds during periods of boredom and residents are able to experience a certain sense of freedom, thanks to the lush grassy area provided for their leisure. Canon South Africa, a longstanding sponsor of the Animal Anti-Cruelty League, also came on board to assist this new cat sanctuary. “Canon has been a proud sponsor of the AACL since 2008 and we are once again delighted to assist with a meaningful contribution to help the new Freedom Village streamline their administration efforts through the donation of multifunctional printers”, says Canon SA’s Corporate & Marketing Communications Executive, Dana Eitzen. Old Age Village for dogs and cats: Originally constructed in 2006, the OAV or Old Age Village was the first of its kind at the time. Again, thanks to sponsorship, major refurbishments were made possible during 2014. Residents housed in the Village are generally upwards of 7 years in age and receive age appropriate care, including senior dietary requirements. The village environment is far less stressful than the normal kennel dynamic where battles of dominance and hierarchy are bound to occur between younger animals. These more mature residents are all available for adoption and come with their own special attributes of appeal, i.e. they are generally house-trained; are no longer as boisterous and therefore do not require as much exercise and stimulation as a younger animal, and in most cases, they have already been sterilized. AACL Chairman, Tony Guia, had this to say: “Although we do try to ensure that the animals always receive the best possible care, at the same time every endeavour is made towards finding loving new homes for them. Unfortunately, this of course comes with its own set of challenges, as there are just not enough adopters out there. More and more, we are seeing animals being surrendered over to our shelter as a result of trying economic circumstances. Often families are forced to downscale to smaller housing complexes and these do not always come with pet friendly regulations. It is certainly a heart-breaking scenario, as let’s face it, your pet becomes a member of your family and there is that emotional attachment that is very hard to just walk away from. This responsibility then becomes our own and the greater the intake, the greater the strain to our already limited resources. At this juncture, I would like to appeal to the corporate and private sectors to lend their support to our deserving cause. Please, get in touch with us and find out ways in which you can help us continue to make a difference”.

Issued by:

Animal Anti-Cruelty League, Johannesburg

Date of Issue:

4th December 2014

For further information, please contact :

Heather Cowie Tel 011 435 0672 E Mail: jhb@aacl-jhbnb.co.za

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Feral Cats - A Farmer’s New Friend For decades, perhaps even centuries, dogs have been valued and bred for their ability to be good ratters. Breeds that come to mind are the terrier types such as the Jack Russell, Silky Terrier, Norfolk Terrier and even the diminutive Yorkshire Terrier. Dachshunds, German Pinschers and the Griffon Bruxellois were also known to be good ratters. At one time and because of their abilities, these dogs were highly regarded and placed in programmes which aimed to breed even better ratters. Not as celebrated perhaps, was the shy and retiring creature that lurked in the background, methodically going about the business of catching, killing and even consuming their arch rivals’ spoils. Essentially, the difference separating these felines and their canine counterparts was the fact that they were doing it silently, without fanfare and nocturnally, when the rodents were more inclined to be active. They were also able to reach places high off the ground and spring up onto ledges where their prey was scurrying. Cats did not need to be bred selectively to enable them to catch rodents. They did it all naturally, but because they were not as visible due to their aloof and shy nature and were often unfairly branded because of superstition, they were not seen to be of any value by those very same people they shared their environment with. Now although modern society does have a conscience and wants to be responsible, at the same time they also want to find the best eco-friendly, green solutions to environmental problems. Cats and in particular feral cats, are probably one of the most effective ways of controlling burgeoning rodent populations. A feral cat that is healthy and in good condition can catch anything between 10 and 14 rodents per night, so if you equate that to kilograms, over time you would be looking at catching over 90 kilograms of rodents per year! On farms although tolerated, cats have never elicited the same respect accorded the farmers’ dog. I remember growing up and seeing cats around the feed store or at the dairy, but never really paying notice as at the time, I did not realise what an important role they could fulfil. Where there is human habitation you will find rodents; add to that unlimited food sources and you sit with a recipe for potential disaster.

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Feral cats can, with correct management, play an invaluable role for farmers who suffer financial loss due to rodent infestations. Rodents can financially impact farmers through the feed that they are likely to consume and through contamination of the feed, livestock could become infected by disease, for example, Leptospirosis. When establishing a feral cat colony or even just keeping two or three cats in your stable yard or on the farm, we advise the following: Sterilise – Sterilised cats are healthier and more territorial when keeping out interlopers. Feed – Although the idea is that the cats must hunt for themselves, feeding a good quality commercial cat food will ensure the cats remain healthy. However, when you feed, it would only need to be 50% of the required daily quota. In this way, you provide them with the essential nutrients they require, but leave them hungry enough to hunt. Safe – If necessary create a safe space or area for the cats where they won’t be disturbed. This area should be where they eat and sleep but be out of the way of other animals and people. Feral cats could become the farmers’ newest best friend. They are a green, safe and economically viable alternative to conventional rodent eradication methods.

Article written by Inspector Rulof Jackson Chief Inspector: Animal Anti-Cruelty League, Johannesburg

Fairland Feral Cats Fundraiser

The Fairland Feral Cats Food and Fund Raiser was held on the 14th February at the park/green belt at the bottom of 3rd Avenue in Fairland/Berario. Milanie Roos, Pet and Family Photographer (Shades of Love) donated her time to take family photos in exchange for donations or a bag of cat food for the Fairland ferals. The event was a great success. All funds raised go towards the sterilizing of the ferals. A message from Vivienne Jones: â&#x20AC;&#x153;A huge thank you to Lynette Nicholson for organising the Fairland Feral Cats event, Sharon Pettigrew for all her help in organising and on the day - a greater team of friends I could not wish for. Milanie and her friend from Shades of Love for doing the photography and for spending the day with us. Ken and Leslie from Fine and Country for the wonderful donation of R2,000 as well as the hamper and wine donated as prizes. Thank you Werner from Pick n Pay for 200 bread rolls and Viennas donated. Anneke Van Zyl for tables and table cloths as well as box of gifts that we could sell. Penny Prior for the (dog) bath to keep our colddrinks cool and Carol Spence and Audrey for organising the ice from FNB. Thank you FNB for the ice. Andrew Ni-

cholson, Conner and Tsidi for helping on the day. Lynette Nicholson for the t-shirts and hats. A big thank you to all who came to join us, make donations and to bring cat food. An amount of R6,691 was made on the day with some donations still to be made. Lots of Cat food and goodies also donated. A huge thank you too to the little ones at Pinnochio Nursery School in Fairland for the wonderful donation of food for the Feral cats. Each little one brought a tin or bag of food and built a heart for Valentines day. I am so grateful for the awesome donation of food. Thank you to each and everyone that contributed to the heart of love. From the Ferals much appreciated! I am overwhelmed at the support for the ferals, I really appreciate it and am truly blessedâ&#x20AC;?.

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Kittycat of the Month Sponsor

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Rescue and Shelter Directory

Rescues and Shelters - Gauteng Animal Ambulance 083 241 4452 www.animalambulance.co.za

Feral Squad 078 214 4241 tricha4feralsquad@gmail.com

Pet Welfare SA 083 309 0400 www.petwelfaresa.co.za

Animals in Distress 083 643 9480 www.animalsindistress.org.za

FORA 082 336 5568 www.fora.org.za

Pug Rescue 082 449 2644 www.pugrescue.co.za

Angels Refuge SA 072 889 1960 www.facebook.com/AngelsRefuge

Four Paws 083 377 3219 www.4ourpaws.org.za

Ark Animal Centre 082 334 7596 www.arkanimalcentre.co.za

Free Me (Wildlife) 011 807 6993 www.freeme.org.za

Purrpaws for Life lindie@purrpawsforlife.co.za purrpawsforlife@gmail.com 0836509558 www.purrpawsforlife.co.za

Be Wise Sterilise 081 018 4446 www.sterilise.co.za

Friends of the Cat 072 144 5914 www.friendsofthecat.co.za

Cat-a-holics 011 447 5275 www.kittyshelter.co.za

Happy Yappers 082 338 4538 fundraiser@happyyappers.org.za

CatzRus 082 700 5839 www.catzrussa.co.za

HAWS 076 455 0322 www.haws.co.za

Catsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;9Lives 072 391 5035 www.cats9lives.co.za

Kitten Corner 074 215 1490 www.kittencorner.co.za

CatPals 083 327 0365 www.catpals.co.za

Kitty & Puppy Haven 010 224 0763 www.kittypuppyhaven.org.za

C.H.A.R.M. 084 900 0209 www.charm.org.za

Mischief Rat Rescue c www.saratrescue.org Pretoria: anneri@saratrescue.org Joburg: lisa@anettere.com

CLAW 082 926 3627 www.claw-sa.org

PETS www.pets.org.za

CO-SANC 084 958 8073 www.catshelter.co.za

Persian Cat Rescue c 082 781 4761 www.kittypuppyhaven.org.za

Dogtown SA | Barking Mad 076 044 1979 www.barkingmad.co.za

PETS www.pets.org.za

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SAINTS Fundraising 082 259 0905 saints@mweb.co.za Sandpaper Kisses Fundraising 082 928 6663 www.spkfundraising@gmail.com Santa Cause for Paws Fundraising www.santapaws.co.za The Cat Samaritan 083 634 0069 http://thecatsamaritan.yolasite.com Trix4Animals 074 581 4343 Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre 013 932 3941/2 www.wetnose.org.za http://facebook.com/pages/wetnoseanimal-rescue-centre/273994562065 Wollies Animal Project 083 339 1692 Woodrock Animal Rescue 076 155 4439 www.woodrockanimalrescue.org.za

Rescues and Shelters - Cape Adopt a Pet 021 465 4560 www.adopt-a-pet.org.za

Kleinmond Animal Welfare 028 271 5004 www.kaws.co.za

Township Animal Rescue 021 855 1824 www.townshipanimalrescue.co.za

African Tails 021 448 8074 www.africantails.co.za

Knysna Animal Welfare 044 384 1603 www.knysnaanimalwelfare.co.za

Watershed Rescue & Rehab 083 447 0979 www.watershed.org.za

AACL (PE) 041 456 1776 www.aacl.co.za

LEAPS 082 553 6068 www.leaps.co.za

AACL (WC) 021M534M6426 www.aacl.co.za

Lucky Lucy Foundation 072 779 7424 www.luckylucy.org

Animal Outreaches 083 216 4887

Mdzananda Animal Clinic 021 367 2302 www.mdzananda.co.za

Animal Rescue Org 021 396 5511 www.animalrescue.org.za Aniwell 072 672 4416 www.aniwell.org.za Animal Rescue Team 072 212 7380 Boland Animal Society 082 373 3005 Cart Horse Protection 021 535 3435 www.carthorse.org.za

Plett Animal Welfare 083 287 9917 www.plettanimalwelfare.co.za PETS 076 872 7071 www.pets.org.za PetPals 083 411 0738 www.petpals.org.za Save-A-Pet PE 041 372 1780 www.saveapet.co.za

C.A.T. 021 551 9797

TEARS 021 785 4482 www.tears.org.za

Cat Care PE 082 574 2136 http://catcare.netfirms.com/

The Caspian Alexander Trust 072 590 5554 www.caspianalexandertrust.org

DARG 021 790 0383 www.darg.org.za

TUFCAT 021 959 3022 www.tufcat.co.za

HHAWS 021 856 0597 www.hhaws.org.za

Uitsig Animal Rescue 076 224 2207 www.uitsig.org.za

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Rescues and Shelters - KZN Animal Action 083 272 7201 www.animalaction.org.za Animal Anti Cruelty League Durban 031 736 9093 www.aacl.co.za Husky Rescue 082 336 1162 www.huskyrescuekzn.co.za

Mischief Rat Rescue www.saratrescue.org www.facebook.com/MischiefRatRescue Durban: mischiefrats@mweb.co.za Phoenix Animal Care 084 609 3962 Second Chance Sanctuary 072 448 7394 www.secondchancecats.org

Kitten Action 031 764 3845 www.kittenaction.org.za

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Be Wise Sterilise NPC Number: 2014/0870001/08

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Cataholics (Kitty Shelter)

What is Kitty Shelter? Kitty Haven was established as a cat sanctuary in September 2000, and started taking in puppies in 2004 and became known as Kitty & Puppy Haven. In 2004 we broke away from our Bramley Branch and have changed our name to Kitty Shelter, so that we can put all our focus and attention on our animals in Parkwood. We are a non-profit, welfare organization and do not receive any Government funding. As such, we rely heavily on donations from the public â&#x20AC;&#x201C; people who care about animals in the same way we do. What do we stand for? Merien Smidt, founder of Kitty Shelter, recognised an on-going need for an animal welfare organisation that focused on the health of the animals. Disease was rife in most welfare organisations, to visit them was a depressing experience, especially in those with a policy of not putting down their animals. Merienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary aim is to provide a healthy, safe and stress-free environment to aid the rehabilitation of the animals, as well as a beautiful and happy space, for animals and human visitors alike.

What do we provide? We provide spacious, clean, parasite-and-disease free enclosures. We do not mix animals from different backgrounds, and have a separate isolation hospital for sick animals. Kitty Shelter has separate boarding facilities for cats only. These cats are kept in separate runs that are apart from the welfare section. The boarding facility is our main source of income and is used to support the welfare cases. We provide hands-on daily vet care. All volunteers and visitors are educated on hygiene, for example, washing of hands between touching different groups of animals, as well as advice on behavioural problems, correct care and responsible ownership. We advise people who visit us on care and responsible ownership. All animals are fed Hills Science diet to ensure they get optimum nutrition as the vast majority are malnourished and come from an environment of neglect. All animals are de-wormed and deflead on arrival. Thereafter, the animals are sterilized and vaccinated. We have a strict policy that animals are not placed with caring families until they have been sterilized or given vouchers.

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By adopting this approach, we ensure that there is no spread of illness within our own sanctuary. Sick animals are nursed back to good health and traumatized and abused animals are rehabilitated. What do we hope to achieve? Our number one aim is to STERILIZE, REHABILITATE and RE-HOME our animals in a responsible way. We are only able to accommodate a fixed number of animals at any one time, namely 30 adult cats and 35 kittens. The animalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; health, happiness and safety are our top priority, which means we do not allow overcrowded conditions. We have rescued and re-homed around 2000 kittens, cats and puppies over the past five years. What do we need from you? In order to meet these high standards, we need all the help we can get, not just in terms of financial support but also in terms of help from volunteers, blankets, donated food etc. This is where you can make a huge difference in helping us care for these animals that have no-one else. An additional area of support that you could provide is to board your cats with us when you are away.

We provide the same level of care and love to your animals while they are with us as we do for the welfare animals. In addition, you have the knowledge that you are aiding the care and rehabilitation of our many animals. All donations are appreciated, no matter how large or small or the form they take, your time, your financial support any other assistance you could give. All visitors and friends are welcome call us on (011) 447 5275 or visit us at 45 Newport Road, Parkwood.

Contact Details

Banking Details

Address 45 Newport Avenue, Parkwood (Corner Bolton & Newport Avenue - off Jan Smuts)

Kitty Shelter First National Bank Melrose Arch Branch code: 254405 Account Number: 62068805418

Telephone 011 447 5275

Text “kittens” to 48748 and make a R10.00 donation today!

Merien Smidt (Founder) 082 550 5961

Hours

Email merien@kittyshelter.co.za Website www.kittyshelter.co.za Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/ Cataholics/216125081742091

Monday: 9:00am – 15:00pm Tuesday - Friday: 9:00am – 17:30pm Saturday: 9:00am - 12:00pm Sunday: 9:00am - 11:00am All Above hours are for viewing and adoptions.

We are focused on health and disease /parasite control. We promote sterilization. We offer 5 star boarding (all proceeds go to welfare animals) Tel: 011 447 5275 Banking details: FNB Melrose Arch (254405) • Account no: 62068805418 www.kittyshelter.co.za

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Cat Care NPO Number: 025-224 Background Cat Care was established in Port Elizabeth in 1992 and operated in the Nelson Mandela Municipal Metropol in conjunction with Animal Welfare Society for the first 12 years or so of its existence. Cat Care has since been recognized as a non profit organization in its own right. Cat Care Objectives and Information To control and stabilize the feral cat population in Port Elizabeth and surrounding areas, through identifying feral colonies, sterilization of the ferals and to promote the cat’s health and welfare, through implementing feeding programmes. Cat Care also treats sick feral cats wherever necessary and possible. Sterilization, specifically the “Tip, Neuter/ Spay, Return” method, used by Cat Care encompasses trapping of adult feral cats, transporting them to selected Veterinary Surgeons who sterilize both males and females, (and tip the ear so it is easily identifiable as a sterilized cat). The fieldworker volunteer who trapped the cat then returns it to the colony after recovery. Experience has shown that feral cat colonies are highly effective in the control of vermin like rats, mice, cockroaches, and even snakes. However, if they are allowed to breed uncontrolled, a situation soon arises where there is insufficient food to sustain the colony, in-breeding occurs and along with it all the resultant problems, eg. genetic deformities, starvation, disease, fighting etc. Feeding programmes are put into place by the fieldworkers involved with Cat Care, as well as community volunteers. Cat Care currently feeds around 600 feral cats and sterilizes between 30 and 40 per month. Local factories, holiday resorts, nature reserves, secular offices, as well as residential areas have all benefitted from Cat Care’s work. Cat Care endeavours to find foster homes for kittens born to feral mothers if they are found and removed before they are 8 to 10 weeks old. They are tamed, loved and house trained by our foster moms and adopted by people who give them a loving, permanent home. Cat Care is often called on to bottle feed orphaned kittens who are too young to feed on their own. Our caring “moms” bottle feed, wean and “litter tray” train the kittens until they are ready to be homed. Cat Care relies solely on funds from street collections, stalls and tea rooms at the cat shows, collection tins held at certain shops and public donations. We receive no government assistance. We receive discounted rates from selected supportive private Veterinarians. We do not occupy any office premises and rely on volunteers/ members support.

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MENTS The needs of a non-profit organization are endless. Some of them include: cat food or sufficient funds to purchase food every 6 weeks, sponsorship for the tea rooms to reduce costs, new traps and maintenance of existing traps, donations of saleable unwanted goods for our fundraising stalls, safe foster homes for kittens, improvement of public awareness, more fieldworkers and volunteers to help achieve Cat Care’s objectives. Monetary donations are always welcome to support any of the above activities. P O Box 15564, Emerald Hill, 6011 www.catcare.netfirms catcarepe@gmail.com 0825742136 Emergency number 0793660919 Chairlady 0825742136 (Samantha Senekal) Secretary 041-3795599 (administrative and management issues) Our mission is in fact to render aid to feral cat colonies by feeding, neutering, homing of kittens and provison of medical care where necessary, so in that sense we are a ‘temporary shelter’ in that we attempt to home kittens rescued as soon as possible. We have no shelters (i.e. structures) of our own as such, but make use of “Foster Moms” who kindly tend to our little ones until we can find forever homes for them. In terms of our Constitution we do not strictly speaking deal with domestic cats. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cat-Care-PortElizabeth/114657711889623 Website: www.catcare.netfirms

CatzRus

NPO Number: 098-047

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CatzRus

NPO Number: 098-047

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CatzRus

NPO Number: 098-047

CatzRus desperately needs your help! Please consider sponsoring an AIDS and Leukemia test at a mere R72.50 each for our beautiful babies. We try our best to not ask for financial assistance, but we’re really quite desperate. All our adult cats and teens at the clinic and on the farm had to be tested for AIDS and Leukemia last weekend, because one of our precious adults, Flinkie, that was dumped at our clinic, turned out to be Leukemia positive after the incubation period, putting all our babies in danger! Because we were in crisis mode, our vet kindly allowed us to use all his tests, on condition that we replace them, or he adds it to our vet bill which we are charged R150 per test at rescue rates. We needed approximately 50 tests, so we placed an order and received one box as per invoice last week. The second box has been charged to our vet account until we can order the second one and replace the balance. We were too nervous ordering two directly from Idexx then face possible prosecution because we couldn’t get the funds together by payment date. Our vet is a rather patient man fortunately. The good news is that all our cats were NEGATIVE!!! But we will also need to re-test all of them again in just under three months because of the incubation period. Our vet bill in total, is currently sitting at a confirmed R46 000.00, and we just cannot afford to add another R4, 350.00 now, then another R4 350.00 when we re-test later. With the discount that Idexx kindly gives us, each test costs a MERE R72.50. Please would you consider sponsoring one? This would make the world’s difference to us and the health and safety of the cats in our care. We can’t continue if we don’t have our vet onboard, as well as funds to make sure our cats receive the best possible care. This plea goes out to our precious, fat, Flinkie. She is currently in foster care with other Leukemia positive cats, and is still up for adoption. If you have a Leukemia positive cat and would like to open up your heart and home to her, please let us know. If you would like to sponsor a test, please use ‘test’ as a reference. So much love to you all! Thank you!

NAME OF ACCOUNT: CatzRus NAME OF BANK: First National Bank ACCOUNT NUMBER: 62465866427 NAME OF BRANCH: The Grove BRANCH CODE: 250 655 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/catzrussa Website https://www.sterilise.co.za/

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Kitten and Cat Rescue Kitten and cat rescue was officially started in November 2012 when we opened our FB page out of desperation as we had over 50 kittens and cats to feed and medicate and needed donations and funds. By December 2012 we had 77 cats and kittens in total. In 2007 Debbie and myself (Mia) started feeding feral cats and kittens in the next town Vereeniging. We are still feeding them today and have thus far removed 45 feral kittens and sterilised and returned 7 feral cats. At the same time we started removing sick kittens from pet shops - buying them if we had to. Soon the owners of the pet shops got to know us and started phoning us if they had sick kittens that they could not sell due to illness. With the help of a sympathetic party we were registered in 2013 as a not for profit company. We have an excellent homing rate despite being incredibly fussy about who we home to. We plan to move away from taking in unwanted kittens and focus on sterilisation as we feel strongly that this is the key to solving this crisis. We have rehabilitated and rehomed hundreds of kittens and cats and hope to sterilise hundreds more in the future. kitten and cat rescue is run from our private home and we have 39 permanent rescues at the moment who could not be homed due to health issues as they are mostly on cronic medication - due to the fact that they were rescued from horrific conditions as kittens. We also have 10 rescued rats. Kitten and cat rescue consists of Mia kapp, Debbie Louw ( Mia’s mother ) and Riaan Bagchus ( Debbie’s boyfriend). We are passionate about what we do and love all animals. We have come to realise that farm animals are fighting the same battle daily against the cruelty of people and we became Vegan almost 2 years ago. We stand for kindness, respect and dignity of ALL animals. ase support Kitten and Cat Rescue NPC SMS ‘Cats’ to 48748 Each SMS costs R10 We will receive between R4 - R6 per SMS. Every tiny bit helps! Thank you! https://www.facebook.com/KittenAndCatRescue

KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

Kitten and Cat Rescue

Please support Kitten and Cat Rescue NPC Vanderbijlpark South Africa SMS ‘Cats’ to 48748 Each SMS costs R10 We will receive between R4 - R6 per SMS Every tiny bit helps! Thank you! https://www.facebook.com/ KittenAndCatRescue

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Kitten Corner Kitten Corner is a registered, small, pro-quality of life organization, dedicated to helping abused/abandoned or neglected kittens. Kitten Corner consists entirely of dedicated volunteers with no source of outside funding NPO 039531 The objectives of our organisation are to: Help rehabilitate abandoned and abused kittens Provide a safe and loving haven for these kittens until approved homes have been found. Provide a safe and loving haven for expectant mothers when possible. Hand-raise kittens that have lost their mothers or have been abandoned in dustbins, on highways, in boxes etc. Socialize feral kittens that are young enough (6 weeks of age) and home them. Advise members of the public on cat and kitten behavioral problems. Ensure that all adopted kittens go through our adoption process, which includes: 1st vaccination, 1st deworming, sterilization at 5 months of age - male and female Give guidance and/or advice to the new owners on the care and health of their new kitten/kittens. Continue to educate members of the public on responsible pet ownership and humane methods of dealing with cat colonies and strays. Advise members of the public in the trapping of feral cats for the purpose of sterilizing them and subsequently returning them to their territory, and in certain exceptional cases, such as sickness, removing them from their territory. Work with other animal welfare organizations when requested to assist in caring for kittens. Currently we have a list of just under 30 cats/kittens who have been abused and are or neglected. These animals need special care. They cannot be re-homed because of trauma they have suffered or because they are feral (wild). These cats are featured on our Special page.

KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

Donate to Kitten Corner We appeal to you to please sign a debit order of R80.00 per month to sponsor a special needs kitten/ cat. It will not make a huge difference in your monthly budget, but it will make a world of difference in the life of our abused cats. Account name: Kitten Corner Account type: Club Account Bank: Absa Brooklyn Branch Code: 632005 Account No: 9133538846 Contact Judy Warren judy@kittencorner.co.za 074-215-1490 Website http://www.kittencorner.co.za Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kittencornerpage

Sandpaper Kisses Fundraising Raising funds and awareness for individuals, organisations and welfares that need assistance with special animals.

Sandpaper Kisses started in 2013 when a shelter cat needed a bladder stone removed and it was too costly for them to do with their current vet bill. I decided to see if I could help raise some funds and to my surprise I had raised the full amount within two days. I decided to then start fundraising for special needs cats in shelters all over SA. The initiative has taken off and we have assisted many shelters with vet bills for their felines. If we have an excess of funds, we donate to feral supporters or township supporters to have cats sterilised. We raise funds by selling jewellery that is handmade and marketed via Facebook, our website and virtual shop, Hello Pretty.

Contact Michelle Raath 082 928 6663 Email felinefundraising@gmail.com Website www.spkfundraising.co.zo Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandpaper-Kisses-Fundraising/567742133283184 Twitter @SandpaperKisses

KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

Prolife Pet Rescue, Nelspruit NPO Number: 132-239 NPO

KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

Prolife Pet Rescue, Nelspruit NPO Number: 132-239 NPO

About us Pro Life Pet Rescue is a registered non-profit organisation. Registration number: IT1008/12 NPO Registration number: 132-239 NPO Founded and run by Karin Erasmus and friends since 2011. Real animal lovers with a passion to give pets the home they deserve! We rescue, rehabilitate and re-home dogs and cats that are starving, abandoned or abused. Our mission is to give every pet that we rescue a happy home and safe haven where they can feel comfortable and loved. We don’t euthanise any healthy pets as everyone deserves a second chance! Please note that our space and resources are limited. There are only so many homes available and therefor we can not take in the public’s unwanted animals and their unplanned litters. Strays as well as your personal animals must be taken to your local S.P.C.A. Your animals are your responsibility. We understand that having pets sterilised is expensive, but it is part of being a responsible pet owner. We reserve the right to refuse taking in animals depending on the space available and the circumstance of each case. Kittens or puppies will only be re-homed if we are presented with the mother’s sterilisation certificate and if we have space available to do so. www.prolifepetrescue.co.za https://www.facebook.com/adoptpet

KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

The Lucky Lucy Foundation NPO Number: 091-636 | PBO Number: 930-036-404

Lucky Lucy Farm Uitsig Farm, Joostenberg, Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa P O Box 385, Sea Point, 8060 Email Address: Emergency Cell: Contact Person: Fax Number: Website: Facebook: Cattery Page Twitter:

contact@luckylucy.org 072 779 7424 Luken 086 560 6775 www.luckylucy.org https://www.facebook.com/LuckyLucyFoundation https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/llfcattery/ https://twitter.com/LuckyLucyFoundation

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Trix4Animals NPC Number: 2013/217585/08

PBO Number: 930046857

Benefits of micro-chipping your pet Losing a lost pet can be devastating. That’s why when it comes to the welfare of your pet, you should consider micro-chipping as an important part of their overall care program along with dental exams, vaccinations and the monthly, year-round, prevention of ticks and fleas. Benefits: No surgery is required and chips are well-tolerated by pets. Chips are like an insurance policy for your pet because, unlike collars, it never comes off or gets lost and is recognised with any universal chip reader. Millions of companion animals enter animal shelters and pounds nationwide every year and approximately 3 million are euthanized (60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats). Less than 2 percent of cats and only 15 to 20 percent of dogs are returned to their owners. Most of these are identified with tags, tattoos or microchips. If your pet is on medication or has a serious medical condition (for example: epilepsy or diabetes), it is important to find your pet as fast as possible so that it can get its medication. When you move to a new address, during the hubbub of holidays, or when pets visits an unfamiliar location, they tend to get disoriented or scared—they may leave home and not know how to get back Microchips can be an integral part of an emergency plan—for example, if there is a house fire, a flood or some other natural disaster it is easy for your pets to get separated from you.

Trix4Animals NPC 2013/217585/08 PBO 930046857

Contact Details +27 74 581 4343 +27 86 571 0729

Trix@Trix4Animals.co.za www.facebook.com/Trix4Animals www.facebook.com/Chip4CheaperSA

KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

SPCAs in South Africa NAME/AREA OFFICE No. AFTER HOUR EMERGENCIES ALBERTON 011 AMAHLATHI (STUTTERHEIM) 043 AMANZIMTOTI 031 ASSISSI (HUMANSDORP) 042 BARBERTON 082 BEAUFORT WEST (KAROO) 023 BENONI 011 BETHAL 017 BETHLEHEM 058 BLOEMFONTEIN 051 BOKSBURG 011 BRAKPAN 011 BRONKHORSTSPRUIT See CAPE OF GOOD HOPE 021 CARLETONVILLE 018 CENTURION 012 DUNDEE & DISTRICT 034 DURBAN & COAST 031 EAST LONDON 043 EDENVALE 011 EMPANGENI 035 ELLISRAS See ESHOWE 035 ESTCOURT & DISTRICT 036 FRANSCHHOEK 021 GARDEN ROUTE 044 GERMISTON & BEDFORDVIEW 011 GRAAFF-REINET 049 GRAHAMSTOWN 046 GREYTOWN 072 HEIDELBERG 016 HIGHVELD RIDGE 017 HOWICK See HUMANSDORP See JOHANNESBURG 011 KEMPTON PARK 011 KIMBERLEY 053 KING WILLIAM’S TOWN 043 KLERKSDORP 018 KLOOF & HIGHWAY 031 KOKSTAD 039 KRIEL 017 KROONSTAD 079 KRUGERSDORP 011 KUNGWINI (BRONKHORSTSPRUIT) 013 LEPHALALE (ELLISRAS) 014 LETABA (TZANEEN) 015 LOUIS TRICHARDT 015 LOWER SOUTH COAST 039 LOWVELD (NELSPRUIT/WHITE RIVER) 013 MAFIKENG 018 MIDDELBURG 013 MIDRAND 011 MOKOPANE (POTGIETERSRUS) 015

KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

907 1568 071 683 1414 072 904 2424 072 295 2814 073 462 1457 082 414 2698 084 894 2814/5 073 647 5360 084 303 3998 083 447 3801 078 916 5906/7 083 742 2007 083 KUNGWINI 700 4140 083 788 6262 083 664 5644/5 082 212 2851 072 579 6500 083 745 1441 083 974 9387 072 792 9129 083 LEPHALALE 474 4169 078 352 1476 082 876 4808 083 878 1990 082 825 5033 082 891 0256 083 622 3233 079 096 9634 072 342 4114 071 632 2654 082 uMNGENI ASSISSI 681 3600 083 975 6537 079 831 7625 082 642 3397 082 469 2885 079 764 1212/3 073 727 3092 082 648 5413 076 871 5947 082 953 1135 072 932 2020 084 763 4656 076 307 2611 083 516 0427 082 312 0962 083 753 3582 082 381 0374 079 246 1201 084 265 9935/6 083 491 3661 076

626 356 122 121 462 882 511 852 629 322 763 696

0721 4565 7288 8963 1457 8717 2261 0889 6403 8332 6311 9052

326 527 807 949 212 446 183 482

1604 8363 / 083 527 8510 5671 6235 6103 8682 9794 3866

306 658 745 378 675 641 037 096 994 222

1439 7200 5344 7384 0072 9180 3466 9634 9960 1122

604 509 376 255 662 335 927 377 928 295 229 636 628 965 222 755 813 432 441 538

1172 7859 7679 4991 4330 9322 8190 / 083 207 2447 8559 / 073 411 3539 9178 5116 1910 6946 9257 5151 6355 8687 8739 6278 1564 6291

SPCAs in South Africa NAME/AREA OFFICE No. AFTER HOUR EMERGENCIES MOOI RIVER & DISTRICT 033 MTHATHA (UMTATA) 047 NELSPRUIT See NEWCASTLE 034 NIGEL 084 PAARL 021 PARYS 056 PHALABORWA 015 PERCY FYFE See PIETERMARITZBURG 033 PIETERSBURG See POLOKWANE (PIETERSBURG) 015 PORT ALFRED/NDLAMBE DISTRICT 046 POTCHEFSTROOM 018 POTGIETERSRUS See PRETORIA See QUEENSTOWN 045 RANDBURG 011 RANDFONTEIN 011 RICHARDS BAY 035 ROODEPOORT/FLORIDA/MARAISBURG 011 RUSTENBURG 014 SANDTON & EASTERN METRO 011 SANI 033 SPRINGS 087 STANDERTON See STILFONTEIN 018 STUTTERHEIM See SWARTLAND 022 SWELLENDAM 028 TSHWANE (PRETORIA) 012 TZANEEN See UITENHAGE & DISTRICT 041 uMNGENI (HOWICK) 033 UMTATA See UPINGTON 071 VANDERBIJLPARK, SASOLBURG & DISTRICT 016 VEREENIGING 016 VIRGINIA 057 VRYHEID 034 WELKOM 057 WELLINGTON 021 WESTONARIA 011 WHITE RIVER See WINELANDS 023 WITBANK 013

263 1526 083 385 531 0530 083 759 LOWVELD 318 2346 072 337 485 7020 084 485 863 2720 082 510 811 3671 072 894 781 2415 082 494 MOKOPANE 386 9267 083 627 POLOKWANE 291 1088 082 804 624 1918 082 676 294 3856 084 501 MOKOPANE TSHWANE 839 2819 082 492 462 1610 011 704 412 3114 011 753 753 2086 073 551 025 5768 076 070 592 3181 072 933 444 7730/1/2 082 460 330 4557 076 917 940 2831 083 377 HIGHVELD RIDGE 484 3727 073 204 AMAHLATHI 492 2781 082 414 514 2083 084 737 803 5219 083 453 LETABA 922 4528 082 905 330 4557 082 567 MTHATHA 913 4252 078 853 987 1800 076 442 422 1505 083 292 217 4473 076 114 980 8888 072 763 392 1966 082 375 864 3726 082 905 753 3959 083 654 LOWVELD 615 2241 083 275 650 2321 083 657

0807 0576 0347 7020 6387 4061 2147 9736 0065 8605 8668 5588 5176 / 083 381 4732 1829 / 083 654 8195 4564 1400 7723 2765 8495 7029 6128 7153 1948 3863 4716 8297 7096 5362 5862 4788 4768 7357 9184 8195 8101 2421

Save a life! ADOPT from your nearest SPCA and give these animals a second chance! KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

Rescue Me

CHA CHA - AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION Cha Cha (Not yet Sponsored) is the mommy cat of the very popular Dancing litter. You can see where her kittens got their gorgeous looks from! She even fooled the vet with her youthful appearance - he thought she was still a kitten, but we have confirmed that she is approximately 4 years old. The vet sterilised her and she tested negative for Feline Aids and Feline Leukaemia. Even though she had a bad start to life, this petite girl surprised everyone by being an affectionate and loving windowsill cat. She loves lounging about, watching her kittens play and to cuddle with her foster mom. Cha Cha is very fond of her food and will in no time get some more meat on her bones! With her laid-back personality she gets on very well with other cats. This sweet girl will be perfect for someone who can give her the attention she craves and the loving home she deserves. Cha Cha is finally available for adoption since Tango, Mambo, Foxy and Jive are leaving for their forever homes soon. She is in foster care in Paarl. For more information about Cha Cha, please email raisenrescue@ gmail.com.

KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

Rescue Us

JACK & SKY URGENTLY NEED A NEW FOREVER HOME CAPE TOWN We are busy moving country and unfortunately not in a logistical position to take our RAD cats with as will be unsettled and moving around a lot for a while. We know a lot of poorly cats need homes, but we are desperate to find our Jack & Sky a loving home, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to go together - in fact Sky would happily be the only cat in the Village. I leave 17 Feb but my wife will be here until May. Jack - white boy cat, age 4 - has a purry, loving character, very active at night and when he wants to sleep he will do just about anything to snuggle as close to you as possible. He does have Sinus issues which we occasionally need to treat with 1/4 allergex and Sterimar. Sky siamese/tabby cross Big BLUE eyes, age 3/4 - very sweet, needs to be homed with Jack or by herself with no other pets as she becomes anxious when other cats are in her space. 0735935706 (Sarah ) 0724807032 (Manfred) Email: manfred.weigt@gmail.com

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Advertise your cattery or pet services Are you passionate about animal rescue? with Kittycat Magazine Help us help animals in need by advertising in Kittycat Rescue Magazine. A portion of all advertising is donated to animal rescue.

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ADVERTISE HERE Help us help animals! Advertise in Kittycat Rescue Magazine. Free advertising for all Rescues and Shelters. Email: kittycatsa@gmail.com

Kittycat Rescue Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Advertising Policy Kittycat is a small company, currently self funded, aimed at helping animals in need, small businesses that love animals or are in the pet industry, and rescues and shelters in South Africa. We support animal welfares through free exposure and advertising. Any advertising for Rescues and Shelters is absolutely free. We are passionate about animals and animal rescue and believe in giving back. A portion of all advertising is donated to animal rescue.

Dawnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cat Accessories

Please help us help animals in need by advertising in Kittycat Rescue magazine. Together we CAN make a difference! Kittycat offers very affordable ad rates. All ads are pre-paid. Ads must be received on the 15th of the month prior to magazine being published i.e. 15 15 15 15

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sold in Pet Shops

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KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 001

Advertise in Kittycat Rescue Magazine We encourage businesses that care about animal welfare to support us in our mission to help cats and other animals in need. Kittycat supports and showcases animal welfare organisations as well as small businesses. We offer very affordable advertising rates. A portion of ALL advertising goes to animal welfare! Please note that advertising, events and listings for all animal welfares and shelters is FREE.

To advertise email: kittycatsa@gmail.com KITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE c ISSUE 003

ADVERTISE IN KIITTYCAT RESCUE MAGAZINE AND HELP US HELP ANIMALS Calling all Animal Lovers !!! Advertise in Kittycat Rescue Magazine and help us help animals. A portion of ALL advertising is donated to animal rescue. Together we CAN make a difference! Free advertising for Rescues and Shelters. Email: kittycatsa@gmail.com

SAINTS ANIMAL CHARITY SHOP

www.saintsshop.co.za Shop 22, Northriding Square, Bellairs Drive, Northriding

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KITTYCAT PET SITTING RELIABLE CARE FOR YOUR PETS IN THEIR OWN HOME

BOSKRUIN, BROMHOF, RANDPARK RIDGE Email: kittycatsa@gmail.com www.kittycatpetsitting.co.za

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Spirit Essences Holistic Remedies for animals now available in South Africa. Please email orders and enquiries to: kittycatsa@gmail.com

Homemade good premium free range raw food for cats and dogs. 10kg at R650, 5 kg at R325 or just to try, 1 kg at R65. Please feel free to phone, sms or whatsapp me. Bernadette Willers, The Catâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen, 084 804 2350 75

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