NEXT MEETING

Sunday, July 17
Social time:  5:30 p.m.
Meeting:  6:00 p.m.
Location:  Pioneer Balloon, 5000 E. 29th St. N., Wichita

Major Project Update

Ten volunteers worked an entire weekend in November to assist a caregiver in cleaning up her property. There are 30+ cats in this colony, and all of them had parasites, ranging from fleas, tapeworms and roundworms to ear mites and ringworm. Many also had upper respiratory infections, evidenced by eye infections, sneezing, nasal discharge, and a general look of illness. The cats were exposed not only to their own waste, but also to that of dogs living on the property. There were only temporary, makeshift shelters available. We decided that the only way the cats could regain their health would be for them to have a clean environment, adequate outdoor shelters, and appropriate treatment by the vet, including spay/neutering. We also requested the caregiver to limit the amount that the dogs spent in the front yard where the new shelters were located. This was not because there was any aggression by the dogs, but to limit the contact the cats had with the parasites that are contained in the dog waste. We wanted to limit re-infection of the cats once they had been treated for parasites.

Since fleas carry tapeworm eggs, we also wanted to treat the outdoor property for fleas to limit contact from fleas in the yard. We started the transformation by giving them a cleaner environment, high-quality food, fresh water and new, weatherproof shelters.

Then after being spay/neutered and treated at the vet, this colony would have the best chance to regain their health. We also worked with the caregiver so she knew more about parasites and their transmission.

The caregivers responsibility would be to maintain the care that we had instituted and contact us if she saw evidence of illness in any of the cats.

Make a Difference with Your Charitable Donation For additional information, email us at info@felinefriendsks.com