I have 5 young cats (8-10 months) that are going to be euthanized because they have ringworm and chronic URIs. I brought them home to my neighbor who had offered to help house them and she can't keep them any longer due to the ringworm and fear of her cats becoming infected. I fostered them from the Anticruelty shelter in Chicago. They said that they would be euthanized if I brought them back. They are all so precious and happy. I have pictures if that will help. Can anyone help take one or two or three..... does any one know where I can possibly temporarily keep them until the ringworm has cleared up? I am desperate!
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Can someone please help me
- Thread starter cpm1
- Start Date
WOW! Euthanized because of Ringworm and URIs?? There would go my Lucky and Bugsy!!
What are you doing in regards to the ringworm? Anything? And about the URIs? Are they sick right now??
Also, where are you located? How old are the kittens? are they vaccinated? spayed?
What are you doing in regards to the ringworm? Anything? And about the URIs? Are they sick right now??
Also, where are you located? How old are the kittens? are they vaccinated? spayed?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
I am dipping and treating topically for the ringworm. They are always somewhat symptomatic with the URIs, runny eye or nose, sneezing sometimes. There are three 8 month old kittens, one 10 month and then a 4 year old who also needs his leg amputated. 2 of the kittens have been altered. The other still need to be. No vaccinations on the kittens yet. The shelter does not do them unless someone is adopting them. I am in Chicago. Can you please help?
what is ringworm? I am in a suburb of Chicago, maybe I can help in some way...
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- #5
Ringworm is a topical fungus. It present as lesions with hair loss. it is contagious and the animal needs to be seperated from others while being treated. If you wear gloves and a gown while handling you should not be infected. I have them all seperated in huge crates right now. Any help would be awesome. They all deserve to live. I am going to try to post their pics right now.
It's also contagious to humans.
The ringworm cats need systemic treatment - I believe there is medication they can take ... topical may not be enough. It takes a long time to get rid of it.
I don't know anyone in the Chicago area. Do you have a friendly vet who can help - with meds, etc.?
The ringworm cats need systemic treatment - I believe there is medication they can take ... topical may not be enough. It takes a long time to get rid of it.
I don't know anyone in the Chicago area. Do you have a friendly vet who can help - with meds, etc.?
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- #7
I do have meds, thanks. the problem is that the woman that is housing them wants them all out by tomorrow. the only place that i have to take them is back to the shelter where they will be euthanized. I am sick to my stomach.
I talked 2 my landlord (he stops by frequently otherwise I wouldn't have even asked) & because were only renting the house he won't allow anymore animals as we already have 2 cats & a dog - I'm SO sorry I feel so bad I wish there was something I could do 2 help
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- #9
Keeping them in seperate rooms will not prevent the transmission from cat to cat. Even if you wear something over your clothes, when you come out of that room, there can be spores on you which enter the environment. If they don't enter the environment from your body, they can enter via the heating/cooling system, the breeze that occurs when you open the door, etc.
I'm telling you this in hopes that maybe some education on RW might help her keep the cats. If her cats were going to catch RW, they would have or will catch it. But if her cats are healthy, with good immune systems it is possible that they will NOT catch it.
This is very sad indeed.
Contact Tree House Humane Society, 1212 W. Carmen, Chicago
Phone: 773-784-5488
www.treehouseanimals.org
It's a wonderful cageless shelter for sick, neglected, or stray cats and kittens.
Crossing my fingers you get your little guys in there.
Phone: 773-784-5488
www.treehouseanimals.org
It's a wonderful cageless shelter for sick, neglected, or stray cats and kittens.
Crossing my fingers you get your little guys in there.
Another contact to try is Best Friends Animal Society: www.bestfriends.org
Located in Utah, they operate what may be the largest animal sanctuary in the US. Best Friends has a national network of people who help animals, by fostering, trapping ferals for TNR, etc. Call them at 435-644-2001 - they may have someone in the network who lives in Chicago who might be able to help. If not, ask them for advice, recommendations on what else you can do.
Still hoping Tree House will come through for you.
Located in Utah, they operate what may be the largest animal sanctuary in the US. Best Friends has a national network of people who help animals, by fostering, trapping ferals for TNR, etc. Call them at 435-644-2001 - they may have someone in the network who lives in Chicago who might be able to help. If not, ask them for advice, recommendations on what else you can do.
Still hoping Tree House will come through for you.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #13
thank you for your replies. I have been trying to call treehouse and no one answers. I have emailed both treehouse and best friends and called best friends. No one has gotten back to me. I am running out of time. If you have any other ideas please let me know and thank you so much again.
Press 0 for the operator, I just talked to a very nice & HELPFUL gentleman named Doug - keep trying!
Yes, do keep trying. There are several numbers listed, so try all. I see that Tree House has a second branch, Bucktown, and a spay/neuter clinic. There are contact numbers for all of them. Adoption hours at Tree House start at 12pm today, so the staff will be there.
Don't forget that Utah is 2 hours earlier than Chicago time, so you will probably be able to speak with someone later. Your best bet, of course, is Tree House.
In the meantime, pull out all the stops with the woman who has the cats. Tell her how hard you're trying to place them. Remind her that the conditions the foster cats have are very common and treatable, and you'll take care of her cats if they should catch anything.
I'm amazed that someone who has cats and would offer to foster the kittens would insist you remove them knowing they'll be put down. It doesn't make sense.
Don't forget that Utah is 2 hours earlier than Chicago time, so you will probably be able to speak with someone later. Your best bet, of course, is Tree House.
In the meantime, pull out all the stops with the woman who has the cats. Tell her how hard you're trying to place them. Remind her that the conditions the foster cats have are very common and treatable, and you'll take care of her cats if they should catch anything.
I'm amazed that someone who has cats and would offer to foster the kittens would insist you remove them knowing they'll be put down. It doesn't make sense.
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- #16
I have tried all of treehouse locations and they are all saying no. I have tried many other shelters and still calling and no one will help. I have emailed and left messages on bestfriends.org yesterday and no response.
my neighbor is scared to death that her young cats will also get infected, they are chronic URIS. she has caught it. her place is small and it is extremely overwhelming. I have made a mess. I was trying to rescue these babies from being killed because of the URIs and now they have the ringworm and the shelter is not giving me any options but euthanization
my neighbor is scared to death that her young cats will also get infected, they are chronic URIS. she has caught it. her place is small and it is extremely overwhelming. I have made a mess. I was trying to rescue these babies from being killed because of the URIs and now they have the ringworm and the shelter is not giving me any options but euthanization
I see that the shelter you got the cats from also has a treatment and rehab center. On their website they discuss treating cats for URIs. I don't understand why they won't treat for ringworm as well. Surely these are not the first cats to contract ringworm that have come through the shelter. Do they automatically euthanize all cats with this condition? Seems absurd to me. And what is going on with the 4 year old who needs an amputation?! What exactly happened to his leg? Why hasn't the shelter given him medical care for that?
Is there any way at all you could keep these cats yourself for just one day? On Monday, find a vet that would be willing to treat and board them. It would probably be expensive, but it would be worthwhile to look into. If you explained the situation, the vet might give you a discount or agree to a payment plan. If the cats are boarded, it will give you some more time to try to place them in another foster home. Ask the vet techs if they'd be willing to foster one or two of them once their treatment is done. Most techs have good hearts and plenty of them have given homes to animals who were abandoned at the vets, or were going to be put down. It won't hurt to ask.
Decide how far you're willing to travel to save these cats, and call all shelters within that radius.
I'm surprised your neighbor offered to take 5 cats since she has her own cats and only a small place. Give her the info you've gotten here about ringworm - keep reminding her that should her cats get it, it's treatable. It's a nuisance, but it's not life threatening, and it will go away. If she's still insisting that the cats go back, ask her to take them to the shelter herself.
I know that sounds mean, but so is what she's asking you to do. I understand she's feels overwhelmed, but frankly it sounds like you're doing all the work and all she's doing is overreacting. She offered to help - she should honor that commitment especially because of the gravity of the situation. Will she be able to sleep at night knowing that she sent these cats to their deaths?
Is there any way at all you could keep these cats yourself for just one day? On Monday, find a vet that would be willing to treat and board them. It would probably be expensive, but it would be worthwhile to look into. If you explained the situation, the vet might give you a discount or agree to a payment plan. If the cats are boarded, it will give you some more time to try to place them in another foster home. Ask the vet techs if they'd be willing to foster one or two of them once their treatment is done. Most techs have good hearts and plenty of them have given homes to animals who were abandoned at the vets, or were going to be put down. It won't hurt to ask.
Decide how far you're willing to travel to save these cats, and call all shelters within that radius.
I'm surprised your neighbor offered to take 5 cats since she has her own cats and only a small place. Give her the info you've gotten here about ringworm - keep reminding her that should her cats get it, it's treatable. It's a nuisance, but it's not life threatening, and it will go away. If she's still insisting that the cats go back, ask her to take them to the shelter herself.
I know that sounds mean, but so is what she's asking you to do. I understand she's feels overwhelmed, but frankly it sounds like you're doing all the work and all she's doing is overreacting. She offered to help - she should honor that commitment especially because of the gravity of the situation. Will she be able to sleep at night knowing that she sent these cats to their deaths?
I have really sick fosters that are just getting better and have not yet disinfected my house from them. Your cats' immune systems could not withstand another illness-!
Ringworm is contagious but it only gets really horrible if it breaks out where there are huge numbers of cats in one place, like Anti-Cruelty.
If anyone has a basement where they can be, or an area that doesn't have high household traffic or can be cordoned off, like a guest room, it should be fine. All you need to do is take off your shoes when entering and have a pair inside to wear, or use removeable shoe covers, wear latex gloves, vacuum frequently, use hand sanitizer after leaving and be careful about clothing. And do laundry more often.
If they were out in the wild, it would self heal. It is just that they are in a house and precautions need to be taken.
If you take them back to Anti-Cruelty, they will euthanize them immediately. And they will euthanize all the other cats that came from the ward where those cats originally came from, that is, if they have not done that already.
For people that don't know about Anti-Cruelty, it was originally set up to take cats from Chicago Animal Care and Control, but over time has become like another city pound, except not as bad. It is a kill shelter in the heart of Chicago and has a HUGE turnover of dogs and cats daily. Those cats will die immediately if they go back.
Every shelter in Chicago is full up and overloaded. I don't know any shelter that will take ringworm cats unless they have a special needs foster home for cats that are ill. And will all the URI going around I'm sure any homes like those are full too.
You are dipping them and that is the best, quickest, treatment for them- really fantastic on your part, because it is hard to do.
Ringworm is contagious but it only gets really horrible if it breaks out where there are huge numbers of cats in one place, like Anti-Cruelty.
If anyone has a basement where they can be, or an area that doesn't have high household traffic or can be cordoned off, like a guest room, it should be fine. All you need to do is take off your shoes when entering and have a pair inside to wear, or use removeable shoe covers, wear latex gloves, vacuum frequently, use hand sanitizer after leaving and be careful about clothing. And do laundry more often.
If they were out in the wild, it would self heal. It is just that they are in a house and precautions need to be taken.
If you take them back to Anti-Cruelty, they will euthanize them immediately. And they will euthanize all the other cats that came from the ward where those cats originally came from, that is, if they have not done that already.
For people that don't know about Anti-Cruelty, it was originally set up to take cats from Chicago Animal Care and Control, but over time has become like another city pound, except not as bad. It is a kill shelter in the heart of Chicago and has a HUGE turnover of dogs and cats daily. Those cats will die immediately if they go back.
Every shelter in Chicago is full up and overloaded. I don't know any shelter that will take ringworm cats unless they have a special needs foster home for cats that are ill. And will all the URI going around I'm sure any homes like those are full too.
You are dipping them and that is the best, quickest, treatment for them- really fantastic on your part, because it is hard to do.
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- #19
Cody needs his leg amputated because he was so sick with the URI it destroyed all the ligaments in his left wrist. He can't walk on the leg and the vet was going to euthanize him because he said his other leg was bad as well and he would not be able to walk on opnly the three. I asked if I could take him to an ortho specialist to confirm the diagnosis. He let me and the ortho said the other legs were fine and that he could withstand the left being amputated. Now that he has ringworm, chronic URI and a bad leg, he will not be treated; he will be euthanized. That shelter does not treat chronic URI which is what all of the cats get. At least 50% do not recover and become chronic which makes them unadoptable and therefore put on death row. Those are the ones that I have been trying to save but am having a very hard time finding homes. The shelter does not help AT ALL. The have a serious problem that they are not fixing. I have tried to get the chronic issue addressed and all they say is that they are helping some. It is very very sad and I was just trying to help the ones I could. My neighbor has been an angel. All of the animals that I bring home she houses. The ringworm has freaked her out and she is concerned with what the management of the building will do if they find out she has 7 cats in her apartment, 5 of which have ringworm.
I have never ever heard of such thing - chronic URI destroying the legs ligaments??? I would definitely go to another vet - IMO that is weird to say the least.
So, his leg still needs to be amputated? What was the diagnostic?
That's just ridiculous, since almost all shelter cats will have URIs anyways... IMO nothing that L-Lysine treatment can't manage.
About the ringworm: Can you start them on oral medication? maybe the shelter can help you with that? IMO that's going to be the quickest way to cure them.
Another question: Can you keep some of them, and your neighbor the rest? Is there a reason why they are not with you?
