Baby Kitties!
So, work is going well now that I'm back. I'm starting to get back into the swing of things slowly but surely. Four little 5 week old kittens have been in our isolation ward since I've been back. Their mother had FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and so the kittens were suspected to have it, too. A couple days ago, one of them tested positive. They came from a lady who runs a cat adoption program, and so euthanasia was discussed. She couldn't bring them home for fear of them transmitting FIV to the other cats at the shelter, and FIV positive cats are very difficult to adopt out, largely due to the stigma attached to the disease (just like HIV). I decided to take two home and keep them so that they wouldn't be put down. Here they are :)
I think I'm going to call this one Willow.
And I'm thinking of calling this one River.
So there you have it, the two newest additions to my family. :) In 6months time they could test negative for FIV, because kittens have a lot of their mother's antibodies in their system for the first 6 months. Hopefully they turn out to be perfectly healthy and normal at 6 months, but if not, they'll have a home as long as they live. FIV positive cats, if kept indoors and cared for like any other cat, can live a good 5-12 years before the disease goes to stage 3 and essentially becomes like people AIDS. So yes....BABY KITTIES!!!!
I think I'm going to call this one Willow.
And I'm thinking of calling this one River.
So there you have it, the two newest additions to my family. :) In 6months time they could test negative for FIV, because kittens have a lot of their mother's antibodies in their system for the first 6 months. Hopefully they turn out to be perfectly healthy and normal at 6 months, but if not, they'll have a home as long as they live. FIV positive cats, if kept indoors and cared for like any other cat, can live a good 5-12 years before the disease goes to stage 3 and essentially becomes like people AIDS. So yes....BABY KITTIES!!!!