Parvovirus kittens rescued by RSPCA
The four kittens were from two different litters.
The RSPCA has rescued four kittens, from two different litters, which were found abandoned on the street with parvovirus.
The kittens had been shut inside a box and left at a communal waste skip, before a member of the public found them and brought them home.
Paige Havlin, an RSPCA animal rescue officer, was called out to assess the kittens. She found them to be lethargic and with green discharge coming from their eyes.
They were also too young to be away from their mothers, with two of the kittens aged just two weeks old.
The kittens were taken in by a foster carer to receive emergency overnight care. The next morning they were taken to Finsbury Park Hospital for treatment.
Veterinary professionals discovered that the kittens’ conditions had deteriorated overnight. They were diagnosed with feline parvovirus, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting, and can be fatal.
One of the kittens, named Pea by Finsbury Park staff, had to be euthanised after her condition deteriorated further.
Two of the other kittens, named Canon and Gunner, remain in the care of the hospital staff. The third kitten lives with a fosterer.
Ms Havlin said: “The kittens were from two different litters; two were around two-weeks-old and the other two were around four-weeks-old and all were suffering from feline parvovirus - a highly contagious disease - so I’m incredibly concerned about their mums and other littermates who are also likely very poorly.”
She added: “I’m keen to hear from anyone who may know where these kittens came from. Their mums and any other siblings are likely to need urgent veterinary treatment.”
The charity sees an influx in abandoned cats during ‘kitten season’, and is therefore urging cat owners to neuter their pets from four months old.
Ms Havlin said: “Kittens can become pregnant themselves as early as four months which is why booking an appointment with a vet for early neutering is so important.
“The reality of caring for an unexpected litter of kittens is often costly and stressful and sees some owners cruelly dumping kittens on the roadside, in bins, or cardboard boxes - leaving the RSPCA to pick up the pieces.”
Image © RSPCA
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
