Here is a pic of our last foster kitten that we had to adopt because it took her 3 months to get clear of ringworm and by then she was grown and unadoptable and we were attached. This is how ringworm originally came into our home and once my elderly cat got sick, even 2 months after this little bugger was clear, she was covered in sores very quickly. And then it spread to everyone EXCEPT for the kitten and the house rabbit. But this is our final foster kitten, and this is her with the eye infection she got from bathing and smearing the fungal ear drops into her eye.
That's how they treated her.
I asked about sulfur dips and the owner of the rescue organization said, "We are NOT doing that. Here's some fungal ear drops. Fungus is fungus, it doesn't matter."
Speaking of sick cats, not only did we get ringworm from fostering from our local cat rescue org, 2 of my cats ended up with stomatitis from the calicivirus some fosters arrived with (thanks guys!). So for the 3rd time in a year, my smallest cat suddenly dropped weight, going from 8 to 6.5lbs because her teeth hurt too much too eat enough. I've had to force feed her to keep her alive long enough for a steroid shot to take effect. This time, she scared the vet so hard they thought she had cancer and they ran tests to be sure. All they could find was bad teeth in the back of her mouth so Monday she's getting most of her teeth pulled. Her gums are always always always red and painful while my other cat, who is 4 years younger, has no symptoms at all. He might even be over it, he hasn't had atrocious breath in a year (even though he did have some teeth pulled already). These stomatitis cats end up with all their teeth pulled and that may or may not actually help. I'm hoping, of course, that this will help.
And that's yet another reason why I'm not fostering kittens anymore. They always complained bitterly that we insisted that any kitten we take in be treated for fleas FIRST and they've actually gone so far as to show up on my doorstep with fleas popping all over little street urchins and I've actually had to refuse them until they pop a capstar down the gullet of the kittens. They roll their eyes and sigh and act like everyone should have fleas and intestinal parasites. What's the big deal?
And the final reason I won't foster with the local org ever again? Here's the last conversation I had with one of their volunteers. Keep in mind that I said this momma cat, Cupcake, had as crusty ear the moment she entered my home. They assured me that it was nothing. I thought it was nothing because the kittens never once showed any sign of ringworm and it never spread on the momma-cat. When I took them all in to be fixed, I showed them again and they assured he it couldn't be ringworm and they don't test for it anyway. Whoever adopts her can get that spot tested but they wouldn't do it. The very 1st weekend I brought the kittens in for adoption and gave the momma back to the org (because she was chasing and attacking my cats and stressing them out in their own home, causing litter box issues) and Sprinkles got a bald spot from the stress. This is the crazy:
I don't play games. I don't do passive-aggressive. I have zero tolerance for that nonsense and I'm done endangering the health of my pets for these unprofessional idiots.
