Animal charity, Mayhew has gone above and beyond to care for a 6-week old kitten forced to live in medical isolation.
Tiny Midnight was abandoned and found earlier this year by a member of the public who noticed her meows coming from underneath a nearby car.
Animal welfare officers immediately noticed the 6-week old kitten was suffering from a severe care of ringworm, which had spread all over her face and body. It was the worst example of the infectious disease the Mayhew team had ever seen.
A spokesperson for Mayhew said: “Ringworm is a highly contagious zoonotic condition and can spread quickly and easily between animals and humans. Spores can survive for up to two years, and so it was therefore necessary to deploy strict protocol for Midnight’s care.
“Although we badly wanted to reassure and cuddle Midnight, we couldn’t risk the health and safety of our staff members and resident animals. We immediately admitted her to our isolation unit, where she is no undergoing a series of treatments.”
In Mayhew’s isolation unit Midnight is receiving medicated baths every three days, oral antidotes every week for six weeks and a buster collar to prevent her from licking of the medicated soap.
As if that wasn’t enough for such a tiny kitten, the team’s primary concern is their inability to socialise her through human touch. Midnight is nearing the accepted cut-off point of 8-weeks, when a cat should be domesticated or risk going feral.
Due to the extremely likelihood of spreading ringworm spores, the team are unfortunately unable to stroke, hug or play with Midnight at all.
Mayhew vets and staff members are now doing absolutely everything they can to try and overcome these dangers. Every time they have to enter the isolation unit or administer treatment to the kitten, they have to wear full barrier protection suits and change and dispose of everything in her cabin.
The team all incinerate all items that have come into contact with her after a single use and replace all items including food and water bowls, towels, toys, litter trays and bedding on a daily basis.
A spokesperson added: “The quarantine period for ringworm is a minimum of one month. Fur samples are taken every two weeks to see if the infection is still present, with results taking two weeks to establish. Two negative samples in a row need to be confirmed before vets can say with confidence ringworm no longer exhibits in the animal.
“Midnight’s most recent test returned positive results, so she will need to stay in isolation for another four weeks at least.”
The team at Mayhew will release periodic updates on Midnight as she continues her treatment and recovery.
