When Rufus was found, you could barely see the cat underneath the scabs. He was covered in notoedric mange — feline scabies — a mite that burrows beneath the skin and causes relentless itching. And he wasn't the only one — Caspian and Magic were also found suffering.
Sadly, scabies is common in Florida due to the warm weather. It typically starts around the ears and face and spreads from there. Cats scratch until they bleed. The broken skin opens the door to bacterial infection, and in advanced cases the cat stops eating and drinking, weakens, and dies.
Here's the frustrating part: the treatment is simple. One dose of medication every two weeks will easily kill the mites.
What makes mange dangerous isn't that it's hard to treat. It's the time and space it takes. The mites are highly contagious, so an infected cat has to be isolated, and healing takes a few weeks. For a shelter with every kennel full and more animals arriving each day, weeks of isolation for a single cat is a cost many simply can't absorb. Cats like Rufus, Caspian and Magic are often the ones who don't make it out.
But we can treat them. Because our cats heal in foster homes rather than in kennels, we can save these cats from suffering. Our dedicated volunteers can give them the time they need to heal. Our treatment even includes coconut oil massages to soothe their skin and keep it from splitting as it heals.
All three have made amazing transformations! Look how happy, healthy, and handsome they are now. Your donations allow us to give them the time they need to recover and find loving forever homes, so they never have to suffer again.
But we can treat them. Because our cats heal in foster homes rather than in kennels, we can save these cats from suffering. Our dedicated volunteers can give them the time they need to heal. Our treatment even includes coconut oil massages to soothe their skin and keep it from splitting as it heals.
All three have made amazing transformations! Look how happy, healthy, and handsome they are now. Your donations allow us to give them the time they need to recover and find loving forever homes, so they never have to suffer again.
