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It was the spring of 1999; I forget the exact date the article was run. I read in the local paper that Animal Control had raided what basically was a kitten mill in my section of the county - actually, not
too far from where I live. I was ill as I read the story out loud to my husband one evening after he came home from work.
Evidently, the situation had been going on for some time. After complaints from neighbors, the county investigated. What was found was appalling. Dozens of Himalayan cats and kittens were discovered in
a small house. They were living in cages, filth and pure neglect. Many females of breeding age were in various stages of pregnancy. About eleven cats were found dead in the basement. The "breeder" had as
many excuses as cats. She claimed to be a reputable breeder. This claim struck me as odd since no one knew of her at local cat shows. I called some local Himi and Persian breeders who showed. Not one had heard of
this woman – but many had heard of the case. We would keep and eye out for results and pray for a speedy resolution.
July 24, 1999... The local paper ran a follow-up story that the cat case had been decided.
The woman had been found guilty of animal cruelty. She would probably face stiff fines and probation, including banning her from animal owning for some time. The cats were legally free for adoption. During the
months from confiscation to decision, litters of kittens had been born at the shelter. There were now more cats to find homes for than Animal Control had confiscated.
Animal Control took a random sampling of the cats and had them tested for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV - commonly called Kitty AIDS) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV). Mercifully, the sampling was negative!
However, there was another BIG concern. All the confiscated cats had ringworm when they were seized, but the county did not have the money or staffing to treat them all prior to adoption. Treatment can be very long,
drawn out and costly. As was, the county had spent thousands of dollars on these cats not to mention the man-hours. It was a tough deal for Animal Control. They did what they could for the cats – far more care than
the poor beasts probably ever had! The cats were being adopted 'as-is' to dedicated people willing to take on a cat with an infectious fungal disease – not to mention potential behavioral issues from a life of
neglect and lack of socialization. By now, I was certain the hearts of any animal lover who read the stories would have them run out and save a kitty! However, heads need to prevail over hearts in neglect and abuse
cases or when taking on an animal with medical problems. How many people can honestly take on such an animal? We felt we could fairly consider adopting one of the poor critters. My husband and I looked at our
situation and considered my past and present animal experience. We determined a kitten would be welcomed best in our house. It was decided I would take a look at the condition of the cats and base the final decision
on that.
Unlike many people who were probably considering these pitiful critters, I had a good idea what to expect. I had worked for a shelter in Massachusetts for five years when I was a teen. My family had fostered many
animals during that time. When I got older, I started doing rescue work on my own with rabbits. Over the years, I took in some cases that made even my tough stomach lurch. Many times I held animals as they were put
down due to health or serious temperament problems. I had even gone into some unsavory areas to pull out suffering creatures. Dog training and showing is also a big part of my life. Over the years, I learned how to
work with animals of many different temperaments and recently started my own small training program. I also learned how to handle certain infectious diseases during time as a nurses' aide. My husband supervises a
lab and knows sterile techniques. My younger sister is a vet. I had a good idea of what these cats and kittens would need medically and behaviorally.
July 25, 1999. I went to the shelter, baby in tow. My husband and I had talked all night about the cats. The adult cats would be poorly socialized from their life in kitty-hell. They all had ringworm infection
and possibly other issues going on. They would need an unbelievable amount of work that the average person would not be able to handle. Even I was not fully prepared for what I was about to take on let alone see! It
was every shelter person's nightmare! The cats I saw were pretty much all classic Himi - shaded like a Siamese, deep azure-blue eyes, but missing what should have been luxurious Persian-like coats. Ringworm had
reduced their coats to patches and rags.
In one cage sat a mother and her kittens. The babies were seven weeks old and had been born in that cage. Not a great way to start life. One tiny male was a Flame Point! A Flame Point is a dilution of the classic
Himi colors. The color washes from the classic Siamese markings to orange on the points, a cream body with crystal-blue eye. This little guy was so mottled with crust from infection he looked brindled. He also had
the potential for severe medical complications due to a massive abdominal hernia that was the size of my fist.
It took all I had to hold my composure. I had seen so much in my years with animals and little compared to what was before me. This was worse than I had expected. I had seen ringworm infections before but nothing
compared to these animals. My heart and head battled it out. Finally, head said to give it a shot but told heart not to get too attached. I took the flame point kitten with the hernia.
Our first trip was to the vet. I think the vet seriously doubted my sanity. Actually, he chewed me out. I am not a stranger to the clinic with my critters. I make sure they get the best care possible. My son, tired
from the day's activity, dozed in his stroller. The technician and I wore gloves to handle the frail kitten. The vet just kept questioning my sanity. He put the kitten on various treatments and placed an order for a
special shampoo. I explained the isolation area I had set up in one of our bathrooms. He said that would work well. We lined up more appointments. Sadly, the ringworm infection was so serious that hernia surgery
would have to wait. I would just have to hold my breath and pray there would be no twisting of the bowel in the opening. I also had to check several times a day that it, the hernia, would still be able to be pushed
back into the abdominal wall. If not, the situation could fast turn deadly.
For the next weeks, Neelix was sprayed, poked, bathed and put into a crate in the bathtub. A baby gate separated the bathtub area in the L-shaped bathroom from where I kept my gloves, treatments, clean paper,
anti-fungal cleaner and rags for the cage, food and cat litter. Every morning before my son woke I would change into scrubs and gloves to clean and medicate the kitty we would dub Neelix (after the character on Star Trek: Voyager who is so ugly he is cute). I would then put the scrubs in for a hot wash and shower thoroughly. This would be repeated at night.
Every three days, Neelix would be toted outside in a small carrier (mercifully it was a hot summer). I would have two basins set up: one to wash and one to rinse. Neelix would be soaked, lathered up and have to sit
for ten minutes in the carrier for the shampoo to work. During his soak, I would strip and scrub the bathroom with a hospital-use fungicide. Then kitty would be rinsed – careful with the hernia – and packed with
paper towels to dry off. Then back into isolation.
I was worried about Neelix's temperament and social development. Many behavior problems are not due to abuse or neglect but as a result of improper socializing and training as a youngster. This growing kitten was not
interacting with the family or our other animals. He was missing out on learning social skills and acceptable behaviors. I took great steps to give him things that would stimulate the brain and kept changing the
stations of the radio so Neelix could get used to different sounds. This was the best I could do. I could not hold and cuddle the baby, as I so wanted.
After a few vet trips I got bad news… There was no improvement in Neelix's skin. The hernia desperately needed surgery but the tyke was still not ready. It was time to pull out the big cannons and go to a veterinary
dermatologist. By now, my husband had stopped looking at the credit card bills. They were depressing. He stopped asking when the upstairs bathroom would be free. It was pretty clear is would be awhile. My skin was
painfully dry, often bleeding, and hair brittle from two or more showers a day. I had a rash from the anti-fungal spray. Neelix would out grow the cage within the next month… This was getting tough! Ringworm can be
nasty to clear up!
Ringworm is in the same fungal family as Athlete's Foot and Jock Itch. It is in the environment naturally and just needs the right conditions to form an infection. Older animals, younger animals, those with
suppressed immune systems, Persians and Himi cats are more prone to developing infection. Neelix had a few things going against him: he was a baby, he was a Himi and he had a severe case of the fungus. According to
the dermatologist, we would start with a regimen of oral medications and stop the topicals. We would be back in two weeks. Another credit charge, an expensive prescription that would prove tough to fill and we were
off.
Mercifully, I could finally give Neelix run of the bathroom. Just in case he slipped out when I went in and since tiny paws fit under the door; all four of my cats (and since added bunny) were placed on medicine to
help prevent ringworm. Our dogs were not considered at risk. Thank goodness! The prevention medication was brutally expensive but better than having all felines (and bunny) contract the fungus! My husband and I had
to dose the cats (and bunny) daily for four weeks. Easier said than done when two of your cats barely trust people due to their backgrounds. For the next month we hunted down hiding places in the house and dosed
upset animals. I donated more of my blood to the carpet than I care to think of.
Finally in early fall, Neelix was clear enough for surgery. My regular vet repaired the hernia and neutered him at the same time. The hernia required pretty major surgery. Aside from infection of the suture site, I
had to watch for other complications. It seemed there was tissue in the hernia that was not supposed to be growing there. If it was not all out and started to re-grow, there could be trouble. It would be touch and
go for a bit. But the kitty no longer had a grotesque bulge that dragged the ground or could end his life.
Sometime in November, Neelix was given the "all clear" by the dermatologist to be assimilated into the collective. (My regular vet and my family are Star Trek fans. Many of our animals have Star Trek names.
Our house just assimilates critters like a Borg Cube). There were still ringworm lesions on Neelix, but the dermatologist did not consider them a risk to any of the animals or the humans in the house. I would still
have to medicate him for quite sometime but Neelix could leave isolation!!! Happy Day!
It is now 2001. Neelix is done with his care. He is a big boy and shows little sign of his past. His shaded orange and cream coat is in full glory. There were no complications post-hernia. There is some scarring on
his nose from the ringworm but that is all that remains of his ordeal. Mercifully, Neelix never had socialization issues from the time he spent in isolation and the fact that every time he was touched was for some
treatment or another. My husband has dubbed him the "Million-dollar Kitty." His bills were not that high but financially more than any of us realized – even with our backgrounds!
Wanting to take on such a dismal case is honorable but also one of the toughest things a person can do. If a similar case happened would we be able to step in? I don't know. I have handled so many tough cases and
some of my own animals besides Neelix were "hopeless" cases. It is a big drain. Special needs adoption cases take more dedication and effort than the average animal lover understands. So many
well-intentioned people are just not prepared for the costs: financially or emotionally. I have been very lucky with the hardcore cases I have taken in. So many are not. One of my cats still, after four years, is a
neurotic mess. Another cat, after close to five years of patience and a touch-and-go period, has finally come around. I have a neglect case dog that needed an extreme amount of socializing and work. I have also had
to euthanize rescues surrendered to me when I was involved in such work that I could never bring around to the point where they could be safely placed as pets.
Neelix was the product of a kitten mill. Luckily, the mill is defunct. As for those who think mills only occur in the Midwest or places with space, I am sorry to say that you are mistaken. We live half an hour south
of Washington, DC in a suburb where the average yard is 1/4 acre or less. Pretty standard for communities built back when ours was. This woman had her mill operating in the middle of suburbia.
Mill breeders of any species care only about the money the animals produced will bring in. Mill breeders will all insist their animals are important. Of course the animals are important – they are financial support!
And the animals pay the millers' bills with their lives. I have known mill breeders of other species. What they are and what they say are two totally different things. No reputable or responsible breeder will sell
an animal through a pet store or even through a newspaper. All the animals that they do not keep themselves are placed by word of mouth. I urge people looking for a pet to either find a reputable breeder or go to
humane societies. Stay away from shops, ads and mills.
Use your brain when choosing an animal. Do not fall for a cute face or the latest hot breed in Hollywood. Do not let your heart overtake rationale when looking at a hard-core case. It is work enough taking on a
healthy pet let alone one with serious problems. You really must be dedicated and willing to do everything you can for the hard-core case animal. This can easily involve years and thousands of dollars, as we are
experiencing with various pets.
I would love to know what happened to the other cats from the "breeder" that produced Neelix. I know some found homes. Some were euthanized and I think a few were taken by other rescues. How are the
families who adopted them coping? What will happen to the "breeder" in the future? Will this whole scenario repeat itself? It happens far too much across the country as it is.
Neelix is safe here.
He is my shadow and surprisingly good with our son. Neelix gets right in my husband's face as my husband sits with the newspaper. Neelix wrestles with the bunny, tries to bully our cats and annoys the dogs. He is
into everything and loves everyone. The expense and effort has paid off. I can't imagine not having him in our lives…
But on the other paw, Neelix should never have happened.
(2004 follow up). Neelix has been with us for five years now. Emotionally he has no scars from this ordeal and having to spend months in isolation during a very formative period. However, he is not fond of being
groomed so that is done professionally. We have since had a second child. My son is now six and my daughter is nine months. Neelix has an unbelievable tolerance with both children, is very social and an absolute joy
to live with. Sadly, I have found out what has happened to the other cats that were either brought into the shelter during the raid or born there. Neelix is one of a few successes. Due to the health and behavioral
issues most of the adults had, many were returned by their adopters due to financial reasons or the cats were just too anti social. Many of the kittens born there were returned as well because of finances. A couple
rescues stepped in and took some cats, but many of those had to be euthanized as well. Welcome to the world of millers. They are not all farms out in the Mid West, they could be right in your back yard!
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