No One Wants to End Up in the Gutter

Many people think of gutters and what comes to mind first is trash. But that's not what the three kittens rescued from a gutter in St. Louis are. They are 4-day old babies that found themselves stuck and alone in a place they did not belong.

An Animal Control agency saved them after getting a report about the kittens. Thankfully, the officer was able to get them before anything horrible happened to them. A car trying to park at the curb may not have seen them in time to stop and that would have been horrifying.

Bubba Gump, Jenny and Lt. Dan don't have anything to worry about now though. They are safe and free of fleas. Their little bodies were covered with the pests, who even managed to find their way to the kittens in the gutter. Capstar was used to take care of this problem. When we give Capstar we crush ¼ of the tablet and mix it with ½ cc of water. The dosage is .02 cc. Fleas should start to fall off within minutes.

Apart from the fleas being annoying, they can suck too much blood out of a kitten which can lead to flea anemia, a potentially life-threatening condition that can cause a kitten's red blood cell count to drop to a dangerously low level. Symptoms of flea anemia include pale gums, bloody or dark stools, listlessness, weight loss, increased heart and respiratory rates and a lack of appetite. Flea anemia can be particularly dangerous for kittens under four weeks of age, as they are more susceptible to severe blood loss. This is why when our fosters come in with fleas, we don't waste any time getting rid of them.

If a kitten shows the signs of flea anemia, it's important to consult a veterinarian right away rather than attempting to treat the condition at home. Treatment often involves blood transfusions or blood substitutes, along with the immediate removal of the fleas.

Bubba Gump, Jenny and Lt. Dan, won't be making a trip to the vet for this reason and we're happy to say they are all three healthy so for now they are just settling into their foster home and eating up all the attention they are getting, along with all the yummy formula their sucking out of their bottles.