Contact RC's Caretaker/Foster Directly: Crawford

RC's companion, Chase (adopted) can also be seen on our website.

Description:
RC is the cutest little guy. He loves to get petted and will flop over onto his side for a tummy rub. But it hasn't always been this way.

RC was found in the middle of the road, hunched down and looking miserable. When our volunteer picked him up, RC didn't make a sound but just trembled in the volunteer's hands. Once we got him home, it became obvious why he was so unhappy - the poor little guy was filthy and covered with crusty scabs from a bad case of mange. In addition, he did not appear to know about eating kitten food - so either he had been eating garbage or had recently been separated from his mother and had not had a meal since that time.

We began treating RC for the mange right away (see paragraph below). We also introduced him to some high quality kitten food and gave him a nice secure quarantine enclosure with a litterbox and comfy bed. Once he started feeling comfortable in his new surroundings, he started talking up a storm and has not stopped much since. His appetite has also increased dramatically since he started feeling better.

Mange is easy to treat. We use Revolution which is the brand name for selamectin. One dose kills all the mange mites that have burrowed under the skin and are causing the crusty scabs and hairloss associated with mange. We give the skin a day or two to begin healing, then give the kitten a bath with medicated shampoo. This softens the crusty skin so that we can gently remove the dead skin along with dirt, dead fleas, etc. The medicated shampoo also helps to prevent the delicate damamged skin from becoming infected with bacteria. 

In a particularly bad case of mange similar to RC, we repeat this process a week or two later. Mange mites take 8 - 17 days to complete their lifecycle so we consider the kitten mite free after the 3rd week. As soon as this time is up, we release the kitten from quarantine and turn them loose in one of our foster homes. Oh the joy of making friends with other kittens and being free to snuggle with the family who has rescued him from a miserable situation.