Heading back to work tomorrow after a week off shutdown as my company decided to do as "... an abundance of caution." We received an email today confirming our return to work with some added precautions as well - smart move on their part I would say.
In other news, I took Merlin and Tabitha to the vet this afternoon for their scheduled check-ups. Merlin now has his proper meds for the tapeworm problem and now all the cats are treated. Funny story - our vet, Dr. Lila, came out to my car (as we still are not permitted inside the animal hospital) and she informed me that there are actually three types of tapeworms which cats can be infected with:
- Dipylidium caninum is the most common type of tapeworm in cats. It uses flea larvae as part of its life cycle, and a cat must ingest a flea to be infected by this type of tapeworm.
- Taenia species are less common than Dipylidium. These types of tapeworms use a bird, rodent, or rabbit as an intermediate host. A cat must ingest an infected animal to get Taenia.
- Echinococcus species use rodents, sheep, fox, and coyotes as intermediates. They're the rarest of the three types of tapeworm.
Now, the most common type (Dipylidium caninum) is what our cats contracted - both she and I believe that the source was a flea which one of our cats ingested somehow - since they most certainly did not ingest a rodent or anything of the like. When I explained to her that I had sanitized the house and did eight loads of wash, she said to me, "You would not of had to do that with the type of tapeworm they have." LOL! Oh well, at least the house is cleaner!
After both Merlin and Tabitha were checked out $440.00 later, I took them home, finally gave Merlin his dosage and began finishing up the cleaning of his catio ...
Merlin giving me a "kiss" on my hand after we got back home again! As an added precaution, Dr. Lila also dispensed each of our cats flea medication as well.
CAT UPDATE: We must now call the vet tomorrow and pray they can fit Butterscotch in for an appointment. Just this evening he began acting very strangely. He seemed fine and normal all day and tonight we heard him growl and get upset when the other cats tried to approach him (NOT like him at all!) and he has been hiding underneath the sofa refusing to come out. I was able to get him to eat some cat food, but then he began acting strange again hiding and growling and we do not understand why? He reminds me of a cat when they are sick and survival instinct kicks in and they run and hide to protect themselves. We are very worried about him. I pray the vet can see him and help him! 🙏🙏🙏
A little update on one of my previous posts about The Epler School House. When our ""illustrious" State of Pennsylvania pulled out of the funding which was originally promised in order to move my County's slice of history to the not so far away Berks Historical Center (also about a mile away from where I live), a local woman began a movement to save it, Her name is Jane Goetz. The following is an excerpt from one of our local news websites:
'The county commissioners approved $110,000 toward the move, but when the pandemic hit, the county dropped out. But Goetz and fellow members of the group, like Bonnie Schaeffer, didn't give up hope. "I've got friends that have worked in one-room schoolhouses and I have a heart for education and for schools," Goetz explained.
She said this past weekend, another call, this time from an anonymous donor whose late wife was a school teacher, was fitting, as this is Teacher Appreciation Week. "He said he wished to make a donation for the balance of the cost that we needed to be able to move the school," Goetz said.'
When asked, "But what about those who would say, with all that's going on in the world, who cares?", Goetz said, "This will be over and gone and we will get on with our life, but once this school is taken down, there's no hope."
That's all for now, until next - take care!
Glad the kitties have their worm treatment. Sorry you had to go all the extra work of sanitizing but as you said everything is clean. Hope Butterscotch is ok.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about all your fur babies, I pray they are all safe. That is great about the school house! Big Hugs!
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