THE HEALTH OF THE CATS

Our cats come from the streets, so the state of their health is that of a former stray cat. Our veterinarians in Cyprus follow the cats for their whole fostering period, hospitalize them when needed and deem them fit to fly when they are. We inform the adoptive families with everything we know of them including their medical history when there is such. What we cannot do is predict their health moving forward.

Our cats get the appropriate flea, tick and deworming treatments and vet checkups before their flight from Cyprus. They are tested for FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) and FeLV (feline leukemia virus). Cat flus we do not test because the tests give out large numbers of false results. Because it's possible that our cats are symptomless carriers of cat flu, we require that all of our adoptive families have their existing cats properly vaccinated.

Some of our cats are so young that they are still in the process of changing their teeth around the time of adoption. This can cause inflamed gums that will pass with the majority of them as the teeth finish changing. In some cases however this can turn out to be juvenile gingivitis which will require veterinary care.

During summertime our foster homes often battle against a fungal skin infection called ringworm (microsporum canis). The affected cats and those who share their environment are medicated against it and washed with antifungal shampoo before their adoption. It is very unlikely but not impossible for a symptomless cat to carry this to their new home. Ringworm equals the fungal infections us humans have and can spread to other cats, dogs and humans as well.