MEG and RUBY, about 9 years old, were 2 of the 12 cats from the same household that came to C.L.A.W.S. in 2014.  They had had a tough start in life and were terrified of humans.

Over the last 8 years a lot has changed.   With expert care and lots of love and patience, they have become affectionate, gentle girls that, although still shy, particularly Ruby, enjoy being made a fuss of.

In 2017 they were ready for adoption and their details were put on the C.L.A.W.S. web site when they had recurrent bouts of diarrhoea which a bland diet and a course of broad spectrum antibiotics failed to cure.

Their B12 levels were low so weekly injections of B12 were given for 6 weeks which failed to cure the problem.   More tests followed and eventually they pinpointed the cause as the Tritrichomanas intestinal parasite in their gut.

This is a highly contagious condition so the strictest standards of hygiene were put in place including barrier nursing. Weekly visits to the vet were needed to monitor their condition.  In all his years in practice their vet had only seen one case of this parasite and that was in a dog ! They remained on a bland diet and were given a month long course of an anti-parasitic drug.

Constant vigilance was needed as sometimes this drug causes imbalance and in severe cases fits but as the girls were on a low dose these symptoms were unlikely.   This proved to be the case.  

They stayed on a bland diet for a further month after the tablets were finished and were then weaned back on to their normal food.    They were delighted as this meant they were allowed treats once again !

Meg and Oliver have suffered occasional bouts of diarrhoea but a few days on fish (no hardship there) and they are soon back to normal.

Because of the complex nature of this condition and the demanding nursing regimen needed to contain it, after careful consideration we decided that they should remain with C.L.A.W.S.

Recently, along with Oliver and Beth, they have been transferred to the enclosure opposite the Divas’ residence.

They are enjoying the extra freedom and interests this gives them.   In particular they love running up the ramp on to the shelf to look into the field next door where they can watch the horses and the wild life including deer and pheasants.   It is also a good place to snooze in the morning sun.

They have lots of toys and enjoy interacting with Oliver who in turn amuses and exasperates them!   They are happy, healthy and content.