Maintaining healthy relationships
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Or what to do about a stray you've rescued
EVEN IF THEY’RE not animal-rescuers, some people automatically reach out to any helpless animal they see on the road.
As I've recently written, sometimes reaching out is not a good idea. The little cat I tried to rescue a few months ago was too frightened to allow anyone to touch her. At the vet’s, we also found out she was too sick to survive.
Other non-rescuers have been much luckier. A few years ago, a friend of mine was driving along Vibhavadee-Rangsit when he saw a dog on the island between lanes.
The dog was running back and forth, but with traffic so heavy, she couldn’t cross to the side of the road. She also realised that when my friend stopped his car and crossed to the island, he was going to rescue her.
He dropped to one knee and called to her softly. He didn’t need to ask twice. With a happy bark, she jumped in his lap. That bark sounded just like “Yay! You rescued me!” To this day, she lives in his home, this intelligent dog named “Yay!”
Since my friend had no other dog in his house, he didn’t need to worry too much about where to keep Yay! at first. If you rescue a cat or dog and have other pets in your house, though, you need to be careful.
The new animal needs to be assessed by a vet immediately. Top on my list is getting rid of any fleas, lice and ticks the animal might be carrying. In addition, cats should be tested for feline Aids and feline leukaemia.
Vaccinations are next. Then, when you bring the animal home, you quarantine it for 10 to 14 days, away from your children and your other animals.
Although the animal might seem healthy, the symptoms of some diseases appear only within two weeks or so. Vaccinations are important, but they don't “stop” a disease if the animal is already infected.
Of all the steps to bringing a rescued animal home, or even one you’ve bought at a pet shop, quarantining seems to be the most difficult. People are simply too excited about the newcomer to keep it separate for long.
How your new pet fits in with your resident pets is a different story. Sometimes you have to introduce everyone carefully. Sometimes you don’t have to worry.
A few weeks ago, as animal rescuer Tharinee “Carrie” Wipuchanin was returning from the Uthai Thani dog pound, where she’s rehomed more than 200 dogs she’s rescued, she was looking out the window when she thought she saw a kitten by the side of the road.
She asked her sister, who was driving, to stop and go back, and there he was, a young kitten hiding under a bush. She looked for his mother and for sisters and brothers, but he was alone.
After some hesitation, the kid approached her, crying softly. When she got back in the car, he curled up in her lap and went to sleep, as if he knew he was safe.
The vet checked the kitten, now named “Kamin” (“turmeric”), and Carrie really tried to quarantine him in a room away from the other cats and kittens she’s rescued.
She was unsuccessful. Her beloved cat JJ, whom she had rescued from Chatuchak, broke into the room where Kamin was staying and took over the care of the newcomer.
No introductions were necessary. It was love and trust at first sight. Luckily, no health concerns have appeared. JJ the cat is now the proud owner of his own kitten.
