Crosby Gets Some Friends

Those of you who know me well will be surprised to hear that I asked Michelle, the Shelter Manager at the Champaign County Humane Society, to find us a couple more kittens. Because of Crosby’s parasite problem, he has to be completely isolated in the puppy room. We had planned on bringing him upstairs for socialization, but the risk of spreading the mites to the Base Pack is too great. I was concerned that he was going to spend an important period in his life for socialization by himself and he could never get this time back.

The Cheyletiella mites will be gone after another treatment or two or Revolution. It’s just that in the mean time, unless Crosby can be isolated, the mites may spread to his human caretakers and their pets. We’re one of the only foster sites that has a room dedicated to housing our foster animals. This semi-isolated environment is why we could take Crosby when none of the other foster homes could take a chance of bringing him in. But isolation is bad for socialization, and for foster animals, socialization is just as important as health issues.

In consultation with the medical staff at CCHS it was decided that the risk to other kittens was extremely low as long as they were treated to give them protection from the mites before being brought into contact with Crosby. In cooperation with fellow foster parent Sarah, a plan was worked out to give Crosby some friends to grow up with. Thanks to Sarah we were able to introduce Crosby to Kitten I and StrayKitty about an hour ago.

I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Sarah to agree to let these two move in with Crosby. She’s been taking care of them for some time and has been working through medical issues with each kitten. It’s hard to let go of foster animals when you’ve been treating illnesses, bottle feeding, and worrying about how they’re progressing. Thanks to Sarah, though, we all hope Crosby will grow up to be a well-socialized companion.

Kitten I and StrayKitty are two months old, but they are only slightly bigger than Crosby. Kitten I, a female, is a very pretty calico with a beautifully marked face. StrayKitty, a male, is a brown tabby with an eye problem. Both of them have been treated with Revolution to protect them from the Cheyletiella mites. These two kittens will be with us until the end of Crosby’s treatment for mites. At that point he will no longer be contagious and will probably move to Sarah’s house with Kitten I and StrayKitty. If all goes well this will be in just a few weeks.

Sidney, the Social Director of the Base Pack, introduces herself to Kitten I.
Crosby tries to catch StrayKitty’s tail.
Kitten I meets Crosby with a raised paw.