2017
August, end of summer. Daegu’s the unyielding heat was exceeding 40C
temperatures day after day. Born and
raised in the coastal city of Busan, I could barely survive this heat. I found
it difficult to breathe in the hot temperatures. The rumours Daegu is the
hottest city in Korea could only be truth. Thoughts
like ‘How can street cats survive this heat…?’ and ‘Daegu barely rains, there
must not be drinking water available…’ regularly passed through my mind. From here I
would think of the dogs sold in Chilsong Market’s meat market, held in cramped
metal cages outside. They endure pain in life and death. . . . On one of
these hot Daegu days, Minseong rescued 7 kittens from a Goyangi-Tang restaurant
– or Cat Meat Stew restaurant – and brought them to our shelter. But without
a moment to stop and think ‘thank goodness the kittens were rescued’, the first kitten rapidly
declined and passed away that night. It was
Feline Panleukopenia. Feline
Panleukopenia is a highly contagious viral disease and often fatal for immune
compromised cats – kittens and sick cats. The virus infects and destroys the
rapidly growing and dividing cells found in the gastrointestinal tract, bone
marrow, lymphoid tissue and elsewhere. Feline Panleukopenia spreads through saliva, fur shedding, faecal matter
and in utero and can survive a year at room temperature. Thus, Panleukopenia is
ubiquitous in the environment and infection rates remain high in unvaccinated
cat populations. We
recommend all readers whom are cat owners to remain up to date with their cats’
vaccinations and, if you do come into contact with Panleukopenia, clean all
surfaces with a water bleach solution. Read more
about Feline Panleukopenia at MSD Manual’s website: www.msdvetmanual.com . . . I have been
living and working with cats for 20 years and I have seen countless cases of Panleukopenia,
but that strain of Panleukopenia I witnessed in Summer 2017 was the deadliest I
had ever witnessed. Within 24
hours, that first kitten began suffering tremors, rapidly declined in health
and passed away. We treated
the kittens intensely for 2 weeks but by the end of the month the kittens had
one by one passed away and made their way to cat heaven in the sky. PHOTO ▲ The 7 kittens, rescued from Chilseong
Market ▲ Byeol during his stay at KAPS’ director’s
house. For those unfamiliar,
our adoption criterium is quite strict and we sometimes must refuse
applications for animal adoption. Finding the right human for our cats to spend
the rest of their life with is not always simple work.
By 2018 May
21, Yoonhee had completed one-month trail and went on to complete the
application process. ▲Byeol and her adopter Yoonhee. We wish you
two a long and happy life together and much happiness.
Click here
to see recent images of Byeol, in his new home ►http://www.koreananimals.or.kr/229634 
