Although I haven't been healthy enough to file a news story at WMNF
since last November, some of you might be interested in hearing the
reports I did file last year.

WMNF 88.5 FM Community Radio has just added a new feature to its
website that lets listeners access archived news reports. Simply go
to >>http://wmnf.org/news<< and where it says "Looking for a story?"
just type in "Stan Davis" and click "Go." Then click on whatever
story catches your fancy.

Love & Hugs,
Stan

Rufi's Story, pt I
--------------------

Rufia, named as such because at only one-week-old she was rescued from a rooftop where her mother had probably left her to die (all of our babies are rescued cats). Someone from the organization we work with-- Cat-Call (www.catcall.org-- where you can see another one of our babies, Sweet Pea, and read his story at http://catcall.org/ RP_WebDoc.asp?ttid=77 --had just rescued a mother and her two-week-old litter of five, so she put Rufi in with them and hoped that the momma-- who was only a nine- month-old kitten, herself --would accept this new baby as one of her own. And she did, as did momma's five own babies. They became a great family that we Fostered until everyone was old enough to be neutered, chipped and adopted out. And we kept Rufi, adding her to our own menagerie of four.

Rufi's Story, pt II
-------------------

But, things did not go so honky dory during that family's stay with us. A terrible disease befell them while they were in transport for their neutering surgeries, called Virulent Calicivirus. It develops very quickly and can kill a kitten within two or three days of incubation. Rufi got it real bad, running a fever of 105.8. We had to get her onto intravenous, load her up with all sorts of meds, and force-feed and force-hydrate her. It was awful. We almost lost her twice during the 10-day ordeal. Part of her suffering was the chills. So my wife would bring her into bed with us at night and cuddle her in her naked bosom to keep her warm and close. I cannot describe the terror we felt about her suffering and proximate death at only nine-weeks-old. Eventually her fever broke, her chills diminished, and she gingerly began taking food and water on her own.

Rufi's Story, pt III
----------------------------

Two other kittens in the litter picked-up the virus from Rufi, but because we already knew what we were dealing with, we caught it early and saved every single little life in our care (though not without a couple of close brushes with this second instance of the killer virus).

Rufia is healthy as can be now, five months later, and still likes to climb in bed with us, get under the covers, and cuddle close with Mom (Gillian).

If you'd like to find out more about Virulent Calicivirus, go to:
http:// www.goodnewsforpets.com/Articles.asp?ID=695#