Working in Isolation

My name is Ceri, and I’m one of the Rehoming & Welfare Assistants at Wales Cat Centre. I've worked at the centre since 2016 and have seen thousands of cats and kittens arrive in that time. Some arrive in brilliant health and are ready to home after an initial vet check, going on to be adopted very quickly. Sadly, others arrive in very poor condition and stay with us for several weeks, or even months, while we nurse them back to health.

My blog today is to give an insight into what goes on behind the scenes here at the centre and share my experiences of working in our Isolation Unit.

Pictured below is my pride and joy, and best friend in the world, my cat Toots, who I adopted from Wales Cat Centre 18 years ago when he was just eight weeks old. (Cute kitten photo of Toots included!)

Ceri with her pride and joy, Toots who she adopted from the centre at 8 weeks of age

Every cat and kitten is given an initial health check on arrival by the Rehoming & Welfare Assistants, before having a veterinary examination. If a cat is displaying any signs of disease or illness that could potentially be contagious, we house them in our Isolation Unit to prevent the spread of infection to healthy cats at the centre.

Some illnesses are contagious, such as cat flu and infectious diarrhoea. Diarrhoea can be caused by many different viruses and bacteria. One cause is Parvovirus, a serious illness that sadly has a very high mortality rate. Some illnesses are also 'zoonotic’, which means they can pass from cats to humans. Examples include ringworm and gastrointestinal infections such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Campylobacter.

One of the most common illnesses we see is cat flu, generally in cats admitted from multi-cat households. This is often linked to financial difficulties, with owners being unable to care for the number of cats they have. Many have never been vaccinated, neutered, or treated for fleas and worms. Cats from multi-cat households often do not have enough resources available to them, such as an adequate numbers of litter trays.

Cats are extremely clean animals and benefit from having access to appropriate toileting areas. When there aren’t enough litter trays provided, poo can be spread around the home, increasing the risk of contamination and disease transmission.

Pictured below is a kitten suffering from flu when she arrived in our care. Her eyes were painful and ulcerated. 

Kitten admitted into care with cat flu

Also pictured is Quinn, a very sick Persian who already suffered from breathing difficulties because of the genetics associated with his breed. Flu made his symptoms even worse. Quinn found it very difficult to breathe and was extremely congested. We bathed his eyes and nose several times a day. He also arrived with urine burns on his feet, which had left painful sores and stained fur, so we provided him with comfortable bedding, daily grooming and regular washing to help clean him up.

As you can see, the transformation by the time he was ready to be adopted was fantastic.

Quinn before and after treatment for cat flu

A typical day working in Isolation consists of one person caring for all the cats in the unit. No other team member enters the area unless they have been specifically allocated to work there. The day starts with putting on the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). This always includes shoe covers, a boiler suit, a plastic apron, plastic arm sleeves and nitrile gloves, all of which are disposed of as clinical waste after use.

For some conditions, we wear additional PPE to protect both the cats and ourselves, including hair nets, face masks and goggles. Every pen has their own dedicated cleaning equipment.

Personal protective clothing is worn in isolation

Each morning, and again in the afternoon, I check both the front and back of every pen to assess the cats' general demeanour and look for any signs of diarrhoea, vomiting or nasal discharge. The cats are cleaned in a specific order depending on the condition they are suffering from, their age and other factors such as their symptoms, stage of treatment and test result pending.

Cats are checked and pens cleaned morning and afternoon

We use a strong disinfectant to thoroughly clean the pens, allowing the correct contact time before rinsing it away. We also use disposable items such as towels and sheets for bedding, cardboard litter trays and cardboard food trays. All of these are changed daily, carefully bagged and disposed of in clinical waste bins.

In the main areas of the centre, we use toys such as foil balls and ping pong balls, as these can be disinfected and reused. We are unable to do this in isolation area due to the risk of toys becoming fomites and contributing to the spread of infection. However, we still ensure that the cats receive appropriate enrichment. We provide items such as soft toys, which are disposed of daily, as well as disposable scratch boards and cardboard boxes.

Every cat has an observation sheet that is completed twice daily. Here we record how much they eat, how much they drink, their toileting habits and the consistency of their poo, with grade one representing diarrhoea and grade six representing constipation.

We use a variety of monitoring charts in Isolation. Feeding charts help us track cats and kittens that require supplementary feeding due to being underweight. This must be done carefully and under veterinary guidance as overfeeding too much, too soon, can be dangerous.

We also use flu monitoring charts, recording sneeze marks on pen doors and the number of sneezes heard throughout the day. Diarrhoea monitoring charts allow us to record all findings over the course of a week.   

Isolation is a no entry area and various forms are
used for recording medication, weight, and daily observations

If a cat or kitten experiences three consecutive episodes of diarrhoea, we may change them onto a bland veterinary-approved diet and, on veterinary advice, provide additional worming treatment or probiotics. Once their stools begin to firm up, we gradually mix their normal diet back in over several days, as changing food too quickly can lead to further stomach upset.

We often collect poo samples and send them to a laboratory for testing. This helps identify any gastrointestinal infections and allows the vet to prescribe the most appropriate treatment.

We also keep weight charts and regularly weigh cats and kittens either daily or twice weekly to monitor their progress. In addition, we have an Isolation reference folder containing information about different illnesses and the correct barrier nursing procedures for each condition.

My team and I take part in multiple training sessions throughout the year to increase our knowledge of different illnesses, keep up with any advances in veterinary care and make sure we continue following best practice.

Being an animal lover, it is understandably upsetting to see cats so poorly, weak and in pain. However, the reward at the end, knowing that I have played a part in getting them back to good health and helping them find loving new homes, makes it all worthwhile.

We will exhaust all appropriate treatment options to help cats recover. Every decision is carefully discussed by our field vet, centre vet and management team, who always have the cat's welfare, quality of life and best interests at heart.

Sometimes this means surgery is required, as was the case for Ranchi and Rome, pictured below. They arrived from a multi-cat household suffering from severe flu and extremely painful ulcerated eyes. After weeks of eye drops and medication, we were able to save one of Rome's eyes. Sadly, Ranchi's eyes had deteriorated to the point where the only option left to ensure she was pain free was the removal of both eyes.

Her eyes were so badly ulcerated that she had already lost her sight, so she would not have known any different after surgery. Photos of both cats following their operations are included below, and they were so much happier afterwards.

Cats like Ranchi adapt incredibly well following bilateral eye removal. Their hearing and sense of smell become even more important, and they can go on to live happy, enriching lives with caring owners who make a few simple adjustments to keep their homes accessible and safe.

Ranchi and Romeo before and after flu treatment, and eye removal surgery

Other cases have stayed with me throughout the years, including Willow, a very poorly kitten who was found alone, cold and wet at a recycling centre. She was extremely underweight and collapsed on arrival.

Had Willow not come into our care when she did, she sadly would not have survived. She was immediately rushed to the vets, where she received fluids and underwent an x-ray because she was struggling to stand. This is when we discovered she was also suffering from hypothermia and had sustained a head injury.

Sadly, this left her with some brain damage, affecting her mobility and making her a little wobbly when she walked. However, as time went on, she grew stronger and stronger and, just like Ranchi, adapted incredibly well. She became a happy, playful kitten.

Below is a before and after photo of Willow and the amazing transformation she made before being adopted.

Willow's transformation was amazing

I have come across many illnesses while working here, but the rarest was cowpox. A young male cat was found outdoors in a rural area and admitted into our care with painful sores and pus-filled lesions across his face and body.

Cowpox is a viral infection usually contracted through contact with infected rodents, either through hunting or being bitten. It took several months, a lot of medication and plenty of TLC, but he eventually made a full recovery and found his forever home.

Working in isolation can be challenging at times, both physically and emotionally, but it is also one of the most rewarding parts of my role. Seeing a cat or kitten arrive frightened, unwell and needing intensive care, then watching them recover and go on to find a loving home, makes all the hard work worthwhile. Every cat that comes through our doors receives the care, treatment and compassion they need, and this is only possible thanks to the help of our wonderful supporters.