We critically must test foster cats for feline leukemia

Dear fellow cat lovers,

We are a small non-profit group based in Sabie, South Africa. A very small town with lots of stray cats. We take care of unwanted and stray cats, and also foster over 50 cats in our home. Very unfortunately, we have an endemic on our hands. It creeped up on us, unexpectedly starting to kill our cats. The first cat to die from leukaemia was my son's dear black long hair cat, and he died an awful death. We did not yet know about the leukaemia at that point, so it was sort of a "mystery illness". But we also considered that it could be from old age, as he was 13 years old. Afterwards many of our cats have been tested positive for feline leukaemia and we figured the virus was spreading and now keep the cats apart. The virus spreads very easily and quickly; it's of utmost importance to keep FeLV cats away from the ones that are not infected. The state is critical; we must test over 50 foster and stray cats for feline leukaemia as soon as possible and we need funds for this. It's not free for anyone at any veterinary clinic, not even for a non-profit cause like us.

We beg for help from around the globe. Please donate any amount you can. Ask friends and family to also help us if they can. We care deeply for our cats, and cats in general. If you happen to be in our area, please consider adopting a cat. Thank you very kindly for reading this and please consider donating.

Susan van Zyl