Sad cat fight

Lolita Harper

When Ashley Swartz moved to Costa Mesa two weeks ago, she was welcomed

by a small stray cat who had grown attached to her backyard and curious

about her own, more mature felines.

“The people who used to live here warned me that I would have to feed

this little cat that they had sort of adopted,” said Swartz, who

subsequently refused to encourage a wild animal to hang around her home.

“This little black cat was missing the previous owners and kept

visiting.”

Just days after the move, the little vagrant cat became more and more

bold and more and more desperate for food. A vicious attack and $230

later, the stray is at a shelter facing euthanasia if not adopted, and

Swartz’s 11-year-old cat, Sam, is recovering from severe wounds.

“I am heart sick,” Swartz said, in tears. “I have to lift my cat to

feed him. He can’t even eat on his own.”

Swartz said she is unsure exactly when the attack took place but

noticed alarming symptoms in Sam, such as dilated eyes and bloody toe

pads, shortly after moving into her home off of South Coast Drive.

She took her aging Siamese cat to an animal hospital, where Swartz

learned he had been attacked and bitten. Sam underwent surgery and was

prescribed various antibiotics.

To add to his list of injuries, Sam must return to a veterinarian in

six months to check for feline immunodeficiency virus, or FIV, which is a

disease similar to human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, because FIV is

running rampant among the cat population.

Mary Sebzda, a veterinarian at Newport Animal Hospital, said the

feline version of the disease suppresses the immune system and makes cats

susceptible to long-term viruses that can lead to death. It is mostly

transmitted among felines through bites and scratches, but it cannot be

transferred to humans, she said.

Sebzda said the best way to keep existing household pets safe from

disease is to keep them indoors.

The veterinarian also frowned on indiscriminately feeding homeless

animals, saying people should know more about animals they are inviting

to their homes.

“Leaving dishes of food out for a cat without knowing its viral status

potentially exposes your own cat to FIV or parasites or cat fights,”

Sebzda said, not to mention overall health risks to human family members.

If a person chooses to adopt a seemingly stray animal, Sebzda

recommends he or she take the cat to a veterinary clinic to ensure it

does not have an owner and to test the animal for diseases.

Swartz said she felt sorry for the little black homeless cat but said

there was no way she could adopt it.

“You can’t make [strays] into pets because they are wild. They don’t

like to be touched, and they carry disease,” Swartz said.

The new Costa Mesa resident borrowed a cat catcher from the Orange

County Human Society and captured Sam’s attacker. She said she took the

cat to a shelter, where she fears the cat will be put down.

Again, Swartz started to cry.

“A lot of people think they are doing good by feeding these stray

animals, but it’s not good for anyone, not even the cat,” Swartz said.

Both Swartz and Sebzda encouraged neutering animals to cut down on the

increasingly high number of strays.

“There are literally hundreds of medical reasons to spay and neuter

your animals, and only one not to -- and that is the breeding of purebred

animals,” Sebzda said. “Thousands of animals are destroyed every year

because people indiscriminately breed their animals.”

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .