BOZEMAN — 13 eight-week-old kittens arrived at Heart of the Valley Animal shelter Tuesday afternoon, after an incident forced an emergency evacuation of an animal shelter in Billings.
Heart of the Valley's Assistant Operations Director, Rachel Kendrick said the kittens were transferred from Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter (YVAS), following a malfunction with an incinerator while the FBI was burning seized methamphetamine.
"We heard that our friends over in Billings were having some trouble with their building and they needed an emergency evacuation," Kendrick said.
The incident sent 14 employees to the hospital and the kittens to Heart of the Valley.
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All 13 kittens are now being treated for ringworm, a condition the shelter is well-equipped to manage.
"Ringworm kitties, they take a lot of work," said Kendrick. "We have a very structured, very robust ringworm treatment program here and so we are just ready for them when they show up."
"Gel Pen" is one of the new arrivals, who has a limb abnormality.
Pictured: Kendrick holding Gel Pen (photo credit: MTN news)
"She was born this way with this little stump. She has no trouble moving around here, so she'll adapt pretty well," added Kendrick.
The kittens are expected to be ready for adoption in six to 12 weeks, once they complete their ringworm treatment.
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While YVAS remains closed at this time, both shelters are asking for community support.
"YVAS needs our help," emphasized Kendrick. "Right now they are asking for rubber gloves, any size garbage bags, and paper towels, so when they are able to back into their building they have the supplies they need."
Heart of the Valley also needs help from the community.
"For us, we are looking for canned kitten food to care for those babes we just got in," said Rachel. "They eat three times a day, so they need a lot of wet kitten food."
Visit the Heart of the Valley website for more information on animals for adoption.
