What would you do if you saw a helpless kitten in pain? Would you help? I would.
A good Samaritan found a kitten in a parking lot that was in distress in Florence, Kentucky. The kitten had some rather large sores on her ear and neck.
The kitten was taken to a nearby vet. The vet knew what the problem was as soon as the kitten came in.
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They had to anesthetize the kitten to help her relax. Inside the wounds were larvae from the Cuterebra fly (North American botfly).
The eggs from the fly are often laid on blades of grass – then the eggs hatch.
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When an unsuspecting animal walks by and brushes up against the grass, the larvae grab on and start to make its way into the animal’s nose, mouth, or through a skin wound.
The poor kitten had one larva in its neck and the other near its ear!
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