Talk about a heartwarming story. Dr. Rachael
Kreisler, a veterinary lecturer at the University
of Pennsylvania, has launched a program to help
save the eyesight – and lives – of shelter kittens
by recycling partially used tubes of the antibiotic
ointment used in the eyes of human newborns.

From Philly.com:

The most common medical problem
among the kittens is eye trouble, Kreisler
says. Viruses settle in the eye, causing significant infections that, left untreated, can
rupture the eye, requiring removal. Or ulcers can form, leaving the eye permanently
clouded.

“A kitten can do fine that way, but cosmetically, the kitten is disfigured. It’s hard enough
for us to find homes for so many kittens,” Kreisler says. “If a kitten is disfigured, it’s even
harder.”

And kittens who can’t be placed in permanent or foster care have a greater chance of
being euthanized, simply for lack of a place to put them.

The best line of treatment for kittens’ eye problems is antibiotic ointment. But you can
imagine the amount that’s needed for so many kittens each year. The ointment isn’t
cheap, and a shelter needs so much that it can cost thousands of dollars. It can also be
difficult to find, given recent drug shortages that plague veterinary medicine.

So, Kreisler was intrigued by a rumor that’s been floating around the shelter community:
namely, that hospitals with obstetric services throw away countless tubes of partially
used antibiotic ointment – in this case, erythromycin – that’s used on every human
newborn to prevent birth-related eye infections.

It turns out the rumor was true. Dr. Kreisler worked with the hospitals to set up a recycling
program to help shelter kittens, and was blown away by the enthusiasm of the response:

“I thought they might complain that this was one more thing they had to remember to
do,” [nurse Ryan Olivere] says of her busy staff, which handles about 100 deliveries a
week. “But this has been very well-received. They drop the tubes in the box and say, ‘I
remembered the kittens!’ This has tugged on everyone’s heartstrings.”

Read the whole story here!