Photos: Peruvian nurse cares for 175 sick cats

Nation & World News

At her job, Maria Torero cares for sick human beings. At home, she lavishes love on slowly dying cats - 175 of them at last count.

In this Aug. 15, 2014 photo, Maria Torero, talks on her mobile phone, surrounded by several of the 175 cats with leukemia she cares for at her home in Lima, Peru. The Peruvian government doesn�t keep numbers on street cats, but Torero says there must be millions in the country. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 6, 2014 photo, Maria Torero gets ready to medicate a sick cat at her Cat Hospice, where Torero looks after 175 cats that suffer from feline leukemia, at her home in Lima, Peru. For five years, Torero has ministered to the sick felines, attempting to improve their quality of life as they slowly succumb to the common, fatal retrovirus. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 6, 2014 photo, Maria Torero, her arms covered with scratches, gets ready to medicate a sick cat at her cat hospice where she cares for 175 cats with leukemia at her home in Lima, Peru. Because of their illness, many of the animals have lost weight and are anemic. Torero feeds them, gives them medicine, sterilizes them, and treats them for parasites every two months. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 6, 2014 photo, a cat looks through the window at a Cat Hospice run by Maria Torero, who cares for 175 cats with leukemia at her home in Lima, Peru. Because of their illness, many of the animals have lost weight and are anemic. Torero feeds them, gives them medicine, sterilizes them, and treats them for parasites every two months. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 2, 2014 photo, a sick cat sits on a ladder in Maria Torero's hospice for cats with leukemia, at her home in Lima, Peru. She finds the cats in Lima�s streets and markets, collecting around 60 in one market alone, and has them tested for leukemia by one of dozens of veterinarians who charge $25 per exam. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 2, 2014 photo, a cat leukemia waits to me medicated in Maria Torero's home in Lima, Peru. For five years,Torero has ministered to the sick felines, attempting to improve their quality of life as they slowly succumb to the common, fatal retrovirus. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 2, 2014 photo, Maria Torero, plays with a group of 175 cats with leukemia in her home in Lima, Peru. Torero says caring for cats with feline leukemia is her responsibility. Anybody else can care for healthy animals. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 6, 2014 photo, a group of sick cats rest in Maria Torero's hospice for felines suffering from Leukemia, at her home in Lima, Peru. She estimates she spends about $1,785 a month to care for them, half of that from donations and the other half from her job as a private nurse. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 2, 2014 photo, Maria Torero carries a sick cat at her Cat Hospice, where Torero looks after 175 cats that suffer from feline leukemia, at her home in Lima, Peru. For five years, Torero has ministered to the sick felines, attempting to improve their quality of life as they slowly succumb to the common, fatal retrovirus. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 2, 2014 photo, Maria Torero's son Fabian, 7, plays with the hospice's cats. Maria Torero, cares for 175 cats with leukemia at her home in Lima, Peru. The home is permeated with the stench of urine, which cannot be eliminated with even the strongest air fresheners. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 15, 2014 photo, Maria Torero's son Fabian, 7, plays with the hospice's cats. Maria Torero, cares for 175 cats with leukemia at her home in Lima, Peru. The home is permeated with the stench of urine, which cannot be eliminated with even the strongest air fresheners. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

In this Aug. 2, 2014 photo, a group of sick cats rest in Maria Torero's hospice for felines suffering from Leukemia, at her home in Lima, Peru. She estimates she spends about $1,785 a month to care for them, half of that from donations and the other half from her job as a private nurse. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

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In this Aug. 15, 2014 photo, Maria Torero, talks on her mobile phone, surrounded by several of the 175 cats with leukemia she cares for at her home in Lima, Peru. The Peruvian government doesn�t keep numbers on street cats, but Torero says there must be millions in the country. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

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