An ending for Benny

I have mentioned Miss Benny here several times since she went back to the shelter. Unfortuntely a home could not be found for her. Her medical situation has taken a turn for the worse - and while we could fight to make her healthy again, she would most likely be stuck at the shelter for the rest of her life.

The shelter decided that the humane thing was to end her life.

While I wish I could fix it, and how I sit here and wish I could do something, anything, I know the realities of limited finances and limited homes.

Benny never did like to share, and now she no longer will have to.

Updates on the nuts & others

I brought them into the shelter on Saturday to be adopted, and well frankly it was a serious mistake. It was the first sunny warm day around here all month (no, seriously) No one was at the shelter, so I left.

Stash got adopted first. Mac second. They told me that Hazel went home, but when I went to look at Cash and Almond, she was sitting right there. They mixed up the other girl tiger kitten that was in the cage with them (and who was a bit older and a bit bigger - hazel's paperwork said she was very petite.. and this other kitten wasn't) so we re-adjusted the paperwork.

Today I got an email that Cash and Almond went home together. I'm so thrilled over that. Cash really will benefit from having a friend with him. So Hazel is still there at this point.

Benny is still at the shelter. They are working very hard to find her just the right home. I suggested she might benefit from a harness and walking outside. I took her for her first walk on Saturday and it went very well, but I noticed she seemed to get over heated and her fur easily mats, so I suggested that they give her a lion cut. They gave her one and she looks really good. I think she actually really appreciates it.

Happy & Joy are still at the shelter. I checked in on Joy (Happiness is still in treatment room for a little cold) and she was interacting with the volunteer who was in the room with her. I was so thrilled!!! I sent in a little write up on them hoping to find them just the right home - as I so do not want them going to a barn.

Until they all have a home..

Benny

Well Benny is doing better at the shelter. Finally got her into Office Foster so she's getting some more one on one interaction. She was getting pathetically little of that here (I was overwhelmed with kitties) and even so she put on all that weight. Well she lost a lot of it stuck in a cage, but being in the office with 8 hours of direct contact with a staff memeber she's gaining again.

Bonus points because the office she is in is the shelter manager who has fell head over heals for her and now she's being advertised on the front page of the shelter website :D

Benny update

*sigh*

Poor Benny. I went to see her today, and she seems bright and active, but her weight is down to 9lbs. Her BG was 83 which is ok.. not great since she was running in the 60s. She hasn't been eating.. When I looked her over, I noticed her breath was pretty horrid, and her teeth look bad.. so I made note of that to the staff. Hopefully they'll get her in for a dental and get those teeth cleaned up so she'll start eating again..

I've offered to take her back for a while.. get her weight up again. Not sure that is the best idea in the world, but watching her lose so much ground is something I just can't do.

Merry Christmas Kitties

Buttercup and Wes went back to the shelter on the 27th. Apparently there had been quite a bit of interest in them - as they were featured as pet of the week in the local paper - so I'm sure they are not still there now. I'm glad they got a home for the new year. Wes's adult teeth were starting to come in..

Fleurp had a LOT of fun at Christmas. She loves playing with wrapping and bows. She's been clear since a few days after starting the antibiotic. Today is day #10, so we'll stop it and see what happens.. Part of me hopes I'm so very wrong and the puss / congestion doesn't come back.. but the other part hates to be wrong.. :)

Ollie spent the holidays in a major grump. It's just so sad. I don't know what to do to bring him out of it. I've tried putting him on RR, but he hates it, and I think it is making him grumpier... but I'm still trying. He's back to chewing on the insulation again too. Going to have to make a point to hide all of that and cover up what we can't hide.

Jack - well Jack was peeing in the tub again, so he's back on antibiotics. I found him some of the new color changing litter.. as soon as he's done this next round I'll get him to pee in it and see what's up..

Muffin - I don't know what's up with Muff. I swear she's being haunted. She has been tearing through the house as if she's being chased, but there is no one there. She acted a little off too which is so unlike her.. no one specific symptom I could pinpoint, just.. off.. but she's seems to be back to her ol self.

Eli - Eli is just Eli.. this boy never changes.

Twee - Poor Twee wants more attention than can be given her. She's rather quite annoying about it too. Walks right up to your face and SCREAMS at you.. like that is endearing. I was hoping one of the kittens could give her the attention she wants, but alas, no.

Kit - nothing new to report on Kit either. She's fluffing up nice for winter.. but she's still so small.. it is funny to see this tiny kitty with a huge fluffy mane.

Happiness - she seemed to be better, so I stopped the antibiotic a few days after she stopped weezing, but she was weezing again this morning, so back on it she goes.. Joy - well Joy is SLOWLY coming around. She sits at the front of the cage now, and if I don't look at her, she stays there. I've tried tempting her with treats, but unless I put them right in front of her nose (which by that time is usually in the back of of the cage) she won't even sniff at them. I usually can get her to walk to the front of the cage if I've let her taste that what I have is good.. oh well.. one step at a time.

Benny.. Benny is still at the shelter. *sigh* poor thing. She's in a condo in the lobby, so there is more to look at and more room for her to move around, but with out some serious advertisment on their part, I fear she wont find a home.

*head bang desk*

I swear one of these days I'm going to stop fostering. I love the challenge of taking care of neo-natal kittens, of sick kittens and kitties, I love watching them learn and grow, and teaching them about the world..

but the down side of dealing with the shelter sometimes really just causes me to go off the deep end.

It's mostly me. most reasonable people wouldn't have an issue with this (yes, I'm calling myself unreasonable - but hey at least I know it) but I care.. (ok I care too much)

I got a call yesterday about Benny. She's been vomiting. ooh.. big surprise. She was bored at my house and hyper grooming. she was brought over to the adoption center and stuck in a small little cage.. so I'm sure she was bored. while I was never officially asked, it very much sounded like they wanted me to take her back. I can't, as the room she was in is being used, and frankly she needs more than I can give her. Find her another foster home where she can interact with the people.. this is what she needs (short of finding her a home) Not to mention, if you are concerned about her blood sugars, YOU TEST HER!! um.. you have all the equiptment, and it isn't that hard.. I showed you how.. *sigh* I'm ranting. yes.. I know. I know testing is a new skill set, and I know it is intimidating for people who arent used to it..

*sigh*

then I tried to talk to them about Fleurp too. She's got puss in her ears and it has got to be running down the back of her throat because she swallows hard / makes vomiting motions sometimes. Her breathing is very hard. I don't believe it is a simple uri because she's active, eating, and shows no outward sign of illness (other than the heavy nasal breathing) I believe she's got a growth or something in her nasal passage or sinus cavety, and it is creating puss, and it is coming out her ears. Antibiotics helped the first time, and I believe they'll help her again this time (which is what they wanted me to do) but I do not believe it will remove the underlying cause of her issue. Once her round of antibiotics are done, it will come back. I want to be proactive. I want them to take her to someone who can look up her nose or in her ear and find out what is causing the puss.. but.. $$ is always an issue with a public (heck even a private) shelter, and antibiotics are cheap. specialists are expensive.

so all this stress (and the stress of dealing with sick kittens) caused me to have a pretty horrid dream last night (warning, it is horrid, so if you want to stop reading now that's ok) I had a large fish tank, and I bought three inch gold fish. I put them in the tank, keeping two out in a separate area. One of the two I kept separate wasn't doing well - a black and white fish - so I put it in the tank with the others. Soon afterwards the fish all started to die. the little black and white fish died near the pole for the water filtration system. I looked again, and the fish turned into a little black and white kitten (that looked like Happiness) with it's paws wrapped around the pole. I looked again, and the fish all turned into kittens. the one remaining fish/kitten was ok, but I was freaking out, and woke up before I did anything with it. I feared Happy had died over night, but she was ok. I guess I was just stressed that I wasn't getting my way with the shelter - which I need to learn to relax about. These kitties are not going to die because we do things the way the shelter wants and not the way I want. It really is ok.. *big deep breath* but I want them my way!!! rant rant rant

It helps to rant here.. sometiems I know I want the moon and it isn't available. and until I see that I'm asking for the moon.. I can't be that objective. I'll probably end up asking for the moon eventually, but I don't need to be there now.

foster updates

Benny: I found a sample bag of "low carb dry food" I tested her before I gave it to her. 95. tested after a day of letting her nibble at it, 110. another test a day later was 106.. so not great.. but not excessive either. I'm letting it go another day and will test her tonight to see if I feel comfortable saying she can eat this and be diet controlled. Since she isn't really eating it, but just having a few nibbles, it could be used as treats.

Fleurp: oh how this kitten makes me laugh. She's not very good at jumping out of the smaller tub, but when I left the shower door cracked a bit, she found a way out. She has D*E*T*E*R*M*I*N*A*T*I*O*N!!! I gave her a bath the other day. She took it just fine, but acted quite ticked at me afterwards, but her need of love quickly over came her "OMGoodness I'm TICKED and WET!!" attitude. She is eating very well on her own now. She has a pot belly and you can feel her bones through her fluff, so I dewormed her. Hopefully that will get things working in the right direction. She's now on atropine as well. I think I might see some improvement. I also saw a cloud on the other eye this morning. Might have just been a piece of normal mucus, but to be safe I threw some antibacterial ointment in there. She's also quite lonely. I hope she becomes non contagious soon, she needs a companion!

Buttercup and Weslee: goodness these two are neurotic! Mom LOVES attention but absolutely positively do not hold her. She'll crawl up into your lap, but only one hand at a time for your own safty and her comfort. Wes is pure fluff, but you try to enjoy that fluff, and you find her sharp and pointy bits immediatly. She's also huge. 3lbs 3 oz. her feet are massive.. she's going to be a big one! She still very much looks like a kitten, so I think I'm going to keep her another week and send her back with half of the orphans.

Orphans: Cordory is 2lbs 11 oz so he's ready to go. Paddington is very close, and is probably there now. Tessie is also flirting with the weight requirement to go back. Now I LOVE these kittens.. they are gentle, kind, sweet, and love human attention. If I'm in there alone, I usually end up with all five of them on me. But once again, Muffin's threat to kill me weighs on my mind. Goo and Noddy are 2lbs and 1lb 11oz, so they will be with me for a while longer. They are a beautiful matched pair too. He's redder than she is, but that's about the only difference. Goo's white lining around her eyes which was so prominate when she was younger is there, but not quite so prominate.

I'm thinking next week we'll send back Buttercup, Weslee, Cord, Pad-Thai, and Tessie. I'll keep Goo and Noddy, and maybe *crosses fingers* mix them with Fleurp.

I'm also flirting with the idea of changing's Goo's name to Tessie (since she is the friend of Noddy in the story book) and finding a new name for Tess.

91

Benny is so very amusing. And this one she didn't even have any control over.

It is a full moon, and I often have problems sleeping on a full moon. Last night was no exception.

This morning I was walking through a fog. Benny couldn't have cared, she wanted breakfast and she wanted it NOW thank you very much you lowly human slave.. :)

For the past week she's been giving me non diabetic BG readings, in the 50s and 60s. I decided not to test her yesterday morning and just fed her. I tested her last night and got a 99. I decided to hold off on insulin and see what she read in the morning.

So that is where I was when I was in this fog. But, the testing went well, and she threw me a 91. Lower than the 99. Then I remembered the full moon and how a lot of diabetic kitties often throw weird numbers around a full moon, so I looked at her chart and counted back 28 days, and found her numbers were the highest they ever were then. So I decided to hold off on the insulin.

I went to feed her, and in the process of opening the can I sliced open my finger. I didn't even realize I was bleeding till I felt it start to drip. I thought what the heck, and I tested my own BGs. and I too got a 91! :) just too funny.

someone get me some caffiene!

can you feel the love?

I don't think I've ever had a batch of kittens that has EVER needed as much love and attention as these guys. Even Buttercup is an attention hog.

Last night I went down to spend some time with them. I had Butter in the middle of my lap facing me, and she had four kittens - two on either side - flanking her all prancing around wanting to be patted. It was so cute! I was covered in kitties!

I wish Weslee was a little more forth coming with the wanting attention. she still balks when I pick her up and try to comfort her. *sigh*

I really have to get some good photos of them.. they are absolute dolls!

Benny is doing ok. Still quite hungry. I'm thinking I'm going to switch her off Fancy Feast on to a less expensive OTC brand. I found a special kitty brand that has the same fat/protein/carb ratios as the fancy feast I've been feeding her. *crosses fingers* I also think I've figured out little mystery of her non diabetic numbers. I had given her some Vitamin E a while back. I can't remember if it was around the same time as she leveled out, but last night I gave her some more and then this morning she gave me a 95... so... I'll keep giving it to her, and see what happens. Would be easier to find her a home if the owners were only required to give her vit E every couple of days, instead of testing and injecting (or just injecting)

I haz a happiness!

Well I took the orphans in on Sunday to be tested. They are still quite tiny, but they did the test and they came back negative, so I introduced them to Buttercup and Weslee.

Weslee was NOT amused. These street tough kids were all rough and tumble. They were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Had no idea where they were going, they were just thrilled to be able to be running. They ran over Wes, and she'd hiss and spit at them. It was just too funny. When they would calm a bit, she'd walk toward them, but then they would turn to face her and she'd hiss again. Just made me laugh so hard. They tired her out too, she fell asleep in the middle of the room!

Buttercup is just a kitten herself. She wanted so much to play with the kittens, but didn't know them, so she was very cautious. So I tried to work out some of her play energy with some toys. She LOVED it. but then the kits started to get involved and she stopped. They would jump on her, bite her tail, and just be silly kittens. She just looked confused. After two hours, the kittens showed no sign of slowing down, but everyone seemed to be fine with one another, so we went to bed.

This morning, they wanted to love on me. I'm so excited to go home tonight. I'm going to spend all night in their room :)

The web cam is running. I took these photos this morning. Think the kittens are happy to be out of the cage? (can you see the one hanging on the cat condo in that first image?)


Benny is doing well. She's still putting on weight. and at the end of last week was holding her on insulin wise. There were quite a few shots in a row where she didn't need any.. maybe things are looking up for her in that respect? we can hope. I told the shelter of her appetite, and they sent me home with some dewormer. I hope that settles things down a bit, as she's always hungry..

group update

Benny - vomited last night and this morning. was losing weight, but then gained it back again. Started at 7.5lbs, and was just over 8 this afternoon. Bgs aren't great. started inching up last night - which may or may not have anything to do with the vomiting. She's going to the vet tomorrow.

Buttercup and Weslee. OMG this kitten is cute. Her ears are starting to inch toward the top of her head, slowly but surely. She's a little more into getting human comfort. I can not wait for her to finally interact with the new kittens.. they are going to do her a world of good... as she is very spoiled.

The kittens. oh how I love them. They have personality to spare. I can not wait for them to get out of that cage! When they do I think I'll be spending all my time in that kitten room - but then again if they have full run of the room they might not need my attention so much... that and the attention of Buttercup. Ive decided to name them after English children's novels - well except Googley Bear.(which may or may not be kept.. we'll see) I have Noddy, and Paddington and Corduroy I really have to make sure that the gender of the names fit the particular kittens I've given them to. Googley should be fine as that name works either way :) I looked at gender when they first came, but it never stuck as to who is who. Now that I'm getting to know them, it really is time :) I believe that leaves a little girl with out a name, but before I pick one, ... well I have to make sure.

I finally broke down and bought some ear wash for my own crew. Eli has always had horrid ears. Ollie has always had goopey ears... nothing wrong with goopey.. but then Jack started getting cruddy ears, then Ollie's ears started showing signs of crud, and the other week Muffin - and Muf has always had sparkling clean ears - were completely inflamed and crudded. A little mineral oil slid most of it out, but there is some junk in there, so this weekend will probably be ear clean up weekend. Which is too bad - cause I'll probably not see Eli for weeks.

The good, the bad and the scary

Ok, the good. Benny (I'm calling him Oscar at the moment) is doing well. He's putting on weight, and while his blood sugars aren't amazing, he's putting on weight, so that is a step in the right direction. I posted his first BG reading was in the 200s, well I then realized it was reading European, so it was in the 20s. I found the 'American' bg by multiplying by 18 (hun? what? whatever) and he was in the 400s. Bgs then settled into the 200 range. has been there ever since. I'm going to do a curve on him this weekend. He's finally sleeping on the bed, and jumps up on the chair, and generally is a pain in the butt cat. I also believe he's feeling better because he is starting to groom himself. I haven't seen it yet, but he definitely has less flea dirt on him!

The bad. Buttercup has a swollen chin. I brought her to the shelter this morning and they aren't concerned. Didn't give me any special instructions, just told me to watch it. Um.. ok. But I've been watching it get bigger for the past couple of days, just couldn't put my finger on why she looked different. But I'll watch it for a few more days and see what happens. Since Weslee has severe flea allergies and I saw fleas on her still (FL'd her three weeks ago) I asked that they frontline her again. couldn't hurt.

The Scary. Yesterday when I went down to spend time with the kittens, I saw the younger fosters playing in the cage so I ignored them will I gave Buttercup some attention. She LOVES attention (just don't hold her) and can't get enough of it. DH came down with my dinner, and after sitting with me for a few minutes noticed one of the babies in the cage was just sitting off by itself. Dehydrated, and pretty unresponsive, I was sure he was done for. I quickly finished off my dinner while my DH patted it and tried to get it to gain some interest in life. Wasn't happening though. I put some Karo syrup in it's mouth, and it just kinda oozed out the other side. I stimulated him vigorously, and warmed up some KMR and tried to force 10 ccs in him. Some how I got in 5 or 6. All he wanted to do was sleep. I put my hand on his chest to feel him breathe, and then wrapped him up in a towel and put him under my sweater to try to keep him warm. I was so sure I was fighting a losing battle (especially after what happened to Cupcake) but I wasn't going to not fight.. when I realized his breathing was stable, I let him sleep. He started having nursing dreams (OMG that is cute!!) so I rushed him back into the kitchen and warmed up more KMR and got 6ccs right in him. He was then feisty and with it, and playing. He didn't want to be held any more, so I figured he wanted a litter box, and I put him back with his sibs. He started playing and eating!! I went up to test Oscar, and checked in on him with the web cam, and saw him being a general pain happy kitten. I went down later and checked in on him and he bit me, attacked my shirt, and started grooming!! yes!

So this morning at the shelter he got some fluids. I was going to bring him to work, but he was so full of himself, I figured I'd be chasing after him all day, so I left him at home. I just checked in on him and he was in the mayhem that is kitten play! Man was that a scare!

Introducing Benny!

This is Benny, the diabetic. He went back to the vet and got a work up for UTI. His BG at the vet was in the 400s. I just checked him now, and it was 232.

He is OBNOXIOUSLY skinny!!


I just put down a can of fancy feast cat food, and he inhaled it. So I gave him a second. More inhaling. He's on his third can. I only bought six, figuring it would last me a while.. um... apparently not.

He's still covered in mats.. poor thing. Hopefully we can do some good for him here.