Gabbi, Geoff and Gina

Sometimes fostering doesn't go the way you want it to.  

I don't like to admit defeat and I'm pretty bad at admitting that something that fell like defeat really isn't. 

I know this post is starting as a downer, but you'll understand why I'm a bit. 

When I brought Arthur Dent to the shelter for his final checkup before being neutered, I asked for more kittens.  I was offered a pair of kittens: Geoff and Gina

and would I mind taking a third kitty. Gabbi was a young (six to eight months old) cat who demanded that the kittens be put with her.  I was happy to take the little family. 

Sadly, it wasn't that easy.  Gabbi was totally freaked out and hid on me immediately.  When I wasn't in the room she cried horribly, pooped on the middle of the floor and peed in the middle of the couch.  It was two days before she ate.  I was about to return her thinking it was damaging to her to be here.  I've fostered feral cats before, none of them were THIS upset. 

As I was considering it,  she ate.  I know it can take a few days, so I decided to give her two more days and if she wasn't showing signs of improvement I would reasses.

When finally

She decided I wasn't half bad.  She would still hide when I entered the room but she came out and was attention seeking.  I still had issues because her eyes were still "hard" (wide, round, unblinking) and she was twitchy. She would turn on me, never trying to bite but using that same motion. 

And that is when the real problem started. Last night I found this

She was literally chewing on the window.  I attempted to block it off overnight but she went right through it and was even more destructive. 

I don't blame her.  I feel horrid that she is being driven to it.  I can only assume that she's in heat and she was trying to "sneak out" and find a man.. (even though other cats in heat have not done this) 

Part of me feels selfish for sending her back so she stops tearing up my house.  You hear "people in rescue" tell people how mean they are for "giving up" on a cat because of a little disorder. That guilt spills out all over me making me feel like crap. It doesn't help that having her rip up the window had me thinking that is going to be stupid expensive to replace... if it has been just the sill that is easy to replace I probably wouldn't be feeling so bad...

But I have to focus on the fact that chewing up the wood was not good for her.  If she ate any of it, it could be bad.  It was clearly a sign she needed more than I could provide. I could have put her in a cage, but bringing her back and getting her spayed, logically seems like the kinder option.

I will remind you I'm in an area that no longer has an overabundance of unhomed cats and the shelters have the resources to do what is in her best interest. The chances of her being euthanized over this is minimal.  

More on the kittens later...

The Hitchhiker's Kitten

Several weeks ago I was asked to foster a singleton. A little kitten found on the side of the road. A hitchhiker's name seemed appropriate, so I named him Arthur Dent.

He was underweight, about a week behind in growth,  and had copious amounts of diarrhea.  Like "where on earth did you store all that" diarrhea. 

But he was a sweetheart 

As most single kittens are want to do,  he treated me like a sibling. While we did a lot of cuddling, he could not help himself when it came to play. He wanted to bite and wrestle with me constantly. He was much more persistent in this than the kittens I've dealt with in the past, save for Edgar the Obnoxious. After a while it was easier to snuggle him and he was less likely to put aggressive play when it was clear I wasn't interested 

I would redirect Arthur Dent to a sock monkey I had in the kitten room that was about his size that I named Zaphod.  He enjoyed beating him up and bunny kicking Zaphod silly. 

Arthur's diarrhea eventually cleared up and he continued to thrive and made weight. He was still a little small for his age,  so despite only being two pounds, I was comfortable sending him back to be adopted 

He was adopted today and is off to start his new life. 

Blame it on the Boogie

 

Welcome to Jermaine (left) and Janet (right). These two came from the same location as Bowie and Crema and as such they are under socialized.  

Janet has broken with a URI and is quite congested.  Hopefully we can get that under control quickly. 

Jermaine really really wishes I would leave them alone.. he had a really bad reaction to being weighed but we got through the nail trim easily enough.  He even ate the food I put in his mouth.  

They are a little older than I would like to start socialization bit camp.. so here is hoping they are open to liking people

Taco Tuesday 🌮

I've finally decided on which kitten gets which name. Sophie Bell came easy as she pretty much claimed it for herself. The Catman and I had different opinions on the other two, but since this is my blog, I won ☺

Okay,  not the best photo ever,  but you try getting two kittens in a small cardboard box let alone take a photo.. lol

First up,  Julie Rose:

Ellen May:

And finally, Sophie Bell.. whose eyes are just too big..

They are doing well. I had to give them formula for about a week despite their being old enough to eat solids but they are now eating me out of house and home..

Sophie Bell is the smallest hitting 2lbs today so they will be going back next week to be neutered and adopted.  

Aren't they just the cutest??

Julie Rose, Ellen May, and Sophie Bell

 I really was not expecting to get any more kittens this year, but then an email landed in my inbox and well.. 

I was told they just need a little time to fatten up, but at this point, they are not reliably eating solid food so it might be a little bit more than bit of time. 

They came with names, but I didn't get a copy of the contract and I haven't heard back from the shelter what the names were. I remember they were pretty generic so I don't feel bad changing them. 

I've got three little girls and when I googled this is what came up so.. this is what it is. 

Now, who is who?  Good question. How about you pick.. :) 

A)

She is the one that is doing the best. She is feisty (in a playful way) and adores little furry mice. 

B)

This little one was not really thriving after the first day and I realized she wasn't eating enough so I broke out the Tailspring formula and she loves it. It has helped her make some good strides and she is starting to feel like she's filling out. She is very much a lap cat, and really likes being near me (even before I started hand feeding her formula)

C)

Despite this photo where she looks pretty big, this little girl is currently the smallest. She is also sneezing a bit.  She also likes hanging out with me, but she also really likes wrestling and playing with toys so she is a nice mix of the other two personality-wise. 

So who do you think should get which name?