Wednesday, December 30, 2009

*shakes head*


I got a free sample from *name of cat food sample people removed*, and in the brochure, it says "The cat can unfortunately not be credited with instinctively knowing what is good for it"

Seriously?  I suppose an adult cat that has been fed lower quality foods regularly will have a craving for those foods - much as I have cravings for cookies.  But if you have ever offered a kitten dry food, canned food or meat, they'll go for the meat every single time.  They more often then not growl and run off with their prized food.  Even now Skippy still hoards pieces of meat when I put chunks down.  Growling, running off.. MINE!!

They know.  They have just gotten used to the "junk", and are very resistant to change..

and apparently I forgot to mention


So I did mention that Ollie was having some issues not eating and being miserable.  Well he felt ok for a few days after that, but then he decided to stop eating on the 23rd again.  I decided to not worry about it as it was probably the same thing as before and was going to wait and see.

Later Muffin stopped eating.  She wasn't quite hiding, but she was sitting in areas out of her normal places, and seeming not quite right.  When I went to see her she was happy to see me and interactive, but it was just strange.  Christmas eve I realized that she had had a horrible case of diarrhea that had covered her rear end, and created a huge mass of fur and foul stench over her anus.  It was the most incredibly foul thing I had EVER smelt.  She was ok with my snipping off the fur that was covered, but when it came down to wiping her clean she was upset.  I let her go, and she was able to clean the rest off herself.

The next morning we saw scoot marks on our hardwood floors.  I did a butt search, and found that Jack had issues.  He was still eating, but he also had horrible diarrhea that was all over his tushie.  Jack has always been quite proud of his tushie, and normally doesn't mind if I'm back there, but this time he was quite defensive.

So we switched the crew onto canned food for a couple of days, then they went back on their raw, and so far no other problems.  No idea what the problem was.  Although I think it was the food.  We had finished one package of raw when we started the canned.

To further the idea that there might have been something wrong with the food is that Doug the diabetic foster, was also put on canned food, and his BG numbers stabilized.

shortly there after I saw Eli jump into the bath tub.  Since Eli had problems with crystals in his urine, I gave him Jack's litter box with the special "is his urine alkaline" litter, and the crystals turned bright pink.  He hasn't had problems since being taken off dry food all those years ago.

aren't my kitties sweet?


I went to the dentist yesterday and had a cavity filled.  It went pretty badly and I was in a boat load of pain for the rest of the night.  I came home and went to bed, and my kitties decided to spend the day with me.

The video is a little dark because I didn't turn the light on.  Hopefully you can get the idea.  Not everyone was there at the time, but through out the day the ones missing from this video did show up.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Update on Ollie


Ollie is back to his grumpy ol self.  No idea what was wrong with him.  His thyroid test (we just did a baseline because of his age, no symptoms) came back just fine.  I waited probably a little longer then necessary to recheck his blood sugar levels, but it was 60.  So those are fine

That boy...  he's quite a puzzle.


Saturday, December 19, 2009

Pudding Pop



I know it has been a while since I've updated on her.  She's good.  She is growing slowly, I do believe she is going to be a petite little girl - much like Kit.  I don't see her making weight before Christmas - and if they want her to be much more then 2.5 lbs, then it will probably be the new year.

She is really cute and fun, but she is NOT a cuddler.  She loves running up my leg and landing on my lap in a "tada!" type fashion, but just as quick she's gone running after something else.  This means she doesn't have a whole lot of use for me, so I don't spend a heck of a lot of time with her.  I'm sad about this, but it is good in a way as I've got so much going on.  She's just as happy to see me if I spent two minutes or two hours with her.  She's got a great little personality and is a lot of fun.  Her new home will really enjoy her - and I can't take much credit for it.  She came all happy like.  She needs another outing or two, and she'll get them next week as she still shows some concern for new experiences and loud noises.

She is really cute when it comes to meal time.  Because she's still so small she can run easily under her mom.  Reminds me of those cartoons of the little chihuahua running around under the taller dog.  She didn't start eating reliably on her own till she was nine or ten weeks.  Mom let her nurse and often would nurse while mom was eating.  They don't eat a heck of a lot, but they are doing very well.  Ollie spend a lot of time looking in the foster room - which is very new.  DH thinks that he's got a crush on Pudding.  Skippy spends a lot of time sitting by the door wanting to get into the kitten room - much as all of my other previous fosters did.

the cutest thing


I am sick today.  The kind of sick where just going to the kitchen to get a drink wears you right out.  Heck standing up is quite a feat for me today.  I've been dealing with sinus issues and it moved into my lungs so I'm congested and coughing up quite a bit of mucus.  Breathing is a bit of a struggle.  It is not much fun.

So to make my day a little brighter, my little Fleurp has been hanging out with me.  All except for about two or three hours (during which I ended up taking a nap) she has either been on my chest letting me pat her, or licking my nose, or being close by on the bed.  At one point she got up from her end of the bed, walked up to my chest.  Laid down as if to give me a hug, then got up and went back to her end of the bed. My heart just melted.  I've gotten up a few times to get some more fluids, and each time she walks with me into the kitchen.  Often in front of me going very slowly as if to remind me to take it easy.  she then sat up on her perch and watched me, and followed me back to the bedroom.

The other cats have come and gone.  The come for a little attention and lovin, but what Fleurp did was special and quite unique.

Doug


Well Doug is definately a handful.  Although I'll admit it is more on my end then his fault.  I worry too much.

I don't quite understand the insulin he is on, and why he's not getting a good response from it.  But he's content (as long as he gets a midnight snack) and doing well despite the lack of good bg levels.


He also put up with my holiday cheer

Friday, December 4, 2009

Doug



Here's a picture of my 3am opera singer.  He is annoying the living daylights out of me.  Setting up a timed feeder worked the first night, but not last night.  Not quite sure what to do with him.  I started him on Lantus yesterday.  Hopefully that will help bring his blood sugars down a bit.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Dory and Roary or Pudding and Pudding Pop?


I went down this morning to feed Dory and I called her Pudding as a term of endearment. Just as I had finished my morning greeting, Roary jumped out at me, so I said "Hi Pudding Pop!". I thought those were really cute names, and am considering changing them.

I only called her Dory, because she was being fostered by a woman named Dory, and I came to associate that name with the cat. *shrug* we'll see what happens. Calling a little girl kitten "Pop" might not work out for me.

The kitten is getting independent and interactive. She is playing with toys now, attacking feet, and as of this evening able to jump up on the couch! she might be all of five weeks old..

I also found out she is interested in using the litter box. The area around the box had some spilled litter I just hadn't gotten around to sweeping up. Well there were several small urine puddles in the litter and one poop. So I cleaned and swept the area, and told her that if she can jump up on the couch, she can climb into the litter box :)

So, what do you think I should call them? Leave a comment...

Introducing....


Doug.

and of course I don't have a photo. He is a large boy, solid black, quick eyes, long nose. Very regal and handsome. I very much want to call him Lord John.

Doug came to me through a plea on line from someone I know on the Feline Diabetes message board. He was surrendered to an open admission shelter and was rescued from being put down by a no kill shelter up there. The woman who contacted me isn't able to take him right now, and asked if I could. I am a little reluctant to do this, because of the slim to almost no chance diabetic cats have. Maybe this is mean of me, but there are so many cats and so few resources... that and I lived through Benny. If I just had the experiences of Bear and Reese, maybe I'd feel a little differently about it.

I am glad that diabetics have a chance that their owners aren't willing or able to give them... and since I was able to sign up for a limited time, I agreed.

I went up and got him on Friday. My own personal day went pretty miserable, since I had several errands that all blew up in my face (and didn't get done) but Doug was pretty laid back about the whole transition. I got to the shelter and got all his information. I forgot how laid back most people are about diabetic care. One test per day and their curve was three tests, one in the AM one at noon and one in the PM about the time for the next shot. His general BG was about high 200 low 300s.

He took the 40 minute drive home in stride. Not a peep or cry which is so novel for me who generally listens to my own cats swear at me any time they are even near the car.

He got home and walked right out of his cage, explored the room for a while (he's in the office) and made himself at home on the recliner. He jumped down when I put food down, and I patted him several times. He ended up letting out a very large hiss while he was looking at the food (and I was patting him). I wasn't quite sure what it meant, so I left him with the food for about an hour to see what happened. When I went back in he hadn't eaten and was once again on the recliner. I tried patting him again and he wasn't much thrilled. Not unhappy, but not happy either. I talked to him the whole way about the lancets, the meter I had, and the tissue I use. He wasn't having anything to do with it. He started hissing at me the whole way through, so I gave up and figured it would be better to not stress him out and since I didn't test him I had no idea what was going on with his BGs and since he wasn't eating, I skipped his injection. Not ideal, but it is way better to leave them high for a long time then to have them dip too low for even a moment. I left him with a small scoop of raw food, and I mashed up his canned (Wellness) and went to bed.

In the morning he had decided to consent to eat a little of the food. He at all of the raw though - smart boy. I offered him some Fancy Feast beef and chicken, which he promptly refused. I didn't go slow this time. I was all business and poked his ear and got the test. I tested on both the walmart brand glucometer and the freestyle meter I have. I thought all of my meters had dead batteries, but this one had a little juice, and since I had never used the walmart one, I thought it best to get two readings. The walmart one was 389 while the FS reading was 359. Pretty standard to have different readings, and as long as the reading is with in the standard deviation, I'm happy - and they were. So I injected him with the 3 units of PZI that was prescribed to him and went off to do my morning errands.

I came back and he still hadn't eaten the FF. at 2pm I tested him again and he was 271.

I couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't getting too much insulin. 271 is not much of a dip for three whole units of insulin on a cat. 1 unit is generally more standard of a dose. There are some cats that do need more, some that need less. But since he was in shelter hands and really wasn't getting care from someone with extensive FD experience, I wouldn't be surprised if 3 is too many for him. If it was the right dose, the half way point should be closer to 100 not 300.

So I decided to dig out the Special Kitty Turkey and Giblets dinner that I feed my own crew when we run out of raw (or forget to thaw it). it is also the food that got Miss Benny off insulin. That he decided to eat.

So I tested him again at 8pm, and his BG was 148.

Very interesting result. Was it the food? was it the insulin working slowly? we'll see what happens in the AM. I'm leaning towards it was the food, and I am expecting his AM reading to be reasonable. I wouldn't be floored if it was high again though.. FD is such an odd little disease to get a handle on. Especially since he's got pancreatitis on top of it.

So I have medication to give Eli for a few more days, testing of Doug, and the fosters downstairs, oh yea, and the rabbit who never fails to yell at me if I don't feed her fast enough :)

Kit


Well it got worse before it got better. she didn't do anything after getting fluids but hang out in the bedroom. She didn't eat the food nor did she use the litter box. I tried to give her another exam, but she was quite paranoid, and ran. she was skittish and wary, and we were going to take her to the vet the next day but then she started being interested in the treats, so we held off. She showed more and more improvement, so we are going to let this one go as probably an upset stomach or something to the effect.

Oddly enough after we felt the worst was over, DH picked up a cling-on poop that fell off in the living room that was white. *sigh*

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Eli update


Well the dental was pretty straight forward. He did have a broken tooth they had to remove, so that means antibiotics.. *hangs head* NOT a fun thing in my house for Eli.

Eli spent the first six months of his life being medicated for one URI after another. It got to the point where we had to isolate him to even catch him to pill him because every time we walked towards him (pilling time or not) he ran. He's now 7, and he's still running, albeit we have to be walking right at him and with a purpose. Let's just say he's still quite wary.

I opted for pills and went out and got some pill pockets.

The first morning I found him in the bathroom and locked him in and then went in and pilled him. I hadn't tested out the pill pockets will a pill in them (he liked the plain ol PP) and since this was an easy thing, I just did it. Freaked him right out, but we got through it pretty quickly. After wards I gave Jack his supplement for his urinary issues, and was amazed at how different the pilling experiences are. Eli is skittish, nervous and I need to be very careful putting my fingers anywhere near his mouth. Jack just sat there. I opened his mouth very easily, dropped the pill in, it went a little askew, so I stuck my finger in his mouth to pop it down his throat. Almost night and day.

So last night I split the pill in two to make them a little easier to hide in the PP. got out a hand full of dry food "treats" and threw it down for the cats. I got in the mix, and carefully gave each of the two PP'd pills to Eli. He was a little suspicious as to why I was keeping the other cats away, but he ate them no problem. This morning same deal, but I didn't split the pill. Stupid because if it hadn't worked, then finding him to get the pill in him wasn't going to be easy, but he gulped it right down and didn't ask questions (other then why can't Fleurp steal this from me?) So, this might actually work.

Skippy's exam was very "boring" (vet's words) and straight forward. He isn't worried about the rare congestion he's showing. The vet thinks it might be an allergy to something. I think it is his tricky way of saying he hasn't gotten enough attention lately. When I started fostering, I had a litter of kittens that would sound all congested if they didn't get to run around the house the evening before. I would let them out and the congestion would go away. (this was pre-fiasco and I almost never let fostered kittens run around the house any more especially if they are showing signs of illness) The vet commented several times that he looks a lot like an unfolded fold. He was found half dead in a driveway apparently, so I have no way of knowing, but if an unreputable breeder was breeding folds and only wanted folded folds, then I could see them ignoring him and not caring what happens. He does seem to have the physical traits and the personality traits of a fold.. *shrug* not that I care in the least, I just think it is interesting

On a side note, we think Kit isn't feeling well. She is eating, and seeking out attention, but she's reserved, and hasn't been coming to 'treat time' as enthusiastically as she used to. I tried to check her out this morning, but she was a little paranoid about the exam. Her eyes seemed a little sunken in, or maybe the conjunctiva was a little swollen (hard to tell it was slight) and she might have been a little dehydrated, so I gave her some fluids, opened up a can of cat food, and left her in the bedroom to be alone for the day with the food. Hopefully I am over reacting and this is nothing more than a down couple of days for her. Examining her, I realized once again what a very petite little cat she is. A five pound kitty doesn't leave much leeway when it comes to illness.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Six cat wake up call


Well this morning was fun... NOT!

Eli is at the vet having a dental - It's been over due for a while. And to get him there I had to get up two hours early. Well this sparked great fascination with my crew. First it was Ollie Jack and Muffin. Then Eli showed up. I had the "old crew" sitting on and around me staring at me, wanting attention. Then Twee showed up followed shortly by Skippy (who is going in this afternoon for his "meet the vet" check up)

I finally convinced all the cats that the world was not coming to an end and got up out of bed and started my day. Got in some exercise, fed the fosters, got breakfast and my lunch ready and went off in search of Eli to capture and crate up.

Fortunately at one point he was alone in the bedroom, so I had shut the door. At least I knew what ROOM he was in, but catching that boy is NEVER easy. I went and got a carrier to have close by, and of course Skippy and Fleurp both wanted to know what was going on and tried to investigate. Got them out of the carrier, got the towel IN the carrier, now to catch the boy.

Sent DH in first, since Eli knows I am up to no good. No go. I think he heard us talking and probably the noises of the carrier, so he's hiding.

Finally find him, far corner of the bed. I'm of course on the wrong side. Send DH to the other side to try to roust him out of there, and he moves to an ungrabbable spot. We finally roust him out from under the bed, and now he's freaked, hunched over and squeaking like his nickname implies. Oh so upset, I snuggle him but he's not buying it. I stick him in the carrier - which he does not want to go into but Skippy does - and shut the door.

Well he has not stopped squeaking. Instead of meowing, he squeaks. High pitched 1/4 of a meow, it is how he has always communicated with us. Just once have I heard him actually meow, and it was an odd little noise.

Squeaks while walking down the hall, squeaks while hanging out in the kitchen while I get my jacket on. Squeaks while I carry him out to the car, squeaks louder due to the echo of being in the car. I try covering the carrier up, but it doesn't help. The squeaks become swear words. How I'm a horrible mom, and how life is just not worth living, etc. 40 minute drive down to the vet listening to him squeak the whole way down. Get there, carry him into the vet squeaking the whole way, get in the vet and check him in, yup.. he was squeaking.

I wonder if he has stopped yet.

I feel bad, but sometimes you just have to make them unhappy for their own good..

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Dory & Rory


It has been a while since I updated you with a photo of my newest foster kitten.  She is a little spit fire, that is for certain.

Dory the mom is another Tweedle.  She's very slow on the uptake but as sweet as can be.  She's overly picky with food too... and is yet another cat who does NOT like Iam's cat food.


Update on First and Third



I got a phone call on Sunday that they were back at the shelter and up for adoption.  By the time I got there Second had already been adopted, but First and Third were there.  They had been renamed by their current foster parents to Spot and ... well something else beginning with S but sadly I don't remember.  I am sorry I didn't get to see Second.  I bet she was quite lovely.

This is what they looked like then.  Second is in the front, First is in the middle and Third is in the background...

This is what they look like now..   That is First with his nose down.  You can't see the spot on his nose (he was the one called Spot) it had gained a few friends.  That is Third with his foot up behind his head.  I couldn't believe how dark he had gotten.  He seemed like he was going to be a tan kitten.  They were both quite frightened, and I could not get any better photos than this.  I feel a little better that I wasn't the cause of their not adjusting while they were with me.  It must have just been their nature.  It was odd because their mom was so friendly.  But the couple who took them in spent a lot of time with them, and did what they could to help them socialize.  I know I let them go early enough that if it had been the lack of time I had they would have adjusted out of it..

a few photos



I interrupted Fleurp when she was grooming. She looks like this a lot, as she spends a lot of time grooming, and is easily interrupted.



Skippy carving out a little sun bathing time. Looks so relaxed doesn't he?



Quality time with the kitties. Fleurp in the far background. Eli to the left, Twee to the right and the Skipster lounged over my thighs. I had the worst time taking this photo since he is on my upper thighs, angling the camera and seeing through it was impossible, so I kept taking shots and trying to reposition the camera to make sure they were all in the shot.  Eli got annoyed the flash going off so much that he left shortly after this photo was taken.


This is the whole crew.  I can't hand feed them treats as doing so often ends up with me shedding blood (claws in the thighs, teeth in the fingers) so I toss them on to the ground.  This is the ONLY way Twee eats treats.  If I ever catch her alone and try to offer her something individually she completely ignores it.  If I am bold and try to hand feed treats and toss one in front of her, it usually bounces off her nose and she completely ignores it.



Monday, October 26, 2009

Photos



 
Fleurp is turning into quite a beautiful young lady.  I took her collar off to get some good photos of her "mane"  I just feel bad about that eye of hers.  I don't know if anything can be done for her, but I am going to ask at her next vet visit.  Poor thing was trying to catch a fly that made it into the house, and with very little depth perception there was just no way.


Skippy is totally miserable hun?  I guess I shouldn't be that sorry about adopting him :)

Kitten saga




So I got an email last week asking me if I could take a kitty that weekend.  Then I got a call saying I didn't need to pick her up that weekend, but the next would be fine.  Well I got a call today that the kitty COULDN'T stay at the place where she was (with a staff member) because the landlord was going to do an inspection that week so could I come get her today?


Which of course I could.  I didn't do much more than give mom some food (which she growled while she ate) and set them up in the cage (and take a few photos).  No names, no real information except the baby is a girl, and her eye closed up on her after opening.  I'll have to take her back in about five weeks for FIV/FELV testing, but things seem like this will be an easy one.  *crosses fingers and knocks on wood*




Thursday, October 22, 2009

I'm so sorry Skippy..


I so wanted you to have the perfect for you home. I wanted you to have family that could give you all the love you could possibly handle.  I wanted you to not have to put up with a pack of kitties watching you pee, and having to struggle for food.  I wanted you to have your choice of laps to curl up in when ever you wanted to.

I just couldn't handle the 'what ifs' of leaving you at the shelter.  I could not deal with the possibility that you would end up in a situation like you were in before, and being returned to the shelter again - or worse..

So I struck a bargain with the shelter, and I traded for you.  I had some old aquariums in the basement, and in the middle of an email exchange about a foster situation for a cat found in the middle of the road last week* I jokingly suggested that I trade for you, and she took me up on it.  She knew how upset I was at leaving you at the shelter, and how much of a toll on me it was taking to come visit you every couple of days and to keep leaving you there.. so I ran to the shelter after work, signed the paperwork, and brought you home with me.

and now you have to put up with my crew harassing you, and when I took you down to the litter box (because you seemed to be looking for your litter box in the bathroom where it was the last time you were here) you had all seven of them watching you pee.  Will you ever know peace?  Will my crew ever accept you?  Will you find a lap to cuddle on when you need it?

I love you so much.. I hope you are happy here.



*the new foster is coming on Saturday.  She was found in the middle of the road, either hit or thrown from a car.  She was pregnant at the time, but she ended up aborting.  They said her kittens were the size of mice, so it must have been several weeks before the due date.  They had a week old kitten who needed a mom, so they matched them up, and it worked out nicely, except for the fact that she is being fostered by a staff member who is not allowed pets in her home.

Friday, October 16, 2009

*headpalm* or why 8 kitties is a bad idea


Ok, seriously, I know owning Skippy would be a bad idea.  Doesn't mean I don't want to do it anyway though....

but this morning my kitties showed me very clearly why.  Mostly it would be that there would be more of them then I could handle.

So in the wee hours of the morning I woke up.  Not one of those *oh crud I'm awake in the middle of the night and I can't get back to sleep* bits.. but I had left my heating blanket on and I was a little warm, so normally I would have rolled over, shut it off and fallen back asleep.  But there were kitties on the bed who were missing me terribly, so when they realized that I might be conscious they sprang into action, and surrounded my head purring up a storm.  15lb Muffin, 12lb Jack and 6lb Fleurp were all there.  9lb Twee showed up a few moments later jockeying for a position to worship at the head of the sleeping mom.

Now if you have never had this experience, let me tell you it is a bit overwhelming.  I have blogged about it before, but it really is something to have four cats up in your face when you are barely awake... not to mention the fact that their bodies are the perfect length for their noses to be all up in your face, and their back feet to be targeted to your bladder.  *sigh*  off they all go as I stumble towards the bathroom.  I hate kicking kitties off me, but sometimes the bladder wins.

I stumble back into bed, get comfy, and once again there are cat noses where there shouldn't be cat noses.  Those things are COLD when it is cold in the house.  I finally convince all the kitties to settle down somewhere around the area of my legs, and drift off to sleep (but not before annoying the daylights out of DH who went to sleep on the couch.  Kitties were happy - more room for them)

Morning begging is reserved for DH who feeds them since he gets up first.  But when I got up, Jack was all up in my business begging for attention.  Fleurp dug out a superball and was playing with it.  I picked it up and realized that someone had chewed chunks off it.  I probably should have put the ball in my pocket to be stored in a drawer (ok I admit it, I really like superballs.. and yes it is appropriate to give me a gift of one) but I bounced it into the other room, and watched Fleurp fly at it, and look so adorable doing it.  something between a rabbit and a flying squirrel (I so wish I had video proof of it).  The ball ended up back at my feet, so I bounced it again, and this time she was so intent on getting it she missed the fact that the ball was bouncing towards the fridge, and she ran right into it.  Yes, Fleurp makes me laugh every single day.

But later, after I exercised, I went back into the bedroom to get dressed for work, and realized that a flipflop I have not work in over a year (wore them the summer previous) was on the middle of the floor.  I shook my head, knowing my Fleurp thought it was irrisitable and some how had dragged the thing from my shoe rack in the front of the house, through the kitchen, down the hall, and into the bedroom.  I KNEW it was her, only from the evidence of the lone flop on the floor.  Sure enough a few minutes later, she came and flopped next to the shoe and proceeded to "kill" it. I got a photo, but it only looks like she's laying on it.

Then I went to feed the rabbit.  Her water bottle was empty, so I bent over to take it off the cage, and went and filled it.  I bent back over to reattach it to the cage, when Kit in all her claws decided to jump up on my back.. OUCH!  I had been saying for a few days I needed to trim claws, well now was the time!!!

I also think one of the other kitties has convinced Twee to play Hide and Seek, because she has taken to hiding behind the curtains in the kitchen.  They are floor length, and mostly sheer.  When I went to pat her through the curtain, she was quite disturbed that she wasn't properly hidden, so I pretended I was just fixing the curtain so she could be happy.

Ollie is still quite annoyed with life.  He's annoyed that the other kitties want to do what he wants to do, and there for are in his way.  Doesn't matter if they were there first, and he walks in on them, if they are in the spot HE wants to be in, they get smacked.  If he offers his head for grooming and they don't groom fast enough, the smacking will commence.  Not quite sure who I feel worse for, him or them.

They definitely bring a depth and richness to my life.  The love, the cuddles, the laughter.  They do add a certain emptiness to my wallet though, the annual vet visits, the $800 surgery for Ollie, then the $500 revisit this year.  Eli needs a dental.  He has for a while, but I put it off, well I can't put it off any more.. Jack is having issues with his bladder.. at least I'm assuming his bladder is a little uncomfortable and he doesn't just like the Brazilian look.  All of my kitties are under 10 years of age, so I'll have multiple seniors at the same time in a few years.  Being proactive costs money, not being proactive either means more money or the loss of my kitties too young.

I just wish my heart understood all that..

Dear Skippy's new owners


You have adopted yourself one special little boy.  He is playful and cuddly and all around a great kitten.  He has a long back story before you found him, and I hope you won't mind listening to it.

He was found in a neglect situation.  He was so badly off, he was almost dead.  He was brought to a vet and survived, but he developed a urinary tract infection.  UTI can be a problem for cats.  Once they have them, they can happen again, so I hope you keep a good eye on his health.

While at the shelter waiting to get better and for a foster home to come along, he was exposed to ringworm.  Having just met him, I could not allow a simple exposure to risk his life.  Ringworm is fungal, and not fun to treat, but it is not fatal.  Unfortunately though there are lines that have to be drawn in a shelter environment.  Ringworm is very contagious. 

This is where I came in.  Sometimes when I visit the shelter there are kittens or cats that just cry out to me to help them.  This is probably why I own seven cats now.  Skippy was one of them.  Knowing what he suffered before I came into his life, I could not risk ringworm being his downfall.

I brought him home and set him up in my bathtub / shower in my bathroom, hoping that if he did bring ringworm into my house, that this double barrier to my own cats would prevent it from spreading.  It was a very long 10 days while he lived in my shower.  He was very good the whole time.  Every time I went to spend time with him, he simply wanted to cuddle.  In the past overly cuddly kittens has always been a sign of severe illness.  In Skippy it was just a sign of his personality.  He had to get in his mandatory cuddling, then he would be off to play.

When his quarentine was over, I brought him down to meet the other foster kittens I had.  They were smaller than he was, and I realized almost immedately that his prey drive is VERY strong.  He was relentless in his play with anything smaller then he is to the point of harassment.  I would strongly recommend that you not bring in another animal into the home that is smaller than he is.

Because he could not play well with the others, he went back into his bathroom, but he did not want to be contained.  Often he would slip out of the bathroom and run straight into the room that houses my rabbit.  Bri is a pretty standard size 5lb rabbit, which was bigger then he was when he met her.  Skippy fell in love with Bri.  He would always go and visit her first, and play very gently with her.

He never outgrew his need to spend time cuddling though.

As he grew, it was time for him to go up for adoption.  I reluctantly brought him back and he was adopted.  Unfortunately he came down with pnemonia and they returned him.  While I hated the idea of his being sick, I was overjoyed to spend more time with him.  He was very slow to recover so he spent quite a few more weeks together.  As he became healther and stronger, I introduced him to my own cats, hoping that a love match would be made, and I could justify taking on another kitty.  While he did enjoy playing with my younger kitties, his style of play just did not mix with some of my older kitties. 

It was so hard to return him a second time, and hope that his new owners would care and love him as much as I do.  He is a very special boy, being one that demands to spend so much time cuddling.  Just watch out.. he drools when he's happy!

He will bring much joy into your life if you let him.  I hope you bring joy into his life as well.

(and if you EVER need a pet sitter.. I am so there!)

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Happy Belated Birthday Fleurp!


I'm going through my Photobucket account and labeling the photos of my own cats for future referance.  I realized that I had Fleurp at the begining of November, so I went back and looked at her history.  Apparently she came to me on 10/20 already at least four weeks old, so I don't think I would be out of line calling October 1st as her birthday.

I can't believe she is a year old, she still looks so kitten like... although not quite as small as she used to be..
Fleurp
Fleurp
Fleurp
Fleurp

food choices, vaccine choices and declawing


Warning rant coming...

Ok, so most of you know by now that I am fairly passionate about certain things regarding kitties.  I think all cats should be fed a canned or preferably raw diet, I think that vaccines should be studied carefully and questioned, that cats should not be allowed to roam freely outside, and I think declawing is inhumane.

But what you might or might not get is that while *I* believe these things, I want you to believe what you are going to believe after reading the information out there.  I know full well it can be confusing, because your vet whom you are supposed to be able to trust to tell you the best medical information for your pet may or may not be the best source.  After all, they do have a financial stake in getting you in the office and selling you the food they sell and having you partake in their services.  Do I think all vets are "corrupt" absolutely not.  Do I think they honestly think that they are doing what is your best interest....I hope most of them are.  I honestly hope that most of them are spouting information that is proven to be against what I (and many other people and vets) believe because they truly think they are giving out appropriate information and the financial incentive is just a bonus.  After all if you go to school and a major pet food company sponsors your nutrition classes, you tend think the college agrees with the information being taught, so there for they have some reputation with the students and when they go and set up shop they are courted once again by these companies to sell their food that they have been taught is good, and hey look you make money too.  I mean they MUST know what they are doing, after all they have been in business for YEARS and make TONS of money.. right?

What I don't understand is why these students who are taught that cats are obligate carnivores believe that cats should be eating food that is mostly plant material..

but I'm digressing..

I belong to several message boards out there for cats.  One being generic pet owners.. the Tom Dick and Harry-s of the world who generally believe what their vets tell them is the absolute truth, and there is no need to question it (most but not all)  Another is a board for a cat illness.  These owners have learned first hand that vets can be fallible, but also still hold a healthy respect for their abilities.  The last I'm going to mention is a holistic group who have almost no respect for vets and traditional medicine.  They admit that there is a need for vet, but that you should question EVERYTHING and they generally believe that all the dogma of veterinary medicine is just that and should be avoided if possible.  I do learn things from each group, which I love, but getting either group on the polar opposites to listen to anything that is outside of what they believe is like pulling teeth.

The generic group (oh these are horrible names, so please forgive my attempt to keep things generalized) doesn't want to hear about vaccine protocols, and that there might be some question if you even need to give them every three as is the current recommendation. They are dead set on "you need to follow my vet's recommendation or you are anti-whateveritiswearetalkingabout.  Declawing posts set off a mail storm of hate mail - even if all you want to do is get the information (hey, tell me about declawing... it sucks man, and you suck for even thinking it!!)  You should have seen the furry of posts about a cat going outside.. it was almost shameful.  While I am the poster child for indoor, clawed, raw fed kitties, my intention is always to post information so the owner can make informed decisions.  I do my best to never insult or defame anyone.  Occasionally tempers are short, and stuff is taken the wrong way - especially if the OP does not include all the information  (My cat is sick and I can't afford to take it to the vet...me: well you could try this or this, but you could be making things worse, if you honestly can not scrape the money together, and the organizations out there to help can't help, then maybe you should consider rehoming the kitty so you can be in a better financial situation...  HOW COULD YOU SUGGEST I DON"T LOVE MY CAT AND AREN'T WILLING TO DO EVERYTHING TO FIX IT, I'VE SPENT THOUSANDS TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION TO SAID PROBLEM... me: um.. ok, but you didn't say that originally...)

the group of cat owners who are in the middle - those fighting a particular illness are generally the most grounded owners.  They are a little militant about some things, but for the most part, owners who are willing to go above and beyond and treat a pet for a long term illness are people who are willing to listen to different opinions and have the ability to open their minds to other options.  I mean after all they did turn to the *internet* for help caring for their pets.. :)  They can come off a little strong when dealing with owners of newly diagnosed cats (hey, listen to me, what your vet who studied medicine for years is wrong, and I whom you have never met knows what is best for your and your cat!!  ok for the most part that is true, as most often these pet owners have been there and done that and fallen prey to vet mistakes, but when you say it like that who is going to listen to you?)

The holistic group is really interesting.  They can have a circular logic.  I  have seen them say in one post that you can't correlate what happens in humans with what happens in cats, but then turn around and say in a different post that there are things that happen in humans so we must be careful in cats.  (same with dogs).  They are quite extreme in their beliefs that all vaccines are bad - that you should avoid them at all costs.  That dry food is completely inappropriate and has NO place in a cat's diet, and that there is NEVER an excuse for declawing (ok, most people hold that.. )  They have also said flea infestations are a result of an improper diet.

I know I have failed from time to time to present the information I believe to be true in an objective POV, but I hope I have never made anyone feel bad for their past choices.  What is done is done.  All we can hope is that we can learn from one another and move on from here.

FYI
You absolutely do not need to believe what I believe in order for me to believe you are a good pet owner.  For me to think you are a good pet owner, you just need to keep asking the questions.. and want what is best for YOUR kitty..


*my intent here is not to insult any one particular person/group.  Just to talk about the differences of opinions out there, and to rant about why some people feel that discussion is inappropriate.  I was a Tom Dick/Harry pet owner.. and two of my cats blocked from urinary crystals, and one became diabetic.  It was discussion and research that helped me learn how to keep my cats in the best health I believe to be possible - even if that is contrary to what my vet might suggest..

Have I mentioned...


How much I miss Skippy?

*sigh*

Ollie had a bad night last night.  We were laying in bed, I was drifting to sleep, and I heard someone start to hurl.  I said "Get up!" and DH was up out of bed in a flash not realizing why.  Eli was also on the bed but when I said get up, he flung himself off the edge of the bed, not touching the foot board nor the chest at the end of the bed.. it was quite impressive.  Ollie hurled with out even standing up - not good.  And he continued to vomit after we put him on the floor.  You could tell he was upset about it, because he tried to cover it up... poor thing.  I think I'm going to wait and see if this is a one time thing, or if he hurls again. 

YAHOO!!!


http://winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com/2009/08/potential-treatment-for-fip.html

Potential Treatment for FIP!

wow!

Monday, October 12, 2009

the good the bad and the skippy


I stopped in this morning to see Skippy.  It was kinda amusing since the shelter is technically closed today that one of the volunteered asked me what I was doing - as if I were part of the general public and I just snuck in.  I love it that she had the courage to ask since you never know what people are doing if you don't know who they are.

Skippy was in the litter box, growling at everyone.  Bearing his teeth at anyone who got close with a big hiss and a swat.  It was breakfast time, and he was growling so much he couldn't (or wouldn't) eat.   However I did get a few cuddles from him (as long as he wasn't in line of site of any other cats up at the same level as him) and a couple of kisses.  I left to talk to the staff about getting some atropine for Ollie (more on that in a bit) and when I looked in on him before leaving for work, I noticed he was about to pull the sound machine down on himself.  They installed white noise machines up high out of the way in each of the general population cat rooms that either play bird noises or waves.  It was unplugged and the plug was dangling down over a low cat tree.  Well Skippy thought this would be a good thing to attack.. silly boy.  I rescued the plug and gave him a few more kisses before working my way to the door.  Skip was back on the floor growling at everything, but yet attempting to play with a white cat's tail.  The white cat was trying to eat breakfast.  He then jumped up on another cat tree and the little thin tiger kitty who has been trying to be friends came over and Skippy swatted at it and hissed at it.  It backed off but Skippy followed.  I think Skip was playing, but it was hard to tell for certain.

I so miss him!!

*sigh*

Ollie & the atropine.  Well Ol has decided that he needs to spend a lot of time licking his healing incision, and has created a hot spot over his knee.  There is no way I could put a Elizabethan collar on him and live through the night, so I looked for the atropine I used last time he started pulling out his stitches.  I couldn't find it, so I looked to see if there was an alternative.  You know, there aren't many home remedies online to help deter that sort of thing.  I heard lemon juice (OUCH!) and I heard deodorant (that can't be healthy) so I figured since I had plans to go into the shelter to visit Skip, I'd ask them if I could have a tube.  Fortunately they had one to give me, and I ran home to apply it so the healing could start.  Oh wasn't he ticked over my "intruding" into his incision!  You know, it would be nice buddy if you could be a little thankful over the care I give you to keep you alive.. but NOOO.. you have to be all Ollie about it :)   He's a grumpy ol man.. all he knows is his sense of entitlement..

He wouldn't be Ollie if he wasn't being grumpy.

awww


I stop by Freekibblekat.com each day to donate food to shelter cats.  Recently they had a contest for youngsters to express how they felt about shelters.  Surprisingly enough a local (to me) shelter won!  It is also a shelter I have great respect for.

http://www.freekibble.com/kontest.asp#winners


Max Christian, Age 13
Shelter: Homeless Animal Rescue Team (H.A.R.T.). Cumberland, Maine

Why is my shelter special to me? Everything about H.A.R.T. is special to me, but there are certain things that can really bring warmth to your heart. For instance, when my Dad and I bent over to scoop litter, one of the cats thanked us by hopping up on our backs and purring. Every single cat at H.A.R.T. is different in its own unique way. Some are sweet, others timid, but what sets apart traditionally bred cats from the cats at H.A.R.T., is instead of being picked up when they are just small kittens, the cats at my shelter have lived together, so their true personalities are exposed. Another differentiating factor that makes H.A.R.T. exceedingly special is that they take in unadoptable cats and give them a lifelong place to live. Some spend their entire life in the shelter under the care of the staff and volunteers.  I’ve had instances where I wish I could’ve adopted them all.
When I first volunteered at H.A.R.T., I knew I was going to end up with a kitty. Turns out we ended up adopting two kittens, Smitty and Mojo. That makes three adopted cats from H.A.R.T., because we already had Belly. All of our cats from the shelter have had an extremely positive impact on our life.
The staff and Board of Directors there are just as amazing as the cats. They dedicate 100% of their time to these cats just so they can live happily. It is an understatement to the least to say that they are helpful to the shelter. I’m sure the cats appreciate them as well, along with the incredible volunteers, too. I have volunteered there numerous times and know the procedures, which aren’t always easy. They include scooping litter, cleaning cat dishes, washing furniture, scrubbing the floor, and last but most certainly not least is getting to know the cats. When you are finished with your jobs, there is always a little time to stop by each room and say hi to all of the cats. There are lots of rooms to visit, but one of my favorites would be the FIV room. All the cats that go to H.A.R.T. are FIV tested. What makes the FIV room special is that it is the quietest and the cats in it have great personalities. It’s impossible to pick favorites, though.
With over one-hundred cats that need adopting, it would be the least I could do for H.A.R.T. to send this letter to freekibble.com to help support all the cats and the staff. I believe H.A.R.T. deserves to win and the shelter is incredibly precious and special to me, as well as those with two and four legs in Southern Maine. Thank you for reading my letter and giving the Homeless Animal Rescue Team a chance.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

this bites


well Skippy is at the shelter.  I brought him in because he hasn't shown any symptoms since Wednesday, and I wanted to see what they wanted to do with him.  They suggested I set him up at the shelter in one of the community rooms and watch him for a couple of days.

He was so grumpy the second he walked into the shelter.  Growling, giving me the angry eyes, etc.  He hisses at any other cat that comes up to him, and lunges and snaps at me if I was pushing too hard.  I left for a while to get some groceries and went back and checked on him again,  he wasn't any relaxed.

*sigh*

He deserves more than I can give him, but he so doesn't deserve this.. Sadly this is the only avenue I can see to get him the home he deserves.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

another Skippy / Ollie post


Getting a little overhwelming on the Skipster and Ollie postings lately, but they are all consuming right now..

So Skippy.  He was congested yesterday morning.. breathing through his mouth, sounding pretty miserable.  Last night he sounded just fine.  However he had to stop several times in the night (and again this morning) to cough pretty hard.  He's eating and active..   No idea what to make of this.  That little devil part of my brain keeps going back to the "he to smart for his own good, and got sick to be returned to the shelter" statement I made when I first heard he was returned.  I want to think he's doing this so he can stay with us.

Ollie.. I think he's very much on the mend.  He's back to his grumpy demanding self.  He hates the clavamox, but that is almost over.  Now I need to decide if I am going to try to take the stitches out myself, take him to the vet, or leave them in to dissolve..

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

*headdesk*


Last night I was so uber hopeful!!  Ollie was being a pain in the Ollie.. and he climbed up on one of the cat trees to survey his domain, even found a way up on top of the fridge - his all time favorite place to be (and yes, we were completely freaked out, but sometimes you have to let a boy do what a boy is going to do to help him feel better mentally even if it hurts him physically)  He then climbed up on the bed between us and started disin all the other cats.  I assumed he just felt the need to remind everyone that HE is alpha, even if he was out of commission for a few days, and that all was right with the world.

Well this morning he was hiding on me.  I searched and searched, and finally gave up and relied on the ol "throw dry food on the floor" trick.  With so many cats, giving individual treats is not really an option.  The agressive ones get all the treats while the passive ones get none. (even when you walk up to them to offer treats they walk away) so I have taken to tossing dry cat food on the floor.  I do this very sparingly because I consider dry food to be very low quality food (I think of it as cookies) and it does a number on Jack's system (He loves it, but it doesn't love him).  Usually everyone comes running when I open up the door the bag is in, but he did not show.  I rattled the bag, no show.  I tossed some on the floor, no show.  After a moment I thought I saw something on the stairs to the basement, and indeed he was sitting on the top step.  Why he was not participating I do not know, and it bothers me. I finally went over and gave him his medication, and figured I'd toss another handful on the floor just in case.  Well I only needed to touch the door and he came over, so they got another handful.

and to top it off, Skippy was congested this morning.

I was so hoping for ONE day with out stress.. *sigh*  I guess I'll just have to be content with the hour I got last night.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Ollie is at the vet


well fiddlesticks. 


It is so hard to try to describe why I feel Ollie is not doing well.  It is all very vague symptoms.  He didn't eat his dinner last night.  He didn't eat much of the dry food I offered.  He's tender when I go to look at his incision (which is to be expected, but it complicates things as I can't get a good look at what is going on in there)  He has a lot to say now - which is more like him - but he's asking for things and then not wanting them.  Food is refused, treats are refused, heck even deli meat was refused this morning.

He wants to groom, but doing so is not easy for him, so he stops after a few licks.

and when I scooped his litter box this morning I noticed that he appears to be constipated.  He has eaten since he's been in the office, but there was almost no stool in the box. 

We called the vet, and they wanted to monitor him today.

My poor boy.

Monday, October 5, 2009

well he might have had a huge mad



but it definately helped him.  half an hour after I was in there DH said he was no longer on his bed, and was sitting on his computer chair.  He finished up all his left over breakfast, so we offered him some other yummies.  This morning he left the office and took a walk through the house, checked out the bathroom where we feed but did not eat any of the remaining breakfast.  He wandered around the kitchen/living room for a while, then walked back down the hall and went right back into the office when I opened the door for him.

He didn't eat the canned food I first gave him, but it was a pretty low quality food so I removed it and gave it to the "clean up crew" and even they didn't lick up every last little bit (but most bits -  I mean I don't call them the clean up crew for nothing) I gave him some Wellness, and he seemed more interested in that although I did not have time to check back to see if he ate it all.  He also didn't eat the hunk of beef we gave him, so I gave that to the clean up crew and Fleurp grabbed that and ran off with it.

We ended up putting Skippy down in the kitten room.  Not sure I like the idea, because I'm sure DH is going to let him wander around the house more.  But he does have more room and more activities down there then he does in the bathroom.  He sneezed a couple of times yesterday, producing what looked to be snot, but afterward he was not congested.. *shrug*

Sunday, October 4, 2009

A post from Ollie


oh mah Ceiling Cat, i has teh wurst hooman evr!  Furst she gaev me 2 different pills, den shovd 2 different liquidz in mah mouth, AN DEN SHOVD NEEDLE IN MAH BAK!!



I haz hooj mad!!!
 
*note from mom.. he really isn't moving from his bed, and isn't eating very well, so I gave him a pill to help settle his stomach, one to stimulate his appetite, and then gave him oral buprenex for the pain and liquid clavamox for the inflammation and help with the little fever he seems to be running.  Then to help him feel better I gave him some fluids.  I felt the need to take him in to the vet on Saturday morning because he was so quiet and wasn't harassing the other cats.  Vet noticed he had a small fever (102) and that he had some inflammation because of where the incision is.  DH thought we should isolate him for a while so he wouldn't need to act all tough in front of the other kitties.  I wasn't a fan of the idea, but he seems to prefer it.
 
Skippy is sitting in my lap purring up a storm and drooling all over himself.

Lula and the kittens are at the shelter


Ok, I failed.  I realized that with Ollie in one room, Skippy in another, with my own cats and the rabbit and everything going on in my life, I just didn't have the time to properly socialize the kittens.  They are all hissy and spitty and while I find that freaking adorable, I know that does not make good kittens, so I brought them in and told them I was overwhelmed and so they kept them.

I told her what was going on with Skippy, and she suggested I keep him another week.  He had a bad day on Thursday with the congestion and the watery eyes, and so I started up the medication again, but it immediately disappeared and he's been fine since.  She suggested that I leave him a week with out medicating and see what happens.  This just delays the ineveitable, but it gives me a little more time with him.  Oddly enough he became quite pissed off at being at the shelter.  Growling and defensive.  This is not going to bode well with my soul when he goes back..

Ollie is so angry with me.  he does NOT like being medicated at all.  He seems to be enjoying being alone - in so much that he's not crying out, or begging at the door to leave.  When I open the door he's sitting on his bed and looks up at me.  He didn't want to eat his regular food - nor did he want a plain peice of chicken we offered, but he did eat some canned food and one of the two pieces of freeze dried chicken I gave him.  He also ate the few pieces of dry foods I put in there as well.  I hate this, hopefully he'll be back to being his PITA self right quick.

Friday, October 2, 2009

*sigh*


I have come to the end of the acceptable period to keep Skippy before bringing him back to be adopted.  Sunday is my new deadline for myself.  It was going to be Wednesday, but since Ollie had surgery that day, I did not want to face both of those things.

He's doing great - even if he is covered in flea dirt.I treated him with FL a little while ago, so he shouldn't be, but I don't think that vial I got is any good.

He's such a good kitty, he so deserves a GREAT home, and I can't promise him that if I let him go.

but my own kitties deserve a home where they are loved and not wearhoused because they are good kitties.  Seven kitties for two owners is pushing it as it is.  Heck, I have three extremely needy attention seeking kitties as it is.  There is only so much room on my body and in my bed..

I hate the thought of letting him go, but I do not think it is fair to anyone keep him.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Ollie day one


So shortly after the last post I went to go check on him and offer him some food.  He liked the food, but was still quite wobbly, so I left him in the room for another hour.  bad move as he didn't have a litter box.  Oh well.

When I let him out, he still wanted to be left alone, but wasn't as foul as previously.  I knew he would still need a litter box (he didn't pee) and I did not want him walking down the stairs, so I carried him down stairs, which ticked him off.  I swear I could hear him ask me why I did that.  He eventually wandered off, and I lost track of him, but I found him again 10 minutes or so later under the pool table - which is exactly where he hid last time he had surgery.

He got up the stairs on his own, and he also got up on to the bed last night just fine.  Although he was mad at me for insisting that I look at his incision this morning.  It looks fine.  I couldn't help but kiss his little bare knee. I love shaved kitty bodies..

So, on top of a grumpy Ollie, I also had another problem on my hand.  Someone projectile vomited all over the basement during the day.  No one was showing overt signs of issues, but when I gave treats later on, Kit didn't show up, and when I went to spend some time near her (I was working out near where she was sleeping) she ended up getting up and vomiting twice.  She did NOT wanting me looking at her, and I didn't want to stress her out more by forcing it.  I had DH look at her later on, and while quiet and not interested in food, there didn't appear to be anything else wrong with her.  No signs of abdominal pain, didn't have a fever, etc.  This morning she was brighter and more interested in attention.  I'm not 100% sure she ate, but at that I'm still not concerned.  I will be tonight if she isn't eating.

First is still limping, so I'm apparently now a kitty nurse.  I'm also seriously considering asking the shelter to take back Lulu and her kittens.  I don't feel I'm doing them any good, as I'm not able to spend a lot of time with them, and they are not interested in spending any time with me anyway.  But a) I would feel like a failure b) I so want to see them grow and see this through c) I think that the foster homes are all full, and there is no one to take them.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Gratuitous Skippy Shot




Bonus photo:

what the grrrrr did you do to me!!


Well Ollie is home.  and man is he grumpy.  He took a moment to realize he was home, then he jumped out of the carrier fairly easily, but walking in a straight line was a bit of an issue for him.  He growled at everyone he came in contact with, and even eventually me.  He looks horrid, almost looks like they took off a leg all together if he's walking and you are behind him.  Guess that is the curse of being a long haired kitty.  I eventually decided that he deserved not to feel harassed (even if no one was harassing him) so I put him back in the carrier and put that in the office and closed the door.  In about an hour I'll let him out into that room with some food and a nice bed, and I'll go check on him in another hour or so.


Grumpy ol man doing well


Well I just got a call from my vet.  He's doing well, waking up out of surgery.  I can go get him at 2.

I don't think I'm going to relax until he's back home though.. maybe not even until his stitches come out..

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

First to the vet


Ok, so he really didn't go to the vet, but it was a cute title.  He went to the shelter. He was so quiet this morning, bordering on lethargic, so I brought him in to be looked at by the staff.  They said they see this all the time, and that the vet would probably take an xray and not do anything but recommend rest... so they sent me home with him.

might be broken, might not.. we don't know.  But kittens heal quickly, so unless he stops eating I'm not going to worry (yea right, I'm going to worry.. but I'll deal)

Ollie is going to the vet tomorrow.. like I don't have enough worry in my life right now..

Monday, September 28, 2009

limping kitten


Well this evening I went in to feed the kittens and Lulu, and all four kitties were by the door waiting for me.  I went in and sat near the feeding station to feed them, when I realized First appeared to be standing funny.  I picked him up and looked him over and he seemed fine, but he seemed reluctant to put all four feet on my lap, so I put him down on the ground, and he immediately held up his right front foot.  I picked him up again for a closer look at that foot, and it does not appear to be swollen, nor is it overly hot nor cold, and he didn't cry out when I felt for broken bones.

I realized I fed them in a hurry this morning and might not have seen them.  DH who fed them last night said First was hiding behind the couch - which is totally unlike him as he has always been a social butterfly and DH really wouldn't have noticed that.  So there is a good chance he could have hurt himself sometime on Sunday.

I feel bad that a) he hurt himself and that b) I might not have known for over 24 hours.

Eating solid foods


Third was the first to eat solid foods.  Kinda freaked me out when I saw him sidle up to mom and start noshing on her food.  Second has also decided that solid food is good.  First has yet to figure it out, but that's ok... no major rush.

These kittens still have little use for me.  I cuddle them and coo over them, but they want down, and hiss at me often when I come in to visit.  I know I'm not spending a lot of time with them which probably isn't good, but I'll try to change that once Skippy has been settled (notice I did not say returned - not to say I'm not not returning him) and they are all eating solid foods.

I'm not sure why names are not coming.  Maybe they like their designations.. but it doesn't seem very dignified..

As for Skippy.. I HATE both options I have. I so want to keep him, but I so  know that would not be a good idea.  I know he should be returned, but I so very much hate that idea as well.  Not only for the crap shoot of a home he might get, but because then I wouldn't have him.  But he drools.. I hate drool.. *sob*  My plan was to keep him a few days after the medication was finished.. but now I'm thinking I'll keep him till Sunday.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Ollie update


Well the growth is back, it is in the same place, and the doctor think it is the same thing - which he now believes to be cancer.  He's going for surgery on Wednesday.

Rationally I'm fine, emotionally I'm a mess

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Skippy Update


Man, I can't believe it has been since the 8th since I posted about him.

Ok, as I mentioned he spent the one night night with us. I moved him back into the bathroom the next morning, but shortly there after DH said Skippy should spend the night with us again.. so I ended up moving him over to the bedroom full time. There is another bathroom off the bedroom where I keep his litter box and feed him, so I am able to lock him away while we spend quality time with our own cats. Sometimes we sleep with Skippy, sometimes we sleep with the crew.. I end up feeling guilty no matter which option I choose because both are able to give me the biggest guilt trips..

Skip did worse this time with his cold. Last time it cleared up with in the week, but three days later he became congested again.. Now he's been on medication two weeks before it cleared up. I've decided I'm going to keep him on meds for a week after it clears - which was Sunday. He still HATES to be pilled, but if I do a football hold, and use something yummy to wash it all down with I can do it reasonably quickly (and I must be quick, because he starts trying to spit the pill out the second I put it in) He's not eating as much as I'd like him to, but currently I have less than ideal food. Even Lulu doesn't much approve (although my own cats are MORE than happy to help take care of any left overs..) I'm hoping there is something better at the shelter tomorrow.. or I'm going to have to go buy something for them. I wish I could feed him the raw that we feed our own cats, but I do not want to spoil him on it. I know it is best for him, but I can't know what his new owners are willing to feed, so I have to keep him open to the foods most likely to be fed. I know he loves it, because one day when he hadn't eaten for a while and I was getting really nervous, we offered him some, and he chowed down on it!!

He is a little escape artist now that he's feeling better. Keeping him in that room while there are other kitties to play with is a chore. I've let him run around a couple of times - mostly to help him work off some kitten energy but also because he likes it so. He often will go visit Bri (the rabbit). The other day he was so funny, he ran up to her, patted her gently on the head, then ran inside her cage and stalked her from in there while she was on the outside. I couldn't help but wonder what on earth was going through his mind :) Yesterday I was home alone because DH had an overnight for work, and he escaped. He ran around for a while, but I lost track of him. When I went to round him up, I couldn't find him anywhere. Finally I gave up and figured I'd check again in 20 minutes, so I went to bed and sat down for a bit. I was all comfy in bed before I realized Skippy was sitting there waiting for me. We spent the next hour cuddling before my cats got all too vocal that dinner hadn't been served yet (I had shut the door when I realized we were alone) He still LOVES to cuddle, loves to curl up in my neck and purr..

I so want.. but honestly seven cats is probably one or two too many - especially now that Ollie most likely needs surgery again.. They fit, they make a nice little happy pack, but they are a financial responsiblity, and I think it would be reckless of me to keep him.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Kitten Videos


I suggest you screw your head down, put on anti-explosive head gear, and be prepared for the onslaught of cuteness.

If your head explodes, you can not say I did not warn you!!

First, they were sleepy


Then, they were waking up


Then I was trying to get video of "Third" walking around. I haven't quite decided if he has a bad gait because he's only 4 weeks old, or if because he's missing a couple of neurons from his mom being injected while pregnant. He also seems to have a constant case of the hiccups.. which is pretty obvious in one of the videos..




Monday, September 21, 2009

*wimper*


I have avoided posting this, because I was hoping it wasn't real. I found a lump on Ollie on Friday. It was still there this weekend. I have an appointment for him this coming Friday to have it looked at..

poor thing.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Happy 3wk Birthday


There were just so many cute photos that I had to put them all in a slide show.


arrgh


well apparently I can't host my own blog and use blogger functionality. How frustrating (and why is there no spell check on this new dashboard??)


I want a cute blog.. not this bland plain thing, but I can't seem to get it right.
*this* is what I WANT the blog to look like (although the kitty image is a little big)


Ok that isn't true, I want a really cute adorable blog, not a plain blog with just one image at the top, but I like the functionality of the gadgets on the side. I suppose I could do a cname entry in my host and point to the blogger website, but I do really like the idea of hosting everything myself.
*headdesk*

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

the cuteness continues


Ok, Lula is unique.. I admit it.

Last night she moved her kittens again. I told you yesterday she gave her kittens a toy... well when she moved her kittens she moved the toy!! :)

What a good little mom she is!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Sharing the cuteness


Two very adorable things happened recently.

First Skippy. He's not doing well at all. I realized his URI was coming back, so I got more medication for him, and by the time I got it home, he was in full blown congestion. Stopped eating, rasped when he was breathing, just generally being pathetic. DH couldn't stand listening to him complain about being alone in the bathroom so we brought him into the bedroom for the night. He curled up under my chin and stayed there all night long. Now normally my cats curl up with me, but as soon as I start to wiggle to get comfortable they move on. Not Skip. Every time I tried moving to get comfortable, he snuggled deeper into my neck. Woke up several times in the night, and in the morning realized he hadn't moved. Didn't use his box, didn't finish his dinner, nothing. He did not want to wake up and start the day, was very much a teen fighting not to go to school. Once he realized I was getting up, he decided it was play time, and once again he went from stop to go. :) I swear that boy only has those two modes.. He wasn't into his breakfast at all, so I left him locked in the bathroom (figured there was less to distract him in there) with the heater on. I so need to find the perfect home for him. He so deserves someone who will give him all the love he craves after all the misery he's been through so far in his short little life.

Then I went down to deal with Lula and her kids. She was all "Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!" and getting around her to check on the kittens wasn't easy. She's such an attention hog. When I finally got to the kittens, I realized Lula had given them a kitten toy to play with. It is a small little pastel colored cloth ball designed for kittens. It was just too cute! I mean they barely recognize that they own their own feet.

Lula also created quite a stir yesterday when she decided to break out of the kitten room (did I mention she is an attention hog?) because we were in the room outside of the kitten room ignorning her cries for attention. We have a window into that room, and there was a screen in the window. She busted right through the screen, startling the crew that was down there with us. She was so proud of herself for getting to us, and only wanted us to worship her :)

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Skippy went for a walk, and picts


Well I have been feeling that we haven't been paying enough attention to Skippy, so I thought I'd give him a treat and see how he liked going outside for a walk. I got out the harness and tried to put it on him. He didn't much like it until I explained that it was going to be fun, and we'd get to go out, and then he settled right down and he let me put it on. I took him outside, and he was generally ok. He did freak out once, but then he settled right down. He enjoyed rolling around in the grass and acted pretty much like it was cat nip :)

He also found the fun in sprinting. And MAN is he fast!! So basically he had two modes, laying down or lighting fast running. I was a little concerned as the harness hasn't had that much testing, and I didn't want him to break out of it (cause I'd never catch him if he decided to sprint down the street) so we came in. We spent our half hour (MANDATORY!!) cuddling and then he started exploring the bedroom again and being silly. He's currently hugging DH's foot.

The newbies are growing like weeds. I swear they have tripled in size since their birth. Their eyes are slowly opening, and they are starting to test out their legs..

love the tongue


Here are the orphans the morning of their adoption. Their new home says they are doing beautifully, adjusting nicely and dealing with their older cat very well. They also apparently haven't stopped laughing since they brought the kittens home.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Its official


The orphans have gone on to their new home.

I brought them into work with me this morning - not having fed them, and man they were terrors. I always liken fosters who reach that adoptable stage as two yr olds at a birthday party, and no set exemplified that more then these guys.. (probably shouldn't say that as their new owners do have the address to this blog :D)

They were sweet, and they are adorable, and now they are gone.

That leaves me with just Skippy and Lula and her brood (just.. ha ha ha)

Saturday, August 29, 2009

picts


The kittens are growing like weeds. The boys have lost their cords and are fat and cubby. The girl still has hers, and is smaller and petite compared to them.
KITTEN BELLY!!
Then they were screaming and Lula came to the rescue.
When I went upstairs Fleurp was being adorably cute and wanted her photo taken.
I got up this morning and saw this, it was just too cute and had to share. Jack (gray) Ollie (black & white) and Muffin (white and gray)

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Skippy


Well the new drug combination is working wonders. He still sneezes a little, but you can't hear him breathe anymore. He HATES being pilled, and was quite adament about it this morning and spit it out twice. Fortunately I am craftier than he is and it eventually went down.

I so wish I could keep him.. but since that is not possible, I wish for the best possible home for him. Someone with gold plated kitty bowls and feather kitty beds..

Orphans at the vet


Oliver, Anne and Annie are at the vet to be neutered..

they were a little mad at me this morning because I forgot about the appointment until I was about to put the food down for them to eat.. very mean of me to offer food and then snatch it away before they could get any.

Lula will be glad when they are gone, she is sick of being locked up.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

And still three this morning


I guess there were only three in there. How on earth do some mothers give birth to six!! I think Lula would have exploded if there were any more in there.

Her belly is still quite distended but there doesn't seem to be anyone else in there.

She is also quite friendly towards the orphans now.. its adorable.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

and a brother and sister make three


Well after I stopped home for lunch, Lula popped out two more kittens. A little girl and then another boy. I can tell because of the various state of dampness. The original boy was all dry and fluffy, the girl slightly damp, the boy quite damp and his cord hadn't dried up at all.

I can't tell if Lula has any more or not. I felt up her abdomen, and I don't feel another one in there, but considering the state of the her belly prior to these deliveries and the state of her belly now, I wouldn't be shocked if a few more show up.

Here are the three of them. If you imagine they are a triangle the first boy is on the top left, the second boy top right and the girl is at the bottom.


Oliver was a little bothered that there was attention being given and he wasn't getting any so he climbed up in my lap and asked for it :)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...