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.
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