Monday, August 5, 2013

Headed to the shelter



So last I left you on the story of Ginger was Thursday and she had slowed down her eating.  Well she also developed liquid diarrhea.  Friday I went into the shelter and spoke to K and she gave me some Albon for her.

I gave her the first dose which went semi OK.. she swallowed what I gave her, but the remnants drooled out of her mouth and all over her.  She looked at me like I had broken her tiny trust and it broke my heart.  I tried to explain to her it was to help her, but she wasn't taking any chances.  It took quite some time and a lot of open hands (see no meds) to get her to allow me to pat her again.

Saturday we had solid stools, but she wasn't eating much at all.  She lost quite a bit of weight (any weight loss is quite a bit when you are pregnant and should be gaining) and I was concerned, so I called the shelter and was told that we could get her in to a vet on Monday if needed.  Saturday night I stumbled upon a can of food she would eat.. BFF Tuna.. so I gave her the second can of it and she ate that too.  After the first can of food I attempted to give her the second dose of Albon.. this went worse than the first dose and the drool was MUCH worse and the looks of disdain cut right through me.  I explained that if she ate well, kept solid stool and started cleaning up the drool off her fur from yesterday that I wouldn't need to force anything on her.  I gave her a good belly rub which she loved quite a bit and I felt a lot of fluttering in her belly.. it felt a bit like her kittens were having a little swim meet.. :)

Sunday I didn't have another can of BFF, so I offered FF whitefish and tuna, and that was a no go.  I found another can of stinky fish food and she licked maybe a quarter of the gravy off.  She sneezed a few times, so I attempted to give her fluids.  It all went well - until a point.  She didn't care that I brought the fluid bag in the room.  She didn't care when I swapped out needles.  She didn't care when I put her on the couch, and she mostly didn't care when the needle pierced her skin.. but once the fluids started flowing she started running.  She bolted so fast it seriously was the blink of an eye.. at one point I had a cat getting fluids, the next nanosecond I had fluids shooting all over the floor. *shakes head*

I tried again a bit later on, and the same thing happened.. and again the look of distrust.. *sigh*

Last night she was sneezing quite a bit and breathing open mouthed. She also felt quite warm to the touch... her belly and her ears but not her feet.  I attempted to rub her belly but she didn't want to lay down so I tried to feel for kitten movement while she stood and let me rub her belly.  It was hard, and I am not sure I felt anything at all... there might have been something.. it might have just been her stomach or intestines and gas..  I haven't felt movement in there every day since she has been here, so not feeling movement at this point is not necessarily a bad thing, but considering the lack of food and now the congestion.. I'm concerned.  So at 8am I'll be bringing her to the shelter and letting them decide what they want to do with her.  If nothing else they will have a second pair of hands there that are trained in giving medication.  While I can do more, that look of distrust was something I can not deal with.. I want to be her safe space.. not her jailer..

Since I do not know what is going on with her, I do not know what the future holds.  She might come right back, she might stay at the shelter for a while.. she might stay at the vets for a while (more first and last options are more likely than the middle one)   So we'll see.  I'll keep you updated as I know more.

19 comments:

  1. Such a worry for you. Sending love and purrs that she and the kittens are OK. xx

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  2. Poor Ginger. We've got our paws crossed she'll feel better soon!

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  3. We hope Ginger feels better soon. You must be very worried. Many purrs for her from all of us.

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  4. I really hope Ginger is okay - you've done an amazing job trying to help her. I know the feelings of guilt from the looks that you speak of - it can be very disturbing to think you've broken their trust but rest assured; once Ginger is feeling better, she'll realize you were only trying to help and she'll still be grateful.

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  5. Oh, I know that look. . .I sure hope everything is ok with her. The poor girl. :-(

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  6. paws crossed. we are with you - we want to be the safe ones, not the meanies

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  7. Crossing my fingers that she and her babies are okay.

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  8. oh no, poor Ginger! We agree, mommy's a total wimp with the look of distrust. And dad's a TOTAL loser in that department. He REFUSES to be the bad guy (guess who takes all of us to the vet?).

    Hoping Ginger and babies are all well....

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  9. Poor Ginger, I certainly hope she'll be alright. She's gone through a lot already in her short life.

    Thinking of both of you.

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  10. I am sending lots of purrs to Ginger! I really hope things improve for her.

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  11. We are purring and praying for Ginger. We hope this beautiful girl will be okay.

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  12. We'll be waiting to hear what happens. Hope this beautiful girl doesn't end up losing her kittens 'cause we bet they'll be just as gorgeous as she is. Purrs and hugs, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

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  13. Oh poor baby, I hope she will be okay. Giving meds is so hard when they don't like. I get so scared to lose trust.

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  14. Oh we feel so sad for her. She is in our thoughts!

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  15. Its too bad that sometimes you have to do things the kitties don't like in order to make them better. Maybe its better the vet handle giving her some meds right now. My Lumpy had to have subq fluids too, and he hated them! No matter how I tried to hold him, he'd bolt and I had fluids squirting all over the kitchen. I'm sure her loss of trust is only temporary. She's a fussy eater like Oui Oui!

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  16. Poor Ginger. We purr that she feels better soon. The mom says she knows that look of distrust...we've given it to her one too many times...'specially Zoey who still doesn't totally trust her.

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  17. I hope everything is going better for Ginger - and you, very soon. Purrs and hugs.

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  18. Poor Ginger & poor you! I KNOW you are only doing your best - don't let her looks get to you. She probably feels awful & doesn't hold anything against you. I really hope she feels better soon. That look DOES break your heart, though. MomKatt says it makes you feel about this big (has MomKatt pinch small amount of air between thumb & forefinger).

    We're purring for you both.

    Purrz,
    Selina & MomKatt Laura

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  19. fingers crossed for ginger!xx

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