Friday, April 12, 2019

April's story, part two and three



Let me start off with some good news. The kittens are doing well, eating well, gaining weight and so far we have good news on their front.

And from here it is a bit of a roller coaster ride, so if you want to skip out, I can respect that.

So, I left the story off at heading into the eclinic at 11:30pm. April had been having contractions for over an hour and while part of a placenta was visible it wasn't coming out.  We packed her up and off we went, yes, in a snowstorm.


When we got there, the staff at the clinic grabbed her and rushed her into the back.  When they came back out I was told that she had actually been productive on the road and there were two kittens in the carrier with her. Unfortunately, one was not alive. As sad as that was, it verified that going to the eclinic was the right move.

Exams had to be made, a plan had to be formulated, decisions had to be made. It was floated that we do a spay and take the kittens and hope for the best. Since she was being productive it was also thought that she could just be left alone and she could finish this on her own. They talked about sending us home with her to finish delivery, but I was very uncomfortable with that since April was having such a hard time, not only with labor but with breathing in general. With the ride being half an hour long one way, with the snow, with it being 1:30am and our being exhausted, I really didn't like that idea.


They offered to set us up in a quiet corner of the clinic so we could watch her, but the hubby had to work in the morning, and I was so exhausted that I feared I'd fall asleep, so we opted to put April into her care for an additional $300 and headed home.

Sleep did not come easy, and 7am arrived far too early. I received an update from the clinic at 7:20 saying that April was still in labor with what they thought was the last kitten and I was free to come down and pick them up. I got there at 9am to the sad news that the last kitten did not survive either. While sad, it also confirmed my decision to leave them there. So she had six kittens in total, four survived. Three boys and a girl.


I was left to name April, which if you remember Hedy's story I was going to call her. I thought about it, and it seemed weird to use the name, but then I remembered that I had gone to a talk in my local community about the giraffe in Africa. When they study them they give them names. I thought it would be fun to name kittens after giraffe, and then it dawned on me that April is one of the most famous giraffe mothers.. so April it was. Baby names will wait until April is eating.

***Part Three***

My first look at the new family was when we got home. They kept April out back while they talked to me about how things were going, then they packed her up and carried out to my car.

When I got home I tried setting April up in the cage where she originally chose to sit when I first brought her home. She was basically non-responsive, like she was beyond exhausted. She was "home" (you know the saying the lights are on but no one is home) but she wouldn't move after I pulled her from the carrier and put her down.


This photo above is actually from the next day, but this was pretty much how she was. Breathing was an issue, she was croupy sounding, lethargic, hitting every button for being under a vet's care. I was a little annoyed with the eclinic for not recommending additional care, but I do think they honestly believed she would come out of it with a little rest.

Because of her hydration levels, I wanted her to get some fluids. She went off to the local vet who put her on an iv. I ran back and forth to bottle feed the kittens because they were short staffed. At the end of the day, they sent her home with her catheter wrapped up in that blue bandage and we hoped for the best.

The kittens were gaining weight, so that was good, but only because we were supplementing them. April had not eaten or used the litter box. In the morning I took her back for another day of fluids. Thankfully, her milk started coming in but only enough to sustain the kittens not to help them gain.  By the end of Thursday she still hadn't eaten nor had anyone seen her use the litter box. When I got her home I realized she had gone pee, so I cleaned her up and set her up with the kittens and decided to wait four hours before nursing to see just how long I could go (because getting up every two hours after a night of almost no sleep was very painful) and they could go four hours between supplement feeding. They might have been able to go a little longer, but I was not risking it.

Friday morning she went back to the vet. They didn't supplement the kittens at all, and thankfully they gained weight over the day. This is very good news. April is still not eating. She did voluntarily move on Friday morning, only to move away from the kittens and hide in the corner.

I am so exhausted, and I am so worried about April, that I took the rescue up on their offer of taking over for a while so I can get some rest. I have plans to go to bed early tonight and sleep tomorrow. After that, she will come back to me and I can only hope she is eating at that point. Everything else is manageable from my perspective.

Self-care, it is important.. and with some help of some goodies friends have made me in the past (I really love my freezer), hopefully, I'll have a nice easy (wait.. no, stop.. I still have a pregnant cat in the basement.. let's not jinx this... )

Hopefully, I'll have a good night's sleep.



13 comments:

  1. My heart goes out to you...and April. Hang in there and I sure hope this turns around quickly. Rest, rest, rest. I've instructed Hedy telepathically to keep the kittens in the oven longer...

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  2. Praying for April and her babes. Get some sleep!

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  3. Ugh....poor everyone. Get some sleep. She's safe

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  4. We certainly send good thoughts. Hope everyone recovers.

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  5. Oh my, I hope things improve soon for April and you get the rest you need.

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  6. Still sending purrayers for all cncerne !

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  7. We're purring for April...and her babies...and you too. What an ordeal.

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  8. I guess 4 out of 6 is good I hope mum and bubs are improving

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  9. I'm grateful for those who survived, and that you are looking out for them all. I pray that April improves to full health soon.

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  10. Thank you for all the things you do. Purrs for the mom. Yay, for the new babies.

    Emma and Buster

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  11. St Francis' blessings to you and the wee ones April ~~~~~~ we hope today's a better one for you, the wee ones and mom and dad ~ ♥♥

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  12. Wow! That is a lot for EVERYONE to go through! I'm purring loads for April, and I'm glad that you are taking care of yourself, because you need it to make sure the best outcome happens.

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  13. Thank goodness April was with you! I can't imagine anyone who could handle the complicated situation better and with the best chance of success. We hope April perks up and starts feeling better.

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