Wednesday, November 20, 2019

A Hello and a Goodbye


This was destined to be a short term foster from the beginning, but it ended up being even shorter than I imagined.

NHKittens had a bunch of kittens that needed medical clearance so I was asked if I would take a few of them and of course I said yes immediately. I went to get the four of them and brought them home. I was told that they had an accident in their carrier so they were unhappy and a little stinky.  No big deal, I can deal with both.

I got them home and let them out and they immediately hid. Totally understandable, but a little more than was reasonable because there wasn't a ping on the webcam (which tells me when there is activity) for hours.

I let them decompress for a full day before going to see them. They had plenty of food and water so I was worried about neither and I could check on them with the webcam. When I went down I had a hard time finding them. Thankfully the room was still set up for fearful cats and I hadn't swapped out the couches (the other is up off the ground where a cat could get under) I had no idea how necessary it was going to be.


turns out we had one kitty with a pretty bad URI. This little gray girl had opaque green snot coming from her eyes and her nose so she was taken to the vet and given medication. Fortunately, she was willing to give me the benefit of the doubt and let me do it. She wasn't a huge fan of being held, but I could get her to purr and I was able to rub her belly with her consent. I did have to give her a big warning to not act like Jack in any way or I would be deadded.. After seeing the Nebelung at the shelter the previous weekend, it was almost more than I could stand.. Thankfully she was her sweet little self and while I loved her for who she was and where she was in the world, and I got to spend time with her without being a complete and utter mess - which I feared would be the case if another Nebelung came into my home. I wasn't given names, so the Catman said we should call her Jill, which I did and it was totally fine. Yes, given different life circumstances I could totally see myself keeping her but right now, with Muffin's health on the decline and whatnot, is not the right time.

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a situation..


This little golden nugget was much larger than the other kitties. I really wasn't told much about them (not even their names) and so I was attempting to get to know them. Each one was very nervous after the day of decompression, but they allowed me to pick them up and take a quick peek at them to make sure they were in good health, were not covered in poop, and have a quick positive interaction to try to build trust. The first three went just fine, but this girl was not having any of it. Unfortunately she didn't tell me that until she told me in the worst way possible. Yes, I was bitten.

I went very slowly, I put my hands on her first, a gentle pat. She gave me no warnings. She looked me right in the eye - which in hindsight was defiance but at the time I thought was interest. I picked her up from her hiding spot and moved her on top of the little cubbie. She was securely on all four feet. She did not try to scrabble away. Her body language said she was uncomfortable but not much more than that. I patted her again, and still no warnings. No hissing, no growling, nothing.  I picked her up and was okay until I tried to sit down with her, at which point she needed to get away now. I was too close to my husband to feel comfortable just letting go. I didn't know if she was going to end up in his lap or on his face, so I was attempting to redirect her toward the ground when I felt the claw go in one finger and fangs in another.

This isn't the first time I have been bitten.. Always by cats who do not know how to communicate properly with humans.. I knew to let it bleed, and to my husband's credit he just let me let it bleed until I had a nice pile on the floor. I was able to direct him to get me what I needed to take care of myself and after a few minutes, I was cleaned up and was letting the shelter know what happened.

I watched it for a while and nothing seemed to be happening so I ended up going to bed. I had never reacted before, but I know darn well to not take anything for granted when you are bitten by a cat. You really should get to a doctor, but watching and waiting for any sign that it is getting worse isn't necessarily a bad call - as long as you go at the very first sign.. cat bites are dangerous in a few different ways.

I went to bed. I woke up and I had a red streak that was there the night before and I assumed was just a bruise from all of the bleeding. I marked it with a pen and attempted to go about my morning, but the more I thought about it the more I thought getting it looked at was going to be the better of two ideas. Not so much for the bite that was doing rather well, but the claw punctures that were swollen. Of course, the doctor was much more concerned about the bite (as he should be) but regardless of how he treated it, everything was taken care of with the antibiotics and the tetanus shot I was given. It has been a few days and the worst of it was the tetanus shot which STILL hurts.. smh.

Anyway.. I decided to leave her to her own devices as she had no idea how to talk to people and appeared to not want to learn. The other three seem to be reachable and I assume will be able to learn that people weren't only to be feared. The gray one was the first one to come out on her own to eat when I was in the room. The tiger one was next. She was a bit of a flirt and even flopped on the floor and rubbed her head on the floor and showed off her belly. This was an interesting show because the second I moved she was GONE! but she didn't mind making herself vulnerable in front of me, so I know she will be a wonderful pet once she learns to trust.

But this was to be a very short foster because it was decided that the orange kitty was going to be a barn kitty and she was able to schedule them to be neutered shortly after the incident. They went back to the shelter on Friday to be neutered and then to another home who wanted a project. I sent them off with some rescue remedy and a comfort zone defuser and the offer to take them back if they are too much. I hope whoever they are with has the right energy and clicks with them and so they learn to trust.

I wouldn't have minded spending more time with "Jill" but it is probably for the best as I might have just fallen head over heals and kept her despite logic and reason.. I am guessing there is going to be another Nebelung in my future.. just not right now.

10 comments:

  1. Neblung? Who is that? I missed something?
    So sorry you were bitten so bad. Are you feeling better now? My kitten bit my husband really bad when he was still tiny...we were giving him a bath with Dawn to remove the fleas, and kitty got really terrified and bit into hubby's finger. We didn't think much about it...but now reading your blog, I am curious. You said cat bites can be dangerous. Can you tell me more why? So that I am well informed?

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    1. Heidi7:42 AM

      Neblung is a race of cats. They are grey with semilong fur. Connie's most beloved Jack was a Neblung he died last year. Try scrolling down and click on his name :-) He was a really lovely and handsome boy

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  2. Wow, those kitties were hard cases! I'm sure there will be another gray kitty in your future.

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  3. I thought that was a photo of you holding Jack at first!

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  4. Sometimes that is the best time to get another kitten. When our Jackson was failing we had adopted a kitten 3 months before we lost him. It was a life saver for us as he helped us get through losing the cat be bother loved so very much. She in now the ruler of the house and I swear he passed on so much of his knowledge to her before he left us.

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  5. Awww..they're so adorable that it's sad they are so frightened. Jill is lovely, and I hope she'll eventually find her way back to you.

    Sorry about the bite, and the shot!

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  6. Being flexible enough to foster for a couple of days...with or without bites and scratches...is so very valuable to the rescues! The right cat will come along, and you'll know it. Angel Jack is monitoring the situation; he'll know the right time!

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  7. A bittersweet coming and going for sure. Hopefully your bites and scratches will heal safely and the kitties will be healthy and well placed. And another kitty will be there at the right time. Purrs.

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  8. Paws crossed....

    And a reminder that mom needs her tetanus updated (ouch)

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  9. Connie, I hope your injuries are healing well. I too believe angel Jack is watching over you just like angel Kokomo watched over me and brought NH Kittens, you and Jasmine, formerly Slate from Hedys offspring, into my like. I am forever grateful.

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