The Nintendo Kittens have gone back to the shelter

Last I checked in with you, Princess Peach was spending her days in "jail". I was having the worst time figuring out why she was simply failing to thrive. She was generally okay, but she wasn't gaining weight. She was dehydrated for a while, had many days of good stool, a few bad days of good stool, some days she ate really well, others not so much. As time went on she became more and more lethargic after eating, and I was getting very concerned.  I brought her to the local vet on Friday and we tested her for Felv/Fiv and tested her stool. Both were negative. I was pretty much at the end of what I thought I could do and the shelter recommended that she go back to them for further diagnostics. There was talk about a liver shunt or FIP, and in the end, it really was in her best interest to be closer to the decision-makers so she and her siblings went back today.

Mario is doing extremely well. She has energy to spare. I swear if I could harness kitten energy I could power the world. She loves running at full speed and pouncing on anything that she can. She and Luigi would often run at each other and jump at the same time and crash in the middle of the air. I wish I could have caught it on camera as I probably would have won AFV.  She does like attention, but she is quite a busy kitty. She was the first of the group to figure out she could climb the cage Peach was in to investigate things I left up there.  She would often join in Princess Peach and Luigi's cuddle time with me and having all three of these kittens up on my chest was pretty awesome.

Luigi is a love.  He loves Peach, he likes attention, he is quick to purr and quick to snuggle up to me. he too has a lot of energy but wasn't as aggressive in burning it off. Right up to the end he still wanted to nurse on Peach. I hate that I couldn't recommend those two be adopted together because I think he would really like being with her, but it is in Princess Peach's best interest to not be with him.

On Friday, after the vet appointment, I was desperate. I hated seeing Princess Peach scream to eat and then eat and have to sleep for an hour or more after eating. She originally shunned eating raw food, but I decided to push it again, and I force-fed her a serving of it. She wasn't pleased, but she wasn't as exhausted as she had been. After the vet exam, she had a major .. um.. evacuation of her intestines.. and I guessed that it was the food that wasn't agreeing with her. I left her with some raw and some canned food and in the morning she had eaten it all, so I put her exclusively on raw all day Saturday and Sunday.  Come Monday morning she had regained the weight she had lost from the explosion and she didn't feel nearly as boney and she had so much energy that I was highly tempted to call off returning them.  I asked and the shelter still thought it best to bring her into the fold since I am more than an hour away from them.  I was sad about this, but I totally understand.   I just hope this wasn't one more false lead on the road to her health. I originally thought her only issue was being nursed on, then I thought it was this and that.. and I didn't even consider it could be a food issue because he stool was generally pretty good.  Time will tell.  I am hopeful she will get her happy ending, but if it is a liver shunt or some digestive issue I am sure they will do what is in her best interest. 


And now a few other adorable photos from the photoshoot this morning.  They really are super adorable. I do kinda wish they could be adopted as a trio, but I am sure they will be very happy wherever they land as long as they have toy mice, ping pong balls, and a warm lap to snuggle up into.