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.

Princess Peach is in Jail until further notice

When the kittens came to me a few weeks ago, they were pretty normal and average kittens, no major issues, in good health, etc. Peach seemed a little smaller than the other two, but I wasn't stressed about that at all. 

I then realized her poop was a little bit softer than the others and it wasn't firming up. She wasn't gaining as well as her siblings, so I gave her some probiotics. Her stool firmed up, but she was still quite small. Mario and Luigi both gained weight and filled out while she looked pretty much unchanged. 

I know that kittens gain at different rates so I initially wasn't that concerned. She was eating and she was active, so it was something I was keeping an eye on not so much something I was worried about. 

I noticed that Luigi was incessant about .. um.. well to be direct, nursing on her genitals.  This is something very young orphaned kittens do for comfort. I had not seen it start up in three-month-old kittens so I was assuming it was something he had done regularly and it wasn't causing a problem. I had real problems with it because it is seemed so rude, especially as he got bigger and she did  not, but no outward physical damage was being done (it can get really damaging in little kittens who can't get away) 

Then one morning I went down to feed them and found four piles of vomit about the room. Princess Peach was showing signs that it was her. She was tired and just had that air of not feeling well.  I separated her out into the bathroom and consulted with the rescue and we gave her some metro to settle her stomach and we gave her some fluids.

Things seemed to be going in the right direction, then one day she spent the day out of the bathroom (either I forgot to close her back in or the Catman let her out not realizing) and she went right downhill. 

More consults with the rescue and my own vet, we increased fluids and I decided to move her into a cage so she could interact with her siblings a little more.  

While I can't know for certain what happened, I am guessing that Luigi pestered her to the point of some pretty severe dehydration that subq fluids could only take care of over multiple days.  At this point, she is putting on some weight and is active and self-grooming and playful.   I will continue fluids and supplements until she is 3lbs

She gets plenty of running around time twice a day. Luigi has become more respectful (thank goodness) and hopefully, she won't need to be isolated for the rest of the time she is here. 

As an aside.. I realized the other day that Mario is actually a girl. I did a quick gender check when they first arrived and in my hubris, I didn't double-check myself (I always should).  I am not going to worry about changing her name as they probably won't be here much longer. Besides, as high energy as she is (and I mean like a toddler birthday party on Red Bull high energy) I do think Mario fits her very well. 

Catching up with the kittens

Luigi, Mario, Princess Peach

Princess Peach

Princess Peach and Mario

Luigi

Luigi, Princess Peach, Mario

The kittens have been with me a little while and are doing pretty well. There have been a few issues overall, but they have generally been well-mannered kitties who haven't been much of a problem at all.

Princess Peach has been dealing with digestive issues. I think they are all set at this point as I haven't seen diarrhea in the box in a couple of days. She has been very slow to gain weight and has only just cleared the 2.5 lb mark where the brothers are racing to see who can reach four pounds first. 

I have also been dealing with some issues with Luigi. He was very timid at first and still startles easily. His first thought is to hide, which will make him a great companion for a quiet home. His insecurities have probably also led to his second problem which is nursing on his siblings' genitals. This is something orphaned kittens often do for comfort since they nurse and get liquid, but it can cause some serious problems if left unchecked. I have not seen it last this late into kittenhood, but as we like to say every cat is different. Mario doesn't put up with him for very long and kicks him in the face or gets up and walks away but Princess Peach puts up with it, so I have felt the need to separate them when I am not in the room. Luigi doesn't seem to mind at all and has not been the least bit destructive while isolated.

I asked my husband what he would say if asked to describe their personalities, because other than Luigi having a little less self-confidence they are pretty similar to me. He said, "they are cute, playful, affectionate and everything you could ever want from a kitten".  

I will say they are not the most graceful kittens to ever take a turn in my kitten room. Heck, I would probably rank them pretty low in the grace department.  Watching them jump up to catch a toy you would wonder if it is their first day with new feet.  They rarely land upright when playing, often falling over and looking quite ridiculous. Mario has an obnoxiously long tail that wraps around his paws and then some.. 

It is pretty rare that I don't have stand out features for a kitten. Usually, a kitten will have a preference for a toy or have a unique way of snuggling, something that sells them as "different" but these kittens are all very similar.

Happy National Kitten Day!

Happy National Kitten Day!

I will admit this one snuck up on me. Didn't realize today was the day.  I was going to wait until Monday to admit this, so I had a chance to get to know the kittens and give you a better idea of who is now residing at Camp Casa de Gato, but seriously, how could I resist posting kittens on National Kitten Day???

So.. Meet the campers..

The two on the top are a girl and a boy.. She has the head that has more black on it, he has the more white. The black kitty with white with the big eyes is also a boy. Decided on the names Mario (for the white with black boy), Luigi (for the black with white), and Princess Peach.

All three were unsure about me in the beginning. Peach thought I might bring food, so she was willing to come to see me when I walked in for the third time.  Luigi is more likely to run and hide when I walk into the room but will come out after a few minutes. Even after playing for a few minutes, his eyes look like they do above, so I am guessing he is going to end up having some really interesting photos in the next few weeks :)

They need nail trims.. that will be on the todo list in the next day or so.. unless they move that up the list by doing what kittens do..