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Kitten Season is in full swing and this year is the worst anyone can remember. Everyone is full up, overflowing and desperate to find foster homes. I'm finding myself feeling broken hearted and trying hard to fight off feeling hopeless.
Henry County Care & Control is loaded with families of moms and kittens I so very badly want to rescue, but I can't do a thing and those families are being euthanized. Every day I get urgent pleas for help from near and far. My Facebook feed is mostly photos of cats with “urgent“ or “last call” written by their photo. What kills me is I could do more. We could stretch out what funds we have, but we have NO FOSTER HOMES so I'm doing as much as I can with just my small foster space and what Maria can offer down in Georgia.
Our little family in Georgia is headed by Cami, a feral torte mama. They live at Maria's home in a big ferret cage. It's all the space we have, but I'm grateful for it. Cami's little kittens, who Maria grabbed from a neighbor's home and who lived in terrible conditions, are finally stable enough to be named. We had hoped to have five kittens, but two went missing the day before Maria went to rescue them and have never been seen since.
Maria named the kittens, Choco, after one of her own cats, ChiChi because she liked the name, and Coco after Ice T's wife, Coco. It was touch and go for a few weeks. The kittens had to recover from a few weeks of poor nutrition and were grossly underweight.
I was very concerned that ChiChi wasn't going to make it. She was only 8 ounces for well over a week while her siblings quickly gained weight bringing them to over a pound. Now that the kittens have been de-wormed and given a great grain free canned diet, our concerns are falling by the wayside. The kittens are growing at a better pace and can focus on what all kittens should-playing and having fun.
Maria set up a pen for the kittens to play in so they could get out of their cage, but they easily climbed over it within a few minutes. Maria is not phased about them running around and lets them have some freedom from being caged while she supervises. (The kittens are too young to be exposed to other cats so they can only be out of their cage while she's with them.)
We've been desperately trying to find a home for Miss Fluffy Pants, to open up space for the kittens. I thought we had an adopter lined up. In fact, I was about to announce it, when the entire adoption fell through. The adopter said she was sick and couldn't meet Miss FP, then won't return either of our emails to confirm our fears that Miss FP may never find a forever home.
Roadblocks seem to be a theme this year. I'm locked down with Bobette taking my only other foster space, second to the larger bedroom where my six black foster kittens and their mom are living. If Bobette could find a home it would really open things up for us, but between these two cats AND poor King who has NEVER gotten even ONE application, I am very worried about our ability to help more kittens any time soon.
It seems as though it should be easy to find homes for two cats, maybe three, okay plus ALL the kittens, but kittens generally are easy to place. We should be able to help more. It's so frustrating to not have space or extra hands to help but no one will step forward.
I'm very grateful that Maria is not only flexible but patient. She'll provide a loving and safe home for these cats until I can move them north. In the meantime they have everything they need and from the looks of it, they're thriving. Those who remain are no longer dirty and wasting away, living in dangerous conditions. These little loves have something so many do not-the promise of a bright future and we're very glad to be able to offer that to them.
They were going to die unless a miracle happened. A black and white cat and her four kittens needed a rescue and needed one soon. They were in an overcrowded kill shelter I've often written about called Henry County Care & Control in McDonough, GA. Over the past few years I've been able to help many cats from this facility, but I can never save enough and at the time, almost exactly a year ago, I had too many foster kittens of my own and could not take on this family.
The mama along with three additional mamas and their kittens were going to be euthanized so I went to work writing blog posts about them and asking for help.
I'm not sure what effect my posts had, but three families were rescued, leaving one kitty we called “The Cow Mama” behind. Her time was up, but no one could help. I asked my friend, Dorian Wagner of Your Daily Cute who LOVES cow kitties as much as I do. We begged, pleaded, wrote emails, made calls. We did not think this family would ever see sunshine again or know a loving home. Instead they would know a lethal injection and a black plastic body bag.
I contacted our friends at Humane Society of Forsyth County in a last ditch plea for help. They agreed to step in and take the entire family! What a relief! We were deliriously happy, but like with any rescue we always wondered what happened next?
Yesterday I got an email from Rachel C. who's given me permission to share it with all of you. Rachel wrote:
Hi Robin!
Last August we adopted two kittens from a foster mom with the Forsyth County Humane Society. This morning, as I was sipping my coffee, I got a wild hair to do a Google search to find the old postings for their adoptions in honor of the kittens first birthday tomorrow. My search led me right to your blog post “Not on My Watch: Believe in Miracles”. You see, our newest additions are two of the cow kitties rescued last year in the nick of time from Henry County. Thanks to you, the balls were set in motion to rescue these wonderful animals, and in turn, gave us the wonderful gift of these loving felines. The two we adopted were the runt, who is on her back underneath her mama’s arm in the picture, and the one who’s markings resembled that of a domino. I ran into their foster mom a few months back, and heard the other two were also adopted together a couple of weeks later. We were not aware their mother had also found a loving home, and we were excited to hear that. She had walked right up to my husband when we made our first visit to the Humane Society, so she was definitely one to make an impression.
These kittens, now named Annabelle and Princeton (somewhat prestigious names for kittens, but fitting for their “rags-to-riches” story), have adapted well in their new home, and get along, for the most part, with our existing 14-year-old cat, Nikki, who looks like the female twin of your Cricket! The kittens are absolutely hilarious! Princeton has grown into a handsome, talkative little man who likes to torment Nikki, pick wrestle matches with his sister, and yet underneath it all, he’s a little timid when it comes to the unknown. Annabelle is just flat out cute! We call her our vegetarian...she likes bananas and apples and carrots, though we try to keep her out of our human food. She also is the most daring, so we have to watch she doesn’t go exploring into unsafe territory when the rare opportunity arises. Both are cuddle bugs who like to curl up on laps and sleep right between our pillows every night.
A big thanks for all you do! Keep up the good work and know that felines and humans alike are all greatly appreciative. If there is anything I can do to help with rescues, let me know. I will donate financially when I am able, but can always help with spreading word of rescues in need.
As a Cat Rescuer, this is what I live for-stories like this that illustrate not only the power of what we can do when we work together, but the deep and profound love people have for shelter cats. These cats are not purebred or exotic. They came from a heartbreaking situation, but they made it. They won the kitty-lottery and got a great home which is the goal of every single rescue. If only all our shelter cats were so lucky.
“Kitten Season” is in high gear and Henry County Care & Control is full up with mamas and kittens. If you're interested in fostering and live in the area, contact ME at info@kittenassociates.org. If you know anyone who volunteers with a Rescue or Shelter in Georgia, please ASK THEM if they would help-even ONE family or a few orphan kittens. The kittens in need are NOT listed publicly because they are too young to be adopted. Contact the good folks at HCCAC via: Henry County Care & Control's Facebook Page or by their web site
Let's make another Happy Ending come to pass. All it takes is YOU. Just make the call, send the e-mail, ask one person to help. Look what we can do when we TAKE ACTION over just wishing it would get better. We can DO THIS!
If you enjoy reading about my crazy exploits or about the cats and kittens I've rescued, I'd be very appreciative if you'd consider nominating CoveredinCatHair.com for one or MORE Nose-to-Nose Blogging & Social Media Awards
This is the FIRST year BlogPaws created these awards and what's great about them is that entries are judged by a panel of Professionals so bloggers who have an enormous following, don't necessarily win since it's NOT a popularity contest! This gives the little guys, like us, a chance to shine!
I outlined in blue the top THREE I would LOVE to be nominated for if you think it's fair.
Nominations end on MAY 6th SO ACT FAST, PLEASE!
The form is basically the same for each nomination. I filled one out so you could see what you need to include. Of course you add your OWN name to the nomination in the appropriate spaces provided.
Last night I reached out to all of you to help us find a home or rescue to take Miss Fluffy Pants so we could open up adequate space to take in a Feral Mama and some of her kittens (two of the five are still missing as of this writing). I'm glad to report that in LESS THAN ONE DAY we have some hope.
A special lady stepped forward to adopt Miss Fluffy Pants!!! She lives in the Atlanta area, but for some reason if that doesn't work out, MissFP has been accepted by the East Coast Maine Coon Rescue as a cat they will include as a courtesy post on their web site. They get a lot of adoptions and it's great exposure for our sweet girl! Thank you to Chris & Vicky at ECMCR! Check out one of the cats they're trying to save-a gorgeous Orange Maine Coon in New Jersey!
As for our Emergency Rescue last night, it's clear we waited too long to step in, but these cats belong to a resident of the same town Maria lives in so we couldn't just jump in without his permission.
I'd like to say some very angry words about the person who "owned" these cats. Things like, “you had a chance to get your cat spayed a year ago for FREE, why didn't you do it?”
Or how about asking why your “cat,” weighs TWO AND A HALF POUNDS!!!!! Are you even FEEDING HER?! Her kittens weigh between 8 and 10 OUNCES. Is it because they're YOUNG or because they're STARVING?
Thankfully Maria was able to get the Mom and the kittens set up in a two story ferret cage without too much trouble. It's not very spacious, but it's what we have until Miss FP finds a home. The Mama allowed Maria to wash the kitten's faces, carefully rinsing away the goop on their eyelids. They fussed as kittens do, but eventually she was able to tease their eyes back open.
Once the kittens were clean, everyone got a huge helping of Halo cat food-thanks to the big donation they sent us! The kittens ate some of their food and wore the rest. Maria was able to tell that we have a Black male kitten, an Orange Tabby FEMALE! kitten and a FLAME POINT (our first!) female kitten. Mama is a Tortie to the max and full of “Tortie-tude.”
This morning, Maria took the day off work so she could take the family to the Vet! It's a good thing she didn't wait. Mama is severely underweight and the kittens are too small. They all have Coccidia, fleas and an eye infection. Had they gone on like this much longer, I have no doubt the kittens and probably the mama would have died. It wasn't so much that they couldn't fend off their infections or parasites, but between the combination of all these things, PLUS poor or no nutrition…they wouldn't have made it. The fleas would have caused anemia, the parasites would prevent them from absorbing nutrition-if they got any and the environment was not safe at all.
Mama went wild in the car on the way to the Vet and while she was at the Vet! She peed, screamed and gave the Vets a big scare when they tried to de-worm her. She did NOT want to be messed with. At least they did get her blood and she tested NEGATIVE for FIV+ and Feline Leukemia!
It's going to be awhile before these cats are healthy. Mama is going to need a lot of food. Maria tells me she can see the cat's spine she's so thin. What a horrible life these cats have led-all under the “watchful” eye of a human, who did nothing for them until Maria stepped in and fought to save them and give them the chance at a better life. I'm glad she could keep her cool and just get those cats into safety. I hope we'll be able to find the two kittens who are missing. It's a bitter pill to swallow, knowing we could have taken them in sooner and saved all five kittens, but were too worried about taking up what few resources we have.
We did amazingly well with our fundraiser reaching just about the halfway mark of our goal, but because we had to take the cats to Vet and not the low cost clinic (because they are only open on Wednesdays), we already used up half of our funds to pay the first Vet bill. We urgently need to raise the remaining funds so we'll have that money ready when they need their vaccines, spay & neuter, and my fear-more medications and more emergency visits.
If you didn't get a chance to help us last night, use the ChipIn Widget, below or this LINK to our fundraiser page on ChipIn. Every dollar adds up and no donation is too small.
If you'd prefer to send a check, please make it out to: Kitten Associates and please note on the check the funds should go to "Bright Eyes Fund" mail it to:
For the kitten's fourth week birthday I decided to be an idiot and scare the crap out of them! Hurrah! I'm learning oh so much about fostering kittens; what to do, not do. Today's lesson is: “DO NOT DO THIS.”
The other day I downloaded some iPhone apps that had to do with cats. Some are educational/ reference material about what is toxic to cats or cat health and others are silly and have to do with painting using photos of cats or adding weird things to existing photos of cats (like laser beam eyes). I also got this app called Cat Sounds. It was FREE. It has all of FOUR (free) cat sounds on it, plus some wild cat sounds. Last night I played a few of the sounds and my cats almost slept through them. One sat up and looked around.
This morning, after playing with the kittens and shooting some video, as a MORONIC ACT I decided to (FAIL!) play the sounds. One sound was of a purring cat and another was was titled: “Happy Cat.” April was sitting next to me on the floor. She heard the sounds and looked around, but was basically bored.
I played the Happy sound again. I think it was a cat in heat. The energy in the room shifted. It got quiet. I looked into the bathtub and the kittens had formed a group and were huddled together-TERRIFIED!
Of course, instead of soothing them, I shot a video. Classy move on my part, I know. Fortunately the kittens don't appear to be adversely effected, but one of them is still giving me a funny look ever time I enter the room to check in on them.
Watch the video! It will explain it in a more entertaining way.
It's Sunday. Time to kick back and relax. April's kittens are one day away from reaching their 4th week birthday. They're starting to look more like cats and less like hamsters. Their wobbly legs are getting more sturdy and this week many of them have figured out what the litter pan is for.
I'm still awkwardly attempting to provide supplemental feedings for the smaller kittens, but they don't eat much and so far only Dahlia, who is one of the biggest kittens, has eaten well for me. The kittens are growing and their mass dwarfs their Mother, April as she rolls over to expose her belly so the kittens can all reach a nipple. Every day I see more of the kittens and less of April. I've got to get these kittens starting on lapping at their milk replacer, but so far it hasn't gone well.
What did surprise me was seeing one of the kittens dash over to April's plate of food and give it a lick! It was canned food so I was surprised and it wasn't enough to cause the kitten any issues. I thought that maybe that kitten was hungry and sure enough I got her to take a few syringes of formula.
The kittens are starting to recognize me. At first it was just Cutie who would scramble over to the side of the tub and cry for me to pick her up. Now Dahlia and Sabrina have joined along. They all purr when I hold them. It's a marvelous feeling to hold a tiny kitten and hear her purr and see her relaxed and inquisitive, not fearful at all.
Every day I spend a few hours with the family. I fuss over how clean their bedding is-which I change out every day. I make sure the kittens pee for me after I feed them and they always oblige by lifting their back right leg when I stimulate them to go! It's a very strange sight. I'm beginning to feel like their co-Mother and April seems to understand that. She “talks” to me and the kittens when she's not in the tub with them. She comes over to be petted and is relaxed if I'm holding or feeding the kittens. She trusts me and I'm very careful to honor that trust and not do anything to upset the balance.
I'm starting to change up the kitten's environment to give them added enrichment and also to challenge them. Yesterday I added a small cat scratching post and they all surrounded it with complete fascination. Two of them managed to climb it! I'll post a video of that later this week. Today they enjoyed romping inside a padded cube. I am completely mesmerized by their antics as they clumsily climb in, then fall back out of the cube. I can tell they're having fun and I know I'm helping them become more confident in the world around them.
I'm very grateful the kittens have survived this long. I've heard that when they cut their teeth between weeks 4 and 5 they can suddenly die. Of course I'm completely paranoid about this happening and am very glad I cancelled a trip I was going to take at the end of the week. I need to be home no matter how badly I'd like to take a break and get away. I don't want to lose a single kitten; not on my watch.
The sun is absent today and it's about 30° cooler than it was yesterday. The rains are coming, at last. It's the perfect day to snuggle up with six squirmy, sweet, impossible-to-photograph kittens and savor this special time in their lives.
Last week, our friend JaneA Kelley, lost her dear cat, Dahlia to atypical large-cell lymphoma. It all seemed to happen so quickly, just moments after JaneA moved into her new apartment, her concerns that something was wrong with her beloved cat, that had nothing to do with the stress of moving, came true. JaneA's blog, Paws & Effect, followed Dahlia's life and sudden passing in moving detail. You can read about Dahlia's passing HERE.
Dahlia, along with her kitty-family, Thomas T. Bombadil & Siouxsie Mew are well known to fans of cat blogs around the world, so we all felt great sadness when JaneA posted the news that Dahlia was gone. We lost one of our own.
As a friend, I just wanted to make it better. I hate to hear about cats passing away. I never want any cat to die-that's why I do cat rescue. I wanted to do more than simply say I was sorry or send a card. So, if you'll watch the video posted here, you'll see what I've done in honor of Dahlia's life and these photos will make more sense.
April and her kittens have been here for a few weeks and every day I enjoy seeing them making progress. It's a slow change, from being blind, to opening their eyes, to struggling to stand, to taking awkward steps. Their tiny, sharp cries alert their mama who attends to them constantly. She's a very small cat and regardless of how attentive she is, as the kittens grow, I grow more concerned about her ability to provide for them.
April has been very fussy about her food. I've even gone against my own better judgement and put down grain free dry food for her in case she'll eat it. Right now she has to eat and eat a lot or the kittens will be adversely effected. I've been trying every sort of food I can find, but few things tempt her. She loves fish based food. I don't love that for her, but at this point, she's got to eat.
A few days ago, I brought three of the kittens to my Vet so they could show me how to bottle feed them. I decided if I supplement the smallest kittens it will help them and help mom, too. The problem is getting the kittens to drink the formula.
The entire process of bottle feeding is very daunting to me, but I had to push through my fears. I've never had kids or bottle fed or even seen it been done. I did some research, watched videos. They make it look so easy, but looking down at the 10 ounce lifeform in my hands, wriggling around, not wanting to sit still, realizing she could die if I screw up, is not my idea of a good time.
First problem was getting the formula OUT of the bottle. The rubber nipples are made of some sort of self-healing material so no matter how many times I took a match, heated the tip of a big needle and poked repeated hole after repeated hole into it, I couldn't get the formula OUT. It was VERY ANNOYING. I used a knife, but I could only get a tiny tiny stream out of the nipple if I used both hands to squeeze the bottle.
I was told to try using a syringe, which did end up working a bit better. The problem is it's easy to accidentally shoot a stream of formula into the kitten, which could cause her to aspirate and there's MATH involved..how much does the kitten weigh? How much formula should she have in a day? Her mother is feeding her so she should not be overfed, but what is enough? What if she won't eat it all? The ratio of food to water is 1:2, until they get older than it changes. Weights are in cc's. Syringe is in mL. My scale weighs in ounces! Ugh.
Somehow it worked out kinda…sorta. I started with the littlest kitten. She has bizarre polydactyl toes and has a tiny white spot on her chest. I put her onto a towel on my legs, placing her at an angle so she is sitting up. I tried not to jam the tip of the syringe into her mouth. I almost stabbed her eye. Then I worried I was going to drown her in formula if I pushed the plunger on the syringe too hard. The formula was very warm, but cooling off fast. I had to get this done. She licked at it, then turned her head away from me. I couldn't see where her mouth was because her fur is black and my close up vision is lousy.
I took a breath and relaxed, trying not to panic. She will eat what she will. I'm doing my best. I wiped off her face and tried again. She licked at the syringe, but turned her head again.
I learned how to help her eliminate and I read somewhere that the kitten may not eat because they need to empty out their bladder first. I held her over a few paper towels and lightly rubbed her back end with a warm, most cotton ball. She wriggled and cried, then the pad got a light yellow stain on it and a few drops of urine fell out onto the paper towel. At least I was doing something right. April, alerted to the kitten's distress, sat up and looked at me, ready to pounce. I dried the kitten's behind and showed her that the kitten was fine. The kitten calmed down. I tried feeding her again, but it was like trying to throw a dart into a moving target when you're drunk. Good luck with that.
After what seemed an eternity, the kitten lapped up the contents of a syringe and part of a second one. It comforted me to see her eat. I remembered to tap her back with one finger to help burp her. She obliged me. I gave her a kiss and lifted her wriggling tiny self back into her bathtub home. She joined her sisters who are trying to get fed. Some were struggling to get to a nipple. I grabbed a second kitten who began the process all over again.
I only got three kittens fed before the formula was cold. I decided to make certain I weigh the kittens every day. I have to stay on top of this. With six kittens and a tiny mama, it would be very easy to lose one or more of them. Even at three weeks, they are not out of the woods.
I've been supplementing the feedings for a few days. I'm still not great at it, but some of the kittens will wriggle a bit less and let me feed them. The runt, who I am calling, Cutie, recognizes me when I walk into the room. She runs over to the side of the bathtub and stands up on her hind legs. She furiously scratches her big, clumsy paws on the side of the tub. She's reaching up to me, crying. I lift her into my arms and she quiets down. I think she is bonding with me, her surrogate mother. It melts my heart. Surely she is too young to have any idea who or what I am but I am lost in her expression. Her big round eyes, so dark and sweet, look right into my soul. Her paws, not much bigger than my fingertip, rest on my left hand while I feed her with my right. I am as in love with her as she with me. Here we go again. No foster fail this time. I must remain aloof.
Well…perhaps I'll put off being aloof for a few more weeks and just feel love for this small soul. I'm rooting for her and her sisters (and maybe one brother?). I hope their journey will be a long one, filled with good things and that I'm helping them get off on the right paw, even if it has a crazy number of extra toes of on it.
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Use the ChipIn Widget, below if you'd like to help this family. They'll need vetting (times seven) in the next few weeks and supportive care like cotton balls to help them eliminate, paper towels and cleaning supplies, kitten formula, baby food and new kitten-specific toys. We'd also like to invest in getting a web cam so we can broadcast the kittens on the net! We figure that will add about $200.00 to our fundraising.
If you'd prefer to send a check, please make it out to: Kitten Associates and please note on the check the funds should go to "April's Family" mail it to:
Any funds not used for the care of this family will go into our General Fund.
If you can't make a donation, you can help us by getting the word out. Every dollar helps and every Re-tweet or FB Share does, too. THANK YOU for caring about this very special family!
It's time to celebrate, kick back, steam some broccoli and enjoy the fact that the DOOD is part of our lives. He's come a long way-from being an abused four month old kitten who only knew how to attack or chase humans, instead of love them (and who could blame him after being kicked and taunted by the kid in the home he was living in?).
Even before I realized any of his social issues, I had a bad scare last July, right after I rescued Doodlebug. He tested positive for Feline Leukemia. The next two months ticked by so slowly. DOOD had to be confined to the bathroom until he could be re-tested and two tests confirmed he did NOT HAVE FELINE LEUKEMIA! During those months I worked with him, teaching him that hands were not toys or weapons and that he could have fun and feel safe around me. It took many months to get him to overcome his tendency to attack, but eventually he began to relax and not be so aggressive.
Today, the DOOD only jumps in my lap, instead of attacking me. He gives me microdermabrasion treatments to my face with his enthusiastic licking, and likes to lie upside down in the crook of my arm when it's time to go to sleep. He often reaches out his front paws and rests them on my cheek. Some times he does it when I'm asleep. It always makes me laugh. He's never extended his claws-ever. He seems to like to touch his paws to my skin. In fact, I checked to make sure I didn't miss that he was declawed he's so careful with me.
the DOOD has blossomed in more ways than one. He weighs 14 pounds, 3 ounces! He runs like a drunk rabbit. He “hog piles” onto Blitzen, then attack-licks him. He climbs into the kitchen sink and he chases after the other cats for pure sport. He's not perfect in every way, but my he's my perfect little brat.
Happy, Happy Birthday DOOD. Now go, eat your birthday broccoli.
It's been quite the roller coaster over the past 48 hours since I found out that Amberly had bolted out the front door of her family's home and hadn't been seen again. After her family, myself and many of you worked on getting the word out, the call I made to my friend, Katherine, ended up being the one thing that turned this story around. Katherine met with the family and searched for Amberly. Not finding anything, she left to trap another cat who needed to have his tail amputated. She picked up Leo, who we worked together to rescue last week, and got him to the shelter. [If you recall, Leo is 13 years old. His owners dumped him outside when he peed out of the pan. Then they had premie twin babies which made them decide (due to Doctor's orders!) to get rid of the cat for good!]
Leo.
Leo is better off. Once I saw him, filthy, thin, with bad teeth, I knew he was a diamond in the rough. I got him his initial vetting, then AID covered the cost to have a dental done, some blood work (which was surprisingly perfect!) and an EKG! Leo also got a bath. I can't wait to see him again. I hear he's looking just lovely now.
After Katherine got everything settled, she could have just gone home. It was about 7pm, but something was bothering her. She just HAD to go back and look for Amberly again.
The second time was the charm. She called out to Amberly and heard her meow back! Amberly had somehow got locked in some sort of weird, storage thing, which I still can't understand what it was based on Katherine's description. All I know is Amberly went in, a door got shut behind her and she was trapped. For two days she was across the street from her own home!
Needless to say Amberly's family was thrilled to get her back. I have to admit I considered telling Katherine NOT to let Amberly return home, but to bring her to me. The family had let her get out a few times before and the area they live in is NOT safe for a cat. I was going to think it over overnight, but by the time I reached Katherine to speak with her about it, Amberly was already with her family.
This morning I got an update from the family and a few photos. Once I saw Amberly with her son, Jack, I realized she needed to stay where she was. The family said she was following everyone around, purring, eating like a champ. Clearly she was happy to be home, but I fear she will forget this happiness and try to get out again. I plan on speaking with the family about building her a “catio” or leash train her and take her for a walk. Amberly needs more stimulation, play time, cat grass. All of this can help soothe her desire to get outside.
Bobette has healed from her surgery and Dr. Mixon believes she may always limp, but her leg is now straight when she walks, instead of curved outwards. She seems to get along very well, but after playing for a time, stops wanting to jump. I'm sure she's bored, sitting in her room, alone for most of the day now that Jakey and Teddy are adopted. I only got one application for her so far and it fell through.
There's a lot of pressure to find her a new home. With kitten season here and King and Miss FP waiting in the wings, I need the space. Two days ago I started to leave the foster room door open. Bobette has NOT been thrilled seeing my cats. Though her tail pouffs comically, her growling and hissing is no joke. She hasn't been violent, but she puts on a good show and my cats are giving her space. So far she just stays upstairs. Seeing her outside her room makes me laugh because she's so excited by having room to run. She stops and plays with every toy she sees even though she's nervous about running into my cats. I'm taking it slowly with her, but I hope we can let her mingle my cats so that room can be freed up for the SIX ADDITIONAL kittens I'd like to rescue! (wait 'till you see them!)
I have a lot of guilt about Miss Fluffy Pants. She's in Maria's foster room all by herself. I need to get her out of there, but not sure where to put her. Miss FP's western blot test came back positive for FIV. The only thing we don't know is if she really has FIV or was immunized against FIV, which would show up positive as a test result. Miss FP is in good spirits and Maria tells me she is VERY affectionate. She may be ok with another cat or not, but since King has been moved out of the room, Miss FP has come out of her shell.
I've got to find an additional foster home for her in CT so we can bring her up here and start looking for her forever home. I hate that she's just waiting, but with no room at my home, I'm stuck for now.
King continues to shine bright. He's hanging out with Maria's cats and is loving life. He gets to sleep on a real bed, get good food and is in a loving home. I can't wait to meet King and I hope we can move him north soon. He's already on Petfinder and I've had one or two inquiries, but so far nothing solid.
I'm so glad he's off the streets. King's rescuer, Bobby Stanford, sent me some sobering photos of the palette factory where King and Miss FP were living. The folks who work there asked after the cats and Bobby gave them an update. I think if they could see how gorgeous the cats are they'd be very happy. Though they were kind enough to give the cats what they could. It wasn't ideal for them and they wouldn't have survived much longer in that location-especially King. There was no way he could get around very comfortably or safely.
The good news is there's no need to be sad for King or MissFP. They're in good hands. From the looks of it, King is starting to get a little bit feisty with Maria's cats now that he feels safe. The video below is a hoot! Make sure you watch it to the end!
I forgot how much I worry about kittens! It's been a very long time since I've had kittens this young. Lately I've been fostering them after Maria does all the tough work and the kittens are old enough to be spayed/neutered. Now I get to fret every morning. Will I walk into the bathroom, where the kittens are living, and find one of them gone? Today is day 17 and I still have six kittens. They are all gaining weight. I'm still confused as to which one is which. I believe I have ALL GIRLS, but after using a 8x magnifying lens to look at their private parts, either they ARE all female or I just can't tell one sex from the other.
The kittens all have their eyes open and are starting to look more like cats than hamsters. I think they can sort of see me and I've caught a few looking up at me. It melts my heart. I can't believe in another week or so they will be wobbling about even more and starting to play.
I believe that three of the kittens are polydactyls; one has bizarre shaped paws! The only tuxedo kitten has very cute markings, pink & black toes and likes to squawk when I pick her up. Another kitten has big paws like a bear and always seems to be belly-up. It's about time to name the kittens. I think I may ask for help with that, but first I'm going to get photos of each one to help us with the naming. I've named their mother, April.
Today I noticed that April was dwarfed by her kittens. She's a small cat and with six kittens who are about 11 oz each, it's getting crowded around her belly. She's clearly exhausted and I feel both terrible and worried about her. I feed her many times a day, but some times she just doesn't eat very well for me. I've opted to leave her grain-free dry food so she has something to eat 24/7 even if I'm not a fan of kibble. I hold a plate out to her to eat because most often she's got kittens nursing on her and the poor thing won't get up to feed herself.
Clearly April is devoted to her babies because she still gives me these short little growls when she's not sure about something I'm doing. I don't worry any more that she's going to attack me. She's been nothing but friendly. Some times I rub her neck or scratch her cheeks. She purrs right away and her body relaxes for a moment. I want to take her away from the babies so she can rest, but it's not possible right now. I'm half tempted to start bottle feeding the kittens, but I don't see any of them losing weight or crying. If they are ok and she is just tired, then it will only be another week and a half and I can start weaning them off her. I just hope she can endure this stress. I'm doing everything I can think of to support her.
As Day 17 for the kittens draws to a close, I got the news that our friend Janea from Paws & Effect has to make the difficult decision to put her cat Dahlia to sleep. Dahlia has atypical large t-cell lymphoma that is not responding to treatment and Dahlia has fluid building up around her heart that has to be drained every so often or she will pass away in a lot of pain. It's the most difficult choice any cat-parent has to make. We send Janea all our love and support and ask Dahlia to Fly Free to the Rainbow Bridge when it's time to go, but not a moment sooner.
©2012 Robin A.F. Olson. Baby belly! Squeeeee!
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