老王2.2.8

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. 

老王2.2.8

I was on Facebook the other day and was served an ad for Skyboy Photos offering me five free cards. I am highly skeptical of all Facebook ads, but the images on the ad were pretty so I thought I would check it out.  He had some lovely art, but even better he had a kitty photo, so I figured I'd risk it.  I ordered a number of cards that I could use as condolence cards.  

David Bayard, who runs Skyboy Photos is a photographer, poet, and woodworker with a lifelong love of the natural world. He is also pretty adorable. I had a few interactions with him on Facebook and it made me want to put this out there so people could check out his work.

The cards are photographs adhered to nice card stock and I was very happy with the quality of them. Individual cards are $3.50 and a box is $18.  I just checked out his page and it appears he is still offering five free cards, so check him out to see if that offer still stands. 

I was not compensated in any way for this post. I just really like David and his work and thought I would share it.

Remember Kreb?

Back in October of 2018 I fostered Onyx and she gave birth to four kittens. Among them was Kreb. Kreb was adopted into a home with his sister Romy and pretty quickly it seemed like it was going to be a problem. From the history I was able to get, he pretty quickly developed a habit of not using the litter box all the time.

I give the family a lot of credit for working with them, but over time they came to the conclusion that their home wasn't the best home for him and reached out to me for help. After some discussion, I offered to take him back here with me and work on finding him a new home. The rescue who took in Suri agreed to take him if we could figure out what his issue was, which was a load off my shoulders because I simply do not have it in me to handle the adoption process.

I brought him home and set him up in the bathroom of the kitten room. He was a little uncomfortable, choosing to spend most of his time in the carrier, but he was happy to see me and would purr and wanted to be a lap kitty but wasn't sure if I was okay with that so he would lay down next to me with his paws on my leg.. See, Kreb is a VERY big kitty, weighing over 20 lbs. 

I do not know what his issues were with his last house. I have some speculations but that doesn't make them true. All I do know is that he is always on alert when the kittens would make noise. He was also reluctant to eat when I wasn't around. It made for a rough couple of days for both of us, but he is eating pretty well now and since he has used the litter box for his duty, he has graduated into a bigger room and so far has been very good in there. I have given him a few soft surfaces (towels etc) to give him a chance to show me that he has bigger issues than the stress of his old home (whatever that was) and so far *knockwood* 

So he needs a home too. While he might adjust to something different, I think the easiest transition for him would be a nice quiet home with adults only (or introverted older kids) and being the only pet.

I am probably going to give him another week or two here to be sure that nothing pops up, but we don't have a single complaint about him - well except that he is a bit of a dry food addict.. 😸

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..