Just a quick one today. I am starting to get a little worried. We had no weight gain last night for 2 of the little ones and while the black one is gaining weight like a superstar, none of them have been feeding properly since the 3am feed this morning. I am hoping this is just due to bringing the formula back to a more concentrated level, so they are feeling more full and maybe I should be moving to 4 hourly feeds, but I'm worried it is the beginning of them fading.
Only time will tell. Fingers and toes crossed for weight gain tonight.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
2 weeks!
Well our little micro n00bs have made it to the 2 week mark. To be honest, I didn't think they would make it this far. They are making good progress, putting on weight and becoming more and more fluffy by the day. Though, the last 2 days have seen a bit of a plateau on the weight gain front, that is fairly normal and I have my fingers crossed for a growth spurt over the next couple of days to compensate.
We are still feeding every 3 hours, which is completely exhausting so I am looking forward to increasing that period as their tummys get bigger, and beginning the weaning process in a week or two. They are already very much able to track the smell of the milk, and suckle readily on my hands, fingers arms... pretty much anywhere so it makes me more confident that they will be able to start drinking from a bowl on occasion in a week or so. I had initially wanted to change to 4 hourly feeds from today, but with the smaller weight gains over the past 2 nights I will continue with 3 hourly until they give me some good figures. I am definitely looking forward to the greater hours in between. The fact that I've gone off caffeine due to high blood pressure has made this rather more difficult than it usually is too. I can't just crawl out of bed in the morning to the coffee machine and let the caffeine do its thing. I actually have to get sleep!
Weights on 26/12:
Cream Tabby: 258g
Tabby: 239g
Black: 265g
They curl their tails up like this when they have had enough milk.
We are still feeding every 3 hours, which is completely exhausting so I am looking forward to increasing that period as their tummys get bigger, and beginning the weaning process in a week or two. They are already very much able to track the smell of the milk, and suckle readily on my hands, fingers arms... pretty much anywhere so it makes me more confident that they will be able to start drinking from a bowl on occasion in a week or so. I had initially wanted to change to 4 hourly feeds from today, but with the smaller weight gains over the past 2 nights I will continue with 3 hourly until they give me some good figures. I am definitely looking forward to the greater hours in between. The fact that I've gone off caffeine due to high blood pressure has made this rather more difficult than it usually is too. I can't just crawl out of bed in the morning to the coffee machine and let the caffeine do its thing. I actually have to get sleep!
Weights on 26/12:
Cream Tabby: 258g
Tabby: 239g
Black: 265g
They curl their tails up like this when they have had enough milk.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Day 4
Christmas eve brought lots of feedings for our teeny family members. Followed by socialising and caring for Cali, followed by feeding and placating the big cats, interspersed with a couple of naps to stave off the exhaustion.
It certainly seems to be for a good cause though. The tiny ones are going strong. The diahorrea has cleared up and they are getting more and more fiesty every day. Their legs seem much more steady and strong today and they are sitting up better when feeding. They thoroughly enjoy their pats and cuddles after they have a feed.
Cali is reminding us what our own cats were like when we first got them - which was around her age. We had Addy in with her last night and she was much less distraught, but when we popped him in with her today he decided he wanted out rather desperately, and broke the flyscreen in the bathroom to jump out onto the patio. I suspect he devised the plan last night and simply followed through the next time we put him in there. Needless to say, we won't be doing that again. Cali is a great addition to naps had between feeding the micro n00bs. She will happily have a little play until you doze off, and then you'll wake to her cuddled up by your side. It's a very nice way to rest. We can't do this at night as our own cats have territory staked in the bedroom and Cali wandering into that territory would cause an all-out war.
Weights tonight:
Cream Tabby - 243g (up 7g)
Tabby - 229g (up 10g)
Black - 259g (up 11g)
Can you imagine measuring your weight gain by the teaspoonfull every day?
Tabby Kitten getting some cuddle time
It certainly seems to be for a good cause though. The tiny ones are going strong. The diahorrea has cleared up and they are getting more and more fiesty every day. Their legs seem much more steady and strong today and they are sitting up better when feeding. They thoroughly enjoy their pats and cuddles after they have a feed.
Cali is reminding us what our own cats were like when we first got them - which was around her age. We had Addy in with her last night and she was much less distraught, but when we popped him in with her today he decided he wanted out rather desperately, and broke the flyscreen in the bathroom to jump out onto the patio. I suspect he devised the plan last night and simply followed through the next time we put him in there. Needless to say, we won't be doing that again. Cali is a great addition to naps had between feeding the micro n00bs. She will happily have a little play until you doze off, and then you'll wake to her cuddled up by your side. It's a very nice way to rest. We can't do this at night as our own cats have territory staked in the bedroom and Cali wandering into that territory would cause an all-out war.
Weights tonight:
Cream Tabby - 243g (up 7g)
Tabby - 229g (up 10g)
Black - 259g (up 11g)
Can you imagine measuring your weight gain by the teaspoonfull every day?
Tabby Kitten getting some cuddle time
Friday, December 23, 2011
Micro N00bs Day 3
Still going strong today. Unfortunately, two of the little ones had diahorrea last night. This can easily be a killer in small kittens as they quickly become dehydrated and lose precious nutrients. If they get to the stage where they are feeling yuck, they just won't feed. I suspected the cause of the problem to be the milk formula they are having. If the dilution isn't right their little digestive systems can't really cope with it. I've made it more diluted now and it does seem to be clearning up. They didn't lose weight which is a good sign.
Weights:
Cream Tabby: 21/12 - 215g, 22/12 - 224g
Tabby: 21/12 - 207g, 22/12 - 208g
Black: 21/12 - 215g, 22/12 - 234g
As you can see they haven't been named yet. I am going to hold off until they are 3 weeks before I do that. It's a bit of a self-preservation thing but I don't think it's working! They are quite adorable and certainly have their own little personalities already. The cream tabby loves to have her little tummy rubbed and tends to sleep upside down - unusual for a cat!
Cream Tabby getting her upside down cuddles
Meanwhile, Cali is settling in as a "bigger cat" very well. She has found a buddy in Addy (one of our 4 cats and previous foster kitten - his story is earlier on this blog) and the two of them have had a great time playing, exploring, getting to know each other, and snoozing on the guest bed. This is the bed where my two nieces will stay when they are down in June to see the snow. I think they will be quite happy knowing there is a cute kitten keeping it warm for them. Earlier today Cali had a bit of a nap on my desk:
Weights:
Cream Tabby: 21/12 - 215g, 22/12 - 224g
Tabby: 21/12 - 207g, 22/12 - 208g
Black: 21/12 - 215g, 22/12 - 234g
As you can see they haven't been named yet. I am going to hold off until they are 3 weeks before I do that. It's a bit of a self-preservation thing but I don't think it's working! They are quite adorable and certainly have their own little personalities already. The cream tabby loves to have her little tummy rubbed and tends to sleep upside down - unusual for a cat!
Cream Tabby getting her upside down cuddles
Meanwhile, Cali is settling in as a "bigger cat" very well. She has found a buddy in Addy (one of our 4 cats and previous foster kitten - his story is earlier on this blog) and the two of them have had a great time playing, exploring, getting to know each other, and snoozing on the guest bed. This is the bed where my two nieces will stay when they are down in June to see the snow. I think they will be quite happy knowing there is a cute kitten keeping it warm for them. Earlier today Cali had a bit of a nap on my desk:
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Micro N00bs Day 2
Well the micro n00bs (as they have now been dubbed) made it through the night and are thriving. They are loving their milk and drinking, toileting, burping and sleeping really well.
I am a big believer in the power of music and have a wonderful youtube playlist saved of relaxation music that never fails to put kittens to sleep. This has been playing fairly steadily (well I turn it off at night - my computer needs a rest every now and then) and at the very least has a calming effect on me when feeding but I do think it helps the tiny ones too.
Anyway, I hear some rumblings... must go heat the next bottle!
I am a big believer in the power of music and have a wonderful youtube playlist saved of relaxation music that never fails to put kittens to sleep. This has been playing fairly steadily (well I turn it off at night - my computer needs a rest every now and then) and at the very least has a calming effect on me when feeding but I do think it helps the tiny ones too.
Anyway, I hear some rumblings... must go heat the next bottle!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Cali & The Big Challenge
The little ones were all taken to be desexed this morning. Unfortunately, we have had the slightly worrying news that Cali has a heart murmur. The vet wasn't too worried about it but we will be taking her back this afternoon to stay with us a little longer. Apparently they can grow out of these things so that is the hope for her. She will just have to be adopted out as a slightly older cat. It's not ideal, but it's certainly better than the alternative.
And as it would happen (since it often does!), there was a new litter waiting especially for us upon the return of the others. It is the very sad reality that the RSPCA and other rescue groups are often faced with very young litters coming through their doors. At only a week old our newest litter is, quite frankly, not expected to survive. Many, when faced with this challenge, would simply euthanise and use their resources elsewhere. We, and the RSPCA (ACT) have decided to give these three tiny lives a chance. The expectation is that they won't last very long, but hey... maybe we can have a bit of a Christmas miracle. We will certainly do our best to make it happen (3 hourly feeds... yikes!)
Here are the new 3. They are not very good photos as we cannot use flash photography on ones so small, and once you wake them, you have to get that bottle to them quickly!
And as it would happen (since it often does!), there was a new litter waiting especially for us upon the return of the others. It is the very sad reality that the RSPCA and other rescue groups are often faced with very young litters coming through their doors. At only a week old our newest litter is, quite frankly, not expected to survive. Many, when faced with this challenge, would simply euthanise and use their resources elsewhere. We, and the RSPCA (ACT) have decided to give these three tiny lives a chance. The expectation is that they won't last very long, but hey... maybe we can have a bit of a Christmas miracle. We will certainly do our best to make it happen (3 hourly feeds... yikes!)
Here are the new 3. They are not very good photos as we cannot use flash photography on ones so small, and once you wake them, you have to get that bottle to them quickly!
Farewell to the minions
Well, the time has come; the minions are all big enough to be desexed and this morning they head back to the RSPCA. They should be available for adoption by Thursday so hopefully they will all have forever homes by Xmas.
Last night we did a final photo shoot with them... to the extent that they cooperated! A sneak preview is below, more to come!
Last night we did a final photo shoot with them... to the extent that they cooperated! A sneak preview is below, more to come!
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| Tash gets belly rubs |
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Updated weights
Good news to report, Mr Beefy has now officially broken the 1kg barrier. Callie and Tash aren't far behind, but little Jessica still has a way to go yet. New graph below:
Sunday, November 27, 2011
No photos, but a minion weight graph
Alas, no new cute photos this weekend. Ms Creative has borrowed all my Canon lenses and absconded to Brisbane with them. Didn't stop my photography efforts, I just had to fall back to my Mamiya RB67 with black-and-white film. (old school!) I think I got some pretty good photos of the arctic weasel staring intently at the peewee which was attacking its reflection in a window all damn day. I tossed out (i.e. took to the council dump and put in the chemical waste section) all my darkroom chemicals when we moved, and I don't think there is anywhere closer than Sydney that sells Ilford chemistry, so it could be a while until I develop the film. Oh well.
Anyhow, in lieu of new photographs, I have a graph showing the little minions' weight gain since we got them a month ago. They have nearly tripled in weight since then! The flat spot in Callie's graph around November 10-13 is due to her bout with cat flu - she was a very sick little kitty so it's not surprising that she wasn't gaining weight.
Anyhow, in lieu of new photographs, I have a graph showing the little minions' weight gain since we got them a month ago. They have nearly tripled in weight since then! The flat spot in Callie's graph around November 10-13 is due to her bout with cat flu - she was a very sick little kitty so it's not surprising that she wasn't gaining weight.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Update on Josie
The lovely Josie was available for adoption on Friday. We were a little slack and didn't check the website until now. She is not showing on the site, which (hopefully) means she has been adopted! This is fabulous news if it is the case. Good luck in your new home Josie!!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
I shall call him... mini-me
Addy apparently doesn't know the meaning of "closed set" - here we see him getting up close & personal with Jessica (the runt of the litter). Looks like he's going to step into the role of foster-dad for the kittens once Josie goes back to the RSPCA - he did a very similar thing with the last batch back in Brisbane.
and here's one we prepared earlier
This afternoon I was taking some photos with Callie and Mr Beefy on some Ikea shelves in the dining room. As I was finishing up with Callie, one of our permanent residents and former foster-cat Addy decided to come and investigate things, as you can see below:
It would have been even cuter if Addy had done this while Mr Beefy was about, as it would have maintained the monochrome theme, but life just isn't like that when you're photographing cats. I had enough trouble just trying to get Mr Beefy to stay on the shelves, he kept absconding down my arm!!
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| The black circle is a lens-cap, for scale |
It would have been even cuter if Addy had done this while Mr Beefy was about, as it would have maintained the monochrome theme, but life just isn't like that when you're photographing cats. I had enough trouble just trying to get Mr Beefy to stay on the shelves, he kept absconding down my arm!!
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| Yes I know the photo is a bit soft - that happens when you're using one-shot focussing, have the shot nicely composed, and then the kitten runs up your arm! |
Josie's Time
Well it's been fun and so lovely to have such a snuggly cuddly cat in the house, but Josie's (the mum cat) time with us has very nearly come to an end. She is on heat at the moment, and while she had a bit of a whingy day yesterday I must say she's coped extremely well with it. Our two cats kept me up all night with their yowling. Josie just does the occasional floor jiggle with those funny noises that only come from us girls when our insides are conspiring against us. Other than that she is rather quiet!
Anyway, with the onset of Josie's heat and the fact that the kittens are now 5 weeks old and well and truly independant (well ok they still chase mum for a nurse if they can get away with it), it is time to take her back for desexing and the search for her forever home begins.
If you are in the Canberra area, and know someone who is looking for a family pet, please suggest Josie & the RSPCA to them. Josie is an oh-so-gorgeous, small cream ginger tabby who loves to be picked up and cuddled and is also very playful, but placid. I think she would find a place in pretty much any household she went to! She has been through a lot between losing her litter, being a surrogate mum for another litter and basically living in a bathroom for the last 3 weeks to care for them. She deserves a wonderful home with a loving family.
We wish her the very best and will miss her very much!
Anyway, with the onset of Josie's heat and the fact that the kittens are now 5 weeks old and well and truly independant (well ok they still chase mum for a nurse if they can get away with it), it is time to take her back for desexing and the search for her forever home begins.
If you are in the Canberra area, and know someone who is looking for a family pet, please suggest Josie & the RSPCA to them. Josie is an oh-so-gorgeous, small cream ginger tabby who loves to be picked up and cuddled and is also very playful, but placid. I think she would find a place in pretty much any household she went to! She has been through a lot between losing her litter, being a surrogate mum for another litter and basically living in a bathroom for the last 3 weeks to care for them. She deserves a wonderful home with a loving family.
We wish her the very best and will miss her very much!
Josie
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Callie and the ear-wiggle
It's the lawyer here...
Josie's furry little minions are growing by the day. This is most evident by the fact that when we first got them, and we opened the bathroom door, they would crawl slowly in its general direction. Nowadays when we open the bathroom door, there is an immediate Insane Kitten Derby™ and four fluffy little nuisances go rocketing into the hallway at Mach 5. My other half has started cheating and positions a fabric carry case with one end unzipped outside the door, so the kittens end up in the cage instead of at large in the house. It's just not the same without a double handful of squirming kittens all sooking for their feeding.
On the topic of feeding, Miss Callie is feeling much better these days and seems to have bounced back from the flu fairly well. Last night we attempted to capture for posterity one of her cute little idiosyncrasies - when she's feeding from the bottle, and gets the position of the nipple and her head just right, she'll stay almost motionless and just keep sucking, except that her fluffy little ears will twitch back and forth with every suck. So cute! Of course, being a cat, she knows when there is a camera pointed at her so she mostly refused to cooperate. Nevertheless, if you look closely from about 38 seconds in to 41 seconds in, you can see her briefly doing it. Behold the cuteness!
Also for your enjoyment, we have a video of last night's weigh-in. Yes, I am aware my hand was blocking the shot. It was also blocking the kitten from escaping the bowl. So it was either a shot of my hand, or a shot of an escaping kitten.
Josie's furry little minions are growing by the day. This is most evident by the fact that when we first got them, and we opened the bathroom door, they would crawl slowly in its general direction. Nowadays when we open the bathroom door, there is an immediate Insane Kitten Derby™ and four fluffy little nuisances go rocketing into the hallway at Mach 5. My other half has started cheating and positions a fabric carry case with one end unzipped outside the door, so the kittens end up in the cage instead of at large in the house. It's just not the same without a double handful of squirming kittens all sooking for their feeding.
On the topic of feeding, Miss Callie is feeling much better these days and seems to have bounced back from the flu fairly well. Last night we attempted to capture for posterity one of her cute little idiosyncrasies - when she's feeding from the bottle, and gets the position of the nipple and her head just right, she'll stay almost motionless and just keep sucking, except that her fluffy little ears will twitch back and forth with every suck. So cute! Of course, being a cat, she knows when there is a camera pointed at her so she mostly refused to cooperate. Nevertheless, if you look closely from about 38 seconds in to 41 seconds in, you can see her briefly doing it. Behold the cuteness!
Also for your enjoyment, we have a video of last night's weigh-in. Yes, I am aware my hand was blocking the shot. It was also blocking the kitten from escaping the bowl. So it was either a shot of my hand, or a shot of an escaping kitten.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Growing Pains
It's been a while since posting last - and so much has happened! Buggalugs (the solicitor) was supposed to do a posting last weekend but, alas, it slipped through the cracks. I have been seriously busy with work, which is great, but between that and 3 hourly feedings - no time for posting.
Anyway... the story thus far - *warning - you might want to go make yourself a coffee and find a relaxing place to read - this is sure to be a long one!*.
So, I got a call from the RSPCA on Tuesday 25th October. At the time of the call, I was putting my two youngest cats, Addy and Candy (find their stories here and here) in the car to have their F3 vaccinations. It was the first time with their new vet here in Canberra and I must say I was very impressed. She made them feed very comfortable and gave them big cuddles before the poking and prodding began. It was the most caring vet experience they have had.
Anyway, I let it go to voicemail and checked things out after I left the vets. They had 4 kittens, 3 weeks old that had come in with no mother cat. They also had a lactating female that had come in with no kittens so they had put them all together.
So on Wednesday 26th October, I picked up Josie and her 4 Kittens - Cali, Tash, Jessica and Mister Beefy (we named them ourselves).
Josie and her Pussy Cats - Tash (front), Cali, Jessica and Mr Beefy
Josie was very good with the kittens, considering she wasn't their birth mother. She would clean them and deal with their toileting (which is really gross to deal with so very happy she did that!). Unfortunately, she wasn't interested enough in them to really feed them properly. They were not able to gain weight on what they were getting when Josie was willing to feed. Josie really wanted to get away from them sometimes so we were told to give them a bottle feed once a day as a boost and go from there.
Josie was a little sneezy when we got her home - I thought maybe from the kitten fluff getting up her nose all the time - that stuff even makes me sneeze! So we didn't worry about that too much. We gave the kittens one extra feed on the first day, but they didn't gain weight. We gave them two feeds the next day, and they did gain weight which was wonderful. We realised fairly quickly that they were still very hungry though. They cried constantly and wouldn't settle. So on the third day (Friday), I gave them feeds every 4 hours. Finally, they were able to settle between feeds and gain some weight. It calmed Josie too as she would get very upset at her little ones being hungry. Thankfully, Josie seemed most chilled out at night - and would happily lay down for the bubs to suckle during the night which saved us the graveyard shift. The bubs were happily gaining weight - though it was always a little up and down.
Josie continued to become more sniffly, and I mentioned this the following Tuesday when I brought them in for a little checkup and to get more supplies. By this stage I was able to report the bubs being fully litter trained, which was great! Unfortunately, not weaned though. They all got checked out and it was obvious Josie was quite sniffly, and the little ones had some eye discharge but nothing concerning enough to treat. I had to observe them for any signs of worsening over the next 2 days. It was also at this checkup it became obvious just how ravenous the little ones still were between feeds. It is very difficult to feed 4 kittens when they are rioting over their food. They will happily bite the face of their sibling if it gets them off the bottle so they can have it - ferrals! So I decided that I would go to 3 hourly feeds instead.
Feeding the ravenous little Tash
The night after their visit back to the RSPCA the flueyness seemed to be in control, but that night I spotted blood in the stool of Josie (don't worry that's the only mention of "stool"). After a very late night (or should I say, early morning) looking on the internet at what could be the cause, I called the RSPCA the next morning. I had to take the "sample" for testing - which having as many cats as we have - I knew to keep! I was up to my neck in deadlines, and the work was just rolling in with 3 hourly feeds in amongst everything. I was a teensy bit stressy pants by this stage. Thankfully, my partner in crime came to the rescue. He had, unfortunately, come down with viral Tonsilitis (his 5th time since moving to Canberra - but always previously bacterial) and been ordered home for 2 days. So he was able to drop off the sample for me. While he was at it, he took some photos of the cats up for adoption for their website which I'm sure he'll blog about at some stage. It was found that poor Josie had parasites and had to be medicated. We've had this situation before with my little Addy, so we knew the drill. We also knew how horrible the medication is to give - as it makes them foam at the mouth. It's a perfectly normal response for them but very distressing, both for the cat and medicator. Thankfully hubby was able to pick up the medication the next day.
That night (Thursday), we noticed one of the little ones - Cali - had become more sniffly than normal with a lot of discharge from her nose. She seemed perfectly fine otherwise though, so we kept a close eye on her at each feed, and cleaned her face with a tissue run under warm water. Very suddenly, on Friday evening, little Cali went from a bubbly little playful kitten to a kitten with very blocked airways, unable to breathe properly, not able to feed properly because of the blockage and very lethargic. We were worried we might not have her gorgeous little personality around by morning. The only thing I could think of to do that would be safe for one so small, was something that always helps me when I've got a dreaded sinus infection - steam inhalation. I usually do it with a peppermint, lemon and eucalyptus oil mix in with the steam, but these are toxic to cats as little kitten livers (and in fact grown cats livers too) can't cope with filtering these out. So I boiled up some water, cuddled Cali up to my chest, put a blanket over the both of us and breathed in the steam with her. It did help to clear things a little, and I could give her a tiny bit of milk, but she quickly became blocked up again. I wasn't prepared to leave this one to chance. I had been up past 4am the two previous nights, so a third round wasn't going to kill me - not doing may have proven otherwise for her, however. After very little sleep during the week it was difficult to keep my eyes open, I did drift off a couple of times, but Cali was safe in my arms - wrapped up in a blanket. By 1am and 3 inhalation sessions she seemed to be more lively, and breathing better. I put her back in with mum and siblings, and waited 2 hours to check on her. At 3am she was sleeping happily, in a little kitten pile with her siblings, so I called it a night and went to bed.
Cali - Our little fighter.
Next morning we were thankfully able to get the on-call vet in at the RSPCA to see to Cali and her siblings. She was much more lively than the night before, and had some milk in the morning but still very blocked up and wheezy. The vet gave her some fluids and started her on antibiotics - and Tash as well as she was a little worse than before. Thankfully mum had come good on that same morning but we got some meds just in case she got worse again (cat flu is viral so the meds don't actually kill the virus but they can help with any secondary infections)
So now were are doing 3 hourly feeds, meds twice a day for Cali and Tash, and meds once a day for Josie - possibly 2 lots of meds if she gets sniffly again. Ahhh the joys of fostering!! It's a good thing they are so gorgeous and cuddly.
Meanwhile, our landlord has been brilliant. She is not only fine with us fostering here, but she has brought food for all the cats (including ours), and a brilliant little climbing and scratching structure for the kittens and Josie (we had to throw ours out when we moved as it was broken). We put this in the bathroom with them yesterday, and can't wait to see them playing and clambering all over it. Oh and she also thinks we should keep them! But with 9 cats we would never be able to leave the ACT... maybe that's her cunning plan.
Oh and just to top all the craziness off.. Josie started showing the first tiny signs of going on heat last night (nothing you would notice unless you had experienced it!). We will both need straightjackets come Christmas!
Until next time... xx
Anyway... the story thus far - *warning - you might want to go make yourself a coffee and find a relaxing place to read - this is sure to be a long one!*.
So, I got a call from the RSPCA on Tuesday 25th October. At the time of the call, I was putting my two youngest cats, Addy and Candy (find their stories here and here) in the car to have their F3 vaccinations. It was the first time with their new vet here in Canberra and I must say I was very impressed. She made them feed very comfortable and gave them big cuddles before the poking and prodding began. It was the most caring vet experience they have had.
Anyway, I let it go to voicemail and checked things out after I left the vets. They had 4 kittens, 3 weeks old that had come in with no mother cat. They also had a lactating female that had come in with no kittens so they had put them all together.
So on Wednesday 26th October, I picked up Josie and her 4 Kittens - Cali, Tash, Jessica and Mister Beefy (we named them ourselves).
Josie and her Pussy Cats - Tash (front), Cali, Jessica and Mr Beefy
Josie was very good with the kittens, considering she wasn't their birth mother. She would clean them and deal with their toileting (which is really gross to deal with so very happy she did that!). Unfortunately, she wasn't interested enough in them to really feed them properly. They were not able to gain weight on what they were getting when Josie was willing to feed. Josie really wanted to get away from them sometimes so we were told to give them a bottle feed once a day as a boost and go from there.
Josie was a little sneezy when we got her home - I thought maybe from the kitten fluff getting up her nose all the time - that stuff even makes me sneeze! So we didn't worry about that too much. We gave the kittens one extra feed on the first day, but they didn't gain weight. We gave them two feeds the next day, and they did gain weight which was wonderful. We realised fairly quickly that they were still very hungry though. They cried constantly and wouldn't settle. So on the third day (Friday), I gave them feeds every 4 hours. Finally, they were able to settle between feeds and gain some weight. It calmed Josie too as she would get very upset at her little ones being hungry. Thankfully, Josie seemed most chilled out at night - and would happily lay down for the bubs to suckle during the night which saved us the graveyard shift. The bubs were happily gaining weight - though it was always a little up and down.
Josie continued to become more sniffly, and I mentioned this the following Tuesday when I brought them in for a little checkup and to get more supplies. By this stage I was able to report the bubs being fully litter trained, which was great! Unfortunately, not weaned though. They all got checked out and it was obvious Josie was quite sniffly, and the little ones had some eye discharge but nothing concerning enough to treat. I had to observe them for any signs of worsening over the next 2 days. It was also at this checkup it became obvious just how ravenous the little ones still were between feeds. It is very difficult to feed 4 kittens when they are rioting over their food. They will happily bite the face of their sibling if it gets them off the bottle so they can have it - ferrals! So I decided that I would go to 3 hourly feeds instead.
Feeding the ravenous little Tash
The night after their visit back to the RSPCA the flueyness seemed to be in control, but that night I spotted blood in the stool of Josie (don't worry that's the only mention of "stool"). After a very late night (or should I say, early morning) looking on the internet at what could be the cause, I called the RSPCA the next morning. I had to take the "sample" for testing - which having as many cats as we have - I knew to keep! I was up to my neck in deadlines, and the work was just rolling in with 3 hourly feeds in amongst everything. I was a teensy bit stressy pants by this stage. Thankfully, my partner in crime came to the rescue. He had, unfortunately, come down with viral Tonsilitis (his 5th time since moving to Canberra - but always previously bacterial) and been ordered home for 2 days. So he was able to drop off the sample for me. While he was at it, he took some photos of the cats up for adoption for their website which I'm sure he'll blog about at some stage. It was found that poor Josie had parasites and had to be medicated. We've had this situation before with my little Addy, so we knew the drill. We also knew how horrible the medication is to give - as it makes them foam at the mouth. It's a perfectly normal response for them but very distressing, both for the cat and medicator. Thankfully hubby was able to pick up the medication the next day.
That night (Thursday), we noticed one of the little ones - Cali - had become more sniffly than normal with a lot of discharge from her nose. She seemed perfectly fine otherwise though, so we kept a close eye on her at each feed, and cleaned her face with a tissue run under warm water. Very suddenly, on Friday evening, little Cali went from a bubbly little playful kitten to a kitten with very blocked airways, unable to breathe properly, not able to feed properly because of the blockage and very lethargic. We were worried we might not have her gorgeous little personality around by morning. The only thing I could think of to do that would be safe for one so small, was something that always helps me when I've got a dreaded sinus infection - steam inhalation. I usually do it with a peppermint, lemon and eucalyptus oil mix in with the steam, but these are toxic to cats as little kitten livers (and in fact grown cats livers too) can't cope with filtering these out. So I boiled up some water, cuddled Cali up to my chest, put a blanket over the both of us and breathed in the steam with her. It did help to clear things a little, and I could give her a tiny bit of milk, but she quickly became blocked up again. I wasn't prepared to leave this one to chance. I had been up past 4am the two previous nights, so a third round wasn't going to kill me - not doing may have proven otherwise for her, however. After very little sleep during the week it was difficult to keep my eyes open, I did drift off a couple of times, but Cali was safe in my arms - wrapped up in a blanket. By 1am and 3 inhalation sessions she seemed to be more lively, and breathing better. I put her back in with mum and siblings, and waited 2 hours to check on her. At 3am she was sleeping happily, in a little kitten pile with her siblings, so I called it a night and went to bed.
Cali - Our little fighter.
Next morning we were thankfully able to get the on-call vet in at the RSPCA to see to Cali and her siblings. She was much more lively than the night before, and had some milk in the morning but still very blocked up and wheezy. The vet gave her some fluids and started her on antibiotics - and Tash as well as she was a little worse than before. Thankfully mum had come good on that same morning but we got some meds just in case she got worse again (cat flu is viral so the meds don't actually kill the virus but they can help with any secondary infections)
So now were are doing 3 hourly feeds, meds twice a day for Cali and Tash, and meds once a day for Josie - possibly 2 lots of meds if she gets sniffly again. Ahhh the joys of fostering!! It's a good thing they are so gorgeous and cuddly.
Meanwhile, our landlord has been brilliant. She is not only fine with us fostering here, but she has brought food for all the cats (including ours), and a brilliant little climbing and scratching structure for the kittens and Josie (we had to throw ours out when we moved as it was broken). We put this in the bathroom with them yesterday, and can't wait to see them playing and clambering all over it. Oh and she also thinks we should keep them! But with 9 cats we would never be able to leave the ACT... maybe that's her cunning plan.
Oh and just to top all the craziness off.. Josie started showing the first tiny signs of going on heat last night (nothing you would notice unless you had experienced it!). We will both need straightjackets come Christmas!
Until next time... xx
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Josie & The Pussycats
Life is rather busy in cold old Canberra at the moment. I (the graphic designer) have a mountain of work on - all with Friday deadlines so the posts and cute pics might have to wait until the weekend.
Anyway, we have our first fosters for Canberra! They are from the RSPCA - ACT (who have a zero euthanasia for rehomeable animals policy). There are 4 x 3 week old kittens and a surrogate mum who sadly, was separated from her babies. Won't go into detail now, but we have dubbed them "Josie and the pussycats", the mum of course being Josie.
Here's some pics... more updates later.
Anyway, we have our first fosters for Canberra! They are from the RSPCA - ACT (who have a zero euthanasia for rehomeable animals policy). There are 4 x 3 week old kittens and a surrogate mum who sadly, was separated from her babies. Won't go into detail now, but we have dubbed them "Josie and the pussycats", the mum of course being Josie.
Here's some pics... more updates later.
Friday, September 30, 2011
New Hope
Well it has been a while... a long while!
Ourselves and our 4 cats are now permanant residents of the ACT. As such, we have of course had to give up our fostering for the Animal Welfare League of Queensland.
The good news is that the RSPCA here have just started promoting their fostering program. We went to an information session last night which was very useful, and got to cuddle some gorgeous little kitties to boot.
We are very lucky to have found a cat friendly landlord. In fact, she is a cat lover! So we are still in a position to help those little furries out there who need a bit of a hand up.
Keep an eye on this page... we've signed up and are ready to go. Kitten season starts any day now!!!!...
Ourselves and our 4 cats are now permanant residents of the ACT. As such, we have of course had to give up our fostering for the Animal Welfare League of Queensland.
The good news is that the RSPCA here have just started promoting their fostering program. We went to an information session last night which was very useful, and got to cuddle some gorgeous little kitties to boot.
We are very lucky to have found a cat friendly landlord. In fact, she is a cat lover! So we are still in a position to help those little furries out there who need a bit of a hand up.
Keep an eye on this page... we've signed up and are ready to go. Kitten season starts any day now!!!!...
Sunday, July 24, 2011
None Left!!!
It is with sheer delight that I can post tonight and say that every one of the n00bs has been adopted. It is so wonderful to know that all 6 of them will be snuggling up with someone tonight - and within only 5 days of being available. I hope they love their new homes and are comfortable there for many years to come.
Thanks to the Animal Welfare League for your tireless efforts in rehoming animals on the Gold Coast. If you wish to donate to this worthy charity please visit http://www.awlqld.com.au and follow the links to donation.
Thanks to the Animal Welfare League for your tireless efforts in rehoming animals on the Gold Coast. If you wish to donate to this worthy charity please visit http://www.awlqld.com.au and follow the links to donation.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Another one down!
YAYYYY!!!!!
4 more to go. Hopefully they will go on the weekend. There are now 2 at Stapylton and 2 at Coombabah. We wish them and their new forever families happiness in their new homes.
|
Black Domestic Medium Hair Female 12 Weeks Strike was a stray $170.00 |  |
Strike 830114 4 more to go. Hopefully they will go on the weekend. There are now 2 at Stapylton and 2 at Coombabah. We wish them and their new forever families happiness in their new homes.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Adoption Time!!!
All has been sorted (Thanks Fleur & Nicole) with the AWL with photos now appearing and all the correct details on the site. Here are the details of the n00bs for adoption purposes:
and here is the best detail of all...
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! My little Grand Master Flash was rehomed... in a flash!! I knew it would be him going first being such a personality.
And now the countdown to 0 happens! Who will go next? Hmmmmm
****If you are reading this, please share the link to this page with anyone and everyone you know. They might not be looking for a pet, but someone they know might be. THANKS!!****
Breeze 830113 at AWL Stapylton Blue and White Domestic Medium Hair Female 11 Weeks Breeze was a stray $170.00 |  |
| | Strike 830114 at AWL Shelter Road Black Domestic Medium Hair Female 11 Weeks Strike was a stray $170.00 |
| Storm 830116 at AWL Shelter Road Black and White Domestic Medium Hair Male 11 Weeks Storm was a stray $170.00 |  |
 | Winter 830117 at AWL Stapylton Black Domestic Medium Hair Male 11 Weeks Winter was a stray $170.00 |
| Juni 830118 at AWL Shelter Road Tortoiseshell Domestic Medium Hair Female 11 Weeks Juni was a stray $170.00 |  |
and here is the best detail of all...
 |
Black and White Domestic Medium Hair Male 11 Weeks Flash was a stray $170.00 |
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! My little Grand Master Flash was rehomed... in a flash!! I knew it would be him going first being such a personality.
And now the countdown to 0 happens! Who will go next? Hmmmmm
****If you are reading this, please share the link to this page with anyone and everyone you know. They might not be looking for a pet, but someone they know might be. THANKS!!****
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Time for Forever Homes - but confused.
It all happened quite quickly, but Juni (being the smallest) managed to make it to the 1kg mark over the weekend. I woke to a call from the Animal Welfare League on Monday to find out they were overdue for a check up so it was time for our n00bs to get back to the shelter and get their checkup, desexing and microchipping before being available for adoption.
5 out of 6 of our little ones are showing on the Animal Welfare League website tonight but strangely Flash isn't appearing. How the Grand Master could have been left out I cannot imagine, but I will certainly call and find out tomorrow.
Unfortunately, the studio shots we took (you can find on a previous post here) haven't made their way onto the website with their profiles. Very unfortunate considering I burned the cd and wrote their numbers with names all over it so it was easy to upload. I will get to the bottom of that tomorrow too. We really want these guys out the door and into forever homes quick smart. They deserve nothing less than a warm rug and a nice heater in a cosy home on these cold nights.
5 out of 6 of our little ones are showing on the Animal Welfare League website tonight but strangely Flash isn't appearing. How the Grand Master could have been left out I cannot imagine, but I will certainly call and find out tomorrow.
Unfortunately, the studio shots we took (you can find on a previous post here) haven't made their way onto the website with their profiles. Very unfortunate considering I burned the cd and wrote their numbers with names all over it so it was easy to upload. I will get to the bottom of that tomorrow too. We really want these guys out the door and into forever homes quick smart. They deserve nothing less than a warm rug and a nice heater in a cosy home on these cold nights.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Growing Growing
Our little half dozen have been doing very well over the past couple of weeks. I have had to give them access to what we call the "front room" of our house (an enclosure of what used to be a very lage old queenslander verandah) so that they have space to play without tangling themselves in my computer wires or making nuisances of themselves whilst I'm trying to work
They, of course, still manage to have their moments. It can't be all that bad when your downtime looks like this though:
The packing for our move to Canberra has begun tonight. It is going to be interesting with 6 little fluffies trying to climb into every box as I try and pack it. Constant head counts will be a must!
The n00bs, as we call them, are now 13 weeks old and certainly of age to be desexed and rehomed, I am just waiting for one of them to make it past the 1kg mark before we can see them off to their forever homes.
Speaking of forever homes, if you are reading this please share it with all you know. Whether through social networking, emails or printing out the photos and showing them to people - you can link to the previous post with our studio shots and show everyone you know. Even if they aren't looking for a pet, they might know someone who is. I hope to take these beautiful kittens next week to find their forever homes, so the deadline is looming. Please help us to make sure they don't stay long in the shelter. They all have gorgeous personalities and have been well socialisied including children and other pets.
That's my pitch for the night. If you can't manage a new pet in your household, but want to help the push for zero euthanasia of healthy sociable animals and the reduction of companion animal overbreeding, please consider visiting www.awlqld.com.au to make a donation.
Ok so 2 pitches... you can handle it :)
They, of course, still manage to have their moments. It can't be all that bad when your downtime looks like this though:
The packing for our move to Canberra has begun tonight. It is going to be interesting with 6 little fluffies trying to climb into every box as I try and pack it. Constant head counts will be a must!
The n00bs, as we call them, are now 13 weeks old and certainly of age to be desexed and rehomed, I am just waiting for one of them to make it past the 1kg mark before we can see them off to their forever homes.
Speaking of forever homes, if you are reading this please share it with all you know. Whether through social networking, emails or printing out the photos and showing them to people - you can link to the previous post with our studio shots and show everyone you know. Even if they aren't looking for a pet, they might know someone who is. I hope to take these beautiful kittens next week to find their forever homes, so the deadline is looming. Please help us to make sure they don't stay long in the shelter. They all have gorgeous personalities and have been well socialisied including children and other pets.
That's my pitch for the night. If you can't manage a new pet in your household, but want to help the push for zero euthanasia of healthy sociable animals and the reduction of companion animal overbreeding, please consider visiting www.awlqld.com.au to make a donation.
Ok so 2 pitches... you can handle it :)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Our Little Superstars!!
Well here they are - our studio photographed, sparkling eyed little superstars:
Breeze
Flash
Juni
Storm
Strike
Winter
Breeze
Flash
Juni
Storm
Strike
Winter
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Sneek Preview
To celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary we decided we should be in the same postcode for the weekend. So having the opportunity to work our magic in unison, we did a studio shoot for the n00bs. Here's a sneak preview of the results. Many more to come soon!
These guys are approaching their 1kg goal now, so we're hoping these shots will help them find loving homes when they are ready. If you know anyone who is thinking of adding a pet to their home in or around Brisbane, please encourage them to adopt from the Animal Welfare League of Queensland as they have a zero euthanasia policy, and are currently in crisis, struggling to keep their doors open.
These guys are approaching their 1kg goal now, so we're hoping these shots will help them find loving homes when they are ready. If you know anyone who is thinking of adding a pet to their home in or around Brisbane, please encourage them to adopt from the Animal Welfare League of Queensland as they have a zero euthanasia policy, and are currently in crisis, struggling to keep their doors open.
Breeze
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