Fostering – Page 2

June 3, 2015

The Fun of Meds

With this many cats in the house, we’re dealing with two problems that go hand in hand. Too many cats causes stress, which cause health issues, which causes more stress. So it can be a downward spiral that can get expensive.

One alternative is to reduce the cat population. Which isn’t really an option because it’s hard finding good homes for non-kitten cats. And sending them to the shelter is just not an option.

So I max out my credit cards to get reliable health care for them. And learn about health issues in the process.

Like Little Black Bean had Eosinophilic Granuloma, where her upper lip became swollen and stiff. Fortunately, it’s not one of the messy or painful issues cats can get. A round of steroids can usually solve it.

We also had a mysterious infection going around noses, lips and chins to random cats. Charlie got it the worst and his squishy nose looked like it had been split open.

Of course we also have two elderly cats and an old dog. Plus UTI issues in some cats. And we were using diatomaceous earth preventatively against internal parasites, while fighting fleas with regular flea combings. So it was a circus three times a day for meds.

Once a day I had to get one and a half steroid pills into Little Black Bean who was ferocious. Twice a day I had to get the dog his pain meds for arthritis, which was easily done with cheese. Two to three times a day we had to catch six to eight cats and wipe their chins/lips/noses with anti-bacterial drying ointment. Three to four cats got a herbal tincture for urinary tract health. And one cat got saline drops in her nose for sinus issues from long-term kennel cough.

And they all got a measure of diatomaceous earth in wet cat food every night to fight worms, and then flea combed to battle the flea season overflow, because even the best topical flea treatment isn’t always high-functioning at the height of the Florida flea outbreaks. It can also get expensive if you’re treating over a dozen cats every month with this stuff.

Suffice it to say, things got a little wild from time to time when multiple issues coincided. And add in the ongoing issues with the colony cats who really need medical care I can’t afford…

Fortunately we have a wonderful vet who understands the issues we face, and is happy to work with us on affordable treatment options.

May 31, 2015

Is Moxie Getting Fatter?

Moxie loves wet cat food and dry cat food. She loves the water bowl. She loves being picked up, and being pet. She loves chin scritches. I can’t tell if she’s actually getting fatter or if it’s just my imagination.

Her confidence level is skyrocketing. She is able to move around the house without getting too freaked out by the other cats. She can usually sneak past Sammy, the dog, without too much drama. She is exploring ALL of the possible sitting spots in the house. Sometimes she crawls into the back of a shelf in the liquor cabinet, and others she sits in the window of the cat room for hours watching the neighborhood.

May 29, 2015

Double Trip to the Vet

Clone duckface, 5-29-15 — Clone /Little Bean with EGC on her upper lip, easily treated with a round of steroids

I noticed Little Bean had some bumps on her upper lip a week or so ago and didn’t think much of it. She acts timid but she throws down with her brothers like anyone else. I figured she bumped it.

But then she came and sat on my lap to cuddle and looked up at me with full duckface. Upper lip puffed out and distorting her profile. A little Googling brought me to a fantastic article about EGC. http://www.2ndchance.info/egc.htm

First thing the next morning I called the vet for an appointment. And then I called back so I could bring Elusive for a look at her UTI. And hopefully get the girls both wormer pills.

Sure enough, Dr. Doll had a look at the swollen and hard duckface and suggested a gentle round of steroids to get it under control. Elusive was more of a challenge because we needed a urine sample and just had nothing to go on. They got their worming pills though. And we got Sammy (the dog’s) arthritis pills refilled.

While we were waiting for the pills and paperwork, another patient came in with her dog and two kids. The vet office is a big, echoing space and the kids immediately had a shrieking match. Mom yelled at them to stop eventually. They then started up chanting ‘puppyPUPPYpuppy’ for a while until they were shouted at to stop eventually. My cats were shivering and freaking out, and I could hear the dogs in the back of the clinic freaking out. I’m totally being judgy in that situation because my mom had The Look. And if that didn’t work, she had The Finger.

Anyhow, Little Bean took home tiny steroid pills (after I drove across town to pick them up), and I had a bag of fake litter, a vial, and a squeazy thing to suck up a urine sample from Elusive. And they were a few days away from being worm-free.

Although they chirped the whole way to the vet, they didn’t have a lot to say on the way home. One more round of stuff to add to the morning and night animal routine. Tiny pills to a tiny, cranky black kitteh.

May 19, 2015

Skinny Moxie

Moxie explored inside the house, 5-18-15 — Less than 4.5 pounds

Moxie was such a good girl on her first visit to the vet. She got the works, and complete blood work done. After a long and thorough conversation with our vet, he agreed that she was in great health despite being emaciated, and that her lack of body mass was likely due to starvation rather than any illness or defect.

She weighed in at less than 4.5 pounds, and she should have been around 7 to 8 pounds. But otherwise was a healthy girl. It was hard to estimate her age due to her lack of weight. But time would tell. Our vet was otherwise happy with her condition.

I was sent home with some things to try to get a urine and fecal sample just to rule out anything obscure. But waiting for a cat to do its business in a weird litter box set up was less than successful.

It’s hard to estimate how quickly she will be back up to ideal weight. Six to eight weeks is the general guess. In the mean time, we’ll be getting her fat, working on her socialization, and inviting potential adopters to come meet her.

May 18, 2015

Moxie Arrived

Moxie arrived on a hot afternoon. She swaggered into our colony’s community area with a look about her. She told everyone to back up. She was going to eat and the were going to leave her alone. She had moxie from day one.

I thought she was a boy at first and started calling her Max. She was emaciated but alert. Determined. A painfully skinny tuxedo with big, round, surprised eyes and a black face except for a small, white goatee. (She reminded us both of Phrike, an amazingly sweet colony member that had disappeared a year before.) Her hip bones stood out and her back end was weak. But she was fiercely determined to survive.

She ate and left, came back, left, hid, and flirted with the colony for two days before she stayed when I came to feed the cats. And two days more before she was brave enough to sniff my finger. A first step. It went quickly from there because it turns out that she LOVES to be held. It also turned out she was a girl and Max became Moxie.

Moxie's beginning, 5-17-15 — Moxie’s early days

In the mean time, I became sure she was an escapee from my cat lady hoarder neighbor’s house. Her fur was clean as if she was indoors, yet she was skinny as if her access to food was controlled. She had huge trust issues with other cats, as if she had to compete for food. But she was able to trust and bond with humans. Later on when I brought her in and set her up inside in the crate (large dog crate), she seemed vastly more comfortable indoors in a small space than being outside.

On Saturday night I set out a bunch of humane cat traps (in hopes of trapping cat hoarding neighbor’s cats), and immediately caught Moxie. Only Moxie. I woke up really early and brought her in to the Operation Catnip clinic, and I made sure to tell the intake crew that she was incredibly skinny but I had an emotional investment in her well being. Which was a good thing. Barely an hour after I got home, they called to say the head vet was recommending Moxie be euthanized. She was too emaciated to perform surgery on. If I hadn’t had a history with O.C., it would have been the end for her that day. But I was able to negotiate her freedom.

Since I volunteer for O.C. afternoons, I was able to talk to the head vet about Moxie’s condition and my guess about how she was starved. She agreed it was a huge probability. Poor Moxie was just plain starved.

On arrival home, Moxie was set up in her own apartment–a large crate in the living room, with liter, food, water, cozy box, and a sheet for privacy. She immediately took to her now space. She loved the wet food. Lazed around in the box in every possible position. And she was a complete perfectionist in the litter box right away. She did growl when our dog or other cats came nearby to examine the newcomer.

Despite her dramatic few days in traps and in the vet school, being sedated and having her belly shaved, being sent home and stuffed into a big cage… despite all of that, she remained quite calm. I was able to handle her all the time. She clearly enjoyed being held. She liked chin scritches. She purred a lot. She was a wonderful cat that needed to be returned to health so she could find a good home.

May 13, 2015

Princess Nara

: Pepper / Nara 5-13-15

I LOVE getting updates on our furry friends who found furever homes! This one came in on a day that was kind of difficult, so it was such a great message!

“Wanted to give you guys an update on Nara… She’s growing into such a beautiful cat. Easily one of the smartest I’ve ever known. She’s just the right balance of feisty and lovable. Needless to say, I’m in love. Just wanted to say thank you so much for bringing us together!”

Many thanks to our friend who fostered Pepper / Nara, and to Nara’s new kitteh daddy!

Happy Nara (Pepper)!

November 23, 2014

Fighter Meets Voldemort

We’ve always said that Fighter and Spider, the two boys from Little Mamma, looked and acted so much like their uncle (?) Voldemort, the alpha male in our colony.

Spider got adopted out before he could really meet Volvo, but with the weather getting cold and Voldemort darting into the house lately, Fighter has gotten to know his older mirror cat. They look alike, but more than that, they are both dominant males with big squishy, cuddly sides.

With Volvo in the house (acting like he wants to learn how to be an indoor cat), Fighter has gotten to know him a bit. Which was adorable until tonight when they actually cuddle up on the couch together. I really thought I was going to explode from the cuteness. It sucks that it’s so hard to get attractive pictures of black cats, but I desperately tried. They cuddled up for a good 20 minutes, which knowing Volvo, is a Christmas miracle.

As it is, when I have to evict Volvo from the house for whatever reason, I have to double check to make sure I’m not putting Fighter outside. Fortunately, their major difference is that Fighter has amazingly silky fur, where Volvo has a coarse, short fur like Spider inherited.

November 18, 2014

Sophie’s First day

Sophie’s first two day were just for relaxation and evaluation. She hovers in the kitten room uncertainly, alternating between the windowsill and the hut at the top of the cat tree. Her roommates, Saffron and Ginger regarded her nervously at first but soon let down their guard.

Observationally, I have become more convinced Sophia was kept in poor confinement for some time. I’m no expert though. She seems to lack muscle tone of a cat her age used to running and jumping around. Her white socks seem a worn-in yellow as if she has spent time standing in filth. She is skinny and limp, with a rounded belly that may be worms. I fear it is an early pregnancy because of how she naturally seems to lay down in the nursing position.

But her personality is amazing. She is sweet and docile in a good way. She craves human contact. When she anticipates being stroked, she sits very still and makes biscuits with her tiny paws excitedly. When petted, she likes to lean in to your hand and purr, practically rolling over to intensify the affection. And when you pick her up, she curles into you, purring and making air biscuits.

She seems to eat food timidly. I can’t tell yet if she’s afraid to relax and eat, or if she has trouble eating hard food. But she is definitely a fan of a full, clean water bowl. I haven’t actually seen her use a litter box yet, but after two days now, she hasn’t left any accidents so I can only assume she’s doing the right thing.

And she is incredibly open and friendly to other cats. Without hesitation she has tried to make friends with each of the cats in the house that wanders near her room. She is nervous about the dog but not fearful.

I put up a picture and a Craigslist ad for her on the same night she came to us. On Monday I got a sincere interest text/email from someone who had one mustache cat and was tickled by the prospect of a second one. Fingers crossed that this happens because Sophia needs a hero so bad.

In the mean time, the usual heroes are going to help her. Operation Catnip is sponsoring nip/spay, shots, etc, through No More Homeless Pets (Operation Petsnip). Sophia is on schedule to go in Wednesday morning for the works. She’ll never have to worry about raising kittens on the streets. Or getting stuck in the breeding cycle. And hopefully, with some time under her furry belt, she’ll blossom into the sweet little lady that she seems to be under all of this.

November 16, 2014

Sophia

Temporary Name:

Sophia

Gender: Female
Color: Black & White
Fur: Short
Born: Unknown/aprox 8 months
Mom: Unknown
Family: Unknown

Update: Adopted!

This is breaking news to everyone, including Sophia. I just stepped outside to shoo an opossum away from the colony cats’ food bowls, and an unfamiliar kitty head popped out of one of the kitty huts. I’m used to new cats scurrying away and hovering in the distance until the food bowls are filled up and I’m gone. But this little one joined the herd of regulars swirling around my ankles. I was first surprised by how friendly she was, and then by how small. I’d be surprised if she is six months old. Our current fosters are all around six months, and she’s tiny compared to them.

Since I still have quite a few fosters still needing homes (and my own cats) I was torn about what to do with her. But then I realized she was a girl, and I just couldn’t leave her out there to wander off and start cranking out more kittens (if she made it that far). Much to the dismay of my significant other, and my own cats, I brought this little girl inside. She was very polite and sweet, didn’t mind being held, and hasn’t said a peep about the other cats trying to sniff her all over. She will have to bunk up with Ginger and Saffron for a few days until I can get her in to be seen by a vet and nipped right away.

In the mean time, I need to get her fattened up a little, and cleaner. And hopefully I can find a home for this adorable little mustached girl!

*Update 11/21/14 – Sophia is recovering nicely from her surgery. She has a heating pad to keep her warm, and a nice quiet room to recuperate in. After a few days now, she is starting to show interest in all of the other cats in the house (but still nervous around the dog). She is eating well, and is mostly getting the hang of the litter box. She loves loves LOVES being held and pet and cuddled.

Health history:

11/19/14 – Sophia got the full treatment by Operation Catnip. She got spayed (she was in heat), rabies shots, and treated for parasites. She also got a tiny bit of her left ear nipped as part of this free service. The vets didn’t find anything seriously wrong with her. They agreed she needed a good home where she would be fed and allowed to exercise since she is thinner and smaller than cats her age, and she lacks some muscle density.

1/1/15 – Sophia was adopted by a friend who has been sending updates on her improvement. Sophia has blossomed into a sweet and inquisitive kitty, and all it took was one big-hearted person willing to take a chance on a little furry face 🙂

Sophia loves the cat tree!

Sophia is learning about kitty toys

July 19, 2014December 12, 2016

The Dude (a.k.a.) Little Fighter

Temporary Name:

The Dude, (a.k.a.) Little Fighter

Gender: Male
Color: Black
Fur: Short
Born: Approximately 4/17/14
Mom: Lil Mamma
Family: 6 kittens

Adopted!

Update: The Dude was adopted by the perfect family and is doing well 🙂

Little Fighter got his name because he was the most fearless and playful of his siblings. He would take on two or three easily, and keep coming back for more when they played. He was one of the largest of the kittens, but as they were weaned, and had all of the kitten kibble they could eat, his siblings caught up with him.

He is almost pure black. His kitten fur was the most fluffy of the babies, and had little fine silver fur mixed in along his throat and belly. But as he grew older, he got more sleek fur, and now his eyes are turning a lovely gold that is popular in our neighborhood cats. His brother Spider is almost identical, with slightly less fluffy fur and eyes that are a little more grey.

As he grows up, he’s also becoming less aggressive. He’s much more willing to cuddle, and loves to be scritched on his back and neck. Because the kittens came to us with crusty eyes, we washed their eyes and faces with wet paper towels 3-4 times a day. Now these little guys love to have their whole faces stroked and petted.

He’s a bit territorial, so he would probably be best as an only cat, or with his sister, Elusive. But he is also used to having a lot of cats around, and our dog, plus all of our friends in and out, so he is also very tolerant of a variety of people in his house.

Note: As he grew up, we changed his name from Fighter to The Dude because he grew less assertive and more cool and cuddly. He’s a very people-oriented kitteh now, and likes to drape himself across your lap or talk to you as he follows you from room to room.

Health history:

8/27/14 – Neutered, rabies vaccine, flea/parasite treatment, and microchipped. (No More Homeless Pets: Operation Petsnip, www.nmhp.net) He had a minor infection after being neutered, but that cleared up and he’s back on all four paws, running around like always.

When these kittens came to us, they had very crusty eyes. It took a good week or two to get that under control. This little boy hasn’t shown signs of any returning issues.

Quick Details

Litter box: A [he has great aim but can’t always cover the business no mater how hard he tries]
Other cats: B [probably best with fewer cats]
Cuddling: A
Food: A+