The Crazy Cat Lady

Missing you

2012-02-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

♥

sigh.....

Goodbye My Sweet Friend...

2012-02-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

You will always be in my heart.

[Thank you all so much for your comments and condolences during this time. Every single one of them has made me cry.
I will post again when I regain strength. Right now I just need some time with my thoughts...]
♥ kittykye

Another day passes...

2012-02-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

I'm feeding her with an eyedropper now, just to get something in her stomach.
She's barely even opening her mouth.
I'm worried that even that is hurting her.
She looks so miserable.
But this is my friend, my baby, my kitty.
I can't possibly make a decision.
Am I selfish thinking that she'll get better? Letting her go on like this?

I don't know what to do...

My poor sweet little girl... <3

Sick kitty

2012-02-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

She's going from water dish to water dish, but not drinking anything.
It's so hard to see her like this.
It's breaking my heart...
:(

Withering Away...

2012-02-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

Every day she gets a little skinnier.

She eats and drinks, but not very much.
The vet says that it's most likely heart and kidney failure.
It looks like she has gone blind in one eye, and half her body has become weak and almost unusable.

She hobbles around the house.
But she doesn't seem to be in so much pain that she complains about it.
She just smiles and purrs and follows me and the babe around (to the best of her ability).

2 lb shoulder-riding kitty.

Checking out a sun spot together.

Soaking in the warmth.

I'm terrified that her time with us is slowly coming to the end.

I'm hanging on to her with hope that her strength will carry her into each day.

And cuddle her when she is feeling weak.

(Side note: Her voice never fully recovered. Doc says that with that one sickness, it probably kick started all the other failing organs in her body, since she's so old. It was only a matter of time before she came down with something that lead to these other issues. He said we could run all kinds of tests to verify, and then put her on medication. But, he doesn't highly recommend it because of her age. Right now, we're just sticking by her and trying to make her as happy and comfortable as possible.)

Pretending...

2012-01-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm looking out at the beautiful blue ocean on a warm sunny day...

Just sunbathing on the beach without a care in the world...

Ahhh yes. I am there.

Snowy Snoozin'

2012-01-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

On days like this...

This is all ya gotta do...

Still kickin'!

2012-01-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

Well, she's doing just fine.

She's still a little on the boney and frail side, but she's just as cuddly and sociable as ever.

We debated taking her back in to give her antibiotics anyway. I had called the vet to see what they thought. I gave it one more day and realized she was doing a bit better, and nixed the antibiotic idea again.
I know their opinion to me is (even though they don't outright say it) to put her down. I can sense it in what they say: "You know, Mrs. M.... she really is an old cat.... and you can't let her just deteriorate away into nothing".

Well, nuts to that, I say. I think she's still got some spunk left in her, and she's trying her best to fight through it.

Her voice never went back to normal, but she's not hacking a lung like she used to. She's back to sleeping with us at night, and hangs out with us during the day.

I'm happy that she's doing well. I know she's going to make it to her 18th birthday and probably even more. Even though she's tiny, she's a strong willed little kitty. And I'm glad that she's coming back to her old self. :)

Kitty Laryngitis

2011-12-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

Two weekends ago, we went away to visit my parents (in another city) for about 4 days. We had someone looking after Yoko while we were gone, but for only one day - since she's usually okay on her own.
When we got home, she was making this horrible low scratchy meow at us. She normally has a pretty deep meow (being part Siamese), but this was way worse. After some time at home, we realized that not only was her meow affected, but her purring and breathing as well (would hack really hard and cough if she purred, and wheeze while breathing).
I figure she had been meowing a lot while we were gone, which she often does, which caused her to irritate her voice box. I thought it would clear up in a couple of days.
Six days later, she still had the problem. She was no longer eating her dry cat food, so we went out and bought her some cans of soft stuff. Since she appeared to be in pain, I decided it best to call her doc to have a look at her.
Doc took her (after my begging him, as it was near their closing time on a weekend) and gave her the exam.
Unfortunately, he didn't have very much to offer me. As I had already done research on the condition, he and I both came to the conclusion together that an URI was out of the question - as she had not been around other cats, had never been infected with it in the past, and showed no other signs of it. The damage is fully located in her larynx (he listened to the gurgle with the stethoscope). He said that antibiotics would be useless on her, and could possibly even put more risk on her than help her in any way (since she's an old cat).
When I went home, I did some poking around and found this site, which seems to be bang on the nose to what's going on with her. I've heard of Laryngitis for cats before, but always thought it was a pretty rare thing.
Wondering if anyone has run into this before with their kitty? Yoko is still sick with this, with no signs of improvement after over a week. I've read it could take weeks to get better -- I really hope it does. She looks pretty uncomfortable.

I've put her water and wet cat food dishes beside her bed so she doesn't have to walk upstairs while she's not feeling very well.

Snapped this picture when she turned around had a seat in it.

Silly girl.

Unfortunately, we also found out some other news while we were at the doctor that I hadn't anticipated.

Yoko has also developed a heart murmur, swollen kidneys, and dropped 1.5 kg in weight since her last visit to the doctor.

About a month and a half ago, she got locked in our foster room for several days by a Real Estate agent (an unhappy story on its own.....). She became so severely dehydrated that she could have died if left any longer. She was delirious when we found her. We had to bring her in to have her put on IV to get her fluids back up. She did come back from it, but she hasn't been the same since. I know she has become really boney and her movements slow - so when he told me that she was still dehydrated (even though she has water bowls around the house at all times), I wasn't surprised.

This new information from the vet about her now most likely having kidney disease (has the symptoms), and possibly heart problems, makes me think that that room-locking-in episode had a lot to do with it. I mean, I know she's almost 18, she's not a kitten anymore... but, I'm sure it didn't help towards her health.

We're a bit worried about her. Vet says that this sickness with her throat may be enough to 'push' her organs over the edge, if they're in a failing stage. But, we're holding on that she'll pull through. I'm keeping my hopes up for her because she's been a trooper through many other sicknesses in the past. She's still got a smile on her face and a (crackly) purr to share with the family. We're making sure to give her lots of love and cuddles and spoiling her rotten (hard to believe she can be spoiled even more than she is now :P).

We also plan to have her come with us the next time we travel, just so we can keep an eye on her.

I know that not many people stop by the blog much these days... but, for anyone who's followed and virtually got to know Yok - I thought it would be worth a share for those who care.

I'll keep up with any updates on her health. And pictures, too, of course. :)

Meow-ry Christmas Everyone! ♥♥♥

~~~kittykye=^..^= and Family

I see you eyeing my smiley cookie....

2011-12-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

Warmth

2011-11-22T14:24:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while she'll take a break from the heated bed (yes, in front of the fireplace!), to lie on the floor to cool off. Most of the time it only takes a couple of minutes before she's right back there, snoring in the heat. That cat loves the warmth like I've never heard of!

Living amongst the many, many colourful toys

2011-11-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

But, she doesn't seem to mind one bit.

A test

2011-07-13T06:37:00.001-07:00

Trying to see how to post from my iPad.

Cat Stuff

2011-06-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

In response to Catherine's post -- I, too, have this mug! Small world!

Also, I wanted to show the awesome shirt I bought from icanhascheezburger.com at their LOLmart :

I can't help but laugh at poor little Maggie over at Love and Hisses every time I wear it. That Mama cat is a champion in my book! (This post, especially!)

(Sorry the shirt is so wrinkled... I just took it out of the dryer and who has time for ironing, really?)

Hurray for summer!

2011-06-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

And napping in the warm, sweet air that wafts in through the window :)

Turning 17

2011-05-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

Yoko turned seventeen years old on April 24th. She is still as youthful and beautiful as she was when she was a kitten.
She amazes me every day with how terrific she is. She really is the best cat anyone could ever ask for. :)

Yoko and The Boy

2011-04-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'm totally surprised at how well Yoko has been dealing with the introduction of a new baby in the house. I would think that a large majority of cats would freak out in some way or another, but she's really accepted it with ease.

The first couple of days, when we decided to lock her out of our bedroom, you could tell she was a bit peeved and confused. But luckily, I had my Mom staying with us, so Yoko just warmed up to her during that time instead.

Then after testing the waters a bit with a slow introduction of the baby, it only took a short time for her to act like she didn't even notice he was there. To the point of wanting to come up on my lap and almost walking right across his face.

When we realized that there was going to be no issues (other than a bit of jealousy and demand for attention from us), we allowed her to come back into the bedroom again. The baby sleeps in a bassinette, and knowing that she wouldn't be interested in going in there to harm the baby, she was welcome to sleep with us again.

Now there's always a fight for a position on my lap instead. Most of the time the baby wins, as I'm usually in the middle of a feeding. She does occasionally score the spot if the baby is having Daddy time though.

The crazy thing is, is that she's really shown respect for the fact that he's here now. After a couple of weeks of just ignoring his presence, she has now really warmed up to him. She wants to cuddle with him just like she wants to cuddle with us. Wrapping her arms around him and falling asleep with her chin down on his lap, and even giving big slurpy kisses on his head!

Doug and I are still very cautious of her, of course, because she has big whopping claws that could accidentally slip at any time - so the two are never alone together in the same room. But, it's not uncommon to see the four of us cuddled on the couch watching a movie together (usually with both baby and cat in my lap).

Yoko really is the best cat anyone could ever ask for. She may not be great with the kittens, but she knows that this little man is here to stay.

The only thing that she probably doesn't like, is when it's time for a feeding and the screaming commences..... then she's no where to be seen. ;)

Elliott Update

2011-03-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you for you for all the support I received regarding little Wesley. He is certainly missed, and it's nice to see all the people who will remember him.

I did leave out information on little Elliott (L) from my last post though.
While Wesley had suffered most of his life, Elliott has also had his share of problems too. He hasn't been as sick as Wes, says Ann, but he hasn't always been the healthiest kitty either. She still takes him to the doctor to have him checked out. But, from what I make of it, he seems to be doing okay.

She sent me a quick snapshot of him from her cell phone after I spoke with her that I'd like to share. :)

He's so big now!

She says that he has a bit of an aggression problem, probably due to the CH. I've always thought he was much tougher than Wesley was, though I always cracked it up to be that he took after Rosie's wild and anti-social ways (maybe it's also part of it). But she was told that the CH possibly has a hand in it because a) he gets frustrated that he can't walk when he wants to play, and b) he was never neutered because his 'boys' never really descended properly.

I hope to have more updates on Elliott in the future. I've also asked her to send me some pictures of Wes in his last days so I have them to remember him by (but I haven't got them yet.. which is understandable, as she's a busy woman).

I will make sure to post anything that comes in though, if/when I do get it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news, it's spring (well, maybe not "warm" spring in Northern Ontario :P). Don't tell Doug, but I'm getting the kitten itch lately. I haven't heard from the shelters this year, but it could be because the Petsave coordinator knows we were expecting a baby, and I'm not on the SPCA list this year.

I wonder if I'd get in trouble for showing up at home with a litter? I can handle a newborn and 6 kittens!

...somehow I think I'd end up with my bags packed. But......maybe I'll mention it and see where it goes. ;)

An arrival and a departure...

2011-03-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Spring is already just around the corner.
And on sunny March 8th, as I sat in the kitchen, I was reminded of my CH boys.

That day marks their one year anniversary of life. I remember sitting there a year ago March 7th, waiting for Rosie to pop at any time. When that evening, little Oscar was born. After a very difficult realization that Rosie was not interested in her kitten, we took it upon ourselves to help him out by putting him in a homemade incubator box and getting him a bottle to feed.

The next morning, two more little squirts were born. Wesley and LH (later named L, then Elliott).

We tried to put them all with Rosie, but only L was accepted....
That night, we lost Oscar... and poor Wesley struggled with seizures. At that point we didn't know what was wrong with them. But we did everything we could to save them. As weeks passed, I was able to hand-rear Wesley, while Rosie took care of L.

After three weeks of feedings and cleanings on my holidays, I had to go back to work, so Doug would come home on lunch hours to take care of Wes. We found out that Wes was a very sick little kitten, and food would go straight through him. When CH was diagnosed, our shelter manager suggested putting them down, as their quality of life would be terrible. There was a great deal of argument on this blog, and I was bombarded daily by emails from CH cat owners, and it went huge.

We decided to take it upon ourselves to hold onto them and find an owner for these little guys. After searching through all the CH blogrings, communities in Ontario, and facebook site, we very luckily found a very caring woman four hours south of us willing to add the boys to her CH family. We jumped on the opportunity and decided to drive our boys down, where they would have a fur-ever home.

Both kittens still could not walk, eat, or bathroom on their own, and little Wesley still showed many signs of neurological problems, but she worked from home and had the time and effort to look after them. We could not believe our luck.
And of course, when we got there and met her and her fur-family, we knew they had the perfect home. I was so so so happy.

We got many phone calls and the occasional email (one with pictures) with updates on our boys. They were still struggling, but they were getting by. I posted videos in a previous post of them playing.

When I got sick from my pregnancy in early December, I lost touch with her. And it wasn't until March 8th, on their birthday, a couple of weeks after I gave birth to my own son, did I think to email her to wish them a happy birthday and to see how they were doing.

Days went by and I got no response. Until this past weekend.

She apologized... as she couldn't bring herself to email me... and it took great courage for her to muster up a phonecall... to let me know the news.

A few weeks prior to my email... our little Wesley had passed over to Rainbow Bridge...

He had become so sick, and his seizures had become quite bad. She rhymed off various things that he had been diagnosed with (aside from the CH).... which I only half listened to, as I just sat there in shock and sadness. His little body, even though about 6 lbs, just couldn't handle it. He really was a sick little guy from the beginning, and well, while I'm not terribly surprised with the news... it severely breaks my heart.

I debated on the post here, but I know I had so many people follow the story, I think it only seems fair to tell you, so that he can be remembered... That sweet little face will always be in my heart.

And, I can't help but think that there may be a part of him in our new boy, as around the time that Wesley passed was the exact same time that our Andrew was born. Maybe his spirit passed by Rainbow Bridge right into our boy. I know that he's certainly sweet enough to be.

Good bye sweet Wesley

and Hello sweet Andrew

♥

--------------------------

~To read about our new babe, click here.

The New Site

2011-02-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I've got it started. It's still in "basic" stage, as the banner and overall look will need some TLC. But, it's given me a start for my posting right now, if anyone is interested.

Visit here.

Haven't forgot about this place either. Will be getting a post in soon :)

Hmm.. What to do?

2011-02-03T12:20:00.000-08:00

So, for the next little while I'm going to be debating on what to change about this site, and where I should start with my new site.

Not that many people are visiting right now because of my absence, but if you are stopping by and things are looking a bit crazy, it's just because I'm starting to make some changes.

It also may get stuck like that for a while, since our little guy is due to make an appearance in about 2 1/2 weeks, but I will try to accomplish what I can before then :)

I'm home now on bed rest until that day, so I'm hoping that I'll get the time in that I want.

Back soon! :)

A handmade Yoko stuffy for the baby.

(made by Mom-in-law)

Just a quick Hello!

2011-01-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

To say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (belated!) to all you wonderful folk out there.

I would have posted sooner, but I've been hospitalized since mid-December (don't worry, everything is gonna be okay now).

My New Years Resolution is to start blogging again. Both on Crazy Cat Lady (with a blog makeover) and a new blog that will be coming for my little bundle to be (only 7 weeks to go!).

I haven't stopped reading all of your sites. I'm still here from a distance, checking in with you all every day :)

So, I hope everyone has a wonderful 2011! I'll see you soon :)

~kittykye

Tears of Joy!!!

2010-09-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

This is just too good.... terrific... wonderful... amazing news!!

Ann (Wesley and L's new mama) sent me a whack of emails over the weekend that I didn't see until today!

I immediately broke down in tears of happiness to see what I saw. And it wasn't just pregnancy hormones ;)

I'm not going to waste time... Do you recognize these two fine strapping young men??????????

That's right!!! It's them!!! Can you believe how BIG they are???
(Wesley is top, L - now Elliot - is bottom)

Remember this?? It seems just like yesterday. I barely even recognize them anymore.

She told me that both of them are doing just fine. They've learned the litterbox on their own (with a little help from her once in a while), and they're both playful happy kitties.
Still not walking, of course, but they get around the regular drag and wobble CH way ;)
She ran into a bit of a scare back in August with an URI that spread through all the kitties in the house from a foster CH kitten she brought in, where Wesley got terribly sick - but with lots of meds and TLC, she was able to nurture him back. And now he's back to his old self again.

Poor little Wesley will probably always suffer from being such a small little fella, and with the news that he will carry the herpesvirus throughout his whole life, he'll probably always need an extra eye on him as he goes through life. But, I'm confident, with the progress he's made to date, that he'll just keep pushing through.

I really couldn't have imagined a better place that these cats to end up. She has done so much for them over the past few months. It's amazing.

I know she's still on the fence about whether or not it's realistic for her to keep them forever, amongst all the other cats in her house, but I know it would be really difficult for her to let them go. I, personally, would LOVE to have them back - though with the coming changes in this household in the next while, I don't know if it would be a reasonable decision. Still going to put the word out there though, in case anyone knows of a loving home that is interested in a couple of CH cats - give me a shout :)

Eeee! What an exciting day!

Oh, and to add to it... here's some videos!

That's it for now! Happy Tuesday!

PS: Thank you all so much for your nice words for our bundle on the way - we are suuuper excited, even if it means we have to put the fostering on hold for a bit.
Oh, and the fleas are completely gone now (hurray!). Lots of vacuuming and a little drop of Advantage on the back of Yoko's neck and we were free! :D

A quick "then and now" of my little bottle fed babe ♥♥♥♥

Where have I been?!

2010-09-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hee... Hi there. *sheepish grin*

Okay, I know. I vanished from the blog world for a while. Life has been exhausting lately! And the time to put into my blog has fallen way behind.

I've been meaning to pop in and make a post to say what my next steps are, but with everything going on, I just haven't put the effort into it. I saw the comment from Catherine (Hi Catherine! :)), so I figure I should take a few minutes to post on my whereabouts.

First of all.... What happened to the kittens?
Well, that's a huge story itself. Basically they made it safely and happily to Petsave, and were all adopted promptly - my Hercules being the first, to a nice young lady.
We had Orian around for a really long time, where a girlfriend of mine even took her for two weeks to give her a little more house space roaming room until she went in for her spaying. The adoption for her didn't turn out because of the high fee that Petsave asks, but that's okay, I'm confident she'll get adopted quickly because she truly is a sweetheart.

What happened after Orian? Well, she only left on August 29th, and after she did we discovered... what seemed to be out of the blue, fleas in the foster room! But the cats never ever showed any signs of having them! After months of them being here, I have no idea how we got them.
Long story short, Yoko picked them up and our house became riddled with them. We've been doing daily cleaning, Yoko has been on a vet trip, and has now been treated with a flea bath, then followed later in the week with Advantage on the back of the head. We're hoping they completely disappear soon.

So now that we're cat free (minus Yoks), where does that leave us?

Well, sadly, we won't be fostering any more. :( At least, not for a very long time, anyway.

We found out a couple of months ago that.... we're going to be REAL mommy and daddy!!! :):)
Sooo... that's putting a crimp on our kitty plans for now. ;)

Where I'll be sad that I won't have any kitties to post about anymore, I will still be in the blogosphere reading about all of your sites and occasionally making my posts about Yoko.

Another main reason behind me not posting, even about Yoko, is that I have an extremely large exam for work, that I've been prepping for, that consumes a lot of my time in the evening. Once I'm done that, and passed, I'll be back posting on people's sites again - cause even though I'm always up to date on my reading, I have to get back into my groove of posting comments!

So, sorry for my lack of visits! Things will pick up to a small degree in the next month or so! :)

Ciao for now!
~~~~ kittykye =^..^=

Hmmm

2010-07-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

I appear to have lost my background somehow. I suppose I'll have to go search out a new one! [edit--Ah, I got it back, not sure what happened there!]

So many things have been happening around here... and I still don't have a moment to write about it!

Looks like we may have an owner for Draco! Woot! Not definite yet, but should know soon!

The rest of the kittens will be going to Petsmart on Tuesday... I'm very bittersweet about it, because they're starting to get to be big enough to start getting into serious mischief. Plus at 3.5-4lbs each, it's a lot of work cleaning litter for five almost full grown kitties! But, I am really attached to them. Especially Hercules. I would love to keep him, but I haven't had much opportunity to introduce him to Yoko... so, I assume it'll be a no go.

More to come soon, but it's the long weekend, so we're buuusy! Some videos to come soon :)

Fooz Ball Kittens!

2010-07-19T16:58:00.001-07:00

5 Cats+1 Box+1 TV=Hours of Entertainment

2010-07-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Pyxis and the Moth

2010-07-12T15:36:00.001-07:00

Upstairs!

2010-07-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

Yoko was out enjoying the beautiful summer Saturday morning outside....

So we decided to let the crew take over the house. This was the outcome....

They're posted!

2010-07-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

I talked to Pet Save today about the adoption of Orian. They just have to go through the interview process (I know her personally, so I know there will be no problems) - and she'll be free to go to her new home!

I'm taking the whole crew to the shelter on Sunday to give them their shots, and then hopefully from there, I'll be able to drop off Orian.

As for the kittens - I've posted them up on Kijiji this evening to get the ball rolling (Pet Save's suggestion).

Here's the link if you want to check them out!
Kittens on Kijiji

Last, but not least!

2010-07-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hercules found some black grease or soot somewhere....

Marilyn Monroe kitten

What? I no find no dirt, I swears!

Herc and Pyxis passed out from all the running around

I was sleepin'! How dare you use that flash, woman!

Luckily for you, I's a sound sleeper

Kitten pile up

Mmmm Herc, you has a tasty ear!

*snore*

That's one happy kitten right there.

Pyx found a moth!

What's this? Oooo... fluttery toy! I's catch you!

Don't run away from me!

More Pictures

2010-07-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

And here's part 2!

Sleepy eyed Hercules

Oh hai, want to play?

Herc playing Catch Phrase with us

Can I has some snuggles too, pleez?

Is the answer Cat Nip? Mouse? Ball of yarn??

Whatchyou means I gots it wrong?

Tauri watching the group from a distance

Pyxis wanting in on the fun

Playing board games with 4 kittens around presented a bit of a problem ;P They were good helpers though!

Last load of pictures to come tomorrow. Possibly the videos too! :)

Holidays are over :(

2010-07-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

But I still had a great time!

The Canada Day long weekend we travelled to the West Arm of Northern Ontario to visit a couple of good friends at their summer home/cottage.

We decided that because it was only about 45 minutes from home, we would take the kittens with us. And boy oh boy, I'll let the million pictures I took detail how much fun they had!!

Buuuut.. Because there's SO many pictures, I'm going to have to do this in parts (at least 2 or 3). So here we go with the first batch below!

Pyxis sitting on the back of the chair

Oh hi there!

Draco in the background

Pyxi up front

Pyxi close up

Pretty colours

Tauri fast asleep in a spot of sunshine

Her brother Draco disturbing her :P

Herc exploring the orange fuzz pillow

Herc playing on the couch

Close up of Herc

Herc and Pyx playing

More Draco sitting with Tauri in the sun

Kitty Tauri fast asleep

Draco getting into mischief

Oh nos! I's stuck in box!

Herc coming to check on the situation

Pyx and Tauri snugglin' in sunshine

Draco escaping the box

Pyxis crashed out on my cousin's shoulder

And Draco passed out on his lap (they all just ADORED him)

Herc observing from the chair

Lots more of these pictures to come! Stay tuned!

In other news.... Orian has been adopted!!!!!!!!!
Another friend of mine just moved back to our area from across Canada, and has decided to adopt our wonderful mama. I'm so ecstatic! More news to come on this soon!

In addition...

2010-06-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

I saw this post on Lisa's blog and couldn't not post it. If you're in Georgia, please consider helpin' a blackie.

Link here.

Back in the foster room

2010-06-30T02:52:00.000-07:00

Put everyone back in their room today, after a week of living in the bathroom ensuite/master closet area (it's a chore moving all their stuff, including them, when it's not really a big deal to keep them in there a little longer - they don't mind it, it's just smaller).

They do like it better in their own foster room though, since they can tear around at 100mph on the carpeted floor (in the bathroom they tend to slide around more from the hard flooring).

The only thing that isn't as nice is the way the ping pong ball rolls across the floor on the carpet - doesn't get the same glide effect, but they still love it.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention... want to know what the best kitten toy in the universe is? Ping pong balls.
Funniest thing ever is 4 kittens, one cleared out bathroom floor, and 2 balls on the go... hi-larious. I really need to get a video of it.

Here's some pictures of the gang once I moved them back. :)
Can you tell which ones are Draco, which ones are Herc? It's tough! :D

Took a weigh in of everyone (minus Orian) once I got them settled, too.
The biggest right now is Draco, at a whopping 2 lbs 5 oz.
Next up is Hercules and Pyxis, both weighing in at 2 lbs 3 oz
Last, my little runt Tauri, always the tiniest, at 2 lbs 0 oz

Not too shabby! They're definitely growing fast!

With that being said, I talked to Ann a couple of days ago.
She calls me every 1-2 weeks with a followup report on how the boys are doing. It's super nice that she keeps me in the loop on how they're progressing. I love hearing about them.
Still no pictures yet, she apologizes, she's pretty busy with work/business. Said she will send me some soon.
I'd love to see them now.. they must look so different.
She said that L (now Elliot), is over 4 lbs now. Which is great news. He mingles with the rest of her kitties, uses the litterbox on his own fully, and is a great eater. Still no walking out of him, but he's definitely managing and learning his disability.
Kind of sad, scary news is that our little Wesley is still just dancing around the 2 lb mark. When I think about that, my 5 week old kittens are bigger than him now! And he's what? Almost 4 months old? I told her that I was worried about him, but she says that he is still progressing... it's just brutally slow (he was 1 lb 3 oz when he left here). She still struggles with his feeding/bathroom times, but is still very dedicated to keeping him going.
I know we're both realistic on the fact that.... well, he's obviously got something wrong with him, and that he probably won't ever be close to a normal cat.... but I know the thought that he still may be able to pull through and lead a somewhat normal life is really what she hopes. Props to her for being so positive.
I'll continue to update with all of you whenever I hear from her. And I'll definitely post any pictures as soon as I get them! :)

Some of my own vids

2010-06-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

These are from the other day. :)

This is just too sweet ♥

2010-06-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

(Just in case you didn't catch it on CuteOverload...)
And here's the link, since blogger doesn't like me trying to change to size on here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcy78rnDKiQ&feature=player_embedded

Pictures

2010-06-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

Wet kitten ears! Getting treatments for the buggies. Poor little squirts. They're such troopers. And also the most well behaved kitties ever -- especially the very incredibly patient Orian.

Pictures~~!

(don't worry, not goo in the eye, she had a hair... I fixed it after the pics :P)

Left to Right: Pyxis, Hercules, Tauri, & Draco

One more day til Friday, and once I'm done that... I'm on holidays!! Which means I'll have more time to post pictures! Yayyyyyyyy! :D

PS: Don't you find their little faces are growing so fast?? They're already not roley-poley anymore!

Earmites! Nooooooo!

2010-06-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hahahahahaaaa.
And you all thought I got off easy with this batch ;)

Okay, they're still little angels. But, c'mon, earmites?!! Grah! This is going to be a pain in the you-know-what.

I realized it the other day -- just before the weekend, when I was planning to have a whole house full of people staying the entire time. It crossed my mind when I saw Orian's ears, a week or so back, when I thought she had a dark residue in there. I think I pushed the thought out for fear that I was right. Well, I was sitting on the bed with the whole crew of five on my lap, and noticed one of the orange boys had the same darkness in his ears. I hoped it was just the colouring, but I got a closeup inspection to see that it was indeed the black-goo of mites. Checked everyone else's ears, and behold, they were all infected with it. *pout*

I've had a couple outbreaks of mites in my days. Once with Yoko, that was the most hellish experience I've ever gone through. :P
I decided that the procedure of going through 10 ears with a q-tip could wait until the weekend was over. 1) I didn't have time, and 2) TEN ears...... ten. Need I say more? *pouts again*

So, I stuck them all in my ensuite/joined-walk-in-closet for the weekend, and they'll all be going back to the foster room tonight. I'll start the process of ear-squeeging as I move each of them back individually. Going to be using mineral oil for the kittens (and Orian for the time being) - since they're too young for any other meds. I'll pick up something stronger for Orian from Jill whenever I see her next.

I really really really reaaaaallly hope that Yoko doesn't pick it up from them somehow. I've been making sure people wash after being with the kittens...but....there's still a small chance. I'll have to bleach my bathroom/closet after everyone is moved out.

No pictures right now because I'm on my lunch break at work, but I'll try to post some when I get home tonight, after I move everyone back into their room. Just wanted to touch base... got some rounds I have to do on the blogosphere when I get home tonight too. I'm starting to get behind!

Back in a bit :)

What a scare!

2010-06-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

I had a horrible scare this morning. I went in the room to see the kittens, but something was terribly wrong. Usually, when I open the door, everyone bolts over to me as soon as they see me. Today, I opened the door, and everyone jumped up to see me... except Pyxis.

I looked all around, and realized she was at the back of the bed, and from afar, it looked as though she had her claw stuck on the blanket, and couldn't free it.
But, on closer inspection... there was a big rip in the blanket, and somehow she had wound the blanket and strings around and around and around her arm...and her neck. The blanket was wound so tightly all the way up, completely covering her arm all the way to her shoulder... with the big string around her neck. I panicked when I saw her, because she wasn't moving. I got right up close and looked at her and noticed that she was awake and breathing.

I couldn't pull the strings apart without causing pressure on her throat and arm, so I left the room and raced into the workshop to find something to cut it with. Luckily, I found something right away, raced back into the room and carefully cut it all off of her. I couldn't believe how wound around it was.

After she was released, her little body was still completely limp, so I picked her up, wrapped her in another blanket, and gently rubbed her until she came to. After a few minutes, she started looking around and I let her out of the blanket. I was extremely relieved to see that her arm wasn't hurt (not only was I worried that she was strangled, but that she may have broken/sprained her arm from the struggle)... and she quickly got back on her feet and walked around with no problem. After something to eat, she was back playing with the rest of the kittens.

PHEW!

I figure what happened was that she was playing with one of the pulled strings where the blanket was torn, got stuck in it, and then twisted her body around and around until she got so wrapped up in it that she couldn't get free. Poor little thing. It must have really scared her.

Anyway, things are good now. But it certainly was a frightening morning!

Here's the rest of the pictures from yesterday:

Tauri being cute.

What a sweetheart :)

She stayed like this for so long, it was irresistible.

Draco and Herc

Herc is squinting like that cause Pyx had just smacked him in the eye :P

Hahaha.. love this face.

Slurpy slurp!

Pyx on the awful blanket that attacked her!!

Don't you just LOVE that little face?

Such a doll :)

Pyx and Draco

More Pyx and Draco

Hee, I think Drake is so goofy looking

More snuggly Tauri

♥

I just couldn't get enough of her!! Especially when she fell asleep :D

That's it. Gonna go check on them again right now!

Note: For any that have been following my blog since the beginning.. Remember the incident with Holmes and the tin can??? The incident this morning with Pyx was a total replay of that! Here's the link for those who didn't read about it.

These kittens are always scaring me!! But it makes me realize how durable they can be at times.

Has it been that long?

2010-06-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Wow, it really has. I didn't realize that it had been so long since I posted last! Where is the summer going? I can't believe it's already mid-June!

Last weekend we had company here for 5 days, as we all participated in a golf tournament. And now this weekend I'm all by myself - just me, Orian & the kittens, and Yoko - while Doug goes down south for another golf tournament (yeah, he plays a LOT of golf). I couldn't get Friday off, plus we didn't have anyone to kitten-sit, so here I am! Which, I'm totally okay with, because I'm certainly not against a nice quiet weekend!

The kittens are growing so fast, and they're getting into that wild and playful stage. I haven't been taking ANY pictures of their progress since the last pictures (I'm sorry!). My battery has been dead on my camera for ages, and I never think to plug it in - until yesterday. So, here's some pics from today!

Hercules struts his stuff.

Of the four kittehs, he is the snuggle-monster.

Orian after a drink of water (if you look close, she has water droplets on her nose!)

Herc chewin' on the bed skirt.

Draco pouncing on Pyxis.

Little Tauri. She's the tiny one of the bunch. But she's a HUGE eater! And loves to follow the others around, copying their every move.

Hi Tauri!

Draco hanging out in the basket.

And then he attempts to climb up on the bed.

He made it!
(don't mind Pyx in the box in the back.. hehe)

Of course Tauri had to try it too. Gotta follow her big brother!

Draco contemplating the jump.

No problem!
Don't you just love that fuzzy sausage body?!

Drake and Pyx

Such gorgeous colours Pyxis has.

Pretty Pyxi

Thinking.....

Thinkingggg.............

RAWWWR!!!!!

Aw, you're forgiven.

Draco: "You go first, Pyx. I'll wait here."

Herc botherin' Mama Orian while she tries to nap.

Snuggly Tauri :)

Okay, there's a bunch more, but I'll upload the rest in tomorrow's post!

So, some other info for now...
It's been a few weeks since I heard from Ann and the boys. Last time I heard from her, she said that Wes was still a tiny little squirt that was having a lot of trouble with gaining any weight. L was using the litterbox on his own and playing with the many other fur-children in the house. Poor little Wesley continues to struggle - but I know she's been very dedicated to them. She mentioned that she's going to send me some pictures very soon :)

Rosie has been gone for a while now, too. She has been spayed and is now on a rotation at Petsmart. If I get a chance to go into town today, I will stop by in there and take a picture of her (if she hasn't been adopted yet).
We had a really big struggle to get her into her cage the morning of her return. And I felt terrible kicking her out of the office to go to the big scary vet. I really hope that she's doing okay.
I'm back in my office now though, after hours and hours of scrubbing floors, desks, walls, and so on... and as much as I miss the boys - I gotta say it's nice to be able to have my area back!

Well, I'm off to finally get out of my jammies (at noon) and putter in the garden for a bit. Back tomorrow! :)

Murph needs a Home

2010-06-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

If you haven't yet, please go read Murph's story over on Lisa's site:
Hubble Space Paws

Pictures of the new bunch

2010-06-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Just gonna throw them at ya! Hold on, here they come!!

(don't mind the dirty mirror... but I couldn't leave this pic out cause it's too cute)

"But, Mooooom!"

This one is too bad it's dark, but if you can see her face, omg!

Got info on our CH boys from Ann that I'll come back to report. Back soon!

Sorry!!

2010-05-31T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've got these cute bunch of kittens here that I should be posting about, but I haven't made time to make a post about them. The pictures are starting to accumulate, so I need to get my bum in gear and get them up here!

I will try to get a post in, with all the millions of pictures, in the next day or two!

For now, a cute video of Pyxis, the runty-black kitten :) She is SO cute!

PS: The names and genders are as follows... Both black kittens are female- Pyxis and Tauri. The orange ones are the boys- Hercules and Draco. :)

The New "Stars"

2010-05-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness... They are deathly adorable. Be prepared. These ones will knock you straight off your feet from their uber-cuteness.

I've decided on stars for this bunch. Why? Because it's summertime, and there's nothing I love more than being out on the lake at night, staring up at a gorgeous hot summer sky, full of stars, listening to bullfrogs and loons, while smelling campfires far in the distance.

I love stars, and I love constellations. So, let me introduce you to Orian (Orion) and her sweet orange and black kittens :)

~~~Pics~~~

The other names are still in the air, because I'd like to know the genders first. But, I'm kind of thinking about going with 'unisex' names, or easily convertible names.

So, Orian is the mother. I changed the spelling to be a feminine version ~ because I thought it was a gorgeous name, and it's suits her very nicely.

The babies are currently going to be:
Tauri (Taurus, the current constellation/astrological sign of May) for one of the black tabbies;
Pyxis for one of the orange tabbies;
Hercules for the other black one ... if it turns out to be a girl, I'll figure something out ;)
and Draco, the other orange kitten.

Open to suggestions though. I won't budge on Orian or Tauri though. Those are 'for sure's :)

A Special Grant

2010-05-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

GREAT news!!!!

My employer had a "Volunteer Week" back in April, where everyone in the company, who is an active volunteer, could write up a document to explain why they feel their organization would be eligible and worthy cause for a $500 grant.

So, since I feel that our Pet Save is a pretty darn awesome charity, I took some time and filled out the application and wrote up my document, and submitted it. I thought, heck, I may not get it, but why not try for it anyway.

Well! I bet you can guess what happened!

Yesterday I looked in my mailbox, and in there was a really nice letter from the company and a cheque drawn to Pet Save for $500!!!! Wooooooo!!!!! I was almost in tears jumping for joy! It made my day.

And! I got to tell Jill about it on the phone today. She was super happy too, of course :)

With that being said, I got more good news. I'm on my way to pick up the new crew right now. Should be home to make a post about it in a few hours or so (I'll probably just add on to this post). And Rosie is booked for her operation next Thursday ~ we'll be bringing her in Wednesday night!

Off I go. Back soon! :)

The Video

2010-05-26T18:30:00.001-07:00

So much for that!

2010-05-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

Haha. I'm such a sucker. I couldn't resist the temptation of the kittens at the shelter. Soooo... I may have sorta mentioned to Jill that we'd take them if they didn't have anyone else. *sheepish grin*

I know! I know! I said I didn't have time, but she said that they're still with the mother (whom we'd also be taking), so this time we wouldn't have to do as much!

We talked about it on the way home from work last night, and realized that we won't be travelling anywhere for a while.... so, as long as nothing crazy is up with these kittens (I checked with Jill to make sure they're a healthy bunch this time, or else we won't take them ~ and she said they are), if we do go somewhere, we can have someone come see that they're fed and doing okay.

Ummm... so.... the only shocker was that there's.... FOUR kittens, plus Mama... ahem. Doug just rolled his eyes at me, heh.

I was supposed to hear from her last night, but I didn't receive her call (she's swamped, as usual). She's supposed to let me know the date of Rosie's operation, too, which I still don't know. I figure because the shelter/vet is so far away (45 mins-1 hr, as I mentioned before), I'll take Rosie in for that and pick up the newbies at the same time.

They have another Mama that's ready to pop any day now too (which she hinted about us taking instead, but I'm still weary about that experience... at least for a while), so my new duty is to find a foster family for her.

So, that's that for now. Will be back to update when I hear when everything is going to take place.

PS: In regards to my last post, I didn't get home until late last night, so I didn't have a chance to load the video I made to YouTube. My guess is that I'll be posting it on Thursday night (my night off), just because we're out again tonight. Catherine asked if we've been having good weather ~ and yes! It was 32 Celcius and sunny yesterday, and today it will be 34+ Celcius!! No snow, but that's even a bit hot for me! :P But, we're still going out and enjoying it. :)

It's summer!!

2010-05-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hence, lack of posting. I'm a busy bee!

We still have Rosie, but I talked to Jill today and she's got her spaying booked finally. Poor little squirt wants to get out of the foster room so badly - she's so bored in there right now! She's destroyed all of her toys (and the room in general) just looking for something to do. I feel terrible that we don't have time or a bigger area to dedicate to her. Not too much longer though, and she'll have more freedom.

Jill also has another mama and four babes looking to be fostered right now. Unfortunately, I didn't immediately jump on this one, just because I don't think it would be fair to them with us being so busy. But, I'm helping spread the word to others. Anyone out there that's still reading, feel free to give me a shout if you're interested in fostering them!

I've been in touch with Ann on numerous occasions now, too. Last time I heard from her was on the 15th (a little over a week ago), and she said things were still going good. With various changes in litter type, she's still being dedicated to getting them to use it. When I talked to her, she said they were still struggling a bit with it, but they were getting there (L was using it 90% of the time). As for feeding, they were eating every 4 hours, with some Hi Cal that she picked up from the vets office. Wes is still a little fella, but she said he's definitely got a belly on him. I think he just needs to push some of that out into his super long arms and legs!

Gotta run for now, but I'll be back to update soon! :)

PS: I made a video tribute to the boys (idea stolen from IBKC!)... I'll post that later :)

Touching Base

2010-05-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

It's been so quiet lately!
I haven't had many interesting things to write on here, so I've just been reading everyone else's from a distance.

But, I did get a little news from Pet Save today, so I thought I'd come tell you what's up!

Rosie is still with us, and she is scheduled for her spaying next week (not certain on the exact day yet). From there, she goes back into the regular rotation of kitties at the shelter. I haven't had much luck finding her a home myself, so I'm just going to rely on them to help find her one. Again, if anyone is interested, she's up for grabs! She has come a long way in her time with us, but she is still a bit shy. I think once she gets a home of her own, she'll be great.

Good news? I'm going back to volunteering. Now that the boys are gone, I'm putting my name on their list for helping at the shelter. I've never actually worked at the Pet Save shelter (I was always strictly with SPCA, minus the fostering), but I'm very eager to help them out. Doug has other engagements on Thursday evenings after work, so I told them I would be happy to go there (after I'm done work) to do whatever they need me to do. And then, on top of that, help with any other event coordination stuff that's coming up. Yay! I'm looking forward to it.

Tomorrow is Friday (woo!) and we have company for the weekend, so I probably won't be around again until early next week. But I should know more on all this stuff by then.

No word on the boys since my last post. :( I'm still thinking about them daily... Though, I know they're in good hands. I wonder how big they're getting!

Oh, and one last thing, in my comments from my last post, Catonsvillecats mentioned how one of the kittens (Peege) from the litter over at KittenMom ended up with CH. But he's got a home to go to! Go read about it here!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

To all the human Mamas and all the furry Mamas!
I hope you have a wonderful day!! :)

My uncle sent me a video he made of Wesley from when we went to visit them in the beginning of April, (we were having a 60th birthday party for my Mom), and I just discovered it today!

Wesley was still on the bottle at that time, but you can tell he was just about ready for solid food. This was before we knew anything about the CH.

Enjoy!!

Snowy Saturday

2010-05-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, again I neglected the posting that I said I would do. Things have been pretty busy around here since the boys left. Every evening this week was a late one, and by the time I got home, I was literally going straight to bed.

It's snowing here today (can you believe it?!), so we cancelled any plans for the day. Which was fine with me!! :) Instead, I've got a very happy and cuddly Yoko purring in a blanket between me and the keyboard, while I sip on coffee in my pyjamas (I'm in my pjs a lot, eh?). I figured it was a perfect time to come back on here and update. :)

I've been in touch with Ann a number of times. Whskr @ Dash Kitten asked in the comments from my last post if this is the Ann from California I was in touch with previously. Nope, it's not. While I thanked CA Ann very much for her offer, there was no way that we could possibly get them to her (other side of the continent, and a different country all together). Our Ann is in Ontario. So, it was great!

Anyway, so as I mentioned before, Ann said that the boys are doing great. I received an email from her yesterday telling me that Wesley's fecal report came back.
Let me start by saying that there hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about them since they've been gone, and there's been this worry in my mind about what was going on with Wes - so it was a relief to get the email telling me what was up.

So, nothing 'serious', but he does have a bacteria internally, called Clostridium. I said that I thought it was strange that he had that type of bacteria in him, as it's usually associated with humans and a type of food poisoning (it's kind of like Salmonella). But, she said that they figure he's had it from birth - so, who knows what would have caused it.
The good news: It's easily cleared up with antibiotics, which both boys are now on (L too, just in case).
I'll let you know how that's going after the next time I talk to her.

Other than that, she said they're both doing great. She's trying a new type of litter with them, too, made of corn. I've seen this before but never known if it was good or not. Anyone else have any opinions on what it's like?
The clay stuff just wasn't working out (as I've said before too - but I just gave up and started using a pan lined with paper towel)... But I applaud her for trying different methods to get them to use the box on their own. She figures they'll get it down soon enough.

Okay. So, here's the videos that I promised! The first one is kind of just a moving version of the pictures I took the other day (that I posted on my last post) - plus it's got Rosie playing in there, too, which I thought was cute.
The other is two videos that I stuck together of the boys on their last morning with us. They're having their breakfast on our island, about half an hour before we left on our trip. :)

Rested

2010-05-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I said I would be on yesterday to post the pictures. I totally lied. Instead, I took yesterday off from posting and lounged around in my pjs once I got home. Heh.

It was worth it ;)

So, I'm back today! And I have had a great many hours of sleep recovery.
But I do come with a couple of things to report.

I have been touch with Ann a couple of times about the boys. Everything seems to be going well. She did say that they were a definitely a handful (oh, how I know), but she was keeping on top of things.
She took them to the vet yesterday and they cleared for their screening of FIV and FeLV. Woo!
Wes still has some stinky runs going on though, so they did a more 'in depth' fecal - which has been sent off for further examination. She said they should have results in about 10 days or so. I'll let you know more as she tells me.

Anyway, I'm not here to drown you with words once again... so I'll cut this short and show some pictures! Back soon!

~~~~~~~~~
The last day at the house:

In their new home (as noted, the only crappy pictures I took - sorry! I hope to get some from Ann eventually!):

I have a couple of videos that I'll upload tomorrow, too :)

Oh, what a weekend! :D

2010-05-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

We're home from our delivery! The boys are now safe and happy in their new home.

The past couple of days happened so quickly, and oh my, I am tired. As soon as I got in the door this afternoon I curled up in bed and crashed out for a few hours. I slept like I hadn't slept in months.

My post right now is going to be pretty scattered because even now I feel a little sleepy-headed, but I wanted to let everyone know how things went.

I don't think it's really hit me yet that -they're gone-. I still can't believe that we found them a home, and I owe it to all of you who stood behind me and helped spread the word and give advice. The internet is such a powerful tool, and it's amazing how people can come together to help each other out. So thank you all again, from the bottom of my heart. These boys will now grow up and live happily, and it's because of you.

We had debated back and forth for some time if they would be okay to go. It was up in the air for so long because I knew that Ann had a severe CH cat at home that she already had to watch regularly. Plus, we wanted to wait to see how the boys progressed over the week. After talking to each other on a daily basis on how they were doing, Ann called me on Thursday to confirm that she, for sure, felt that she was going to be able to help us out. The boys were doing well, by eating out of the dish on their own, and occasionally using the litterpan (and box with help).

Now, Ann has quite the fur-family there (which I will get to in a minute), so we have also talked about options once the boys get older. Right now, she will work with them while they are young - and has even hired a pet-physiotherapist for her other severe CH cat, which she will be able to incorporate sessions with the boys. Which is AMAZING. We have another special and wonderful person, Michelle (the one I had been talking to on Facebook), who has been interested in adopting them as well. The only thing about that, as I mentioned, was the worry about not being able to use the litter. But if Ann can get them trained, she will let her know, and she then can possibly re-adopt them from Ann. If not, Ann will wholeheartedly keep them indefinitely. She has been able to train her other CH cats though, so I have faith in her.

When we got to her house, which took us a 4.5 hour drive, I was amazed. What an amazing person, and a terrific home, full of very sweet and VERY cared for cats. I believe the CH total is.... something like 5 or 6 cats with CH. The rest of her fur babies are normal. Now, this may sound like a lot of cats, but the way she has it set up for them is absolutely wonderful. They have tons of room to run and play and they all seem SO happy. She does such a great job with them, you can tell. (I was SO relieved!!!!) . She even had a room dedicated specifically for the boys, which was full of bedding and specially-made CH litterboxes (she cuts a little opening in the front for easy access, and tapes it with duct tape so the edges are smooth = GREAT idea).

I had spent the last half of the trip getting there holding and snuggling Wes - saying goodbye to him. When we finally left her house (after an hour or so of tea, talk, and playing with her adorable kitties), I got a little misty eyed saying goodbye to them. But, it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be, because I could just see how much care and love they were going to get. Also, as I've mentioned, I don't think it's hit me quite yet that they're officially gone from me forever.

She has promised to send us pictures and to keep in touch often to let us know how things are going. I find I'm thinking about them all the time, wondering what they're doing, and how they're adapting to their new surroundings. I'll be eager to hear from her to see how things are going.

I just want to let you know that it was a perfect ending. I couldn't have asked for anything more. I'm glad we worked so hard for these two, and while it was sad to see them go, I am so glad to see them in a place that they can continue to flourish with someone caring helping them with adapting to their needs.

I brought my camera, but of course, stupidly, I left it in the trunk while we were driving. Then, when we were there, I felt it would be a bit rude to take pictures in her house... so I just snapped one picture each of them quickly. I also got some videos of their last night and last morning at our house before we left. But... since I'm lazy and posting in bed right now, I'll get them in my post tomorrow.

Well, that's it for now. Where does that leave us? Well, Rosie is still here, and seeming a little lonely. We're going to move her to the -actual- foster room now, and then scrub down the office from top to bottom. Rosie is going in for shots and spaying in about 2 weeks (she's on a waiting list), so we'll have her for a while longer at least (gotta find her a home, too!).
After that, we're taking a bit of a vacation from fostering for a while. It's not the end of it for us though... We will keep going with more. As far as having a mama have kittens here, well, that will be something we will put on hold - but, taking in other fosters will be just fine :)

So, I'll be back tomorrow with the pictures. Thanks for being here with me through all of this. It has been quite the ride! :D

Hooooooooome!!!

2010-04-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

♪ ♪ Oh ya! Oh ya! ♪ ♪
♪ ♪ They've got a home! They've got a home! ♪ ♪

THANK YOU ANN!!!! You are a saint, plain and simple.

It's official!

So, the boys are going to their new home THIS WEEKEND. We'll be driving 4 hours from here to deliver them. I'm so excited for them! They're going to have fur-siblings to play with and everything!

Oh my god I'm going to miss them... but I am just SO EXCITED that they're going to grow up to be happy, normal kitties! They totally deserve it.

I have a lot I want to say, but I have sooo much to do right now. I'm still working on my taxes (they're due TOMORROW... gah!)... and now I have to get ready to travel with two kittens, and make sure they're ready to go.

I will try to post on my lunch hour tomorrow. But, this news was just TOO AWESOME to hold back!

Yayyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!! :):):):):)

Updates...

2010-04-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

They're coming.

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday, and today will be the same. Bunch of stuff going on (non-kitten related), so I'll get my post in tomorrow for sure.

Not a lot to report anyway. The kittens are still good. Doing fine during the day and eating like champions. A little more info to come tomorrow - so I apologize, but it must wait until then :)

In the meantime, here's a video that I took the other day (in the sunshine). It's kind of boring cause they're just lying around(trying to sleep while I bug them!) - and that's why I didn't post it originally (they're still cute!!)... but that's all I have to offer for now while I'm away... so, enjoy! ;)

Welcome to Poo Central

2010-04-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been yet, please go visit Kitten Mom - Kittenpalooza. They lost another two kittens to Parvovirus yesterday (in addition to little Sommerset last week)... :( She could probably use some of your kind words.
It's so awful to see such sweet little kittens have to go through all these horrible illnesses. I can only hope that Jane and crew are doing okay... I know how hard and sad it can be.

~~~~~~

Our boys are on their own today for the first time.
We have to change our routine because Doug's job won't allow him to go home at lunch for the next few weeks or so. And because we wanted to wait another week to determine what to do about them, we had to improvise on what to do during the day (for 10+ hours).
So, they're currently locked in the large dog cage: warm bedding in the middle, two non-tippable dishes of the formula/pate goo on one side, and a big pan with paper-towel (my homemade puppypad) on the other side.

We did a test run yesterday, and my only complaint was the litterpan. I tried everything, and eventually gave up on the litter part of it altogether because it just doesn't work for kittens with CH. After 6 baths each throughout the course of the day, I said enough was enough. So I just covered it with papertowels (but even that isn't perfect, cause they still roll in it).
It's frustrating because even though there's no climbing anywhere involved, they still can't seem to manuever themselves to get into the box and out again without getting just PLASTERED in pee and poo. I know I'm going to have to do some serious bathing when I get home tonight. Sigh.... It's totally becoming poo central in there. Where it comes from, I DON'T KNOW? They're tiny, but hoo-boy, can they output. And it's not nice little logs either, it's runny-gooey-kitten-formula-paste poo... and you could seriously drywall your house with it.

They've luckily got the food thing down though. Both are officially eating out of the dish on their own - even though they roll in THAT too. And instead of the bowl of water I had in there originally (which lasted about 2 minutes before L flopped into it and got soaked), I just watered down their food a bit. I'm confident they'll eat enough, as long as they don't drag poo into it from the other side of the cage.

I'm actually really worried about how they're doing... and I hope that we'll be able to keep this routine up for this week. After this week, or even after today, if it doesn't work out, I have no clue what to do.
In the past weeks, I would have just said to take them with us(well, with Doug) to work - and thought that could be a possibility for this week - but now they're getting too big, and they eat and poop too much to keep and eye on, and I just can't see how it could be possible.

If they don't learn to manage going to the bathroom unattended, and in the appropriate spot (Wes still insists to just go wherever he is lying/sitting at that point - which is such a weird behaviour for a cat), we won't be able to keep them much longer. So, please, continue spreading the word!

Which reminds me, I have made contact with another potential adopter via Facebook. Again, I'm not pushing this individual, because the litterbox thing is going to be a HUGE issue for anyone. And I know that's going to be a problem for anyone with other pets and/or a house with carpeting (we're lucky right now, cause I just have to scrub poo from the hard flooring). So, no guarantees... but it's wonderful that we are getting some people who are possibly willing to take them.

I may be back tonight to add to this post (there's something else I want to add - but I don't have the information with me at work)... so I'll let you know how it turned out with the boys. Somehow I think I'm going to need to invest in a firehose after today... :P

~~~~~~

This is what I wanted to post:

http://jansfunnyfarm.blogspot.com/2010/04/cyndi-on-ch-kittens.html

Jan's Funny Farm posted a lovely email that I received from a really nice woman, Evelyn, from a week ago. She told me her story about her cats Deter and Dusty and how they all dealt with CH in their home.

I wanted to share it all with you and make a public post to both Evelyn and Jan's Funny Farm for their story, and their post that included our boys' story too. :)

~~~~~~

(PS: Also, for any of those wondering, yes, I did have to come home to a cage full of poo, and bathing all around.... may pose for a long week....)

Sunny Sunday

2010-04-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been pretty tame with events, so we're just taking some time to relax around the house in our pyjamas.

The kittens have been doing good. We've got Wesley eating from a spoon/bowl now, a kitten pate/formula mush (reminds me of what thick porridge looks like). He still needs to be held still, even though his body stiffens when he's eating 'cause he's concentrating so hard (which is really cute to see), just cause he obviously can't stand on his own. He's a trooper though.

Yesterday I took all the blankets/towels out of the room, got down on my hands and knees, and gave the floor a good scrubbing. Let me tell you, caked on kitten poop does NOT smell good when combined with hot water. *barf* :P
I put the kittens downstairs on the carpeted floor (wish I had taken pictures cause they were SO cute down there) while I was cleaning. They were rolling all around and playing with toys I put with them. Falling on their faces was a little easier on them on the carpet.

Rosie stayed in the room and watched me clean. At one point I left the door to the room open to air out/dry the floor and went downstairs to do laundry. As I came upstairs I heard Doug talking to Yoko - apparently she had gone in the room and stood right in front of Rosie. They just stood there, looking at each other. No growling, no hissing, just "who the heck are you?". Once Doug saw Yoko in there, he said her name and she ran out of the room. And that was it. She never seemed upset about it once. Pretty funny.

Actually, this morning, after I bathed Wesley (which I want to come back to), I took him to lie down with me on the couch 'cause it was still early and I was still tired. The two of us dozed for about an hour together (he LOVES to cuddle and purr, have I mentioned that? He's just sooo sweet). Anyway, Yoko was in her cat tree at the foot of the couch where we were and she was watching us for a long time. Eventually she jumped down and tried to lie on my legs, even though she knew Wes was lying on my chest. She doesn't seem upset with him at all, more just distantly curious. I'm guessing that she doesn't really see him as a threat right now.
She probably would have stayed on my legs, but I had a blanket on me that she doesn't like, so she just jumped back up into her tree.
I think she's definitely getting more mellow in her old age ;)

The bathing thing I wanted to mention...
Since Wesley still has many accidents (I can't always get him to go to the bathroom in the box, so he ends up covered in stuff really often - usually in the morning), he is getting bathed at least once a day. I've even trimmed his fur (L's too) all around the bum/tail area, just for easy cleaning.
His first few baths he would scream bloody murder during the whole time. This kitty HATES water. But, I'm finding the more I do it, the less he screams now.
The best thing I've discovered with the bath situation -- I used to just towel dry him and he'd never be fully dry... so I'd worry that he'd get a chill afterwards. So, I thought to try using the hairdryer on the low setting on him. I figured that he'd hate that even more, with the scary motor sound and all...

Well! Was I wrong. This kitten LOVES... like l.o.v.e.s. the hairdryer. It's probably his most favouritist thing in the whole wide world. He rolls on his back and throws his head back, closes his eyes... all while I massage his body and blow the warm air on him. He is just too cute. And he looks all fluffy, warm, and happy when I'm done. So, it's made bath-time a much nicer experience. :)
Anyone else have kitties that like this?

It was nice and sunny in the office/foster room today, so I thought I'd snap a few pics of everyone relaxing and playing in there. You may recognize the blanket they're on, too. For those readers that have been here for a while, that's "my" (aka Yoko's) blanket that I got for my birthday last year. I think I've used that thing a handful of times since I got it... the rest of the time it's been for purely cat-use. The kittens have officially taken it over now (but, I'm ok with that ;)).

And I had to get a little video too.. hopefully you can hear it. You may have to turn up the sound a bit. Wesley is the king of purrs. Ever since he was a baby, he always purrs when he's happy. Such a cutie :)

Have a relaxing Sunday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Boys at 7 Weeks Old:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a lighter side

2010-04-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

I need to step away from a post about the kittens for today to announce something special...

Today is
♥ ☺ ♥ ☺ ♥ Yoko's Sweet 16th Birthday! ♥ ☺ ♥ ☺ ♥

On April 24th, 1994, Yoko was born to a litter of 6 kittens. 3 Boys and 3 Girls. The boys were Siamese and the girls were Tortoise-Shell Tonkinese. This is because Yoko's mother was a Tortoise-Shell Burmese and her father was a pure-bred Chocolate-Point Siamese. The entire litter and the parents were all just beautiful.

I remember the day we went to pick one of the kittens out. We made the decision to get another cat because my cat Slinky had passed away recently of old age... and it was so sad that we thought a new kitten would help us get through it (and I had been bugging my parents for another cat for a long time). We wanted a Siamese because my Mom loved the breed, so when we heard that a litter had been born down the street from us, we decided to go look. Unfortunately, when we got there, the boys had already been picked by other people... so we couldn't get one of them. But, the Tonk girls were also so cute. All of them were white, so you couldn't really tell what they were going to look like until they got older. We decided we'd get one of the girls after all.

I had fallen in love with the runt (big surprise eh?), who was quietly curled up on the top of the cat tree, minding her own business while the rest tore around the room with each other. As I turned to tell my Mom that that was the kitten I wanted, she was holding up the most rascally, limb-flailing, whining kitten at me and said - This is the one! Much to my disappointment, I let her talk me into it. A kitten was a kitten.

And what a kitten she was. A crazy and feisty cat from birth, she still is as quirky today as she was the day we brought her home. Never have I seen or known a cat with so much personality and life as this girl. She has been by my side for 16 years, and has been through it all with me... my little furry rock, who listens to me when I'm down, snuggles me every night while I sleep, plays and enjoys my and everyone's company. She's just so well rounded and amazing.

She didn't always get along with people, but I've found as she's aged, she has become so much more relaxed and loves to hang out with everyone when we have people over.
She's a VERY smart cookie, and I know she understands every single thing that goes on. I know that she follows our emotions, and her behaviour always mirrors what is going on around her.

Even through all the foster kittens we've had, she quietly observes from a distance and seems to not mind them in her home (as they do have their own foster room). She doesn't like other cats at all, but I think it's just because she's not used to them. We've never got another cat because we respect that she is so wonderful, and we wouldn't ever want to ruin that. She has been so good to me, that I never would want to upset her in any way. Her life is definitely a happy one right now (and oh boy she is SPOILED!) :D

I'm so very glad that my Mom picked her out that day, because I couldn't have ever asked for a better cat. She is still full of life, always a kitten at heart, and she is a companion to any person that she meets.
She is my girl and I love her very very much.

Happy Birthday, my sweet little Yoko. :)

Friday, A Novel

2010-04-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a bit of a whirlwind, like many days have been in the past little while.
A lot happened over the course of the day, which has left me at a crossroad today. Basically, the constant weighing of options was being bounced back and forth between each person I talked to... and unfortunately nothing has been resolved yet. But, I did go to bed after my little blurb on here last night, so I'm feeling a little clearer this morning.

After being with the kittens in the morning, and seeing them continue to struggle, I felt that I couldn't handle seeing them like that anymore.
And I think it finally caught up to me, and I had a bit of a breakdown. Luckily, I have a door to my office that I could close and hide my tears from everyone for a while. Instead of being alone, I needed outside advice, so reached out to my fabulous Mother over the phone (who is 6-hours away), and she talked me through it... *Thanks Mom* ♥

There is a lot to the story. I'm going to try to be as detailed as possible about it, but I know that no matter how I explain it - it's not going to be exactly the same as it happened. But, I'll try to describe it the best I can. I'm not sure how it'll come out.

It kind of went like this...

My Mom and I talked about what was best for the kittens, and how their current quality of life is definitely a rocky one, even though we're working with them as often as we can (which is all the hours during the day that we are home). Because both kittens are struggling with their day-to-day needs so much, and there's a good percentage that they'll never be able to function properly, I think I knew in the back of my mind what probably needed to be done. It was the fact that every day I would come home to see them soaking in their own urine and feces because they don't understand the litterbox, Wesley crying because he's hungry because he can't eat on his own (and pretty much crying all the time, even after he ate and bathroomed), and them flopping and struggling to walk to get places, that was heartbreaking to see. As much as I didn't want to admit it to myself, I was starting to consider a horrible decision. I had to remove my own emotions from the situation, be strong, and know what may just be the inevitable. We figured there would be no way we would ever find anyone that would be able to care for these boys around the clock forever.

And then, just as that discussion was happening, that small percentage... a little ray of hope... shone down from somewhere.

I hung up from talking to my Mom, and I noticed that my cell phone had got a message on it while I was on talking.
It was from one of the girls I had been speaking to via email.
She is not too far south of us (a drivable distance).... and she told me that she is interested in adopting the kittens (I won't disclose her name or anything, just in case she would prefer I didn't, and I want to value her privacy). We had a brief phone exchange because I had a meeting to attend at work, but she mentioned that because she works from home, she may be willing to take the boys. But, we needed to talk more, because there was still a lot to consider.

As much as I wanted to be happy that she called, I still had to think about what would be best for the boys. So, once my meeting was over, I called Jill at Pet Save to see what she thought about it - and if it were possible, what procedures would have to be taken to adopt them out, if we decided to go that route.
As I suspected, she confirmed my initial decision to still be the wiser one, since she has seen so many cases of CH in her work... but she would honour whatever decision I would think to be best for them.

*By the way, I do want to note again that I feel Jill knows what she is talking about. After 10 or so years of working with sick cats, and all the experience she has with CH and distemper, I know that she has just as much (if not more than) what a professional Vet would have, because she sees this kind of thing every day. She said that on a scale of 1-10 on the severity of cats with CH there are, ours are a definite 10.
Where a lot of the people I talk to have had or seen a cat with CH, it doesn't compare to what she has (because I have to tell these people that not every CH cat case is the same... even if their cat is alive and healthy and perfect - I can only congratulate those people for sticking through it with that one - but not all CH cats turn out to live happy lives).

Ok, back to what I was saying...
So, in the evening, once I got home, I was able to reach our potential adopter. And I had to break the news that I was still considering both options - and I explained why. She was understanding, but I know deep down she doesn't want us to do put them down. Hell, -I- don't want to put them down either, but I just can't help but think that if we don't, what if she takes them, and then in the end -she's- stuck with this decision...
She is reaching out to us, like many of you have, and is considering to even taking this issue into her own hands (I thank her so so so much for this - people in this world continue to amaze me)... but, I know she has a lot to handle on her own there now, such as another severe CH cat that requires around the clock care.
I just... I don't know. I want the boys to have a happy life, and there is no doubt in my mind after talking to her that she would be a wonderful candidate to help them since she knows how to handle CH cats ... but I also worry about her and what she has on the go with the one... to add TWO more severe cases to the mix... I know she is going to have to really think about if she can handle it. Plus, again, I don't know what their destiny is going to be - and what if they don't make it (Jill believes there may even be something else going on with little Wesley, either neurologically, or just underdeveloped as a whole.. that may be consuming him regardless).

So, we both decided to sleep on it.

When I got off the phone, I went into the kitten room for a couple hours........ and I swear these kittens listen to my conversations. Where Wesley usually tries to stand, wobbles and falls... he looked like he was maybe making some progress. He still can't control himself, but.... I don't know, I couldn't help but start to think that maybe he could figure it out eventually. He still can't eat on his own, and definitely doesn't understand the litterbox (I'll come back to this in a minute), and still has blood in his stool (where he lets out a little 'yelp' at the end of the push)... But I just keep wanting to hold on to the hope.

Then..... this morning was a whole new story...

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I went bug-eyed at them... my jaw dropped... and I just... was amazed. They made me begin to wonder if my thoughts to euthanize really are wrong ....

When I went into the room... Wesley was up and on all fours... wobbly, but... eagerly trying to make his way to me. Falling and rocking, but getting up again and again. He wasn't quite sure how to go straight, but I think the hunger in his tummy gave him the push to go to me. He's made a few steps before (the most being 4 before falling) - you can see how he was moving in the video I posted before.. but this was different. He wasn't actually trying to use his legs much before, but today he was amazing me.

L, on the other hand, still doesn't get up or walk. But, he does spread his legs and lie on his belly now - where he never used to. He seems to know how to make his way around on his side though... and loves his toys (Wesley still has no interest in toys). But, he flops around like a seal to get places. I actually think he's kinda getting good at it... even though I know this guy will almost positively never walk.

The next thing was the feeding...
From 'our potential adopter's advice from the phonecall, she suggested that instead of the bottle, which Wesley was getting frustrated with(and not getting any solid food in him)... that we should go back to the syringe we were using with him weeks ago, but this time put the kitten pate into it (instead of just formula). We had moved to the bottle orignially because he learned to suck the syringe, so it gave him more control with the bottle. But now he's getting bigger, and now the bottle isn't fast enough, and he doesn't want to suck anymore. He wants to chomp/chew. So I mixed KMR 2nd powder, Nutrience kitten formula powder, a little bit of warm water, and a big glob of chicken pate into an almost paste/goo (more solid than what we had to put in the bottle, and a lot more pate than he's ever had)... and began pushing it into his mouth with the syringe, over and over... And he ate it at an alarming rate, and was chewing it, and wanted more and more and more... I couldn't believe it. I was happy to see him eat something with some good substance.
(I also want to add that I've said before that he's eaten slurry out of a bowl, but he has pretty much refused to since I said that.. and he still won't eat anything alone... but I'm thinking that maybe with the guidance of the syringe, maybe he could? I don't know.)

The feeding with L is as basic as this: I have now officially witnessed him 100% (and actually this was last night, as well as this morning) eating kibble, on his own, from the dish. So, I think I'm considering him done in this category. Except I don't know what to do about water. I know he still nurses from Rosie, so he's getting his liquid there... so I think tonight I'll try to water down his kibble a bit. It'll probably be messy, but that's fine. I'm sure she'll be glad when she doesn't have to nurse anymore.

Okay, so feeding, walking... that leaves litterbox.

So, neither use the litterbox. They haven't since day one, and we've been trying every time we feed Wes (and more). Wesley still goes all over the place, and L still has Rosie cleaning up after his mess.
But this morning, after I fed Wesley, I put him in the box, as I always do... and before I got a cloth to begin stimulating (cause normally he puts up a fuss when I stick him in the box at all), he had his legs spread, his chin leaning on the edge of the box (my hand lightly resting on him, just to keep his little body still)... he stiffened up as I was leaning to grab my diaper wipe, and away.he.went... on his own. I couldn't believe it.

Now, do I think he'll do this again? I have no clue. Maybe it was a fluke, and he just really needed to go... but... where he would've just waited before and gone -on me- while feeding him... this time he did wait til I put him in the box. I -swear- he was listening to the phonecall I had last night - because I told that poor girl over and over that there was possibly no hope for the box, especially for Wesley. But... I swear, I'm not afraid to admit to something when I'm wrong (not saying that he WILL - which was the point I was making at the time... but I am definitely thinking there could be a MIGHT).

L began his regular peeing on the floor this morning when I was in there too... and I picked him up and let him finish in the box. I don't know about this guy... but he seems to always want to pee in the same spot. I've tried putting the litterpan there, but he never uses it - he prefers the floor. So, I'm finally gonna pick up a puppy pad or something tonight or tomorrow - as I keep meaning to do (no, I know, I should've done that already.. I keep saying I will :P)

Oooooh kayyyyy....
So... now.... with all that jibber jabber that I've just posted (that was long I know, I apologize), I know I simply can't explain how twisted up I feel about everything. I feel hopeful... but I still can't confirm that all the behaviour that I've seen last night/today is going to stay.... but I think I still want to wait. So, Doug and I think we're going to give it another week.

I have told the potential adopter to absolutely not feel obligated to take them... because as I said, she's already got a handful there... and I thank her again and again that she is doing what she is.
This post is only for information for a) me to have because it gets it out of my brain... and b) for anyone that is interested on what the situation is... It's not to make her feel that if she doesn't take them, then that's what will seal their fate/or to make her feel bad if she doesn't. Because no one can still know for sure what will become of them as they get older... And they still will most likely need around the clock care regardless... so I -understand- if she can't. Because, I know I can't either.

Alright.. I think I said enough for now. Again, sorry that this was such a huge post, but like I said, I'm sorta doing it for me too... Writing helps me wrap my head around things sometimes.

Thanks for all the posts that continue to come in with good wishes and thoughts. You are all terrific.
If you've emailed me and I haven't answered, I hope to get to them this weekend. Should be fairly quiet at home, so I hope to get back to everyone that I haven't yet.

I hope everyone has a lovely Friday, and a lovely weekend. I'll be in touch soon ♥

No post today...

2010-04-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

I just can't tonight. I need to get some rest because my head is spinning. I'll be back tomorrow.

Ok ok ok ok!!

2010-04-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

I hate to reiterate. It doesn't matter if he has blood in the stool or not. As many (MANY) people have pointed out to me, CH doesn't cause it. Okay, that's fine. We were misinformed, and I apologize. This is not the reason behind euthanizing (for us OR the shelter). It was simply a comment from me on my site because I didn't know what it was being caused from. It really doesn't matter.

I know cats with CH are wonderful, but they need a LOT of care - especially when they don't walk at all. With these kittens, it IS impacting their current quality of life, and THIS is the reason the shelter said they would require euthanasia. Please remember that.

I said we would love to keep them, but we can't.
And the reason why the shelter said to put them down now is because she has dealt with HUNDREDS of cases of kittens with CH (with a huge outbreak of Panleukopenia in the Sudbury region the past two years). She has adopted out many of them, all with minor conditions. They don't promote euthanasia -- And they are actually a No Kill shelter. Which is amazing. You should see their facility where they keep all of them, it's unbelievable.

I understand I also may be coming across to 'blaming' the shelter for this decision. But, I'm most certainly not. This shelter does amazing work, and I am completely astonished with everything they do. She is making this call because she has seen it many times. And while we trust her, we still want to try to help them before that final word is made to do so. (We still haven't heard from her, and something tells me deep down that she IS giving us this leeway to do exactly what we're doing on here.)

They had an instance last year where they had a severe case of CH in a kitten (or maybe a few? I don't fully recall) when it was about 6-8 weeks old. The foster parents, just like us, knew that quality of life may have been bad right at that point, but they loved that kitten, and wanted to make sure --- so they held onto it.
Four months later, the kitten was still "suffering" with not being able to do anything, and his lifestyle was not a happy one. Without around the clock care, there was nothing more they could do. (I may be slightly off on the exact details in the story, but that was the general point that she made to us). Everyone was heartbroken because of the attachment they had gained... and the kitten was almost in adulthood when the decision was finally made to euthanize.
And THIS is why she is suggesting it to us now. She doesn't want to have us keep going with something that may be inevitable, you know?

I know the die-hard CH cat lovers and euthanasia-haters would be against the decision, but our hands still may be tied. No one knows if they will do wonderful or not. Sure, they may grow up to be the sweet wonderful cats, like the ones on YouTube.... But maybe they won't. What if we prolong their life to that 6 months and they're still unhappy, and they still have no home... Then what?

Sigh..... I never wanted it to be this way for them. I see them every day, frustrated with their inability.

We need to find them a home, someone who is willing to -possibly- commit to caring for them for life. Right now they are growing rapidly, and each day, it seems worse. Because they WANT to walk and move, and be able to pee in a box properly, and eat from a dish normally. It's frustrating to them, and it's upsetting to us to watch them like this. It makes me so sad that they haven't been given a proper life.

We still don't know what to do. So, please, keep spreading the word. Everyone has been so great.

Doug and I have even talked, and would be willing to DELIVER them to you, if you can take them... Even if you don't live in Sudbury (within reason -- possibly anywhere in Ontario). Of course, we will need to discuss with the potential adopter on all that... but, that's how determined we are to get these guys a home.

Anyway... I'm really sorry again if I'm sounding a bit direct. I guess I'm finding myself on a short rope.
I'm SO thankful for all of you to talk to. You are the bestest. :) **hugs**

~~~~~~~~
PS: I do want to add another 'thanks' to everyone who has CH cats and is posting/sending their story. I love hearing about all the success stories, and all the love that you give them (and this really goes for any cat owner who takes any time to care for them).
You are gems.

~~~~~~~~
PPS: Made some flyers to distribute around the city today, too. This is basically what they're going to look like. (Note: Yeah, I have L's name as Ellie, just because it looks a little more inviting.. and besides, I call him that all the time ;))
Contact me via blog or email if you'd like phone number. I've removed it from the picture below, just in case.

Giving a Clear Message

2010-04-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hey all...

I suppose I should have assumed that posting this kind of topic on the internet would ruffle a few feathers. So, I feel that I should take a brief moment to clarify a few things (and this is mainly going to a lot of the new readers out there that are coming over and only learning the basics without following the story ~ for everyone else, please just disregard).

I've received a number of people posting links to various helpful CH sites and forums. I thank everyone who has been helping and reaching out to us in every way, shape, and form. I urge anyone who is new to this site, to please read back to the beginning posts from where we first took in Rosie... because somewhere along the line, a message is being lost.

Euthanasia is something that shouldn't be taken lightly. And I assure you, we are not posting up here to say that this is the final conclusion to what we have decided and that's the route people with any CH cats should take. If anything, I think I've made clear that this isn't the case.

So anyway, here are the quick details for anybody who is confused. Because I've been to some forums, and received some comments and/or emails from people (not all negative, but definitely misinformed)... who don't seem to understand our situation.

1. We are foster parents.
2. We took in a mother cat from a local shelter (http://www.petsave.ca/), whom we believe was infected with Panleukopenia at some point in her pregnancy, without our, or the shelter's, knowledge.
3. She had 3 kittens, 2 survived. They are currently 6 weeks old. One has been hand-reared since birth because the mother rejected it.
4. About a week ago, they were diagnosed with severe Cerebellar Hypoplasia.
5. We never intended to keep these kittens, even before we found out about the CH (we have a perma-resident cat who doesn't get along with other cats, hence the fostering - where we can keep them in their own foster room until they are ready to be adopted). In addition, once we found out they had CH, our house is not fit for kittens with this type of disability. We also work full-time jobs with a heavy summer-recreation schedule, therefore we wouldn't have the time to care for their every need. We can not keep them - hence, we need help! That is why we have reached out to this wonderful community.
6. One kitten has on-again-off-again diarrhea. He has been tested twice for parasites, and both came back negative. We don't believe he has parasites. He has had blood in his stool for about 2 weeks, and the shelter manager commented that it could be related to bowel irritation from the CH - We assumed that that was a possibility, but apparently people started getting all excited because we were "putting them down for this reason". That is not the case, I want to make that very clear. We just didn't know how to help with it if it was a factor. It could plainly be from diet, we are aware.
7. The shelter manager made the call last Saturday to euthanize. Not us.
8. We are doing everything possible to hold on to these kittens for now, hopefully go in and get a second professional opinion, and hopefully find homes for them.
9. Everything still needs to be discussed with the shelter, and currently, we still have no idea what kind of decision making we are allowed to make, if any.
10. If we can find them a caring home, TRUST ME, I will do everything in my power to make it happen. And I will kiss the adopters repeatedly.

Given other circumstances, we would keep these kittens ourselves. We have grown so close to them, and I love them like they were my own. If anyone has been reading my blog, or knows me personally, you'll KNOW I have the deepest love for cats. I wouldn't ever make a decision to euthanize without weighing ALL options. We are doing the best we can to AVOID this issue right now.

I apologize if my message is a little blunt, but I don't want people to get the wrong idea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, now that that's clear, onto other things. ;)

Some things definitely seem to be progressing with the boys. Such as last night. I witnessed L eating a piece of kitten kibble off the floor. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it on my blog, or maybe just commented individually to a couple people in email ~ but I've found him eating litter from the litter box a couple of times now (don't worry, non-clumping). No, he doesn't use the litterbox to pee in... just to chow down on. Typical kitten, imo :P

So, last night when I noticed him trying to chew on the single piece of kibble that Rosie had left behind on the floor, I thought, hey... I've read on CH sites that sometimes a good idea is to just put the chow right on the floor to see if they'll eat it there. So I took a handful and put it on the floor under his nose, and he started trying to eat them. Woo! Mind you, I don't think he actually DID eat any of them, because I don't think he's got the chewing thing down yet, but I figure I'll keep trying with him till he gets it. He did lick them a lot though.

I've tried the watered-down mushy-kibble in a bowl, but that doesn't work because of his condition either (as I've mentioned, he's on his side or back 90% of the time). And he'll lick some soft kitten pate from my fingers when offered (not always though - sometimes he turns up his nose). But, I think he's getting there.

I also witnessed something else strange with L and Rosie last night when I was feeding Wesley. I suppose because the little guy is growing so much, he's urinating a lot more. I can't believe the little arrangement he's got going on with Rosie. He lies on his side next to the desk where it's bare, and just lets it flow... She --follows-- him, wherever he goes, and drinks it all up... and I'm not talking a small puddle here. Poor girl. When I saw this happening, I helped her out by cleaning the rest up with baby wipes and kleenex. Explains why I've been coming home to strange 'dry' puddles on the floor every day. I doubt she'll keep that up much longer... and if we still have them at that point, who knows what we'll do. No way I'll get him to go IN the litter box. I may just have to try one of these 'puppy pads' I've seen people suggest. That may work for Wesley, too.

And oh god, the smell in there lately. Between that and Wesley's constant accidents all over the linen and floors, I can't keep up. I give all you CH(or other disabled) kitty owners out there that deal with this behaviour on a constant basis HUGE props. It's a lot of work. My evenings after work have become: Get in door, change into kitten-poo-friendly clothing, prepare and feed Wesley from bottle, mingle and conduct physiotherapy with both kittens (and play with Rosie), eat a quick dinner, say a quick hello to my own cat, wash floors and linen (this happens about every few days, but the linen is constantly being changed, and floors spot washed where necessary), get a post in & maybe some email.. then by that time it's pretty much feed Wesley again and go to bed. So that's what happened last night, all that other stuff had to happen, so I had to omit the emails/blogging.
I feel awful because I haven't been doing my rounds on everyone else's blogs lately. Catching up on reading when I can, but I don't come close to being able to answer. :(

More possible good news, is that I've had one or two people say that they're interested in adopting! Now, I'm not going to get excited yet, because we're not exactly 'next door' to any of these people... but, at least it's a start. Gotta get to my emails so that I can figure out a little bit more.

Another thing in regards to that. As I said in my first little blurb above (#9), I don't know what adoption actually can happen yet. I still haven't heard anything from Pet Save on 'her decision' yet... so, really everything is still really up in the air. I have no idea what the policy is when they've made a decision on their end to euthanize....but I can only hope that they'll follow the normal adoption protocols for their kittens, if someone is interested (I'm actually pretty sure they would... I just don't know what kind of billing is needed... and how it works with neutering and shots, etc). But, when she calls me, and we hopefully have a real solid sounding person interested, I'll be getting the full details on what to do. If I hear from her before I have someone, well, I suppose it'll still be up to the shelter's discretion - and we'll still bring the kittens into the vet next Thursday.

Anyway, guess that's all I can think of for now.
I've been debating whether to post pictures or videos or not... just because I don't want it to be awkward if something does happen with the shelter in the future... but I figure I should keep it up in case someone sees them and it makes them interested to adopt.
~~~~~~~~

If you are looking to adopt this kittens, please contact me at kyestera{at}hotmail.com as soon as possible!

No word

2010-04-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a very quick post, as we just walked in the door and have errands to do - but I just needed to pop in here quick to at least let everyone know where things are at.
First, don't be worried right now, we had no word from the shelter manager today. So things are still as is from the weekend.
We booked an appointment with that nice vet for next Thursday evening (I know, far away, but it was all they could squeeze in). So, our little guys will be peachy keen here with us in the meantime.
The boys are happy and playing in their room right now.
We're getting lots of wonderful email and blog-comments from everyone, that I'm a little backlogged in responding to (I am going to get back to ALL of you - but I apologize, it will be tomorrow. I'll have a lot more time then).
Doug and I have been tossing around some ideas - many are from the terrific ideas from everyone out there that's reaching out to us. We still can't be fully positive, because everything is still up in the air... But -- I'll fill you in more on what some of those ideas are in my post tomorrow.
So please hang tight, I am reading every word from every person and I just don't have time tonight to respond - but I promise to be dedicated tomorrow night (I'll have a nice relaxing computer night tomorrow ;))
Love you all! :)

Another day

2010-04-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

You are all wonderful people. As usual, your words of wisdom and kindness are helping us through this. The flow of suggestions, opinions, and stories from everyone are lifting our spirits.

Yesterday seemed like we were at the end of our rope. We battled with ourselves about the decision on what we should do. Back and forth on what would be best for them, and nothing seemed to be right. I think it's just beyond us to make this kind of decision.

So for now, when Jill calls tomorrow, we're going to try to buy a little more time, and see if we can get a second opinion.

Our vet, though close to our home, will probably not be our first choice. A long time ago, when I lived in the city, we had this wonderful veterinarian who was kind and gentle and understanding. He's about a 40 minute drive from where we are now, but I think I'm going to call him tomorrow to see if he can take us sometime during the week to look at the boys. I just can't fathom making such a serious decision before getting another opinion.

I know when I'm sitting in the room with the boys, they seem like they still have so much growing to do. Every day I see new hope that they (especially Wesley) will be able to muster enough strength to walk - if even just a little bit... but, I know my opinion could be biased, and as a couple people have mentioned - I could just be throwing my own emotions into it, because I want to see them succeed so much. And maybe it really isn't the best thing for them.

What do I want? Deep down? I want to keep them here. I want to hold on to that hope that they may come around. But maybe I'm just kidding myself.

So I suppose I'll just leave it at that for now. I've been given a couple of CH areas to reach out to online, that I plan to browse through today.

Thanks again for all of your help. I'll be in touch soon. ♥

A Roller-coaster....

2010-04-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

Just when I think all is well, so quickly do we get another sharp, and very painful turn in the road.

The woman from Petsave (Jill) made her visit today. And the news was far from good.

Once again I am turning to all of you out there because I feel that I can count on you... You have all been so kind, and right now, writing is the only thing that is going to help. We feel so lost on what may lie ahead.

After examining both Wesley and L, Jill told us that their case was extremely severe. Wesley's diarrhea and bleeding are caused by the CH. We had no idea that he was in pain from it (but he does cry quite awfully when he goes). L may very well be the same way, but we wouldn't know, since Rosie is taking care of that still.
She told us that neither of them will ever walk, and will never be able to go about day-to-day things like eating and bathrooming on their own. That Wesley will be sick from the bowel movements forever. L will probably never be able to get himself to food or litter. Wesley would probably never do it without assistance.

She is insisting on the euthanization...

What are we supposed to say? What are we supposed to do?

Before she got here, we thought we were both prepared to tell her that no matter what, we would look after them... we have worked so hard to make sure they have had a good quality of life so far. We didn't know that they were in such a severe state, and thought for sure they would eventually be fine.
Basically, if we wanted to continue holding onto them, we would be looking at constant care for them for the rest of their lives. Helping them eat, bathroom, and so on. And not to forget the fact that they would still have to live with Yoko. This was certainly not something we were prepared to do... yet we want to help them so very much. And now it seems our options are running out.

Now with Wesley... because of his bowel-sickness... we wouldn't be able to tell what would happen. The bleeding (that is getting worse every day) means that he really isn't doing so well internally.. that it's most likely due to the irritation inside him.

Jill was not cold or unfriendly about it... if anything, she could tell how much we were in pain about the news. I know it's not easy to break that kind of news to foster parents. I know her intentions to do this are in the best interest of the kittens. I just can't help but think that there should be, there CAN be, an alternative.

Doug and I have been in conversation about the issue since she left... with many tears shed. I want the best for them... but I don't know what that is. I see all these videos of cats with CH, and how 'perfect' everything seems for them. They have owners that can provide the constant care for them. Many though, are not as severe as our boys.

We have talked about holding onto them here for a while.. continue to hand-rear Wesley.. hope that maybe he will pull through.
L... well... who knows... Once Rosie decides that she won't look after him anymore, then what do we do? ...We both work long days, and Doug is taking time off from work every single day right now just to be able to get Wesley a feeding during the day. Unfortunately, that can't continue.... as we also have evening priorities that are quickly approaching as the summer gets here.

I don't want to euthanize them....... How could I possibly even THINK about that? My Wesley... he is my boy, and I want to see him grow and be happy and have a good life. But where can I turn to help him? And L...
They don't deserve this.

I suggested that we should see if we can find others who may be able to take over... but I wouldn't even know where to go.
We wish we could keep them.... I want to protect their little lives....

It's just not fair.

I know this site has become such a sad place lately, and I apologize to all of you readers. You have been so fantastic... and I hope that you aren't frustrated with me... but as I said, I feel that writing really helps... and I'm doing it because it helps with wrapping my head around my thoughts. I appreciate anyone out there that listens.

....
So, where does that leave us? I don't know.
We still sit here sullen and cloudy-eyed.
The decision of two little lives are in our hands, and we have no idea what to do.

We have until Monday, when Jill has told us she will be here to pick them up. I can't express how broken-hearted we are. And we want to make the right choice for them. But we don't know what that is yet.
Anyone... absolutely anyone... who can care for these little two, please don't hesitate to contact me this weekend. I'm best reached at kyestera{at}hotmail.com.

Thanks everyone....

Smiles :)

2010-04-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

You all never cease to amaze me. :) :) All the wonderful words that have flown in are soooo... ♥♥♥♥♥♥
Plain and simple!!
Thank you Lisa! SpacePaws has been such a wonderful supporter of us all along... and seriously, they do such terrific work! (amongst MANY of you!) You are all so terrific :) :) (Hobbes House had a lot of advice for me too! Go visit them if you haven't yet!)

Today, I've been feeling good. I re-read my post from yesterday, and I apologize, as I realize I appeared to come across as quite 'down'. But, really, I was somewhat happy to know that these two wonderful perky boys weren't alone... not by far!

CH really isn't as bad as it seems, as long as you are an owner who is willing to care enough about them being a little less coordinated. One must be dedicated that they may not ever fully walk, but, from my readings, there are so many wonderful people out there ~soooo many~ that just have hearts of champions.

I talked to the wonderful lady at Petsave earlier today, and as I somewhat expected, something came up this evening which drew her from her visit. BUT! She promised to be by tomorrow evening to check in on things.
Unfortunately, one of her comments were along the lines of: "they may not be worth saving"... due to all the denial of animals she has seen.....
But, regardless, we may take whatever measure to ensure these wonderful boys get the loving lives they deserve (aka, if that's the plan with the shelter, we will take matters of adoption into our own hands ~ so no worries!).

I feel so much better knowing that our kitties aren't alone. They may have disabilities, but they are still as awesome as ever. We're only going to do whatever we can to make sure they get the best support.
We've both been still working with Wesley with the Physiotherapy, and we're seeing results. Albeit, he's never going to walk perfectly, but darnit! He is certainly getting a grip on his gait! Balance is the issue, and well...
HE ATE FROM THE BOWL tonight!!! With my assistance, holding his body, but... He did it!! He did it!! I was overjoyed. (Oh, and 'gottagopractice', thanks! We did take your advice and move him to a mix of KMR 2nd, KMR liquid, and chicken pate. It did say that we could use water in place of KMR, but we will go with this for now anyway!)

We've decided to bring the cage upstairs. The two boys are in there together now.
Our decision is based on them not learning litter and food on their own. So in the cage they have both without Rosie, but with the watchful eye of her. (Rosie would always use their box and throw litter everywhere, and eat all the food we wanted them to eat... this is great alternative). We will open it up again so that L can nurse when needed, too. Because, as suggested from Forever Foster, it may be good to let him keep going until she is -totally- done with him).
We will let them out, especially L, often.. to roam, "walk" and continue their normal lives... but for now, we want them to learn the basics of eating and bathrooming (we have had a lot of instances where Wes is going pee and poo all over, cause he has no skills to get to the litter ~ FYI, Anyone with CH Litter/Feeding tips, We encourage to send this way, Please!! :):):):))

Just a couple shots of the cage in the room... Hopefully, with luck, they will begin to adapt.

Answers.

2010-04-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

Where to begin?

I think instead of doddling around, I'll be out with it from the start.
The boys have been diagnosed with Cerebellar Hypoplasia.

Today has been long.... very long... And when I think we've been challenged before, this was something thrown into the mix that I never would have expected.

It certainly explains a lot though.

How do we feel about it?
Initially, I thought, oh my god. They have something critical, most cats with CH are euthanized... our kittens are sick, and doomed...

Of course, I knew nothing of CH at that point.

~~~~~~~~~~
So, this is what happened.

After many calls back and forth with the vet clinic today discussing the boys and their potential appointment for today... 15 minutes before it was to take place, I finally get in contact with Petsave after days (they are SO busy right now with the spring and all the things going on). This was the first time that it was laid out to them what was going on with the stool samples and worry of parasites (everything I've detailed to all of you here).
At first she was calm and said that that kind of thing was not to worry, but they wanted to examine the stool samples more carefully... and when I started to mention that they weren't walking yet... she suddenly became very silent. And immediately began asking questions like:

~ Are they wobbling? (Yes.)
~ Do their heads shake when trying to look at something? (Yes.)
~ Do they have trouble keeping focus on one thing? (Yes.)
~ Do they roll, sway, crawl - anything but walk? Their legs almost with no muscle? (Yes.)
~ When they try to walk, is it almost like their legs are 'getting ahead of them'? (Yes.)
~ Are they all over the place (Yes.), not able to use the litterbox (Yes.), not able to feed themselves? (Yes.)

Pretty good chance that CH is a factor. She immediately said to forget the appointment with the vet, and she (a professional herself) is going to make a special trip out of her busy day tomorrow to come to our house personally to examine them. And they will go to the Petsave vet after she checks them out.

After an extremely sad and scared phonecall with Doug, I began heavily researching the disorder online.

I have no doubt, not one bit, that our boys have this neurological problem. And there's nothing we can do about it.

I have so much I want to talk about... So much to report... So much I wish I had known that I want other people to know about it. But, I think I'm just going to lay it out as much as I can by posting.

What I can do right now is say, go read online about it. I found so many links today, especially YouTube videos like:
~ This,
~ This,
~ This,
~ This,
~ This,
~ This
....And so so so many more.

In addition to CH, please read about how kittens can get it. The link to Cerebellar Hypoplasia is usually through the mother's contamination with Panleukopenia (also known as feline distemper), which we suspect Rosie must have had at some point (which confuses us, as she has never shown signs of this disease). I have many questions to ask our expert tomorrow. One situation could have been if they gave Rosie the shot for Panleukopenia while she was in the shelter... There would be enough in the vaccine to harm her babies. But, I'm only guessing, since she has never been sick. She could have also just had it in the wild, and been lucky enough to recover from it before she came here, as well.

I encourage any fosterers/cat owners to research both of these (and more, if you can), if you have never heard of it before.

For anyone out there at all: PLEASE vaccinate your pets!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~

I know I promised to discuss the comments from yesterday... and really, I suppose all I just want to say again is... Thank you. I know I say it often, but really, your comments/suggestions mean the world to me. I have taken pieces from what you have all told me, and have used it... especially the food suggestions!
Wesley is eating a KMR 2nd Step + Chicken Pate slurry through a large-holed-nipple bottle (mainly slurps it up, in combination of sucking), and it's improved SO much. He's eating way better now. Mind you, the change in diet has given him the runs, but, I think that's to be expected.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I posted a couple YouTube videos of cats/kittens with CH in the list above... and well, I'll let you all determine from our babes here. Here are a couple videos, as promised, of the boys tonight ~ At 5 and half weeks old.
In addition, a few sweetheart pics of my boy Wesley to follow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another quickie

2010-04-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Just wanted to comment on here quickly, just to let you all know that I'm here reading everything you've all posted for me! It's been busy lately, so I don't have time at night to follow up on my last post, and get back to all of you (minus the few that I have been able to email last night :))

I ---very--- much appreciate all the advice I've been given here. And the complete support that you are giving me - ohmygosh, again, I can't say enough how good it makes me feel to have people to talk to that can relate. Thank you all.

I want to touch on everyone's comments individually, and I promise to try to get a full post out tonight (pending that nothing else comes up) that does just that. I want to take a video or two for everyone, as well... so you can all SEE what's going on. Picture-taking has been low priority, just because when I'm in there with them - I'm trying to get Wesley to eat, and trying to do some physiotherapy with their walking. But I will make a strong effort tonight to do all that.

Just a quick update for those I haven't told already: We noticed blood in Wesley's stool last week, that had been coming and going up til yesterday. So, we brought a stool sample in again to check for worms/parasites -- and hurrah, it came back negative. Though we still got no answers on why he's bleeding - not so hurrah :(
So I made an immediate appointment for today at 2pm. Hopefully we'll find out more by then, and maybe get some answers to why they aren't walking.
Connie at Tails From The Foster Kittens mentioned that it could be Swimmer Kitten Syndrome. I thought that could definitely be a possibility, but upon reviewing what that actually entails, I don't seem to think it fully relates. Swimmers kittens usually have flat chests, which neither L or Wesley has. And our kittens don't quite "swim", but more, try to stand, wobble if they get that far, and fall to their side. To get places, L usually rolls or flops back and forth. I've seen both kittens pounce using their back legs, but then fall. The physio seems to help Wesley, as he can now stand while leaning against me, or if I'm guiding with a hand. But as soon as I let go, BANG, to the ground they go. I feel like I'm showing him how to ride a bike without training wheels. :P
L spends most of his time on his side or back, and HATES it when I try to stand him up. He curls up in a ball and tries to bite me. So, I'm not sure what to do.

Anyway, said this would be quick, and now I have paragraphs on the go. So much to report though... I haven't even got to the whole 'eating' follow up :P
I'll be back tonight to continue, and to answer your comments from my previous post. I'll also let you all know how the appointment went.

Thank you all for your support. :) If even just to come and read and support from a distance. Hopefully some are learning with me with all of this, and that it could help other fosterers too. :)

Back soon!

Development Question

2010-04-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

No pictures right now, sorry! I'm at work on a lunch break. But I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to make a quick post to ask some questions to anyone out there that may have any info. Time again where I'm at a transition with these little guys, and would LOVE any help :)

So, so far Wesley and L are doing great. As you can see from my previous post, Wesley is really developing into a little sweetheart. I'm seriously so in love with him.

Wesley has always been about a week behind L in development, probably due from the first rejections from Rosie and also being the runt of the litter. But, I worry about how fast they're both growing.

L has always looked huge next to Wesley, and each time I go in and hang out with them... I swear L has grown even more.
But, Wesley seems to be a little quicker in the intelligence department. L seems...... well.... kind of dumb.
Part of the reason why I say that, is because he'll be 5 weeks old on Monday and he still doesn't walk. AT ALL. He sort of shuffles his body low to the ground and rolls places (with his giant rolly-polly belly that he has... --which I will get pictures of soon!), but no walking. Wesley doesn't walk either, but he is definitely sitting up now, and has very apparent strength in his front legs. Where L still lies slumped around. He spends 75% of his time lying on his side or back.
At first, I was thinking that it was because we give Wesley WAY more attention than we do to L, and we work with Wesley in an almost "physiotherapy" session, where we make sure he walks to us to get his bottle (so that he gains strength)... but L doesn't have to go far from Rosie to just get a slurp from her. Should we just continue to leave it and allow the development to continue? Or should they really be walking fully by now?

The next thing is the eating. So, they both have some decent teeth coming in. I know that 4 weeks is when they say the weaning should begin. Since Rosie is there, what do you think? Should I let her handle L? Or should I take over? Any tips on the best ways you've all found weaning should go? I've gradually been letting Wesley taste Rosie's wet kitten food off my finger before he demands his bottle... Next I think we're going to mix powdered formula + water + chicken human baby food(or wet kitten food) and see if we can get him to start getting interested in a plate of it... BUT, my concern again above is... if they're not walking.... should I wait until they can fully stand and walk on their own before trying this?
What kind of time in between feedings should I be following after this 4th week? We've finally merged Wesley to go between 5-8 hours (hurray for sleep through the night!!!) - which seems to be working fine for him. He gets 4 feedings on the weekday, generally: 6am - 12:30pm - 5:30pm - 10:30pm, give or take an hour here and there. He's still only eating 1-2 tablespoons of formula though... (more often 1 than two)... which is worrysome. But, he is still pretty small. L is bit over a pound now, Wesley still dangles behind at about 14 ounces. Hoping the weaning process will help him get some weight on... but he looks healthy to me. Anyone know if this is good enough?

Same thing with the litterbox... We're still stimulating Wesley (though I think Rosie does it sometimes for him too), but we're doing it while his paws are in the box so he can relate the scent to going. Haven't found any traces from either kitten in the box... again, should I try leaving this to Rosie with L? And again with the, should I wait til they can walk there themselves? I've found L behind the litterbox, sleeping, a bunch of times... but, that's about it.

Ok... hum... I think that's it. Thanks in advance for any suggestions! Pictures soon :)

One Month Old!!

2010-04-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

Four weeks ago today, my little guy was born :) And now look at him. He's growing so fast. ♥

HALLLP! THE FOOT, IZ STINKY!!

Hi! So... um... where's that bottle that you promised me?

Dats right, just look at my cuteness... And my giant man paws.

I'ma just chill out in this super soft squishy bed, mmk?

WHOA! DUCK! There's a scary lady cat over there!

I am so long, and lean, and sweet as a button!

NOM!

That's it from me for now.

Wesley OUT! MEOW! :D

Easter Toe Beans

2010-04-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a relaxing long weekend! :)

A Post...

2010-03-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

...It's coming! I promise!

New workload this week, but I know I'll be back into the swing of things soon. You should SEE these kittens growing. I need to update soon, cause they're going to be full-blown cats soon!

Trying to read everyone's posts as I can in my late evenings. Sorry for not actively commenting for now. Soon...soon, I promise! :D

Last Weekday Off

2010-03-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

And I'm making the most of it.... considering that I'm still in my pyjamas at 3pm. :P

Yoko is crashed out on me here, making it difficult for a long post. So, just some pictures again today!

Rosie and the boys were squirmy today, so I didn't get good pictures like I wanted, but I did get a few :)

Back! But still a little behind...

2010-03-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

What a trip! Left on a 4 hour drive on Tuesday (got super lost, so it really took 5 hours), then drove all the way back (6 hours this time because of a fun detour) yesterday morning. It was a nice little break, and lots of fun. Good to be home though! I missed my babies!

Still had company up until a couple hours ago, so I'm still a little behind on all my blog-reading and picture taking... which is what tomorrow morning will be for. Right now I'm just vegging in front of the TV with my feet up. Had to do some shopping today to get some work clothes, as I start my new job on Monday (where did the past 3 weeks go???).

L/LH/Elle/Ellie/Spock is certainly a boy.
Haha... Man, how many takes is it going to be before I decide?
I'm sure now though. The... um... "beans" that have appeared under his legs have given him away. ;)
The name still gets bounced around though. Poor guy. He has all these nicknames because we've waited so long. So, I'm taking suggestions. Should we keep him as L (Elle)? Maybe go with Spock? I call him L all the time, and Doug will probably always call him Litterhead forever, but...but...that's no name for a sweet little guy like him. I really like how everyone on here thinks of him as Spock, and it goes along with the Star Trek theme. I've tried it out on him, but I have trouble not calling him Elle. My problem with Elle though is that I can't get out of my head that the name is too feminine (Elle is french for She)
So, I'm taking name suggestions/votes!

Here's a few pictures of Wesley that my sister took, and a few that I took of my friend (that was visiting) and him.

More to come tomorrow :)

Picture Day

2010-03-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

I'll be going away tomorrow morning until sometime on Wednesday, so I won't be getting any pictures or posts in until about Thursday.

Things are still going well over here, so again, not a whole lot to report - except for maybe a comment about yesterday's post. After pretty much confirming that Elle is a girl, while she snoozed this morning, I took a reeeeally good look, and well, now I'm second guessing myself AGAIN. Hah! Oh well. So, that's honestly still be determined. I figure if she turns out to be a boy in the end, we'll call him Elliot. :D (whew, SAFE!)

Okay, so, here's a load of pictures. I'm thinking that maybe on Thursday when I'm back from my trip and taking pictures, I'll take the kittens into a nicer area than under the desk to take some shots. They're moving around a lot now, so I'm thinking they may be almost fully walking by the time I'm back.

"Whatchya got in that there dish, mama?"

Busy weekend!

2010-03-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Lacking in the posting department because I've been swamped with stuff going on this weekend (sorry!).

Didn't get many pictures taken either, unfortunately. But, things have been good around here.

We've begun transitioning Litterhead's name. Her name will always be Litterhead to us... but now it has slowly worked it's way from L.H. (because it sounded nicer), then L (or Elle).. and finally found myself calling her Ella. Which is a pretty name, if she is the female that I think she is. So, Litterhead, L.H., L, Elle, Ella... there'll be a variety of names referencing her on here until we've solidly verified she's a girl (I'm almost certain she is though).

Wesley is doing fantastic. He's socializing and rolling around with Ella now, and mama Rosie takes good care of him when he's with her. The only thing that's still lacking is the nursing, but I'm still keeping on top of it. It's nice that he's getting a little older now (2 weeks tomorrow morning!), because he's sleeping longer and eating more (not eating 2ml every 2 hours anymore - it's now about 5ml every 4 hours). He's almost 8 ounces and climbing. I believe Ella is almost 9 (but I didn't get to weigh her today)... but he's catching up!
His coat is really shiny and soft, and he's really turning into a real sweet looking boy. Still has a huge set of vocal cords though! Definitely louder than his sister, and more demanding. I'm eager for him to get bigger, cause I have a feeling he's going to be a ham when he's older!

Here's a quick (and not-so-great) picture of the family this morning. :)

On Friday, I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the floors(and cables) in there, reorganized my desk to it's original position, and moved them down into a new spot (Rosie fought it a bit, but I think she's happier there now, with no computer cables in her way). I put the blanket on the floor in the little space, which lasted a few hours before she moved it again. She really loves her hard floor that girl. That's okay though, it's still nice and warm in there, so I'm not too worried. And the kittens go out and lie on the blanket when they want to.

Oh! One last thing... More about Ella. She comes when she's called now, too! I was lying on my stomach on the floor right in front of the blanket that you see in the picture and calling her name, and she crawled right over to me and put her head on my arm. She's so calm and sweet. She's gonna be motoring around that room in no time, I just know it! :)

A Late Post - But with Important Info!

2010-03-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

Been doing a little catch up on some things since yesterday was busy with St. Patrick's Day and my niece's 1st birthday, so today's post is a little late.

A couple things I want to touch on....

First of all, recently I've come across some information about KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement by PetAg). I'm not sure how many other foster parents out there have heard anything about the tainted powdered formula -- but apparently it's a pretty serious issue. At first, when I came across it, I did a quick search on what I could find, and the one thing I read said it was a false accusation against the company, so I disregarded it. Wesley had been doing fine, and I didn't really notice anything wrong with it, so I just continued to use it.

But today, I happened to stumble on someone else mentioning it on their blog - Stacey Chen over at TwoMamaCats.com (go there if you haven't, great site), so it got me thinking to look it up again, because I'm still using KMR.

Well, I found out that it really HAS been a problem, and for anyone out there who is currently using powdered KMR should be super duper careful to watch if it smells or looks funny. There's a great article and video found on this website. I encourage anyone fostering to have a quick read.

Luckily, the liquid formula has had no problems whatsoever... and that's what I've been using to date. I probably will continue using it, too, because it's helping Wesley gain like a champ. Plus it's easy to warm up during those 2am feedings. I have another powdered formula that I have been waiting to use, when I have more time and the kittens are a little older (just in case it's more difficult to digest), and I checked the directions on that one too (not PetAg brand)... Well - Something I have learned... Apparently all or most powdered kitten formula must be refrigerated before or after opening. I wouldn't normally think a powder would need it, and I'm glad I learned about this BEFORE I used it.

So, anyway, with that being said, the next on the list is Wesley and his super gaining-weight-ness!! Since last Thursday, a mere week ago... he has doubled in weight!! Today, he is a wonderful 6.2 ounces!!! Hurrraaaaaaayyy! And he looks great and is sweet as a button :)

Here's a picture of him when I got in from a relaxing (and much needed) dinner out tonight:

He was fast asleep like that in his box. He loves to sleep on his back, and seems to be most comfortable in that position.... gah. He's just SO cute.

And for kicks, here's a video of him a little later after a feeding. He's totally chilled out in a little nest of blanket:

Well, I'm off to do a little blog reading, since I'm a bit behind. I'll try to get more pictures in tomorrow!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

100th Post!!!

Hurray!
In honour of St. Patrick and my 100th post, I present you with pure pictures for today! Enjoy!

Head fuzz!!

And open eyes! Today they are fully open - Sorry it's still hard to get pics of them like that though. You can sorta see it in that third picture above.

Mommy snuggles.

I just want to nom that big belleh all the time!

Crashing out with a milk 'stache.

I love the way L sleeps... sooo cute. :)

Just as I am about to go upstairs after this post, I find this little girl smiling in the sunshine. ;)

Just a quickie...

2010-03-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

Don't have much time to make a long post today... which means I haven't uploaded any pictures yet either. I had a bit of a sleepless night last night, which resulted in my taking a couple extra hours to sleep in this morning. And of course, Wesley has been super fussy. Because he's growing, I think he's getting hungrier much more frequently, so it's keeping me busy.

I'm a bit frustrated with the feedings lately... and again am looking for advice on those who have hand-reared kittens before. Wes can't nurse on his own, it seems. He still doesn't have a great sucking power, even being over a week old. His head wobbles all around and he can't find the "nipple" (he hates the bottle nipple, after several tries, so I'm still using an eyedropper). I have to hold his head completely still and stick it in his mouth and squeeze the end in order for him to start eating. Mind you, when he gets started, he's eating about 3-4 ml now... but, I can't get him to do it himself. He just bangs all around until he gets help from me.

Today I decided I was going to see what would happen if I put him with Rosie. First of all, I almost lost a hand, because she -hates- it when I mess with her kittens (understandably).
I weighed both of them.. L.H. is 7.3 oz and Wesley is 4.8 oz. Such a huge difference still.
Seeing the two of them side by side you see a noticeable size difference. But it's because L.H. has no trouble with eating at all.

Rosie accepted Wesley with no problem, and even licked him, which was nice to see. The first time I tried to put him in, he was still hungry. I wanted to see how he would do if I left him with the nipple. So I took a seat in the back of the room to observe. Even sticking his nose right-at-her-nipple, he just wobbled around and screamed bloody murder.

So, I took him out and fed him myself. After he ate (and ate and ate and ate), and was finally content, purring away, I stuck him back with Rosie. She put her arm around him and cuddled him (she's really getting down with this mother thing)... and I just left them. It's been half an hour, and I'm going to check on things in there soon. I may just keep taking him out of there for his feedings so that he bonds with L and Rosie a bit more.

His eyes are opening now considerably (and I checked L's eyes too.. also coming along nicely), so I'm hoping that once he can fully see, he'll be able to just SEE the nipple for himself. What do you think?

Anyway, I said I wasn't going to make a long post, but here I am rambling away. Off to check on kitties and do some dishes. Here's a video a put together yesterday from the videos I took when taking my pictures yesterday. Note the last video clip of Wesley feeding, I was trying to hold the camera with one hand while he tried to put the whole eyedropper in his mouth. I'm usually holding the eyedropper with one hand and his head/body with the other so that doesn't happen. Just wanted to document how cute it is when he's eating ;)

(The first clip is L and Rosie, the second is Yoko)

The Crazy Cat Household

2010-03-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

The sun is back shining brightly again this morning, so I've been visiting all the kitties in the house going picture happy!

This is Wesley's feeding station - where I spend a good portion of my day.

Yoko's taking advantage of the chair I usually sit in (my chair is always better than the rest).

Boy... my table needs a dusting! :P

Yaaaaaaaaaawn!

I looove it when they sleep with their tongue out of their mouth.

No teethies in there! :D

Mama Rosie giving me the evil eye.

She doesn't quite know what to make of the camera, but I think she's starting to get used to it ;)

Snuggly Wesley

Does this just not make you want to crawl back into bed and cuddle??

Nothing overly major to report today. Except! I noticed that Wesley's eyes are beginning to open as of this morning! You can see that he's trying super duper hard to get them open when I talk to him. I bet it'll just be a couple more days and we'll get to see them.

Everything else seems to be going well over here still though. Wes is still eating well, L.H. is still a chub, and Rosie.. is well, Rosie. Going to do a weigh in on the two of them shortly and make sure that the numbers are still climbing, too. :)

I have some videos that I'll try to get around to posting later. For now, it's feeding time, so I better go!

Wow!

2010-03-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

Wesley has suddenly hit a huge growth spurt!

I weighed him in this morning, because when I picked him up for his 11am feeding, I noticed that he is seeming a little 'fuller' than he was a few days ago....
So, to my very happy surprise... He's almost gained a full ounce! He's at 4.0 oz now!! :):) (that's up 0.9 oz since Thursday)

He's eating like a champ. He's bathrooming like a champ. He looks like he's getting stronger and thicker all around. And he all of sudden has these huge feet...! If he does grow up to be a full kitty, I think he's gonna be a BIG kitty.
I really, REALLY hope this keeps up, because he's doing great.

I put together a little clip for today. Plus a couple cute pictures I got of L.H., too. Hope you enjoy them. Have a nice Sunday :)

I had this awesome opportunity to get some really cute pictures of L.H. yawning when I was in there... but when I loaded them on the computer, they were completely out of focus! Grah, sorry. I must need glasses or something :P

Such a cutie pie :)

Improvements :)

2010-03-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

I can't even begin to express my complete appreciation for all the comments that are still coming in from around the globe wishing us blessings and support. I am so very thankful for each and every one of you ~ whether you are from the cat community, are friends or family, or popping in from all other parts of the web... I have wept at a great many of the comments, and have written down and remembered advice from those who gave it. It has really helped me through this. So, again... Thank you all... thank you, thank you, thank you. ♥♥♥

I have been super behind in responding to everyone individually, just because between the feedings, trips to the vet, etc, I try to get either some sleep in, or get the house chores done (and updating these posts to keep everyone in the loop). But, I promise, I will try to get around to it soon. I have been still reading up my usual blogs that I follow when I can... though as I checked out everyone's sites as they commented on here recently ~ I realized I'm going to have to add a bunch more! There's so many wonderful sites out there that I'm only learning about now! :)

It's funny. I've really become grateful for anyone who has children out there. Mothers... wow. We have no children ourselves, so we aren't familiar with babies who need around the clock care. But I can definitely see this being a mini-training session for if we ever did. ;)
With that being said, I also have to thank Doug for sticking by me through all of this... He's been completely wonderful in every step of this. He's an absolutely amazing person to support me and the kitties with all his heart.

Okay... Sorry for all the mushy. I just can't express it enough!

So, what's been happening since yesterday...
To start, as I mentioned, I decided to take Wesley to the vet to check up on his illness (severe runs, barely eating, whining a lot). I didn't take Rosie or Litterhead with me (as Lisa from Space Paws asked), because it was his suggestion to only bring Wesley. Although, he said, once he examined Wesley, that there really wasn't much he could determine because he's so young. I couldn't get a stool sample out of Wes (go figure) either, which I will have to still bring in with me today if I can get one. But, the doctor still gave me Neosol drops (Bromide) to give him twice a day for a week, to help with his diarrhea. Well, let me just say... that HELPED. After two doses, his symptoms seemed to clear up! And! He's eating a full 2ml or more at each feeding... AND! He gained 0.2 oz since his last weigh in! So I'm over the moon about that, as you can probably imagine :)
I'm still waiting for a full bowel movement to take into the doctor to confirm that parasites are not found though.. but in the meantime, I'm glad that he's eating well again.

Now, with all that good news being said, he also mentioned to me to still stay a little prepared and realistic. Because Wes is still dangerously underweight, anything can still happen within the next few weeks. I know he was just saying it so that I'm not too upset if something else does arise... And, I'm trying... But I'm still going to keep up a ton of hope for him. I want to stay positive, even if I do prepare for the worst.

We also sent off Oscar to burial while I was there. It was really hard to say goodbye, and I had a bit of a breakdown once I got home, but I managed. He was going with two other puppy dogs who were euthanized that afternoon... so, it gave me a little peace knowing he wasn't all alone. I'm always going to remember that little guy, and he's always going to be in my heart.

Last thing... Litterhead.
I just want to touch on the fact that this kitten is HUGE. Like, gigantic, monsterous, enormous! Maybe it's just because I'm so used to seeing Wesley's teeny tiny body... but, wow. I'm happy that s/he's growing so well.

Got a couple pictures from today. Wes's pictures are always a bit the same, but... he's cute anyway! And well, Litterhead... will you just look at that belleh?!?! hee.. :)

(trying to roll over)

Wesley - Day 5

2010-03-12T10:47:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today to report on what's going on.

This morning, Wesley's diarrhea increased, and it appeared he was suffering from it. His crying went on for much longer than usual.. and stroking his belly was the only thing to soothe him - so I concluded that it's possible that it could be more of a virus than just having trouble digesting the formula.

He was originally sucking the eyedropper quite well, and would take in a full 2ml every two hours. His appetite has decreased to about 1ml (and absolutely refuses any more), and it's like he's suddenly forgotten how to suck, so I have to spend a lot more time doing it drop by drop on his tongue, hoping he'll swallow.

Since I haven't heard anything from the shelter, still (and I tried again today with no answer)... I've decided to take him in to the vet anyway. I really don't want to lose another one. Which is making me feel a little better, to get a professional opinion.

I'm also taking Oscar with me..... they'll do a little procedure for his remains... which, sigh, has been a bit tough for me to think about right now. It's going to be hard to say goodbye....

I have to leave in an hour, and need a stool sample, so I better start getting organized. Here's a couple pictures of Wesley this morning, as he roamed his box.

An Update...

2010-03-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

It has brought many tears to my eyes reading all the love, support, and advice I have from all of you. Thank you so very much for everything. Reading all of your kind words really means a lot to me... I really, really appreciate it.

Things have been a bit rough since yesterday morning, but I'm continuing to truck on and stay strong for this litter, and for Rosie. Tired as I may be. (Thank goodness for having time off)

We have dubbed the runt as Wesley (Crusher), since we have been on a Star Trek marathon as he sleeps on my chest... and he is currently my main focus. He's still a huge concern because of yesterday.

After lots of reading, research, and comments from you all, I decided it best to keep Wesley under close supervision, and bottlefeed him KMR myself. His symptoms yesterday morning were almost seizure-like, where I thought I had lost him three times (before we lost Oscar). I rubbed his body and kept him warm... and mainly, got food into him. I've determined that he has a really hard time nursing, and probably had no, or very little, food in his belly. This could have been the issue with Oscar, too... but didn't know until it was too late.

Ever since Wesley has been under my constant watch, he's been doing better. He's warm, & he's eating 2ml of formula every two hours (including overnight) - with a bit of difficulty, but he gets there eventually... the eyedropper works much better than the bottle nipple. I would have checked his weight by now, but my kitchen scale needs a battery - I hope to have one tonight though, so I can start monitoring it. He's smaller than his sibling, for sure, but I hope he'll start gaining weight with these regular feedings.

As for his sibling, I still don't know the gender, because I have completely left this baby under Rosie's watch, with as minimal contact with it as possible. I don't want to interfere at all, because it seems to be doing fine with the nursing, etc, with Rosie. Once in a while I can hear it complain from the office, but eventually I'll go check, and it's found its way back to Rosie's belly. Maybe once I get the battery for the scale, I'll borrow the kitten quickly to check its weight and gender.

I haven't heard from Pet Save yet (to my surprise)... so I'm probably going to call my own vet today on advice. Though, I think things are (knock on wood) okay for now, minus Wesley not doing well with Rosie.
I honestly don't mind the late night feedings and constant monitoring... but it is tough to do anything when I'm restricted to watching him all the time. He's most comfortable sleeping on my chest right now, near my heart. He does well with the homemade incubator overnight, but seems to prefer being close to me during the day ...But, am I spoiling him? Should I keep him in the box all the time? I tried him with Rosie for 2 hours this morning with no success. Every time I went back in there he made his way away from her on the floor. Even sticking him next to her nipple... nothing.

Anyway, I think that's it for now. The little guy is curled up here fast asleep right now... so I can't post any pictures - the camera is at the other end of the coffee table, and I don't want to disturb him by getting up, but once I go upstairs for his next feeding in 20 minutes or so, I'll try to upload them after that. I have one of him sleeping on Rosie's foot when I stuck him in there with her this morning that I thought was cute. Maybe I'll try to get a few more before then.

Again, thank you all so much. I'll keep you informed soon.

PS: Yoko has been giving me distance during all of this... it's almost like she knows. But she's been happy and pleasant with me, and still sleeps on my head when I get my couple hours in at night. She's such a good kitty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~6:30pm
Just a couple pictures of Wesley, to keep things positive....

On Rosie's foot this morning.

Waiting for a feeding... as usual.

Weighed them in this evening. "3rd" baby MAY be female... super hard to tell in the short time I had. But the weight difference was alarming... Wesley in at 3.1 ounces, and "3rd" at a whopping 5.0 ounces! The difference between the two is amazing. It is my goal to get weight on this guy... and to my disappointment, he had the runs earlier, too... but then ate 3ml for his 6:00 feeding. Any tips on getting more weight on him, or helping with diarrhea, would be appreciated. Talked to another two vet techs today, and they believe it's probably due to formula, and to not be alarmed.

A very dark day.....

2010-03-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

It pains me to write.....because the emotion and sadness that's going on with me right now is...overbearing. But, I feel as though I should let everyone know.
At 4:30am this morning, I woke to a screaming and convulsing kitten. I'm not going to type the situation all out, because....it's too hard. ...but it was Oscar, my little guy.

After sitting with him and trying anything I could, while scurrying the internet trying to find a solution and having no luck getting an answer on something I could do..... I called the emergency line for our local vet office (a pet 911)... a technician returned my page about 5 minutes later... and while I was mid sentence.....my poor little Oscar quietly left this world while being cradled in my hand......

I'm completely destroyed right now.... it's too hard to even think about....

My thought is that while everything has looked okay, I don't think Rosie is paying attention to their needs enough.... and I think they're much more undernourished than I thought.

Runt isn't doing very well either.... and I'm waiting to hear back from Pet Save to inform me on what steps need to be taken next. Litterhead still seems to be latching on the nipple okay, and is quite round looking..... but Runt continues to struggle.... and we continue finding him alone in the middle of the floor when we go in to check on things......

I need advice......and lots of hope....right now. I can't believe all this has happened in such a short time..... I wish I knew what had happened.....

I'll try to update as I can.......sorry to have such bad news......... I feel...terrible.