rough kitten season so far.

So the Zelda kittens finally got big enough to all get fixed and return to the shelter for adoption.  However, some random and puzzling skin issues have enough in common with ringworm that we decided to play it safe and quarantine them for treatment.  3 days after their spays, the boss calls me on my day off to tell me Fi, the runt, has crashed and is in need of immediate critical care.  I drive in a pick her up.  I keep her alive for another day and a half, but she died at home.  Sonic is finally sorta weaned.  She will eat canned food out of a bowl and drink water.  However, she will not eat dry food, has absolutely no idea what a litter box is for, and still weighs less than a pound.  Of her two sisters, one is reasonably plump, eats dry and canned food well, and uses the litter box properly.  The other one... well, she uses the litter box...  but I still have to syringe feed her and occasionally give her subQ fluids.  Her and Sonic also both have reoccurring respiratory infections and are repeatedly on and off medication.

The best news of the day... Siouxsie Sioux FINALLY got adopted!!

Pacman wins.

So there's the Pacman all settled into his new home, and obviously quite comfortable with the dog.  There are 3 little spaniels, and he wasn't intimidated in the least by them.  The cat they adopted last year still isn't impressed by the new addition, but I'm sure she'll come around.



Sonic is still hanging in there.  I'm not sure she's growing, but she's happy, eating off the syringe still, and pooping.  I just don't think she's normal.  I can't put my finger on it, but she's just not developing quite right.  She's kinda wobbly and unsteady, but doesn't do the head pecking thing associated with cerebellar hypoplasia.  But that seems to be the closest I can come up with.



The Zelda's are still with me as well.  The smallest of the bunch is almost big enough to go, so I'll take them all at once.

I wish I had normal kittens sometimes!

Well, I took the Pacmans back to the shelter early to make room for more needy critters.  Yesterday I brought home one kitten, Olive Oyl, as she was faring poorly at work.  Found her pretty much crashed in the morning when I went in.  Worked on her all day and got her... well not really stable, but responsive and no longer declining anyway.  Later that day another skinny, dehydrated, very sick kitten came in.  Brought them both home for the night.  When I got up for the 5 am feeding/check I found Olive dead.  The new girl, Sonic, is holding up surprisingly well.  She's a very homely little thing for sure.  She has a very weasle-y head shape, which I'm hoping is just due to lots of Siamese blood.  She also is a strange mish-mash of short and long hair.  The fur in front of her ears is as long as the ears are tall, and she has a very long haired mohawk all down her back.  But is otherwise a shorthaired kitten.  I think.  She actually reminds me of my friend's dog Henry, who is hairless except where he's got long hair.  Except his face is smashed, not elongated.  Still, this is not a happy resemblance!  Anyway, Sonic's respiratory infection makes it impossible for her to nurse properly, so I'm stuck doing the dribble-feeding with a syringe method.  I'm hoping the Clavamox kicks it soon and maybe she'll learn to take a bottle.

The Zelda litter is still in the Hello Kitty room, where they'll likely stay until they're ready.  They're out of the way back there, and doing well.  The one tortie is still the runt, half the size of the rest.  But all are feisty and plump, so I've kinda quit worrying about them. 

Romeo and Juliet bounced back great.  I think it was a pretty close call for them.  And I think it was due to depression, or something like it.  Not handling being away from their mom.  With them at my house and me being able to cuddle them more, I think that's what turned them around.  However, after going for so long without eating, then eating a ton of really rich food.... yeah... I'm sure I don't have to describe the "end results."  They get bathed a lot.  Juliet seems to be recovering faster than Romeo, but that's not surprising since he was in worse shape from the start.  I just hope they don't backslide now that I'm paying so much more attention to Sonic (thus less attention to them.)

More kittens

The Zelda litter is doing really well, although they are still not terribly reliable about using a litter box.  Not sure if it's all one kitten (I vote for Fi) or if several are the culprits.  Fi is still the runtiest little thing, she's hardly growing at all.  The Pacman kittens have caught and passed the Zelda kittens in growth.  Pacman isn't limping at all any more, and he and his sister could be ready for adoption as early as late next week.  They just need a little more weight.

A couple kittens we got in last weekend are doing poorly.  "Failure to thrive" for lack of a better term.  I brought them home tonight, but without anything obviously wrong with them I can't do anything more than supportive therapy in the form of fluids and force feeding.  Here's hoping Romeo and Juliet pull through.

Hello Kitty Room Re-purposing

Fi, the tortie runt in the Zelda litter has finally figured out what dry food is.  Oddly, she still will not eat canned out of a bowl and screams for it to be syringe fed to her.  I'm doing it twice a day, the rest of the time she has to feed herself one way or another!  I have gotten rid of the organ and bench in the Hello Kitty room, and moved the two-story kitten cage in there.  The Zelda kittens are in it, but limited to the top half only until they A) get better about the litter box and B) Fi can be trusted to find the food if she's not tripping over it.
 

Yesterday another one of Pacman's sisters was found as a stray.  She's in pretty good shape, just a little dehydrated and hungry.  Still, I brought her home to join her brother.  He is still being treated for pneumonia, but I think he's improving a little.  The two of them keep each other company, so they're warm and happy.  He's still eating well, even having to compete for food.  Actually, I think it makes him eat more, like he's scared she'll eat it all and he'll have to go hungry.  All his meds have had the opposite effect on his poop I expected to see.  Poor guy is constipated and I sometimes have to help massage it out.  It's not bad enough that I want to risk giving him yet another medication though.  The two of them got upgraded to the larger cage when the Zelda relocated to the Hello Kitty room.  They are still in my bedroom for the time being for nighttime checks and my peace of mind, but I hope to be able to move them to the HK room soon.

The Good News/Bad News Game

The Zelda kittens are all doing well, I have 3 of the 4 fully weaned.  The little calico runt is only eating out of a syringe.  I load it, begin feeding her, slowly begin moving the syringe into the bowl of food, slowly, it gets to the level of food.... and she looks up at me and starts screaming.

Pacman went to the vet again today.  The good news is he's much stronger and more active than before, he's gained a significant amount of weight (from .77 to .89 lbs) and he's weight-bearing on his bad leg.  The bad news is he had to go to the vet again today.  His breathing was rapid, and getting heavier as the day went on.  We discussed x-rays, and how so many times nothing shows up... but then again something may.  I was just about to decline, but in the end decided to do it.  I knew I wouldn't be able to rest without at least trying to see what was wrong.  The verdict?  Pneumonia.  So he got a shot of Baytril and a shot of Durapen tonight, he begins oral Baytril tomorrow, as well as continuing his oral Clavamox.  Poor kitten can't catch a break.  And he's still a bit dehydrated, so I need to continue his subcutaneous fluids, which I was kinda hoping we were about done with.

At the shelter, we have a very pregnant cat.  She looks like she swallowed a watermelon.  Poor cat has GOT to pop soon!  She was stretched out on her side today, really showing off the baby belly.  But when I tried to get a picture she hopped up in hopes of getting attention.

Anyway, Pacman still has a good appetite.  I gave him a bit of turkey lunchmeat a bit ago which he devoured, and of course he's eating his canned food well.  So we'll keep up the good fight for this little guy, but he's on shaky ground.

The Game of Kittens

The first litter has been dubbed the "Legend of Zelda" litter.  I woke up the morning of the 23rd to the cream and white female dying.  She was too far gone to reverse her condition, she died maybe 20 minutes after I found her.  That night Zelda, the one who was nearly dead when they arrived, crashed again.  I was up most of the night with her, but pulled her through with Nutrical and fluids.  She purred almost non-stop the whole time I held her.  Then a couple days after that the little runty calico, Fi, crashed.  I pulled her through too.  She's still so skinny and won't have anything to do with a bowl.  And she never quite figured out how to nurse either.  So she's still being dribble-fed, a time-consuming and inefficient method of feeding to say the least.  Otherwise, the kittens are doing mostly well.  Eating out of a bowl, nursing, and staying plump.  They're really, really bad about the litter box though. Hit and miss; mostly miss.

Klondike the Crippled Foster Dog is fascinated by the kittens.  I'm not entirely sure quite what the *nature* of this fascination though.  Sometimes I get the feeling that he really wasn't good with cats before he got too sore to do anything about them, and started living with people who placed cats above dogs in the pecking order.  I'm not sure if he thinks they're snacks or toys.  At any rate, I will not trust him with the little ones like I did Sissy.

This afternoon another dehydrated, weak stray kitten arrived, sporting a swollen, useless hind leg.  He's going to be another challenge, I fear.  He has little to no interest in food.  He's had the usual round of fluids and Nutrical.  He's cozy in a cage and has even used his litter box, but he's got a long ways to go.  I have named him Pacman. 

On a side note, I'd really like to get kittens that *aren't* practically raisins some time.  Poor little dried out things.  Sigh.  Gonna be another long night.

Kitten season begins.

First litter of the year, from one of the worst locations around town.  Every disease known to felinedom can be found in this one trailer park.  Luckily, these kittens seem to have escaped ringworm.  But they have fleas and ear mites enough to make up for it.  Only time will tell on the other things.  The dilute calico was cold and agonal at intake.  All five got a dose of vitamin B12 immediately, and the four upright and conscious kittens got a small meal, with the dying one having a small squirt of karo syrup instead.  Put her at the bottom of the post-feeding kitten heap on top of a warm rice pack and an hour later she was responsive, so she got a healthy squirt of sub-q fluids.  An hour after that, she got to take a turn at a feeding with the rest of the littermates.  She is showing neurological symptoms, but hopefully those will pass as she gets stronger and more stable, like they did with Bean.  The biggest guy is even trying to be playful.  I guess I better come up with a naming scheme for the season.

Activity Monitors.

First, since this is primarily the place where I keep track of my critter adventures, a quick update.  Klondike is still with me, though his pain killer dose steadily increases.  I had a spell a couple weeks ago where I thought 3/4 of a Tramadol twice daily was his maximum dose, and it was no longer working.  I talked to the vet about it being time to euthanize, and she said "no way!"  In short, it's an opiate drug, and as such the body can build a tolerance.  Also, it's only real side effect worth noting in this particular case is simple, flat-out druggedness.  So he's up to 1-1/4 pill twice a day now, plus a baby aspirin once or twice a day depending on how he's feeling.  He sleeps a lot, but is eating well and getting around good, and still very cheerful.

Siouxsie is now up front on the adoption floor.  Her eyes are fully healed, and she is now getting steroid eye drops to help shrink the scarring.  She joined us at a local sporting event/charity drive last weekend, and did great.  She did a fantastic job interacting and flirting with anyone who would pay attention to her.  Unfortunately, it did not result in her adoption. 

My Beanie-Weenie boy got adopted a couple weeks ago.  I made them promise to keep in touch.  I haven't heard from them. :,(


Kitten season has not started yet.  In fact, it is snowing again today.  We do have a pregnant momma at the shelter, but it will be several more weeks before kittens are born.  However, it is definitely time to get that two-keyboard organ sold to make room in the Hello Kitty room to make it my new nursery.  And to get the screen or half door built.

Now.  Activity monitors.  I've been looking at these for a while.  I finally decided to geek out and make a quick chart of all the ones I know about, to help me decide which one is best.  Things I look for are: wrist form factor, for comfortable, continual wear; compatibility with my older Android phone, or at least PC connectivity; heart rate monitor, preferably built-in; sleep monitor; usable as a watch, since that's what people will assume it is; vibrating sleep alarm would be nifty but not necessary; and finally actually available for purchase now.

For overall usefulness, the Basis wins hands down.  Fitbit Flex comes in close behind.  Unfortunately, neither of these devices are available now.  Amiigo and Jawbone Up would rate near the top, but I cannot use them unless I get a new phone, which is not an option available to me for several reasons. (cost, not due for a replacement on current contract, and my carrier doesn't even have a phone that meets the requirements!)  So that leaves me with either the clip-on Fitbit One at moderate expense, or any ol' exercise watch that seems like a good idea, likely paired with a separate chest strap. Or the clunky and out-of-my-price-range MOTOACTV.  Or Nike Fuelband.  I'm kinda up in the air about this one.  Might be useful, might just be a gimmick.

Anyway, here's the chart for anyone for whom it might be useful.

Activity Monitors

form factor

PC/Android/ Bluetooth compatibility

Heart Rate

Sleep

Watch/ Clock

Silent Alarm/ Nap Alarm

availability

Price

Notes

Basis

Wrist

PC, Bluetooth 2.1, future mobile

yes

yes

yes

no?

Soon?

$200.00

Fitbit Flex

Wrist

PC, select Android

no

yes

no

yes

Spring 2013

$100.00

Fitbit One

Clip

PC, select Android

no

With opt. wrist band

No?

yes

now

$100.00

Motorola MOTOACTV

Clip, armband OR clunky wrist

PC, Bluetooth, most Android

With Strap

no

yes

no

now

$300.00

MP3 player, GPS, smartwatch

Nike Fuelband

Wrist

PC

With Strap

no?

No?

no

now

$149.00

Only tracks “Nike Fuel Points”

Amiigo

Wrist

4/BLE

yes

no?

no

no

now

$99-119

Jawbone Up

Wrist

4

no

yes

no

yes

now

$130.00

Fitbit Zip

Clip

PC, select Android

no

no

No?

no

now

$60.00

Pick any heart rate monitor/ watch combo

Wrist

no

Some With Strap, some without

no

yes

traditional alarm

now

$60-120

Not a daily activity monitor.

WW ActiveLink

Clip?

no

no?

no

no

no

now

$40 + 5/mo

"Select Android" means most likely 4.0, and/or Bluetooth 4/BLE.  For the Apple crowd, assume that translates into whatever the latest & greatest ithing is.  PC also most likely includes Mac.

Bean and Klondike

Bean, the nearly dead kitten who lived only to contract ringworm, has been neutered and place up for adoption today.  Finally!  I'm going to have a very hard time letting him go.  If there was any way for me to keep this kitten I would, but it is simply not in anybody's best interests as I have an FIV+ cat in my household.

Speaking of ringworm, we're getting the sick room population cleared up and out.  Two remaining kittens in there, and I will likely clear them next week.  Then the room can be EMPTY!  For a little while anyway...

Then speaking of empty rooms, the momma room has been empty for a few weeks.  Got it all cleaned out and bleached, ready for the spring's kitten season.  Actually, there are two cats in there right now, but they're just temporary guests.  That was the most convenient place to stash two feral-ish cats until they get fixed and sent off to their barn home.

Siouxsie Sioux is still at the shelter.  We treated her eyes until they did not seem to be getting any better, then stopped treatment.  Unfortunately, they began to get worse again.  So we're back to treating.  I have no idea how we're supposed to adopt out a cat who's eyes need constant medication!  Oh well, one day at a time.

In the dog department, I have acquired a permanent foster dog.  He's a fluffy little American Eskimo dog who came in before Christmas.  He was a bit stiff and arthritic, but we thought him adoptable for a while.  One day he couldn't get up, and was just in so much pain we declared him un-adoptable.  I elected to dose him up on painkillers and take him home for just one night... yeah right.  Three days later he was running up and down the porch steps and bouncing onto his bed.  And the couch.  I was even able to back his Tramadol dose down to about 3/4 max.  So he'll be with me for as long as his pain is manageable and he can have a high quality of life. 

Happy New Year

Ok, new years resolution:  Actually use this thing.

So.

Bean, the nearly dead kitten from the church shrubbery is still in our care; he and my co-worker's last two bottle babies contracted ringworm from a difficult to disinfect cage.  They are otherwise healthy and happy, though Bean is prone to sniffles and eye-waters.  His sister Dove is well-loved in her new home and growing into a beautiful young lady.

Samantha and Darrin grew up and were adopted out together.  I love it when my babies get to stay together!  Even though they weren't genetic siblings they did love each other very much.

Siouxsie Sioux has been booted from my Hello Kitty room shortly prior to Christmas to open the room for holiday guests.  I put her on the scale the day I took her back; she nearly doubled in weight during her stay at my house!  Her eyes are still pretty scarred, and we are still treating them and hoping to shrink the scarring.  She is not yet available for adoption, but the day is coming soon!

My home is still dogless after the loss of my elderly Chow.  Just haven't found the right match.  I'm thinking of just fostering for a while.  We'll see.

My feral cats seem to be doing well.  I got a nice good look at a young tom I neutered this fall; he appears plump and healthy.  And judging from the number of kitty prints all over the back porch, I'd say his siblings are all with me still as well!

Other than that, it's a quiet, uneventful time of year for cat ladies in cold climates.  I enjoy it while it lasts, but always get excited for the first bottle babies of spring.