...and it's 11:30 pm and I'm too tired to go out and get it. So I'll post the Travelin' Kittens tomorrow. It was damned chilly, so I stopped at bought rice at the store, poured it into an extra set of socks (you can never pack too many socks) and scavenged microwaves to warm up the rice filled socks to keep the baby feline buggers warm. But you know what? Four four-week-old kittens do emit enough body heat to warm up a 30 gallon rubbermaid bin on their own. They really didn't need rice socks. Do you think we can harness this energy? Can we warm the world with kittens?
The kittens got all sorts of attention while on the trip, and probably were fed more than they needed to be, because they were getting so many visitation sessions. We are all back home, safe and sound.
Their Mom-cat, who wasn't eating, still isn't eating, has suffered two feeding/watering sessions with me since I got home. Otherwise she has zero signs of illness. She is bright and alert after six days of not eating on her own, so we can pretty much rule out rabies. Once a rabid animal starts showing any symptoms of illness, they go rapidly downhill. This cat shows not one sign of illness other than a refusal to eat. So she gets water and food via syringe by me. She is not offering to bite at all, and is not lethargic. What the (four letter expletive?)??? If it did not KNOW for a FACT that she was born feral, I would assume she was a dropped pet, because she hasn't offered to bite at all or swat while I've been feeding her in her den (which restricts her movement). So tomorrow I'm going to make the Big Move (now that rabies really isn't a likely risk) and bring her out and handle her like a normal pet cat. I suppose it's possible that she was dumped, is an abandoned pet, and just happens to look exactly like the ferals who were also on site. With cats, nothing is impossible.
I got a call from the foster home of little Knuckles. He's not doing so well. His sibs are OK, though. So I will be picking him up and taking him to the vet tomorrow. His foster home is interested in possibly adopting him, so I'll keep them in the loop. They called me via cell while I was driving back from NJ. It always makes me feel relieved when foster homes do call in when they have concerns about a kitten. With those of us who are CONTROL FREAKS, it makes us sleep better at night when people check in who have concerns
3 comments:
Dare I ask why "CONTROL FREAKS" was in all caps?! I used to think I was a control freak, but now I'm just diligent. Anyone who disagrees with me can bite me ;-)
I hope Knuckles doesn't have anything major wrong with him. Even if he didn't have all his cute little turned in toes, I'd still think he was adorable because of his name.
Have you tried bribing the mother cat with baby food? That's all I've got to offer, I'm afraid... it's tough to give advice to the expert.
Mother cat is being syringe-fed turkey baby food, which is the ambrosia of cat gods. And water. And subQ fluids. She is still bright, alert, seems to even like being petted, and may have nibbled some dry kitten chow on her own. Maybe. She does not act sick at all. But she is very thin, and quite dehydrated. She is having better bowel movements now. She shows zero signs of illness other than anorexia. And her kittens, who I am bottle feeding, are fat and happy. Very odd. I had one other depressed cat that would not eat (was rescued from a fire) and he eventually came around, so I am not despairing.
Any news on Knuckles?
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