Saturday, May 21, 2011

It's been a long month....

Kitten season....

Means I have new fosters!  It's been a roller coaster month with the newbies.  I brought home two 6 week old grey kittens about a month ago.  They both had upper respiratory infections (which is very common in kittens) so they were both on meds.  A week later, I came home and one of the little guys was limp and unresponsive.  Rushing him to the vet hoping that he can beat the odds, only to walk away with little "Rocky" passing at only 7 weeks.... was a very hard thing to go though.  I had never lost a kitten before, and it was not easy.  I thought that maybe I had missed something, or that it was my fault, but then came to accept that I had done all that I could have done, and that his tiny 1 pound body couldn't handle the virus. 

The rescue group I volunteer with has a "2 kitten policy".  Any kittens under the age of 6 months are to be fostered and adopted out in pairs.  So a few days after the passing of  little "Rocky" I brought home a companion for the other kitten that had survived.  I knew very little about the kitten: It was a male named Squiggey and was still learning how to use the litter box.  Well I brought the kitten home and gave it bath (it had poop stuck in it's long grey fur) and discovered that this kitten was in fact a female and she had diarrhea.  So I took her to the vet where I learned more: Weighting in at only 10 oz, she was probably around 5 weeks old.  That started the longest week ever:  Squiggey needed to be on a special diet since she normally would have been with her mom still, and she needed to be fed every few hours.  I had been unexpectedly thrown onto a "Caring for baby kittens fast track" since I've never dealt with kittens younger than 8 weeks.  Feeding began a 6 am, I went to work, and then continued the feeding every couple of hours, including getting up at 2 am. 

So we had Squiggey and Lenny (since I had not named the original kitty) who were about 2-3 weeks apart in age.  Lenny was still getting over his upper respiratory infection, and Squiggey was getting over her diarrhea.  Then.... there was another vet visit:  I was concerned because Lenny had been on antibiotics for a few weeks and plateaued on his health, and Squiggey now had an eye infection.  The verdict: A viral infection that put the kittens into quarantine status.  They had to be keep separate from my cats, every time I handled them I had to change my clothes, and they were on more antibiotics and eye and nose drops. 

It's been about a month since I brought home Lenny and Squiggey and I'm glad to say that they are finally on the upswing.  Lenny had only a few boogers every now and then, and his wheezing has stopped.  The red, swollen third eye lid on Squiggey is beginning to go down, though unfortunately she has lost vision in her left eye.  Finally after weeks of getting up in the middle of the night to feed, weeks of medicating, and isolation, the light at the end of the tunnel is here! 

Nothing beats having very sick kittens who depend on you to get them healthy and see them get better and discover the world.  They are running around, playing hard, eating their weight in food, and learning what it means to be a cat!

The next challenge:  Find them a home!!

Live. Love. Rescue.

Monday, March 28, 2011

An Empty House.... Sort of

My little foster Sally has found her forever home!  Four whole days before her first birthday.  I was so worried for her because she did not show well at all.  At home she would be the sweetest thing ever, constantly following me around the house, begging for attention, and purring her head off.  At adoption shows, she growled and hissed and swatted at other cats and people as they walked by (which she never did at home).  All her and I were waiting for was that special person who could see past her poor behavior and believe me when I said: She's an AMAZING little cat.  And this past Saturday, we found those people. 

She went to an older lady and her son to be an only cat.  Perfect for her since she demanded ALL of my attention, and even became slightly possessive of me towards my own cats.  I was sad at first because I had had her for 8 months and had grown very fond of her, but after hearing from her new home and knowing that she was adjusting purr-fectly, it was much easier for me to push aside my sadness and take in the good that I had done.  After all, I have set out to find good, loving, caring, FOREVER homes for the cats I take in.  I am now up to 7 lucky cats, with my next fosters waiting for me at the end of my self made mandatory 2 week "break". 

Every time I take a cat or kitten in, they leave with a little bit of me.  I help grow and develop them into well adjusted cats that anyone would love to call their own.  Every time a foster gets adopted, I loose a small part of my heart, but I know that I have a big enough heart to keep on.  And keep on is what I will do.... until they all have a home.

Live. Love. Rescue.

Sally Mae Adopted 3/26/11

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Looking for Luck in 2011

Well, it's 2011.

I had a good year last year with adoptions. 5 total!  I hope this year brings good luck as well. 

I still have little Sally, who grows more and more attached to me each day, and I to her.  Even thought she is such a doll, she does terrible at the shows and is now requiring A LOT more effort to find her the perfect home.  I see two totally different cats in her, one at home and one at the adoption shows.  The adoption show Sally is NEVER around when at home.  Like two sides to a coin.  I have a feeling that she will be around for a little while.

Now I'm in the process of deciding if I should take on other fosters in the mean time?  I'm leaning towards yes, but there's so much going on, that 3 cats is keeping me busy enough.  I'm thinking that I will wait until kitten season starts..... they may be more work when they are young, but they go much much faster.  Plus with a house full of cats and a dog, they will be well socialized.  I'm not 100% decided though.  There will be more fosters, it's just all about timing, and finding one that will fit in with my current crowd.  No need to stress everyone out! :o)