Thursday, May 29, 2008

Quick Update -- sans photos

Greetings from the Land O' Cats! Sorry no pictures today-- my camera batteries have died and I must needs get more.

First up, just got back from feeding the colony. Apparently someone thought I didn't feed them enough because when I got downstairs I found their dish filled with food that I hadn't put it in it. Neat! Elves, perhaps.

While down there I saw Amaranth, Daphne, Bessie, Little Grey and Mr Mistoffolees all approaching the dishes. Pigpen sat across the green, in her usual loaf style, watching. Gremlin was near the cars.

The baby continues to grow stronger. Where she didn't even try to meow on Monday, and only managed to open her mouth and make no sounds on Tuesday, today her meows and squeaks are loud enough to be heard anywhere in my apartment. This, along with everything else, has made my cats curious and I often find one sitting and staring at the bathroom door. Thankfully, though, they've been pretty accepting of the no-bathroom rule (which is good, since they usually drink from the bathtub faucet.)

The baby continues to want to eat only on her own terms, which is to say all the time, but in teeny-tiny doses, which mostly get on her and me. This is exhausting. Plus, baby food is really kinda disturbing. She recognizes the jar, the jar lid and the syringe, but can't manage to eat from any of them very well. (Well, obviously on the jar, although she continues to try.) She'll pick up the baby food lid and try to carry it off rather than eat from it. But when I put baby food on a plate, she completely ignores it. We have a communication issue, she and I, but we're working on it.

She has not quite understood the litter box yet, but does her job on the paper around it, so that's good. She takes her medicine like a champ. She sleeps in her box (which is now on its side), and wanders about the bathroom the rest of the time. She sits on the cardboard scratcher just like my adult cat does, and it's really adorable because their size difference. (Let me just say that my cats seem really hyooge after caring for the kitten!)

I expect to get more pictures tomorrow, of everyone, so see you back here then. :)

(Oh, but here's an amusing anecdote-- I saw my professor today and she scolded me for taking care of cats when I ought to be writing and researching. Sigh. More guilt, since I also ought to be working for, y'know, monies. Oh well.)

3 comments:

Persephone Hazard said...

Oh have fallen so very completely in love with the colony and this blog. The kitten reminds me of my own darling girl when she was a baby (I got her and her brother at 7wks and their mother was feral, too) and the photos of her just broke my heart.

I've paypaled you $50, which I'm afraid is all I can spare at the moment, but I'll be sending more your way as soon as I can. You are doing a wonderful thing and you have my utmost support :-)

Persephone Hazard said...

(PS - I'd take her in in a second, if there wasn't that little matter of an entire ocean between us!)

The Commissioner said...

@Persephone:

Thank you very much for the donation-- it's very much appreciated both for maintaining the colony and for taking care of the little one's vet bills. :) And it really pleases me to know when people are reading this blog, let alone *enjoying* it as you say you are. Hurrah!! Thank you!!