Max vs The Lobster

I mentioned before that now that Max is playing a little, he tries to play-fight with my hands. This is quite normal kitten behavior, of course, but having been on the receiving end of a full-grown cat who thought that it was fun to bunny-kick at one's wrists and gnaw on one's fingers, I'm all for taking Tam's advice and trying to redirect Max's play-energies. In this case, I want to redirect them to a stuffed lobster.

When allowed out of the Kitten Hatchery-- which is whenever I'm home and a awake-- Max makes a beeline for the futon, and hangs out behind it, as you can see here:


I try to coax him out (he juuuust fits between the slats of my futon), but sometimes he'd rather play than cuddle. So then I introduce the lobster.


 

 


 

Meds for Max

The vet called me back this afternoon to let me know that I need not worry-- even with blood in the stool. And she prescribed some medicine for Meester Max. I asked if this was treating the symptom or the underlying cause, and she said the latter-- that she thinks he has a bacterial imbalance. So for 10 days Max gets a dropper of meds twice daily.

I just gave him his first dose. I'm fairly certain that Beatrice was on the same meds (or it might have been Zoe and/or Malcom). But Max likes it a whole lot less. He was lying in the sink, so I popped the syringe in his mouth no problem, but apparently not far enough back into his mouth. He sat up and managed to spit some of the medicine out. I didn't know cats could spit! Then he shook his head a bunch and he looked like he was foaming at the mouth. It was hilarious but alas, there I was sans camera.

I cleaned him up and we'll try again in the morning with dose number 2. (I don't know how much he got into him, so I'm not willing to give him more tonight.) I'll update you on his gooey poo (don't you feel lucky??) as the meds take effect. (I asked the vet tech who gave me the meds how long 'til I should see signs of it working-- she said it could actually take up to two courses [20 days] of the meds, so we'll see.)

Eek.

So, Kitten Max is back in quarantine (ie: the Kitten Hatchery, ie: the bathroom.) For the past few days he's eaten less and less of his canned food (although he's still eating the dry) and his litter box didn't seem right somehow. Today I discovered ... well, it wasn't a pleasant first-thing-in-the-morning sight... exceptionally liquid poo next to the litter box. I then had the, uh, fortune? To see Max actually use the litter box, and also not pleasant... And also with a bit of blood in it.

So there's a phone call in to the vet regarding Mr Max's diarrhea, to which I'm waiting a response. Meanwhile I got him to eat a whole jar of baby food with no problem (he was far more interested in that than he'd been in canned cat food for a while now) and I'll give him another when I get back this afternoon. He's playing-- more than ever before! I can hear him with a jingle ball right now, in fact. So he's still acting himself, but I'm worried.

He's getting a little braver each day, though. Today while I was brushing my teeth and stuff, he twined about my ankles and sat next to my feet. Considering the last batch of kittens would climb up my pants legs, this is nothing, but it's still a huge step from his previous modus operandi, which was to hide behind the toilet, even when he knew it was me and not some kind of horrible monster come to eat him.

More when I know more.