Long-Distance Update #2 (of 2)

Apparently the kittens have learned to jump onto the kitchen sink. This is actually a good sign, I think, but it does mean that they learned where the toilet paper was. The kittens basically threw a frat party, as Alicia said, and photographed.

Meanwhile, Beatrice is settling in well, although she tries to climb her mom's legs, despite her wearing shorts. She's also trying to stick herself so closely to her mom that she's trying to fit inside her mom's nostril.

Enjoy these pictures, as I must now help entertain some guests. We have just (as in a few hours ago) gotten a puppy and people are here to visit.

Long-Distance Updating

Well, I don't have much to say, but I wanted to let anyone who was curious know that everyone back at the Colony (including the kittens) are doing well. The kitties' caretaker sometimes sends me pictures from her phone, so I'll include those here.

The best news is that Zoe and Mal are behaving wonderfully-- not scared of their babysitter, and in fact, immediately purring upon seeing her, and hopping into her lap. Mal sucks on her skirt, if he can't get to her fingers!!

Not sure if Beatrice is moving to her forever home tonight or tomorrow, but either way I'm sure she'll be happier with more love and attention than I've been able to give with so many kitties.






I'll update more when I know more.

Hiatus. (Summer Vacation?)

As I mentioned before, I'm traveling back to the Family Homestead this week (tomorrow, in fact.) So there will likely be no further updates at Project-Cat until I return (on the 16th.) I'll try to check in that very evening, to let you know how the kittens weathered my absence.

Beatrice moves to her forever home on the 10th or 11th, so hopefully I'll hear something from the parties involved and be able to post something about how that went, too. I'm going to miss that little girl-- coming home to not find her here will be weird, even if it is expected.

The friend who's taking care of all the kitties while I'm away tends to send me pictures on my cell phone, so actually, you never know what I might manage to post here, even from thousands of miles away. Regardless, I doubt there will be much substantiative 'til my return.


So readers should go hug their own cats (or their neighbor's or friend's. Or better still, go adopt a cat from a shelter, or help TNR some ferals.) And I'll see you when I return!

(Well, okay, it's the internet. So I probably won't see you. In fact, I'll probably just go back to posting here. But you know what I mean.)





Oh never mind. Here, have some pictures to tide you over!

Malcolm -->

<-- I'm a little worried about Mr Mistoffolees there, to the left. I don't know what that white mark on him is-- just shedding fur that he hasn't gotten off of him? What is it?! But he seems to be otherwise okay.

Gandolf has always been thin, but he has become quite gaunt, and so I am quite worried about him, too. I see him at or near the food dish all the time, so it's not appetite that's lost. Oh kitties, why must you worry me so??

<-- Beatrice appears cranky that I am packing.

Miss Zoe likes to sit on plastic bags, apparently. (She likes being fed more, though, and that's what happened right after this picture.) -->

<-- Creamsicle is becoming more friendly (if by 'friendly' you mean will come within 10 feet of me, and hangs out by the food dish a lot.) He's a big handsome boy.

Right then. Don't break the internets while I'm gone.

The Cat in the Tunnel-- Update

Not only is James (yesterday's cat in the tunnel) home safely, but he was whisked off to the vet today. Turns out he has Horner's Syndrome, which is causing one of his third eyelids to stick up. This will go away on its own, the vet said. No spinal problems, or ear problems. He does have a fever (103, which isn't *too* high for a cat, but is elevated for an adult), so he was put on a week's worth of broad spectrum antibiotics. He's being tested for feline leukemia, but the results won't be back until tomorrow. (And thankfully the neighbor knows enough to know that FeLeuk isn't an instant death sentence, even if it comes back positive, which it hopefully won't.) He's eating and drinking and seems to be moving okay now, so while he's not entirely healthy, he's doing pretty well.

I told her I'd keep my fingers crossed for him to have a negative result on the test and to keep getting healthier.

Vet Appointment #2: Beatrice

"If I didn't know she'd tested positive, I'd say she looks completely healthy."

Beatrice weighed in today at 3.22 pounds. She hopped into the sink, hissed at the vet tech and puffed up her tail (which delighted the vet tech to no end), and kept trying to climb up onto my shoulder. She was active and her usual adorable self. Pretty much nothing else to report!

I'll have to drop off a fecal sample for her later on (as in, when she presents one...) but otherwise a clean bill of health. She got her shots with no troubles. (The vet tech held her because I had warned the vet about how badly Baby B had freaked out last time she got shots, but she was fine.) Hurrah!

Vet Appointment #1: Malcolm & Zoe

Malcolm: 3.44 pounds
Zoe: 2.86 pounds

These babies were very good at the vet. The very first time we went, they just flattened themselves and wouldn't move. This time, while not thrilled, they weren't nearly as uncomfortable. They stuck with me, and preferred to hide, but neither tried to stuff themselves beneath the paper towel dispenser or anything. The vet told me that she thinks they must have had human contact before me because if they don't have contact between 4-8 weeks they'd never be as friendly as they are. I say "piffle" to that. They saw lots of humans before I nabbed them, but Little Grey kept them in the tunnels most of the time.

So, they each got their distemper vaccines and their leukemia vaccines. This vet was not one I'd seen before. She said that since we believe Mal to be negative, it made sense to start him on the leukemia vaccines. And since we hope that Zoe is, too, to do so as well. Further, if she isn't negative, it wouldn't hurt her to be vaccinated.

This vet wanted me to test Zoe (and Beatrice) now again with the more expensive "confirmation" test. (That's what she called it, and I can't remember the 'real' name.) She wanted me to separate Mal and Zoe, if Zoe's test came back positive, even if it meant putting him in a shelter. I declined today, saying it was too expensive just now. It is expensive, but in reality, I need time to do a little more research and thinking-- each vet is telling me something different about the FeLeuk.

And I'm really not comfortable putting Malcolm in a shelter. Yes, he's adorable and yes, he's a kitten and so would very likely be adopted, but he needs to go to someone patient (as does Zoe) because they're not well socialized. I'm just plain not comfortable dumping him at a shelter.

They do need homes, though. Anyone out there looking for a sweet adorable kitten? Preferably in the Southwest area... I have two very potential possibilities, but so far that's it. ::fingers crossed: All kittens are special, but these two (and Beatrice) are especially special.

Oh! But there was good news, too!! Zoe's heart murmur is gone! (Wow, "murmur" is a really weird word to spell.) So it must have been anemia from the fleas. Yaay! That's one less thing to worry about. Oh! And her fecal came back negative, which is why they didn't call.

Half an hour, and back we go with Beatrice...

Kittens, Neighbors and Colony Cats-- oh my!

(Please note: Pictures today are all of the three foster kittens, and therefore not relevant to the story until the very bottom when I actually talk about the foster kittens. Still, cuteness, right? So, enjoy! There are a few more of Beatrice posted in her Flickr Set as well.)

I had no idea I'd be called on to don my Cat Lady cape today. (And how much cooler would life be if I had an actual cat-cape??) But there I was, preparing to go about my business this afternoon, when I get a phone call from my neighbor, quite upset. This is the same neighbor who had caleld me about Waffles/Bozo.

Her cat, James, didn't come in last night or this morning, and now he was down in one of the drainage tunnels and wouldn't come out. Did I know anyone she could call for help? Well, I'd never been faced with this problem before, and suggested the Humane Society for advice. Not much later, I got another phone call from the same neighbor, this time even more upset. The Humane Society was coming eventually, she said, but in the meantime she was certain that James was dead, was I home and could I come over.

I wasn't sure what good I could possibly be, but of course I went. I dutifully peered into the tunnel and James did not, indeed, look good. He was lying on his side, about a ten-twelve feet into the tunnel, his eyes wide and staring.

We waited for the Humane Society for an hour or so, I think, and every little while I'd shine the flashlight into the tunnel to check and see if James had moved, or blinked or anything. Nothing.

The Humane Society arrived and by this time the neighbor (and myself, really) were convinced that James had died, but obviously we still wanted him out of the tunnel. The Humane Society woman shined a flashlight into the tunnel and was sure that James flicked an ear at her. She put together her long pole/robe/collar-y-thingie, and sure enough, when she went to put it into the tunnel, James moved another ten feet back.

This was obviously joyous news (James is not dead!) and bad news (we could not get him out.) The other end of the tunnel was a flat grate embedded into the parking-lot, so the fire department could be called to come flush the cat out with a hose, but this seemed like a bad idea. The HS-person suggested waiting, checking on him, putting food further into the tunnel, and getting a humane trap.

Around 9:30 I got another phone call-- James had come out, and the neighbor had brought him inside and he was now resting. He ate and drank, but he seems shaky on his hindquarters. Apparently he's a skittish cat in general, and when the neighbor startled him, he did manage to dash away, so these all seem like good signs. She's going to take James to the vet in the morning, so if you could keep some good thoughts for this kitty, that'd be great. I'm quite worried about what he might have picked up from the Colony Cats, but we'll see.

While chatting with the neighbor, I learned about the very tame cat I'd met in my travels, before the Great Trapping. Turns out he, too, was left behind by !@#$@#! previous tenants, and is named Mario, but is already fixed. And that Twinkle-Toes, called Tuxedo by the neighbor's children, hangs out more in their area than down in mine, but has been spotted lately.

Happily, while out-and-about, I saw Agatha and Walsingham. Walsingham jumped up into a tree and was lying on a flat branch looking like a lion. I only briefly spotted Agatha from a distance, so I didn't get to see how she's doing. But if they're hanging out more down by this neighbor, that makes sense as to why I didn't see them as often. Still, it's weird that they've so thoroughly changed their habits -- they used to be the ones I saw most frequently.

And lastly, the foster kittens. Beatrice is crazy hyper but otherwise fine. Oh, and just about nearly impossible to photograph, at least with my little digital camera. I can almost never get all of her in one frame because she's always moving. On the bright side, if I get her face in a shot, she always cute.

Mal and Zoe are much more reserved and also fine. And Zoe always looks a bit like Mr Magoo because she always ends up having to squint at the flash. They're such loving little kittens. Every time I go into the bathroom, Mal cries to be picked up. Such sweeties.

All three go to the vet tomorrow for their next set of shots. For once I don't have any huge questions to ask, knock on wood. The only thing I'm currently wondering about is why Beatrice's litter box/poo smells musty instead of like, I dunno, kitten poo. So I'll try to have a fecal sample for her visit. The visits are at 8am and 10am (Mal and Zoe first, Beatrice after) so I'll report back after we've returned from both sets.
Oh, and in case I forget -- I will be back on the family homestead (across the country) from the 7th 'til the 16th, so if there are no posts in that period, that's why. A close friend will be taking care of the foster kittens and feeding the colony cats. By the time I get back, Beatrice will have been rehomed with her forever mommy, which will be both very sad and very joyous, and there will be a full report on that, too.

Kitten Pictures

Colony Update: Add Athos and Cyrano to the list of cats I've seen in the past few days, having gotten through the flood just fine, apparently.

Otherwise this post is a bunch of pictures of Zoe and Mal in the hopes that the cuteness makes you forget how terrible I am at updating this blog, even though I *mean* to just about every day.

They're doing really well, I might add. My biggest concern just now is how attached I am to them and they to me. If you sit down and don't immediately pick up Malcolm, he cries. But as the situation is, I *must* find them a home(s) somewhere

For the rest of the pictures, see the Wild Kittens Set. (Total: 33 pictures.)

Serene Zoe:
Look how big his paws are!!


Get the toy!

In Remembrance

The only thing in my mailbox today was a slim (though biggish) envelope from the Phoenix Zoo. Having not gotten a chance to go to the zoo since moving here (although I had gone once before), this surprised me. How did I get on their mailing list, I wondered.

Upon opening the envelope, a single card slipped out which simply says:

In
Remembrance of
Waffles

A donation to the Pet Memorial program
at the Phoenix Zoo was made by

University Animal Hospital


Donations from the Pet Memorial program
will be used to enhance veterinary care of
the Phoenix Zoo's animal collection

So now I'm all sniffly. But I'm sure that Bozo would appreciate it. And I really can't speak highly enough of UAH. If you're in the Phoenix area I highly recommend this hospital as everyone is caring and wonderful there, even when you have to go there for the worst. They sent me a card right after we had to put Bozo down-- I think that's pretty normal for a vet, but still appreciated and I certainly didn't think there'd be anything else.

I think I'm going to put (Bozo) beneath "Waffles" and have this little 5x7 card framed. Bozo really was the cat who started Project-Cat-- the first one I let myself see as an individual.

I miss him. :( But he is well remembered and cherished and even though he didn't have a human family (not really anyway), I'm sure he's playing with the other animals up at the Rainbow Bridge.

I have to stop now before I start all-out crying...

Another Vet Visit Over-- sigh of relief!

Just a quick update, as I have to go do non-Project-Cat related things for a bit, but I knew that some people would worry about how the vet appointment went.

Malcolm: Didn't sneeze at the vet at all, of course, just like anyone going to the doctor. Has gained more than a pound since coming to live with me (!!). Seems very healthy-- good strong heart, the vet said. Everyone thinks he's beautiful. He's now on antibiotics for the upper respiratory infection we assume that he has.

Zoe: Poor baby was insulted and then poked and prodded. The vet asked if her "distended abdomen" might just be that she's getting fat (I pointed out that you can still feel her ribs, so it is a bit weird) and upon picking Zoe up said, "You do have some junk in the trunk, don't you?" heh. Poor thing. Then she got poked a whole lot to get a fecal sample (I tried to get one from the litter box today, but nothing doing) but they succeeded and we should know those results on Monday. The vet said that fecal tests aren't 100% since the parasites shed intermittently, so it's not too unusual if the first one came back negative but this one comes back positive. The vet tech looked at her mouth, too, because it seemed to me that Zoe wasn't quite comfortable eating, even though she's often eating when I'm in the room (I wonder if she eats mostly when I'm there-- If I'm equated with food-time), but the tech saw nothing at all unusual with her mouth.

She's also to go on the antibiotics 'cause the two kittens are always together.

Both kittens also get their ears cleaned. They were treated for ear mites last time we were at the vet, but they have such ... gook in their ears (which both vet and vet tech commented on) so I now have cleaning stuff. 'Cause, y'know, it's not hard enough to make the kittens trust me, let's add squirting medicine into them twice a day, and squishing out their ears with goo and cotton balls once a day...

Pictures later or tomorrow 'cause I took a bunch before we went to the vet. :)