Quick update

I’ve been very lax about updating! My energy levels are low and it’s hard to get everything done. We need some sun shine!!

I named the kittens so that they could be listed on CARE’s website. The gray and white siblings are Ralph and Alice and the tabby is Munchkin. We were fortunate to be able to get them neutered through POP, it’s a great organization!

They are continuing to remain healthy and energetic.  Ralph’s eyes still water some, I think that the eye infection in August may have damaged the tear duct.

These guys are at the age where they gallop through the house, bounding over furniture, jumping into trashcans and unrolling toilet paper! When they tire, they find a warm lap to curl up in. They are very much a part of the family and I think we’ll miss them more than most when they’re adopted!

I hope that they will find good homes for Christmas!

Daisy’s waiting for a walk; must fit it in between rain storms!

Munchkin on her favorite spot, the heating pad in the kitchen.

Alice doing the rear-end wiggle, ready to attack.

  Ralph enjoying a snuggle with Daisy.

Spay and neuter adventure

We had our first experience with POP (Pet Overpopulation Patrol) on Saturday. It was wonderful! Two young women spent 12 hours in the mobile unit at Morrisville Outlet Mall spay/neutering, one animal about every 15 minutes! We picked our guys up at 7:00pm, they were the last 2. They were out of it Saturday night but fit as a fiddle Sunday morning, hungry and starved for affection!

POP works with low income families and various rescue groups in the area and can be reached (919)942-2250. In addition to the surgery, they receive their rabies shot and FVRCP vaccine. Such a wonderful service.

This is White Feet napping with one of the younger kittens. We used to name each kitten that came to stay with us but we’ve run out of names so we use descriptive terms! This guy has been with us for awhile, you can see pictures and information in earlier entries. His litter was older and a little wilder than the young ones we usually get. He is very friendly now and loves all his playmates, both young and old. He especially loves our lab, Daisy. His fur is medium length and so silky.

This little lady loves to curl up around your neck whenever you sit down. She has short hair but is just as soft as White Feet. She came to us mid-August and has spent most of her time downstairs with the younger kittens. She has been extraordinarily healthy (actually both have been) for an orphan kitten. She hasn’t spent much time with the adult cats but enjoys all the other animals. She’s sitting in my lap helping me type right now!

Adoption Time

So many things have been going on in my life over the past few months that taking care of the kittens has been more important than blogging. The 5 gray and white kittens were well and then a new baby came in with the sniffles. Nobody has gotten particularly sick but there have been some runny eyes. Their immune systems are getting stronger, nothing is slowing them down! They are eating heartedly and gaining lots of weight, making up for lost time! Naps are becoming shorter and play very energetic. I had a hard time photographing them, they won’t be still. Right now their favorite game is tossing dog food around the room and chasing it. Daisy sits back and watches them play.This is White Stripe, a little girl. My flash distracted her from her game.

There are 4 girls and 1 boy, the gray and white on the left, Gray Nose, is the male. Little White Feet is the miracle kitten of this litter, we came very close to losing her. It is wonderful to she her now.

This little girl, White One, is cold natured and loves to snuggle. I caught her in the middle of a wrestling match.

White face is just waking up. She is the plumpest one of the bunch!

These guys are litter box trained and eating Science Diet Kitten dry food. They all like to snuggle in the evening, it’s not unusual to have them lined up down my legs when I read in the evening.

September 9th

It’s been a tough few weeks since I last posted. The newest litter developed their mother’s URI and had terrible pink eye. I have never seen an eye infection like the ones we’ve had this summer! (An orange tabby had a bad one earlier and ended up having to have surgery.) The vet showed me how to clean the infection out from under their inner eyelids with a cotton swab; I was nervous every time I did it. The result has been worth it though, their eyes are finally clearing up with no damage. A few of the kittens got congestion in addition to the eye infection. They sounded like Donald Duck! Kittens that can’t breathe through their noses have a hard time eating and can become dehydrated quickly. I was using pediatric nasal spray and giving three of them fluids several times a day. I should be thankful that we only lost one, but …..

The remaining five kittens are doing great, they’re almost litter box trained and they are growing at a steady rate. One of the kittens had diarrhea so they are all being treated for coccidia, only a few more doses.

We call this little guy White Feet. We used to name each kitten that came into the house but we ran out of ideas so now they get named by identifying marks! He is going on three months now and is looking for a home. His fur is a little longer than the others and it is silky. He has spent his time living upstairs, away from the sick crowd so he has stayed healthy and energetic. He plays with my youngest cat and loves to snuggle with Daisy (our lab).

These guys are now adoption age (7-8 weeks). They have stayed healthy throughout this ordeal. There were four in this litter, one died the first night it was with us and the little calico died this week. The two that died were very skinny when we got them and never gained weight. The vet couldn’t find anything wrong with them; they just seemed to fail to thrive. These two have good appetites and are litter box trained. They have graduated to total freedom downstairs so they think they are big guys now! They love to snuggle when they tire of playing.

New kittens and update on older ones

I’ve just returned from vacation and the house is getting full of kittens! These two are ready for adoption. They have made the upstairs their home, no longer content with the  baby room! They are using the adult litter boxes and making themselves right at home with our cats. I think they are about 8 weeks at this point. The solid gray on the left is female and the other is male.

 

When I got home late Monday night, there was an email waiting: pick up kittens ASAP. These little ones are about 4+ weeks old. They are boney but full of energy and love. They are eating canned food and every now and then a little formula. The calico noticed that the babies (below)were getting a lot of attention; all of a sudden she was dying to get a bottle! She still doesn’t drink much milk but she enjoys the special attention.

 

Thursday I got a call for these six little ones. The momma has an upper respiratory infection and her milk dried up. They aren’t big eaters yet but they are getting along just fine. They have started showing signs of an URI so we started  them on antibiotics this morning. When you walk into the kitchen, they swarm all over your feet!

Last night we had company for dinner. They held kittens for a long time. Daisy was a wreck, she didn’t like strangers holding her kittens. When we put the kittens back in the kitchen so we could eat, she went in and counted heads! When she was sure that they were all there, she came back outside and plopped down. It’s nice to have a canine momma to help keep track of this many kittens!

Gray kittens ready for adoption

The gray kittens are 6 weeks old now and so healthy that they’re ready for adoption earlier than usual. The adventurous male was adopted on Saturday. He greeted me when ever I went into the sunroom and really enjoyed helping me knit.

The 2 remaining kittens have become much more adventurous over the last few days and greet us with demands for being held, rubbed, and if their bowl is empty, food. They are starting to have more access to the house and enjoying their freedom.

 

The one on the left is a female and the white footed one is a male. They have been de-wormed.

Now that they are brave, they are enjoying playing together more; no need to constantly be on alert!

Update on adoptions

It’s really calm and kind of lonely around here tonight because these guys all found homes this week! All the earlier kittens in the blog have gone to live with lovely people and should be very happy. I do miss them following me around and climbing up to snuggle for a nap. Tomorrow, I’m going to clean the kitchen and move the little gray kittens in there from the sunroom to get more socialized. They are starting to not be so afraid and will soon be following me around; I won’t be lonely for long!

These little guys look so much better, it only took 2 doses of antibiotics to clear up their eyes. They’re gaining weight and are already litter box trained. They’ve adjusted to Daisy quite nicely; she is very protective of her kittens. Today I gave them kitten toys to play with and they have been very busy rolling the balls around the room.

New kittens arrive today

My friend, Krista, from the shelter, had to come to Raleigh today so she brought these little guys to me. They appear to be around 4 weeks old; they are stable walkers but have very few teeth. The kitten in the back corner is a little ‘hissy’ and the lighter gray one, below, is adventuresome. They’ve been eating can food and have diarrhea already along with an eye infection. When I put formula in the crate with them, 2 of them attacked it immediately! I hope that we can get the diarrhea under control quickly; at least they are using the litter box already!

 

Adoption update

We have found homes for 2 more kittens! The orange and white female left last night to a nice young woman. Her roommate wants to adopt the black kitten, so as soon as he’s weaned, he should have a good home too with one of his playmates for company. This leaves the orange tabby and the white with orange spots, both  males.

 

I woke up yesterday to a very sick cat. My 13 year old, our first rescue, had been throwing up all night and was still feeling pretty miserable. It appeared that she had ingested a toxic substance (probably Claritin). Once the toxin is in the blood stream, inducing vomiting doesn’t help (plus she’d thrown up all night) and since she seemed to be stabilized when we got up, I decided to tend to her myself. She spent the morning with me in the backyard, moving from spot to spot checking things out, resting frequently. I gave her fluids to keep her hydrated. Late afternoon she took a turn for the worse so I hustled her to the vet. It turns out that she had chronic kidney disease and that the toxin was enough to send her into kidney failure. She was the friendliest cat we’ve shared a house with and she will be missed. Shortly after we got the call, someone came to look at kittens; it feels good to know that someone will be starting a loving relationship with one of these orphaned kittens. I hope they have many good years together.

3 orange kittens left

There are 3 orange kittens left for adoption. They are enjoying all the attention since their siblings and playmates left! The tabby’s eye is healing nicely. They’re all getting baths today, the baby brought in fleas. Right now they are on the porch enjoying the breeze.

 

The baby  is learning to use the litter box some of the time! And how to play. He looks pretty ferocious!

He’s still drinking formula but is finally adding dry food to his diet. Once he’s weaned, he’ll be ready for adoption.

Adoption update

It's been a busy few days, 4 kittens have been adopted. Two female, the muted calico and the orange with white spots, and 2 males, the orange tabby and the white with orange spots are the ones remaining.
The new black kitten has finally settled down. He still comes to greet us when we walk into the room but the fussing has stopped. He was eating dry food when he came to us so we'd continued it. It's hard to judge age, but he could easily be 5 weeks old and dry food is okay for that age. While he ate dry food energetically, he wasn't getting enough to eat and was always hungry, hence the constant fussing. He turned down can food but took to the formula with relish. So, as of the first taste, he's off dry food and on formula and is a very contented kitten! Now if I could just get him to use the litter box!

New kitten

The new kitten finally came Thursday night. The couple that found him were enjoying him so much they kept him longer than planned. He is very spoiled; he runs to greet you when you walk in the door and wants to be held. He weighs about a pound and is around 4 weeks old. He’s got wonderful big blue eyes!

When he met Daisy, our Lab, he arched and hissed and tried to look mean. Now they’re great friends; Daisy likes a challenge.

This little guy’s eye is healing nicely. As you can see, he loves to play with his sister and has a lot of energy.

 

Here are a few pictures of the others.  

The gray kitten was too busy to be still for a picture!

The muted gray calico was adopted this week.

Quick update

The gray muted calico was adopted yesterday!

The orange 'one-eyed' tabby went to the vet yesterday. Scar tissue from the infection was responsible for the eye not opening all the way. The vet cut through the scar tissue and now his eye is open again. We are keeping an eye on him to be sure that it doesn't reseal in the healing process. The cornea may be permanently damaged but he seems just fine; glad to be back with his friends.

We're getting a new kitten this afternoon, I will try to get pictures posted this evening.

Ready for Adoption

 

The orange litter

Let me introduce myself, I am a volunteer with Chatham County, NC animal shelter and CARE. My family and I take in orphaned kittens that need to be bottle fed or nursed back to health. We usually have kittens from April to November every year. I want to share their stories with you and to provide information on caring for infant kittens. We have 8 kittens that are now ready for adoption. the kitten above is part of a litter of 5 orange kittens that I picked up one Friday afternoon.

These guys were about 4 weeks old and covered with ticks. They also had an upper respiratory infection (URI). This is not unusual for kittens at this age that don’t have a momma; it just adds another facet to their care. The kittens wouldn’t drink formula (KMR) which made my job easier; can food takes a lot less time!

The kittens got around pretty good, at 4 weeks, they’re still pretty wobbly. The pale orange kitten was the only one to feel bad at first, all he wanted to do was sleep on the heating pad. He’s very active now and explores everything.

This little guy had pink eye (which can be a part of a URI). The infection calcified, damaging his eye. Dr. Gordon, my vet at Care First Animal Hospital, removed the mass. The infection is gone, the eye appeared to be intact but he is still only partially opening it. He goes back to the vet Wednesday to see if we can get the eye open. Having mono-vision has not slowed him down! He never seemed to feel bad. He’s the largest of the litter, has a great appetite and is always ready to play.

The last 2 kittens had several days of sneezing and recovered quickly.

 

 

The second litter

This group of kittens came to us when they were between 3 & 4 weeks old. They were very boney and messy. They should have been on a bottle but they had been given can food and like the orange kittens, wanted no part of the bottle process. They were so hungry that they didn’t have the patience to suckle so I continued with the can stuff. You can see what a mess they were!The kittens had diarrhea and were taking Albon for coccidia.  Coccidia are microscopic parasites that infect the intestines causing a yellow, pasty, smelly diarrhea. Their stools didn’t seem right for coccidia, so I took a stool sample to the vet for testing. The test was negative; since they were on Albon it wasn’t clear if the medicine was clearing things up or if coccidia was never the cause. We decided to worm them and leave them on the meds. They continually got worse. Only one kitten passed worms; her diarrhea became so bad that everything passed right through her in minutes. I gave her sub-Q fluids with the help of my son, but she became so dehydrated we lost the fight. Alarmed and frustrated, I rushed the others to the vet for a recheck. The stool test was still negative but the sample did show high levels of protein. The can kitten food contributed to this. I switched their diet to adult can food, changed their meds and increased the sub-Q fluids. I’m glad to say that the others recovered. Below are pictures of them before and currently.

All 8 kittens have been handled a lot and are rather spoiled. They have grown up with 5 adult cats and our Lab; they know how to handle themselves around other animals! Our guess is that they are around 8 weeks old. My son has his wisdom teeth out today so we have been rather inactive, lounging on the sofa and comfy chairs while the kittens romp and climb all over us until they get tired, then they snuggle up for a restorative nap!

 

Medical notes

If you find orphaned kittens there are things you need to be aware of. As we have cared for kittens over the last 15 years, we have run into a variety of issues and have found great resources and support in our vet’s office. You can also learn a lot about kitten care of the web. I will post some of the sites I refer to as I continue.

Mother’s milk has antibodies to protect her young from disease. Premature weaning (before 6 weeks) can put the kitten in jeopardy. Most of the kittens we get develop URIs or coccidia. They are very common and easily treated if you get to the vet right away. These ailments can cause dehydration and lead to death so it is important to get them started on treatment immediately.

Young kittens also need to be kept warm. They are so small that their bodies loose heat quickly. I keep a heating pad on low under a part of their bedding so they can move off when they get too hot. I can be overheating and they will be searching for warmth! So remember to give them the option of a heating pad.

It’s a good idea to keep litters separated until you are sure they are well; it’s no fun to pass ailments back and forth!