Random Fridays....

Our friends at CindyLu's Muse found this great app that helps shelter - you use it when you walk your dog and they track it and make donations. How cool is that? Click on the link to her blog to see more details.
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Update on Lulu: normally TNR is Trap-Neuter-Return. In this case mom went with Trap-Neuter-Release. Mom had Lulu in the garage Tuesday night to recover since there weren't kittens to worry about. Mom worried what would Allie think. However, Allie was right there when mom got home from the shelter waiting to get into the garage. She ate her dinner over night and there was no racket and everyone seemed fine this morning. So, after much deliberation, mom released Lulu at our house. It may not be the ideal plan, but mom at least can provide shelter and food for her.....Lulu ran past Allie on Wednesday morning on the way out of the trap and there wasn't any racket either. Allie jumped, but it appeared to be more startled by the gray cat rocketing past.
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Our friend Tama over at The Poupounette is a master dangler. Tim decided to show her that he has some skills too:

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Be sure to join us tomorrow for Junior's birthday....and a surprise on Monday.

a month old

OK, well the four add ons are today....Mica was a month old 3 days ago. But whatever....

And since it is Thursday it is weigh in day:

 Amber now weighs 13 3/8 ounces

Ash is our heavy weight at 1 pound 2 3/8 ounces (wow)

 Coral is still our tiny at 7 1/2 ounces

But look below - she learned a new trick 

(and was growling at mom as she tried to refill the bowl)

Mica weighs 15 ounces

Pearl weighs 14 1/2 ounces

Mom has now had to rearrange the bathroom a couple of times to accommodate kittens. She built a new box - which Pearl and Amber learned to climb over in the last couple of days. So she had a get a new litter box for Jade (since she is a flinger) and figure out how to cordon off the litter box (since kittens will try to eat anything at this stage).

Mom worries about Coral, but the fact that she has decided she likes kitten food should help her put on some weight.

wordy Wednesday - Lulu

 

Sometimes it is hard, sometimes it is easy, sometimes fun, sometimes just funny (after the fact - in the moment sometimes you just want to scream).

Such was the case recently.....

Last week mom left work and saw a gray cat sitting under the bushes outside her office. Now, this will be the THIRD cat that has shown up outside the office. When mom mentioned this to the head rescue lady (while looking for a trap to use since ours has been loaned out), the rescue lady asked "are you feeding them?". uh no!!

Anyhow, mom borrowed a trap, set it and waited. When she came out to check...the food was gone and the trap hadn't triggered. Stupid thing stuck. So mom traded it in for another trap. Still nothing. Then it was the weekend....

So mom set the trap on Monday at work. Nothing during the day. Normally she doesn't like leaving the trap up, but this time she made the exception. And here's the reason....when mom saw this cat last week she looked very pregnant. The goal was to catch her before she gave birth.

Well, about 9pm on Monday, mom got this weird feeling. Go check the trap. Understand, we live about 20 minutes from mom's office, so this isn't something you do on a whim (mom says especially when gas is $3.50 per gallon). However, the feeling wouldn't leave, so mom drove over. And there was the cat in the trap.

But...she looked somewhat skinnier. crap..... Mom looked around quick but it was dark. And now the cat was trapped - so what to do. If you let her go, there is a risk of not catching her again. Mom called the rescue lady who said take her to a 24 hour clinic that the rescue uses (though not mom's favorite place), explain the situation and ask if they can spay her overnight. Mom went over, explained the situation in detail and asked them to keep her posted. When mom called Tuesday morning ....they didn't spay her that night. REALLY?????

So mom ran over Tuesday morning, picked up the girl, took her to the low cost spay/neuter clinic we use and explained everything to them (ok, she MAY have left out the "trapped her last night left her at the other place" part of the story). 

Yesterday afternoon, after not hearing anything and trying to figure out what to do with our girl once she is spayed, mom called the clinic. NOT pregnant...NOT lactating. NO KITTENS!!!  No idea what mom saw last week, but hopefully it is the same girl and it was just weird. Either way, Lulu is spay, vaccinate and ear tipped. Teehee - got another one. :)  Good job mom.

Easy Like Sunday

Yep....it's a tough life.....

Ash, Coral and Pearl

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THANK YOU for all the kind comments about Maestro and the lovely graphic that Ann made for us. It has been a weird few days....we keep expecting to see him or hear him. 19 years is a long time to have such a wonderful companion and he will forever be missed. Knowing that you are with us on this journey means so much to us.

Maestro

In 2004, mom decided that the resident cat needed a friend. She went to the local shelter and brought home an 8 week old little gray and white bundle of fuzz and named him Maestro after her love of music.

When mom moved out, Maestro and Butterscotch came to live with her. They moved with her several times through several states.

Butterscotch left us for the Bridge in October 2008.

Maestro turned 19 years old last September. He was the elder statesman of the household. Never complaining too loudly, never really making a fuss about much of anything (except maybe the occasional empty food dish). He was sweet and understanding and just wanted a lap to sit on. He never met a stranger and was really only afraid of the vaccuum cleaner. He moved over several state lines with mom and tolerated every new cat that came in the house along with the hoards of foster kittens.

And now he is gone. Those decisions are never easy on pet guardians. But with the diagnosis of a cancerous tumor on his jaw, and it was spreading fast, the issue becomes is he suffering, how do we know and how long do we let him go on. Mom has gone through this before and has sworn that she will not let any of us suffer - and that means force feeding or medicating or whatever. Maestro lived a long and wonderful life with us....and now we know that he is healthy and running across the Bridge with Butterscotch and Tigger and so many others who have gone before. This is the best decision mom could make, but it doesn't make it any less heartbreaking.

We will be taking a short break from blogging. Please know we will be back - with more stories about us and the foster kittens and everything else.

Jade and kittens - 3 weeks

Wow, amazing how time flies. The kittens have outgrown the box where they were nursing. Mom was concerned as Jade was a little smooshed in there and we were sure all the kittens were getting enough to eat.

So how to keep the kittens enclosed and safe but give Jade and the kittens a little more space...and allow mom to use the bathroom. She did some thinking and decided to try to put together a box.

She bought two fiber board shelves. She did try to bracket them together with screws. Only the screws wouldn't go in....and the brackets she bought were too small (nobody try to hire her for home repairs - just sayin'). So she resorted to....duct tape.  :)  Of course - duct tape fixes everything. Mom isn't sure how long it will hold up if Jade decides to lean too much, but it is working for now. 

Jade and the girls 

(Pearl, Coral and Amber...from left to right)

Mica and Ash

Jade was losing some weight but she is still latching on...and really doesn't have any interest in being syringe fed...so mom is keeping a pretty close eye on her. And over the last couple of days she has put some weight back on. They do seem to be passing around some eye boogers...Amber had it, gave it to Coral who seems to have given it to Mica.

Some weights as of 4-29:
  Mica 12 1/4 ounces
  Ash 14 1/8 ounces (holy moly)
  Coral 6 1/2 ounces
  Amber  11 ounces
  Pearl  12 1/4 ounces
 

wordless Wednesday

Opt to Adopt - Ivan

This is Ivan - here is his story:

"Can I come live with you? You see, I'm looking for my fur-ever home. I was left with these nice people here at the animal hospital and they helped fix my broken leg, but now it is all healed and I'm ready to go! I LOVE to play with other playful cats and I am a sweet fellow. They tell me I'm about a year old, but I'm on the small side, so I wouldn't take up much room! If you think you'd like to give me a home, you can come meet me at the clinic! I might be a little shy at first, but I warm up quickly and just want to LOVE you!"

He is living with our rescue vet. When mom was there on Saturday, he was doing laps around the office, skidding around corners...you would never know he had been injured. He is sweet and good with other animals.  :)

weekend report

Mom was gone most of Caturday. The rescue had a sidewalk sale at the vet office. They set up household stuff and pet stuff. After some long hours and lots of people (and a little sun...mom's face is a bit red), they raised $450.00.  Pretty good for hanging out in a parking lot for a few hours. :)  Thanks to the volunteers who staffed it, the vets who let us use their parking lot and those who came out to shop.
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Spud spent his Sunday snoozing.... this is his favorite spot. Not because it is on top of the food container (which is where he snoozes) but because he is up and can see out into the hallway. :)

This tree is blooming just outside our balcony. Mom is going to replant that evergreen into the bigger pot...maybe next weekend when it warms up a little more. Then she has to decide what else to plant. She is thinking geraniums in the bigger pots. And then....no idea. She is thinking maybe a couple of varieties of mint in one of the boxes (not that she has ANY idea what she is doing).

Jade is spending a little more time outside the sleeping box. There is limited space in the bathroom but the box is getting a little small for everyone....mom is going to look for a little bigger box to try to keep the kittens contained a little longer.

Random Fridays....

Maestro is still doing well. The vet stopped over last night and checked him over. They were going to see if they could drain part of it - the pathologist said it is about 1 part tumor to 2 parts inflamed cells. However, nothing much came out before he started to squirm. But the vet says he looks good to her and he was begging for treats from the tech. So he is on prednisone now for the inflammation and clavamox to stave off any infection from the pred affecting his system. Hopefully we will see some results in a week or so. This is by no means a cure...but it should help keep him comfortable and let's mom breathe.

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That Mica is a cutie.....yes, he is sleeping in a tissue box.

no, you cannot get five kittens to look the same way at the same time

Ash....yawning

why go around when you can go over?

Coral in the top left, sitting on Ash, Pearl closest to the camera, and Mica climbing over Amber

getting more mobile by the day

they are growing

Those kittens are getting bigger. We posted yesterday on facebook and will share it again - momma cat Jade tested negative for FIV and FeLV. YAY!!! And as of the other day, everyone has their eyes open. Another 10 days or so and they will be getting more mobile....and then we are all in trouble.

 Coral

weight: 4-16 was 5 3/8 ounces; 4-23 7 was ounces

(still our tiny girl)

Amber

weight: 4-16 was 6 5/8 ounces, 4-23 was 9 ounces

Pearl and Ash

Pearl weight: 4-16 was 7 3/8 ounces, 4-23 was 9 ounces

 Ash weight: 4-16 was 6 7/8 ounces, 4-23 was 10 1/4 ounces

Mica

weight: 4-16 was 9 3/4 ounces, 4-23 was 10 1/4 ounces

(he has been up and down the last week but he is also more mobile - and the competition is more mobile as well - but we are keeping a close eye on everyone)

Jade is being a good momma cat. Mess with those kittens and make them scream and she will very politely tell mom to put them back in the box. They are getting around a little more and seem pretty aware of what is going on around them.

wacky watermelon Wednesday

so....mom has taken to calling Ivy the "watermelon" ... we will let you judge for yourselves MOL

And on Sunday, she had a major case of the crazies....running around with toys, singing in the entry way...and then she passed out on the cat tree.

Opt to Adopt - Dorito and Pi

Anybody hungry after that lead in??  MOL

And no, not our Dorito......

This Dorito is a 4 year old neutered male, front declawed and was found trying to survive with a feral colony. He truly dislikes kids and is a little tempermental. But seriously, since we have no idea how long he was having to survive on his own, we can't say we blame him. He does love to be scratched on the head though and will head butt you to get you to hurry up with the scratching.

Pi is a sweet 1 year old neutered male who was left abandoned in an apartment. He is a little skinny but making up for it. He is also a talker, willing to tell you all about his day and how you can improve it. At our adoption center he would follow people around and supervise. At the Petco store he isn't allowed out but makes sure to tell everyone that he would very much like to try.

more kitten pictures

Sorry for the bad news yesterday. Hopefully we will know more later in the week, but all things considered, we are taking it for what it is and will see what the future brings.

Oh, and for fun, the part of Darth Vader is currently being played by Tim....yes, he is on meds. :)
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Mica is 2 weeks old today (ok, give or take but we are going with it). And the other four are 3 days behind. Ash's eyes are JUST beginning to open and the girls are all holding out (not sure for what).

Jade started doing this gagging sort of thing, so we have her on clavamox to hold off any potential sickies. She stopped eating the dry kitten food for about 3 days. But she lurvs her some Fancy Feast, so she is getting that several times per day. Mom had to run out yesterday to get something else as Jade decided she didn't like chicken (the Tabbies of Trout Town should be proud - she loves fish).

top to bottom:

Ash, Amber, Pearl, Coral (being squished) and Mica

 Ash, Amber, Pearl, Mica and Coral (why Mica likes to sleep on her, we aren't sure)

Amber is the one you see at the bottom of the picture,

Coral is the one...being squished by Mica

(anyone sense a theme here??)

Jade and Pearl

not so easy Sunday....

We got the update from the vet yesterday. Based on the test results, she thinks it is a salivary gland tumor.

We did some searching and found this on Merck:

Salivary Gland Tumors

Salivary gland tumors are rare in cats, although cats are affected twice as frequently as dogs. They usually occur in cats more than 10 years old. Most salivary gland tumors are malignant, with carcinomas and adenocarcinomas the most common types. Spread to nearby lymph nodes and the lungs is common. Tumors removed by surgery alone tend to recur, so radiation treatment, with or without surgery, offers the best outlook in most cases.

So, it doesn't sound good. Dr T wanted to send off the slides to be tested elsewhere since it is pretty rare. Mom told her to go ahead, though it won't really change much unless it comes back non-cancerous for some reason. They are going to hold off on doing anything until they here back from the secondary test - maybe mid-week. However, based on his age, the goal is to keep him comfortable and maybe try to reduce the swelling at the back of his jaw. Mom told Dr T that she isn't sure if it is getting bigger or if it just that she has been staring at it for a week.

No idea what this means for time....they did discuss maybe trying to aspirate part of it to relieve some pressure but not sure if that will happen or not. The main goal is so long as he seems comfortable and still eating then we will give him all the time he has.

Random Friday....

More on the v-e-t report:

Mo got the bad cat report. He wanders around acting all nice when they get here and then WHAM tries to eat people. Mom is afraid one of these days he will actually bite someone so the next visit will require a little more thought. Mom can catch him easy enough. But he is pretty skinny and can turn himself around which makes him hard to hold on to. He actually got a fang almost into the tech this time. His weight is actually up some (which is good - no body fat on that boy). And he isn't due for vaccines for 3 years.... (mom is fairly certain she heard the v-e-t mutter "hallelulah" MOL).

Maestro weighs about the same - which is a very good thing. Still waiting on the report from the v-e-t.

Spud had to be chased around by mom and then unceremoniously shoved in a carrier to wait for the v-e-t to get here. At least he isn't a screamer like Ivy somecat. He got weighed, vaccinated, toenails clipped and his ummm behind shaved (we told him it could have been worse - we hear some of the cats at Katnip Lounge are now nekkid).

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We got an update on Saffron. She is adjusting pretty well. Mom knew she was going to be a tough nut to crack.....

seriously - you doubt that face would cause problems?? 

Mom and Saff's mom have been texting back and forth. Saff didn't come out much the first couple of days, but by Monday night she was letting them rub her belly. And as of the other night, she had met the other two cats in the house and checked out their climbing wall and the crinkly tube mom sent with her. She has even been out and snuggled on the couch. Though it does appear that she may end up being a daddy's girl. :)

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a week already???

Thanks for all the pawsitive thoughts yesterday....we hope to have an update tomorrow.
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Hard to believe it was a week ago yesterday that mom brought home Jade and her boy. Then in just over 24 hours we added 4 more kittens.

We had some good suggestions on Tuesday and after wandering the interwebs, we went with some geology/gem names. (thanks to Miss Andrea and Miss Patty)

Everyone is doing very well and gaining weight. While our tiny girl is still tiny, she is putting on steady weight...plus being little lets her squirm under everyone.

So, without further ado, let's do some introductions and weights:

 Mica (Jade's original kitten)

weight: 4-11 was 6 3/8 ounces, 4-16 was 9 1/8 ounces

 Ash

weights: 4-11 was3 1/2 ounces, 4-16 was 6 7/8 ounces

 Amber

weight: 4-11 was 4 1/4 ounces, 4-16 was 6 5/8 ounces

 Pearl

weights: 4-11 was 4 1/2 ounces, 4-16 was 7 3/8 ounces

 Coral

weights: 4-11 was 2 7/8 ounces, 4-16 was 5 3/8 ounces

(so last night she weighed as much as Mica did when he got here)

Mica's eyes are just starting to open. The others should be a few days behind him. He is certainly the bulldozer of the family - he put his head down the other night and was shoving Ash around their box.

Jade is SUCH a good momma. As mom was taking pictures, the kittens were making it apparent that they weren't very happy about it. Jade came over more than once and told mom to KNOCK IT OFF!!! Jade was very polite about it, but also very insistent that mom put those kittens back.