I think Chili is sick

Chili has been panting over the last week or so. She did it once when I introduced her to the petsitter (so I thought it was just anxiety, which is what my older cat does when she's upset/anxious). Then she has done it twice during or after play sessions. She isn't listless, she goes after that toy with GUSTO, but then she breaks into a heavy session of mouth breathing which made me very nervous. So I decided to take her temp and it's 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

I have a call in to the doctor, but I don't know what to expect, or what I should ask. I am so grateful to have a resource like the FeLV email list I joined through http://www.felineleukemia.org. I asked for help and people are helping me figure out what to look for and what to be concerned about, what to ask the vet, etc. i love that I can have experienced cat owners help walk me through the process, it makes me a lot less scared.

I want to keep these kids healthy healthy healthy. I'm doing what I can but it's so easy to fall into a lull because they seem so healthy--sometimes I can forget that they have a disease that requires monitoring. Something like this brings it all to the forefront, and with it all the conflicting emotions and the panic. Talking it through helps to keep it in perspective. I think it also helps to really educate yourself. I find that knowing what to look for and knowing what to expect definitely takes the mystery and the panic out of the equation. When she started to pant at first I panicked and got scared. Then I thought about it, thought about the illnesses FeLV kitties are susceptible to, did a little quick research and then started looking for the info I would need to give the vet diagnostic help. I checked her gums, checked her skin for signs of anemia and dehydration. i took her temperature and compared it to normal. I have her separated in a crate of her own with her own litterbox so I can get a fresh stool sample in the morning and check to see if she has a different kind of parasite that isn't affected by dewormers (like lungworm, which could cause her to pant). This way too, I know what she is doing, what is her waste, how much is she eating and drinking, etc. I feel a lot better knowing that I am doing what I can to be aggressive in treating any illness right away. I just wish my veterinarian was on duty today, even though it's not really an emergency right now. i would just feel better if i had a vet tell me so.

I think her gums are a little pale, but if I press on them, they turn white and then return to a light pink. She doesn't seem dehydrated because her skin is very elastic. She's breathing normally at rest so i am keeping her comfortable and keeping her from going crazy active (it's like WWF in there sometimes).

Vet tomorrow!

Understanding rescue better

I've gotten a few responses, not many, but a few responses to the listings I have placed for the kittens. There have been a few entirely unsuitable responses among those responses, where the person had obviously not read any part of the listing and so didn't realize that the kittens have an infectious illness that requires special care. One person wouldn't respond to my questions about whether they would sign a standard adoption contract, after giving a few other iffy responses to some of my questions. One woman fostered dogs and the adoption process came to a mutual end when her dogs killed her existing FeLV cat. I can't imagine if it had been one of mine. i don't think I could live with myself.

I am beginning to understand rescue work a bit better. Adopting out special needs animals is tough. A lot of people seem to think that any home is better than no home, but that isn't the case. The point is to find appropriate homes where these guys can receive good care as well as love. It isn't about settling for better than nothing. I couldn't live with myself if they ended up in a home that never took them to the vet, let them contract preventable illness, or worse, allowed them outside to infect other animals or BREED.

Tomorrow I am making the spay/neuter appointments. I had been ready to do a spay/neuter agreement if the cats got adopted before they were big enough for spay/neuter, but no one is leaving here intact. No one is getting adopted to anyone who won't sign a standard adoption contract and pay the adoption fee. No one is getting adopted to a home that won't let me do a home visit first. Period. There are, unfortunately, too many crackpots out there to be lenient. Remember that the next time you go to a rescue and complain about the fifty questions. Their job is not just to find A home for their animals--it's to find the RIGHT homes for their animals.

Expect changes to come in the next few days as I make adjustments in my household to accomodate the kittens for the long haul. Adoption is still pending on two of the kits. Cross your fingers that everything goes as planned. These guys are getting so big. If anyone has DOGS, these guys like dogs a lot! So if you have a dog that isn't a chaser, or doesn't have a high prey drive, consider adopting a special needs cat! My guys would love a dog to cuddle!

Site migration and possible technical glitches

Just to warn you all, I am in the process of changing hosting services and so the site may come up and down or you may have problems emailing me, etc. This is a temporary situation while I get new settings sorted out and reupload files. Thank you for your patience!

lunasmom

Change of plans

The hurricane threat forced us to change our plans, so we are still currently in NJ. The petsitter is coming this Friday. I am leaving Thursday because I will be driving down to FL with the dogs. We will stop in Raleigh, NC for an overnight at a hotel (Homestead does not have a weight limit for dogs, but it does allow only one dog by policy. You can, however, appeal to the manager who can allow more dogs at his or her discretion. I was able to get consent for my two large dogs in one room by letting them know that the dogs would be traveling with their crates. Just some info for traveling). Lunasdad will fly with our son. The arrangement makes me much more comfortable. I feel more like everyone is all taken care of much better, plus the two kittens might make it to their home this week which would mean the petsitter would only have to watch 4 cats (three FeLV kittens and then my own negative cat) instead of 6. I think that makes it far more manageable.

Proof of interspecies love

OK, with a couple of gratuitous shots of my dogs Luna and Sol. Luna is the blonde one yawning, Sol is the black and tan one in the crate and in the last photo. These kittens are definitely a favorite of my dogs, but they seem to really gravitate to Sol (who is more than happy to play mommy and give each one a tongue bath). In particular, I have to say that Zest is Sol's kitten. They seem to enjoy eachother's company. Zest walked into the crate by herself and Sol followed her in to keep her "safe" from Luna. Then they both fell asleep. Zest is a little too aware of the camera to let me take a photograph of her napping with him, but these are the shots I got.

Petsitter and vacation

We will be out of town for a week visiting my parents in Florida for my son's birthday. So I spent part of last week interviewing petsitters. We picked a nice one, who didn't seem to mind Sol's overbearing greetings, Luna's wariness, or looking in on 6 cats and possibly two dogs as well.

I was very apprehensive at first, but I feel confident that this sitter can handle the situation. She seemed to have a very organized route, is a former vet tech, has references, is licensed and insured, and I found her through the associated pet sitter's website, which means only a little but I will take every little bit I can get to set myself at ease. So I met her and walked through everything and I feel confident with her. I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving the kittens with just a friend--it's a lot of work for someone who is not a professional.

Now I just need to stop having a panic attack about the dogs.

Kittens and socialization (plus a general update)

So I was concerned about the kittens having a socialization setback after the shock of the vet and then the home visit the next day (traveling twice in two days). It made them a little skittish and surly for about a week and I was worried that they were going to revert to a more feral behavior. But they have settled down and that makes me feel better.

They are doing quite well actually. They are very active and they have gotten very friendly about seeing me. After the incident with the dogs in the living room, they now follow me to the door in the hopes of coming out and playing and rubbing on Sol and Luna. They are super soft and I am slowly getting the shy Zest to come out of her shell.

Hand feeding! It's the key. I take a glob of wet food and bring it to her (because she won't come to the dish if I am there, but she won't run from me either). Then she eats out of my hand as I pet her and she started looking for me to pet her! This was a breakthrough for Zest and I. I am very excited. So I foresee more handfeeding in the future.

I am so much happier with the Feline Pine in there. I tried Yesterday's News but it always had this sort of wet newspaper smell in there that was making me feel a little queasy so I switched to Feline Pine and I am very pleased. Such a difference.

They are glossy and soft and terrific little cats. I hope someone steps up and adopts one of the remaining kittens soon!

Liver Shake for Sick Cats

From the FeLVtalk list archives (Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 07:28:15 -0800):

THE LIVER SHAKE FOR SICK CATS

This liquid food is appropriate for cats suffering from conditions where they are eating very little or not at all such as anemias, leukemias, deficiency states with symptoms of lethargy, listlessness, and weakness.

Ingredients:
1 cup raw liver (beef or chicken)
1 cup fresh carrot juice or V-8 or tomato juice
1/4 cup fresh filtered water*
1 raw egg yolk
1 tsp kelp powder or spirulina

Combine and mix in a blender until liquified. (Note:It will be frothy)

Dosage:
Administer 10cc daily 3-6 times a day (60cc per daymax)
Some cats will need to be force-fed with a syringe,while others will drink it out of a bowl. This food has a sweet and salty taste, and the energetic properties of tonifying (energy boosting), warming, and stimulating and supports the kidneys, spleen, liver, and stomach. This drink is a complete dinner for a sick cat until they feel good enough to eat by themselves again.

* Substitute rice water if the cat has diarrhea. Ricewater is made by boiling white rice (2 tblsp) withwater (1 cup) for 30 minutes. This liquid aids digestion and assimilation and inhibits the symptoms of diarrhea.

**credit it to Dr. Ihor Basko in Kauai,Hawaii

Worms are history (I hope)

Completed a second course of deworming for the kittens and I hope that that is the end of the worm saga, for their sake. The vet was tremendous and didn't charge for the deworm. I hope there is karma.

About Google

The Google search bar and ads are here so I can eke out whatever help for the kittens as I can. So if you search using the search bar here or click on an ad, I get a little something which I can use for litter and spay/neuter costs, etc. I had orginally hosted the blog on my own because the ads on the blogger site were outside of my control and I found them offensive. But I was able to sign up with Google on my own and if there is an offensive ad, I can filter it out and keep it from reappearing. If they are really detracting from the site, I can remove them, but I thought it was a good way to be able to search the feline leukemia sites and make some money for the kittens, even if it's just a click here and there.

If people really don't like it, let me know and I will remove it. Thanks!

Kittens LOVE dogs

So Zest in particular has a fetish for my dogs. They lay by the crack in the door and stick their arms through trying to find them. Luna lays with her face pressed up against the door waiting for a paw or tail. But, I let them out of the bathroom for some stretching time and Zest was aLL OVER Sol. Purr purr purr, rub rub rub. Sol was like a mama cat, licking her face and head (well, he's big so one lick pretty much gets her whole head). Luna kept barking though, and they didn't love that, but Sol was a huge hit . . .as long as he stayed OUT of the habitat. When I let him come in, there was hissing and arching, so, neutral ground only.

I wish I had been able to take photos, though. I will do it next time because they were ADORABLE.

The vet liked the scale!

I was worried that he might not have room for it or had a particular reason for not having one. He said he had a digital one years ago but that it kept breaking and having to be sent out to be serviced, so they eventually gave up and went back to a simple analog scale. He said he looked at them every so often. So he was thinking about where to put it (he already had ideas about building a special shelf).

It felt so good to be able to do something nice for the office and for future patients. I can't wait to see it in action. Thanks for the folks who helped me make it happen, including justgonuts, inc.