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How we doubled our household cat count in a single day.
- Thread starter carolpetunia
- Start Date
Oh dear!!!!!! MEGA vibes coming the little girls way! {{{
}}}
Please keep us updated on her!
And bless you for helping these little ones
You are an angel
Please keep us updated on her!
And bless you for helping these little ones
Poor itty bitty baby! Lots of healthy and grow strong vibes to her, and all of the babies.
Any word from the emergency vet about the little one?
Any word from the emergency vet about the little one?
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2005
- Messages
- 22,206
- Purraise
- 35
That is the worst part about bottle babies, being so helpless.
I do hope & pray that little one can make it.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #25
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to report... it's been a very hard and sleepless couple of days.
They called me from the emergency vet at 5:00 this morning to tell me the little girl had passed away. The only good thing I can find in it is that, for those last few hours, at least she was warm and well-fed... I don't know how much difference it can possibly have made for a baby in such misery, but... I dearly hope she felt some relief.
When I told the vet techs at the shelter what had happened, they had me take the rest of the kittens to a vet they work with, so I drove over there first thing. In the car, I had the carrier beside me, and the kittens were all under a towel, to try to keep the warmth in... but as I was driving, one of them crawled out from under the towel, put her tiny little paws through the wires of the door, and mewed at me. I looked down at her, and it was the first time there was real eye contact -- I could tell she was seeing me, trying to tell me something, bless her heart!
They put us in a room, and while we waited for the vet, I was watching the babies and realized that some of them were suckling on the little mostly-white one, so I took her out and wrapped her in a towel and started to feed her. She was very weak, though not nearly so bad as the little one who had died, thank heaven. She kept trying to climb right into the bottle, so finally I wrapped the edge of the towel around her face and held it together under her chin like a scarf, so she couldn't climb forward and lose her grip on the bottle. She was so cute, this tiny little babushka baby... it was like the happy version of that heartbreaking image of the night before, that other tiny little face lost in the vastness of a blue handtowel.
When she had eaten all she could hold, I held her up to my throat to keep her warm... and bless her heart, she started to purr. It was the tiniest little sound... I just treasure that moment with her.
Eventually, the vet came and checked the five remaining kittens... and they all had the same problem, these godawful maggots in their intestinal tracts and in any raw areas of their skin. Aside from that, he said, they were all strong enough to have a chance at survival -- except that this infestation means that they've been living outdoors under terrible conditions, they've been ingesting feces (!), and it's a safe bet that their mother was not vaccinated... so they very likely also have the herpes virus, as well. If so, they won't make it.
But he proceeded on the assumption that they don't. He gave them Strongid, which he said is not really intended for what's wrong with them, but it may do the job -- and anything that would do the job for sure would be too dangerous for such little kittens. He said to feed them as much KMR as they'll take as often as they'll take it, not to wait two hours if they'll take it sooner... and also to massage them and encourage pooping as often as possible, to help flush out these damned maggots.
So I went to the shelter to give them the vet's paperwork and to get some more eyedrops for the kittens, and I sat down and talked with some of the staff there, including a couple of vet techs... and we talked about the level of 'round-the-clock care the kittens need, and about the situation in our house, with my father needing so much daily care and my mom being 82... and I'm ashamed to say, also my own physical limitations... and the vet techs felt it made more sense to split the kittens up among two or three foster homes, so each one could get the level of attention he needed. And they also said they have some much more experienced foster families who have done this dozens of times and are set up to handle it better, and who don't have so many other responsibilities.
They were trying to let me off the hook gently, but I felt so worthless -- I really thought I could do this! I wanted so much to take care of these little ones... and I could have continued it for another couple of days, I think, but then I would have broken down. Because my mom really has all she can handle with my father and our own six cats, so it would all be on me, and I'm not a strong person at all. I couldn't possibly keep it up, especially since the babies are so awfully sick.
So they found other, better fosters, and split the babies up into three homes. One of the shelter ladies told me, "It's okay, everybody has limitations, and now you know where yours are, and that's all right." But for these little kittens, I wanted to be Superwoman, y'know? I wanted to give them so much... I just hate myself for not being able to do it.
You were all so kind to lend your moral support for my effort... I'm so sorry to fail those little ones, and to disappoint you.
They called me from the emergency vet at 5:00 this morning to tell me the little girl had passed away. The only good thing I can find in it is that, for those last few hours, at least she was warm and well-fed... I don't know how much difference it can possibly have made for a baby in such misery, but... I dearly hope she felt some relief.
When I told the vet techs at the shelter what had happened, they had me take the rest of the kittens to a vet they work with, so I drove over there first thing. In the car, I had the carrier beside me, and the kittens were all under a towel, to try to keep the warmth in... but as I was driving, one of them crawled out from under the towel, put her tiny little paws through the wires of the door, and mewed at me. I looked down at her, and it was the first time there was real eye contact -- I could tell she was seeing me, trying to tell me something, bless her heart!
They put us in a room, and while we waited for the vet, I was watching the babies and realized that some of them were suckling on the little mostly-white one, so I took her out and wrapped her in a towel and started to feed her. She was very weak, though not nearly so bad as the little one who had died, thank heaven. She kept trying to climb right into the bottle, so finally I wrapped the edge of the towel around her face and held it together under her chin like a scarf, so she couldn't climb forward and lose her grip on the bottle. She was so cute, this tiny little babushka baby... it was like the happy version of that heartbreaking image of the night before, that other tiny little face lost in the vastness of a blue handtowel.
When she had eaten all she could hold, I held her up to my throat to keep her warm... and bless her heart, she started to purr. It was the tiniest little sound... I just treasure that moment with her.
Eventually, the vet came and checked the five remaining kittens... and they all had the same problem, these godawful maggots in their intestinal tracts and in any raw areas of their skin. Aside from that, he said, they were all strong enough to have a chance at survival -- except that this infestation means that they've been living outdoors under terrible conditions, they've been ingesting feces (!), and it's a safe bet that their mother was not vaccinated... so they very likely also have the herpes virus, as well. If so, they won't make it.
But he proceeded on the assumption that they don't. He gave them Strongid, which he said is not really intended for what's wrong with them, but it may do the job -- and anything that would do the job for sure would be too dangerous for such little kittens. He said to feed them as much KMR as they'll take as often as they'll take it, not to wait two hours if they'll take it sooner... and also to massage them and encourage pooping as often as possible, to help flush out these damned maggots.
So I went to the shelter to give them the vet's paperwork and to get some more eyedrops for the kittens, and I sat down and talked with some of the staff there, including a couple of vet techs... and we talked about the level of 'round-the-clock care the kittens need, and about the situation in our house, with my father needing so much daily care and my mom being 82... and I'm ashamed to say, also my own physical limitations... and the vet techs felt it made more sense to split the kittens up among two or three foster homes, so each one could get the level of attention he needed. And they also said they have some much more experienced foster families who have done this dozens of times and are set up to handle it better, and who don't have so many other responsibilities.
They were trying to let me off the hook gently, but I felt so worthless -- I really thought I could do this! I wanted so much to take care of these little ones... and I could have continued it for another couple of days, I think, but then I would have broken down. Because my mom really has all she can handle with my father and our own six cats, so it would all be on me, and I'm not a strong person at all. I couldn't possibly keep it up, especially since the babies are so awfully sick.
So they found other, better fosters, and split the babies up into three homes. One of the shelter ladies told me, "It's okay, everybody has limitations, and now you know where yours are, and that's all right." But for these little kittens, I wanted to be Superwoman, y'know? I wanted to give them so much... I just hate myself for not being able to do it.
You were all so kind to lend your moral support for my effort... I'm so sorry to fail those little ones, and to disappoint you.
I understand you are feeling down right now. I do have to disagree with you - you are strong. It takes a lot of courage to admit any limitation. I don't see this as a limitation though. Only someone with no other distractions could take care them.
They had to split the babies up between other foster homes which means no one else could be expected to handle them all either.
You drove them to the vet, took the RB baby to the emergency vet, fed and cared for them all.
Bless you for being there for them. They have a long road ahead and they love and compassion the received from you and your mom was a beautiful thing.
You didn't fail these little ones at all! You and your mother took them in when they needed it. You took them to the vet. You loved them and did everything you could for them.
They are special cases in how bad off they are already, poor little things. Like Bonnie said - they were separated into 3 homes of experienced fosterers so even the most experienced wasn't expected to do what you were expecting from yourself.
You'll get there - with more experience you will get to be one of the foster homes they call in an emergency and with the difficult cases. But you can't possibly expect yourself to inherently know everything there is to know, or be able to do it all.
You had a huge hand in making sure that these babies have the best possible chance at survival. Don't discount what you have done for them.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #30
You guys are so nice. And I hope you're right, and I hope I can become a better foster someday.
The arrangement had been that if I fostered these kittens, the shelter would find room for Dorothy... but since I wasn't able to hold up my end of the bargain, I didn't expect them to, either. I wanted so much for her to get into the shelter today so she would be seen by all the people who come in on the weekend... but I didn't feel right trying to hold them to their part of the deal, y'know?
So I just called Sheila, the intake coordinator, as I normally would. She was off today, so I asked the lady who answered the phone, Mary, if someone else was handling intake. She said yes, I should talk to Dakota. But Dakota was out to lunch, so Mary said quietly, "Y'know, the best thing to do is just bring the kitty here -- she probably won't turn her away."
"Well," I said, "I tried that three weeks ago, with Sheila, and she made me take her home."
"Really?"
"Sheila's tough!" I said, and she laughed.
Then she covered the phone and said, "Maybe you should try it again. While Dakota's here."
"You think?"
"Mmhmm, I do. Come on down!"
So I went out in the back yard and there was Dorothy, faithful little friend that she is, so pleased to see me. I gathered her up and carried her to the car and just got in, letting her investigate for a few minutes. I let my mom drive us so I could hold Dorothy, and she was such a good kitty -- a little nervous, but she stayed right in my arms and watched out the windows the whole time. Only when we got to the shelter did I put her into a carrier, and then only for two minutes.
Everyone at the shelter fell instantly in love with Dorothy -- she's such a beauty, and she just loves to be petted, no fear of strangers at all! There were puppies in little fenced enclosures in the lobby, and Dorothy kept a wary eye on them, but didn't panic. Mary smoothed the way for me with Dakota, and Dakota got us in line to have Dorothy tested for FIV. They drew her blood and gave her back to me to hold, and I waited in the intake room. There were a dozen cages full of critters in there, and some of the dogs were barking wildly, so I hummed a tune for them and danced with Dorothy to it. And they calmed right down!
Soon, the word came down: Dorothy is FIV-NEGATIVE! Thank heaven!
So then Dakota found her a cage right there in the lobby, where nobody who walks into the building can possibly miss her, and we set her up with a pretty pink blanket and a comfy bed and some toys and food and water... and Mom and I snuggled her goodbye... and Mary promised she would go over and give Dorothy lots of love every chance she got. Mary's the greatest!
And then we went and picked up some more antibiotic for Dylan, and a prescription for my father, and then we got home and I said, "Okay, I'm gonna go feed Dor--"
And we both got all teary-eyed. We're really going to miss her.
One last thing to report: while I was at the shelter, one of the vet techs said, "Oh, come here, you should see this," so I followed her into the breakroom. "They were found at a construction site," she said, "and they're just the cutest little things..."
And I saw that she was leading me over to the same burgundy-colored carrier I'd had the five little kittens in. I stopped in my tracks and covered my eyes and said, "Oh please, are there still five of them?"
She looked inside and counted. "Yes, five." Yes, yes, yes!
I explained that they were the ones I hadn't been able to care for, and she said, "Oh, I didn't know! But that's okay, it's a big job. We're taking turns while they're here during the day, and then we'll rotate who takes them at night."
I asked her what had happened to the idea of splitting them among three fosters, and she said that really wouldn't work, because it's a 24-hour-a-day job, so they made this arrangement instead, and it was working fine. She'd had them the night before, and she'd taken half the night and her husband had taken the other half.
So I went over to see them. They were all asleep in a tumble, and they looked better than before -- the Strongid must have done some good, and they'd also had flea baths, she said. They have a room at the shelter where they can give the bath under a heat lamp, so it's safer. They looked so much plumper and healthier, even the little white babushka baby! What a relief!
So tomorrow, I'm going to go over and spend most of the day at the shelter, so I can visit Dorothy and take care of the kittens, too, so the staff won't have that to do. Saturdays are a madhouse over there.
I don't know what I'll do if any more of those babies die... but maybe I can still be part of the effort to keep that from happening. Your good thoughts for the babies, and for a wonderful furever home for Dorothy, are so very appreciated.
The arrangement had been that if I fostered these kittens, the shelter would find room for Dorothy... but since I wasn't able to hold up my end of the bargain, I didn't expect them to, either. I wanted so much for her to get into the shelter today so she would be seen by all the people who come in on the weekend... but I didn't feel right trying to hold them to their part of the deal, y'know?
So I just called Sheila, the intake coordinator, as I normally would. She was off today, so I asked the lady who answered the phone, Mary, if someone else was handling intake. She said yes, I should talk to Dakota. But Dakota was out to lunch, so Mary said quietly, "Y'know, the best thing to do is just bring the kitty here -- she probably won't turn her away."
"Well," I said, "I tried that three weeks ago, with Sheila, and she made me take her home."
"Really?"
"Sheila's tough!" I said, and she laughed.
Then she covered the phone and said, "Maybe you should try it again. While Dakota's here."
"You think?"
"Mmhmm, I do. Come on down!"
So I went out in the back yard and there was Dorothy, faithful little friend that she is, so pleased to see me. I gathered her up and carried her to the car and just got in, letting her investigate for a few minutes. I let my mom drive us so I could hold Dorothy, and she was such a good kitty -- a little nervous, but she stayed right in my arms and watched out the windows the whole time. Only when we got to the shelter did I put her into a carrier, and then only for two minutes.
Everyone at the shelter fell instantly in love with Dorothy -- she's such a beauty, and she just loves to be petted, no fear of strangers at all! There were puppies in little fenced enclosures in the lobby, and Dorothy kept a wary eye on them, but didn't panic. Mary smoothed the way for me with Dakota, and Dakota got us in line to have Dorothy tested for FIV. They drew her blood and gave her back to me to hold, and I waited in the intake room. There were a dozen cages full of critters in there, and some of the dogs were barking wildly, so I hummed a tune for them and danced with Dorothy to it. And they calmed right down!
Soon, the word came down: Dorothy is FIV-NEGATIVE! Thank heaven!
So then Dakota found her a cage right there in the lobby, where nobody who walks into the building can possibly miss her, and we set her up with a pretty pink blanket and a comfy bed and some toys and food and water... and Mom and I snuggled her goodbye... and Mary promised she would go over and give Dorothy lots of love every chance she got. Mary's the greatest!
And then we went and picked up some more antibiotic for Dylan, and a prescription for my father, and then we got home and I said, "Okay, I'm gonna go feed Dor--"
And we both got all teary-eyed. We're really going to miss her.
One last thing to report: while I was at the shelter, one of the vet techs said, "Oh, come here, you should see this," so I followed her into the breakroom. "They were found at a construction site," she said, "and they're just the cutest little things..."
And I saw that she was leading me over to the same burgundy-colored carrier I'd had the five little kittens in. I stopped in my tracks and covered my eyes and said, "Oh please, are there still five of them?"
She looked inside and counted. "Yes, five." Yes, yes, yes!
I explained that they were the ones I hadn't been able to care for, and she said, "Oh, I didn't know! But that's okay, it's a big job. We're taking turns while they're here during the day, and then we'll rotate who takes them at night."
I asked her what had happened to the idea of splitting them among three fosters, and she said that really wouldn't work, because it's a 24-hour-a-day job, so they made this arrangement instead, and it was working fine. She'd had them the night before, and she'd taken half the night and her husband had taken the other half.
So I went over to see them. They were all asleep in a tumble, and they looked better than before -- the Strongid must have done some good, and they'd also had flea baths, she said. They have a room at the shelter where they can give the bath under a heat lamp, so it's safer. They looked so much plumper and healthier, even the little white babushka baby! What a relief!
So tomorrow, I'm going to go over and spend most of the day at the shelter, so I can visit Dorothy and take care of the kittens, too, so the staff won't have that to do. Saturdays are a madhouse over there.
I don't know what I'll do if any more of those babies die... but maybe I can still be part of the effort to keep that from happening. Your good thoughts for the babies, and for a wonderful furever home for Dorothy, are so very appreciated.
