US Ex-pat w. new stray needs help - kitty won't eat! :-(

My sincere apologies for the delay...

The Big Tuesday Update

Slooty

Slooty has reached full crazy kitten status. She spent the day sleeping, eating, and going bonkers all over the apartment. My fiancee has never spent a lot of time around a kitten before and is amazed anew on a daily basis at how exuberant they can be. Slooty's new favorite trick is to play with a giant woven bag we got with a package from the post office. She sleeps on it, in it, uses it to scratch her chin and cheeks, tests her claws on it, pounces on it, etc etc. In short, it's her new best friend.

Slooty has been eating like crazy and BMing up a storm as well. We've only been feeding her when she demands it, and her BMs are top-notch, but we do worry that perhaps it's a little too much? For the record, she ate 6 times today and had 3 medium-large BMs in her litter box.

We're guessing that's probably a little much for a kitten, but she was so malnourished when we got her a week ago that we feel terrible holding back food from her, and maybe she needs to "catch up" a little anyway? Any advice is welcome on that topic...

Luna

Luna is now officially a member of the chicken & potato club. Thankfully, she doesn't seem to mind in the least. She had one BM early in the morning that was very wet but not quite diarrhea. This was too early in the day to be a result of her new C&P diet though and she hasn't had another one since. We're hoping the potatoes kick in and next thing out of her rear is nice and firm.

The Pair

Sick kittens are not playful kittens, clearly. Slooty has been in full play mode for 2 days now, and Luna is finally starting to feel a little better and take notice. She's about half the size of Slooty and has begun cuddling with her and nuzzling her from time to time. When Slooty was going bonkers on her new post office bag Luna first watched intently from my knee, and then joined her on the floor. She wasn't feeling well enough to roll around and bite my toes like Slooty was, but she was a sneaky little devil and would bop Slooty on the butt when Slooty had her back turned. When Slooty spun around to respond Luna would flop on her back with a classic "I'm just kidding!" surrender look on her face. We were delighted to see our girls really playing together for the first time.

I have lots of new pictures today, but to spare my fellow dial-up members I'm only including links to the images. The photos are small in size and will load quickly for everyone, but I didn't want to choke this thread of too much with the fuzzy white cuteness... You may click at your leisure:

Daddy came home during his lunch break and caught a catnap with Luna...

Slooty was in crazy kitty mode this evening and took great pleasure in attacking Daddy's toes and sock...

Luna was feeling well enough to leave her spot on the bed and sit with Daddy on his knee...

What on earth is my silly sister Slooty doing down there? Hmm... it looks sort of fun...

Two little devils, one giant bag (Slooty on the left, little Luna on the right)...

We visited the Vet today sans kittens but she was out of the deworming medicine and told us she was expecting another shipment in on Thursday. We'll be back then with bells on. In the meantime it's a chicken & potato party and everyone's invited.

A brief kitten behavior question while I have your attention - we've already got the 2 litterbox system going. They're both in the bathroom but at opposite ends of the room - one beside the toilet and the other behind the washer (so about 3m apart). Luna uses the toilet box without trouble. Slooty uses the washer box but ALSO occasionally pees on the floor next to Luna's box. Never inside, just next to, and not every time, just occasionally.

We keep the boxes spotless, so it's not a question of her box being "full" or "dirty" ... any ideas?

This wraps up the Tuesday Update. I hope everyone out there is healthy and happy. We're in high spirits over here in China, and are looking forward to getting them dewormed and hopefully get Luna up to 100% soon.

Lastly, we would be delighted to prepare homecooked food for our girls instead of relying on store-bought junk. Even buying American brands like Purina is a bit scary here - after all, this is the land of lead toys and poison pet food. I bought 2 bags of kitty litter the other night and was scolded by my Chinese fiancee for not opening them in the store before I bought them... "Did he SHOW you the litter before you bought it? It could be a bag of DIRT for all you know!"

It's a different world over here... if you have any good recipes for a nice healthy mix we will make them lovingly for our little white fuzzballs!

Hi, I've been watching your thread, it is great that you are helping these kitties!

The out-of-box activity could be associated with them feeling pain when they go to the bathroom, and associating it with the box.

I have a kitten whose butt is sore whenever she goes, and she cries and growls when she licks herself. Someone suggested vaseline petroleum jelly to help her butt, and also I was able to get the feline version of immodium from the vet.

Also purina makes little packets of something called pro-biotic to sprinkle on food. It is to be sprinkled on food while anti-biotics are given so that digestive systems don't go haywire with all the antibiotic activity. Maybe you could get some kind soul to order it for you online and send it to you :0

love the new pics they are really starting to look much better!!

Midnight Update

Luna finally had her BM and it was a shapely brown number delivered in 3 pieces! This is her first non-diarrhea BM since we took her home last Thursday!

Time for bed!

I am so enjoying this thread!

Shad - thank you for keeping us updated. This is such a wonderful story, hearing how your little ones are improving and how much you clearly love them is heartwarming. Thank you for taking care of these two and not giving up thru all the challenges you face.

PS: my kitty has the toe/foot thing - she's never outgrown it. That photo of slooty reminds me of my kitty's technique...here's to many more years of happy toe attacks....*clink*

I just finished looking at their pictures...
They are precious.
Luna really is much smaller than Slooty.
Do you think that she is the youngest of the two?

Good luck with their C/P diet. I hope that it helps settle their tummies.

Look in the behavior section about peeing outside of the litter box.
Maybe you will find some additional ideas there.
http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9563

Todays vibes ... your vet receives their needed the worming meds and of course Luna and Slotty thriving.


Happy poo dance for Luna.

Thanks to you and your fiancé for the patience and love you are giving your two beautiful foundlings.

Luna and Slooty are two very beautiful sweethearts!! And very lucky,too!

Those pictures are adorable!

I'm so glad to see they are both doing better. I'm sure little Luna will catch up as soon as she is wormed and feeling better.

If you are able, I agree that a homemade diet would be best, considering your choices of brands. sharky can help you with the recipe.

You have two very lucky kitties, to have been found by someone so caring

Thanks for providing the updates, they are the sweetest things and you have a real flair for writing. Their story would make a great book.

If you need anything mailed let me know, I'm in Western Canada.

They look so much better, both of them!!! They are going to be very very beautiful, they are lucky to have found you, you are lucky to have found them!

About the peeing, maybe Slooty is marking territory next to Luna's box? I really don't know, or she doesn't feel well enough to pee in the litter?

I will get up a kitten recipe soon I have to make sure it is correct

It's wonderful to see these two little white fur babies doing sooo much better. You are a great kitty Daddy! And you're fiance is a great kitty Mommy! Keep up the good work!

I too have been following your thread from the beginning and I just love how far you've brought these kitties! You're doing an awesome job with them!!
The pics are too cute...I love them on the bag
I just wanted to say ... since you mentioned concern on how many bm's Slotty's having...my kitty Zoe who is now 7 months had a LOT of bm's in the beginning. At least 4 or 5 a day....luckily she now only has 1 or 2 a day...so I think part of that is just their age and of course the rough start they've had. I do think you will see continued improvement in that area.
Continued good for y'all. Thanks for the updates...I think we all really love to hear them.

Can you get yogurt or cottage cheese there? I have some cat food recipes, each of which should be enough for two cats for a day or two. They're not specifically for kittens.

2 cups of ground chicken or turkey, cooked
1 cup of cooked (brown) rice
1/4 cup of grated carrots
4 teaspoons of cottage cheese or plain yogurt
4 teaspoons of vegetable oil

Combine and serve at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.

1 15-ounce can of salmon (or simply cooked salmon)
1 cup of cooked (brown) rice
1/4 cup of chopped parsley or celery
4 teaspoons of yogurt or cottage cheese
4 teaspoons of vegetable oil (If salmon is packed in oil omit adding vegetable oil)

Combine all ingredients and serve at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.

2 cups of cooked stewing beef, finely chopped
1 cup of cooked (brown) rice
1/4 cup of cooked peas
1/4 cup of raw carrots, shredded
!/4 cup of cooked zucchini, shredded
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of cottage cheese

Combine all ingredients and serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Metric conversion:
1/4 tsp. 1.25 ml
1/2 tsp. 2.5 ml
1 tsp. 5 ml
1 Tbsp. 15 ml
1/4 cup 62.5 ml
1/2 cup 125 ml
3/4 cup 187.5 ml
1 cup 250 ml

If you can't get yogurt or cottage cheese, I wonder if you could use goat's milk instead, or offer it as a side dish? They need some calcium.

ETA: Just a thought about litter boxes. Plastic dish pans or storage containers would serve as litter pans.

You are so good at keeping us updated. Well Done, and on dial-up, I'm sure this is costing you a fortune!!

Your babies are really starting to look good now. Its just Slooty's 'yellow' eyes now. I can't believe the size difference in them, considering they're the same age.

Have you considered that they may be from the same litter? They are both so similar. Do you know for sure if they are deaf yet?

As for food, if you want to jazz up the meat+potatoes for them, you should add fruit (squash fruits). I believe the meat to fruit/veg ratio for cats is 90/10 or 80/20, so don't put in too much, but it would be nice to add a bit of pumpkin/melon/cucumber or similar to the dish everyday.

Well Done, your doing a really good job.

Yes, I was wondering if you thought they were from the same litter also or are odd-eyed white kitties just very common in China?
Oh they are just precious little babies. You and your fiance are doing a fantastic job with them. Have you been giving them yogurt, that will definitely help to settle their tummies.
Good luck!

What a relief to read even better news this morning!!

More healthy on their way over for them, and your both doing great with them. It's a good job your fiance knows the way they work over there when you mentioned the litter

Don't worry about the size of the pictures, just post them as you would normally and i'll shrink them, because that way we'll see them bigger than the links

Checking in....
How are Slooty and Luna?

Wednesday Update - Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee

Thanks to her chicken & potato diet Luna is finally getting over her diarrhea and is feeling much more playful. Today she attempted to take on the whirling furcyclone known as Slooty... with decidedly mixed results.

As Slooty is about a full 50% larger than Luna, we've taken to calling them "Big Sloo" and "Lil Lu" around the apartment.

Lil Lu made the mistake of challenging Big Sloo to a playfight this morning, and the gauntlet was thrown down.

For the rest of the day Slooty has been hunting Luna. Hiding behind chair legs, human legs, door jams, boots, boxes, and many more things that don't even conceal her head let alone her entire body, Slooty lies in wait until just the right moment and then sprints ahead and pounces directly on top of Luna.

Lil Lu invariably flops on her back and wrestles for her life against her brutish adopted sister. The play was so fierce today that we got a little worried, what with Big Sloo repeatedly pinning Luna to the floor and going after her jugular.

I read through the Behavior forum though, and had to admit that we haven't had any hissing to speak of. Occasionally Luna will whine (kind of a mehhhhh) when Slooty pins her and doesn't let her up right away, but nothing any worse than that.

I really wish Luna was as big as Slooty, as I really think Luna could give her what for, but for the time being Slooty is the brute.

The other silly behavior of note are the litterbox shenanigans. Slooty and Luna have separate litterboxes and behave as follows:

1. Luna only uses her own box, never Slooty's.
2. Slooty only uses her own box, never Luna's, but Slooty reserves the right to occasionally pee just outside of Luna's box.
3. Luna always takes the utmost care to very carefully bury her BM's.
4. Slooty never buries her BM's, preferring instead to let us all share in their glorious perfume.
5. If Slooty has deposited one such glorious BM, and left it prominently uncovered, and Luna sees it before we do... Luna will walk into Slooty's litterbox and take the utmost care to very carefully bury it for her!

We've witnessed this sequence of events twice today, and can only come to the conclusion that Slooty is the jerk of the family, and Luna is the selfless Angel.

Now for the obligatory photo spam you've all come to expect and love (I hope!)... And please don't hate me for the size, they're ALL under 200kb each and I was instructed to go ahead and toss up em full size!

Luna sure looks cute in this box...


But the truth is Slooty won't let her out!


Luna has already mastered the "I'm the victim!" look...


But despite all the hunting, ambushes, and occasionally bruised feelings they still find time to curl up on the giant mailbag together for a snooze...


Tomorrow we'll visit the Vet and get the deworming meds. Slooty & Luna are one giant success story at this point and we couldn't have done any of it without the wonderful assistance and emotional support of this forum and its members. These aren't just our kittens, there are your kittens too now!

What wonderful photos, and those girls look wonderful!! And to think just a few days ago that neither of them had much of a future;one a stray and the other in a cage...and now look!! They're loving SISTERS!!!! Congratulations to your new family!!