I posted late last night about the possibility of my bringing home a new kitten today and am here to report that I did, in fact, bring home a lovely baby boy kitten this afternoon (you can read that thread, if you'd like here: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=208427). And, let me just say, I am in love
.
The kitten was dropped off to me this afternoon after I got off of my shift at work (I work at PetSmart). Because of the difficult start to his life, I wanted to get him seen immediately by a vet and was thankful to be able to get him in just an hour after having him brought to me. I was told that he was a she, but, as it turns out, he is definitely a boy. I was also told he had received his first set of shots as well as the combo snap test for FeLFV/FIV and was negative (last night I was told nothing, but this morning they proclaimed he was seen at the vet). Well, that was a lie and my aunt called me just minutes before his vet appointment to tell me that they had told me he was tested just so I'd take him
. I guess I can be thankful they told me, right? Ugh, but I'm still angry. But, really, that's not important...
I doubted his age (and everything else I was told) after that point so really went all out at the vet appointment. It turns out they do feel he's about 7-9 weeks old and that he is remarkably healthy considering all he's been through (coyote bite, URI, being outdoors, and more). His ears were filthy, but they saw no evidence of ear mites under the microscope. And, while he did have roundworms, he wasn't too bad off. They did the FeLV/FIV test and he was negative (thank God!) and he received his first round of vaccinations. He was given a de-wormer, his ears were cleaned, and they looked at his eyes which appeared to have some sort of infection (conjunctivitis). I had an unopened tube of Dexaspor at home for one of my other cats and the vet said I could put a small ribbon of ointment into each of his eyes twice daily for 5 days. They didn't prescribe an antibiotic as he wasn't sneezing, wheezing, or having nasal discharge, but if need be, they will give me something to give him. He weighed in at 1 pound, 9 ounces and they said he was right on track for an 8-ish week old kitten. He has no fleas or other external parasites and was really given a clean bill of health considering. And, I'm thrilled! I was so worried there would be something wrong with him that it was a blessing to know that he is right where he should be and that his URI and/or conjunctivitis should clear without too much trouble. In short, my new little guy is here to stay and I'm so in love with him already
.
I'm a typical worry-wart so I'm still anxious that something will happen to take him from me, but I have the vet saying he's good and unless I have a reason to believe otherwise, I need to accept that and open my heart to the babe. I have him set up in the spare bedroom in a large crate with a litter pan (non-clumping clay litter), his food and water dish, and a fleece throw. He pooped in the vet's office (a nice poopy, too!) but hasn't urinated yet as far as I can tell. But, if I remember correctly, it sometimes takes them some time to get comfortable enough to begin using their litter pan. I fed him about 1/2 can of Authority kitten wet food and a little Purina One kitten dry and he ate that and drank some water immediately. I'm going to switch him to a better dry and probably a better wet as well, but since he was eating a very low quality food at my aunt and uncle's house, I didn't want to switch him to something much more rich (I cannot feed him the food they fed him as they don't even remember what kind it was
. The vet okayed a cold food switch so we're doing that and I suspect he'll acclimate without too much trouble. He finished everything and I left him for the night with some dry food and fresh water, but he's doing so well -- I couldn't be happier!
I think we've settled on the name Finnegan for him (Finn for short) as I couldn't bear to call him Furby which is what my family was calling him. I think that name will suit him as he's a puffy (the vet says he'll definitely be DMH at the very least) ginger and white (more white than red tabby) boy. He's so sweet -- purrs so loud and is content just to curl up in your arms and sleep. But, he can also be a bit of a punk which I love! I'm sure more of his personality will come out in the next few days and I just can't wait to get to know him and bond with him. I'm totally in love. It's been a while since I've had such a young baby and I am just excited to watch him grow up. I wasn't looking for a kitten or cat, but he came to me and it's just flowed ever since. For me, that's a signal that I did the right thing in bringing him home.
I'm going to try to get some pics of him tomorrow to share, but he was too traumatized after his very long day that I didn't want to mess with him this evening. He's sleeping comfortably now and I'm going to be heading to bed soon as well. But, I just wanted to come back and share about my new baby Finn. Oh, and did I mention I love him
?!
We can still use some vibes (mostly for my anxiety and irrational fear), but it looks like we made it through the day relatively unscathed. I can't wait to share his photos with you all, but I must as I'm sitting here falling asleep. I'm just so excited. Finn definitely has me feeling grateful today and I know he's thankful as well...
The kitten was dropped off to me this afternoon after I got off of my shift at work (I work at PetSmart). Because of the difficult start to his life, I wanted to get him seen immediately by a vet and was thankful to be able to get him in just an hour after having him brought to me. I was told that he was a she, but, as it turns out, he is definitely a boy. I was also told he had received his first set of shots as well as the combo snap test for FeLFV/FIV and was negative (last night I was told nothing, but this morning they proclaimed he was seen at the vet). Well, that was a lie and my aunt called me just minutes before his vet appointment to tell me that they had told me he was tested just so I'd take him
I doubted his age (and everything else I was told) after that point so really went all out at the vet appointment. It turns out they do feel he's about 7-9 weeks old and that he is remarkably healthy considering all he's been through (coyote bite, URI, being outdoors, and more). His ears were filthy, but they saw no evidence of ear mites under the microscope. And, while he did have roundworms, he wasn't too bad off. They did the FeLV/FIV test and he was negative (thank God!) and he received his first round of vaccinations. He was given a de-wormer, his ears were cleaned, and they looked at his eyes which appeared to have some sort of infection (conjunctivitis). I had an unopened tube of Dexaspor at home for one of my other cats and the vet said I could put a small ribbon of ointment into each of his eyes twice daily for 5 days. They didn't prescribe an antibiotic as he wasn't sneezing, wheezing, or having nasal discharge, but if need be, they will give me something to give him. He weighed in at 1 pound, 9 ounces and they said he was right on track for an 8-ish week old kitten. He has no fleas or other external parasites and was really given a clean bill of health considering. And, I'm thrilled! I was so worried there would be something wrong with him that it was a blessing to know that he is right where he should be and that his URI and/or conjunctivitis should clear without too much trouble. In short, my new little guy is here to stay and I'm so in love with him already
I'm a typical worry-wart so I'm still anxious that something will happen to take him from me, but I have the vet saying he's good and unless I have a reason to believe otherwise, I need to accept that and open my heart to the babe. I have him set up in the spare bedroom in a large crate with a litter pan (non-clumping clay litter), his food and water dish, and a fleece throw. He pooped in the vet's office (a nice poopy, too!) but hasn't urinated yet as far as I can tell. But, if I remember correctly, it sometimes takes them some time to get comfortable enough to begin using their litter pan. I fed him about 1/2 can of Authority kitten wet food and a little Purina One kitten dry and he ate that and drank some water immediately. I'm going to switch him to a better dry and probably a better wet as well, but since he was eating a very low quality food at my aunt and uncle's house, I didn't want to switch him to something much more rich (I cannot feed him the food they fed him as they don't even remember what kind it was
I think we've settled on the name Finnegan for him (Finn for short) as I couldn't bear to call him Furby which is what my family was calling him. I think that name will suit him as he's a puffy (the vet says he'll definitely be DMH at the very least) ginger and white (more white than red tabby) boy. He's so sweet -- purrs so loud and is content just to curl up in your arms and sleep. But, he can also be a bit of a punk which I love! I'm sure more of his personality will come out in the next few days and I just can't wait to get to know him and bond with him. I'm totally in love. It's been a while since I've had such a young baby and I am just excited to watch him grow up. I wasn't looking for a kitten or cat, but he came to me and it's just flowed ever since. For me, that's a signal that I did the right thing in bringing him home.
I'm going to try to get some pics of him tomorrow to share, but he was too traumatized after his very long day that I didn't want to mess with him this evening. He's sleeping comfortably now and I'm going to be heading to bed soon as well. But, I just wanted to come back and share about my new baby Finn. Oh, and did I mention I love him
We can still use some vibes (mostly for my anxiety and irrational fear), but it looks like we made it through the day relatively unscathed. I can't wait to share his photos with you all, but I must as I'm sitting here falling asleep. I'm just so excited. Finn definitely has me feeling grateful today and I know he's thankful as well...
