I'm back! Do you remember my story?

If you were reading/posting about 9 months ago, you might have read about the tiny kitty I acquired. My friend found the little one-day-old baby and gave it to me the next day. I came here for advice on how to take care of her. She did not poop for 5 days, so I took her to the vet for an enema. Let me tell you, she was one spoiled-rotten little kitten! She has been somewhat delayed in her physical development, but otherwise is fantastic! I named her Winkie. She had her first heat over Christmas, so I had her spayed last week. She doesn't meow much; she only cries if I leave the house or if she can't find me. Sometimes she kind of warbles, kind of like a pigeon sound. She loves to taunt our older cat, Charlotte. She lives for this.


Winkie also likes our bird, Cookie, a maroon-bellied conure. Cookie is the boss, though, since she is the oldest animal in the house at 10 years. When Cookie sees Winkie in her room, she runs down her ladder, head-first, to the floor and chases Winkie. Winkie wants to "get" that bird, but she's too afraid. The bird waves her wings and opens her mouth and lunges at the cat. Winkie runs away and hides. On her way back to the ladder, Cookie laughs her head off! It's so funny.


Winkie is smaller than most cats. I guess she weighs about 4 or 5 pounds and is pretty much full grown now. I also think she never lost one baby tooth, nor has any "adult" teeth. Is that weird or what?


I just wanted to check in and say hello! Winkie did just great! You can see her photo album here: http://groups.msn.com/HopeEgglestons...pgmarket=en-us
Just choose Pictures, then Winkie.

Yes, I remember you!!!!! Nine months ago I was following the thread you started when you brought that tiny kitten into your home. I'm so glad she survived, and is still a part of your life, she's beautiful!

Great success story!- Winkie is still as adorable as ever

I don't remember your story but I can say WOW! You done great with him, He's gorgeous! Thanks for coming back and updating us, Hope you'll stick around.

Winkie loves the water! She is obsessed with it. She constantly wants to drink, but only if it is fresh, best straight from the faucet. She will drink from any glass or cup she sees (in our home, they are almost always full of fresh, cold water), the bathroom sink (or a cup we put near it for her), the shower, anywhere but her water dish next to her food. That, after all, has been sitting around for a few hours. She loves to play in the water, too, but mostly she loves to drink it. It's almost freakish, because Charlotte does not need nearly as much water. Any time she hears water running, she'll be there! Does anyone else have a cat like that? (I've been wondering...)

Great job! And Winkie looks so cute and well adjusted!

Sam, I did a search and found the threads that will tell you about Winkie's early days.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=16824

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=17663

Now that's something that made me smile today!

She is a beautiful kitty!

Aww....Winkie!

I am so glad that she is doing well! Thanks for the update and sharing all of the wonderful pictures of her!

Also, Winkie loves bananas and pears. If she sees me with one, she RUNS to me and starts licking my food. I break off tiny pieces for her to eat. She also must get inside the freezer. Whenever the door gets opened, there she is, crawling in!

Question about spay incision: We took her e-collar off after the third day so we have to keep a close eye on her tummy. What would I look for that would cause me concern? It looks okay to me, but I've also never seen this before. She licks occasionally, just as part of her normal bathing. We had my dog done years ago, but she was glued up with surgical adhesive. So, what are the signs that I need to look for?

Look for swelling, redness and discharge. If you see any of these, call your vet for advice and possible appointment. Many females will get a small hard lump on the inner incision which is normal and goes away within a few weeks. A soft lump is a sign of infection. Any doubts should warrant a call to the vet.

She's a cutie pie! I had to laugh at your "day 1, day 2, day 3" etc pictures. We did the same thing with our 10 day old orphans and probably took hundreds of pictures with our digital camera.

I can't believe how small she was! You did a great job. She looks beautiful. Please keep us updated.

I'll look at her just as soon as I find her! She doesn't like me to look at or touch her tummy right now, but I'll try.

Thanks again.

Wow, you did a great job raising her. Love the pics! Welcome back to The Cat Site!
I just love these 2 pics, looks like the thought the stuffed animal and the clock were here "mommy" Does she still play with the bunny?

edit: Poo, I don't have a way to resize the pics thata I wanted to post

wow - from little alien kitty to all grown up and looking like a cat! I love the tiny baby pics-in one of them she looks as if she is battling against a head wind!

Hi Hope. I'm Hope also, and I also live in Southern California.

Your little Winkie is so cute. I see she's not much bigger than a remote. She is tiny, but such an adorable little girl.

Welcome back, Hope, and thanks for the update. Her pulling through is a real tribute to you, and the photos documenting her development are great.

I originally put the bunny in the box as a "furry body" for her to cuddle with (since she had no mother or littermates). However, my boyfriend came up with a really good idea instead. In some of the pics you may notice a ziploc bag with water in it. After each feeding/potty session, I heated up the water bag and placed it in the box. I covered this with a hand towel, then put Winkie on it. She was then covered with a washcloth. This provided an ideal "warm, soft, furry body" for her snuggle into. She could also squirm away from it if she was too warm (rare!). Therefore, I removed the bunny and gave it back to my kids. I left the clock in the whole time for its ticking sound. Later, I put some regular cat toys in the box with her, but she didn't really start playing with them until she was big enough to jump out of the box.

Guess what else I did? (I'm such a geek.) I noticed a day or so after she opened her eyes that she would just sit there in her box and stare at the walls before naptime. I cut up magazines and catalogs and "wallpapered" the box with pictures of dogs, cats, flowers, birds, a LION, etc so she would get visual stimulation. I didn't want her to be bored during her awake-time!

The vet was impressed with me. hehehe