Thursday, June 28, 2012

Sorry I left you hanging....

There has been lots of kitten drama these past few days. Sick kitten #1 turned out to be constipated. I probably caused some of that with the pedialyte. Once that was cleared out (primarily via butt-soaks, gently keeping him moving, and some very gentle body massage), his appetite returned. Then the healthy kitten started in with these spasms in her midsection...something I had never seen before. They grew worse and I was beginning to wonder if I might lose her. I searched and searched on the internet, and finally found one statement that kittens who were too cold could suffer neurological issues that could cause muscle spasms. The kittens were on a fuzzy towel on a heating pad, but they were in the open air of the bathroom during the day, so I moved them into a small box with a cover (and a thermometer inside, to make sure I didn't bake them), and by morning, I had a happy, hungry, spasm-free kitten. Which just goes to show, you can have bottle-raised a hundred kittens, and still do something stupid. They are now in a clear plastic bin, with a towel over the top, on the heating pad.

Anyway, they are filling out. They still have that pinched look of a starved kitten about them, but they are strong and eating well.



Fern, their mom, has gone into heat in the cat facility. At least she's a "phiiiirrrrp!" cat, and not a howler!

5 comments:

  1. Whew! Thanks for the update!

    So glad they seem to be improving. Kittens make me uneasy with all of their fragility and ability to crash fast and hard on you. Give me an adult cat, any day!

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  2. I'm so glad the kittens are doing well and the silence was from being busy. I was worried there...

    And I love K#1's(I think) insistence that you fix things right now!

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  3. Fergus was constipated after I brought him home (he was tiny and the shelter said he was ten weeks old but I think he was younger). It was probably brought on by a change of food and he stuffed himself. That night he was crying in the litter box and I picked him up (I must have cat mom instincts) I took a face cloth and wet it with warm water and rubbed his little butt with it. Soon after he climbed into the box and let go with a large poop. Then he climbed up onto our high bed crowing with happiness. He probably weighed about 8 ounces. The shelter had done a pediatric neuter on him. Something which I don't think helped him.
    He was the most communicative little cat I ever met. I lost him at 16 months to feline cardiomyopathy and I'll never forget him. He was my feline soul mate.

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  4. Oh, they are adorable and what lungs on that one!

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  5. I used to have a neutered male who's "special talent" was to take care of my foster moms in heat. I miss that boy!

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