New kitty

[ladyjanelly]

New family member, hope he makes it through the night.

So a few days ago, Kendra found a kitten in a field near Austin, probably a pet that someone got rid of.

Sweet little black thing.  her friend told her to take it to the shelter in Richardson, that they'd check it out and stuff.  So we went back today to get it, and they hadn't done anything, no idea if it had FIV or what.  So we picked him up and took him to the vet.

He's got a hidious upper respiratory infection.  He's skin and bones, and severely dehydrated.  The Richardson animal shelter is beyond shitty.

We aren't willing to invest the $225 for the full regimen of treatments and tests and what-not when we don't even know his FIV and Lukemia status and we've only had him an hour.  We got him de-fleaed, picked up the antibiotics, and the Vet's assistant slipped us some of the high-calorie-protien-vitamin stuff in little syringes (for free). 

I'm hand-nursing him for a few days to see how he's gonna do.  He's already more responsive than when we picked him up, trying to drink water on his own and purring through his snot.  I've never seen a cat make snot-bubbles before.  When he tries to eat or drink something besides the syringe, I think he's suffocating so he's given it up.  He seems pretty happy to have me hand-nurse him. 

The FIV test takes a couple days to come back.  Figured we'd make sure he'll live before we spring for it.

Anyways,

Comments

[fromyourashes.livejournal.com]

oh wook at da widdle booboo!!!! omg!!!!! so cute!!!!!

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

He's tiny. His head is huge because his body's so small. He weighs 16oz. He's all black except for a tiny patch of white hairs in the center of his chest.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

And he just found his litterbox, after being shown it just once. He did the "I gotta pee!" walk all the way there.

He's so sweet and snuggly, and he's started to explore a little, and stretch.

I'm such a mom.

[embroiderama]

Awwwwww! What a cutie! My big monster (see icon) is FIV+ and totally healthy--I hope yours is healthy too, either way.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

They're thinking if he's FIV+ and already sick, chances of him living through the week are "poor".

I think he's rehydrating pretty good, though, and he's already more alert. I feel like a bad person, drawing a financial line of what I'm willing to spend (my husband is willing to go much higher). I'll see how far love and TLC will get him.

[editorzon.livejournal.com]

I hope he's not FIV+ but on a positive note, the ex and I adopted a homeless cat about 7 years ago and she tested FIV+ and is alive and healthy to this day. The vet told us to put her down but I figured that she was in good health and as long as she remained that way then there was no need to do anything but love her and give her a good home.

Hope your little one continues to get better and lives and long and happy life just like our little one has. He's beyond adorable and in very good hands.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. If he makes it through this illness on antibiotics and TLC, the FIV won't worry me too much. They just worry that his immune system has already shut down with the virus or however that works.

He's stronger every time I feed him, so my hopes are high. thanks for your words of encouragement.

[embroiderama]

Taking in a sick abandoned kitten is not the kind of thing a bad person does. :) Vet care can be incredibly expensive, so I totally understand drawing a line.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I get such guilt. And my husband is so instantly invested in things like this. He's like "It's ours and it's tiny and sick and we gotta fix it. Right?"

Piff is still getting more mobile, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.

[tigriswolf]

Oh, the wee darling!

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

He's so tiny and so adorable. He'll walk to be held, and he curls up in my lap and goes "prrr, prr, *snot-snort* prr prr *snot-snort*." It's almost as sad as it is adorable.

He's got this big wobbly head and this tiny little neck.

[lastscorpion.livejournal.com]

OMG so little! Good luck to you both!

My roommate's kitten was FIV+ when she found him, but it lived to grow up. We all graduated and went our separate ways when it was only about two years old, but it seemed pretty much okay.

When we first got our kitten from the pound, he had a cold which developed into snot bubbles and projectile sneezing. It was kinda funny. Now he's big and tough LOL!

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

We're keeping our fingers crossed for him. :)

He actually climbed up in the window sill a little while ago (okay, so it's only like 6" off the ground, it's still an accomplishment).

If he wasnt sick now, we wouldn't worry about the FIV so much. Hopefully he gets over this and then doesn't have it.

[allzugern.livejournal.com]

People suck. How could someone abandon a tiny pet like that?

I hope it all turns out well and the little darling grows up big and strong :-)

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

People are crazy, man. Our other cat is also black, and we got her the week after halloween. She was missing the last vertebrae of her tail. :(


He's moving more every time I go feed him, so our hopes are high.

[skuf.livejournal.com]

Dude, that's one tiny kitten!! Hope the tests come back clean!

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I think we're gonna make sure he lives before we bother. In the time between when they take the blood and when the results come in, he could die, so we're spending the money on antibiotics first, and then give him a week. It's cheaper to get him on a health-plan thingy, and he can only get on if he's healthy at the time.

Thanks for the well-wishes though. He's moving more every time I go feed him so it looks hopeful.

[skuf.livejournal.com]

Ah, I read that wrong - understood you were waiting for the FIV test. But it makes sense - I'm all about giving pets proper medical attention, but it is also very expensive, and if he's too weak to live, it doesn't make sense to shell out such an amount of money :o(

[couchemal.livejournal.com]

I hope he makes it; he's a cute little thing. Keep us posted?

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

Will-do. :) Thanks for the well-wishes.

[nereem.livejournal.com]

Oh my GOD. I got prickle in my eyes looking at the picture. I really do not like animal cruelty or animals in pain- etc etc--i find it hard to watch those adverts on the telly in the UK- especially the bear dancing one- it really f*cking hurts to watch.

What you're doing is incredibly sweet and i'm so glad he found someone like you- kitten snot bubbles and all :)

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

thanks. He's still doing good, so we're hopeful.

Heh. Elephants always get me. There's this video for an elephant rescue place, where they bring a cow that hasn't seen another elephant in ten years to meet another one to see if she can be social. They open the truck doors and she rushes the gate and the other elephant rushes the gate, and the handlers think they're gonna fight, but they just love and pet on each other for the next half-hour.

[hatoyona.livejournal.com]

OMG. I think I just died of cuteness!

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

He are buh-dorable. :)

It's so hard to pet him because it feels like I'm going to press his bones through his skin. He's got no padding at all.

[hatoyona.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean! I hope he turns out relatively healthy! Are you going to keep him?

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's the plan. Hopefully he'll still be sweet once he's healthy.


This has sort of got me interested in doing cat-fostering. There's a really good group that has no central "shelter," but they take in abandoned or hurt animals and get them acclimated to people and stuff before putting them up for adoption. It costs like $100-200 to get a cat from them, but they're in great shape and civilized.

[hatoyona.livejournal.com]

Hurray! I hope there will be more pictures? I am a sucker for adorable little kittens, man.

Cat-fostering sounds like a really great idea! But what if you get attached?

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I think part of why I get attached is not having someone good to give them to. It's a real good program.

I'll get Kendra to take more pics when she gets home. The only camera we have is on her cell.
Dunno if I'll ever actually get around to the cat-fostering thing. It will be a lot of work.

[hatoyona.livejournal.com]

But I think if I were taking care of kittens I would just fall in love with them and not want to give them away. I have friends who train guide dogs, and I know it's hard to give them away at the end of the program. I don't know if I could do it!

[elmathelas.livejournal.com]

I think you're being very reasonable and humane with your financial decisions. And also, even though I know his tiny body is because he's sick, I can't help but squeeeeee over how big his head is.

::pets::

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's a hard line to draw. As he gets healtiher, it may move up there a little bit. :)

My husband was totally attached before he even touched the thing.

[jellicle.livejournal.com]

He's totally cute! He's a lucky he got you. :)

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)

He's doing pretty good this mornign.

[faunna.livejournal.com]

Sounds like he's found the will to live now that he has a loving home to enjoy. When Piff survives to justify the investment in the standard new kitty tests and vaccinations Achilles will make a small donation to the special needs fund for more food-in-a-tube to get some meat on those bones.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

He's a little fighter, that's for sure.

We really appreciate Achilles' offer. Hopefully in the next day or so, Piff will be eating the high-calorie canned kitten food, which is like $1/day instead of the tube stuff that's crazy expensive. Hey, you don't happen to have a humidifier you're not using, do you? The vet said that might help, and we don't have one.

I'm sitting in "Piff's room" on the floor, typing on the laptop while the storm rolls by outside. Piff is in my lap, happy as a clam. He's meowed twice since we got him, both times when the vet was doing an ouchie thing. He's such a good boy.
I'll probably weigh him on the postal scale tonight and make sure he hasn't lost more weight.

[(Anonymous)]

I have a "steam vaporizer" I can loan ya' until the end of summer/midreign-ish and I'll already be in Richardson tomorrow so consider it in the car.

[faunna.livejournal.com]

Helps if I log in!

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

Notta prob.
That would be excellent. He'll probably only need it for a week or so.

Any idea what time you'll be around? Anytime after 10:30 I can be home and let you visit with Piff.

I'm gonna put my phone and address in the next comment and then delete it so nobody can see it.

[spar30.livejournal.com]

Am I the only one that thought you were talking about Kendra whe you said "sweat little black thing"?

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

*headdesk*

Only you, Spar.


Okay, I lie. I thought about it like 3 seconds after I posted it, but I didn't think anybody would go there.

You gotta ask her about her adventures with cooking utensils.

[spar30.livejournal.com]

I hear that we need to invest in nerf skillets before the next party.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

Or at the very least,hide the real skillets. :)

She needs an amtgard-legal frying pan. :)