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

[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.