More thank yous are in order! My coworker Stacey used to foster kittens, and she found 2/3 of a can of KMR in her house that she donated to us. She was there when the babies were delivered - I’m hesitant to say born because of the c-section - and is pulling for them.

I’d also like to thank everyone who’s donated via Paypal. Thanks to you, our vet bill is paid and there’s some leftover to go in for a recheck next week. Hopefully we won’t need more meds, but I think we might need some probiotics. I’ve got a couple of upset tummies, probably from the antibiotics. Luckily, though, I don’t think we need the antivirals.

So here’s a quick honor roll of thanks to my new friends; Erin, Kerry, Margaret, Letitia (extra-huge hugs!), Keridwen, Louise, Silke, Melissa, Ginmar, Jamie, Kimberly, Tillie, Alyssa, Charlotte, Joelle, Rebecca, Lindsey and Erin. I’ll be thanking you personally if you left an address, but here’s a hug from me and five squirmy little babies. Thank you so very much for helping my babies.

You’re also freeing up a little of our funds to have our other foster baby, 11 week old Wasabi, spayed and vaccinated so she can find her forever home. She may not thank you now, but she will when she’s in a loving home being spoiled and cuddled for the next 18 years. <3

Today at work we spayed and neutered 63 cats and dogs. It was an exhausting day but very gratifying when I look back at it, and the only thing that could have made it better was the two boxes I found on the dining room table when I got home.

KMR! Perfect timing, too. For the first time today we are going through an entire bottle in one sitting. At 6-7 feedings a day, that’s a lot of milk and they’re only going to get hungrier. So I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to Lena and A.J. for their wonderful gift of formula.

I will keep you updated on their progress as always!

Wow. Last night I asked for help taking care of the kittens that were delivered via unplanned c-section at my work.

Asking for help has always been hard for me. Last year a neurological disorder robbed me of the majority of use of my dominant arm, and although it was a valid medical problem I couldn’t ask my coworkers to assist me with lifting and carrying. I’ve always been told you suck it up and you make do, so I did. But these babies are a different story. I wasn’t asking for help for myself, I was asking for the five little lives in my care and for them I was willing to be laughed at, to have eyes rolled at me, to be ignored. Thanks to everyone reading this and more, I didn’t have to be.

We’ve received donations toward the kittens’ medications, their care and formula to keep their little bodies chugging along while they heal. We’ve also received numerous tweets, DMs and a few emails giving us encouragement and love. I had hoped for a little help and received a hug from the entire internet.

So thank you. Thank you to everyone who donated, reblogged and retweeted. Just knowing that you all care so much and are pulling for these babies means so much to me. They’re still fighting hard, but their fight will be a little easier because of your kindness and love.

To make sure my thanks get to everyone who helped, please be sure to reblog and retweet this post. Donations of food and funds are still welcomed, with our love and thanks.

DONATE VIA PAYPAL

BUY US DINNER

There are many things in life that don’t go as planned. One is anything to do with animals. The other is illness. Put the two together and you have all the ingredients for a panic attack, an ulcer and an inability to envision anything but the worst.

I have five tiny kittens living in my bathroom. Their names are Sweet Pea, Pickle, Skittles, Melon and Chiclet. They were born on Friday, June 10 by unplanned c-section at SpaySA, the spay/neuter clinic where I work. The mother was a feral cat who was days from delivery, unbeknownst to us, but who for some reason did not have any milk to offer her newborns.

Since they weren’t able to nurse, the babies missed out on vital colostrum that supplies the antibodies they need to fight off disease. That means something as harmless as diaper rash can turn life-threatening. I say diaper rash because that’s the best way to describe what’s going on.

Occasionally, bottle babies will nurse on one another or on towels and blankets because they don’t have their mom to supply milk on tap. We have currently identified The Suckler and separated the problem children but the damage is already done. Both female kittens have severe chafing, cracking and redness around their vulva and lower abdomen. One of the males is also chafed, but not to the extent of little Skittles. All of them have pustules on them that indicate that the infection has gotten into their system and is traveling through their bodies. Because of their situation, these little ones just cannot fight off this bacteria.

However, everyone is still eating well and urinating, moving around and trying out their new eyes and tooth buds, so I have elected to pursue treatment. With antibiotics, steroid cream, diaper rash cream (zinc-free), hypoallergenic shampoo and disposable bedding, hopefully we won’t have to go forward with fluids or skin impressions. In the words of Dr. Dobson, “until these little ones are eating and drinking on their own, it’s going to be a very scary time.”

Still, I can’t regret it. I listen to their tiny purrs, the ones that sound like faulty Geiger counters, and see their eyes open for the first time and I can’t even remember the word regret. I would do it all over again and I will do whatever it takes to make them comfortable and healthy, and to find them loving forever homes.

Unfortunately, my debit card and my heart don’t draw from the same account. I never thought I’d have to do this but I’m asking for a little help for my babies. Donating any amount helps, even a dollar. If twenty of my friends contribute a dollar, their antibiotics have been paid for. Fifty, and their steroid cream and diaper cream are also covered. A hundred…well, let’s just stick with the antibiotics.

DONATE VIA PAYPAL

If you want to help in a more concrete way, please consider buying us some formula. These babies are only 11 days old and they’ll be drinking KMR for the next six to eight weeks.

BUY US DINNER

Even if you can’t donate, please repost, reblog and retweet this to your followers! And finally, if you do donate, please leave me your address so we can send you a thank you card. The babies and I thank you from the bottom of our tiny hearts.

Well, looks like SOMEONE has been in the bushes again. Or under the house. In either case, you’ve now got yourself a tiny handful of “OH GOD SO HUNGRY” and may not know what to do with it.

First things first: you’re going to want to know how old it is. Are its eyes and/or ears open? Does it have any teeth? Is there still an umbilical cord attached? These are important questions to answer because they will tell you how to proceed with the kitten as far as nutrition.

Newborn kittens retain their umbilical cord for 3-5 days after birth. If you find one and the stump is still wet, it’s still fresh out of the uterus and there is a good chance if you leave it alone the queen will come back and take care of it. Go about your business and come back in several hours to check on it. Mother cats are fiercely protective and will often move their kittens if you mess with them, so don’t be shocked if you come back and there’s no kitten to be found.

The eyes open around a week to 10 days of age and they will be blue for the first 6-8 weeks of age. The ear canals open slightly sooner than the eyes. Kittens don’t see well until about 10 weeks, so don’t immediately assume that they’re blind until they’re 12 weeks or older. I’ve made that mistake and now we have Rufus.

Teeth don’t show up until about 3-4 weeks and by that time you’re looking at a kitten who will possibly be in the middle of weaning. These kittens may or may not need bottle supplementation, but it has been my experience that they’re harder to get onto a bottle because they’re used to their mother’s taste and smell.

Taking these things into consideration, you’ll probably have a good idea of how old the kitten is. Next time we’ll discuss formula and nutrition. Questions thus far?