Christmas Presents

Except for the babies, Bitty is the only cat I have who is not neutered. Since he is blind, I am extra paranoid about having him separated from familiar surroundings. He also gets stressed out when he is held by strangers. The only time I was forced to leave him at the hospital was the time he was ill and dehydrated. He would hiss at the nurses and they would be afraid to go near him. Incidentally, I became the mayor of Animal House in Foursquare because of the amount of time I spent there, falling asleep with Bitty on my lap so that he won't be too agitated. Anyway, now that he is 11 years old I am not comfortable with him undergoing any surgery unless it is imperative.

Late last year, Cupcake, one of my female cats came into heat. She had to undergo blood tests and then be scheduled for spaying. She's quite small, so we didn't think she'd be in heat so soon. Bitty and Cupcake didn't interact, with Bitty being the snob that he is. And I was also thinking, he's blind, chances of him getting her pregnant were small. Well, I will never underestimate you again, Bitty!

We welcomed 3 beautiful babies last January 5, 2011. I was at work when my Mom called and told me "You have to get home right away, Cupcake's about to give birth".  I was so excited to see Bitty and Cupcake's babies. When I got home, Bitty's miniature version was already born. During the intervals, we got clean cloths, a bigger box for Cupcake, some sterilized scissors and a small dropper. Cupcake didn't have any problems with the two other babies, but the fourth one was breeched. She must have been exhausted at this point so we had to rush to the hospital. Sadly the fourth one didn't make it.

We named them Toffeenut, Peppermint and Macchiato. They are all boys and all welcome addition. As they are growing up each are showing their distinct characteristic, Toffeenut is the wild child, Peppermint is the sweet-always-in your face-kitten and Macchiato is the big and quiet type.

Cupcake has been spayed after the 3 kittens were weaned. But her mother instincts are still there, the other cats better beware when they play rough with her babies. Mommy Cupcake just comes out of nowhere to defend her babies even if they are bigger than her now.

It is a delight to watch these three kittens grow up. Whenever I get home, seeing all of them happy and healthy just makes it all worthwhile :).

Peppermint

Toffeenut aka Bitty Junior

Macchiato

Uni and Chili Have Been Spayed and Neutered

Brother and sister Uni and Chili have been spayed and neutered last Wednesday. Chili was supposed to have been neutered weeks ago together with brother Mochi but his blood tests showed elevated liver enzymes. We had to give him a liver supplement first. But since Chili is so laid back and gentle, giving him medication has never been a problem.

The weather has been so hot here that a lot of animals have gone sick, mostly with symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. A week after his blood test he became ill. His temperature was high and he stayed in the hospital for 3 nights. At the same time sister Jelly Bean also had diarrhea. We gave her Yakult, then Benebac and when she was still sick, the doctor prescribed her antibiotics.

Uni had her blood tests last Sunday and results were normal. Uni is the smallest of the four siblings and thankfully she has never been sick. She and Chili are now doing well. They came home with their satellite dish around their necks. Chili ate right away but Uni preferred to be alone for awhile. We didn't force her and yesterday she ate on her own and used the litter box.

Jelly Bean is already doing fine and I've scheduled her blood tests to be taken tomorrow. Hopefully, like Uni, her results will be normal. I get paranoid with these 4 kittens as their Mommy had kidney problems and left us too soon.

My next project is to have the female cats out front to be spayed as well. I can only have 1 done at a time. We don't have enough space for recuperating as most of the garage is occupied with the babies one of the female cats has left here for us to take care of.