Taking Care of Each Other

These four kittens were born last October 2, 2009.

We helped their mother Mallows give birth to them, they are very close to my heart. The firstborn is Mochi, then Uni, followed by Jelly Bean and the last baby was breech and he is Chili. They are now 4 months old and as is expected, very curious of their surroundings. They would often race me to get inside my room and play there and push my things off the table.

Last Jan 18, while I was on a business trip, my Mom sent me an sms that Jelly Bean was not eating and was hot to the touch. Just losing their mother Mallows, I was already paranoid. Jelly Bean was the smallest and to look at her, she was so frail.

Based on her blood tests, she had high liver enzyme values and also had a viral infection. I was quite relieved that it was not kidney failure but it was better for her to stay at the hospital where she can be hydrated and given medication.

Before going to visit her, we noticed that Chili was also lethargic. We could see it in his coat and his face looked different as well. So while visiting his sister, he also had an exam. He didn't have any infection but his liver enzymes were elevated. He was confined next to Jelly Bean.

 

These two would compete for attention when we visited them, so we took turns carrying them while they slept. They would also eat when hand fed which was a good sign. At home, we kept a close watch on Uni and Mochi. Uni was so sweet at this time, as if she was trying to comfort me. Mochi, on the other hand, started sneezing and we took him with us in one of the visits to Jelly Bean and Chili. He was prescribed antibiotics and vitamins for his colds. 

Jelly Bean and Chili were confined for 6 and 5 days respectively. They were given a clean bill of health and were finally able to go home. I think Mallows would be happy with the way things turned out. Maybe because of all the stress, I got sick too and had to stay at home the next day, where the kittens in turn kept me company.

Where Do I Sleep?

It's a good thing I now have a double bed, with the number of my kitties wanting to sleep in our room. I used to have a single bed but Bitty kept on falling from the side. Whenever it's time to go upstairs, there would be a loud noise of cat paws running up the stairs, one has to be careful not to step on them and fall. It's good also to have a lot of patience as they like to keep their noses in on whatever I'm doing. When I'm working on my laptop, there would be several trying to run on the keyboards or sleep on top of it. Or when I would get something from the closet or drawer, Oatmeal especially, loves to poke her head in or play inside and mess up my clothes and shoes. But that's just part of everyday life. 
When I close the lights everyone would take up their favorite spot, I just have to be quick and find a place for myself before I end up sleeping on the floor.

We Miss You Mallows

Mallows came into our lives one day and then left just as quickly. But during this short time, a precious bond was formed between us.

She passed away last January 12 at 12:30 AM. It was so sudden, one day she was doing fine and the next she was gone. She was diagnosed to have acute renal failure. She was vomiting and I brought her to the hospital. They couldn't see anything wrong with her except that she had gas. The next day she wouldn't eat and had grown weak. She was brought back to the hospital and when she was checked, she was already dehydrated and her temperature had dropped. We had her admitted and she was put on IV fluids. In the wee hours of the morning she was gone.

Mallows was a sweet and quiet cat. I have so many good memories of her. She left behind four beautiful kittens. I am happy that I have a part of her with us but I also feed bad when I think that they no longer have their mom. Mallows was such a loving mother. She took care of her babies well. I think they miss her as just today one of her kittens was trying to nurse from Chester, one of our male cats.

We may have had a short time together but I will always treasure these times and though it hurts that she is no longer here, I wouldn't have it any other way.

One Day at the Vet's....

December is the time of the year I spend almost every weekend at the vet's clinic. Most of my cat's annual vaccination are scheduled at this time. I saw a poster with a feral cat standing in the corner and the caption was "Homeless Not Worthless". I felt a pinch in the region of my heart. I agree wholeheartedly.

Update on Gummy Bear

Gummy's collar is off and it's business as usual. His spraying behavior has lessened and we've noticed that he's not as aggressive as before. And I was really surprised earlier when I saw him playing with the kittens. He was like a little kitten himself. He was tender with them and it was more like nibbles and not really bites which he gives the others and us humans. He was so cute hiding beside the refrigerator waiting for his playmates to finish drinking. He's currently playing tag with Jelly Bean, the smallest kitten of the 4.

Chester

Chester is probably one of the nicest cats I've ever met. Good thing he's living with us. He is a brown tabby and now also a fat cat. His favorite activity is sleeping but he also likes to play with his toys now and then. He's the first cat we adopted from the streets who was already full grown as we always make it a point to adopt when they are kittens so as not to cause problems with the other adults in the house. He's like a puppy, he answers and comes to us when we call him - and I mean EVERYTIME we call him. Even a nod of the head will suffice for him, he'll come answering. He also knows how to follow directions, when he was still living outside, he would accompany us to the store and when we'd tell him to wait, he will wait and we would go home together. He's now an indoor kitty and safer inside the house.

However, last December 30, he decided to sleep in a basket which was a container for some Christmas giveaways. I don't know what happened but the basket fell with him still inside. He couldn't put weight on his right hind leg. He had an x-ray and fortunately he didn't break any bone. He was given pain killers and my Mom massages his leg every so often. He's doing better now, just saw him sleeping in the clothes hamper earlier. I learned a lesson never to leave baskets where they can reach them and where they might fall.

Gummy Bear Got Neutered

Gummy Bear was neutered last December 24, 2009. We waited long because one of his balls had not descended. Buts since he was becoming aggressive and spraying all over the house, we consulted with his vet and she said they would do the operation. When I got him, he had stitches as the vet said the operation was not a simple neutering and they had to look for the undescended testicle. His being such a fat cat didn't help either. He looked so cute with a collar. But still the feisty cat when we had to clean his wound. The stitches were removed last Friday. I haven't seen him spray yet and hopefully this urge will be gone for good. He's still our grumpy cat though. :-)