Happy Thanksgiving!

As I write this, the kittens are enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of Purina. Sassafras is grateful to have his appetite back so he can enjoy his half of the can. Come to think of it, his foster mommy is grateful for that too. Now healthy, he has gained back all the weight he lost while he was sick, and is once again growing both in weight and size. He still weighs less than Simon, though, which is opposite of how it was when they first got here.

Simon continues to be his playful and mischievous self. He's very active and energetic, running circles around his more laid back brother. He likes to hop in my lap, but his attention span is something like two seconds, so he'll hop up, enjoy being petted for a second, hop down to play some more, then hop back in my lap again. He's a small part of why I haven't posted an update in so long--I'm having trouble getting him to be still long enough for a picture! (The bigger part of why it's been so long between updates, is of course, the eternal laziness of yours truly).

Sassafras is going through "that phase" where he doesn't want to be picked up or sit in my lap, but he does enjoy being petted. He likes to cuddle up next to my ankle and get his head scratched. Since recovering from the respiratory infection, he has found his inner purrball, and now purrs almost as much as his brother.

The bout with the respiratory infection delayed the second set of shots for a week, so they will be getting those tomorrow instead of last Thursday. If it works like last time, then they will go for their neuter surgeries around December 6th then come back here for a few days before going back for good to be made available for adoption.

Freedom!

Sassafras has been released from the "hospital" so to speak. Last night he ate a little dry food on his own while I was watching, and sometime during the night he finally pooped. Those were the two things I wanted to see before letting him out of the cage. So, he gained his freedom first thing this morning and re-joined his brother who immediately gave him a big hug...er...well, actually it was more like a big tackle.

Both of the kittens seem to be finally getting over the respiratory infection. The sneezing is dramatically better today than it has been, and Sassafras has even started purring for the first time since I originally brought them home! They'll still need to take the antibiotic for several more days to make sure the infection doesn't come back.

Sassafras still isn't eating with the amount of "gusto" that is normal for young kittens. He's not showing any interest in eating the canned food on his own (maybe he's a little spoiled by the extra attention he gets taking his food by syringe at this point?). I'm hoping he'll start following Simon's lead a little on this. In the meantime, I'll keep a close eye on his weight, and continue to syringe feed him as necessary.

Simon was obviously happy to get his brother back. He tackled him several times in a row trying to initiate play, but Sassafras still isn't interested in that much activity at this point. (Also, I think his personality may be a little more laid back to begin with). However, by this afternoon, Simon had settled down a little, and both kittens enjoyed napping by the cage that I'm still leaving set up for now in their room in case I end up needing it again.

Quick Update

No photos tonight, just a quick update. Sassafras is doing a little better today. His nose is still stopped up and he still refuses to eat voluntarily, but his breathing seems a little better and he seems to have more energy. More importantly, he's stopped losing weight and has actually gained back a few fractions of an ounce since yesterday afternoon. Using the syringe, I was able to feed him a full dose of the Nutrical paste the shelter gave me for him, plus he took some Gerber chicken food and even some canned food. It's all through the syringe, though. He's still not showing any serious interest in eating food on his own, although he did at least sniff at the dish of soft food before stepping past it to get to the water. I left some on a saucer for him in case by some chance he decides to give it a try later on tonight.

Simon, meanwhile, is going stir crazy for attention. He's got a much milder case of the infection (assuming his sneezing isn't just allergies), and it hasn't slowed him down one bit. He eats everything in sight, and is a bundle of non-stop energy. He's been a good control case on all the various foods I've tried to get Sassafras to eat. Simon has instantly scarfed down every one, so I feel better knowing it really HAS been good-tasting stuff I've tried to feed his brother.

For now, I'm continuing to keep Sassafras isolated in the cage when I'm not in the room. He's really not up to keeping up with Simon's energy right now, but mainly it's so I can know for sure once he starts eating on his own and pooping again. As soon as he does that, Simon will get his playmate back, and no one will be happier about that than me.

Meet Simon and Sassafras

My latest tiny houseguests are two orange tabby boys. They've been in my home since last Thursday. They are probably between 9 and 10 weeks of age.

At first glance, they look nearly identical, but it's easy to tell them apart by their personalities (well, that and the fact one of them is having a nasty bout with the respiratory infection that seems to be some kind of necessary rite of passage for young kittens. More on that later). Both of the kittens were a bit shy at first, but that wore off in all of about five minutes for Simon. He is very outgoing and affectionate. He's full of energy, and a constant purrball. Sassafras not so much, although it's hard to tell at this point how much of that is due to his personality and how much is due to his being ill. Oddly, he started warming up to me when I trimmed his toenails--after that, he immediately stopped running from me when I'd try to pick him up, and seems to enjoy being held and petted, although he hasn't purred one time that I've heard. So that's two firsts for me. I've never had a kitten start trusting me because I trimmed his toenails, and I've never had one that refuses to purr either.

But it isn't a refusal to purr that has me worried tonight. It's a refusal to eat, most likely due to the respiratory infection blocking his sense of smell. Both of the kittens were sneezing a little when I brought them home, and over the weekend, it became obvious that it wasn't just allergies. The shelter gave me an antibiotic for them on Monday, and Simon is almost completely well now. Sassafras, however, did not respond to the antibiotic, and has stopped eating altogether since at least yesterday. He's lost seven ounces of weight, about 20% of the 34 ounces he weighed when I brought them home. Last night I separated them to confirm what I already suspected--Sassafras isn't touching his food beyond sniffing at it, although he is drinking plenty of water at least. I took him back to the shelter today for further treatment and advice. They gave me a stronger antibiotic for him, as well as a kind of nutrition paste. He seemed to respond well to it at the shelter (I get my first try at giving it to him tomorrow). I also syringe-fed him some Gerber chicken-flavored baby food tonight. The fact that sentence even needs to be said is an indication of how stubborn his refusal to eat really is--normally kittens go absolutely nuts over that stuff. Case in point: Simon tried everything he could to steal some when I was trying to feed it to Sassafras. I finally gave in and put some on a saucer for Simon and he lapped it down in about 30 seconds flat. So Sassafras must really not be feeling well to refuse even the baby food. Hopefully, the new antibiotic will knock out the infection so he can start breathing freely and smelling again. It would be a shame for him to miss out on enjoying a treat that seems to be like candy for kittens.

Homes Sweet Home

Snowball, Socks, and Leo have all been adopted. Socks was adopted by my sister and her family, who were visiting me at the time the kittens were due to go back to the shelter. This was a decision they had already made prior to finding about the tragedy that befell their other cat while they were away. It's unfortunate that Socks never got to meet Shadow. He would have made a terrific big brother for her. I'm told she's doing well, though, bonding with all three of the kids and enjoying being part of a family. I should be able to provide periodic updates and photos of her as she grows up.

As expected, Snowball was adopted right away. I had hoped that she and Leo might be adopted together, but unfortunately, it was not to be. Leo did find a home this week, though, so now all three are home and hopefully happy.

After taking a break for vacation and then taking a week to recover from vacation (caught a bug from someone), I decided I would go ahead and take one more litter this year before all the Christmas stuff starts. I picked up two orange tabbies from the shelter this afternoon. I will have their photos and intro entry up as soon as they're bold enough to let me take their picture.