Latest Rescues

Subject: Latest Rescues Sat May 17, 2008 12:45 am

I just took in a mother cat and a litter of kittens, 3 babies in total.

I'll abbreviate the story, for fear of sounding long-winded.

The kittens first came to me alone a couple days ago, the aunt of the owner of the cats panicked, called me, and brought them over. They were dying.

They were INFESTED with fleas, and then some. If you held one, fleas would run down your arms, and leap onto your body. I got out my kitten formula flea and tick shampoo and scrubbed them down, and as per vet recommendation, applied the kitten variety of Advantage, with the dosing appropriately altered since the kittens are only 4 weeks old.

I didn't have the facilities to hand-rear kittens that night, and I felt it would be best if the kittens went back to their mother to be nursed. I sent my friend off with a big dose of Advantage for momma-cat, and told her to call me back the next night(last night) to bring over ALL the felines. (really bad situation, I don't want to get into it.)

In the meanwhile, I gathered up all the necessary equipment I "might" need, just in case things went south. I just now got the kittens and their mom here into my care tonight.

The kittens, despite being malnourished and still kind of dehydrated, are looking better. Unfortunately, one did not make it through yesterday, which we expected... He was in SUCH bad shape...

Anyway, you're all dying for pictures, so... here we are:

Two of the three, my favorite is the one being used as a pillow.

My favorite on his onesie... He's really weak.

And, the video:

_________________
Xeike (zEEk)| Xeikeness (zEEk-niss) | Boss Lady (bOs-LAY-dee)

Age : 22 Joined : 29 Apr 2008 Posts : 4 Location : C-ViLLE

I love cats

Subject: Re: Latest Rescues Sat May 17, 2008 8:35 pm

Well, just got back from the vet.

The vet was saying that of the blood tests he ran(he couldn't get more than a drop from the kitten, which he said he found as a bad sign from the start) the levels of everything for the kitten were extremely low. Red count, white count, and PCV(if I recall correctly) should have been at 25%, but this kitten was down to 8%.

I asked the vet what we could do to save the kitten, and he said that just to attempt to stabilize it, with fluids and a stomach tube for feeding and oxygen and a FULL blood transfusion.... not only would it all likely be too much for the kitten and it would die anyway, anything less would only prolong the inevitable, and cost over $700.

The vet told me that if the kitten were his, he'd put it down. He also said that whatever the kitten was dying of, likely anemia and severe malnutrition, could also be viral. So the cats are all going to be under STRICT quarantine in the "murder room"(all cement, cement walls, cement floor, easy to clean, and the coolest, quietest room in the house, as well as far from all the other mammals in the home) until they can all find new homes, and be tested for any viruses.

So, I asked for the kitten back, so I could hold it just one more time, and tell her how sorry I am that I couldn't help her. That no one could help her. I apologized to her that her short time on earth had to be spent with someone like her "owner" who would let this terrible thing happen to her. I told her I really hoped that my caring and love would at least encourage her to come back to earth again, maybe to me as some other animal.

Silly as it sounds, I told her I have ball python eggs due to hatch very soon, and suggested that perhaps her spirit could inhabit one of them, that I would keep and care for her as long as she lived, in comfort and good health.

I authorized the euthanasia, and told the kitten I was sorry again, but that at least now she wouldn't be miserable anymore.

I paid the bill and left and went for lunch at Denney's by myself so I could spend some time just thinking. That helped a little, but mostly I find myself thinking about the injustice of it.

I came home and talked to my roommate, Darius, who knows the friend of mine that brought the cats to me in the first place.

Apparently, three of HIS cats, came from the SAME PLACE THESE ONES DID!!!!!

We talked about that a bit, and I didn't think I could have gotten more mortified about the whole situation.

As it turns out, these kittens' "owner" has had cats for years. Apparently, their house has been completely infested with fleas for as long as they've had cats. They never do anything to treat the fleas. SEVERAL of their cats have died of a viral pathogen carried by the fleas in that house that vets can't even identify, that kills cats in the same way it appeared to have killed the kittens, according to my roommate.

I'm not taking his word as gospel truth, or evidence that these kittens died of that(really, having that many fleas on a kitten would kill it anyway, virus or no) but... just in case.

The most disturbing part to me, was that Darius talked to this woman at one point in time. Confronted her about this bizarre illness the cat he'd gotten from her had(and subsequently died of), and her response was, "Yeah we have cats that die of that all the time. It's no big deal, cats die."

I'm not going to even start the rant I unleashed at Darius upon hearing what she'd said about the cats, and that illness. Suffice it to say that there are very few circumstances during which I have been THIS ANGRY.

I called the humane society again, the last time for this issue, and vented ina calm, polite, but very firm manner about exactly what I thought about this cat owner, and strongly suggested they go inspect the residence and their remaining felines. -.- Grrrrrrrrrr.
_________________
Xeike (zEEk)| Xeikeness (zEEk-niss) | Boss Lady (bOs-LAY-dee)

Moderator Joined : 26 Apr 2008 Posts : 16

I am so sorry that this rescue has taken such a toll on your spirit.... you did the right thing by helping this kittens and its sad that you had to put one to sleep... I am very proud of you for rescuing them and I am really proud of your courage in helping this poor babies... they came to you for a reason and they are loved now and really are in great hands.... if you NEED NEED anything just call and I am here to help in anyway I can even its to help you bottle fed them if it comes to that. I am here to help you and to support you....I love you. Jadia and kirara

Subject: Re: Latest Rescues Sat May 17, 2008 8:57 pm

I know honey, thank you. *huggles*
_________________
Xeike (zEEk)| Xeikeness (zEEk-niss) | Boss Lady (bOs-LAY-dee)

Moderator Joined : 26 Apr 2008 Posts : 16

your welcome... *HUGGLES* Jadia and Kirara

Subject: Re: Latest Rescues Wed May 21, 2008 9:09 am

Well, after medications and tests, the third kitty, the little boy I named Suriname, is going to the vet to be put down today.

While progress seemed to be getting made, he and his sister looked a LOT better than when I took them in, he seemed to reach his peak a couple days ago, and then began rapidly backsliding.

The vet took some blood, and he tested negative for feline AIDS, negative for feline leukemia, and negative for a number of other known fatal and not-so-fatal diseases.

According to the tests, he's a perfectly healthy kitten. But his lungs are filling with fluid, and his gums are so pale they're white. He has no strength left at all.

I decided to call in this morning, because for the past two hour, the mom cat has been standing over him, crying. My dog is so worried about the whole situation, he's in there laying down with them right now and whining periodically. I know he's sick, I can see that as plain as day, but the other animals whose opinions matter, are also telling me it's time for him to go.

About an hour ago the kitten started crying, it sounds like he's pain. I don't doubt it for a moment, so I made the call. I'll be taking him in on my way to work if he hangs on that long.

This does point towards the issue being viral in nature. The only problem is, the vet doesn't know what it is. It all seems WAY too familiar with what my roommate, Darius, was describing as having happened to the cat he got from this woman a couple years ago. The same symptoms, the same test results, the same end result.

What a way to start the day.

There is only the mom cat, and the one little gray tabby kitten left. Despite being put on a high-quality cat food for nursing mothers, and getting wet food and cooked table meat supplementing that, and eating like a horse, mom cat is getting progressively thinner as well. The vet suggested an appetite stimulant, but the mom cat eats like it's going out of style. She doesn't have worms.

I am so bummed out about this whole thing. I was really hoping I could do something... I can't believe they're all so far gone. The only one that I think -might- make it through all this is the gray tabby kitten. She's rambunctious and playful, and leaps around the room like her own personal playground. She's got energy and then energy to spare.

I really hope whatever the other kittens had, she doesn't. Sad

_________________
Xeike (zEEk)| Xeikeness (zEEk-niss) | Boss Lady (bOs-LAY-dee)

Subject: Re: Latest Rescues Wed May 21, 2008 9:43 am

Subject: Re: Latest Rescues Wed May 21, 2008 6:49 pm

Are there any tests I can ask for my vet to do to see if that's what this is? I'd really like to know for CERTAIN what it is. Some closure, as the LAST kitten is now beginning to deteriorate.
_________________
Xeike (zEEk)| Xeikeness (zEEk-niss) | Boss Lady (bOs-LAY-dee)

Subject: Re: Latest Rescues Wed May 21, 2008 9:32 pm

thats one of the problems...there is no real test for this. Its often a guessed diagnoses. When they rule out everything else, then they can usually say that its FIP. The vet that I work can tell by the fluid color after its drained off the chest...but he has been doing this for 35 years.
Talk to your vet about it, and se what he thinks.

Good luck

Subject: Re: Latest Rescues Wed May 21, 2008 10:07 pm

Jeeze.... Everything else IS being ruled out. Sad

I'll talk to him about it tomorrow. :\
_________________
Xeike (zEEk)| Xeikeness (zEEk-niss) | Boss Lady (bOs-LAY-dee)