Foster Kitten Adventure (1 Sweet + 1 Feral)

[m3rma1d]

I'm tossing names around, thinking of things that are connected to interests my dear recently departed friend Marleen had. (who I mentioned before, was great at fostering kittens)....

I'm naming the Friendly Gal (front) - Fiddle
I wanna name Scaredy Gal (back) - Cribbage



But one friend said Cribbage is a weird name. Another friend said no, it's good!

HALP!!!

 

[dustydiamond1]

I feel the same about them. Yesterday was the 4 year anniversary of the day my best cat friend Delia died, and my close friend Marleen who was a great kitten foster mom died last week ... So this just feels like perfect timing. To be able to help these two little homeless kitty girls in their memory is an honor.
(but no I'm not going to name them after Marleen and Delia haha)

That is exactly what had flashed through my mind. Maybe just the 1st initial? I am so sorry for your loss. Hopefully Scared Kitty will calm down after seeing Friendly Kitty interactions with you

 

[dustydiamond1]

I'm tossing names around, thinking of things that are connected to interests my dear recently departed friend Marleen had. (who I mentioned before, was great at fostering kittens)....

I'm naming the Friendly Gal - Fiddle
I wanna name Scaredy Gal - Cribbage

But one friend said Cribbage is a weird name. Another friend said no, it's good!

HALP!!!

There are no weird names, only weird cats...and cat peopleI think Cribbage is a great name

 

[kittyluv387]

You're living the dream! One day if I get a house I'd like to foster. I think scaredy gal will come around.

 

[Lari]

What about Darlene as a mix of Delia and Marleen?

 

[m3rma1d]

You're living the dream! One day if I get a house I'd like to foster. I think scaredy gal will come around.

I have a tiny apartment. We're gonna make it work tho.

 

[m3rma1d]

What about Darlene as a mix of Delia and Marleen?

Aw cute, but the names are settled now. And I think our shelter has already had a Darlene. Never had a Fiddle or Cribbage before tho!

 

[m3rma1d]

So by the time I went to work today, Cribbage was already back hiding in the little hidey house.
I had a quick 6 hour shift, came home and Fiddle was excited and happy to see me (she always is) but Cribbage was still mashed up against the back of the hidey house.I pet her a little, and could feel her trembling in fear.

I got their supper ready, and Fiddle ate just about the whole dish (1.5oz)
So now I've refilled the dish with the other 1.5 oz from the can, and I (gently) dumped Cribbage out of the hidey house (and removed it from the cage), and am letting Fiddle roam the bedroom while Cribbage is shut in the cage, hoping she'll eat something.
I've left the room for now, because I don't wanna add any pressure..

Tomorrow I have to start them on the Clavamox. Definitely URIs their breathing and snots are just awful. Cribbage is going to be really pissed when I have to med her.

I dunno if I should leave the hidey house outta the cage so she can't hide? She's gotta eat, which she can't do scrunched up in the back of that... Maybe replace with a beer box that's open on top but has high sides? Guess I'll try.

 

[m3rma1d]

Had a nice little play sesh, Cribbage was actually doing a little pawing at the dot, *before* I started filming of course.
Her mind was definitely engaged tho, and that's a great start.
Fiddle is an absolute delight and never stops purring, even as she's playing!

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Hey! Your foster (and regular!) babies are beautiful. I really love the work and dedication you are putting into the fosters. It's a job that not everyone could do.
I just wanted to pass on something I learned from our local rescue.
I was looking at your Amazon wishlist and saw where you are asking for the kitten hammock. If someone wants to get you that, by all means gpt for it! But at the rescue center, the lady made her own with old pillowcases or cut up sheets and those metal clippy hooks that people use for carrying keys/keychains. It's a simply DIY and will save you some money, and you can make a bunch of them/easily replace them if they become shredded or peed/pooped/vomited on.

 

[m3rma1d]

Hey! Your foster (and regular!) babies are beautiful. I really love the work and dedication you are putting into the fosters. It's a job that not everyone could do.
I just wanted to pass on something I learned from our local rescue.
I was looking at your Amazon wishlist and saw where you are asking for the kitten hammock. If someone wants to get you that, by all means gpt for it! But at the rescue center, the lady made her own with old pillowcases or cut up sheets and those metal clippy hooks that people use for carrying keys/keychains. It's a simply DIY and will save you some money, and you can make a bunch of them/easily replace them if they become shredded or peed/pooped/vomited on.

Oh what a cool idea, thanks! I'll give it a try! I'mna Google and see if I can find some tutorials.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Apparently, they are called spring clips and not metal clippy hooks...


The rescue woman would just take a pillowcase and cut it into 2 separate pieces (top and bottom), then make a hole about 1.5/2 inches away from the edges. Then clip the spring clips to the top of the cage/second from the top side bar.

 

[ans5181]

I have a tiny apartment. We're gonna make it work tho.

I've got 4 cats in a 2 bedroom, all permanent. I feel you lol

 

[m3rma1d]

Fiddle got her first dose of Clavamox, and she didn't *love* it, but she's certainly not holding it against me. Such a loving & playful little thing. Her purr never stops!

Hard to get a decent pic, she doesn't sit still (uh, duh, kitten)

I had to clean out the cage because someone tipped the litter box so there was wood everywhere. Cribbage saw that as a great opportunity to get out and go hide behind some stuff in the room. I'm leaving her to it for a bit. Will try grabbing and medicating her later. I know where she is, the gross breathing gives her super secret location away haha

 

[m3rma1d]

Well the good news is, Cribbage got her Clavamox dose for today.


Can't wait for tomorrow.

She also still needs her dewormer pill and liquid that we didn't attempt the day I got them. Good lawd.

 

[m3rma1d]

 

[m3rma1d]

Hope it's ok I'm sorta using this thread as a journal of sorts. I just wanna be able to document things that happen, and progress, etc. And it'll be fun for their future parent(s) to read one day!

So not to start this "entry" out on a bummy note, but the bites Cribbage gave me the other day were pretty bad. Two of my bosses (pharmacists) disagreed on what to do... One said watch & wait, one wanted me to go to urgent care and get an Rx for antibiotics ASAP. I reminded him I don't have insurance and he acted surprised... Hello guy, you're my boss and you know I'm part time lol
I took ibuprofen to reduce swelling, washed with Hibiclens twice a day, applied Neosporin and kept bandaged while at work.
I decided last nite if the redness and swelling didn't go down by this morning, I'd go get treatment.
But thankfully this morning, the swelling and redness had gone down quite a bit. Still keeping an eye, but I'm really thinking I got verrrry lucky.
Still taking the ibuprofen (tho haven't needed nearly as much today as I did before), and keeping with the Hibiclens washes and Neosporin/bandages whilst at work. Keeping them in the air at night.

Last night I had to clean the cage and I stupidly left the room for a minute with the cage door open. Cribbage bolted and hid in the room. My first thought was, "If she's out, how can I medicate her in the morning!?" so I kept trying different strategies of how to get her back into the little hidey house thing to get her contained again, but nope.
I decided I'd sleep in there last night and if I heard her go into the cage to eat or use the box, I could close the cage door.
I forgot what it was like to try sleeping around a kitten... Fiddle kept waking me up with purring and head bonks and sneezing fits and attempts to play. She'd settle down and sleep for just a little bit next to me.... But then back to the purring/headbonks/sneezing/playing ... Eventually around 3am I got mad and came out to sleep in my recliner in the living room.

This morning I gave Fiddle her Clav (so easy, that gal) and again attempted different strategies of getting Cribbage contained. Nope, wasn't happening. Eventually had to give up and go to work, feeling bad she didn't get her meds.

When I got home, I ALMOST got Cribbage contained but she bolted across the room into a different hiding spot. I finally thought, "screw it" and just went at her mouth with the syringe. She took it. Only lost one little drop.
Petted her a little bit. I do this a few times a day, just keep trying to show her that touch is ok. I'm not gonna pick her up .. Just touch. She doesn't love it, but she tolerates it.

They're eating well. Favorite wet food so far seems to be Wholehearted Flaked Tuna Kitten--Those bowls were licked clean in a FLASH. A fellow shelter volunteer friend who works at Whole Foods got us some Rescue Remedy that I'm adding to their water. And another friend thru our shelter who actually works as a cat behaviorist and directs the program in our "feral" (we prefer to call it "undersocialized") room at the shelter actually mixes up certain different flower essences that have helped the cats in that room A. LOT. And I found out tonight she's going to make a very special customized mix for Cribbage. Very happy to hear that!

So that's the latest news from here.

Posts are useless without pics, so here's a pic of Fiddle with a bag of nommy kibbles a friend sent from our Amazon wish list.


It takes a village, even for a coupla little foster kittens.

 

[kittyluv387]

Omg. How did you get those bites?

 

[m3rma1d]

Omg. How did you get those bites?

For Cribbage's first dose of Clavamox the other day, I tried to pick her up. Thinking that I had to, to give her the medicine. Lesson learned, she doesn't wanna be picked up.
Turns out, she does actually take the medicine without being picked up. (thank gawd)

 

[m3rma1d]

Fiddle is being shy/hiding this morning and it's freaking me out a little. She's usually VERY excited to see me whenever I enter the room. I know I need to just not be freaked out. But... Oh well. She did get her med.
Will give Cribbage hers this evening when I get home from work.