Vet Visit: Good News!

Vet Visit: Good News!

Today's vet visit was a tremendous success! Not only is Willow exhibiting signs of being more confident, happy and generally well but now her weight is up to 6 3/4 lbs (a 1/2 lb gain)! Her ears were also given a clear bill of health, though we are to continue cleaning them daily. They gave her a quick x-ray to determine if her kittens were far enough along to have skeletons and therefore could count them easily, but alas, there were definite fetal sacs (at least 3!) but no skeletons. (The image is alas, not from today's visit, but illustrative of what we wanted to see).

While we initially expected 5-6 kittens, getting 3-4 is actually a blessing. Having fewer kittens to push out and nurse will be less of a strain on her young system. Since she is so young and small, I do worry about possible complications from delivery, but am keeping a stiff upper lip, a cool head and the emergency vet's number close at hand!

[ ... ]

Lolita

Lolita

When explaining Willow's situation to a coworker (9-mos old and pregnant), I had to laugh when he replied, "What did you name her, Lolita?"

The sad truth is that kittens can become pregnant as early as 4 mos old! That is why it is soooo important to get your kitten spayed or neutered as soon as possible - generally, around 8 weeks old. There are many options out there for low-cost options to help get your cat taken care of, here's one!

Willow's situation is far from unusual. She does face a slightly more difficult time ahead because of her youth. First litters are never easy and her young self may encounter some physical problems, but we are sure we can handle it and of course, have the phone number/address of a 24 hour vet emergency room on hand at all times!

[ ... ]

Progress!

Progress!

I'm pleased to report that today is the first day she jumped on the bed while I was sitting on it. She also walked up to me when I made the little kissing noise! She let me pet her for almost 10 whole minutes and only walked away to get some more to eat!

These small steps fill my heart with such joy! She's really warming up to us and I feel like she is really doing well here. She still isn't a fan of being picked up nor is she a cuddler yet. It's possible it could be her personality, but I'm hoping it's just hormones or just some lingering trauma from her previous situation.

Please read up on why it is so important to spay and neuter your pets. If you know someone getting a pet, encourage them to spay or neuter them as soon as possible. We can help reduce the pet overpopulation problem and save many lives if we all work together!

[ ... ]