Cuddled!

Cuddled!

Wonderful progress! Tonight she jumped on the couch and laid there awhile, I wanted a cuddle, so I tried to coax her near me, but it didn't work. She left the couch for a minute, but then came back and laid on me while I petted her! It's adorable and very gratifying to have made that connection with her.

She has been roaming around and has been introduced to our other cats. Luna has been the most reluctant and grumpy as we knew she would be. Ichabod, always the gentlemen, has been friendlier, though still not exactly rolling out the red carpet. There haven't been any scuffles, but there has been some hissing. She doesn't seem to be too upset when she gets hissed at, but cocks her head in an adorable way, like "How dare you hiss at me." She shadows them around the house, subtly following behind them, always curious about what they are up to.

I hope the kittens will come soon as her roundness seems to be more and more uncomfortable. She's still eating great though and so far, hasn't shown any signs of giving birth soon.

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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!

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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!

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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!

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Trust & Affection

Trust & Affection

Pets seem to give their trust and affection more easily than people. But when those animals have been abandoned, mistreated or abused, they are wary and need to special attention to show them that not all humans are as bad as the ones they've met so far. Willow is, sadly, one of these poor creatures.

Though she has been here for a week, she still will not jump up onto the bed (taken off the frame for her) if someone is sitting there. She doesn't mind when Todd or I enter the room and has just started to meow hello to us and will allow us to pet her, but anytime I try to pick her up, she cries in protest. While she does not fear us, she also still does not trust us.

Patience is my ally. By visiting her multiple times a day, sometimes with treats, always with kind words and gentle pets, I hope to eventually become her trusted friend. This website on socializing a feral cat reminds me how well we are already doing and good days are just around the corner.

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Vet Visit!

Vet Visit!

Willow, Carrie and I went to the vet yesterday to see how Willow was doing. Great news! She's gained 3/4 of a pound! When she went in for her initial visit right after being rescued, she weighed only 5 1/2 lbs, tiny by anyone's reckoning. Her ears are improving, though we need to keep applying her ear-drops twice a day. The vet, the fabulous Dr.Monica, was not able to feel the kittens inside as distinctly as last time, but I'm hoping that is just because she was not as rail thin as she was before. The vet might take an x-ray on the next visit to determine how many kittens she may have.

It's so hard not to worry about this tiny little creature with such an ordeal ahead of her. She doesn't act very kittenish, I think most of her energy is being diverted to the nourishment and growth of her kittens. When I brought up this project at the doctor's office at my visit yesterday, the nurse told me a handful of horror stories about growing up on the farm and the dangers a momma cat faces during delivery. I'm reading up on all I can and find the Veterinarian Partner site recommended by Dr. Monica to be very helpful.

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Meet Willow

Meet Willow

Meet Willow. We guess that she is around 9 months old. Supermodel thin, but without the attitude, she is sweet and still a little skittish. One can hardly blame her though when it's hard to tell how long she had been scrounging for herself at the hotel.

She took an immediate liking to the catnip cigar and we found her antics adorable and a good sign. She does NOT enjoy her ear medicine though. The medicine is meant to treat her for ear mites, but I think she thinks I'm just torturing her. We are off to another trip to the vet tomorrow, so I hope to hear she has a clean bill of health.

Cat Fact #1: In Colorado alone, 187,158 companion animals entered shelters in 2007 (from http://www.ddfl.org/wanted.htm).

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The Kitten Project

The Kitten Project

The Kitten Project started on July 1st when Dane and Carrie received information about a young cat stranded at a Denver hotel. Having subsisted on handouts and who-knows-what for several days, she was thin and piteous. Being kind and generous souls, Dane and Carrie decided to bring her home and take her to her first vet visit.

Imagine their surprise (and a smidgen of horror) when they learned this little scrap of fur was pregnant! Barely 9 months old herself, this little lady was about 30-35 days pregnant. Jumping on the chance to love and nurture this kitty, Todd and Tara decided to become foster parents for her until her kittens were weaned and could find homes.

This blog will detail the experiences of humans and cats alike and will be a great learning experience for the authors and, hopefully, the readers! Through this medium we hope to detail the experiences of fostering a pregnant cat, share resources on pet care (most especially the importance of spaying and neutering your pets) and cat adoption. Many pictures will be posted of Queen and kits once they arrive and we look forward to your help naming them and finding them top-notch homes.

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