the big top has moved on

The Circus left town today. Yes, finally, the itty bitties (who were not so itty bitty anymore!) went back to the shelter for spay day tomorrow. With a little luck, they will be on view Wednesday, and adopted this weekend. I know, it's a lot to ask that all 7 get adopted so quick, but it could happen! They are mighty sweet.

Reno has made a huge recovery, and is actually pretty close to weight! She is half the size of her sister Vegas, but what she lacks in stature, she makes up for in belly! Look at the size of that thing! And no, it's not worms. She has been wormed 3 times. That is what I call making up for lost time belly. Here you can see how much smaller she is than her sister Vegas.



We head out on Thursday for a week and a half at the beach, so a little break from kittens...although the shelter has a single little guy who is quite the spitfire, hissing and spitting at everyone. I had half a mind to bring him home, and take him with us to the beach! But no...it is supposed to be a vacation, and with my luck, he would get sick the first day there. Maybe when we get back they will have more, but honestly, I hope not. It's pretty cold for kittens now, so I hope they are done for the season.

Joy begged me to let us keep Vegas. She is such a sweet girl, it was hard to say good bye. Reno too. It's always hard when one is really sick, and you invest so much time getting them well, only to send them off on their own. I am sure they will all land well. They are all great kittens, and well behaved, aside from that whole climbing up your leg thing!

Enjoy the last pix of the circus.


Vegas


Vegas finds Bishop's favorite toy mouse


Vegas likes to suckle Bentley's bed.


This scenario does not look good for Colonel!


Sergeant looks like he is pinned.


Sergeant and Reno from the other side of the stair rail.


Reno feeling better...


She gets in on the smack down between Albany and Colonel.


Reno has a burst of energy.


Major.


More Major.



The Itty Bitty Kitty Mafia.


Major takes a leap.


Major practices a karate move on Sergeant.


The Godfather. Look at those cheeks!


Colonel sits still long enough to get a picture.


Colonel is not afraid a no stinkin' dog!


Colonel takes on Bentley.


You will respect my authority!


Colonel aint afraid a no big cat!


Colonel aint afraid of no lizard! (I am detecting a pattern here)


Albany checks out Bentley.

movin' on up

The weight, that is! Reno is finally gaining weight. Just 3 days ago, she weighed in at 1lb, 6 oz. I was really worried whether or not she was gonna make it. Even after 5 days of Metro, she was still not eating much, and her stool was clay colored and liquid.

Today, she weighed in at 1lb, 11oz! It is nothing short of amazing. All she had been doing was sleeping, and barely eating. Last night, and today, she actually played with a toy! She still tires easily, but (knock on wood) it seems she has finally turned the corner. Whew.



Last night, we had Ted and Martha over from 50 kittens. We have been in contact, passing information back and forth about Reno, so it was awesome that Reno got to come down and strut, since she was finally feeling better. They don't have any kittens right now, so I was happy to share! She was happy to get all the undivided attention.



As for the rest of the circus, they are all to weight, and could go back to be adopted...if the quarantine was lifted. I hope they do it this weekend. These guys need to go while they are still little. They are all adorable, so they should get picked up quick. Reno is gonna be here probably until we leave for vacation. Boy, is she gonna be spoiled.

healing

Seems like Reno is on the mend. We went to the vet, yet again, yesterday. She had started a slow decline, then the decline started to pick up speed. She is back on Metro, and after 3 doses, she seems to have perked up. I also gave her 15 MLs (1/2 oz) of SubQ fluids today, which also probably made her feel better. I opened up a can of Buck's food, which is Proplan Chicken and Rice in gravy, and she dove in! This is great news, as she has hardly been eating for the last 3 days, and had been losing weight rapidly.


Reno gets in a little work, even though she is not 100%.


Reno finally gets some of her appetite back!


She is not terribly pleased with me now. The Metro is pretty nasty, and she fights tooth and nail. She still starts to drool when I get the syringe near her, but it is helping, so we will both have to deal with it!


Colonel gets ready to pounce on someone.

The rest of the circus is doing fine. Vegas caught right back up to her brother Major, and they go back and forth between heaviest, and second heaviest. Colonel is right behind them. I think they all are ready for Spay Day, but they are still under quarantine, so I have them for at least another week. Yes, they are sweet, and I always miss them when they go, but 7 kittens who are bordering on teenagers are a lot to handle. I went into their room this week, and they had gotten a roll of paper towels down and shredded it. It looked like it had snowed in there. (Sorry, I didn't think to get a picture)

Buck always acts indignant when there are kittens here, but the reality is, he loves them. He hides, and jumps out and runs, like he is afraid of them, and he chases them and lets them chase him. Here you can see him playing with all the itty bitties.


Itty Bitties interested in the box.




Ah ha! Now we know what they were interested in.

He is also very good with Reno. Here he is chillin' with his little baby foster sister.






I have a friend interested in adopting both Colonel and Dallas! I am very excited about that. They have 4 children, so they will have non stop entertainment. And of course, regular updates!


Vegas lounges on the carrier after conquering the beast of the box (Buck).

Hopefully next week we will have more good news with Reno as she battles back from whatever is ailin' her!

new video

As requested, here's another video I shot yesterday. Shows a little fun the itty bitties have when they get the run of the upstairs.

On a bit of a downer, seems like Reno is not feeling well again. She lost weight, and doesn't play with the rest of the kids. She seems to again not be interested in eating, so I will buy some more stinky food today, to entice her. I started them all on another round of Panacur yesterday, and I can tell Reno and Vegas remember the days of me sticking stuff in their mouths. They fought me like crazy! 2 more days for this round. White spots everywhere! I gave Reno a squirt of lycine gel this morning. She was not pleased, but I got some in her. Hopefully, it will help with the URI symptoms.

biding our time

The itty bitties are hangin' here, waiting to get big enough to go back and be adopted to their forever homes. In the mean time, they eat, drink, play and poop like they have not a worry in the world, besides when I will open he door and let them out! As you can see by the little movie below, they REALLY like to get out.




Other times, they are eating, or sleeping, or screaming for food or "out time".

As much as I will miss them, I have to say I am about done for this season. When these guys go back, I will be going on vacation, and by the time I get back, kitten season should be about over.

These guys are cute, and they will all find homes, but remember, if you see feral cats in your neighborhood, there is an option besides euthanasia! You can contact Alleycat Allies, and they can help you get a program in your area for TNR. Trap, Neuter, Release. To learn more, go to www.alleycat.org. Remember, for every one we foster, another little kitten grows up to live a hard life on the streets.

chillin'

While is seems most of the circus is feeling fine, Reno is still not 100%, but she is gaining weight, and she is better, so we will work on getting her snotty nose cleared up. Vegas is back to normal, and now weighs almost as much as her brother Major. Talk about a rebound!


Still a bit snotty.


Although not 100%, Reno still has the energy to play with the duck!

The rest of the clowns are plodding along, biding their time until they all get forever homes. They sleep, they eat, they make the obligatory messes!

Although the shelter is on kitten lockdown because of a kitten that they believe had Panleukopenia, I was told that John Cougar, Jessica and Diego were all adopted out before the lockdown, so that's some good news. Bad news is, the kitten that died was from 50 kittens. : ( We are all hoping that it was an isolated incident, and all kittens will be available for adoption again soon.


Colonel gives that "Come adopt me" look.


Colonel gives the mouse a spin. The tongue is for balance.


Shoe strings are always popular at Itty Bitty Central.


Colonel and Major mix it up on a white towel. Colonel has the advantage of camouflage.


Sarge likes to foot sit.


Vegas looks like she is all filled out after her illness.


Dallas and Albany snooze in the "bucket" and didn't bother to get up.

relieved

After a week of touch and go, the Sin City girls are both back to normal! Eating, drinking and just as importantly, normal stool! We went from liquid, to normal after 2 days of the magical Metronidazole. Seems they had giardia. Giardia is a parasite, and not only did the 2 girls have it, but everyone ended up with it. The vet figured they would all end up with it, so he gave me enough to treat them all. The rest of the clan have 2 doses left, and all the stools are almost back to normal. Whew.


Vegas is feeling better.


Vegas does her impression of "Killer Clowns from Outer Space."


A nice photo pose from the Sin City girls.

So, the Sin City girls spent 2 days in my office, so I could better monitor them, and keep them from infecting the others, and keep the others from eating their food. I moved them back in with the rest of the "colony" Sunday morning. The elephants are all romping up there and should be on a fast track to get to weight.


Dallas still has that sour puss face.


Colonel has the same look on his face.


Albany stops for a photo.


Vegas just woke up from a nap.


Sergeant prepares for a nap.


Major.


Plays peek-a-boo.



Hopefully, there will be smooth sailing from here on out.