The Curse Of The Identical Kittens

Why!

Why did they all have to be fully black with no expanse of white on them *Throws self On Ground*

I have a million pictures of half blurred black kittens with no clue who they are. So I had a challenge.

I wanted a group shot in which I could name them all... (Dreaming right?)

Stage 1

I thought that by putting their letter all the way around their collar it'd show up in pictures that the camera took. Haha

When it's floor mayhem the kitten isn't thinking about showing off its collar. Its crouched down ready to pounce on a sibling squishing itself into a little ball so there is no collar visible. Trying to use memory on who I took a picture of is about as useful as trying to remember the times tables. Yeah I suck with maths.

I know this is C Harlem because she tends to hang out with me

Stage 2

I thought tying ribbons on in a mini harness with each having its own color would work.

A - Teal
B - Red and Gold
C - Purple
D - Blue
E - Orange
F - Pink

It did work for one photo shoot. Tried it out again today but the kittens are too wiggly. I fear I'll tie it up too tight or as it unravels it'll get stuck in something and choke them.

No faces looking in the right direction

(all uniforms are only worn when they're let out for floor romp not while in cage they only have collars on then)

Midnight, Harlem and Onyx

Pixie 'Let Me DOWN!' with Jinx and Lexi

Onyx was the one to show the ribbon was pointless when a frayed edge caught on something and literally turned the entire ribbon into a thousand strands of frizzy blue nothing.

Stage 3

I have quite the history with little coats. Mostly for female cats that wont leave their spay scars alone. (looks pointedly at Missy and Terra).

I had quite a few ankle socks that were well expired. Pity they didn't come in a wider array of colors but I made do.

Line up of tiny tees

With some trial and error I finally had a bunch of kittens hooning around in what appeared to be tiny little T-shirts. By gosh it was adorable.

Harlem sitting still showing off her little T-shirt

As by previous experience getting a team shot of the kittens wearing said tiny Tees is near impossible. Photographing a black cat is impossible at the best of times but six...I highly doubt that will happen.

All SIX. Too bad no one is looking up...

And the girls, Onyx decided to escape this shot

I had to write their team letter and name on the back as well just in case some of the similar colors didn't tell me who they were during the next photo session.

A - Light Blue
B - White
C - Purple
D - Blue
E -Grey
F - Pink

So I think I have it sorted...for now...Until they grow again.

*snuggles kitty in tiny tee*

Until next time....

Reprieve

Friday saw me hesitantly taking all nine of my charges out to the vets preparing to plead their case with the vet.

No idea who is who

I got a nice vet. *happy dance*

For the three Magicians (Cosentino, Trixy and Mystique) he didn't even take them out of the cage. I showed him a charming picture of their poop and he said try natural yogurt. They had been having all sorts of issues with diarrhea and right when I thought they were over it next minute they were exploding again.

So I got some fully natural yogurt in a tub and some yakult (some sort of fermented milk stuff with a whole bunch of tiny goodness in it) that the vet recommended. I was a bit dubious. A fellow blogger had told me to try full natural yogurt awhile ago but I was worried with all the processed crap in foods and the whole 'dont feed human milk to cats' that it would do more harm than good.

Well Trixy wouldnt have a bar of the yogurt. I syringed down some yakult for two days (boy were they pleased with that). Cosentino and Mystique clean up the yogurt in about three seconds flat. They also got a bit of the miracle treatment the tiny Blacks are on too. Trixy does like that.

As of today Mystique weighs a whopping 950 grams, Cosentino 810 grams (still on strike from the regular kitten food thats being offered more and more) and Trixy trailing at 765 grams. It appears at least two of these will be returning on friday while Trixy's mother is patiently waiting for her new charge to cross the big milestone. She's of course taking her sweet time.

On to the Blacks

Size comparison of little Pixie near mum's foot

The vet did look them over. The shelter manager explained their less than great upbringing and I explained their full on battle of fleas, mites, worms and just not seeming to thrive as yet.

He said they looked bright and happy. He said the weight builder was too strong for them and they needed a bit of fiber to bind things up a little (as they were having some tummy issues as well).

His recommendation. Weet Bix with Kitten formula.

Again I was skeptical giving kittens a grain based human cereal. At that time I was willing to try anything to give them a chance. None got the card of death instead they got another week to sink or swim...

Well swim they have.

Lookit dat fat belleh

I have to sneak weight builder in lumps onto the center of their breakfast cereal mix otherwise they wont eat it but by the time they're due for another feed its all gone. (Inwardly celebrates).

Now if only they could learn how not to get food everywhere

From that day onwards we had rises. Some not a lot but there were no continuous downward spirals.

Their weights as of today

A Lexi          
Starting Weight: 380 grams
Today's Weight: 604 grams

B Midnight   
Starting Weight: 404 grams
Today's Weight: 557 grams

C Harlem      
Starting Weight: 386 grams (At her lowest got down to 298g)
Today's Weight: 431 grams

D Onyx         
Starting Weight: 406 grams
Today's weight: 649 grams

E Jinx           
Starting Weight: 336 grams
Today's  Weight 514 grams

F Pixie           
Starting Weight: 314 grams  (Lowest 270 grams)
Today's Weight: 447 grams

So by Friday Lexi and Onyx should be at (or remaining at) a weight in which they can receive their first vaccination. (WOOO)

Until Next Time....

In LIMBO

Well it's hard to say whether things are on the track to better or we're still flat lining...

The three Magician Kitties (Cosentino, Trixy and Mystique) were weaned back on to mince and since then there has actually been rises (in Cosentino's case no drops at all) but Trixy and Mystique are still suffering some pretty chronic diarrhea and at times look quite uncomfortable.

I'll be taking them out to get checked over *again* and to see if there's any medication for their upset little bowels or if theres a further underlying issue on why they are doing what they are doing...

My Aunty does want her kitten eventually *sigh*


On the side of the Little Blacks. On the up side they have names, on the down side I have a tonne of pictures that I have no clue who is who...FUN

Here we go anyway

A is now Lexi.

She's doing alright and is one of the heavier kittens in the 400 gram mark. She has had a few vomiting spells and did take a few swan dives but she's gaining again (touch wood).

B is Midnight. (Yes it is a different kitten)

Midnight is trouble. She's one of the three lower kittens. Can go all day acting like the bigger kittens and then suddenly vomits half her food back up again. She's taken quite a fall in the weight ranks and hasn't achieved her starting weight.

C is Harlem

This one is a serious worry. Unfortunately her weight records have shown quite a steady decline and she's now vying for the lowest weight kitten. There are moments where there is a glimmer of hope and she wolfs down food but those times are few and far between. I will not be surprised at all if the Vet chooses her as one to let go. Especially if she doesnt show signs of improvement in the near future...

D is Onyx

Why am I the only boy?

Poor boy is the only male. He is also the fattest. He's in the bigger kids group and is closing in on 500 grams. Like his siblings he still has low moments but he's also feeling good enough at times to actually play. He's a little sweetheart with a strong purr.

E is Jinx

She's an Enigma. For awhile she was named Eclipse because I couldn't remember the fifth name on my list. She's been rising steadily for most part but has recently had a brief hesitation. Hopefully she'll be back up and rising again sooner rather than later. She too is one of the better off kittens.

F is Pixie

Pixie is the tiniest of the six. She has my heart in her itty bitty paws. For a tiny kitten she has spirit and strong moments of fight in her. I can see her trying  really hard at times and then days like todays that are broken with lulls. Pixie loves cuddles and purrs readily she's often one of the first to greet me when I visit them. However with being the tiniest and struggling to climb back up to 300 grams my time with this little one might be cut shorter than I'd like. I want to fight for this one, I want to give her every opportunity until there is no hope left in her but at the same time if there is some underlying issue causing her to be so little.

With all the numerous doses of worming, the burden of fleas, the ear mites and having little to no nutrition in the days or weeks before coming into the care of the shelter I do believe it will take a few weeks to see them actually utilise what is in front of them

Several times I've picked them up and placed them in front of food or smeared it across their mouths and next minute they're fighting over the plate like there is no tomorrow. Other times it goes untouched. I've tried syringe feeding and sometimes they'll chew the end of it off wanting whats in it while other times it's a struggle to get the smallest amount into them.

Their poop is, to me, somewhat on the way to improvement. Sure they have cow pat to runny poop, a few have more formed but they were flushed out with two courses of wormer. They are also on a weight builder since they wont have a bar of the kitten food or milk replacement without throwing it up everywhere. The kitten food is impossible to get into a syringe with all the lumps also...

So I have hope but I'm also trying to prepare myself for the fact that some of the six wont make it. I am determined to try and get all six through this so we shall see what the future brings.

Send purrs for the Little Blacks and please tell the little midgets to EAT :)

Thank You to anyone and everyone who takes a moment to stop by my little blog.

Total Tally....Nine

Well I've been off radar again. After the passing of Magic and Puss I needed a bit of time and then just got busy so I haven't updated *slaps self on wrist*

So from where we departed I'll continue on.

The following Friday, Mittens had finished her course of vibravet paste and was no longer sneezing or looking lethargic at all. She passed for sales.

I stayed with her for awhile in hopes to get her to settle in. She was very nervous since there was about eight plus other kittens coming over to say hi and to hiss at her.

Clarence was also there and seemed to remember her but didn't hang around for long. He's settled in beautifully with all the other kittens to play with.

A lovely couple dropped in to consider a cat and I nearly convinced them to adopt Mittens. Alas the match wasn't meant to be and as of last visit on Friday she's still there.

Sweet little Mittens

Cosentino, Mystique and Trixy have been alright. I wormed them as they were due for it, they weren't sneezing and there were no signs of ulcers. They were in the 750 gram mark so I was seeing potential leaving time coming up shortly but again, nothing can be that easy.

A series of events have led to at least two of the kittens having some pretty chronic diarrhea. Cosentino possibly might be on the way out of the worst of it but their weights are still very much on the yo-yo.

I took them off the raw cat mince as their return would mean they no longer got that as a treat. (The mince is technically supposed to be a supplement but they were using it as main meals since their mother wouldn't eat anything else). So far it hasn't made their bowel movements better or worse since being off it.

Friday's vet check found no temperatures and no outward signs of flu but Mystique does have enlarged lymph nodes so I've been advised to keep an eye out for further flu signs.

They have also had a bath as their itching was getting beyond normal. Thankfully our recent stretch of heat waves has made bathing better than on freezing cold days. (The heat may also be causing a lack of appetite in them).

Little troublemakers. Eat = Grow Big. Strong

Also on Friday I picked up Six new charges. Six tiny orphan kittens (was 7 but the teeny tiniest one was adopted by another mother cat and her three four week old kittens).

Theme of the color of said new charges...Black Girl, Black Girl, Black Girl, Black Boy, Black And White Girl and Black Girl.

Without collars telling them apart is impossible.

No clue who is who here....

So far with two baths they still have a flea burden. Seems when you think all of them are gone more turn up. They have also been wormed due to their skinny bodies but round pot belly tummies. The one I'm most worried about is Kitten F, she's the tiniest.

I'll be packing up all charges to take out to the shelter on Monday. I have a feeling if anything maybe the kittens have ear mites (or just very dirty inner ears) and I'd rather have them given the once over or any advice on killing the remaining fleas....