Zazee and the Zee's Move On

Events of April 9th 2015

Thursday Zoey and Zazee had matching appointments at the spa (VET). Zazee will finally be able to focus on just being a cat and not have any more kittens. Zoey will never know the hardship of being a young mother.

Zoey presented with some diarrhea while under so she's now in a pen by herself to observe her further. Would have been separated anyway due to her spay site. She escaped her sock coat in record time so she'll have to put up with the cone of shame.

Really? Do I have to wear this? ~ Zoey

Five small babies got brought in but until Zazee's go back I can't take them on. Beginning to learn my lesson on doing one thing at a time. Its quite a hard lesson to learn and I'm very certain I'll have lapses of judgement where I think I can help everyone at once.

Monday the 13th of April was a big day.

Zane and Ziggy went in for their neutering. They'll return to the shelter after their surgery.

Grew into healthy kittens even after the big scare they put me through of not gaining for ages.

Zeke, Zimmer and Zazu stayed at the shelter to be taken down to the vets tomorrow. (Their surgery got delayed and in the end the two smallest got done before the bigger ones).

Yay! Room to run around in! ~ Zeke

Zoey also stayed behind so a vet could check out if her poop was anything to worry about and if not she was right in every other way to be back at the shelter.

Pretty little Zoey, rough and tuff like all her brothers 

Like always I never go home empty handed, return six and come home with Nine....

So now I have four bigger cats that are at an adoptable weight but are semi feral (maybe just shy of 4 months?). They're probably worse than Cleo and I'm not sure how much luck I'll have turning them around but I have to try and at least give them a chance.

I also took on the five I was messaged about earlier in the week. Adorable little fluffballs that they are and we're back to tiny babies again. Some are a bit hissy but its all talk.

Zazee is still here with me, she's a temporary loan so not a shelter cat. Once her stitches are removed she'll go back to her family and there will be no more kittens from her (YAY).

Zazee isn't all sunshine and rainbows anymore. I think she's a bit miffed about being put under and coming out feeling different. (Heh).

I Shall leave you all with the last remaining pictures of the ZZZZ's group as we say farewell to them and next post will be hello to some new Little Legends.

Goodbye picture of Zazu

Zeke

Little Ziggy with what I called his Harry Potter scar (white stripe)

Zimmer turned into such a pretty little house panther

Zeke, Zimmer & Zoey

Zazu & Zeke

Sadly blurry but the best group photo I managed to get. How I wish I knew how other kitty blogsters got big groups of kittens to look the right dang way for a perfect family portrait. (Seen here Zeke missing in action).

Can Finally Breathe

Events of 20th March 2015

Feeling like quite the gourmet chef in trying to get the kittens to eat, it is however paying off and the kittens are mostly gaining now.

 Zane is up around 500 grams now.

Yay Zane's gaining

Zeke and Zimmer are around the 700 gram mark.

Zimmer Sleek black now although as a baby looked slightly frosted

Zeke still a very pretty boy

Zazu is being a bit troublesome either staying level or dropping when he was originally the fattest. His siblings do seem to use him to nurse on.

Who Me? I'm not a troublesome kitten ~ Zazu

Got news that another staff member had taken on Peewee, Dipstick and Tasha and they are doing really good now.

Zazee should be due to go in for her spay surgery. Considering she pretty much ditched her kittens at four weeks old she should have gone back a lot sooner but something keeps delaying her return. She is a LOT fatter than she was when she first turned up here.

*Apparently it wasn't uncommon even with previous litters for Zazee to be bored of them pretty early. Maybe why Loki liked to nurse on people so much.

Zazee's kittens were well enough to be let out for their first lounge room romp.

Peek -A- Boo ~ Zoey

Zane is by far the most people orientated.

Cuddle Me! ~ Zane

Michelle came down for a visit and we had the Z's in the lounge with us. (Amazingly can't find any pics during this time).

At least four of the kittens are being booked for desex in the near future. Ziggy and Zane are of course a bit behind their siblings.

I didn't say you could touch my belly ~ Ziggy

My time with this litter is nearly up...

Goodbye Gems

Events of 16th March 2015

Tanz and Jasper went back to the shelter today. Goodbye Gem's may you live long and happy lives.

Their actual shelter names were Allan and Trevor

Farewell Allan

Goodbye Trevor

Got word not long after that Tanz already has a new home. Woot go Tanz.

The Z's are driving me insane with their eating habits. Either not going anywhere or dropping weight. I don't know why everything has to be so difficult.

Zazu

Zeke

Little Ziggy also a bit skinnier than the rest

Zimmer getting darker by the day

Zoey making it known she's more trouble than all the boys put together

I Brought home Peewee, Dipstick and Tasha. Whoever took note of their genders got it wrong. Peewee was Pixie (but he's definitely a HE) and Dipstick was Chloe but is also a HE. Tasha is the only SHE.

One of the very few pictures I managed to get of this bunch

Zane is the worst of Zazee's kittens. He keeps dropping weight and has little to no appetite.

Slightly grotty face from a force feed.

Looking so skinny and scraggly poor buddy

Cuddles on the couch trying to encourage him to eat.

Eventually got the OK to take Zane in for a vet consult. He presented no temperature and apparently wasn't considered bad enough to need antibiotics. I have to now force feed him and have some probiotics to promote better bowel bacteria but the vet thinks because he's not processing enough food that's the cause of his bad poop.

He is now camping out alone (in his own pen, not outside).

Zane's new digs

Why am I here by myself? ~ Zane

I also made the hard decision to send Peewee, Dipstick and Tasha back to the shelter as they had some discharge in the eyes and I really didn't want the others getting sick. Zane was stressing me out enough as it was.

Monday vet check the vet found both Zane and Ziggy quite underweight. Their only saving grace was not having a temperature. Got told to boil chicken for them and to offer them whatever they will eat. Not sure why I didn't think of the chicken sooner.

Oh and Zazee is on heat again rolling around and presenting her bum waiting for something that wont ever happen again. And really you would think she should have learned her lesson by now.

The Ruby Rainbow

Events of March 12th 2015

Where to begin?

My mother took Jasper and Tanz to the vets to have their mini brain surgery (neuters). I took Ruby out to the shelter for a check over due to her lethargy and puffiness between her eyes,
Zazee and her babies also came out for a check and to seek some advice.

Zazzee's babies all got their vaccinations.

Zazee's belly was like an inflatable balloon when I got home from holidays (was weaned from her kits for good) and in panic worrying about the pain she was in I put her back in with them.

I got told by the vets it was a natural process and she needs to be kept away from them for good. If nothing is stimulating her to make more milk she will stop producing it and it'll dry up. *face palm*

Then came the not so good news...

All the while Ruby was a baby, struggling to breathe, every time I'd go to a vet check I'd console myself with the fact that if they decided to let her go, I'd be ready.

Every time I thought that they sent me home with her.

Today, I thought, she's been treated for everything else, why not a bit of puffiness on the face?

The vet took her temperature.

40.7

Going over her long medical history he gave Leanne one look. Sadly she nodded.

A tiny baby struggling to breathe with undiagnosed pneumonia

I has an itchy chin ~ Ruby (still fighting pneumonia)

A bit of a break from illness but still over 100g below siblings

Cuddling with mum

She gave a great big fight but she just never caught a proper break. I don't know why she was so prone to getting the bad straw in a pack but she had a lot longer on this earth than I had first thought.

I'm so lucky I got to know her.

I can wish as much as I like that things were different but they just aren't. Decisions like these are hard on everyone, not just me but everyone. For most part every illness gets treated but eventually it gets to a point that if an animal is relapsing there has to be a cause.

There has to be an overall evaluation of how much more they can continue to treat an animal and if it will ever get to a proper, healthy, quality of life.

Ruby fought so hard but pneumonia, being much smaller than her siblings, her random puffy ear, now a potential abscess or something on the face along with a high temperature her report card was beginning to show more bad than good.

I won't lie. I didn't see it coming at all. I'd lulled myself into a false sense of security because of all the other times she'd gone in looking sick but came out with more medications.

Rest in peace little Ruby, thank you for being a Little Legend...

Back From Vacation

Events of March 5th 2015

Time flew while I was gone but I missed my fosters and Leo.

My brother kept the kids alive while I was gone. The only oops was he gave them dry ID food while I was gone as he couldn't find (or didn't look) for the kitten dry.

Right after I got home my laptop decided even being neglected for a week was too much for it and so it promptly died. That's one way to give me the silent treatment. More than a little miffed as it was only just a little over a year old if that.

So using my brother's older, very slow, clunky laptop.

Ruby got taken in to the vets because one of her ears was puffy to the point it flopped over on the side. That was sorted as possibly being bitten on an ear by a sibling or nicking a blood vessel. It seemed to resolve on its own.

A few days later Ruby got very off color during the lounge room romp. She was quiet the night before but that night she seemed to develop a puffiness between her eyes. It was very odd. She slept most of the night away on my mother's lap and wasn't behaving like her full on siblings. The heat she was radiating made me also suspect she was running a high temperature. She overcame so much but just when everything is going good she gets dragged back down with something else.

When will this kitten catch a break?

Poor darling isn't feeling so good

Puzzles and Preparation

Events of February 18th 2015

Typically right before I'm due to go away on a holiday there's hiccups with kittens. *sigh*

Zazee's kittens have hit a plateau. They haven't gained in at least two days. Needless to say I've begun supplementing them.

Zeke seems to have it figured out...

I demand more food lady! ~ Zazu

(totally love the splayed "this is mine" paws of Zeke at the top)

Ziggy singing me the song of his people.

Trying to get Ruby to eat from a saucer instead of being a princess and needing to be spoon fed. I've had Ruby, Jasper and Tanz out for a run in the lounge but I don't have them out for very long considering their mother may stress a bit.

Oh the fun that can be had with a box

Bouncy kittens

All of them decided to look everywhere but at the camera...

Parents lured down to the floor to play with the kittens and their toys...

Finally! Hello there Tanz

Jasper claiming the newspaper as his own.

Pretty much weaning Zazee's babies. Or more to the point she's doing that herself. Its like they've hit close to four weeks and she's dusting her paws of them. She has been having issues with throwing her dinner up and not settling down to nurse.

Sapphire returned on the 23rd. She had her own bowel issues but the vet suspect she was gorging the food and therefore making herself have the issue. (I tend to have food available all the time for young kittens, sometimes bigger cats eat because its there and not because they're hungry).

Food is there to be eaten ~ Sapphire

Waiting at the vets to be seen

The vet did a quick snap test on Zazee for Feline Aids. She's been come and go as you please in her own home and in contact with other cats so there was a chance. Thankfully the test came back negative. It was decided that we would remove her during the day and put her back in with her kittens overnight and see if that helped. She had less milk than Sapphire.

Zazee spending her days in the rabbit hutch.