and things went downhill from there

After months in our care, Strawberry is finally going back to the shelter tonight to be put up for adoption. We actually fostered her twice; first when she just needed some socializing, and then again when she was on the (long) waiting list for her ear operation. We nursed her through her persistent illness leading up to the operation (turned out to be an undiagnosed infection), and then through her recovery period after. She's now a healthy, happy, active little cat who's looking for a good home.



I admit that I've become rather possessive of her in the time that we've hosted her, and if it wasn't for the fact that we've already got three cats, I'd be sorely tempted to adopt. As it is, we'll fill out her profile with lots of positive superlatives to try and convey to people that she's an awsome little critter. The poor little thing has had a bit of a rough life so far, so she's about due for a good turn. Alas, after this evening that will be outside of our control. All we can do is see her off and wish her the best.

Good luck, little girl.

We're back up to 5 cats in the house again after picking up the fosters from the vet on our way home from work last night.  They confirmed that the little guy is in pretty rough shape, but not necessarily a write-off.  He was dehydrated and starving (not retaining food or moisture).  They gave us some special food to bung him up, and some extra rich food to fatten him up after.  We're concerned about his food intake, so we're going to force-feed him for the first while to make sure he gets adequate nutrition.

If you've ever tried to feed a reluctant baby, double that then add sharp claws and teeth to the equation.  I accidentally got my finger in his mouth while I was wiping his chin, and he chomped down hard enough to draw blood.  And it hurt.  I can't believe I was PWND by a kitten!  We fed him about 1 2/3 syringes of food mixed with water last night (we ended up wearing the other 1/3).  This morning he greeted us with a simple peep instead of the usual barrage of raucous mewling, so maybe he's feeling a bit better.  atara forced another syringe of food down his throat, and then let him loose -- and he promptly ate some more on his own.  That's a good sign - though he was eating earlier too, but it was blowing right through him.

We'll force a bit more into him when we get home today, and some more before bed.  When he can struggle enough to make force-feeding nigh impossible then I'll assume that he's getting well enough to not need it any more.

I'm not sure if I posted a good picture of the little guy, so I'll steal some of atara's bandwidth.
( Here's your cue to say 'awwww' )