Furry Friday: Hope survived the night

[mellowtigger]

While I was working on a video camera at the Receiving computer in Saint Paul on Monday, someone tried to drop off with me (alone at the desk) a kitten that looked nearly dead.  It laid flat on its side, it was cold, it didn’t open its eyes more than a slit, and it couldn’t make a proper meow.  Its voice quivered so much that attempts to meow didn’t sound feline at all.

I'm just an I.T. technician, so I work with computers rather than customers and animals.  I hurried deeper into the building to get staff who could help.  I found someone, and she put the kitten on a heating pad and applied karo syrup to its gums.  The staff named her Hope, and she weighed in at 1.13 pounds.  They noted later that she “came in very cold and lifeless”.  Hope survived the night, though, and is recovering nicely.

She stayed under vet supervision for a few days, and I picked her up yesterday afternoon for a 3-week foster.  After that time, we expect that she'll weigh enough for spay surgery, and then she can go on to adoption.

This experience is my first time fostering any animal.  I was worried last night that Hope wasn't eating anything, but this morning she finally ate several pieces of canned cat food.  She tried to eat one of the dry food kibbles too, but that hard stuff is still a lot of work for her tiny mouth.

She's prescribed two medicines (Clavamox and Panacur) while in my care.  I've never given a cat medicine before, but it went rather well this morning.  I slowly squirted the stuff into her mouth, and almost all of it actually stayed in her mouth.  She forgave me quickly.  She started purring again after just a little cuddling.

I'll feel a lot better once I see her drink water.  I'll go somewhere today to buy an old electric heating pad that doesn't automatically shut off.  (It's still possible to buy them, as I learned at the Wildlife Rehabilitator conference several months ago.)

She's staying in the basement of the house, sequestered from my cat T'Reese.  So far T'Reese has been very curious, wondering what exciting things are happening on the other side of the closed door, out of her reach.

Time to shower and get ready for work this morning.

I'm a (foster) mommy!

Comments

[drewan.livejournal.com]

She's very cute. I think it's great that you are taking such good care of her.

[mellowtigger]

It's probably good that I don't work in the Receiving department. I think that I would get emotionally involved in too many hard luck cases that come through our doors. The unpredictable opportunities in this job, though, do make a nice side benefit. :)

[randomcub.livejournal.com]

ADORABLE! OMG, kitten love! *squee*

[mellowtigger]

Her fur is really thick too. I think maybe Hope has been outdoors since birth, so she's already got a good mat of winter fur developed.

[geometrician.livejournal.com]

She looks right at home parked there on your toes!

[mellowtigger]

And she's already healthy enough to jump over some knee-high boxes that I was using to pen her into one safe area of the basement. Now it's time this weekend to make a mad dash cleaning up and baby-proofing the whole area against a runt-sized curiosity magnet. :)

[vulpesferox.livejournal.com]

Are you wearing...Zubaz?? ;)

[mellowtigger]

Yes. Does it help if I say that I only wear them around the house?

I knew one of the stars of local zombie movie "Health Freaks" (the salesman in the red coat), so I went to the theater to see the opening show. As it turns out, cpj was an extra in the movie, and we ended up sitting together to watch the film. Before the show started, they threw out several zubaz as souvenirs because they feature into the film's gym setting. I didn't even know what they were until I saw them in the film. I think it was cpj who actually caught this one. He wasn't going to wear it, so he gave it to me.

I like them about as well as my flannel pajama bottoms for lounging around the house. :)

[vulpesferox.livejournal.com]

Terry, don't tell me you missed the late 80's! How can you not know...?

Okay, okay...no more giving you crap. It *does* help that you only wear them around the house, though. ;D

Well wishes to your little foster Hope! Look like you're doing a great job!