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Kitteh update
Aug. 7th, 2013 01:07 pmI think I'm now entitled to call myself a Crazy Cat Lady.
New Kitteh is indeed a boy, but since I'm not a big fan of Ron Weasley, I decided to name him Gjumbir, which is Macedonian for Ginger. He isn't really ginger -- more some sort of apricot-beige, but he still qualifies for the name.
If the length and size of his paws are anything to go by, he'll grow up to be a very big boy. Difficult to believe, as right now he fits into one of my (very small) hands.
De-worming treatment was started yesterday, i.e. I can begin to introduce him to the Trio Infernal on Friday, without running any risks. My Austrian vet assures me that a kitten this small doesn't run any risk of being attacked, mauled or otherwise traumatized by grown-up cats; if he gets too annoying he might earn himself a slap, but that's what he needs anyway -- I can't do feline socialisation, and so the Critters will have to take over that part of his upbringing.
Of course I'm secretly hoping that there's some vestigial maternal instinct left in Lola; it would do her good to have a close feline companion. But let's see.
What makes me very happy is the fact that Gjumbir 1) is able to eat by himself, and even more so 2) is house-broken. I put him right in his teeny-tiny kitten toilet when I brought him home, and massaged his anus (being a mother goddess isn't always glamorous...), and then left him to explore his new surroundings. When I came back about 20 minutes later, he'd already used the toilet. Good boy. Right now the poor kitteh has to cope with a bit of diarrhoea, due to the worm pills, but that will abate soon.
He refused to drink the milk for (human) newborns I gave him -- as per the vet's advice -- but today I bought lactose-free milk, and he likes it. I also got goat milk; will try it later. Special food for tiny kittens is consumed frequently and with alacrity, mixed with water. If Janine manages to find a tiny kitten bottle, she'll send it with this week's diplomatic mail. It would be a godsend, because Gjumbir should still be suckling -- less for food than for emotional comfort.
Also, he appears to be both healthy and normal -- the latter is important, because otherwise the Critters would probably not accept him.
The whole experience is a first for me: I've never had a kitten this small. Ze Boyz were about 12 weeks old when I got them, and Lola well into adolescence. So it is of course a pleasure to watch him play, and suddenly drop with fatigue and sleep, and behave exactly like an adult cat, only without the feline grace and elegance.
And he's such a tiny thing. Nose and paws are intensely pink, and the paws soooo soft. The fur is still a bit sparse, most of all on his round tummy; for now I brush him with an old toothbrush. Can't get them used to being brushed early enough.
All in all, this couldn't have happened at a better time: there's fuck-all to do at work, Slavica is here (and of course fell in love with him instantly), and so I can care properly for the new family member.
Please keep your fingers crossed for the trio to accept him! It would be a huge relief, and the best solution for all concerned.
New Kitteh is indeed a boy, but since I'm not a big fan of Ron Weasley, I decided to name him Gjumbir, which is Macedonian for Ginger. He isn't really ginger -- more some sort of apricot-beige, but he still qualifies for the name.
If the length and size of his paws are anything to go by, he'll grow up to be a very big boy. Difficult to believe, as right now he fits into one of my (very small) hands.
De-worming treatment was started yesterday, i.e. I can begin to introduce him to the Trio Infernal on Friday, without running any risks. My Austrian vet assures me that a kitten this small doesn't run any risk of being attacked, mauled or otherwise traumatized by grown-up cats; if he gets too annoying he might earn himself a slap, but that's what he needs anyway -- I can't do feline socialisation, and so the Critters will have to take over that part of his upbringing.
Of course I'm secretly hoping that there's some vestigial maternal instinct left in Lola; it would do her good to have a close feline companion. But let's see.
What makes me very happy is the fact that Gjumbir 1) is able to eat by himself, and even more so 2) is house-broken. I put him right in his teeny-tiny kitten toilet when I brought him home, and massaged his anus (being a mother goddess isn't always glamorous...), and then left him to explore his new surroundings. When I came back about 20 minutes later, he'd already used the toilet. Good boy. Right now the poor kitteh has to cope with a bit of diarrhoea, due to the worm pills, but that will abate soon.
He refused to drink the milk for (human) newborns I gave him -- as per the vet's advice -- but today I bought lactose-free milk, and he likes it. I also got goat milk; will try it later. Special food for tiny kittens is consumed frequently and with alacrity, mixed with water. If Janine manages to find a tiny kitten bottle, she'll send it with this week's diplomatic mail. It would be a godsend, because Gjumbir should still be suckling -- less for food than for emotional comfort.
Also, he appears to be both healthy and normal -- the latter is important, because otherwise the Critters would probably not accept him.
The whole experience is a first for me: I've never had a kitten this small. Ze Boyz were about 12 weeks old when I got them, and Lola well into adolescence. So it is of course a pleasure to watch him play, and suddenly drop with fatigue and sleep, and behave exactly like an adult cat, only without the feline grace and elegance.
And he's such a tiny thing. Nose and paws are intensely pink, and the paws soooo soft. The fur is still a bit sparse, most of all on his round tummy; for now I brush him with an old toothbrush. Can't get them used to being brushed early enough.
All in all, this couldn't have happened at a better time: there's fuck-all to do at work, Slavica is here (and of course fell in love with him instantly), and so I can care properly for the new family member.
Please keep your fingers crossed for the trio to accept him! It would be a huge relief, and the best solution for all concerned.
