*happy!*
He has a shaved belly and his back end is a bit of a mess from the pre procedure enema he had, but he's home. Much cuddling has been had today :)
Saturday, 8 February 2014
Friday, 7 February 2014
Digory's Day
Yesterday was a bit heavy, so I thought we'd have some fun today. Can you help me out, Digory?
Thanks Digory. I knew I could rely on you!
Fun? I'm up for some fun!
Football is fun
Drowning a mouse in the water dish is fun. Heehee Mama is cross!
Kicking the cloth the toy lady dried the mousie in is fun
This toy WAS fun...erm...
Playing with the feather teaser is LOTS of fun... and I never lets go!
After all that fun, I needs a nap. Zzzzzzz
Football is fun
Drowning a mouse in the water dish is fun. Heehee Mama is cross!
Kicking the cloth the toy lady dried the mousie in is fun
This toy WAS fun...erm...
Playing with the feather teaser is LOTS of fun... and I never lets go!
After all that fun, I needs a nap. Zzzzzzz
Thanks Digory. I knew I could rely on you!
Thursday, 6 February 2014
A Not-So-Grand Day Out
Theo and I have been on a jaunt, so the kittens haven't had a lot of attention today! I will be making up tomorrow, and snap a load then, I promise :)
So I had an appointment to take Theo to a specialist internal medicine unit at an animal hospital, to try and work out what is going on in his insides. It's quite a long way from our house, and I needed to do the school run on the way, so Theo had already been cooped up for several hours by the time we arrived. The vet was lovely, fastened the door and let him roam around the room freely, to work off some of that energy. It was much appreciated.
Soon it was time for the examination. Theo wasn't impressed, and let the vet know it, hitting out and trying to bite my hand. poor old Theo, such a gentle boy usually, but goaded to absolute fury with the prodding and poking he's had lately. I held one end whilst the vet poked the other. Grrrrrrrrrr, said Theo.
Then the vet said 'There's a mass there that's obviously painful...' and frankly I didn't take in very much right after that. A mass. We all know what that means. Oh. My. God. It was the equivalent of being doused in a bucket of ice cubes. I do remember he went on to say it could have been some faeces in the intestine... believe me I've never wished for poo quite so hard! It wasn't a good day after that. Theo was booked in for an ultrasound, full bloodwork and urinalysis later on. And I came home, trying not to weep.
Anyway... to cut a long story short, he had his ultrasound and he does NOT have a mass. He has an area of fluid that could indicate inflammation, in fact it likely does, as there is clearly something going on, but they did not find any tumours. Thank goodness.
They didn't take the blood and urine until he was sedated, apparently Theo told them exactly what he thought of that idea and they decided to wait till he was sleepy before attempting it! Oops, poor Theo, not like him to be so grumpy! So they aren't back from the lab yet, I'll be calling up to discuss them tomorrow. Then he'll go off to endoscopy under a general anaesthetic- cameras going in both ends to have a look at his digestive tract and see what is going on. They will probably take a biopsy at the same time. Then I pick him up Saturday.
He also took part in some research, which made my nerdy soul very happy. It was for the drug alfaxalone, injected direct to muscle. It is licensed for use this way in Australia, and the UK is currently dong it's own trials. It is approved for injection to the vein already, but it is thought muscular injections are more effective. I figured if it was known to be safe in Australia, it was likely safe here, and it meant he had a whole team of people supervising him before and after the ultrasound just to observe, much more attention than he would have had usually. It was a win-win. Everything was, as expected, fine, and hopefully the drug will be approved for use this way once they have concluded their studies as it is thought to be safer- the uptake of the drug is more gradual than injecting straight to the vein which is obviously one big hit. Anyway, so that was interesting.
Planning a very quiet day tomorrow- lots of kitten cuddling and taking it easy. Today was a stressful one.
So I had an appointment to take Theo to a specialist internal medicine unit at an animal hospital, to try and work out what is going on in his insides. It's quite a long way from our house, and I needed to do the school run on the way, so Theo had already been cooped up for several hours by the time we arrived. The vet was lovely, fastened the door and let him roam around the room freely, to work off some of that energy. It was much appreciated.
Soon it was time for the examination. Theo wasn't impressed, and let the vet know it, hitting out and trying to bite my hand. poor old Theo, such a gentle boy usually, but goaded to absolute fury with the prodding and poking he's had lately. I held one end whilst the vet poked the other. Grrrrrrrrrr, said Theo.
Then the vet said 'There's a mass there that's obviously painful...' and frankly I didn't take in very much right after that. A mass. We all know what that means. Oh. My. God. It was the equivalent of being doused in a bucket of ice cubes. I do remember he went on to say it could have been some faeces in the intestine... believe me I've never wished for poo quite so hard! It wasn't a good day after that. Theo was booked in for an ultrasound, full bloodwork and urinalysis later on. And I came home, trying not to weep.
Anyway... to cut a long story short, he had his ultrasound and he does NOT have a mass. He has an area of fluid that could indicate inflammation, in fact it likely does, as there is clearly something going on, but they did not find any tumours. Thank goodness.
They didn't take the blood and urine until he was sedated, apparently Theo told them exactly what he thought of that idea and they decided to wait till he was sleepy before attempting it! Oops, poor Theo, not like him to be so grumpy! So they aren't back from the lab yet, I'll be calling up to discuss them tomorrow. Then he'll go off to endoscopy under a general anaesthetic- cameras going in both ends to have a look at his digestive tract and see what is going on. They will probably take a biopsy at the same time. Then I pick him up Saturday.
He also took part in some research, which made my nerdy soul very happy. It was for the drug alfaxalone, injected direct to muscle. It is licensed for use this way in Australia, and the UK is currently dong it's own trials. It is approved for injection to the vein already, but it is thought muscular injections are more effective. I figured if it was known to be safe in Australia, it was likely safe here, and it meant he had a whole team of people supervising him before and after the ultrasound just to observe, much more attention than he would have had usually. It was a win-win. Everything was, as expected, fine, and hopefully the drug will be approved for use this way once they have concluded their studies as it is thought to be safer- the uptake of the drug is more gradual than injecting straight to the vein which is obviously one big hit. Anyway, so that was interesting.
Planning a very quiet day tomorrow- lots of kitten cuddling and taking it easy. Today was a stressful one.
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Surprise!
Sometimes people come looking for a certain kind of kitten. Maybe they definitely want a boy, or have their heart set on a pointed pattern, or want a livewire or a lovebug.
Quite often, the kittens have other ideas!
S and P, Aravis's family, came back today. They'd thought long and hard and decided they'd like her to grow up with a sister beside her. No argument from me, I LOVE my kittens going home in pairs, it's so good for them and why I discount for two together.
They were umming and ah-ing between Susan and Jewel. Jewel seemed to be winning the day when they just thought they'd have a quick look at...
Yup. Caspian.
Now something I may not have mentioned about Caspian, is that he is a cuddly boy. He really is. He likes nothing better than a good old snooze in someone's lap. Or their arms, or chest or between the knees... he's really not fussy. Anyway that's just what he did. He went to sleep on P's lap.
Who can resist a snoozing kitten? Aravis, it seems, will be growing up with a BROTHER!
Quite often, the kittens have other ideas!
S and P, Aravis's family, came back today. They'd thought long and hard and decided they'd like her to grow up with a sister beside her. No argument from me, I LOVE my kittens going home in pairs, it's so good for them and why I discount for two together.
They were umming and ah-ing between Susan and Jewel. Jewel seemed to be winning the day when they just thought they'd have a quick look at...
Now something I may not have mentioned about Caspian, is that he is a cuddly boy. He really is. He likes nothing better than a good old snooze in someone's lap. Or their arms, or chest or between the knees... he's really not fussy. Anyway that's just what he did. He went to sleep on P's lap.
Who can resist a snoozing kitten? Aravis, it seems, will be growing up with a BROTHER!
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
6 weeks old
Digory- I keel you, rattly toy!
The kittens had a quiet day yesterday, after the excitement of the weekend. They've all had a weigh. The results, these days, are probably not entirely accurate, as they don't actually stay still and in the scales for long enough to get a dead- on result, but they will do for our purposes, after all what I want to see is that they are all making reasonable gains, which they are.
It's interesting (to me, because I am a nerd and quite like things like that) to see the trends in the litters. None of my kittens in this litter are heavier than my big boy from the last lot, Kurt (Bailey, as he is now) but there is a much smaller range of weights and as a result the average is significantly higher. The REM's were just kitten giants, I suspect hehe, I won't even try to compare to them!
I will, however, draw your attention to the fact that Caspian is now the third HEAVIEST in the litter, having overtaking ANOTHER two sisters in the past week. Sorry about that Lucy and Susan. Not bad going for the runt of the litter is it? But then Indigo was the runt, and she's a lovely big cat now, so birth weight isn't necessarily a huge determining factor. It seems strange to remember, when I see the lovely robust kitten he is now, that he was once only slightly heavier than a Mars Bar.
Today I am very much ignoring the fact they are 6 weeks old, and their time with me is almost half over- *sniff* So here are their stats :)
Digory
It's interesting (to me, because I am a nerd and quite like things like that) to see the trends in the litters. None of my kittens in this litter are heavier than my big boy from the last lot, Kurt (Bailey, as he is now) but there is a much smaller range of weights and as a result the average is significantly higher. The REM's were just kitten giants, I suspect hehe, I won't even try to compare to them!
I will, however, draw your attention to the fact that Caspian is now the third HEAVIEST in the litter, having overtaking ANOTHER two sisters in the past week. Sorry about that Lucy and Susan. Not bad going for the runt of the litter is it? But then Indigo was the runt, and she's a lovely big cat now, so birth weight isn't necessarily a huge determining factor. It seems strange to remember, when I see the lovely robust kitten he is now, that he was once only slightly heavier than a Mars Bar.
Today I am very much ignoring the fact they are 6 weeks old, and their time with me is almost half over- *sniff* So here are their stats :)
Digory
Birth: 84g
1 week:186g
2 weeks:264g
3 weeks: 333g
4 weeks: 419g
5 weeks: 560g
6 weeks: 703g
3 weeks: 333g
4 weeks: 419g
5 weeks: 560g
6 weeks: 703g
Caspian
Birth:72g
1 week:151g
2 weeks: 227g
3 weeks: 286g
4 weeks: 353g
5 weeks: 525g
6 weeks: 665g
3 weeks: 286g
4 weeks: 353g
5 weeks: 525g
6 weeks: 665g
Jadis
Birth:89g
1 week:185g
2 weeks:272g
3 weeks: 337g
4 weeks: 400g
5 weeks 550g
6 weeks: 681g
3 weeks: 337g
4 weeks: 400g
5 weeks 550g
6 weeks: 681g
Lucy
Birth:83g
1 week:171g
2 weeks: 263g
3 weeks: 327g
4 weeks: 420g
5 weeks: 531g
6 weeks: 653g
3 weeks: 327g
4 weeks: 420g
5 weeks: 531g
6 weeks: 653g
Aravis
Birth: 84g
1 week:177g
2 weeks:248g
3 weeks: 322g
4 weeks: 404g
5 weeks: 504g
6 weeks: 620g
3 weeks: 322g
4 weeks: 404g
5 weeks: 504g
6 weeks: 620g
Susan
Birth: 90g
1 week:184g
2 weeks: 279g
3 weeks: 366g
4 weeks: 444g
5 weeks 533g
6 weeks: 653g
3 weeks: 366g
4 weeks: 444g
5 weeks 533g
6 weeks: 653g
Jewel
Birth: 80g
1 week: 163g
2 weeks: 237g
3 weeks: 293g
4 weeks: 340g
5 weeks: 486g
6 weeks: 595g
Weight order heaviest to lightest:
Birth: Susan, Jadis, Digory and Aravis, Lucy, (Polly), Jewel, Caspian
1 week: Digory, Jadis, Susan, Aravis, Lucy, Jewel, Caspian
2 weeks: Susan, Jadis, Digory, Lucy, Aravis, Jewel, Caspian
3 weeks: Susan, Jadis, Digory, Lucy, Aravis, Jewel, Caspian
4 weeks: Susan, Lucy, Digory, Aravis, Jadis, Caspian, Jewel
5 weeks: Digory, Jadis, Susan, Lucy, Caspian, Aravis, Jewel
6 weeks: Digory, Jadis, Caspian, Lucy and Susan, Aravis, Jewel
3 weeks: 293g
4 weeks: 340g
5 weeks: 486g
6 weeks: 595g
Weight order heaviest to lightest:
Birth: Susan, Jadis, Digory and Aravis, Lucy, (Polly), Jewel, Caspian
1 week: Digory, Jadis, Susan, Aravis, Lucy, Jewel, Caspian
2 weeks: Susan, Jadis, Digory, Lucy, Aravis, Jewel, Caspian
3 weeks: Susan, Jadis, Digory, Lucy, Aravis, Jewel, Caspian
4 weeks: Susan, Lucy, Digory, Aravis, Jadis, Caspian, Jewel
5 weeks: Digory, Jadis, Susan, Lucy, Caspian, Aravis, Jewel
6 weeks: Digory, Jadis, Caspian, Lucy and Susan, Aravis, Jewel
Comparison by litter:
Birth
REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g
REM litter 83g-103g. Average 92g
Von Trapp litter 81g-102g. Average 91g
Narnian litter 72-90g. Average 83g
1 week
REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g
REM litter 182g-217g Average 195g
Von Trapp litter 150g- 205g. Average 175g
Narnian litter:151-186g. Average 174g
Narnian litter:151-186g. Average 174g
2 weeks
REM litter 257g-294g, Average 272g
Von Trapp litter 220g- 280g, Average 240g
REM litter 257g-294g, Average 272g
Von Trapp litter 220g- 280g, Average 240g
Narnian litter 227g-279g. Average 256g
3 weeks
REM litter 338g-390g. Average 359g.
Von Trapp litter 250g- 341g. Average 286g.
Narnian litter 286g-366g. Average 323g
4 weeks
REM litter 437g-524g. Average 466g
Von Trapp litter 325g-448g. Average 365g
Narnian litter: 340-444g. Average 397g
5 weeks
REM litter 539g-604g. Average 581g
Von Trapp litter 394g-570g. Average 457g.
Narnian litter 486g- 560g. Average 527g
6 weeks
REM litter 712g- 792g, Average 752g
Von Trapp litter 516g-740g, Average 606g
Narnian litter 595g-703g, Average 653g
Monday, 3 February 2014
Kitten Fight Club
Lest anyone be fooled into thinking these kittens are JUST lovey dovey purry furry things, let me show you one of their favourite activities. Welcome to the Kitten Fight Club
kick, bite, squeal
chomp, gouge, tear...
Well yes, quite. Sometimes it looks brutal, but actually they are learning about boundaries and safe play, as well as physical and self defence skills. They rarely get hurt, just one scratched ear, to date. And fortunately kittens are forgiving. Usually after a tussle they can be found in a big pile, napping together.
I will note here though that somehow, Digory always seems to be involved *chuckle*
Sunday, 2 February 2014
What a weekend!
well I had a good weekend...
Oh, boy. Saturday... Saturday did NOT get off to a good start. I came in the kitten room to give everyone breakfast and.... I couldn't find two of the kittens. Panic! In the end they were discovered down the back of the couch, having wriggled through an impossibly small space between couch and wall. Cue me and the teenager packing all the cracks with towels and duvets!
While I was done with that, Theo threw up, and then shortly after did it again. I have an appointment for him Monday, but on the proviso that if anything happened, I would bring him back sooner. Given how quickly he's deteriorated with similar attacks in the past, I didn't feel like waiting so I rushed him to the vet, where he did his usual I'm just fine thanks Doc. He had an antiemetic, and we've started him on a course of steroids. He's ben quiet since, but OK and hasn't been vomiting.
Back at home, I got things ready for a couple of visits. The kittens weren't quite right for the first group, and in all fairness they did decide to sleep through the entire visit so totally missed the chance to show off! The second were enchanted. G came to view the kittens, along with her three adult children, all home from university and the kittens ramped up the charm all they knew.
I'm sure they won't mind me saying that they agonised over the decision! I don't think I've ever had a group that has found it so difficult to choose! They decided that Jadis and Digory will be their kittens, and then wondered if they had chosen the right kittens (Jewel, especially, had been most charming) so back they all came today! It HAD been the right choice, but I'm glad they asked to come back because they would have worried, and to me, proved what a great family they will be.
Also over the weekend, the teenager and I made a decision of our own, and our new cat will be... Lucy. We love Susan, and she's a very good example of the breed in terms of body, face etc, very very attractive, but I'm just not sure she has the right temperament for breeding. Lucy is less pretty, in fact we call her monkeyface although she doesn't have any major 'faults' in terms of the breed standard and is a better colour than Susan, but more importantly she's very robust, calm and generally bomb proof and the teenager and I just adore her. My sister in law gave me the push I needed to keep her and now it's decided. Lucy is now our cat.
In between all those comings and goings we had all the usual weekend chores, the shopping, clubs... and I'm going down with a cold. So I feel like I need a weekend now to recover from the one we just had! Best go give Theo his steroid before I fall asleep!
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