Conference misery::feline_v1

    Ever since my Mom started reading this notesfile, she thinks every
    homeless kitten is hers!!  Will someone PLEEEZZZEEE tell my Mom that we
    don't need any more paws in this house and I don't need no little
    brother, no matter how cute he is!!  Gee....
    
    Honey B. Farnsworth, first cat in the house and Chief Ear Washer
    

    Well, I don't know how many 'babies' you have.  I am a sucker for
    the underdog and love hearing about triumphant and successful stories.
    
    I have two cats now - Otis and Tiffany - and desparately want another
    one.  My daughter keeps saying that I would be asking for trouble
    (the two already get into _enough_ things when they are alone) and that
    I am * nuts * for even thinking about it.  She (my daughter) is almost 
    21 and will be taking Tiffany with her (someday?????) and I KNOW that 
    Otis will be devastated.  Tiffany was the 'only' cat for 1 1/2 years and 
    likes her privacy...Otis, on the other hand, has had Tiffany to play with
    and seeks her out when he is alone.  Now would be the time to get
    another fur-baby.
    
    Sorry to get off the beaten track (I envy the fact that you have that
    baby to take care of)!!!!
    
    My feeling - GO FOR IT!
    
    Marilyn, Otis and Tiffany
    

    Sure they drive you *nuts* sometimes, but what the heck...
    
    Go for it!
    
    Re - .2
    
    You too!

Well, a week later, here's the progress report...

The little one is a boy, whom I call "Biff".  A week of feeding him had made 
him a little more trusting of me, but my first attempt to pick him up
resulted in screaming, subjecting me to quite an attack by the Momcat.

Yesterday afternoon, a bunch of neighborhood kids, along with a couple of
their mothers, stopped by with Biff wrapped in a towel.  The kids said they
found him across the street from my house (a likely story....this tiny
kitten going off by himself...sure...).  Anyway, he's in my house, confined
to a large kennel with food, water, blankets, and a little litterbox, which,
I'm pleased to say, he's using.

Biff seems to have a very runny left eye and will be going to the vet this
afternoon.  Although he spent the night hissing at me, this morning, not
only did he allow me to pet him, but I picked him up, snuggled him, and he
purred like crazy.  I think he likes me.....

I'm being real careful to keep the other guys away from him and I'm scrubbing
up after visiting him and sterilizing his dishes after use.  Can't be too
careful.

So, for now, the little Biff-let is safe and hopefully, the vet will be
able to cure what ever it is he's got.

Mary

    Having just seen Back to the Future III I don't think I would have
    picked Biff as a name for a kitten ;-)))
    
    Good idea keeping him isolated - runny eyes is what Dusty had with
    his upper respiratory track infection.  Good luck.
      Nancy DC
    

I haven't seen any of the 'Back to the Future's, so I can't comment on the
name!  He just looks like a little Biff.

Biff got a pretty good bill of health...he's got a mild case of conjuncivitis
but that's about it.  We've got him on Amoxidrops and eye ointment, and we're
dropping a little Panalog in his ears just as a preventive measure.  He's
in isolation for a couple days just to make sure he doesn't start sneezing
all over the others.  He gets his first shot next Saturday.  And of course,
he has roundworms.....

He's an absolute doll and he is so darn affectionate.  The other kitties
are going nuts cause the baby cries and they can't get to him.  It should
be a fun weekend!!!!

I haven't made a final decision on his permanent resident status, so for
now, my little alien is a very welcomed guest.

Foster Mom Mary

    
    
    A very big ATTA GIRL, Mary !!
    
    Enjoy
    
    E.T.

    OK, all you breeders...I've got a baby kitten question!  Biff doesn't
    seem the least bit interested in drinking water.  He's eating lots of
    canned kitten food, so I know he's getting some water, but is it
    enough?  I've taken to giving him water with an eye dropper, but is
    there some way I can get him to drink on his own?
    
    BTW, this little guys is a character!!  He's doing just great and is
    the easiest critter to medicate.  He's a doll!
    
    Foster Mom Mary
    

    Mary, 

    Is Biff a good eater? When I was feeding my cats canned food, I used 
    to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water to each dish of food and mix it
    in to make a little stew. They loved it and licked the dishes clean.
    Maybe you could try that with Biff, if you think he's not getting 
    enough water. If he's a fussy eater, though, he might turn up his nose 
    at watered down cat food.

    Linda

    re:  8
    
    Mary, how old is this monkey?  He may not know how to lap.  Maybe
    if you dab water on his mouth frequently, and he keeps lapping it
    off, he will get the idea.  He WILL get lots of water from canned
    food, which is about 70% water, if I remember correctly from the
    label!  Adding a little water to the canned food might work also
    as suggested!  It's funny, a couple of mine were lapping from the
    water bowl very early, like maybe (?) 3 weeks (maybe that's not
    early, I dunno).  Guess when they are born outside, they don't
    have the luxury of the finer things a mom can teach them.  It's
    so much tougher for them.  
    
    E.

    Gee, I hadn't thought of adding water to his food!!  Turns out, he
    doesn't know how to lap!  He's about 9 weeks old, but his Momcat never
    got around to teaching him that.  I wonder how I'm supposed to teach
    him that.  I've tried putting my finger in the bowl and wetting his
    face, but his attempt to drink involves putting most of his face in the
    bowl and biting.  The vet recommended putting some KMR in a saucer (or
    even a little milk) till he figures it out.
    
    Biff is now out of isolation, thanks to his sister, Robin.  I had him
    in the upstairs bathroom, which was blocked off with some 3' high
    plywood.  Evidently, he was crying and Robin felt sorry for him, so she
    jumped in, grabbed him by the scruff, and liberated him.  He is the
    cutest guy going.  It's gonna be hard to part with him....speaking of
    which, my friend Randy suggested calling him Jello, cause there is
    always room for Jello...
    
    Thanks for the suggestions on food...I'll give it a try!
    
    Foster Mom Mary
    

    Hi Foster Mom Mary,
    
    About 5/6 years ago (when I lived at home) some kids about 8/9 years
    came round the doors in our street with a tiny kitten saying "His
    him has gone and left him do you want to look after him", we found
    out where they had lifted him from and took him back hoping to find
    her there, but she had uplifted her other baby the boys had said
    she had and moved on.  So we took little Thai (Ti being short for
    tiger as he is stripey) home and brought him up from roughly about
    4 weeks till now.  We fed him with an eye droper which had a mixture
    of a little warm milk watered down.  He loved it!
    
    He is now a bruiser of a cat - but there was a time when we thought
    he wouldn't manage without his real mum.
    
    Anyway if you are going to give Biff a little milk, heat it up just
    a bit and add some water, as straight milk tends to give them the
    runs becuase it is too rich for their tummies.
    
    Regards
    Tracy
     

    re: teaching to lap liquids
    
    When I was a teenager we got a small kitten who hadn't learned to 
    drink yet.  I sat with him at his bowl, dipping my finger in and
    holding up for him to lick.  As he licked my finger I lowered it
    toward the bowl.  After awhile his tongue would occasionally hit
    the milk (or whatever) and he got the idea.  
    
    I don't remember how long it took, but I sure remember the sense
    of satisfaction I felt when he could finally drink on his own.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Karen, Tristan, Tenzing and Max.

    We got Purrkins when he was 9 weeks old (now a big 14 weeks) but
    apparently he hadn't learned how to lap yet.  He'd stick his whole
    face in the water then proceed to clean off his face.  This usually
    resulted in a few sneezes.  He's better at lapping now but a long
    way from being proficient.
    
    Chuck, Jane, Peaches(who thinks it's funny), Cassandra (who thinks it's
    uncouth) & Purrkins(aw, you don't have to tell tales)
    

With all the exciting things to do this weekend, like weren't we all invited to
the Kennedy/Cuomo wedding, or to Myopia for polo, or to the French Open, or the
opening rounds at Wimbledon, what better way to spend it than with a 9 week
old kitten who doesn't know how to lap.

Biff and I went to the vet who gave the little guy his first shot, which he
hated, and a FeLv test, which was negative (YAAAA!!!), and more worm gunk.
We discussed the lapping dilema and tried to get Biff to lap some KMR.  He
did great with the syringe and with a nurser, but he just couldn't figure
out lapping.  So, home we went, can of KMR in one hand, Biff in the other.

Hours later, and with much KMR in his fur, Biff lapped it up.  Now we're
gradually watering it down and I figure by next March, he should have it 
figured out.

On the bonding side, he slept on my next for an hour Saturday night....sigh...
I just might keep this guy...

Mary

    Mary, have you tried a baby bottle?.. belive it or not it works..
    firat give him  the bottle, let him drink from it.. then take
    some on your finger,, and he should catch on,,.... Er Um..
    Mary.. HRH  said to tell you,, that she did bring back some 
    Wedding Cake for you.... grins....
    Kate

    re: 15
    
    ahh, Mary - he sounds like a little love bug!  I still have two little
    Exotic baby girls, which I will bring to the Salem show to sell.  They
    also sleep with me at night (all three of them)  I wonder if I will
    really actually 'let' someone buy them??  hmm.  They are so sweet -
    when they hear or see me, their purr-motors start in high gear.  You
    can hear them purrring at the other end of the house.  These kids will
    be 12 weeks tomorrow - the blue cream girl is Misty, and the cream girl
    is Honey.  Puffy, fluffy teddy bears!
    
    E.

Well, it's time I told the truth....

I'm keeping Biff...

BUT THAT'S IT!!!!

Mary, Biff's new Mommy

    re:  18
    
    
                   aHa  !!
    
     Guess it's called, The Inn is NOT Full !!  It must have been
    his name - Biff, it's wonderful!  From now on, I'm gonna check
    with you before I name ANY new EmacX baby!  Names are my worst
    thing, except for Dolly - I think that's a very good one !!

    Elaine - did you ask to be benched with the rest of us at Salem?????
    There's going to be soooo many decies at this show!!
    

    Hi Nance!
    
    I'm not sure if I put anything down - I whipped the entry in
    the mail here - actually, had to catch the mail person before
    the deadline - I didn't have a filled out form, etc. I think
    I might have put Cin down - did you ask to bench with her?
    I was lucky to get the d*m thing in the mail on time -
    really busy here!  sigh, they are expecting me to work and
    not note !
    
    Did you ask for a DEC group benching?  Bev might not go for
    that !! Actually, I sent in too much money and I got end of
    row - I'm sorta glad - in case there is a lot of gate - I
    hear that this hall is BIG, so that will be nice.  I'm sure
    we will all be in the same area!  Long time no see and long
    time NO SHOWS !!    Are you a grandma yet?? June 18th isn't
    it, for day 63 ish?  Good Luck!
    
    E.

    re: .21 - I didn't know that Cindy was going (I don't think...I have
    alot on my mind these days and what with the senility and all......)
    
    This is going to be great!  
    
    No, I'm not a grandma yet tho I'm sure Halie wishes I were.  Poor dear
    looks like an AMC Pacer and is about as graceful.  She's in her cage
    again today.  Mr Dundee is keeping her company in the Tokyo cage in
    the same room.  Mr. Dundee is being re-litterbox trained these days.
    I can't believe I need to buy MORE cat-boxes.  But I need enough for
    the cages PLUS for the rest of the house.  Wish I could do what you do.
    
    I can't wait to see how Bob reacts to the kittens.  I have a feeling
    he's going to be "Mommy-Bob".  He's a very loving boy.
      Nancy DC

    . re: Nancy, . I  " trsut " the phone is near the cage, so she can call
    you at work.. and say Come on Mom, I need to have paw held..
    Good luck.. 
    Kate