Conference misery::feline_v1

    Does he eat on his own already?  If not, he will also have to be
    stimulated to urinate and defecate.  The way to do that is to rub
    his tummy with a moistened cotton ball.  Have plenty of cotton balls
    on hand when you do this, as it sometimes take more than one to
    "absorb" it all.
    
    Keep the kitten nice and warm.  If there is straw in the carrier,
    that should do it.
    
    If he is eating and drinking and using a box on his own, then there
    isn't that much that you have to do other than give him lots of
    love and attention.  Oh, little ones should be fed about 5 times
    a day once they are eating on their own.
    
    Jo

    One of the biggest helps, when I had the six little ones, was to use
    those disposable diapers on the bottom of the bed area.  They were
    moisture proof on the bottom, and absorbant on the top.  I suppose
    they might not be considered good for the environment nowadays, but
    they were handy!
    
                                    good luck!  Denise

    
    
    	You say you "may keep it"??? *8^) 
    
    	Let us know. I bet you now have 2 strapping boys and a
    	new strapping 'TBD' (to be determined). I think the world
    	is a lucky place to have folks who will take over where
    	others leave off. Kittens in this case. Only once in my
    	life have I ever had to look for a kitten. Generally, they
    	came to me as this little one came to you and they become
    	a part of the family. Just think what those other people
    	are missing out on! Good luck with the new kid!
    
    				kim and catnip (who was found at a
    				schoolbus stop when she was very small)
                                                                

    The TBD kitty may have had a rough start on life...but from the
    sounds of it...the rest of his life will be wonderful.
    
    Good luck with the kitty and your two boys!
    
    Sandy (Tamba, Poco, and Barkley)

    I have it from Andrea that the little black kitten is a "She".
    Perhaps an Isis II??  Sounds like she's doing well so far.  I've
    got a care package for her that includes some powdered Lactol (like
    KMR), some IAMS kitten food, a larger carrier and some little catboxes.
    I think she's in very good hands.  :-)
    
    Thanks for caring Andrea!

    oh - and HiVites liquid vitamines.  We'll do our best to make up for
    her rough start.
    

Hi,

Well the  kitten  checked  out  okay  yesterday. She (we wanted a *boy*, but
there's not much we can do ... unless we get a sex change operation ;-) ) is
between 3-5 weeks, had flea dirt but no fleas (maybe they all bailed out ??)
and  sounded  good. She doesn't have much coordination, though; she tends to
fall  down when she's walking. The vet said to watch her - it should go away
in a few weeks. If not, then she's brain-damaged from either malnutrition or
the  mother  wasn't  innoculated against disease, and had a bout of it while
the kittens were in utero.  

She had  a  FeLV  test yesterday (results today) and they gave her her first
3-in-1 shot anyway. She goes back next month for another booster. I'm hoping
that  the  FeLV  test  come  back negative - I don't know what to do if it's
positive. 

She's on a diet of kitten chow mixed with KMR. She's pee'd twice, but hasn't
had  a  bowel  movement  yet.  She had solid food yesterday - when should we
    expect  a  movement?  Don't  want  her getting constipated. She uses
    the box well, though; no accidents yet.  I'm amazed at this age that she
    knows how to use a box!

She cries  and  cries to get out of the kennel, which I can't blame her for.
Have  to  wait  for the test results before I can let her out with the boys,
though  (I've  been  letting her out, but only when the boys aren't around).
Bigfoot  is  really  thrilled - hissing and growling. Loki is, believe it or
not, chicken!  He sniffs, then he runs away!

Now I need to keep my fingers crossed for this afternoon ...

					- Andrea
          

    Oh, yeah ...
    
         Sunday my husband was saying "We'll get her fattened up and
    nourished up, shots, etc. and adopt her out".  
    
         Last night my husband named her "Midnight" (she's jet black, no
    markings at all yet, can't tell if she's long- or short-haired) and
    said "She looks healthy - she might be good for the boys."
    
         Hee hee hee 8-) 8-)

    that sounds great Andrea!  Good luck with Midnight!
    
    Michele & Nippa
    

    Andrea,
    
    Good luck with Midnight! I hope shes OK and you get to keep her!!!
    
    
    Lisa plus Pookie and Rolf.
    

    Gee, are her ears ok?  The falling might be due to an ear infection.
    If she's been to the vet, that's probably been checked out.
    
    E.T.

         Yep, her ears were checked.  No mites, no infection.  She's really
    in good condition; waiting on pins and needles for the results of her
    FeLV test now.  Other than that, she's in good health!
    
         BTW she had flea dirt but no fleas.  The boys are going to get 
    powdered anyway, just in case the fleas didn't jump ship ;-) .  I won't
    powder the kitten; I know the stuff is probably too strong for her. 
    But how many fleas could she harbor ;-) ;-) ;-) ??  Sigh ... just when
    I had a flea-free summer ;-) ;-) ;-) !!

    Panleukopenia can cause the type of falling down or leaning to one
    side that you describe.  If her mother wasn't vaccinated against
    it, the possibility is even greater.  I agree with the vet, keep
    a good eye on her, and if it gets any worse, get her right into
    the vet.
    
    Did he use a killed virus vaccine on her?
    
    You should expect to see some stool today.  If not, depending on
    how much she is eating, you might want to let the vet know.  If
    she is eating a food that is really full of fillers (kitten chow,
    9 Lives, etc.), then you should really see a bowel movement within
    about 12 hours.  If she is eating premium foods, I would say that
    it might be longer, maybe 24 hours.  Take her to the vet if she
    doesn't have one.  He can palpate and feel for stool.  
    
    Jo

    good luck, andrea.  hope the new baby checks out o.k. in every way!
    
    diane, stanley & stella
    

         Thanks for the encouragement everybody!  It's been a *long* time
    since I've had a kitten (Loki is 9 now) and I've never had a kitten
    this small.  Loki was definitely bigger, stronger and more stable.
    
         Jo, I don't know if it was a killed virus vaccine or not.  Stupid
    question - does it make a difference?
    
         She seems kind of wobbly on her feet, although last night she
    played with an empty toilet paper roll, walking on her tippy-toes
    sideways with an arched back (attack mode!).  She seems kind of shaky,
    but then who knows when she had her last meal before we came along. 
    She's eating like a little pig, so she's definitely hungry.
    
         She seems bright-eyed, though her eyes don't seem to focus too
    well yet.  That's okay - Loki doesn't focus too well either.  But she's
    full of energy and she did almost get away from me yesterday, so she
    can run somewhat.  Keeping her in the kennel is probably not good for
    her motor strength/development either.
    
         We'll keep an eye on her.  She is so *tiny*!
    
    					- Andrea  

    It might not make a difference, it is hard to say.  If she is fighting
    off Panleukopenia already, a modified live dose of it might be too
    much for her.  I am not sure if the logic follows, the vet would
    be the one to ask.  These are just random thoughts.  I saw a litter
    of kittens once that had panleukopenia and they were very unsteady
    on their feet, wobbled to the side, and hung their heads to one
    side.
    
    It would be a good idea to keep her isolated until her bloodwork
    comes back, even if the carrier is small.
    
    Jo

    re: vaccines - a quick asside.  I just got a new Revival catalog and
    it lists the new killed clamydia as "comming soon".

         Midnight's FeLV test came back - negative!
    
         We let her out a bit last night and let her run around, and she's
    doing a little better.  Looks like her back legs are too long for her;
    maybe that's why she has trouble at times.  But she can move *quickly*
    when she wants to ... so I think she's okay.
    
         Her test results came back after her bedtime, so she gets to meet
    her big brothers this afternoon (maybe this morning if my husband feels
    like supervising ;-) ).  She cries and cries and cries in the kennel
    until the door is opened, then she purrs up a storm and explores,
    walks, runs, jumps, stalks.
    
         Her eyes are no longer blue.  I can't tell yet if they're going to
    be green, copper or gold, but they are definitely no longer blue. 
    Amazing how fast they change - they were blue only two days ago!
    
         I don't think she'll have a problem with Loki, but we're going to
    have to watch Bigfoot.  He's an excellent mouser, and Midnight might
    look like a big furry mouse to him, plus he's jealous.  Even though
    we're trying to spread the attention around, we can tell.  Little noses
    are out of joint ;-) .
    
         Thanks for all the help and support!
    
    					- Andrea

    Andrea,
    
    Thats great news! I can't imagine Bigfoot being aggressive - he's
    sooooo cute. Love those feet!
    
    Lisa plus Pookie and Rolf.
    
    
    PS Pookie is a good hunter :-( , but she gets on fine with Rolf :-)
    

    Andrea,
    
    Do I hear ATTACHMENT?    It sounds like there is no way that you 
    could possibly let this kitty go to a new home.  That's great news
    about her test!!
    
    Sandy (Tamba, Poco, and Barkley)
    
    

    Good luck with Midnight.  Let us know how she gets on when she meets
    her brothers.
    
    Karen (and Georgie)

    That is great news...
    Kate, Happy, and Preschie