Honestly, sometimes I think that my posts are so similar that I risk redundancy. But it's a risk I'm willing to take. It's what I'm fortunate to see day after day and it never for a minute gets old.
And so...
Rosie and Minnie - of course - Gilda in the foreground and Mimi trying very hard to engage Rosemary in a rousing game of Patty-Cake.
Now a little back story. When I brought the Grables home on December 20th, it was assumed (how silly) that they'd be short-timers. Gilda was already at 2 pounds and the others had only 3-4 ounces to gain before they could all be scheduled for surgery.
Well.. under the heading of "You-never-know-what-to-expect-with-these-foster-babies-even-if-you-think-you-do", they all decided right away that they would eat nothing. Nothing.
I tried endless brands of cat food from fancy to Friskies; canned and kibble; even the old stand-by Gerber chicken for babies. Human babies. They ate nothing.
They all lost weight. I resorted to syringe feeding and supplemental sub-q fluids. Still, they wouldn't eat. They lost more weight.
The magic elixir finally came in the form of sauteed boneless chicken tenders. Yes, I had to slave over a hot stove to get these guys to eat, but boy did they eat!
Rufus, who had always been the smallest, was so excited that his little tail puffed way up like a Christmas tree and he snarled and spit lest a sibling grab even a tiny morsel of this long-awaited feast! Eureka! I'd found it.
This discovery was made a couple of weeks ago, and since then they've dined on four or five substantial sized packages of chicken tenders, they've fattened up to their original size and then some, and learned to eat regular cat food like good little babies. Thank the heavens above.
I had scheduled them for surgery next week, but Mimi has developed a little bit of a runny eye, so we'll wait until it resolves. I want to send them all in together and am in no hurry. It's the slow season for kittens and I'm so much enjoying having the Grables around. Gilda is really quite huge as foster kittens go - rapidly approaching the 3 pound mark. Imagine! Three pounds!
So that's the story to date. I think there'll be a couple more weeks of The Grables and The Girls. To heck with redundancy!
Addendum - Have I ever mentioned that Rosie has asthma? I just watched this video again and realized that you can hear her breathing. It's so 'normal' to me that I forget that it's not.
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LOL. I can just imagine that scenario with the babies swarming you in the kitchen for food. Bless you Sue for being so patient and spending the money to give them what they wanted. Not only did they want chicken but only warm chicken :)
ReplyDeleteDon't you worry your pretty little head about the redundancy! Who wouldn't love another video of your sweet girls loving up each other and some kittens. I mean, who wouldn't???
ReplyDeleteGlad the Graybies are doing better. I have kitties that demand scrambled eggs, rotisserie chicken and other exotic foods, in addition to making me crazy about which wet kitty foods are "in" and which are "out." It indulges my maternal instincts to fuss over them! Every time I toss a can of which they've eaten one-eighth of the contents, I think, "Well, Mike and I never go out to dinner...so I put my $$$ in cat foods!"
Thanks, Sue. Big smile.
Awww, I can just see them being all ferocious about their chicken. How ever did you think to try the chicken tenders?
ReplyDeleteNever, EVER too many videos and pictures of the kitties!
How do you/in what do you sautee the chicken?
ReplyDeleteI think in this case, "redundancy" is a good thing. You can never see enough kitties.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best possible form of redundancy. Please continue to bore us with repetitions of adorable felines at varying stages of life showing each other love and affection. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnother possible suggestion for whetting the appetite of kittens in the future: chicken jello. Boil a package of bony chicken wings for 45 minutes. Use the broth of the wings to make gello with a package of unflavored, unsweetened, plain gelatin. Use about twice the gelatin to broth ratio that the package calls for to get firmer jello. Cool and cut into little cubes. You can take the meat of the wings and make yourself chicken salad for lunch. Makes a good treat.
ReplyDeleteGosh, when the chicken Gerber didn't work, I would have panicked -- I've never had a cat, no matter how puny-feeling, who wouldn't eat the baby food!
ReplyDeleteThese kittens spend more time on their back than any other kittens I have seen!
ReplyDeleteI never ever tire of your cats, kittens etc. They are adorable and I drop by your blog every day for a little kitten love :)
ReplyDeleteI love how Rosie's all "You WILL be groomed!" :)
ReplyDeleteWow, what patience and creativity with the food! I don't think I would have thought of chicken tenders.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a sweet snuggly pile of sister kitties! You could post a video just like that every single day and I would never tire of it.
ReplyDeleteI imagine it must have been frustrating and alarming that the kittens wouldn't eat, but I love that they were holding out for pieces of chicken, home-cooked to order just for them. They sure know how to work the system! Silly babies.
Redundant? Maybe. But we love it regardless! :)
ReplyDeleteTell you what...we, the audience promise to let you know IF or WHEN we ever get bothered by the redundancy.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely, lovely video. Such a beautiful pile of cats and kitties. Thank you again--these videos are never redundant.
ReplyDeleteI second Natalie's point about the worries and frustrations of these babies not eating (even baby food!) and praise your ingenuity in finding a resolution with yummy fresh cooked chicken. We've had a cat with hepatic lipidosis and know the dangers of kitties not eating. These babies looks so happy and healthy under your care.
Poor sweet Rosie, having asthma. Our dear departed Willy Nilly did too, and until he was diagnosed I'd never heard of a cat having it. He did very well on a low dose of prednisolone every other day. Getting him to take it was another story.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that you're the only one who's concerned about redundancy here, Sue. All we notice is your dedication, love and skill in kitty care.