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It has been a busy summer at the “furry foster home”. Two kittens and two adult cats have gone to their fantastic forever homes in the last 4 weeks. Yeah! Dusty is still doing well. He is still jumping and laughing and playing with the other animals. Susie, the little Lhasa rescue who owns me, has become his sweetie. They are inseparable and play and sleep together. It is so funny to see the 65lb shepard sitting as closely as he can to the 14lb Lhasa who is happiest leaning against him. Love does come in all shapes and sizes. hmmm. Have a great day! charlie One of the most important rules to remember when dealing with kittens is that they must stay warm. Especially in the first two weeks. If you have decided that they need to be bathed you must keep this in mind. Here is the list of needed items: 1. Pet carrier 2. Heating pad with low setting. 3. Thick towel or cloths for inside the carrier and a large cloth for draping over the carrier. 4. Gentle shampoo. Hartz makes a feline shampoo that works well and is not irritating to their eyes. 5. Warm water. I usually bathe them one at a time in the sink with the water running very slowly. 6. Soft hand towels or washcloths for drying them. Here is the protocol that I use. 1. Set the carrier up with the heating pad between the layers of either a folded towel or cloth. Don’t ever place the kitten directly on a heating pad. Too hot and you don’t want to run the risk of dehydrating them. These little ones are delicate. 2. Put the heating pad on low or warm and make sure that when you touch the cloth on top it is only slightly warm to your touch. I use the inside of my forearm to check temps. 3. Have the washcloths handy to wrap them up in as soon as they are out of the water. 4. Turn the water on and let it warm up. Have it set at a very slow speed. 5. Pick up one kitten and hold it in the palm of your hand so that it’s head and arms dangle over your hand. You can control them easier this way. Another way which will work when they are 4 weeks or older is to hold them by the scruff at the back of the neck. The kittens become limp when in this position. 6. Use the other hand to gently wet the kitten’s fur starting neck down. I usually do the head last. Keep water and soap away from his eyes and nose. 7. Once the body is wet add a tiny amount of shampoo to the fur and start lathering. You will find that the bodies of the kittens are tiny. Not necessary to rub, just lightly massage the fur. If they have been covered in fleas you will find that the water and soap lather have turned red from dried blood and flea feces. A great reason to bathe them. Rinse off the soap while gently scooping water on them. 8. Use a wet washcloth to wash the face , head and ears. 9. When no soap is left on them, turn off the water, pick up a washcloth and wrap them up in it. This will remove most of the water. Use another if necessary. 10. When the kitten is damp and not wet place him into the carrier. You can wrap him in a dry washcloth or place him on the towel which is inside and then cover him with another washcloth. 11. Close the carrier and put the large towel or cloth over the sides of the carrier. Make sure that there is still air moving into the carrier. Usually within 30 minutes the kitten is dry and fluffy. And of course, ready to eat. It is always prudent to check with your veterinarian when beginning to foster a new kitten. Many times the kittens will need to have attention for infections, parasites or additional nutritional help. later, charlie It started with one little 3 week old tabby found on the side of a street one rainy cold day. Kermit was brought into the shelter by a loving stranger who couldn’t take her home and wouldn’t leave her there to fend for herself. I walked into the shelter two hours after she had been brought in. Kermit was sitting in a shoe box( yes she was that tiny) on the desk. When I looked into the box she jumped up and tried to get over the side to me while she made a froglike croaking sound. Of course I took her home. Two days later a friend who had found a two week old kitten asked if I would babysit for a week as she had to visit her ill mother. Of course, I said sure. Kermit could use a buddy to snuggle and learn to play with. So now I had two bottle babies. Three days after that I got the call that someone had found a box of kittens with their dead mom on the side of a road in a rural area. Was there any chance that I could take the babies since there were SEVEN of them and they were only 1-2 weeks old and still in need of bottlefeeding? The babies arrived filthy, covered in fleas, screaming and in need of baths. There is alot of discussion in animal circles as to whether bathing kittens is advisable. My vote is a very strong YES. Get the filth off them as soon as possible so that they can start growing and healing without anything being absorbed from the outside in. I will give you my protocol for bathing kittens in the next post. The poor littles had spent enough time with their mom that they smelled like death. What a horrible experience for them. I took them home, bathed them, gave them a bottle and put them in a clean warm carrier. And waited for the next feeding. TWO days later three more babies were brought into the shelter. There are certain times of the year, in this case May, when kittens are in abundance. Mothers move the litters and drop one when startled or abandon the weakest one or in the case of the special seven something tragic happens. So, the head count was now twelve… well for one more day… then Elvis was found. Thirteen kittens were now calling me mom. My routine at that time became quite chaotic. Because all of the kittens were undernourished they were on a “want to eat” or every two hour protocol. When you have bottlefed as many kittens as I have you begin to develop routines for doing it in the most efficient manner which in this case was holding two bottles and two kittens at time. When the kittens have gone through the routine one time they know when food is on its way. Meaning, the minute you start making a move to pick up the formula either to mix it or to warm it, they start the “I want it now” scream and dance. Doesn’t matter how old they are.. could be four days could be older.. they KNOW. The easiest way to do handle multiple kittens is to have two or three in a carrier during feeding. That way they are not under foot or hurting each other to get to your leg, which they will climb. Part of the routine after giving the baby as much formula as he wants at the time, is to burp him. Their mom does it while bathing them. It is important when bottle feeding because you are often holding the kitten upright which is not the normal way for them to nurse. To burp them you gently rub or tap on their backs. Within a minute or less they will burp. At that point they may take a little more formula. Another important part is to stimulate them to potty after eating. If you have ever watched a mother cat or dog with their babies you will have noticed that they are obsessed with cleaning the baby’s rear. That activity stimulates the kitten or puppy to poop or pee. In the foster world you accomplish this by taking a warm, damp cotton ball, kleenex or towel and lightly dabbing the area. If you have a fussy kitten or puppy and it has recently been separated from its mother there is a very good chance that it has to go potty but can not do it by itself. Luckily the “Terrific Thirteen” recovered from their early traumas quickly and were ready for mush and potty boxes within a week. I was thrilled to sleep an entire night. But what fun! later, charlie A few years ago I received a panicked call from the shelter. Ten three week old puppies had been brought into the facility by a local policeman. Several officers had been involved in a drug arrest in a small local colonia. One officer had entered a school bus which was on the back of the property after hearing something move inside. When he entered the bus he came face to face with a large angry dog, which he shot. Then he realized that it was a mother protecting her pups. A sad story. Let me give you a heads up when it comes to taking care of puppies. You will find that they differ significantly from kittens in a few very big ways. Puppies can be characterized by four words…. Play, pee, poop and nap… all day…until they are several weeks old. It is not uncommon to have to clean up after a puppy every 15 minutes. Got the concept?? Multiply it by TEN! Luckily we had a large spare bathroom that had a linoleum floor(not yet remodeled). The floor was covered with layers of newspaper and potty pads. Those coverings were changed every 15 minutes.. honestly… I know because I was the one doing it. At three weeks old puppies are ready to begin weaning. These pups had been well taken care of by their mom. They were fat, clean and healthy.. a few fleas and in need of worming but over all in great shape. Without mom available 24 hours per day to keep their bellies full they were ready for puppy food. When feeding puppies it is much easier to use a cookie sheet type of bowl. Puppies typically will put their noses down to the food, open their mouths and start walking. So within a few minutes they are covered with the mush that you have made for them. Ok, they do look cute covered in mushy puppy chow but boy is the clean up tough.
After four months, the terrific ten were ready to go to their forever homes. And I was ready to clean the floor of puppy memorabilia for the last time. later, charlie Cats and kittens have always made up the majority of my fosters. This tale is about Dusty, a 12 yr old German Shepard whose owner died a year ago. His owner’s kids (adults) brought Dusty and his sister to the shelter because no one wanted to take them. His sister who was 6 at the time was adopted within a couple of weeks. Dusty, however was 11 and after a month was not adopted. By that time he had begun to lose weight and became even more depressed than he had been when relinquished. He was put into a foster home where he did well for several months until the foster home was no longer available, and that’s when he came to me. It pained me to think that he had been loved and was now abandoned. It was an awful thing to do to his owner who had obviously loved him. So I brought him home. Shortly afterward, he began to put on weight and his fur began to glow. And three months after he moved in he went outside for his morning constitution and urinated “merlot”. The diagnosis , after performing several studies, was an inoperable cancerous tumor at the neck of the bladder. The treatment was an anti-inflammatory unless or until pain occurred. The prognosis was not favorable, giving him months to a year. The bleeding was accompanied by an increase in frequency of urination. (This means instead of being able to hold his urine for several hours, he could only hold it for one or two at the most). That’s when I learned about Ho’oponopono. Ho’oponopono is an Hawaiian technique based on four statements(prayers?) that is taught by Dr. Hew Len and now Dr. Joe Vitali. Dr. Len had used the statements to heal patients at a mental institution in Hawaii. The statements are:
I thought that if it could work on those patients surely it could help another of God’s creatures. So I began to say it several times a day while thinking of Dusty. Twenty four hours later the bleeding stopped and the frequency decreased to once per three to four hours. That was a month ago. I still say the statements daily. Dusty may have one faintly bloody urination per day or none at all. He is still doing very well. You wouldn’t know by looking at him that anything is amiss. Our vet can’t explain it either. All I can tell you is that saying this “prayer” or statement is the only thing that changed prior to the change in his condition.
Perhaps. But I can tell you this. I will continue this daily ritual just in case. And as for Dusty… he is a happy, fabulous dog. He is incredibly intelligent. He laughs at the cats and other dogs, has a great appetite and is more lively than any other 12 year old dog I know. I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you. Blessings, charlie I have been closely associated with the local “no-kill” shelter for that last 7 years. I began volunteering there in August of 2001. I decided to help out because when I dropped off a dog that had wondered onto our property and promptly began to bite my husband ( ex now.. should have listened to the dog) every chance that he got ,the front desk of the shelter was being manned by a 12 year old whose uncle was the ACO and was on a call. It bothered me that a 12 year old and his 10 year old brother were the only ones on hand so I volunteered. I am sure you know how that goes when you are passionate about a cause… one day a week turns into two.. then four and then before you know it you are there every day to make sure that all of the animals are being cared for. My one day a week stint began with Tuesdays taking care of the cats and kittens in the cat room.
A friend called from New Orleans to tell me that a plane had hit one of the twin towers. We all remember that day and where we were. By noon I was out and following the details of that day minute by minute. One Tuesday in September, when it was cold and rainy, not a typical weather pattern for our area , I finished early and began to walk around the shelter to help clean up any other areas that were in need. On top of an animal carrier was an empty plastic litter box. Well, empty except for the two tiny white kittens lying motionless in it. I picked up one and found that he was dead.. and very cold. The other was alive but very cold and weak. They appeared to be only a day or two old. The ACO was out on a call and I could not leave the shelter until he returned.
Thirty minutes later he died. When the ACO returned I asked why he would have done that to the kittens and his reply was that there was no one to care for them so he just let them die. I was appalled and made him promise to call me if another incident like that occurred. I didn’t have to wait long. The call came two days later. Someone had brought in 3 kittens which they found on the side of a road. The kittens were underweight, covered with fleas and debris and had their eyes glued shut by a thick yellow discharge. I gently wiped the gook off one of the kitten’s eyes and as soon as he could see he looked right at me and meowed. I cleaned them up as best as I could and then took them home for further care. Luckily the three mouskateers grew to be healthy, loving and happy felines, who were placed into loving homes. Later, charlie Lady’s pups were in good condition considering the poor shape that she was in when she arrived at our house. She had three boys and two girls, none of whom resembled another. They were in varying patterns of black, brown, white, spotted, long hair, short hair and smooth coated. One thing that they all had in common was the need to be loved and fed. Using a syringe and tube is not the most bonding form of feeding for a newborn. It gets the job done but they really miss the developmental part of nursing. And it is not without its hazards.
The pups did well. They were being fed every 3-4 hours or as soon as we could get out of school for lunch and the end of the day. Each was wrapped in a towel and placed in his own shoe box. One thing that you will find with the babies who are orphaned is that they will try and suck on anything that remotely resembles a teat. Doesn’t matter if it belongs to one of his siblings. And often the stronger and larger of the litter will single out the smallest and make his life miserable. You have to keep an eye out for that otherwise the there will be one chapped and swollen little guy. At 8 weeks we took them back to the vet who was amazed at the healthy, happy litter. We were very lucky to find wonderful homes for all of them. And that, of course is the most rewarding part of taking care of foster “kids”. What can I say?? I was hooked. later, charlie To be a foster mom or dad to newborn and older young animals requires several things: 1. Must love animals. 2. Must be very, very patient. 3. Must be willing to fore go a clean, smell free house for 4-8 weeks. 4. Must be willing to do lots of extra laundry. 5. Must be able to go without uninterrupted sleep. 6. Must be able to handle the good and the bad, the happy and the sad with each case. 7. Must be willing to spend time otherwise spent reading, watching TV, visiting friends and taking care of oneself on the “baby”.
Foster animals are those who need additional care in order to survive or heal. Many times these animals have been orphaned and require bottle feeding or constant monitoring during the fragile stages of healing or development. In some cases, the animals are adults who have been neglected, abused or have health issues that were never addressed and until they are stabilized or stable will not be able to be placed in a “forever” home. I started fostering years ago while in high school. A very pregnant dog made her way to our front porch and my mother being the animal lover that she is allowed me to let the dog in the house. The dog was a sweet, very thin, very pregnant bird dog. We were living in Kentucky at the time and it was common for dogs to either get lost while hunting or be dropped off when no longer performing as expected. She was obviously in need of love and care and a place to have her pups. She spent her first few days relaxing on the porch enjoying the attention given her by her new “family”. By the end of the week it was obvious that she was not well. At that time the local vet came from a town 60 miles away and was only available three days a week so we were not able to take her in for an exam. On Friday morning she began to give birth. I came home during the lunch break to check on her only to find that she had delivered five pups but was in a semi-conscious state. I called the vet’s office and left a message for help. But within 30 minutes of my arriving she died. It was the first time that I gave mouth to muzzle resuscitation. Although she responded, it was obvious, even to a high school-er who was frantic about keeping her alive, the effort was futile. Shortly after she passed the vet’s office called. He suggested that I bring the pups by for an examination. I didn’t return to school that afternoon staying instead with the pups and digging a grave for “Lady”. After my brother returned from school we put the pups in a cardboard box and went to veterinary clinic.
I am sure that up to that point he had never seen a 17 year old girl go from sweet to indignant in a matter of seconds. So guessing that that option was not remotely probable, he did the next best thing, he showed us how to use a syringe with a long rubber tube on it to deliver milk straight to the babies stomachs. He gave us basic instructions on the care of the newborns and sent us off with a “good luck”. And so the adventure began. More on the pups later, charlie |
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