Tuesday morning we took Puff for her vet visit and she was very very sick. She could barely breath, wasn’t moving and hadn’t eaten and taken any water in two days. The vet said she was very dehydrated and might not live or make it through birth and that there was a good chance she could have cancer or aids (the feline kind, they can’t give it to people) and she should be tested. He also said she should be on antibiotics. Unfortunately we had four bucks in the banks because we used the last sixty we had to rescue her and the car trouble from last month hurt our pocket book big time. He did give us some homeopathic remedies we could try but he didn’t look very enthusiastic about her outcome.

When we got home we were pretty bummed but decided to give it a try. We managed to scrape together ten bucks and buy a bottle of saline nose drops and a bottle of lysine pills (an amino acid sold in health food stores). While Sean was at work I looked up feline leukemia (what our previous kittens died from) and feline aids to see what our options were. The vet said we should have them all put to sleep if they tested positive for either but I don’t believe in giving up that easily. I found some good websites and a few places that cater to the adoption of special needs kitties. We talked about it and decided if the kitties are sick then we’ll do what we can to find them a home before restorting to euthenasia.

When Sean got home we went to check on Puff and discovered that the walls were bleeding. My first instinct was to pack my crap and run. When it comes to hauntings I am a major chicken. Then I decided it might be wise to at least see why they were bleeding. No I’m not nuts, there are photos at the end of the post. Anyway, it turns out the hot steam from the humidifier had somehow reacted with the cheap ass paint they use here and something (oil, varish, dirt?) was oozing out of the paint and down the walls. We gave Puff a bath (she peed herself because she was so weak) and then took her litter box to the patio, emptied it, cleaned it with vinegar and water and filled it with clean litter. Then we removed everything and scrubbed floor to ceiling with vinegar water and put down new puppy pads. Finally we cleaned her food and water dishes and gave her new food and water and Sean held her while I wiped her eyes with saline and put saline drops in her nose. We tried to get her to eat on her own but finally we had to force feed her with a saringe the food and lysine mix.

After two days of that she was much much better and yesterday afternoon she started eating and drinking like she’d never had a meal in her life. We started to regain some hope that she and the babies might be ok. Later that night before we went to bed I felt her stomache and it was firm and round and I couldn’t feel the kittens. Before it was soft and squishy and I could feel each kitten move so I was getting nervous. This morning I checked on her and repeating the same routine we do four times of day of wiping her eyes and giving her nose drops but since she was eating and drinking I only stayed a few minutes to pet on her and then went to clean up the house. At eleven went to get her lunch ready and repeat her cleaning but decided not to go since she was eating and drinking and since she looked so good. But around eleven twenty I got this nagging urge to check on her. When I entered the room I could hear a little mewling sound and rushed in to find Puff in labor.

She’d climbed into her birthing box and one baby was out but still attached to the afterbirth that she hadn’t pushed out and a second baby was half out. I helped her move the babies so she could reach the after birth and gently guided the second baby out and opened it’s birthing sack so it could breath. Puff wasn’t crying or giving any indication she was in pain and she was a real trooper, purring, cleaning the babies and snuggling around them. Shortly after she had two more babies pretty quickly and forty five minutes later she had the last baby. Her belly was still a little firm but I didn’t feel any movement so I moved the babies to a heating pad, removed the soiled puppy pads and put in a soft plastic lined mat and then a new puppy pad. I got them all situated and comfortable and left her alone to rest. When she was sleeping I brought Niobe and Trinity in to see the kittens (Niobe was only interested in Puffs food and Trinity was offended and stomped off).

At three I suddenly felt that I should check on her again and Neo followed me into the bathroom. The puppy pad was soiled so I counted and, you guessed it, six babies. I felt Puff’s tummy and I’m fairly sure that was the last one. All the kitties are doing well and thier mommy is doing a good job so I’m a happy fur-grandma. There are three black kittens (one solid and two with some tortie thrown in) and three red kittens. Not a one looks like thier mommy. Below you will find photos cause I know you’re dying to see them Pray all the kitties are healthy and happy. As for me, I’m covered in afterbirth and blood so I’m going to take a shower. More pictures will follow. Good luck and blessings, Prana

Walls

Kittens

P.S. A special thanks to Amy, nurse/vet/saint for all her advice on kitty care. You’re the best!

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