The Orange One - Continued

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As those who follow my blog will know, the little orange kitten is still at the vet. Recap: His sisters thought his penis was a nipple so the literally suckled it raw (I know that sounds like a crass sexual joke, but I couldn't think of any other way to put it...). Now he's at the vet for at least a few more days and vet bill is probably going to be in the ballpark of $500... I just think it's more important to get him all fixed up now rather than incur greater fees later on, you know?

I got to visit with him a little today at the The Cat Hospital of Metairie. The folks there are so sweet! I'm going to send them some pictures to put up on their website to get the word out. His sisters are doing well, gaining weight (though still a bit small for seven weeks). I've gotten the chance to use one of my favorite French phrases this week: Comme ils sont delicieux quand ils ferment les yeux...! Which is a fancy way of saying "aren't they cute when they're sleeping?"

In my research regarding adoption, I've also heard rumors that there are people in this world who seek out kittens to adopt in order to a) feed them to snakes or b) use them as bait in dog fights. In my Candide-esque optimistic sensibilities, it's difficult to imagine that anyone could do something so awful to a defenseless creature. Despite this, I'm forging ahead with my plans for an adoption campaign that will put Soviet Communist Propaganda to shame!

I've actually been really good about not posting lolCats... Be proud!

In other news, the Calico really likes the rug in the back room...




If my aunt Victoria is reading this: no worries, they know how to clean themselves now and are no longer constantly covered in cat food! I'd like to give a shout out to Donna Baumann, our second donor to the Kitten Kause. The above video is dedicated to her.

I'z on your feet - taking a nap!

Love, Peace, and Kittens,
Nostalgically Yours

The Orange One

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I'm sure you've all been dying to know more about what's going on with the kittens. Well, they're all pretty much potty trained and I'm teaching them to like dry food. They groom themselves now and no longer require baths. They're up and playing all the time, except when they sleep - they look like angels.

He's going to be quite a lap cat.

The Orange one has given me some trouble, as explained in previous posts. He's basically stayed at the vet for the total of about a week. He's in for the weekend again, but I feel it's a lot better than having him at home, constantly trying to figure out if he's okay. I'm not vet, after all. He's in great hands with the folks over at The Cat Hospital of Metairie. If you own a cat in the New Orleans area, I highly recommend this place.

I was really surprised to hear from the woman at Lakeview Veterinary Hospital - not because they weren't professional and courteous, but because I wasn't able to return to them after my first visit. She called to tell me that someone was interested in potentially adopting a kitten. It's a demonstration of the caring and professionalism of the folks at this vet that they called me despite my not being a client anymore. This place also gets high marks in my book because of this and their great pet healthcare.

Although I had originally thought to keep one of these kittens, I've decided against it. These aren't my kittens. They are my babies, but like any other parent my goal is to raise them to send them out into the world and make sure they have the best life possible. It's simply not my time. In the words of Sarah Brown, "I'll know when my [cat] comes along."


I'd also like to thank Donna Baumann for her contribution to the kitten fund. I'm going to post another video later this week to honor my promise for the contributors.


Please send your good vibes out to the Orange One so that he can get better and come home ASAP.


Thanks for sticking with me,
Nostalgically Yours

PS: I've gotten questions as to why I have yet to name the kittens. I have a thing about names. I don't think I would ever want to adopt a cat that already had a name. It wouldn't be my cat. I'm waiting for the future owners to name their cats, because I feel that's more appropriate. I hope that makes sense?

Kitten Update

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I took the kittens to the vet today for their first real exams. Unfortunately there were some problems with his privates due to suckling by his sisters. Orphaned kittens tend to have a suckling complex since they cannot suckle at will from their mothers. Luckily, mine have stopped since being weened, but the damage was already done... The Orange One required a minor surgical procedure and is staying at the vet's over the weekend. I'm sick with worry and I miss him terribly. I know he'll be alright, but I can't help it. Please keep him in your thoughts and send him plenty of happy vibrations...

On a lighter note, the other kittens are doing just fine, though they are a bit underweight, according to the doctor. She encouraged me to let them eat as much as possible to keep them growing at a healthy rate. They have noticed their brother is gone, though. They're not playing as much as they normally do. Here are all four kittens yesterday, in a continuation of the video posted then:






Also, I would like to thank Angela Steele for being the first to donate to my Kitten fund! This video is dedicated to her! Thank you, Angela. The money will be going toward their vet bill.

Thanks,
Nostalgically Yours

More on the Kittens

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If you take a gander at the right sidebar, you'll notice something new: a slideshow of pictures of the kittens, as well as a "donate" button. I've started a PayPal donation fund to help pay for vet bills, food, etc. I'm relying on your generosity to help keep me out of the poor house, since I am using my personal funds to take care of the kittens right now.

Being a full-time student, part-time blogger, and part-time mom doesn't leave room for work, so think of this as compensation for my blog posts on the kittens. The more donations I get, the more videos and photos of the kittens I will post! Here's a little teaser:



If you decide to donate, you should be aware that PayPal keeps about 3% of whatever you donate, so if you want to give me $5, you should make it $5.15 if you want me to get the full $5... Of course the kittens always welcome larger donations, but by no means is anyone obligated to donate.

The kittens are going in for their first official vet exam tomorrow, and I'll be sure to keep you all posted on their health!

Enjoy the video,
Nostalgically Yours

PS: They haven't learned to eat without making a mess, yet, so that's food on their schnoz, not poo!

My Kittens at Play!

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Does this need an introduction? I think not.





Enjoy,

Nostalgically Yours

More and More Kittens - Their New Home

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The kittens now have a new home! Their 16x20" box was quickly becoming quite stifling for the poor little dears, so I decided to build them a new habitat. Yes, you heard me correctly - BUILD. You didn't think I had it in me, did you? Well, I did. With some leftover wood from the shed in the backyard, a $13 saw kit from the Home Depot, some nails, a hammer, and just a touch of elbow grease, I managed to put together a rather solid half-wall to close off a corner of my bedroom:

The kittens are really starting to walk now, so they need more space to play and run around. I hope this can afford them that extra room. Their heating pad is under their bed there in the left hand corner. That's their new litter box on the right, and you can see about half of their white, square water dish - though I've been trying to water them regularly, their old box couldn't afford the room to leave the water with them all the time.

That litter box is home-made, by the way! Here's how:

1) Find an old box that you're going to get rid of anyway

2) Cut out one of the big sides of the box

3) Reinforce with tape - I used painter's tape to avoid fumes and chemicals

4) Draw a line one inch from the "bottom" of the box all the way around the interior sides

5) Cut out, and voila!

I suppose that whole explanation was more for anyone not too craft oriented. You probably could have figured that out yourselves... Now, to end with more kittens!

Once again, if you know anyone in San Francisco, New Orleans, or Washington D.C. who might be interested in one of the kittens, please contact me.

Drowning in Kittens

Nostalgically Yours

Artwork and Kittens!

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Since I've been a terrible, terrible person and have barely posted at all this morning, I'll make up for it by posting some more artwork and some pictures of the kittens - are we cool? Here are some of the illustrations I've done for my Croquis and Rendering class at AAU. To see the rest of what I uploaded, you can click here - you'll have to scroll down past the Fine Art to see the newer stuff.

Also, I know many of you have been anxious to hear about the kittens! I've started to wean them off the bottle and onto some Turkey-flavored baby food. Here they are after their bath:

They're just learning to walk, so they need their exercise!

Some of them still find drinking water from a bowl quite intimidating...

Others have taken to it quite well

Individual Portraits!

Cute Anecdote - Since I had no one to help me bathe the kittens, I tied up my t-shirt to make a pouch to keep the wet kittens warm while I washed the others. They quickly settled in, but apparently got bored by the time I had finished. As I left the bathroom I noticed this and just had to take a picture...!

I seeeeeee you!

Blog Update

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I've unfortunately had to delay my posts for another week. I hate to do this, but I've really no other choice due to my parents' visit.

One of the kittens died on Sunday (my birthday). We buried her in the back yard and named her Samantha - I didn't think it would be right to bury her without a name...

We planted a flower on Samantha's grave

The other kittens are alive and well, thank goodness. Here they are right after their bath yesterday:

I also made a sling so I could keep the kittens warm when they're out of the box. This also helps with bonding, since they have no real mother to sleep against.

Très chic, non?

If you're wondering how I made it, I'll explain. I took an old an old t-shirt and the straps to my guitar case - they have snap hooks on each end.

With the t-shirt and snap hooks facing me, I snapped the hooks onto the edges of the t-shirt, one at the collar and one at the hem (A). Then, I pulled the straps around to the front, letting the fabric edges fold over themselves (B).

I placed one strap over your shoulder like a messenger bag and draped the other over my arm, letting the excess fabric hang like a canopy. I tucked one sleeve into the collar of the shirt I was wearing and used the second to cover the kittens once in the sling. Voilà!

More soon, I promise!
Nostalgically Yours


PS: You'll notice I've added buttons for you bloggers to grab and add to your website. I'd be more than happy to create a custom button for any website, just e-mail me at nostalgically_yours@hotmail.com or leave a comment below.

PPS: Read how I obtained these little dears here.

Sex and the Austen Girl - New Episodes

As promised, here are some fun snippets of things to keep you busy while I'm off taking care of the kittens. Today, the two latest episodes of "Sex and the Austen Girl":

"Snip, Snip"

"A Matter of Chance"



Enjoy!
Nostalgically Yours


PS: For those of you that are interested, the kittens are beginning to open their eyes!

The Kittens - Part I

Dear Readers,

I'm so terribly sorry for not having written so far this week. However, I promise that I have five very good reasons for falling behind on my posts - and here they are:

These are the five orphan kittens I've taken under my wing. Here's the back story: My family and I went to Petco because we wanted my little sister to see the animals they had up for adoption. While we were looking around, two frantic women came up to the temporary adoption desk carrying an old cardboard box. Inside? These five, teeny-tiny kittens - not even a week old - huddling for warmth. The women had discovered the poor dears somewhere outside UNO's campus. They had been feeding them all night, but could not keep them due to allergies. A friend had recommended they go to the adoption center to try and give them away, but the adoption lady had to refuse them.

"The best thing to do will be to take them to a shelter and have them put to sleep. It's the most humane thing to do..." One of the women (who I later found out had recently lost a cat of her own) began to cry. I couldn't help myself.
"What are the options for foster care?" I inquired.
"Well someone would have to take care of them; feed them, make them pee, keep them warm..."
"What if I did that?" The women looked me over.
"That's between you all," the adoption lady said warily.
The rest is history... After taking down the numbers of the two women, promising to keep them informed of the kittens' health and such, I brought the five little tykes home with me. My sister was thrilled. I've been hand feeding them every four hours, and since Saturday they've learned to eliminate by themselves.
I took them to the vet today to have them checked out, but the doctor couldn't do much since they're still so young. They have yet to open their eyes...
I'm a bit worried about finding homes for them, but my primary concern at this moment is keeping them happy and healthy.

I'll have more time to post after this coming weekend. The kittens require my attention, and I'm going to try and get as much of my school-work done early this week because my parents are visiting for my birthday on Sunday (10-10-10!). Next week the kittens reduce their number of feedings per day and will be slightly more self-sufficient. I promise to make up for lost time and all the missing Halloween costume ideas then. In the meantime I will be posting sporadically to keep you up to date on the kittens as well as any other snippets I have time for.

If you happen to live in the New Orleans area and would be interested in adopting one or more of the kittens, please email me!