Miri is a Sweet Baby

Hiya... It is now 2:22 am CST. Miri had a eucalyptus treatment this morning which helped. She started breathing easier. She doesn't seem to mind having a towel over her head and breathing in the vapors from a cereal bowl, as long as she is in my lap at the time.

She needed another treatment this evening, but her breathing didn't improve afterward.

Had to use the albuterol inhaler with the funnel I had made out of a water bottle. I sprayed the inhaler into the wide part of the "funnel" first and then placed the mouth of the bottle over her nose while she was wrapped up in a towel.

What a sweet baby! As long as she didn't hear the noise of the inhaler, she didn't mind breathing from the funnel.
After about six breathes, she was "done," and moved her head. (The vet had me count to ten with Sandy... but he was a big boy.) I held her with her upright in my arms and her breathing finally calmed. She slept in my arms for over an hour.


I just put her the bathroom with her curly haired brothers a few minutes ago. Toby and Sammy are such a silly handful. I am still amazed at their quick adaption to two-legged Mommies.



Gotta go check on her other brothers before I call it a night. They would rather huddle together in a hidey place like a carrier or a big box. They're still not sure what "Indoor World" is all about, but they do love chicken, which is helping their adjustment to two-legged Moms.

The white boys, Jordi (Blue eye, Yellow eye) and Jazpurr (the big baby) are calming down and getting used to being held, but Justin, the other black kitty is a furry little fighter. He is going to take longer to socialize. Good thing I'm used to strong willed kitties! Just wish Maggie their four-legged Mom had brought them to us the same time as the first three.

Love n Purrz,
Katie Kat

Update on Miri's condition

Miri is such a sweet baby.

This afternoon, had to tried another bit of albuterol sulfate. I used a water bottle with the bottom cut off. I put the spout on her nose and sprayed the dose into the open back of the bottle. She didn't like it, but still breathed in a small amount, which was all she needed. She took off after the inhalation dose (my towel wasn't snug enough.) She went to her pillow on the chair and I loved her and snuggled her into a bigger towel.

I put a bit of Mentholatum on her upper lip. In a few minutes, her breathing calmed down to where I had to put my ear to her chest to hear her. The Mentholatum was the biggest help, since she took off after the inhaler made a noise and didn't get much of the dose, which was okay. (Albuterol can make the heart race, so only a tiny amount for little lungs.)

I found out that Eucalyptus oil is okay for cats to breathe who have asthmatic symptoms. I'm going to get a small bottle from Whole Foods Association, a local health food store. (not related to the large Whole Foods Market Chain) I also read that Marshmallow and something called Inula helenium (elecampane) is okay for cats too and helps in calming the lungs. Whole Foods Association carries marshmallow, but I have no idea about elecampane.

=^..^=

Last 3 Kittens and Miri has Asthma

Been a long week! Sorry so late in this update
Caught the last three kittens last Sunday night!!

Keeping these three bigger babies quarantined for now in an extra large dog crate. Sure are a handful to tame down for "Inside Land," but progressing surprising well. I wrap them in a towel and pet them and scratch their ears, making lovey talk. They are now just mild hissy babies, versus LET ME OUT OF HERE!!! lol...

Had to treat them for fleas and worms. Thanks to Jane in England... was able to give them worm meds and flea applications on Tuesday. Since Frontline costs 40.00 for three doses, I tried the generic "Tri-Force," for only 20.00. Works slowly. Still a lethargic flea on one of them yesterday!

Here is a photo of my big scaredy kittens:

Our Three J's... or 3 Cat-skateerz.

White kitty in the back is Jordi with one yellow eye and blue left eye. (or Geordi for Lt. LaForge on Star Trek). Probably partially deaf.

White kitty Jazpurr in front is the biggest baby.

Fiesty little black bear kitty is Justin (Justin Case he settles down! He is a furry little fighter!).

Yesterday, their tamer brothers and sister came to visit with supervision from outside the crate. The boys calmed down and recognized their littermates. Still a bit of mild hissing and large "personal space" going on. Jordi got bold and started playing with a rope hanging from the crate top, while the other two just laid down and closed their eyes to let smaller Sammy and Toby know they were "cool" with them hanging around.

v6666666666666tayyyyyy Sa78mmy i t8888888h is typing! - okay Sammy, off the keyboard now, gotta talk about your sister.

Sweet Miri has Asthma.



She is in my lap right now, wheezing. Mildly, thank God.

She was having some milder symptoms several times this past week, but they sounded like hacking from a fur ball. And since she has a sensitive tummy, just watched her closely. But she never threw anything up.

Then Thursday, she was hacking fairly bad and I put my ear to her chest and heard the trachea clicking, a sign that Sandy Red Tigger (1990-2006) made when he had trouble breathing. Still thought something was stuck in her throat, since she just ate something. Sandy never hacked when he had an asthma attack.

Then last night after vigorously playing with Toby, she had a full blown wheezing attack. Sandy took Albuterol Sulfate as an adult, the same as me. Normally you use a tube and a small mask to administer, but didn't have it. I took a risk and opened her mouth to spray some in. The sound scared her, but she breathed in some of the med and began breathing better, but not too much for her little body. I'm going to monitor this weekend and search for herbal remedies online. Hopefully won't have to use emergency vet.

Hopefully will be able to make an appointment with the Cat Hospital where Dr. Jones can run tests to check for allergies, a collapsing trachea or heart worms. I hope to God it isn't a symptom of heart worms. I'm going to ask ML if we can have an auction for her. She is only 4-5 months old and soo young to be having so much trouble breathing.

And all the boys should be tested for FLV and Leukemia and get their shots before neutering. As long as they all test negative, then I can use my free voucher to get them neutered at the the low cost clinic. Miri will need to be tested as well and may need monitoring when spayed. May not be able to use the free voucher for her, because the low-cost clinic doesn't have the equipment, plus have to wait and find out if this is asthma or something else.

From an article on feline asthma: http://cats.about.com/od/respiratorydisease/a/felineasthma.htm
A full-blown asthma attack may at first resemble a cat trying to cough up a hairball, or possibly choking on food. However, the body posture is somewhat different. With asthma, the cat's body will be hunched lower to the ground and his neck and head will be extended out and down in an effort to clear the airway of mucous. The "gagging" may also be accompanied by a typical coughing sound, and possibly sneezing. The cat may or may not expel foamy mucous... These serious attacks may not happen frequently, which makes it easy to write them off as just a hairball.

Actually, they can be life-threatening, and a cat in a full-blown attack should be taken to a veterinarian immediately. Even a cat showing one or two of the early symptoms should be examined. Once diagnosed, there are things you can do to help your cat during one of these attacks.

Other diseases share many of the same symptoms as feline asthma, including Heartworm Associated Respiratory Disease, a serious disease in itself. Your veterinarian will use several diagnostic tests to eliminate those conditions.

Most common diagnostic tools are:

• Blood Tests. These are the quickest and easiest, and will detect infection, which often accompanies asthmatic bronchitis. They will detect macrophages, esoinophils, neutrophils, and mast cells, which are types of blood cells that help constitute the immune system. And blood work is also useful in eliminating other diseases with the same symptoms.
• Chest XRay. Also called a thoracic, xray, will disclose abnormalities, such as areas of chronic irritation, as caused by infection, a flattened diaphragm, or unusual fluid accumulation. Evidence of heart disease may also be seen. This would not necessarily eliminate asthma, as the two sometimes go hand-in-hand. Your veterinarian may want to send the xray to a specialist for consultation.
• Bronchoalveolar Lavage. This is an extremely useful procedure and in itself, perfectly safe. BAL, as it is called, is performed by inserting an endotracheal tube into the trachea under general anasthesia, then fluids present in the airways of the lungs are extracted through this tube for examination. Aside from asthma, the BAL may diagnose other conditions of the lungs. In a study done in Barcelona of 26 cats, two were found to have Toxoplasma gondii cysts, two showed evidence of carcinoma, and 18 were determined to be related to asthma or infectious bronchitis. The down side of BAL is that it requires a general anesthesia, counter-indicated in a cat with severe respiratory distress

Please keep Miri in your purrz and prayerz, especially this weekend. Will update if I have to take her to the emergency vet.

Katie Kat

Toby is Curly!!

Toby now has curly fur! Especially on hims tummy! Sammy's fur is getting wavy and even Miri is getting longer furs mixed in with her short ones. They don't seem too wavy though, still that is odd.

Some kind of Rexness going on here, which is a mutation. Well maybe that explains their adaptability to people! And will also help in finding them homes.

Still working on catching the other three kittens. Got an xxl crate and it is sitting outside right now. I put their food in and Maggie and the remaining babies go in and eat! The crate cost 60.00, but I hope to re sell it when I no longer need it.

(Had to scare an Opossum off the porch last night!)

Today is the day to buy the second round of worm meds fur Toby, Sammy and Miri.
And I will have to get worm meds for the other kittens.
Mom has had her first dose. So she will need her next round, too.
The round worm tablets are only 2.15 a piece at Mitchell's Vet Supply. Will give their tabs tonight.

Funny sideways Video of Toby and Sammy playing in the living room.



Toby and Sammy in a box - they stayed in the box for nearly thirty minutes!!!

Toby finally jumps out.




No matter what we did, Sammy stays in the box!



More stuffoms later!
Purrz,
Katie Kat

When it purrz, it rainz more kittenz

Maggie was holding back three more kittens!!



Two white kittens and one more black kitten showed up Sunday Morning.




They were born and raised in an empty house next door. Used to people smells, they're learning what "people" look like. Will tell a longer back story later.

A far shot with my digital camera, showing Maggie and two of her remaining kittens eating. The black one has his/her face in the bowl. One of the white kittens may be a girl. Going to need worm meds.

Will ask Dr. Adkins if I can buy Drontal from her since Drontal covers all worm infestations with one dose. Will let you know how much that would be for three kitten pills.

The Round/hook and tapeworm meds (two different pills) from the Vet supply would cost abt 8.00 for each kitten, around 24.00 total.

Once captured, will have to keep them separated from their other siblings until they have been dewormed at least.

And the little bathroom won't hold 6 three month old kittens at once!

Have a quiet room where I can put a big crate for the last three kittens and possibly Maggie too. Looking on Craig's list and price ranging from 20 to 50 dollars. Making phone calls Monday morning to see who still has one and price.

Some good news! I have a voucher code that will get my almost three year olds Bootsie and Daisy spayed for free as well as spaying Maggie and getting her babies fixed at Kansas Spay and Neuter Clinic. The voucher is from a local organization called RETAIN. (Wichita, Kansas)

Hope to catch Maggie and her remaining kitties furry soon!

Update on first three kitties: Both Toby and Miri's stools not firming up. Corn free food time! RETAIN has 1.00 coupons from Petco for Natural Balance, a corn-free food! Will be about $7.99 in store for 3 lbs with coupon. Does anyone know where I can get more Petco coupons?

Other choices for a corn free food include: Katzen Flocken, which is good for kittens. (runs around $9.00 for 4 lbs) and Petsmart Authority Brand for sensitive tummies ($7.99 for 4 lbs)

Would like to know if anyone has better ideas for corn free food for these kittens and their mommy.

Thanks for any help, especially financially to look after these kittens until I can place them in forever homes. I can draw your purr babies from a photo that you can send me by email. Some folks can only donate small amounts, but it adds up to saving these little ones.

If you donate, please let me know if you would like a portrait done or an ACEO that I have already made.

Here are some examples of my work: The kitty patty pawing is Pencil, crayon and watercolor on yellow cardstock.

ACEO (Artist Certified Edition Original) one of a kind 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 and is available for any donation amount.









The Beagle and the Siamese below are samples of orders from folks who sent me a photo and asked for a purrtrait. These finished drawings were 4 x 6.




Purrz of Thanks fur helping these sweeties,
Katie Kat