Meet the kitties...

The house has been quiet. Not a bad quiet, but I can notice a difference since Zero left us. Our two Siamese, Gorri and Biya have been loving the little bit of extra attention fewer cats provides, but I can tell from Biya's behavior, she is a little bored and lonely.

While I have some extra time freed up since the "lap occupation" of Zero I am going to begin to take a look back at all of the kitties that we have had the pleasure of meeting and rescuing.

There stories are all so different, and each one was so special.

I will begin by first, making a list of the kitties, so I don't forget anyone.

Let's see, I think it began in 2009? Must have been in late winter/early spring.

The first two kitties came from a shelter. We couldn't bear to leave them there.

Teddy (a fluffy little boy) and Kara (looked like she was wearing mascara).

Then.. Teddy we don't know what happened to him, he escaped from his foster home.

Teddy -?

Kara = Meko- Sarah Snyder (USA)

Daisy = Beatrice- Na **

Outside cat- Korean woman

Mamma, orange, gray baby = Tai Lung- Korean man, Brett and Korean girlfriend

Homer = Chingu- Tessa (USA)

Sweetie Petey + litter of babies- Kate ** (??)

Sunday- Kiran  **, (returned) Korean girl

Dirty- Caitlin ** (eventually USA)

Blackie, Hissy, Scotter, Carmel = Bunny, Boots, ? , XX– MM, Amanda **, Matt  (USA, USA, eventually USA)

Big mama- Korean girl

Pepper- XX

Merry- XX

Wilcox= Feivel – Heather *** (eventually USA)

Zero and Hana- XX, Jasmine

Callie- Matthew (Military family, eventually USA)

Parker= Gus- John and Brittney (eventually USA)

January- XX

I'll be pulling up photos and covering each cat, post by post, story by story. 

Stay tuned! 

Later that night...

After many more attempts to get Zero to eat or drink and watching him try to stand on his own and fall over, we decided ( it took hours of deliberating) that Zero would benefit most if we let his spirit soar that night. I didn't want his body to feel what starvation felt like, but he wouldn't eat. I know he was purring, but I think cats will purr to cover up pain and to help relieve stress and pain. I can't say that he didn't feel any pain in the end, but I wanted him to go while I still thought he might be happy and not suffering horribly. 

We took him up to the vet just before their closing hour. This is when they perform this type of operation. It allows the pet and pet owner to spend time together and not feel rushed. 

We put Zero up on the table, wrapped in the towel he had been sleeping in all afternoon. The vet sat across from us talking to us for a little while while we stroked Zero and talked sweetly to him. 

After a while she asked if we were ready and we reluctantly nodded. She left the room.  I could see a reflection in the open glass door leading to the operation room where the vet and vet tech were making preparations and I saw the vet tech crying and wiping her face with tissue. Then I began to hear the soft sobs she was letting out. 

Jaywon and I could tell how much everyone, not only us, loved Zero and how he affected all of our lives.   

We rubbed and massaged Zero as the vet returned with some shots and a machine to allow us to hear his heartbeat. She asked us if there was any last words we would like to say and I thought. There wasn't anything I could say to Zero now that I hadn't told him one hundred times each day as we lay together. So I leaned in and kissed his back and told him I loved him. 

The vet told him to go well in Korean "Jal Gayo".

Then she gave him the shot to put him into a deep sleep. 

 I continued to rub him and caress him and tell him I loved him. 

We love you, Zero. Your life touched us in an incredible way. Now go play in the catnip fields! 

Zero's last two days...

Little, dear to me, Zero spent his last two days curled up on my chest or on my lap. He was happy and purred up until the very last day. This is what I wanted for him. I didn't want him to become too sick to still enjoy life. I didn't want him to suffer or feel any pain and since he hadn't ate any food and wasn't drinking water for the last 2 days, I knew his body would begin to suffer soon.

Here are some shots of his last two days.. I will always remember these days of warm, snuggles and all the love that him and I shared.

He was such a wonderful little man. A fighter from the start, with a team behind him cheering him on. 

I think he is tired..

We are going to take him to the vet tonight, unless he suddenly stands up and meows he's not ready  but he can't stand up at this point, and he is starting to express discomfort in being gently picked up or moved.

Zero, I have loved being your mom and was blessed to have you in my life!

For now, let's sit a while longer, you on my chest and across my shoulder.. I think we both like this.

Zero's long road...

May be coming to an end. I have spent the last 3 days carrying him from room to room in the house, from litter box to bed. I have also spent the last 3 days washing sheets and towels and blankets because Zero has lost control of his bladder.

Since last night, when I pick him up, he cries a little, as if it hurts. I don't want him to suffer, and he is starting to look tired and deflated.

To be continued..

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Well it's become apparent that Zero is having much more difficulty walking than he was a few days ago.
He's walking a few steps, stumbling, sitting down so that he doesn't have to stumble anymore and having a difficulty getting in and out of his litter box.
When I came home from dinner with a friend this evening there was some kitty urine in the area where he was under the blankets in his cave, ( I love that the in the past few days he brought back his little kitty cave).
I just helped him go to the litter box, carrying him to the litter box, putting him in and taking him out and when I put him down on the ground he had a hard time getting stable on his back legs.
Then he took a few steps, sort of fell over and then rolled on his back. He looked up at me with a look that said "I meant to do that".

He still purrs every time I give him a little kisses on his head and on his body so I don't know when it will be the right time to let him go. 

I don't I know if he is in any pain and I really hope that he isn't, but I also don't want his life to become too stressful for uncomfortable.
We are so lucky to have had such a long time with Zero since finding out about his FIP. I have to appreciate that and know that I have appreciated every day with him.

Paws crossed for Zero!

Update on Zero

Zero is as lovely and loving as ever, but his legs are still wobbling and may be slowly worsening.

Today, I noticed he is getting a white spot in his fur... It's cute!

I need to update these posts with more photos plus I have photos of January from the night before he passed.

Tomorrow, I'll be doing that.

January came and went

We had made minimal progress. Last nights feedings were lacking enthusiasm and he was not showing much strength, instead showing difficulty balancing himself to sit up or walking. He was a little wobbly. But, at our last feeding around midnight, I gave him a little tickle rub on the belly and he gave us his first PURR! I was so happy and thought for sure this is a good sign. He was splayed out on his back and seemed to be more comfortable. He was taking in what we were giving him from the syringe but not really eating well on his own. I think this was his first experiences with solid foods. Maybe he had just lost his mommy hours before I found him.

Anyhow, we went to bed feeling positive.

Jaywon woke up around 7 am to check on him (on a Saturday? That's unheard of!) and he was alive and had moved from one side of his enclosure to the other side. He is warm and toasty from the heating blanket and seemed to be alright. He was crying a little, I think calling for his mommy and letting us know he was a little scared and nervous.

I checked again on him around 8 and again at 9 am. Both times he was still weak, but wagging his tail as I held him and looked into his eyes. January was not so willingly consuming what I was feeding him from the syringe, but I wanted to get that little body fed and the vet had said to have him eat every four hours.

After 30 minutes of holding and attempts at feeding, I put him back onto the blanket to rest.

I heard him crying again 20 minutes later from the other room and just had to check on him. I went in and he had moved again. I picked him up and held him up in my arms and looked in the mirror with him. Then he made a retching sound.


I placed him down on his heating blanket and he promptly threw up a foul smelling fluid. Then I noticed a little poop had also come out. I know these signs. Jaywon and I gently pet him as his little body quivered and his tongue became glued to the roof of his mouth. He stiffened up and quivered one last time and then his eyes went black. At least he had a warm, loving home to pass in, rather than in a cold, lonely pile of leaves.

I'm glad January entered my life no matter how short of a time he spent with us. 

The winter is so hard on the young kittens, in the past, we have lost 2 other winter kitty rescues. One named Pepper, we lost around 11/11/11 and then around that Christmas we went to a shelter and took a baby and named it Merry. She didn't make it very long either. 

I can keep trying and sharing my warm home though! 

RIP little January. 

January

On my way home from work, about an hour ago, I was putting out food in the area we call "the cat commune". An area where the cats of the neighborhood gather to eat.

I had just made the decision not to go the other path and buy stickers for a student (he'll live, I'm glad I did).

While putting food into one of the bowls, I heard a small, muffled cry coming from right below my line of vision. I looked down at a pile of leaves about a foot away from my foot and there he was. A little boy laying down making faint, low meows. I didn't know if he was injured or almost dead, but I knew I had to get him to the vet so I reached down and picked him up and put him in my bag. The vet is a 5 minute walk away so I ran.

Getting him there, he was initially diagnosed with severe hypothermia. They began blow drying him, but his eyes were barely open and he was barely taking water from the syringe.

He is in an incubator now, for the next 3 hours due to low body temperature. They found round worm and another parasite in his stool. He will get medicine for that, but for now, trying to get his temperature back up.

                      He's cute, I hope January makes it!

Gorri and zero sitting in a tree

I just can't get over how great they snuggle!

How they love zero

Both Biya and Gorri have been snuggling with Zero!