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!

Saturday morning

It's about 730 in the morning on Saturday and we are all here in bed.  Zero seems confused. Like he doesn't know what he feels like doing. He lays down for a minute but the stands up again and wobbles on his back legs, turns around walks a few steps on top of me, then comes back and lays down again.
I worry about him every day but he still eats well, loves his snuggles and purrs to show me he is happy. Keep it up, little man.

Day after Christmas

So today I realized that Zero now is developing some weakness in his hind legs. when he jumps down of the bed he looks as if he slipping and sliding and he seems to be having difficulty standing up. Other than that he is the same loveable, purring, happy cat. I looked up the weakness in the hind legs and they do say that it's a sign of the drive form of FIP. it's interesting I cannot find any information on the disease changing from wet to dry FIP, but it seems that that is what happened with Zero. He has no symptoms of wet FIP anymore but now after reducing his steroid medication it seems that he is developing dry FIP symptoms. I'm going to return his steroid medication to the usual today.

He's a little fun-loving man

Zero, after that last post, has been an active and loving little guy (Maybe a little extra attention goes a long way). I have found him rolling on his back asking for belly rubs more times than I can count and I'm always happy to oblige.

Yesterday he was fascinated with the pin that seals the air hole on my yoga ball. I took a video of him playing with it.

I will try and post that this afternoon.


I showed it to his vets and they were smiling and pleased.