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Fire and Brimstone

Thursday
10/8/2009

I drove out to a vet clinic in Loudon County to pick up three kittens (Haley, Harry, and Harley -- hey, we already have a Harley!) and their Mom (Lynxie) yesterday. They’re in the custody of a DC-area rescue organization that wants them fostered for a few more weeks. My first reaction when I saw these kittens was “they’re big…and they look great”.

True and true, but when I heard a steady rain of sneezes during the ride home, I realized that the vet was right about their URI issues. I was given the antibiotic Cephalexin to treat the URI for Mom and all three kittens, and Tresaderm for ear mites. And the vet warned me that none of them enjoyed receiving medications orally by syringe.

That turned out to be a serious understatement. Martha and I teamed up to administer the Cephalexin last night, and they all fought us like little hellions. So that’s what we’re calling this H-named litter. And since our Harley is still cooling her heels at the shelter, we’re changing this little orange guy’s name to Barley for now.

The three kits fought me again on the Cephalexin this morning, maybe because their noses are so goopy and crusty that they have to mouth-breathe… and can’t when they’re being forced to swallow. I didn’t even try to give Lynxie her dose, since she was dripping saliva and sounded wheezy. I doubted I could get it down her without making her gasp and gag.

I took her temp and it was 104, so she’s running a low fever. I called the Loudon vet and she agreed that the Cephalexin wasn’t worth the stress it’s inducing, since Mom and the Hellions are fighting a virus. Lynxie and the Hellions have yet to touch their food, so I’m heading out for Nutrical, baby food, etc, this afternoon. Meanwhile they have a quiet place to nap. The vet thought that the stress of being relocated four times in the last week could have exacerbated their infections.

Shortly after installing the Hellions in the villa, I dropped by the shelter to pick up a hybrid litter: three tabby siblings (Dorothy, Dierdre, and Dorian), and two older, unrelated black kittens (Salem and Spike). The tabbies are small-ish, cute, and healthy. Spike is big, healthy, and a bit feral. Salem is recovering from nasty diarrhea and receiving Metronidazole and Clavamox. He also has an abrasion on his butt that needs ointment.

But the good news is that this medley of S’s and D’s, make that S ‘n Ds, or “Cinders” is eating well and URI-free. We’re going to be careful to keep whatever is hassling the Hellions far away from this group.

filed by: TS

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