Bruce, Gem and the Sad News

We got Bruce a few weeks ago, and he was probably a bit on the young side to
be taken from his mother (six weekish). We did it for a couple of reasons. Gem
seemed to really need another kitten to play with. I didn't like the idea of my
kitten being kept outside in an area that has shown itself to be hostile to
kittens. He seems to be a bit skinny when we got him (had six brother and
sisters, and alot of competition for food. He also had a bad case of fleas. We
put advantage on him (the vet said it was okay even though he might not be eight
weeks). A few days later we gave him a bath, and his fur turned pink from all
the digested blood the fleas had left behind. Almost broke my heart! And he
seemed to adapt well enough to our house pretty quickly.

Gem really helped with that. For the first day or so they were shy of each
other. But soon, they were wrestling and stomping around the house together.
The older cats were happier too. No more sudden "Hug and Dash" attacks from
Gem. The two kittens are even sleeping together more often than not. Gem's
chest still is congested, we've gotten used to the fact that she might not ever
fully recover from the neglect she suffered as an abandoned feral kitten. She
still coughs and wheezes, but she still seems alot happier at having a new
playmate. And she even seems to be not quite so fat anymore, since she has
someone to play with. She was starving when we captured her, but it didn't take
long at all for her to go from our vet saying "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lennaman, but
she's in very bad shape and I don't know if she can recover" to "Wow, that thing
is sure getting pudgy!"

But I still felt a bit guilty about taking Bruce so young. Especially since
about a week ago he started "suckling" on blankets and towels. I have heard
that this is a sign of a deprived kitten, and I feel pretty bad about it. I was
debating taking him back next door so he could reconnect with his mom, maybe
just romp with his siblings again.

Today my husband Lenny went over to pay the teenaged son some money for some
yard work he had done for us. When he came back he told me that all of Bruce's
siblings were missing and presumed dead. Well, two they know for sure were torn
apart by a dog. The rest no doubt met some similar awful fate.

This isn't an "I told you so" post to the person here that told me that I had
done the wrong thing in taking Bruce. I don't want to make it sound like I
think there is any good side at all to this turn of events. Bruce is such a
sweet little kitten, I'm sure all his brothers and sisters were wonderful
kittens as well. The only thing I feel besides saddness at this news is anger
for the people that don't fix their female cat, then kept the kittens she has
outside without any protection. I would try to capture and have her spayed
myself, but money is tight now, and we have to just focus on our own cats (spent
close to grand catching, vacinating, and nuetering the ferals on our property).

So, I am glad that Bruce and Gem are such good friends, happy that our older
cats are not being pounced on any more, feeling guilty that we took Bruce as
such a young age, happy that he is now flealess and gaining weight, heartbroken
to hear about his siblings, and mad at my neighbors for not caring enough to get
their cat fixed.

And some people try to tell me that I've missed out on alot by not having
kids.

--
Annie

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What a mixture of emotions from reading your story. Happy that Gem and
Bruce are getting along so well, and that they have each other and
aren't pestering the adults as much. It's so sad to hear about his
siblings, and the clueless neighbors.

I also have a set of clueless neighbors who "own" one of the regulars
at my outdoor food bowl. This is a tom tuxedo, that I call Black Tom
or just Tommy, who looks so much like my Sammy that I often have to do
a double take to make sure Sammy hasn't somehow snuck out. Back when I
thought I might have to move and I checked with neighbors about the
possiblility about taking over the feeding of the neighborhood strays,
I discovered that these people claim him. They haven't even bothered
to give him a name, let him roam despite the fact that he regularly
crosses a busy 4 lane street, and refuse to neuter him because they
say it's not "natural". Like you I've thought about kidnapping Tommy
and taking him to the local non-profit clinic which will neuter toms
for $18.

On Sat, 18 Oct 2003 03:25:42 GMT, Annie Benson-Lennaman
wrote:


We got Bruce a few weeks ago, and he was probably a bit on the young side to
be taken from his mother (six weekish). We did it for a couple of reasons. Gem
seemed to really need another kitten to play with. I didn't like the idea of my
kitten being kept outside in an area that has shown itself to be hostile to
kittens. He seems to be a bit skinny when we got him (had six brother and
sisters, and alot of competition for food. He also had a bad case of fleas. We
put advantage on him (the vet said it was okay even though he might not be eight
weeks). A few days later we gave him a bath, and his fur turned pink from all
the digested blood the fleas had left behind. Almost broke my heart! And he
seemed to adapt well enough to our house pretty quickly.

Gem really helped with that. For the first day or so they were shy of each
other. But soon, they were wrestling and stomping around the house together.
The older cats were happier too. No more sudden "Hug and Dash" attacks from
Gem. The two kittens are even sleeping together more often than not. Gem's
chest still is congested, we've gotten used to the fact that she might not ever
fully recover from the neglect she suffered as an abandoned feral kitten. She
still coughs and wheezes, but she still seems alot happier at having a new
playmate. And she even seems to be not quite so fat anymore, since she has
someone to play with. She was starving when we captured her, but it didn't take
long at all for her to go from our vet saying "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lennaman, but
she's in very bad shape and I don't know if she can recover" to "Wow, that thing
is sure getting pudgy!"

But I still felt a bit guilty about taking Bruce so young. Especially since
about a week ago he started "suckling" on blankets and towels. I have heard
that this is a sign of a deprived kitten, and I feel pretty bad about it. I was
debating taking him back next door so he could reconnect with his mom, maybe
just romp with his siblings again.

Today my husband Lenny went over to pay the teenaged son some money for some
yard work he had done for us. When he came back he told me that all of Bruce's
siblings were missing and presumed dead. Well, two they know for sure were torn
apart by a dog. The rest no doubt met some similar awful fate.

This isn't an "I told you so" post to the person here that told me that I had
done the wrong thing in taking Bruce. I don't want to make it sound like I
think there is any good side at all to this turn of events. Bruce is such a
sweet little kitten, I'm sure all his brothers and sisters were wonderful
kittens as well. The only thing I feel besides saddness at this news is anger
for the people that don't fix their female cat, then kept the kittens she has
outside without any protection. I would try to capture and have her spayed
myself, but money is tight now, and we have to just focus on our own cats (spent
close to grand catching, vacinating, and nuetering the ferals on our property).

So, I am glad that Bruce and Gem are such good friends, happy that our older
cats are not being pounced on any more, feeling guilty that we took Bruce as
such a young age, happy that he is now flealess and gaining weight, heartbroken
to hear about his siblings, and mad at my neighbors for not caring enough to get
their cat fixed.

And some people try to tell me that I've missed out on alot by not having
kids.

--
Annie

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Teapray-- 46 High Elf Cleric on Firiona Vie

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"Annie Benson-Lennaman" wrote in message
...

We got Bruce a few weeks ago, and he was probably a bit on the young side to
be taken from his mother (six weekish). We did it for a couple of reasons. Gem
seemed to really need another kitten to play with. I didn't like the idea of my
kitten being kept outside in an area that has shown itself to be hostile to
kittens. He seems to be a bit skinny when we got him (had six brother and
sisters, and alot of competition for food. He also had a bad case of fleas. We
put advantage on him (the vet said it was okay even though he might not be eight
weeks). A few days later we gave him a bath, and his fur turned pink from all
the digested blood the fleas had left behind. Almost broke my heart! And he
seemed to adapt well enough to our house pretty quickly.

snip
But I still felt a bit guilty about taking Bruce so young. Especially since
about a week ago he started "suckling" on blankets and towels. I have heard
that this is a sign of a deprived kitten, and I feel pretty bad about it. I was
debating taking him back next door so he could reconnect with his mom, maybe
just romp with his siblings again.

Today my husband Lenny went over to pay the teenaged son some money for some
yard work he had done for us. When he came back he told me that all of Bruce's
siblings were missing and presumed dead. Well, two they know for sure were torn
apart by a dog. The rest no doubt met some similar awful fate.

snip

So, I am glad that Bruce and Gem are such good friends, happy that our older
cats are not being pounced on any more, feeling guilty that we took Bruce as
such a young age, happy that he is now flealess and gaining weight, heartbroken
to hear about his siblings, and mad at my neighbors for not caring enough to get
their cat fixed.

And some people try to tell me that I've missed out on alot by not having
kids.

--
Annie


Hi Annie,

Thank you for giving me a good reason to be happy today :^). FWIW, I cannot think why anyone would
want to criticise you for giving Bruce the chance to have not only a far better life but also,
probably, a far longer one. Also FWIW, I would have done the same thing as you did.

Wishing *all* in your family much happiness, good health and long lives.

Best regards

Sheenah

So sad to hear about the siblings dying.
Hugs and purrs,
--
Polonca & Soncek

"Annie Benson-Lennaman" wrote in
message ...
snip Today my husband Lenny went over to pay the teenaged son some
money for some
yard work he had done for us. When he came back he told me that all of
Bruce's
siblings were missing and presumed dead. Well, two they know for sure
were torn
apart by a dog. The rest no doubt met some similar awful fate.

Annie Benson-Lennaman wrote:
But I still felt a bit guilty about taking Bruce so young. Especially since
about a week ago he started "suckling" on blankets and towels. I have heard
that this is a sign of a deprived kitten, and I feel pretty bad about it. I was
debating taking him back next door so he could reconnect with his mom, maybe
just romp with his siblings again.

You did the right thing! I'm so saddened about what happened to
Bruce's littermates. But I think wool sucking goes hand in hand with
purring and kneading. Betty sometimes does it, and she's four years
old.

Annie Benson-Lennaman wrote:

This isn't an "I told you so" post to the person here that told me that I had
done the wrong thing in taking Bruce. I don't want to make it sound like I
think there is any good side at all to this turn of events. Bruce is such a
sweet little kitten, I'm sure all his brothers and sisters were wonderful
kittens as well. The only thing I feel besides saddness at this news is anger
for the people that don't fix their female cat, then kept the kittens she has
outside without any protection. I would try to capture and have her spayed
myself, but money is tight now, and we have to just focus on our own cats (spent
close to grand catching, vacinating, and nuetering the ferals on our property).

It's a sad fact of life that you can't save them all! You can be proud
that you are at least making an effort to care for "unwanted" felines.
There's only so much any one person can do, so console yourself with the
efforts you are making, don't agonize over things you can't help.

Thank you all for the moral support for these trying, yet rewarding times.

Actually, something pretty funny happened today. The kittens ran out of
food, so we went to vet's this morning to pick up more. We showed up at
10:10am, and told them we need more kitty chow. They looked at us blankly.
"But where's Bruce?" Jane the vet lady asked.

It was our turn to look blank. "He's at home, of course. Why do you ask?"

"He's supposed to be here. You have an appointment for his booster shots at
10:20am."

That's right, we clean forgot about the appointment, and showed up at the
vet's anyways, on time, without the animal! And in the 20 or so years this
place has been open, it seems that we were the first people to do this.

Lenny took the car and left, I sat there marveling at how the odds came
together, while the vet staff giggled amongst themselves. We live very close to
vet, and at 10:20, right on the dot, Lenny walked back in with Bruce. As he
walked in the door one of the assistants said loudly "Why Mr. Lennaman, you must
be here for your appointment! Right on time!" Everyone in the office, vet
included, busted up laughing.

Bruce is officially in good shape. He has pretty much doubled in weight in
the past 3 weeks, but is not at all fat. The vet also said we did the right
thing in taking him, given what happened to the rest of them.

It was good to get a laugh today, and I still laugh when I think on it.

--
Annie

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Funny story! Thanks.
Best wishes,
--
Polonca & Soncek

"Annie Benson-Lennaman" wrote in
message ...

Thank you all for the moral support for these trying, yet rewarding
times.

Actually, something pretty funny happened today. snip

"Annie Benson-Lennaman" wrote in
message ...

We got Bruce a few weeks ago, and he was probably a bit on the young
side to
be taken from his mother (six weekish). We did it for a couple of
reasons. Gem
seemed to really need another kitten to play with. I didn't like the idea
of my
kitten being kept outside in an area that has shown itself to be hostile
to
kittens. He seems to be a bit skinny when we got him (had six brother and
sisters, and alot of competition for food. He also had a bad case of
fleas. We
put advantage on him (the vet said it was okay even though he might not be
eight
weeks). A few days later we gave him a bath, and his fur turned pink from
all
the digested blood the fleas had left behind. Almost broke my heart!
And he
seemed to adapt well enough to our house pretty quickly.

Gem really helped with that. For the first day or so they were shy of
each
other. But soon, they were wrestling and stomping around the house
together.
The older cats were happier too. No more sudden "Hug and Dash" attacks
from
Gem. The two kittens are even sleeping together more often than not.
Gem's
chest still is congested, we've gotten used to the fact that she might not
ever
fully recover from the neglect she suffered as an abandoned feral kitten.
She
still coughs and wheezes, but she still seems alot happier at having a new
playmate. And she even seems to be not quite so fat anymore, since she
has
someone to play with. She was starving when we captured her, but it
didn't take
long at all for her to go from our vet saying "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lennaman,
but
she's in very bad shape and I don't know if she can recover" to "Wow, that
thing
is sure getting pudgy!"

But I still felt a bit guilty about taking Bruce so young. Especially
since
about a week ago he started "suckling" on blankets and towels. I have
heard
that this is a sign of a deprived kitten, and I feel pretty bad about it.
I was
debating taking him back next door so he could reconnect with his mom,
maybe
just romp with his siblings again.

Today my husband Lenny went over to pay the teenaged son some money for
some
yard work he had done for us. When he came back he told me that all of
Bruce's
siblings were missing and presumed dead. Well, two they know for sure
were torn
apart by a dog. The rest no doubt met some similar awful fate.

This isn't an "I told you so" post to the person here that told me that
I had
done the wrong thing in taking Bruce. I don't want to make it sound like
I
think there is any good side at all to this turn of events. Bruce is such
a
sweet little kitten, I'm sure all his brothers and sisters were wonderful
kittens as well. The only thing I feel besides saddness at this news is
anger
for the people that don't fix their female cat, then kept the kittens she
has
outside without any protection. I would try to capture and have her
spayed
myself, but money is tight now, and we have to just focus on our own cats
(spent
close to grand catching, vacinating, and nuetering the ferals on our
property).

So, I am glad that Bruce and Gem are such good friends, happy that our
older
cats are not being pounced on any more, feeling guilty that we took Bruce
as
such a young age, happy that he is now flealess and gaining weight,
heartbroken
to hear about his siblings, and mad at my neighbors for not caring enough
to get
their cat fixed.

And some people try to tell me that I've missed out on alot by not
having
kids.

--
Annie

To join the alt.games.everquest chat channel type /join serverwide.age:age
If you want to stayed joined, then after that type /autojoin
serverwide.age:age

Currently playing:
Teapray-- 46 High Elf Cleric on Firiona Vie

Lentea-- 31 Ogre Beastlord On Firiona Vie

--
If you can't figure out my email address, you're not supposed to write me.

comforting purrs. you did the right thing taking Bruce when you did.
Brenda

Annie Benson-Lennaman wrote in message .. .
We got Bruce a few weeks ago, and he was probably a bit on the young side to
be taken from his mother (six weekish).

(snipped for length)

We are sending purrs that Bruce continues to settle in well, and will
light a candle for his siblings. We will also send a few purrs to the
people who need to get Bruce's mom spayed, in hopes they change their
minds.


And some people try to tell me that I've missed out on alot by not having
kids.


LOL! I know that feeling *very* well. ;-)

--
Annie