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#1
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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 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. |
#2
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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 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 |
#3
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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 |
#4
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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. |
#5
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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. |
#6
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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. |
#7
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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 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. |
#8
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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 |
#9
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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. 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 |
#10
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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). (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 |
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