Tuesday will mark their second week with us. Hard to believe it’s only been two weeks. They are doing so well.
At first, they weren’t eating much. Now they’re licking their bowls clean. Big Tiger is the slowest eating cat ever. He looked so fat in one of Maureen’s photos, but he’s not. Maybe he lost weight during their traumatic ordeal. Now he just looks like a big, muscular cat. And Smokey is tiny and skinny — but that girl can eat! She always wants more, but too much at once makes her vomit- counterproductive. So it’s small feedings between meals. And always dry food & frequent treats. I really can’t believe the SPCA put her through a spay at her weight. I know the standard is 2 pounds or more, at 2 months old, but that applies to baby kittens. She’s 10 yrs old. Would have preferred to fatten her up first. She’s been with Tiger all her life & never got preggo- He’s neutered. And all of our cats are strictly indoor and spayed females, as my vet references said. But they wouldn’t release her without spaying.
An unusual development: Jessicat had a kitty pyramid. She loved that thing. In fact, she chose it. I bought it for a rescue benefit as a prize item. I was on my way out the door with it & she latched her claws into it. I said “No, Jess -You don’t want this. It’s small & was made for baby kittens. You’re a big girl now.” She said “No… It’s mine!’ So, being MrsCatSlave, I took it back upstairs & dutifully put it on her bed. She loved it & slept in it almost every night- preferred it to us! I wound up back at PetSmart to get another for the benefit. Jessicat crossed The Bridge in Jan, 2014. Since then, every cat has for some reason only known to cats, been terrified of the cozy pyramid. Not Smokey! She is tiny, but very brave. She moved into it last night. She is never aggressive. But I reached in there & tried to move one toy bat (Jessicat was Ms.Bat) that had a hard portion out of her way & she gave me a warning scratch. Didn’t break the skin, but she said “It’s mine, keep your paws out.” Message received, Lady Smokey!
Tiger is the more reticent of the two. He has no problem spending his day lounging on a kitty hammock in the sun. Not much of an explorer, but he does show up downstairs on occasion. I really think he is the one who is grieving Maureen the most. He prefers MrCatSlave to me. I don’t think he’s ready to accept a new mommy. But, that’s OK. Cats can do as they like here. We don’t put demands on them. This whole “lap cat” thing blows my mind- If the cat wants to get on your lap, then the cat will & you should consider it a compliment. If they don’t, just let them be the cat they are. Smokey & Tiger are very affectionate & will lay down next to us, not on our laps yet.
So, what’s this about a big week? Besides Tuesday marking their second week here, the vet will come and see them on Wednesday. It was supposed to be sooner, but they weren’t ready. Poked & prodded enough. SPCA did SNAP tests on both (involves shaving a paw & drawing blood from a vein.) And gave then basic shots & wormers. And spayed & biopsied Smokey. It’s incredibly difficult to get a vet to analyse a specimen that a SPCA took. And if the result is bad, who would treat her on that basis? I would never have her opened up again for diagnostic purposes. Filming would be OK.
And Sunday is weigh-in day for all cats at Jessicat Estates. (We didn’t do them last week- They were still settling in) Tiger weighed in at 10 lbs, 11 oz -Not fat, just a big, solid cat! Tiny little Smokey weighed only 4lbs, 8oz! Our lightest cat ever- needs to be fattened up! Our scale is cat-precise, since Cheree was a very sick kitten with a rare genetic disorder & the vet at VHUP said we needed it — too expensive! I lurked on ebay & finally found one during the Christmas / NY’s holidays, when nobody was around & snagged it for the bargain opening price. (good time to lurk on Ebay for deals!)
Anyhow, that’s the update! Once again, thanks for all the support in so many ways!