*hugs* Thank you so much, Kate! I’ll have to take you up on the offer. In case you read here first, I’ll be dropping you an e-mail in the morning or tomorrow afternoon.
End of Day 3 with my new kitten, Echo.
I found out some information about little Echo after the fact. First off, her mother was a feral or semi-feral cat who had the babies in the cab of a truck belonging to the family who owns the property – which happens to be under construction. They only noticed the kittens two weeks before I was given the call. >_> Three days before they called me, the queen moved the kittens into the actual construction site and into harms’ way. The kittens (3 females, 1 male) were found in a dangerous area and were promptly removed for the own safety. I was given the smallest kitten of the litter, supposedly.
Fast forward to this weekend. Lets just say it’s been… fun. Baths after each and every meal, stimulation so she’ll go potty before and immediately after meals, making certain she’s properly hydrated, and kept warm at all times. Saturday was really rough for me; I ended up calling Mom in tears and telling her I couldn’t handle kitten and my diabetes at once. A couple days with plenty of help from her and Jass have really helped my outlook, fortunately. Well, that and the moments where she takes a nap on my chest or plays with my fingers. Now that I have her, I do think she’s a bit older than the two weeks I was quoted. I think she’s closer to 3 1/2 to 4 weeks old, possibly slightly more. Her ears are mostly standing up, all her baby incisors and canine teeth are in, she’s washing her face, legs, and paws on her own, but she’s still uncertain on her feet, though she has been trying a wobbly run from time to time. She’s also beginning to use the litter (shoe)box. Her aim could use some work, but she’s trying. XD While she still wants to nurse, she’s eating her wet-food really well – though always smearing it all over herself. The owners had been giving her regular cow’s milk, so I picked up a feline milk replacer, which I’ve been giving to her on a very shallow, stable dish or mixed in with her food for extra moisture. Today, I offered her that same container with some room-temperature water in it to see what she’d do. I almost cheered when she took a few hesitant laps. *smiles*
Through this all, Luna has been a huge help. While she has never had a litter of her own, she promptly adopted Echo. She hears Echo meow and she’s right there to nuzzle or lick her. (Though she hasn’t been letting Echo snuggle since she tried nursing from her that one time! XD) She even insists on checking on her before she does anything else in the morning and before she’ll go to bed. For her part, the kitten doesn’t seem at all threatened by that huge monster I call a dog, in fact she tries following her around whenever possible.
After all this, I’ve decided not to pursue kitten #2, though. One baby at a time is enough for me.
Having a kitten is like having a child…but I’m glad you’re keeping up with little Echo. May she grow to be another Sugar.