Little Bird needs a NEW home :(

Sadly, Little Bird was diagnosed with Feline Leukemia (FELV) back in early September. Burta, the resident adult cat who had been mothering her and cleaning her had to go to stay with a friend. Burta has currently tested negative for the disease.

Little Bird stayed with her humans for 2 months, but Burta finally had to come home. So Little Bird has moved onto the next phase of her adventure - to a new foster home where she lives with 2 dogs. In less than a week, she adjusted to the dogs and was already sleeping with them and jumping on them. She is just so brave and isn't phased by anything. THANK YOU to the wonderful human who is fostering her and watching her grow.

She needs a permanent home, though. Somewhere she can live as the only cat or with other cats who are FELV positive. Cats who are vaccinated against this disease will still be at risk if they live with her. She can live with dogs - and obviously live happily with them. She loves humans. She'll need to be an indoor-only cat, to protect her but also to make sure she can't pass the disease on to another cat outside.

She'll make a GREAT companion. If you would like to meet her, please email me at sjet9806@gmail.com.

LB and her new friend

LB (now Alex) has been in her new home since Friday night. The first 24 hours was a bit stressful as the resident cat, Burta (who is 3) was not thrilled about a new kitten in the house. There was hissing. LB then spent about 20 hours in a bathroom where she played and jumped and snuggled with her new humans. Burta smelled her through the door.

Sunday night LB came out and hung with Burta and her humans - no hissing!

Monday night, this photo was taken (it's dark, but hopefully you can see them hanging out a foot apart):



It seems that these 2 will be fast and good friends. YEAH!

Mission complete: Little Bird goes home!

At 6:41 pm, 2 weeks and 1 day after FFF rescued her, LB went to her new and final destination. She's got 2 humans to adore her and 1 cat friend to teach her how to be a cat.

Her weight just before she went home tonight: 1 & 3/4 pounds. She gained a full pound since I met her.

Will she be long-haired? Medium-haired? Who knows, but she went to live with friends of mine and I feel lucky that I will therefore get to see her grow up and know who she becomes.

To everyone who helped - FFF, auntie Megan who "socialized" her during the day when she came to work with me (which meant cuddling and playing with her and bottle feeding her), her guardian who anonymously covered her vet bills, Laura who lent me the large crate and kitty hammock, Lori the pet-sitter who donated her pet-sitting services while I was away last weekend, my vets who showered her with veterinary expertise and got her back to good health, Robin who played with her over lunch, and of course my darling husband who tolerated me bringing another rescued creature into our small home - THANK YOU. It really did take a village but she was worth it.

BIG night of activity!

First, LB has to eat:



And then check out a sneaker:



Then it's play time:





Some videos of the evening's activities!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K27bHfJx93Y

Lb and her pal the DOG!

A friend to all, LB and Sky the dog are buddies. This is them when LB is in the kennel - but when she's out, the touch noses, Sky licks her, LB rides on her back, and they hang out. Of course, when I go to take a picture of any of the above-mentioned activities, they stop and LB comes charging or goes charging, whichever floats her boat!

Playing with a string!

Some LB videos!

2 videos of her playing with a string:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUGaIVEuYnk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceCI1gf5Xwk

Video playing on the couch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-_9ZUaiHGE

LB update!!

Sorry I haven't updated in a while - I was away for 4 days and LB stayed with a friend and professional pet-sitter who took GREAT care of her. LB started to eat on her own this past weekend, and now gets bottle fed and takes wet food. This was a huge milestone and she'll for sure now put on more weight and get even healthier.

I got home last night and moved LB from the bathroom isolation into our living room. She's in a large wire crate with a kitten hammock and toys. I have 2 sides covered with towels so she has some privacy. She saw one of my cats and did a kitten hiss and "growl" which was adorable but then backed down. This morning, she touched noses with my dog and didn't even care. She is obviously a dog lover.

The greatest news of all is that SHE FOUND A HOME!!!! Once she's done with her meds (hopefully next weekend) she will move to her new home with her 2 humans and her 3-year old feline friend, Burta. Burta is a shelter kitty who was a teenage mom and still licks everything - so we think she might mother LB which would be great. Burta is also still very very very playful, so LB will have a playmate. Last night, when the 2 humans came over to meet her, LB played with Katie's hair, played with her earring, and then promptly fell into a deep slumber on Katie's chest. It was beautiful. LB chose them as much as they chose her.

YEAH!!!!

LB goes back to the vet for a check up - things are GREAT!

Little Bird had a check up with her vet today. Once she was done growling and hissing at the vet (poor woman, loves animals but told me animals hate her because she pokes and prods the!), she settled in for a check up. Vet was able to clean up her chin and neck so she won't get more of the skin problems she has. She'll stay on her meds through Sunday and then maybe need another quick antibiotic to make sure all collateral problems are solved

BIG NEWS: she gained SIX ounces! That's a 50% gain! She was 12 ounces (less than a pound) last Thursday. She started eating on Friday afternoon and hasn't stopped since. She now weight 1.25 pounds. OVER A POUND! Amazing. This kitten has a spirit in her and she just won't give up. She's a fighter, a trooper, a survivor. I am so proud of her.

I'm traveling for a few days and she's staying with another cat lover who is very skilled at caring for young and sick creatures.* I'll get you an LB update on Sunday when she comes home.

* Another guardian angel - this woman is a professional pet sitter I know who offered to have LB stay with her free of charge while I'm gone. (let me know if you'd like her contact info for when you travel - she's amazing)

Later that same night - more playing

This time, where she's not supposed to play. Sigh. She's too cute to not watch and coo at!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5zsrH9PvF4

Little Bird advertises herself

She came to work with me and showed some interest in a certain website. She wants you to know that she's even cuter in real life!!



She also played a lot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmI0-zHBdJ0

Little Bird got a washcloth bath and new food!

LB got her first washcloth bath this evening. I managed to get most of the food crud off her that is a result of me figuring out how to bottle feed her. She loved the bath and sat quietly in my lap for about half an hour as I gently massaged and washed her chest. Watch out world - she's going to be cuter and fluffier than ever!

She also had her first experience at wet food (not being force fed, that is). Per a suggestion, I mixed some wet food into the bottle of milk she eats from. She loved it and it gave her a boost of energy. She rolled and played with her tail and played with my finger and attacked parts of her cat carried constantly! She was on the move and everything she saw - including her litter box - was a big game to her. She also learned that I would pick her up and move her if she jumped in the litter box to play - so she jumped in regularly, played for a second and literally looked at me as if to say "are you going to pick me up now?!"

She has the run of the whole bathroom now and when my husband went in there after I'd gone to bed, he said she was cruising the bathroom playing. She is very happy and appears she has fully regained her ability to play like a kitten!

Pictures tomorrow when she's all nice and dry. For now, though, here's another picture that was taken at work today by another cat lover:

Another hard morning at the office

Little Bird accompanied me to work again this morning. It's been tough so far, as you can see:

First, she had to explore:



Then she had to relax:




Finally, she had to eat:



All that in just one morning!

LB has another guardian angel!

LB is a lucky kitten who would like to thank her anonymous guardian angel who has offered to cover her vet bills. "Meow, meow, purrrrrr" which translates to "THANK YOU!"

All systems are a-go!

Little Bird pooped! YEAH!! I could not be happier over this. She then proceeded to have a dance party in the litter box which included her trying to roll around in the litter and her poop. I put a stop to that which prompted her to attack my hand in play.

She is now hopping into and out of her cat carrier, attacking the door.

Little Bird is officially back and on the move!!!!!

Little Bird has a favorite spot

Reunited with FFF folks! (and LB starts to PLAY!)

Fences for Fido had an all-day board "retreat" today. You guessed it - Little Bird came with me! She was surrounded by 14 humans who absolutely adored her and showered her with attention. Here she is with FFF board member, Andrea.



She is wrapped up because she had just eaten, was getting sleepy, and seemed a little cold.

Right after this, she peed for the first time in a few days! YEAH!! The vet hadn't been too worried - afterall, she was probably very dehydrated and under nourished. But I almost jumped for joy when she peed in her kitty carrier!

She handled the day like a rock star and didn't cry or meow or hiss at all. In fact, when I got her home and back into the bathroom, she started to play!!!! At 6:04pm, for the first time, she showed any interest in playing. She started to attack my hair. I found a broken rubber band on the floor and thought it could be fun for her - but it turns out she must have thought it was a snake because she jumped about 6 inches in the air and ran away! No more rubber band - back to my hair and the things she imagines are on the towel she is on!!

I think her starting to play is another HUGE milestone in her recovery. Still no poop, but the vet thinks that isn't that abnormal. I'm to try stimulating her bowels by rubbing her tummy with a warm wash cloth (apparently mama cats have to do this to newborns to get them to go to the toilet!).

And, in closing - just when I thought she could not get any cuter, she discovered her TAIL!!! I think it'll be a while before something this exciting happens again. She is so cute when attacking her tail.

Little Bird comes to work

Little Bird came to work with me today. She still has to have her eyes cleaned regularly and she gets meds every 8-12 hours, so she and her cat carrier came to work. She spent the day hanging with Auntie Megan and many office mates come up to say hello and cuddle the little fluff ball. The vet said she needs a lot of human attention in order to socialize her, so this should help! When I first met her, she showed signs of being feral, but there is NO way this kitten is feral anymore (if ever).

She still hadn't eaten anything, so when I got to work, I called on a colleague who does a lot of cat and kitten rescue. Pam, who works one floor above me, came to my office and showed me how to "force feed" Little Bird some wet food. Pam then suggested I get "KMR" (Kitten Milk Replacement) because she's so young. I called a pet store over lunch and picked some up. SHE LOVED IT!! She's been taking it ever since. She takes it by bottle, which is pretty amazing to watch / do!!!

Here is a close-up of her at work with me!

Little Bird starts to purr!!!

Little Bird needs to have her eyes and nose cleaned with warm gauze every 4-6 hours, so I got up with her at 3 am. It was dark and quiet and peaceful and I saw in the bathroom with her gently massaging her eyes and nose. My vet suggested massaging her in a way that might be like her mama's tongue so I rubbed her neck and below her chin. She loved it. After about 10 minutes of rubbing and petting - she BEGAN TO PURR!!! At 3:18am she turned into a little motorized ball of love. It was one of the most precious things I've experienced in a while. She purred and purred and I thought - how ever am I to put her down and walk away?! Almost as if she realized we both needed to go back to bed, about 10 minutes later, she got up off my lap and walked back into her little den (a large cat carrier). She curled up on the heating pad that is permanently on low for her and went to sleep.

Good night, Little Bird!

Day at the vet!

The kitten spent the day at my vet getting fluids and love and attention.



She came home with medications AND a name: Bird! Apparently when they were cleaning her eyes and nose, they decided she looked like a bird. She weights 12 ounces - less than a pound - so she's actually Little Bird. It suits her and seems to be sticking (for now).

Little Bird is on an antibiotic to try to cure the serious upper respiratory infection she has and she's getting eye drops to keep the crusties away so she can see and breath properly.

I spent the day trying to organize a foster care situation for her where there are no other cats - she's contagious, afterall! But everyone who loves cats is either allergic or has cats already! So Little Bird will be staying with me for the time being. She'll be in our bathroom, where she will get lots of attention and will benefit from the steam from our showers.

Little Bird

Fences for Fido had a fence building event in NE Portland. We had heard that a mama cat had some kittens in the area and were on high alert to find them when we went for the post placement on July 26, 2010. We saw the mom, and almost caught one of the kittens, but they both got away from us.

As we were cleaning up the yard, we found a dead kitten. That made us even more determined to at least catch the baby and give him / her better chances.

FFF returned for the actual fence build on Thursday, July 29. We arrived a little before our volunteers so we could try to find the kitten. I came around the corner and froze. There, nestled in a little nest of dark green weeds, was a tiny kitten. For a split second, I thought she might be a toy - couldn't possibly be real - she was so tiny and curled in a perfect little ball. That must be the kitten we tried to catch Monday night, I thought. I approached ... she didn't move. I got closer ... she still didn't move. I reached down to scoop her up and she tried to move and got about a foot. She fit in my hand and I carried her to my car and to safety.

Here is a picture taken moments after the kitten was scooped up and promised safety and vet care.