Kitten-o-rama

I find this time of year difficult, as it marks the anniversary of my parents' deaths (they both died on the same day, five years apart), the death of a friend three days before my Dad went, and the passings of several pets. And of course we just lost Penny the goat, I found Jackie the duck dead in the coop last Thursday for no apparent reason, and Millicent the cat is currently living on borrowed time with a huge abdominal tumour. But hey, we've got kittens! Lots and lots of kittens, because I am now fostering a mama cat and her six 4-month old babies for Operation Spay + Neuter in Hawkesbury. And in a fit of insanity, I have taken on responsibility for adopting them all out. Someone is coming to see them today... cross your fingers. Some days I am convinced I have lost my mind.

Our friend Luc has built an amazing new foster kitty room in the back of the renovated granary (in the old carriage shed.) It's fantastic, and climate-controlled so I can use it all year round. The room has a window too. We just need to put another light in there so I can get better photos. :)

Luc is still adding shelving and other things for the cats to play on. 

I have Snow White, who is a 2-yo black cat with a lovely personality, plus her three black kittens, plus three tabby kittens she adopted and nursed after their mother was killed. The kittens are named Doc, Grumpy, Bashful, Happy, Sleepy and Dopey... after six of the seven dwarves. They came named... I'm not convinced the names suit the personalities, except for Happy, who is always VERY happy!

You too can own your own House Panther! 

Happy is a sweet female who is constantly purring and looking for cuddles.

Checking out the tires!

Our young friend Harry made this fantastic scratching post himself. It is the best! All the kittens love it.

Pretty Happy. :)

This little gal is slightly more reserved but she soon comes around! Her markings are so pretty.

The handsome cuddly boy tabby! Sweetheart of a kitten.

Lord of the scratching post!

As of last week, all the kittens and their mama are now neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, de-flea-ed, and microchipped, and I am asking an adoption fee to cover some of that, as I paid for all of them out of my own pocket (but they did go to a low-cost spay/neuter clinic, which helped a lot!)

If you are interested in a kitten, you can let me know. :)

Meanwhile, I am also still fostering lovely Nina and three tiny babies. These guys will go back to the OSPCA to be adopted out when they are ready...

I adore this cat. If I didn't have 17, I would keep her. She is beautiful, sweet, affectionate, and an amazing Mama. I think she will be very easy to adopt out. I would love if it I could find her a home before she goes back to the OSPCA, so that they could just handle the formalities and Nina wouldn't have to spend much time in the shelter.

This little dude is breaking our hearts though....

All the kittens had upper respiratory infections, and this little guy developed an ulcerated eye. I have been spending a lot of time at the vet with him (for which the OSPCA pays. I hear a lot of misinformation floating around about the OSPCA. Some people have said to my face that they are only in it for the money! It makes me angry. Everyone at our local SD&G OSPCA is extremely caring (not to mention underpaid.)  None of them WANT to euthanize animals. And they are going to extraordinary lengths to help this tiny kitten.

Right now his right eye is very swollen and protruding from its socket. On Friday the vet made special serum eye drops from Nina's blood, and we have been putting them in the little guy's eye every two hours in an attempt to stop it from drying out. I don't know if the eye can be saved, but if we can even delay surgery to remove it, it would be better for him.

My friend Sharron, who is here almost every day doing wonderful things for all the fosters (I could not do this without her help!) has named this little Tuxie "Gordon." The human Gordon worked a few 12-hour days last week, including Friday, but he was up in the middle of the night Friday going out to put drops in Little Gordon's eyes. This morning he is giving me a break and taking the crew to their 9:30 vet appointment.

And here is...

...Maisie! Whose eyes look good. All the kittens are currently on antibiotics and antibiotic eye drops and ointment. I have a very complicated medication chart for each kitten!

And this is Stella! We were afraid she might not make it when she arrived last Saturday, as she was very weak and infested with fleas (the OSPCA staff gave all the kittens baths to remove the fleas, and treated Mama.) But Stella has rebounded and is now the feistiest of them all! She deserved a strong name. :)

I am REALLY enjoying this kitten fostering.

Even the super-early medication sessions in my pajamas.. this is little Maisie.

Meanwhile, I am having another fundraiser on September 30!

Info on my website, too: http://www.beemeadowfarm.com/events/

Gotta go give eyedrops to a tiny baby now... :)