Warning: this section is sad. If you want to skip the sadness, I completely understand – just scroll down to the divider line.
This was Skylab.
Wednesday afternoon, Brittany asked if I’d be willing to try to introduce an orphaned 1 week old kitten to Mercury. I was willing to give it a try – I suspected that Mercury, who is the most chill cat ever, would do fine with the introduction. Wednesday evening I brought her home, took her into the foster room, and held her out for Mercury to sniff.
Mercury sniffed and sniffed and sniffed some more. She stared at Skylab and considered, and then she licked her on the head. I put her in the nest with Mercury and her sleeping Missions, and Skylab sniffed around, then just lay where she was. She was so very thin and lethargic. And next to her, the other kittens were HUGE. They started waking up and basically steamrolled over her on their way to the milk bar, so I wrapped her in a towel and held her against me to keep her warm. I mixed up formula and started feeding it to her through an eyedropper. I won’t go through every detail of the night, but I will tell you that I spent the night in the foster room doing my best to keep that tiny girl alive. Mercury would come over and check on her every so often, and I tried a few more times to get Skylab to nurse, but I could never get her to latch on.
Around 4:30, while I was holding her against me, she passed away. They are so very fragile at that age, and she had been away from her own mother for too long before we got her, I suspect. I’m sad that I wasn’t able to save her, but so very glad that I tried.
Sorry for the sad news in a usually happy blog (and the second time in just a couple of weeks), but I didn’t want her short life to pass unremarked; I’m sure y’all understand.
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There are some new things up over at the Winnie’s Wish Insta-Auction – go check it out!
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I don’t know what Kara will do now that she gets her bed (on the dryer) back from these boys.
Chip, lookin’ for trouble. As usual!
Gaston, asleep on my desk. As usual! He loved to sleep in the bed on one side of my desk for a while, then get up and mosey to the bed on the other side (stomping on my keyboard, of course) and sleep there for a while, and so on.
It was super difficult to get those boys into their carrier yesterday afternoon, let me tell you. It required OPENING the carrier door so that first Gaston stomped inside and Chip followed, and then CLOSING the carrier door. Those boys couldn’t have been less sad about leaving me – they were both totally all “SEE YA! WE’RE OFF TO OUR NEXT ADVENTURE!” I mean, obviously I didn’t want them to be scared or sad, but geez, boys, how about PRETENDING you’ll miss me?
The house is quiet without those boys thundering around, jumping on each other, and flirting with Uncle Dewey. I suspect they’re having a very good time in their forever home right now!
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“Mama! Stop! I am CLEAN!”
Wherein Stardust escaped the nest. You can see Mercury in the background, keeping an eye on things.
“Are you getting into trouble over here, missy?”
“No, Mama, I’m being good.”
“Well, come back to the nest. You’re too little to be out there with the big dumb human.”
“Hurry it up, kid, the milk bar won’t stay open forever.”
::thlurrrp::
They both look pretty smug, don’t they?
Hubble the hisser.
Telstar with attitude (and a tiny bit of tongue sticking out.)
Mercury considers her life choices and decides I’m somehow at fault.
Listen, you guys, we’ve gotta talk about something, and that something is Aurora’s belly.
Look at that thing! It’s huge!
“Ess-SCUSE, lady, that is very rude.”
I MEAN. She certainly doesn’t fit in the palm of my hand anymore! It’s been a couple of days since I weighed them, but three days ago she weighed nearly 11 ounces. The kitten who’s closest to her in size is Hubble, and he weighs an ounce less. I’ll be interested to see if she retains her lead as the chunky monkey of the pack as they get older.
Phoenix giggles.
I just adore this picture of Stardust. What a gorgeous girl!
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If only Stefan could figure out a way to relax. ALAS, it is not to be!
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Previously
2016: “We is tryin’ to nap, lady. You go ‘way.”
2015: Meet Cletus van Damme.
2014: Exfoliation Monday, with Tricki.
2013: No entry.
2012: Petey hopes y’all realize that Caturday is for relaxin’.
2011: Volunteer Purslane, growing in one of the empty raised beds.
2010: I DID NOT toss Bolitar over the door, even though it sounds like it.
2009: The many faces of sweet little bunny Terry.
2008: Naturally, Zoe was all “Hey, this is cool! I like this!” and took up residence.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.