13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
Little kitty update. Still eating like a champ. She fell asleep on a towel in my lap, so that's today's bed.
She can't see any more than changes from light to darkness, but we're keeping things in consistent locations, with different textures to act as sign posts.
(New thread because I broke the old one trying to do something smart with replies.)
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
@vga256 the other cats may beg to differ, but that's a problem for after she's strong enough for the vet to run tests on
vga256
@HauntedOwlbear she couldn't have a better home 😻
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
Once again, I am not allowed to put down the tiny cat, who has gone to sleep on my lap.
Her nose is cool and slightly moist now, and her pee is a bit less water-like. (Eew, but tentative yay.)
As soon as I get paid, she's going to the vet for proper tests.
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
@gdeyke that's not a bad idea, although she is in a wet room, so I'm mostly just mopping and wiping.
I'll see if they have compostable ones maybe.
G. Deyke
@HauntedOwlbear have you thought of putting down pee pads (as sold for puppies too young for housetraining)? I have no personal experience with them but imagine they'd help with hygiene and cleanup, and would not have immediately remembered that they're a thing that exists myself.
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
She jumped today! An entire and perfect (if sedate) leap down to the floor. Don't have a photo of that, but here, taken yesterday, is how she falls asleep during pets.
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
@eniko she's certainly impaired in that department, but appears to have some vision. She's bad at identifying stuff on the floor but acts as though she can see large movements or things that change light levels.
She seems to be becoming more responsive to visual stimuli as she gets stronger, but that might be an illusion based on her becoming more familiar with her surroundings.
Another puzzle for her next visit with the vet. Might also explain how she ended up in such a bad position to start with.
Eniko Fox
@HauntedOwlbear she can't see? D:
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
@eniko she's clearly been through a lot. I will pass on your well wishes in the form of scritches.
Eniko Fox
@HauntedOwlbear I hope she gets better. Poor baby :(
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
She's eating more stuff. Hates fish flavour, loves chicken cat food. She's actually stretched out full length on my lap as I type this, and is seeming a bigger little kitty than before.
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
You know, I think her sight is recovering. She's no longer circling to find things, and runs directly to people and food.
She's also rather bored, I suspect, and more irritable, more demanding and, fortunately, more gentle when she bites. Not sure how to entertain a feral kitty, but she likes company at least.
Her quarantine period ends on Tuesday, when she can hopefully be properly tested for both kidney function and transmissible diseases.
There's another cat in the same area we found her that looks just like her. Possible sibling?
Here she is eating chicken mousse. Not shown: small grunting noises as she scoffs.
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
Ah, we have deigned to settle.
Escoutaire
@HauntedOwlbear Little Kitty still doing well. Scoffing food voraciously, and finding it by sight now rather than smell. Also she has started yowling occasionally, which might be a demand for more food, or she's recovered enough to go into heat.
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
We're going to the vet for a post-quarantine checkup this morning. How Fun.
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
She is FIV negative, so no further precautions needed on that front in terms of the other cats. Kidney function results due this afternoon, predicted by both me and the vet to be in the vicinity of "lol no".
If that's the case, she'll likely be with us long term, as both neuter and release and rehoming elsewhere both require a certain base level of health.
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Also, veterinary centrifuge go whirrrrr.
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@eniko she was surprisingly well behaved. All things considered.
Eniko Fox
@HauntedOwlbear fingers crossed for the lil lady
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The cat has melted. Should have mentioned to the vet that she's a liquid.
lashman
@HauntedOwlbear all cats are!
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@lashman biblically accurate cat
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
So, her bloods weren't as bad as anyone expected. She does have high levels of urea, though, so yeah, her kidneys aren't well.
We've been given some antibiotics to get down her and will be sticking to a renal diet for the foreseeable.
Anyway. Little kitty officially no longer on brink of death. Cat pilling war stories to follow.
Half pills, because she weighs 2kg.
2kg
The smallest of our other cats weighs 3.5kg. Most of them are above 5kg.
And we've not even weighed Misty the itinerant maine coon.
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My little friend (currently nestled on my lap) says hi. She's taking her antibiotics (powdered, in LickyLicks) happily and I probably didn't make enough of a deal about her vision having apparently near-fully recovered in the last few days.
I have no idea what we're going to call her. Suggestions? (en or fr, video game references welcome)
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@vga256 I know, right? Absolutely amazing. It's not even a regular symptom of renal failure.
(Although the vet is treating everything as potential symptoms of another infection, hence the antibiotics.)
vga256
@HauntedOwlbear shocked by the vision return. i really didn't expect that to happen - i figured she had retinal damage given her ability to only see contrast
👏 wonderful news
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@gdeyke this sent me down a wiki rabbit hole that means I now know that Shema's dance routine is rotoscoped from Lori Cole!
G. Deyke
@HauntedOwlbear Shema?
G. Deyke
@HauntedOwlbear I'm feeling a bout of fanchilding coming on.
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
@gdeyke it's very cool! Also, I like "fanchilding" as a word and plan to steal it.
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
Little kitty, who is tentatively answering to Zilla (short for Meowzilla/Miaoujira), got to explore more of the building today while I cleaned her room (the bathroom).
She's used the litter tray a couple of times (still more misses than hits there) and I found her sitting in her cardboard box today.
She's been a bit grumpy for a couple of days (I don't think she's enjoying being on antibiotics), so it was nice to see that she actively chose to hang out with me when she had more space available.
She and Al (the other cat who lives there) have now seen each other, but not close up. Introductions are for the future, as is her getting a full time run of the place.
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
Oh wow, a week without Zilla updates! But that's because she's been doing really well!
She's been coming out to socialise and explore some of the rest of the building every day. Her muscle tone is improving, she's putting on weight, and although she can't jump up yet, she can wedge herself against things so as to climb granite walls!
She has now met Al, the very gentle cat who is usually the sole feline occupant of this building.
He was previously running to hide when he saw her, and her bad eyesight meant that she'd not clocked him before, but earlier this week she spotted him peering over a piece of cardboard at her all UwU and jumped a mile.
A couple of days later he sniffed her without getting his face removed, and they're currently mostly ignoring each other, him on surfaces, her on the floor, which resulted in this photo of them in front of the fireplace.
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13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
Bonus Zilla photos from the week.
[Media hidden for adorable yet creepy eye contact in pic 3.]
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
@eniko smallest adult cat I have ever seen. Her paws are impossibly tiny and delicate
Eniko Fox
@HauntedOwlbear she's so freakin' tiny!!!
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
@eniko she was 2kg last week, but I've not weighed her since
Eniko Fox
@HauntedOwlbear how much does she weigh now, any idea?
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Zilla had a seizure and died last night.
In the end, her kidney function never recovered, but at least we were able to ensure that her last weeks were warm, comfortable and well-nourished.
And although it's not as important as her comfort, she seemed to genuinely appreciate us, too. Although she disdained being picked up as she grew stronger, she sought out our company, sitting as a companionable loaf by the fire, and developed the habit of climbing onto our feet and refusing to move. (Her feet now.)
She was a sweet little cat and she deserved better than to die on the pavement in the rain. I'm glad we were able to give her that much, at least.
Sleep well, little kitty.
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@lashman I'm honestly content that we did as well by her as we could. Renal failure is renal failure and death is death, but everyone deserves a bit of comfort and affection.
lashman
@HauntedOwlbear nooooooooooooooooo :sadness: i'm so sorry to hear that :(
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
@lashman It is, and thank you very much for the condolences.
Please know that Zilla was informed of your digital well wishes when she lived. ❤️
(I mean, I don't know how much she took in when I explained how the internet, ActivityPub and federation worked but there were pets happening at the time.)
lashman
@HauntedOwlbear that's true, but still - extremely sad :(
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@dannyjpalmer Thank you. We did our best for her. 🖤
Danny Palmer
@HauntedOwlbear Oh no, hugs, I'm so sorry. :(
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@bestiaexmachina Thank you so much. I think she was mostly happy here. 🖤
Sciasm
@HauntedOwlbear My sincere condolences. I'm so sorry. I'm so glad you were able to provide her a warm and cozy home. ❤️
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat
I wish there was some kind of care scheme for the feral cats, in the villages in particular. They're largely in good health and significantly contribute to pest control, but it should be someone's business to give a shit about them.
That said, on a national basis, we haven't even mustered support for unhoused humans, so clearly the caring-for-other-living-beings bar is buried somewhere below bedrock.
I'm glad we were able to make little kitty's last days more okay. Everybody deserves to be okay.
Thank you so much for caring about her.
Eniko Fox
@HauntedOwlbear fuck :( rest in peace little kitty. you deserved better
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@lunarloony :lila_heart_green:
Lunar 🛸 ♾
@HauntedOwlbear You did a good thing
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@aetataureate thank you. I hope I did alright by her.
berserk du soleil
@HauntedOwlbear oh, sweet girl. i'm sorry, but you're right, she had the best possible life for the last few weeks.
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@thatwhichis Thank you. She was a lovely cat, and I appreciate having had her in my life, however briefly.
corey cochran
@HauntedOwlbear ah no :-C so sorry for your loss.
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@DarkestKale thank you, those were good words. :neocat_hug_fox:
:trebuchet: Kale :trebuchet:
@HauntedOwlbear I'm sorry hon.
She absolutely benefited from your attention, affection and presence.
May your grief last just the right amount of time and not an instant longer.
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