Tiny Cal the foster kitten.

A man who has been feeding strays and helping with TNR in town called me on Wednesday and asked if I could find a spot for a 3-4 month old kitten that had showed up at his place. He has been caring for the kitty, but as a result his own cat, Missy, has bitten him twice. She does NOT want another cat to take her daddy's time! I picked the kitty up yesterday, and got him tucked into the bathroom here. I checked him over today, and to my surprise I found out he has all his adult teeth! He is tiny for an adult--maybe 5 pounds. He's a tuxedo boy, and so far has been very quiet. He has been on meds for a URI, which I will continue, plus I gave him some chicken broth with L-Lysine in it this morning, and will continue to give him that a couple of times a day. He's eating, but his appetite is not good since he can't smell his food. The broth will give him some nutrition and fluids and the lysine is good for his immune system. He's a little skinny, but not bad, just little. He likes to be held and brushed (a good thing, the brushing is needed). Kevin wants to call him Cal, so that's his name. I'll try to get pictures up later this weekend.

My heart just melted when you said a tuxie.

He sounds adorable!

Here's his picture. What cat doesn't love a nice cardboard box?

Poor guy, he does look a bit bedraggled. You'll have mended in no time
though.

He's cute! He'll be at his best soon, I'm sure. We know you work little miracles with these guys, gbste.

Cal has turned out to be a good eater, and very affectionate. He's a good purrer, and what we call a "self-petting cat." He stands on his rear legs and head butts our hands on the way down. He's a little character. The upper respiratory thing is improving quickly as well.

I picked up another kitten yesterday from a hoarder house, but I'll make her a thread for herself.

Awwww! He will find a home easily. I would love him, but I have a feeling he wouldn't enjoy the LONG drive to my house.

Awwwwww......he's adorable! Such a cute little guy, and what a personality!

Cal has been holding his own and actually improving a little, but today he has been very lethargic and inactive. Kevin is taking him to our own vet this afternoon to see if there is a better treatment for his pneumonia. He's such a little affection hound, and he'll make a really good pet and companion for someone. We really need to get him over his illness.

The news from the vet isn't great. Cal had a high fever, and he also has a heart murmur. A bad heart would explain his small size. He has Clavamox for the fever/pneumonia, and he has to go back to the vet in 3 weeks to see if the murmur is still there. If that murmur is still there, that is a bad sign. The vet says that he may only be able to live another 6 months with the bad heart. It will eventually lead to congestive heart failure. So, if the murmur is there in 3 weeks time, it looks like we've got ourselves another kitty here for keeps. He'd be "unadoptable," and he's hardly any trouble here. We'll keep him happy and comfy and cuddled for the time that he has. Our vet tends to underestimate how much time an animal has, so we won't rush things.

Thank you for the update "G". He looks to be such a sweet boy. Hopefully the
murmur will be gone with his pneumonia.

I sure hope that murmur is gone when the pneumonia is......I know how hard pneumonia is to get rid of from personal experience. And if the murmur isn't.....it might not be so bad. Might be a mild one and he could live a long time with that, with the help of a few light meds.

Just look at Gateway and his heart....remember how bad off he was when he was first diagnosed? Now look at him.

Yup. Gateway is doing great -- and surprising all his vets. He is in almost perfect health despite his thick heart muscle and heart murmur. I know a cardiologist visit isn't in the budget, but if he can get a diagnosis of the reason for the murmur, he might not be unadoptable. Really... Gateway's condition is so manageable. 1.25 pills a day, and he's going gangbusters.

Good luck, little guy! We love you!

I second that opinion Becky. A mild murmur and a few meds wouldn't stop somebody like me from adopting this wonderful little guy. And I know I'm not alone in this world for being willing to take on a 'special needs' kitty.

How is Cal doing today? ((((((((((((((((strong healing vibes)))))))))))))))))

The meds are helping the pneumonia clear up. He is spending lots of time sleeping, but he also enjoys playing with cat toys from time to time, and he even shows an onery streak on occasion. It's been several days since we could feel his heart racing, so we're hopeful that his heart will get better. Otherwise, he'll break ours. He's so very sweet.

It's all so hard. ((((HUGS AND LOVE TO YOU ALL))))

I hope for the best, gbste. It sounds like the heart thing might have been related to the pneumonia. When Gateway's heart started its thing, it didn't stop racing at all until he went to the ER and spent 2 days in an oxygen cage. He had to start big meds right away.

Get well, Cal!

A bad heart valve might actually cause infections, so we're hoping Cal will be able to "grow out" of the heart murmur. He seems to be having more and more good time, so we are cautiously optimistic.

I've had pneumonia and I can tell you......when you have it bad you feel like total crap. No energy, no ambition, no nothing. As the pneumonia clears up Cal will feel better and better...then you'll start to see the "real" personality come out. Onery is good, gives you the strength to fight to get well.
Please keep us posted.

(((((((((((((((((((VERY STRONG HEALING VIBES)))))))))))))))))))))))

Yes, we're pleased with the onery in Cal's case. "Oh, look, Cal is biting me!" "Well, that's a good sign."

How's the little guy doing now? Just wondering.

He had kind of a down day yesterday--he just wanted to sleep, although he ate well. He was up and at 'em this morning, though--playing with his mousie and demanding attention.

Yesterday must've been a "recharging the batteries" kind of day. Glad to hear he's more active today. Any news on the condition of his heart murmur?

He's supposed to go in next week for a recheck, so we'll see then. Even if we had a stethescope, I doubt we could hear his heartbeat. He's too much of a purrer.