Just a quick note.........

Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but things tend to get chaotic sometimes.  I'm sure you understand! 

Anyhow, when we last left off Radar had completed his course of antibiotics, and I was waiting and hoping that things would be good for him.  Well, things were good for him for a few days, but by Tuesday evening he developed diarrhea again.  Grrrrrrrr...........  Oh well.  I continued giving him the kaolin pectin to try and stave off any severe diarrhea.  Wednesday he developed very loose, watery diarrhea, so I decided to go for broke and gave him a wee bit of Slippery Elm Bark powder.  A very dear person ordered this and had it sent to me!  It's in capsules, and so I've read on the internet that making a syrup would be better, but you can't really make a syrup out of the capsuled stuff because of additives that keep it from becoming syrupy.  I just opened a capsule of it and got a little of the powder out and into a syringe, added some water and mixed it up as well as possible, then syringed it into Radar's mouth.

Well, his diarrhea got a bit better!  WOW!

The next day (Thursday) he didn't poop at all (or at least what I saw) so I got a little concerned that I may have overdone the SEB powder.  I skipped giving him any until he pooped again, which was Friday.  It was loose again.  So, as you can see, I'm trying to figure out how much/how often he'll need SEB.  I've reduced the amount a bit and am trying to give it every evening.......and so far he hasn't gotten any real loose watery diarrhea again.  Hopefully things will stay calm for him, and for us.

In other news, I finally weighed the boys again.  As of October 11th TK weighed 1256 grams (2 lbs, 12.3 oz) and Radar weighed 926 grams (2 lbs, .66 oz).  See, they ARE growing!  And, either Radar is going to have another growth spurt soon, or he may just end up being a bit smaller than his brother. 

TK is almost entirely switched over to eating the adult kitty food.  Radar is still mostly canned AD, but he too will eat the adult kitty food, just not as much as TK right now.  But, get this, these two kittens are food hounds.......for all of our snack foods!!!  They'll eat popcorn, potato chips, donuts, biscuits, potato sticks, cheetos, and bread (just to name stuff off the top of my head)!  If we're eating, they want it!  I'd have to guess that at some point during their life outside they must have gotten into someone's garbage to survive.  Now I've been trying very hard to teach them manners, because TK will most definitely get right in your face to get whatever you're eating!  Radar seems to be grasping what "NO" means.  Although he'll give it a try, he'll stop after we say no a few times to him.  TK either doesn't understand no yet, or just doesn't care.  LOL!

Radar almost had me in happy tears Sunday evening!  I was in the bedroom watching tv and he climbed up onto the bed to spend some time with me.  He came over to me, climbed up into my lap, laid down, and started making bread on my stomach!  It literally touched my soul, this one little act.  To me it seems like he really knows how much I love him, care for him, and worry about him........and this was his way of telling me that he knows.  This morning I was watching ER on tv, and he once again came up to my lap, climbed up onto my chest, and started making bread on my neck (of ALL places)!  I let him......I sure didn't want to discourage my little boy.  Then he drifted off to sleep, and took me with him.  :^)

I haven't been able to get any pictures of them recently, maybe next time I post I'll have a few to share. 

The boys are still very much in love with their play cubes.  They spend about 2 or 3 hours a day zooming in and out of them, climbing up them, or trying to collapse them!  In fact, they enjoy them so much that the next time I went to Dollar General they had three more on the shelf, and I brought those three home too!  Hey, gotta keep my guys happy!

Talk with you again soon....................

In searching for new toys

Well, things here are going great with Radar and TK.  They no longer get crated at night, and even though I've lost quite a few hours of sleep to their midnight play sessions, I'm so very glad that they have blended in so well with my furry family. 

I've been searching for new toys that they both would like, which is a bit hard.  TK seems to prefer to play with things that move, while Radar prefers to play with things that make sounds.........logical, eh?  Have you looked at kitty toys on the market lately?  Seems they tend to fall distinctly into one category or the other, and I haven't yet found one single toy that covers both movement and sound adequately enough to really entertain these two boys.........until I made a trip to my local Dollar General store.

Funny thing was, I didn't go there looking for kitty toys!  I often shop there for cheap supplies for my school bus.  I went there one day last week, and decided to see what they had for kitty toys.  I didn't see anything at first that I thought would interest Radar or TK, but as I looked I saw these kitty play cubes.  Now, if you happen to have young children you know what play cubes are.  I thought about it, and almost talked myself out of not buying any, I really didn't think these kittens would like them.  But, on the offhand that they might, I grabbed one and started walking through the store getting my other supplies.  Then I found myself right back at the kitty toys again, so I grabbed another play cube.  In the end though, I bought 3 of them.  They were only $4 each, and if the kittens didn't like them maybe one of my other 6 would.

That evening when I got home from work I went about setting up the play cubes.  Data, Freon and Speedy showed immediate interest in the cubes, but TK seemed quite frightened of them.  Radar didn't know what the ruckus was about.  After the adult cats left the cubes TK started investigating the play cubes, and by the next day both kittens seemed to think that these new toys were the greatest thing!  OMG, they LOVE them!  And their method of play changes daily with the cubes.  At first they used the cubes to hide in from the other.

This is TK hiding from Radar, just waiting for him to walk by so that he can pounce on him!  Look at those "bug" eyes.......he gets soooooo excited!!!

Then they decided that these cubes could be like wrestling squares, and the games were on!

Then they decided to change tactics and Radar climbed up the outside of one of the cubes, and got himself on top, while TK waited inside trying to figure out which cube Radar was on.  Once TK located Radar he reached up and grabbed the dangling toys on the inside top, pulled on them, and Radar went to bouncing away on the top, like he was on a trampoline!  They are so funny!

In that last photo you can see TK inside of the red cube pulling down on the top to bounce Radar.

Another thing they've added to their play cube games is they'll both jump onto the top of a cube to collapse it, then they'll wrestle on the top of the collapsed cube!  All I can say is that this was the best $12 spent on toys so far!

Other than toys, the boys are doing great.  They are still eating canned AD, but we are gradually transitioning them over to the adult cat food.  We're taking our time doing this so as to not upset Radar's tummy too much.  One thing I've noticed is that these two boys will eat just about anything, be it cat food, dog food, and/or people food!  They are so totally into "our" snack/junk food that I've practically given it up myself.  I don't know if at some point while they were living outside maybe they somehow got into someone's garbage and developed a taste for it, or if they were just so hungry while outside that this "starving" mentality has become a part of them.  Either way, we're working very hard at developing some manners in our boys!

Radar's diarrhea has nearly gone now, just a "soft" episode every once in a while.  I haven't weighed them in quite some time.......they refuse to be still long enough for the digital scales to get their weights.  That's ok though, I know they're eating and growing stronger every day, so weight isn't an issue right now.

Radar got his last dose of SMZ-TMP this morning, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll continue to do well now that he's off the antibiotic.  If you look closely at the photos you'll notice that one of Radar's eyes shows well.  He is indeed a micro-eyed kitty, and we think that the source of infection was there.  Since he's been on the antibiotic one eyelid opens well.  That one eyeball is clouded over and there is no sight.  The other eyelid doesn't open much at all, therefore I don't have a clue if he has an eyeball in that side or not.  But, if he should start acting ill again I know my vet will represcribe this antibiotic until Radar is big enough to undergo surgery to remove his eyes and close the lids.  He has to be at least 5 pounds before this can be done though, and I certainly don't want any infection to stand in his way of continued growth.  For now, I'll be watching him very closely.

More updates to follow............... :^)

They're loose in my house!!!

We finally made the decision to allow both of the kittens to have the run of our house at night.  We picked Saturday night because neither of us work on Sunday, so we could sleep in if we lost any sleep.  Well, we slept fine!  The boys, on the other hand, didn't.  I don't know just what they did all night, but come Sunday they both pretty much slept most of the day.  Now that they've had a couple nights out of their crate they are adjusting nicely!

Notice how fluffy Radar is getting?  He's hefty now, having filled in his ribs and no longer feels frail and bony.  His diarrhea comes and goes, but even that has seemed to settle down a lot now.  He's still on antibiotics, but other than that, the only other medicine he gets is .3 ml twice daily of kaolin pectin. 

TK is of course the ever present whiner!  He isn't sure what to make of Radar's new found health, so he doesn't want to be on the floor much.  He'd much rather be in our lap, so I let him nap in my lap for a bit, but as soon as I put him down I see this pitiful face and hear him whining.......he's a very sweet guy, he is just unsure and/or not used to having Radar get the best of him.  They'll figure it all out eventually.

Here they are playing with one of their favorite toys......a jingle bell ball that dh tied a shoestring to.  Usually one gets the shoestring end, the other gets the jingle bell ball, and within moments they're wrestling each other, the toy tossed aside and temporarily forgotten.

This is a good indication of their growth.  This bowl is my dog's food bowl and is about 8 inches across.  Yeap, they're certainly growing.  What I really love is when I return home from work, as soon as I open the door, they both come running to greet me!  Sure makes one feel good to know there's a couple fuzzy faces on the other side of the door that are eager to see you!

I've been trying to hunt down toys that I think both Radar and TK would like, but it's hard.  TK is definitely into movement, chasing a laser dot like no tomorrow.  Radar is into sound, but not all sounds.  For instance, I bought them a crinkle sack.........and TK won't have anything to do with it, Radar wants to nap on top of it.  I've tried seeing how they'd like catnip, but neither seem too interested in it right now.  But, they're just 3 months old, so maybe as they grow they'll develop more of an interest.  At least then I could get toys that have catnip scent and know that Radar can locate them by smell.

They still eat canned AD, but we are allowing them small amounts of other foods.  TK really likes dry Friskies, Radar will nibble at it from time to time.  TK is more adventurous in appetite, and more bold.  He'll get right underneath my dog as she is eating a milkbone just to grab at the crumbs!  Thankfully my dog lets him get away with that....she likes cats a LOT!

I haven't weighed them for several days because......well, they just don't like to hold still long enough anymore.  Oh, and we definitely know that Radar has at least one very small micro eye.........his eyelid has opened just enough to see that there is one now.  So as soon as he gains enough weight (local vets request at least 5 pounds) we'll have that taken care of so he'll never get another infection in there.

Talk with you soon! 

Feeling so much better now!

Hi again! It's hard for me to believe that my two boys are now 11 weeks old! They're growing like weeds.....I last weighed them on the 13th and Radar was 722 grams, TK was 852 grams. It looks like Radar is going to catch up to TK.

While I know they're growing, we still put them into the huge crate at night and when we're not here to supervise them. That'll have to stop soon, but for now I'm a bit worried that Radar will get himself into some sort of trouble if left alone. So far he's not as much into jumping up on things like TK is. I did teach him just after we got the boys how to get himself down off our chairs and couch. He can get up them fine, he climbs up easily, so I just reversed him and held him while "climbing" him down. He learned that in just three passes, now that's the only way he gets down.

Oh, an update on Radar's poo problem.......we actually had a nice, normal poo from him last night! But then, this morning both of the kittens were really wanting out of the crate, crying and yelling at us, after they ate breakfast they both got into the big kitty litter box and sure enough, TK's was normal but Radar's was liquid poo again. I'm beginning to think that when he feels stressed out his tummy gets upset, and that's the "end" result. Maybe this is something he'll eventually outgrow........

They love playing together in the morning when I return from work. TK used to get the best of Radar, but now the tables have turned. Most mornings while I'm here at the computer reading email I can hear TK's yelling and carrying on because Radar has pinned him down and is refusing to let him get up.

The kaolin pectin that I ordered came in this morning so I zipped off to pick it up. I left the two kids loose figuring that I wouldn't be gone too long, and when I returned they were both on the couch looking at me like "Hey, where'd ya go??" It was cute! I immediately shook the bottle up well and gave Radar his first dose. Of course, his response was "Ewww....yuck.....ewwww" and wanted down immediately. Oh well, I don't care what his mouth thinks of it, it's more important now to see what his other end thinks of it! LOL!

Oh, I should add that they are both completely weaned now. TK hasn't shown much interest in the baabaa for several days, and Radar took his final sip from baabaa Saturday morning. He hasn't looked back for it since! They're both still eating canned AD for now because I really want to give Radar's digestive tract a rest, let things heal and settle down, and then I'll start introducing small amounts of different foods. No sense in causing things to get all upset again.

TK doesn't seem to have a favorite toy, he'll play with anything that moves! Radar's favorite is a simple jingle bell ball that DH tied to a long shoestring! They both play with it, plus they have a ball in a plastic track thing that they like, various mice and balls, and a feathered tiger tail thing on a wand. In truth I think that one of TK's favorite toys is any of my other cats' tails. He'll be laying in a chair and as any of my other cats pass by he'll reach out and grab their tail, giving it a little chomp. They don't seem to mind at all, I guess it's some right of passage here.

Well, that's about it for now........next post I'll have a bunch of photos for ya!

Pics of the boys

I just weighed my boys tonight and it looks like Radar is trying hard to catch up to TK. Radar weighed in at 662 grams (1 pound 7.35 ounces) and TK weighed 812 grams (1 pound 12.64 ounces). That means that Radar has gained 136 grams in just 5 days, and TK has gained 10 grams in 5 days. I think that dear little Radar was a very, very sick kitten, and is working hard now at trying to get healthy! Plus, we really don't know exactly when this infection hit Radar, but it's obvious that he's had it for a while. Hopefully, they'll both continue to grow into the beautiful, loving kitties that they want to be. :)

We had play!

I finally was able to talk with my vet yesterday about Radar, his diarrhea, and the ER vet visit. She told me that he definitely needs to be on an antibiotic, but agreed that clavamox isn't going to be the best choice for Radar. I told her to get whichever antibiotic ready and I'd be up to get it shortly.

Well, it turns out that she decided to give SMZ-TMP a try, but because of Radar being so small, she didn't have any pills that could be cut down into small enough doses. Instead, she compounded it right at the clinic into a liquid (and they added a bit of cherry flavoring?!?!?) and I brought it home, immediately giving Radar his first dose. Oh man, talk about foaming, spitting, and sputtering! At one point he followed me around looking very much like a rabies candidate! With him being black, the white spittle/foam/slobber stood out clearly on his little face. And he insisted upon following me the whole time he was busy looking rabid, like he needed me to witness what I had done to him. Oh well.........

He is still on carafate 3 times a day, although now that I'm back to work (was off due to holiday weekend) the timing is way off, and yes, sometimes it's given too early after eating, or he'll eat too early after taking it, but I'm doing all I can with it. Plus he's getting 1/2 teaspoon of canned pumpkin at least 4 times a day. At times he'll have a nearly normal poop, other times it's a bit watery..........but the best news is:

WE HAD PLAY TODAY! Radar and TK played today together for the first time since last Wednesday! Oh, it almost made me cry to see them enjoying time together like this. At least now we know we're on the right track, finally!

I know we'll most likely have more ups and downs with Radar, but it's definitely worth it. To see him enjoying life like every kitten should just warms my heart. And TK, well, he's fine, doing great, talks a lot, eats a ton of food, and purrs like there's a big diesel engine inside of him.

In over a week I finally got a chance to relax a bit, not being so stressed out over Radar's rear end. And, I didn't need to give him a mini bath today either.

So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping with all I can hope with that both Radar and TK will eventually become the adult cats that they're meant to be, and continue enjoying their lives with us.

Kittens and clavamox don't mix!

Sorry that this update has been a little while coming, but things have taken a turn to very hectic here lately. DH had to take both Radar and TK back to the vet early Wednesday 9/02/09 morning (luckily he had the day off work) because they were both down with severe diarrhea and neither would eat.

My vet first ran a fecal check on them both, and found nothing. No worms of any sort, no coccidia, no giardia. So then she moved on to running bloodwork on both of them. TK's bloodwork showed slight anemia, Radar's showed a high white cell count indicating infection. Hearts, lungs for both kittens sound normal. So she gave them both another dose of dewormer (just in case) and then prescribed panacur, flagyl, and suggested we try feeding them canned AD for a little while, until we can get them eating reliably. She also gave us some clavamox drops for Radar's infection, and we got some Nutrical for TK.

Things started to look better for the two, TK has shown a very good response, no more diarrhea and appetite is great for AD. But, poor Radar! The clavamox really didn't settle well at all for him! I put in a call to my vet Friday morning, but she was out all day on farm calls and never returned a call to me. By Friday evening Radar had diarrhea so bad....he was just passing water with a few flecks of poo in it. I had no choice but to take him to the ER vet.

The vet at the er examined Radar and found nothing seriously wrong with him except the nasty diarrhea, which he thinks the cause most likely is the clavamox. He recommended that I stop giving that to him, stop giving him the kmr, and prescribed carafate 3 times a day and some powder (Neopref) for his bottom, which is very raw right now.

When we finally got home from the er vet about 3 Saturday morning, I immediately gave Radar the first dose of carafate and then had to wait an hour to feed him. My boy was hungry, and being a total pest of himself about it, so I put him in the bathroom to wait. I had let TK out of the crate when I got home, and he was laying in front of the bathroom door listening to Radar carry on in there. Next thing I knew, TK was throwing up! Poor thing, he just got stressed out and/or missed his brother while we were gone.

Don't worry though, TK is fine now. He just needed to toss his cookies that one time!

The rest of Saturday I didn't give Radar any kmr, and he didn't really seem to miss it too much, until real late Saturday night. His poop has started changing a little from watery liquid to pudding like, but once he started stressing out over the kmr the diarrhea returned, and was much worse. I finally gave in and gave him a baabaa with kmr, which he nearly drank all 30 mls hardily!

Some wonderful friends on the feline diabetic message board are trying to help me in many ways with dealing with Radar and his poop. They suggested I give Radar small amounts of pure canned pumpkin (the fiber might help), so I went to the store Sunday and got a can. Funny thing, as I picked up the can to read the label I found that it weighs more than Radar!

I gave him about 1/2 teaspoon last night, and it seemed to help a little. So today (Monday) I started the day out with giving him the flagyl and canned pumpkin, then gave both TK and Radar their AD. Ummm......well, make that gave them two servings.......they cleaned the plate with the first helping and insisted on having a little more.

TK doesn't seem to be that interested in the kmr, he'll take a little sip of it, but then he wants it away from it. Radar, for whatever reason, does have a need for it. And, I've tried giving it to him in a saucer. He'll readily lap it up from a saucer, but then he has trouble judging it's depth. He sniffed for it, then got a little up his nose. I don't want him to aspirate it, so I'll just continue giving him the kmr in a bottle. He doesn't "suck" the bottle, just licks while the kmr runs out the nipple.

And, so far today Radar has had just one episode of diarrhea dribbling out uncontrollably. For the most part his poops have has some form, not normal and firm, but still, it's been better than pure liquid. I did have to give him a half-bath today though, pitiful little thing. His hind legs, tail, and tummy were just so nasty......so I took him to the kitchen sink and wet him with warm water, then scrubbed his nasty places with a little Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo. He got real upset, of course, but I just held him and talked real softly and gently, and he quit struggling with me! Then I rinsed him with the spray thingy, toweled him off, then let him go for a bit. After he got over that excitement he wanted to be held, so I wrapped him up in a nice thick towel and held him....for a couple of hours! He got warm in the towel, and then TK came up and laid down on me too, and next thing I knew I was almost asleep with them! LOL!

I do need to see his vet tomorrow to let her know what happened with having to take Radar to the er vet, and to see what, if any, antibiotic she wants us to change to for Radar. I'd like to try baytril injectable.......after all, the main concern with baytril is the possibility of it causing blindness, and that's not really an issue with Radar because he's already blind, but knowing vets she'll most likely want to try either amoxicillan or antirobe. I guess I'll have to wait and see what she'll choose next.

So, this is what's been going on so far here at furry central! Let's hope that we can get these two kids onto the path of well-being and growing soon!