September Greetings to You, Our Special Sponsors of the Kitten Fund!

Anyone who takes on the responsibility of fostering a cat has several things to watch for. The person who takes on a mother cat and her kittens has still more. Among them, the human will weigh the kittens to determine whether they are thriving.

A little more than a week after Vanessa gave birth to six kittens, foster mom Jill noticed that the kittens were not gaining weight. She reported, “[Vanessa] lay down to nurse them while I was delivering her breakfast, and it was obvious there was a problem with the kittens latching.”

At Tabby’s Place, it was determined that Vanessa was no longer producing milk, which required a quick decision on how to feed her babies. At less than two weeks of age, were they strong enough to suckle, so they could bottle feed? If they were too weak to nurse, that would require tube feeding.

The medical staff elected bottle feeding, with good results for all six kittens. Experience had prepared them for this uncommon result, and it’s good to be able to report that Vanessa and the kittens are doing well. Our Development Director, Angela, has more details in her August 25 blog post.  Jill adds, “The kittens have also started to purr, which is hugely rewarding.”

A situation that could have gone terribly wrong was handled professionally, requiring fast action and caring humans. That includes you because your consistent generosity makes this crisis medical care possible. Everyone at Tabby’s Place sends along their thanks to you for caring so much.

Next, from foster mom Donna, Shakira and her little rock stars (gray kittens Aerosmith, Joplin, Phish, and Zeppelin, plus adoptee Camilla) are growing up. Shakira came from a difficult situation where upper respiratory infections were widespread, and Donna reports that it was affecting Shakira’s ability to mother her kittens. She was seen by the vet team, who prescribed sub-cutaneous fluids, food, and rest. According to Donna, “She’s a trooper raising and nursing five kittens when she’s small herself. She is a great mom.” It’s a close family, as this image from Donna will confirm.

Former fosters who became August adoptees:  Panthera and Worm; Dali; Bibimbap and Doenjang; Napkin; Lentil; Emmy.  For a look at them and more, check out Tabby’s Place on Instagram.

Before I go, I’ve added a few pictures from a month that included not only Black Cat Appreciation Day  but also International Cat Day.

I have to stop there for now, so until next month, wishing you all good things…
Your Correspondent,
John