January is low season as far as kittens go. Our newest additions, Peanut, Butter, and Jelly, arrived from a New York shelter, but they’re not teeny tiny babies. They are cute, though. In fact, Butter caught the eye of some adopters before the kittens were even out of their mandatory three-week quarantine. You know you’re a cutie if you can make someone fall in love from behind bars!
It’s probably just as well that we aren’t swimming in kittens right now, though, because Sadie, one of our apartment residents, is presenting us with a plenty big puzzle to figure out, and all on her own.
Last month, you’ll remember, Sadie and her fellow kittens Clem and Samantha were teasing us all by being insufferably cute…and not letting us anywhere near them. The good news is, they’ve come quite a long way in a very short period of time. You had to know that they would – kittens are so resilient and adaptable, they couldn’t stay afraid for too long. The last time I stopped in to see them, in fact, Clem was climbing all over me, Samantha went so far as to contemplate a snooze in my lap, and Sadie traded purrs for pets (in between chasing a feather wand and a jingle ball toy).
But as the kittens started relaxing with us, we noticed that Sadie had developed some odd facial tics that involve her eyes, ears, and cheeks. It almost looks like she’s flinching when she has a spasm. She also breathes very noisily at times, sounding for all the world like she’s got a terrible head cold.
Upon examination, though, Sadie checks out as normal. She has normal bloodwork and a clear airway (we checked to see if her nasal passages might be blocked by polyps); she’s just a twitchy kitty. Our best guess is that she has some neurological oddity, and we’ve started her on a trial course of an anti-convulsant to see if that will relieve her symptoms.
In spite of all the medical attention she’s getting (and Sadie does not like unwanted attention of any kind!), our little beauty is building trust in the people around her every day. She loves to play – on her own, with a person, and with the other kittens – and she’s fascinated by the world outside her window.
Thank you for supporting all the kittens at Tabby’s Place, especially Sadie just now. We’ll continue to give her the very best care, whatever may come her way. If you’re up for a visit, please stop in to visit with our little tabby girl, and help us convince her that she can trust us to love her, twitches and all!