Theoretically, “kitten season” is on the downswing, and our numbers (fingers crossed) seem to bear this out. Our kitten population is down to the dribs and drabs of the season, if kittens can ever really be dribs or drabs!
Tailless calico Fontina is arguably the single cutest, sweetest creature ever born…but we have some concern she may be with us for years to come. Fontina has been only “semi-continent” since she first arrived, and it’s not entirely clear whether this is behavioral, medical or both. One of the options on the table is Manx syndrome, a result of the tailless gene shortening the spine too much and causing damage to the spinal cord (and, accordingly, bladder control). If that’s the case, there’s not much that can be done for it. But, we’re not yet convinced that it’s to blame for Fontina’s issue. A recent urine test revealed that Fontina has significant crystals in her bladder, an unusual finding in a kitten. We’ve scheduled our little love for an ultrasound. She is so outrageously “adoptable” other than this issue that we want to do everything we can to find her a home.
Mack, Fontina’s roommate, got himself into a bit of a scrape this month. Mack is one of those kitties who finds an open door to be an irresistible temptation. He made a dash for it one day…but the door struck back, and now our poor little guy is sporting a clonky cast on one of his back legs. Mack has been a bit on the skittish side as it is, so I was worried about how he’d handle his new limitation. As it turns out, this incident may have a silver lining. While Mack would ordinarly scoot away at the beginning of my visit, playing “keep away”, he can’t get away now. I could almost read his inner dialogue on his face, “Darn it, no escape. Ok, fine, I’ll just have to enjoy you petting me and skritching my head. Fine, I’ll even purr.” He is almost a teenager, after all…
Our other kitten-flavored residents include tiny Tribble, currently in a foster home, and young Irene, barely out of babyhood herself, who came from a horrific hoarding situation, litter in tow. Her seven kittens were all ravaged with ringworm, and five are still being treated for the fungus. But Irene and her kittens Oy and Topeka have finally cleared from quarantine – hooray!
We’ve also got some new kittens on their way as I write (they don’t even have names yet!) You can see from their very first photo at left that they are not yet convinced that becoming a Tabby’s Place cat is a good thing – but we love them already anyway.
Thank you, as always, dear sponsors, for supporting the littlest members of the Tabby’s Place family. We all wish you a warm, loving Thanksgiving holiday!