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Hi there, I just wanted to say thank you for writing back to us so promptly. Coco is doing a wee bit better. She has been back to the vet and has had yet another fecal exam. The results of the fecal exam are negative. She still has diahrea so the vet wants to see her again on Monday if it persists. All in all, Coco is in good hands. Thanks for your caring advice. Sincerely, Margot Thank you so much for your response, means a lot to me! I took her to a different vet Friday and he said that the formula I was using was a supplemental one, not the one she needed. Apparently the supplemental one was low in fat and sugar and Rudee was going into hypoglycemic shock and as her system built her sugar levels back up, she came out of it. Since I put her on the vets powdered formula,she is doing GREAT! And even trying to eat wet kitten food.
Thank you again for your caring and especially your website. I am so glad I found it...you have suchfantastic information there, and I am making sure all of my animal loving friends have it bookmarked now!!! HappyKat Dear Simba,
My name is Goliath and I just moved in to my new home and I have been very frightened and not really able to do much but meow and whine...That is, until I visited your "Kitten care" web pages and gave my new owners advise on how to take care of an orphaned siamese kitty! Since reading your articles and taking your advice, my new mommy and daddy are the "bestest" humans in the world! I have started eating regularly and my 6-week-old body is getting stronger every minute!!! I even told my older brother about your site and he may even look up some topics on how to "welcome" a new baby brother!!! Your the greatest!!! Keep up the good work! "GOLIATH" - Southington, CT Dear Simba,
Our orphaned girl is doing great she did have a bowel movement or 2 or 3! She is getting in her teeth and I cannot believe how affectionate and playful she is at such a young age. it is kind of cute she has a little mustache and goatee. But she is doing wonderful. We are getting ready to wean her and start litter box training. We also need to work on her mouthyness now that she has some teeth she is starting to play bite but sometime bites too hard. Thanks for writing back. I hope this message gives you more insight into my little ones adventures and growth. Toni You go, girl! Simba Hi Simba,
I am a 23-year-old woman who has a passion for cats! For 17 years I had a female cat whom I saw having 2 sets of 7 kittens. I cared for them and of Course, loved my "Sophie"! Last year, I had her put to sleep because she had kidney failure :( I miss her so much... but life has granted me with a wonderful gift, to know the true friendship of a Cat! This past summer I found 2 orphans, 2-week-old kittens! I bottle-fed them and cared for them like a mum cat would do. They slept with me and woke me up when they where hungry. They played with my husband and me all the time! They ran after our feet when we where walking and bit our nose and toes while we where sleeping. I even took them to "gran'ma's" (my mother) during the day while I was at work. When they where 8-weeks-old I gave them away since I discovered I am allergic to cats. I would like to send all my love to all of the cat owners who take good care of there love one's. A cat makes a good friend and never judges you. Please, if you find a kitty that his to small to take care of itself, take good care of him and you will discover a true friendship! Thanks for the site Simba... it is a super web site continue your work, it is a work of art to take care of a cat and people should be educated about it. Keep up the good work! Sincerely Yours, Marie Thank you so much for such a wonderful and informative Web Site it was such a big HELP to myself. I had gotten up just a couple days ago to hear a tiny high-pitched meowing, soon to discover actually two tiny meows going on, the neighbor came out of his house for us to discover his dog had pulled a kitten from behind his shed the neighbor handed me the kitten and said you'll have to hand feed it I said with a SMILE no problem.
As we searched we discovered the other kitten still behind the shed; the dog was unable to get to this one, but later I was able to retrieve the kitten as it was gradually growing weaker. So now my partner and I are raising two, 2 week-old kittens. The kittens are growing stronger every day. Your Site was able to answer my questions about feeding, formula mixtures, and when to litter train. Again just wanted to say Thank You. Paula You are the hero! Simba It appears you are right about anxiety. Once Bronson Kitty got settled in and completed his course of medication, he found out we could be good friends and the hair pulling stopped. The vet says he is A-OK now, and he appears to be pleased with his new home. Thanks for your response. I will continue to visit your site. JPayne Super. Simba I was looking on your site a while back.. My kitten Quezacotl (our female) was having seizures.. One morning at 630am there was a sound down the hall and Moggie (our male) came running down.. so.. i knew they were not playing. I went down the hall to see Quezacotl thrashing. After it ended, she could not walk. I called the vets and got her in at 10am. She had, had a uterine infection and had not eaten for at least 4 days. With Moggie... I did not notice that she was not eaten. I feel bad that I was unaware of this. I have been reading your site for a while now.. trying to keep up to date on Kitty information.. I want to say thank you for the information you are providing to the public... I greatly appreciate your site…Quezacotl is a healthy happy 5 month-old kitten. I just wanted to say thank you. Jodi W It is an honor to serve. Simba Earlier this week I wrote to you with concern for my two 6 week-old kittens--Chico (brother) and Bailey (sister). Although they're still adjusting to their new environment, your advice to be patient and spend time with them has really paid off. They're turning into two loving kittens. They play all evening before I go to bed, and even then, I can hear them playing with each other. I am thrilled to see them getting along and becoming less afraid with the new house. Steve W. Terrific. Simba
Okay Simba,
we are having a little office debate about the legitimacy of Andre the Cat's. Some of us believe the cat is real, some of us do not. Could you please shed some light on the subject? Rahul Hi, Thanks for the note. I assembled a council of expert kittens to examine the picture in question. They were unable to reach a conclusion. I have not raised the issue since, because if he does exist, I do not want to anger him. Simba hi,
i wrote a while back about litter -training Moses. He was 5-weeks-old at the time well, he is 12-weeks-old now, still adorable, and using the litter box like a big boy. he still nurses on his mama when she lets him (when he is not beating her up), but i imagine at this point it is dry nursing. his new buddy is our 1 1/2-year-old Himalayan, Gomez, who we got from an animal rescue last winter. it is quite comical to see Gomez (a fat wad) romping after the kitten! he sure needs the exercise! Laura How wonderful! Keep up the good work. Simba Thank you Simba! I took the kitten to the vet, she put her on antibiotics and she is now recovered from the kitten flu. She has been placed in a new home in Illinois with an attorney and his family. Lucky little kitten is living in a brand new home with all the riches of her new family! I feel very good about keeping one of God's little creations alive and being able to place her in a very nice home. Thanks and God Bless you and this site, Roxanna >^..^
Hi,
Our orphan kitten is eating and perking up. Her eyes look so much better and her bowels do too. Thank you for all your help! Tammy Hi Simba,
I wrote to you last week about three kittens dying overnight for no apparent reason. We were left with one kitten which I am happy to say that he is still alive and doing well. He is 9 days old now and appears to be growing fine. We were afraid to loose this one too but looks like he is going to make it. Thanks. Michelle Dear Simba,
Thanks for the words of encouragement with the orphaned kitten - She is now named Rollie (short for roly-poly). The problem with her bowels is much better getting her feeding schedule set was the thing that made the difference. She is feisty, alert, and very healthy. The vet said that problems with her front legs was only temporary and today it would be very hard to tell she had any problems at all! Again, thanks! Marrel (and Rollie!) Dear Simba,
Thanks for your wonderful site! I am now mother to two, 2-day-old kittens, their mother died just this morning. All of a sudden, besides having to face the fact that my wonderful cat is gone, I had to care for these two kittens. I have had no experience with young cats and did not know where to start or what to expect. I turned to the web for answers, found several articles on orphaned kittens, but your site is so complete, it gave me the confidence I needed to know I can take care of my kittens... it answered many, many questions I had, like feeding, keeping warm and grooming my babies. I took my kittens to the vet, she gave me a formula to feed them, bottles, and told me what to do to stimulate them to go poop, but once I was home with them, I realized I had a thousand questions and concerns. Your site has been a blessing. I cannot thank you enough.... CJ Austin, TX I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. Simba Dear Simba,
Just wanted to thank you for your response on taking an expecting mom home for week and, who usually is our "office" cat. Her water broke at 3:30 am on Saturday morning. the first kitten was born dead at 11;45 am, then 15 minutes later a second one came-healthy. A third came at 1:00. On Sunday morning at 8:15am we checked on all, after we got back from church, we check, and to our surprise another kitten was found. At 11:15, "miss kitty" the mom did not appear to be doing well. She almost seemed to be in labor and guess what she was. But she could not get the kitten out. I tried to help and after about a 1/2 hour i decided that she needed help since all we could see was the nose. I was sure the kitten was dead. I slipped my finger in and pulled. The kitten came out and was alive. About 1/2 later placenta was discharged. All kittens were doing well, but mama was weak. On Monday morning I called my vet and we went right away. She had 106-degree temp, pale gums and still was bleeding and passing masses of tissue. The vet did emergency surgery. he took out all tissue and left over placenta and gave her as he puts it a hysterectomy. we had to had feed the four kittens, every three hours for two days until "miss kitty" was well enough and strong enough to come home. All is well now! it seems this was her second litter in 3 months, and she appears only to a year-old. Thank goodness she found her way to us, to be care for in a loving home and with people who realize the importance of "fixing" their cat. Your web site is a great tool to aid us with delivery and how to raise the little ones. The kids go in to see what "simba" says.thanks..... thank you for your kind note. I am happy everyone involved is doing well. Simba My kitten is feeling much better. I took her to the vet, and he gave me some medicine in a dropper and some eye ointment, and she is drastically improved. Since I got her last Sunday, I swear she is doubled in size. She is so happy, and playful, and she darts around the house chasing the dog, or any string she can get her paws on. This morning she woke me up at five jumping on my back, and meowing. It was insane!!! it is all right because I am an early riser. I am just glad to see she is doing so well. Thank you for your reassurance and advice. Marusca
Dear Simba,
Dear Simba,
Thank you! To get Tink to drink her water I nudged her head in her dish when she was through with her Kitten Chow and now she drinks voluntarily. Her stools are so much better now that she is eating solid food. I live in an apartment, I put her in my closet while I was away at work. I have a sliding door closet. I opened one end of it and blocked the exit with a large cardboard piece. When I got home I let her out and if she would not use the litter box I would put her back in the "cage." I did this for two days while I was at work. Tink is now drinking fine, eating fine, her stools are normal, and I am not worried about a smelly house or furniture because she knows exactly where her litter pan is and how to use it! Thank you so much for your page and all of the help you have given me and all the other cat lovers. Keep up the fantastic work! Tink and Alicia Simba,
My cat is still being the little hunter that she is but using your advice I will try to be more patient with her. Keloggs says Hi! Thanks for all your help and because of your page Keloggs and I got an A+ on our report. Your fellow cat lovers, JJ the jet plane & Kelogg Congratulations on your report! Simba Dear Simba:
I took my cat Sally into the vet's to see what was the problem. She is 18 years-old and has lost a lot of weight. The doctor called us back this morning with the blood tests. She has Anemia. She has to go to the hospital and have a blood transfusion. The doctor said all her other tests came back good. She does not have kidney failure or cancer or any disease. Hopefully the blood transfusion will make her feel better again soon. If you have anything else to add on this please write me back and let me know, what you know about cat anemia. Thank you for your time. My cat means a great deal to me and my family. Katie Follow-up Thanks so much for getting back to me. They ran a chest x-ray on Sally on Saturday. Her heart was good, lungs clear, liver and kidneys normal, and there was no mass or tumor showing up on the x-ray. The blood work only showed her as anemic, everything else fine. Then they ran a urinalysis test on her. They found some blood in her urine and a high bacteria level under the microscope. They have put her on antibiotics. She is doing so much better! She is up and walking all around the house, jumping on furniture and eating again. She has eaten more then she has in a long time. She even looks a lot better. She has been put on a high calorie diet (Hills Prescription Diet a/d). Sally does seem constipated. I do not know if it is because she hadn't eaten in a while or if the antibiotics have constipated her. But outside of that she has done a complete turn around. The doctor said that the urinary infection has been going on for a while and was pretty bad. She has been loosing a little blood in her urine for awhile and that could very well caused her anemia. So that is what we are working with now. I appreciate your advice also. Thank you for your time and help with Sally. As I wrote you before after having her for 18 years she is such a important part of our family, we all love her so very much. Have a great day. Katie Hi Simba,
My cat Mindi is having kittens. So far there are 4 and I am not sure if there may be more inside. The cords are off the first two, but the second two still have the attachments. I do not want to interfere and get in the way. How much help, if any do I need to help her with? She did not seem to want to clean the last one born. I did not handle the newborn and she eventually cleaned the sac off of its face. All babies are breathing and trying to feed. Do you have any advice for a young cat having babies? Will a young cat be ok to be a mother and take care of the babies? What do I watch for ? Do I need to change her diet at all? Will the father cat be of any threat to the new borns? -- Susan, Proud mom of Mindi, Taz and Chanelle. Proud grandma of the (so far) 4 newborn Mindi and Taz's. :) Hi, Congratulations! The Natal Care, and Mother's Behavior sections of Simba's Letters may be of helpto you and Mindi. Keep me posted. Simba Follow-up Thanks for writing back! I checked out the sections! Right now, Mindi and her 5 little babies are doing good. They are all eating and sleeping. I'll have to find out about what do to next. All but one baby can meow... the one kitten just makes whispering sounds. Is that normal? Mindi ended up cleaning them all up, sac's and all. She is so proud. I think She purred all night! Thanks again. Susan Hi Simba,
No luck finding any more kittens. The two I have are doing well and loving their formula. They still cry a lot for their mommy, but they do quiet down when I show up...guess I am their mommy now. Thanx for the help & great web site. Cid G Simba,
I have separated the Older cat from the new kitten for 3 days (no small feat) and wanted to reintroduce them, but someone got loose and they ran smack into each other...just what I tried to avoid. Now the older cat is sulking around trying to corner the little one again and I am back to square one. If this new kitten wasn't so damn lovable, I would give up trying....will it always be like this????? we are living in WWIII and I am desperate now that my vacation is over......some vacation!!! I am ready for Valium for the big one and myself Pat Hang in there. When it is all said and done, at least you do not have to pay for their college education, just a little bit of kibble.. Simba Hello, Thanx for all the info ....I have not got my new cat yet but i know some of your tips will help! Thanx Again Sincerely, Kitten Kipper
Dear Simba,
When I found these kittens I thought "Thorns do have roses" and between you and my son (12 and 11/12'syrs. old) let's just say Now I believe in Miracles!!!! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Debi, Todd, Lucky and Smat Cat. Dear Simba,
Garfunkle and the gang are doing fine now. I watered down the formula I was giving them and his urinary infection cleared up. Simon did not make it though the vet said he was premature and his lungs did not develop all the way, he was my husband's favorite. Everybody else is great, and growing! They're starting on solid food now. I have talked my husband into keeping one (even though we'd love to keep them all). we are finding good homes for them. we are glad we found your website, thanks for all the information we got from it. -Melanie, Garfunkle, Meowers, Pete and Booger Hi Simba,
You'll be pleased to hear that Bobby is doing just fine She is over 4 weeks, the vet put her birth date in at 5/5/00. Aside from fleas and worms, she is fine. Plus a urinal tract infection, but she is on antibiotic syrup for a week (0.5 ml every 12 hours). He sprayed her and all the fleas are gone, I checked with a flea comb. And syrup for the worms, they've cleared up, but we have to follow up with a small dosage every 10 days. we have got her a bell-in-a-ball, a mouse-in-a-ball, a clockwork mouse and best of all, a carpeted scratching post with a ball on a string. She loves it! Now she is a hyper fuzzball, and already has worked her way to on top of the bathroom cabinet, behind the washing machine and into an closet drawer. As for food, I did what you suggested for changing food, and it worked! I mashed the chicken breast that she was used to, with the kitten food. We we got IAMS Kitten Dry Food, little teeny pellets. I had to smash them Into powder with the mortar and pestle, then grind it in with the chicken. I reduced the chicken over 4 meals, and this morning she had just kitten food. She is crunching it fine…I did not mash it. Success! Her stool is like Tootsie rolls. Thanks for your help,---Still Delighted with the Furball Dear Simba,
Thank you for writing back. Sadie is now 10-weeks-old, she has graduated to Kitten food, and using the litter box on her own, now we are dealing with her orneriness and attacking everything that moves. She went to the vet today to start her series of shots, and she has been sleeping most of the day. She did not attack the vet, which I was very happy about. Everything is going great here with her. Trying to figure out now why her back end always smells, vet suggested I switch food, so I will and see how that goes. Thank you again. As they say, 'better late than never'' Sadie's mom Sorry to say I put Refund to sleep last week. Both vets thought she must have had cancer. It was quick and relatively painless for kitty but was difficult for us all. We buried Refund in the rose garden and now have a 6-week-old Refund II. Refund I was a joy and comfort and I told her every day. At the end, she slept on my desk and I spend every minute with her. I have never been so glad to be self-employed! I could never have left her home alone and ill. Thanks for your help and comfort. Marsha
Thanks for your reply. Suki still has not regained her hearing. The vet switched her to Clavimox, which seemed to work better. By then she was so stressed out from having to have drops twice a day that she quit eating and started losing weight. At one point she even had to be tube fed! The good news is that we switched from twice-daily drops to an antibiotic shot every 3 days to minimize the stress. She started eating again within a week.
It seems that she can either pick up air vibrations or high-pitched noises because she does sort of hear loud "tapping" noises although she does not know where they're coming from. I still have not given up hope that she might regain some of her hearing. Her ears are still really itchy so hopefully they're still in the healing process. Luckily, she has no neurological damage and has regained most of her balance. Interestingly, we have seen a huge change in Suki's behavior. She used to be a very neurotic, flighty kitty that ran under the bed anytime someone came over and always seemed to sleep with "one eye open". Now that she cannot hear, she sleeps sounder (I have actually Caught her dreaming), she lies on her back (which she never did before!) and seems calmer over all. Maybe the deafness is a blessing in disguise! The Shaw's Dear Simba,
A few months ago, I wrote to you asking what I should do to "encourage" my mom to get my sister her own cat since she basically stole mine from me. Anyway, you asked me to write back to tell you what happened after a while and so I did. I think I am getting somewhere. I convinced my sister to leave my cat alone and ask for her own. My brother's godmother wants to get rid of one of her three cats because he annoys her(he whines like crazy). Although this is why my mom dislikes the cat I have now- he whines too much- I think she likes this cat and I am trying to convince my sister to ask for him instead of a kitten. Also, my brother's godmother is my mom's best friend, so she would be more likely to take a cat from her then from a pet store I figure. Well, I hope this works, and I hope you enjoy this letter. I will write to you again if anything else happens. Although, we are moving soon, so I think it would be best to wait until we are in our new house to ask for the cat. I am helping her though because I REALLY like this cat. Not more than mine of course:) Lisa N (aka Cat luver) Dear Simba,
Thank you so much for the time and research you have put into you site. I visited because my tiny kitten of undetermined age has fleas and I am looking for a treatment that will not harm her. After reading your excellent advice, I will be taking her to a vet to determine her age, and to have her treated for tapeworms and checked for hookworms. In the meantime, I will be scouring the stores for the Natura Flea & Tick Mousse! Again, thank you! Wendy C proud owner of Hattie, a Siamese / Scottish Fold mix (Yes! She is as beautiful as she sounds! lol) ----Thanks for the kind note. Simba Dear Simba,
Thanks for all your 'Tummy Troubles' advice. I read your advice to help us understand what might be wrong with our kitten Lucky. Your advice helped us keep hope that sooner or later we might find the cause of our poor kitty's diarrhea and poor litter box habits. I am excited to say we may have an answer! Lucky's allergy tests came back and she tested positive for allergies to several foods including chicken, seafood, rice, wheat, and beef. She also had Urinary Tract Infection, which was causing her to urinate outside her box. We have her on a prescription diet now and will soon know which antibiotics to give her to help rid her of the infection. Keep up the great column! Dear Simba -
Rascal has been diagnosed with FLUTD. He had no obstruction. Vet has changed him over to IAMS cat food (75% dry/25% canned). He is on an antibiotic for 7 days. If it reoccurs with this diet, vet says he will change diet to canned only. Wants to keep pH of food around 6.0. Was told it would take him 7-10 days to get over this episode, but after 4 days he was almost back to normal and after 6 (today) I cannot tell he was ever sick. Thanks so much for your help and assistance. Your web site was a God-sent blessing on a weekend when I really needed help. Phoenix Good to hear Rascal is better! Keep me posted. Simba Hi, Simba,
Little Starvin' Marvin (so named for his appetite) isdoing much better. it is distressing that he only nowhas bowel movements every other day, but at least he is shaving them. Otherwise, he is in great health. And heeats a lot. Thanks again for a great resource, and keep up thegood work!Jim I want to let you know how much I appreciate your speedy reply. Iemailed to 3 different sources about the problems that my kitten Annie was having. The other 2 sites cost, $25 for one and $35 for the other. I have yet to hear from them. But because of your concern I did takeAnnie to an emergency clinic and found that she had FIP, the "wet"version and I had to put her to sleep. But because of you, she did nothave to suffer an inordinate amount of time. Thank you again and I will refer your site whenever I can. Linda S
Thanks for your kind words. My heart goes out to you on losing Annie. Simba Hey Simba...Just wanted to keep you posted., My older female kitten 6months-old) had to be put to sleep last week...she had FIP....and as very sick..she could not move....and her tummy was all swollen...I am hoping that my new kitten doesnt have it also...we will see....thanks for your help!Amber
I am sorry to hear of your loss. Please accept my deepest sympathies. Simba Dear Simba,
Thank you again for your advice. I brought Jute (a variation of Diutayan, our local word for "almost") to the vet today. He said the legs are not broken, just sore. The kitten will recover but to lessen the pain we were to give him pain reliever until he is better. We gave him the first does right after we came home and now he seems okay. He still cannot walk but he is more active. he is already trying to get out of the shoe box and sometimes we think we need to restrain him. Thank you again...Tintin Earlier this week I wrote to you with concern for my two 6-week-old kittens--Chico (brother) and Bailey (sister). Although they're still adjusting to their new environment, your advice to be patient and spendTime with them, has really paid off! They are becoming two loving kittens. They play all evening before I go to bed, and even then, I can hear them playing with each other. I am thrilled to see them getting along and becoming less afraid with the new house. Steve W.
Dear Simba,i just wanted to thank you for your great advice on cats. a couple of weeks ago i adopted a kitten (about 7-weeks-old) and though he is so adorable and stolen my heart already, he claws/scratches/bites my hands/feet/legs/arms (take your pick!). i had cats growing up but it is been so long since I have been around kittens, i was afraid this was very abnormal behavior. i am so glad to see other people have the same problem and there is a good solution. i'll be trying your suggestions as soon as i get home tonight! thanks again! Tiffany and yet unnamed fuzzy friend
Glad I could help. Keep me posted! Simba Dear Simba:
I hear that you have a nice bachelor pad. Is this true? Maybe even a new place to scratch? What are the advantages to living by yourself vs. having a cat-mate. Are you ever lonely? Does your human ever burp up Chicken Burritos at inappropriate times? Do you think that your solitude has rendered you somewhat inept to deal with the contemporary marvels of pop kitten culture? What would you do, for example, if another cat visited you for a little kitten play? - Dan in Emeryville Dear Dan in Emeryville, You are right in many regards. I do live with a chicken burrito-eating human. You will be glad to know that his manners are impeccable. Also, I have been recently given a huge kitty condo that I regularly climb. I am most pleased with my gift. About Kitten culture, it is indeed a marvel. Devoted as I am to KittenCare.com and other feline related community activities, I am privy to much of the goings on in the society de' feline. You seem a kind and gentle soul Mr. Dan. Please stop by my site anytime. Your Pal, Simba |
