Conference misery::feline_v1

    Hi Kim,
    
    I'm sorry to hear that the little doesn't seem to be doing very 
    well...  :^(
    
    One thought that I had after reading your note is that poor kitty
    has been living out in the cold for some time now, is so use to 
    running away from every little noise it heard, that perhaps she is
    just exhausted !!  Maybe now she feels a bit safer being with
    humans and not out in cold, and just needs to rest.  I don't really
    know but it's a thought.
    
    If I were you, I would try to take her to the Vets tonight or as 
    soon as possible, rather than waiting until Sat.
    
    Good luck, and please let us know how she doing!!!!  Everyone in my
    office has already been asking about her.
    
    Judie 

    Kim,
    
    I just had another thought..... (unbelievable..two in one day!)
    
    This little kitty probably hasn't eaten in some time (considering
    how skinny she is) and maybe yesterday she had too much to eat!
    
    I kept feeding her while trying to get her to come to me and each
    time she just pigged out.  Maybe her little system just wasn't 
    use to that much food at one time. (Plus what I was giving her
    probably wasn't the best thing for a starving cat, but it was all
    I could get from the Cafeteria.)
    
    I just hope it's nothing serious and when you go home tonight she
    will be a frisky little kitty!!
    
    Judie
                                    

    Hi Kim,
    
         Our Midnight was an abandoned kitten, all black, about 3-5 weeks
    old.  She did best on KMR or a kitten-milk replacement (Nancy, you gave
    me some, can you remember the name?) plus some kitten chow mixed with
    the replacement.  I have a little bit left at home which you can
    certainly have if you're anywhere in the Marlboro/Shrewsbury MA area.
    
         Midnight did a lot of running around, eating, sleeping, then
    running around again.  It could be that your kitten is tired or pigged
    out, but I wouldn't think it would be normal for a kitten to be really
    listless.  If possible, I second the thought of trying to get the
    kitten into the vet earlier; she might have a fever, and kittens get
    sick more quickly and devastatingly than adult cats.
    
         BTW Midnight is a she also; my husband named her ;-) .
    
         Please let us know how she's doing, and if you would like the KMR
    please contact me at ESIS::Fease.
    
    					- Andrea

    Kim...I'm so happy to hear that you found another furface to take 
    care of.....and one that needs special attention.
     
    I do agree with trying to get her to the vet sooner.  My guess
    is she probably has worms and needs a special diet or vitimins
    to help her along.  Her diarhea is probably caused by the change 
    in her diet.  (from mice,birds,etc to cat food)  She is probably
    real frightened so I would keep her separated from your other
    cats so she can find a comfort zone.  You should keep them
    separated until the vet ensures she is healthy.    If you can't
    get to the vet sooner...keep a real close eye on her.
    
     If I can help in anyway...let me know.  I've been there with
    my Dewey (stray from Worcester) who was totally undernourished,
    filthy, and frightened of the world.  but I am happy to say
    he is now that terror of the house, very lovey kitty, and
    now weighs 8lbs.  
    
    I do have some liquid vitamins left at home if you need them.
    This notesfile helped me with Dewey....so I'm sure you'll
    get great advice.
    
    Sandy
                      

    Sorry forgot to mention.  I stopped by my vet's last night with the
    kitten.  The vet had an emergency and looked the kitten over really
    quickly.  The vet said it looked like she was just undernourished.
    I called my vet when I got home because there was a message from her
    office.  They had forgotten to tell me about the vitamins.  
    
    I have a nanny that comes to my house to watch my children and she is
    keeping an eye on the kitten too.  Right now the kitten is confined to
    her box, with Lucifer being locked in the cellar.  (He beats up my
    other two full-grown females and I was told to seperate them.)  My two
    females so far haven't even noticed the box or the kitten.
    
    The kitten after eating last night, let me hold her then I let her run
    around and sniff.  She promptly checked out the kitchen then hid under
    my chair.  Before going to bed I put her back in her box and she got
    out during the night.  So her strength is returning.  She purrs up a
    storm when you pet her, and she meowed at me last night when her water
    dish was empty.  The vet said both were good signs.
    
    I just called and the babysitter said she is doing okay.  Just a little
    afraid of the other cats and won't come out of the box when they are
    around.  But she said the kitten has definitely been eating.  Thanks
    for the suggestions.  By the way, I work in Marlboro, and live in
    Westminster so I wouldn't have left the kitten alone this morning if I
    didn't have my babysitter.  She really is a cute little thing.  I just
    have to name the poor thing.
    
    Kim
    

    Please let us know how she gets along.  When I first brought
    Sweetie home, he only came out from behind the refrigerator
    to inhale food.  However, it turned out that he was sick and the
    emergency vet havn't picked up on it, so I'm glad you're
    taking your puss in Saturday for a longer checkup.
    

    p.s.  milk can cause diarrhea.
    

    Do keep the new kitten away from your other cats until you can
    determine for certain that she is not ill.  It would be wise to have
    the vet test her for Fiv and Felv before letting her loose with them. I
    usually isolate newcomers for at least three weeks before letting them
    run with the others.  That will give enough time for any problems to
    surface.
    
    It is a lot easier treating one sick kitten than it is to treat 4 sick
    cats. :^)
    
    Jo

    Glad the kitty is doing better.  Okay as far as names...I find that 
    if I wait a few days to determine their personaility it sometimes help.
    But here's a few......
    
        o Lucky - She's very lucky to have found a good home
        o Nikita - That's such a pretty name
        o Shadow - She's black right!!
        o Lizzy - that's just cute (Lizzy and Lucifer)
    
    Oh well....
    
    Sandy
    
    

    
    	Well we had a little black kitty once.  He was the runt
    	and very sick.  We ended up losing him.  His name was Duke
    	so maybe you could name this one Duchess!   It's such a regal
    	name for someone who started out in life so lousy!  =)
    
    	We gave Duke his name cuz it sounded so big and brave.  He
    	hit the brave part right on the nose but he didn't get big.
    
    	Good luck with your kitty.  I hope everything works out.
    	Sounds to me like a combo of being out in the cold and not
    	getting much to eat is what's making her sluggish.  
    
    	JJ
    
    	

    re: .9
    
    >    o Nikita - That's such a pretty name
    
    I could be wrong but isn't that a male name (as in Nikita Kruschev)?
    In any case, I'm pretty shure that it is a deravation of Nikolas, and
    we have a lot of black cats in the file by that name (including my very
    own Nikolas S. Pussycat, Esq., who incidently is a world class
    sweetheart.)
    
    Good luck with the member of the family,
    Deb

    Nikita:
    
    Someone suggested it to me and I thought it was so pretty.
    All I know that it is a song by Elton John....would he be 
    singing about a male.  (ya never know!!)
    
    Sandy

    I also like Natika, sort of Nakita switched around!!
    

    Uh, from what I've read (in the tabloids) about Elton John, he could be
    singing about a woman or a man (if you get my drift).
    
    Deb

    You could name her Liza after the cockney gal in My Fair Lady.
    She came from rough beginnings and certainly turned into a
    lovely lady.  (I love that musical.) Saw it in black and white
    about two weeks ago on a PBS station. It was with Leslie Howard.
    Most of you probably will not know who he was.
    
    I do hope your new little furface will come along fine. A little
    help from the vets and a lot of love and food does wonders.
    
    Thanks for taking her in, you will never regret it.
    
    Barbara & her 3M's (one stray and two adopted kitties)

    Kim -
      I also urge you to keep her separated from your other cats.
    And wash your hands thoroughly with hot water and soap after
    you touch her.  Its really important as she could transmit all
    sorts of nasty things to your cats - especially if they are
    indoor only.
    
    I think it would be an excellent idea for you to get some KMR -
    try a pet store or vet's office.  Its extreemly good for kittens.
    You can mix it with her wet food.  Right now she's probably still
    dehydrated so getting as much fluid as possible into her is a good
    idea.  
    
    If you can't find any KMR I have some of the powder (it keeps longer)
    at home and I can bring you some tomorrow or you can drive to
    Braintree tonight and get it if the weather isn't too bad.
      Nancy DC

    OH - and don't feed her any milk, cream or turkey.  All are hard
    to digest for cats.
    

    Re .15 - Leslie Howard also starred in the "Scarlet Pimpernel".
    I liked that movie, also!!!! And I also love musicals!
    
    According to EJ's video, "Nikita" is a female.  I also like
    Ninja (you know, those martial arts guys who always dress in
    black from head to toe), Onyx, Ebony, Elvira (the lady of
    darkness on TV).  Ninja is my favorite.             
    
    I agree on keeping all the cats separated until you get a
    clean bill of health from the vet.
    
    Lynne & gang
    
    

    We have decided to call her Phanta, thanks for all of the suggestions
    though.
    
    I am taking her to the vet again tonight.  She has a lot of her
    strength back and is investigating when I let her out.  My other cats
    are locked up away from her when she is allowed to run around the
    kitchen.  I have been feeding her kitten chow and water, but the
    diahrea is still persisting.  She has used the litterbox once and my
    hardwood floors twice.  So at least I don't have to worry about her
    being blocked.  Her ears are clean looking, and she doesn't have any
    fleas or other bugs on her.  Her eyes are nice and clear and she has a
    good clear cry when she says something (which is very rare).  After
    cuddling with her last night, I put her back in her box, scrubbed down
    the kitchen floor, and then I took a bath before handling my other
    cats.  I am nervous she may have something, and I don't want my other
    babies to catch it.
    
    I'll update everyone on what the vet says tomorrow.
    
    Kim
    

    Kim,
    
    I'm so glad to hear that Phanta is doing better!!! (I love her
    name too!)  Pretty soon she will be acting like a typical kitten,
    running around like a mad man and getting into all kinds of 
    mischief!!  Nothing like lots of good food and love to perk up
    kitties.....  
    
    Keep us posted - I'll be watching this note so I can let the
    others in the office know how she's doing!!
    
    Judie