Update: Ginger and Snap

When last we left you Ginger and Snap were nearing the end of their foster-stay and were almost completely recovered from their ringworm.

Ginger was adopted less than 24 hours after his neuter surgery; he went home with a lovely family with a young daughter.

Snap had a hard time coming out of his shell. He spent two days at the shelter before being moved to one of the offsite adoption locations, where he spent another two days cowering and hiding in his cage. I came to visit him on the fifth day and realized that he was never going to get adopted if his situation wasn't addressed; my husband and I talked with the shelter and decided to bring him back to our house to continue fostering. The plan was to have potential adopters come visit him in our home, in the hopes that being somewhere familiar would help him be less scared.

That same evening my husband surprised me with my first Christmas present (a month early). Snap would be staying with us permanently!

So our little family grew from Three+Cat to Three+Two(Cats!) We're so happy to have this little love bug as a permanent addition to our home. Trinket is thrilled to have a buddy to play with and has started acting like a crazy kitten again, and Snap spends his time being utterly and completely spoiled. Happy Endings all around~!

Aaaaaand We're Back! Introducing Pip and Squeak

Sorry for the lack of updates over the past few months; I picked up a bunch of new volunteer responsibilites at the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter and have been working with them on their Offsite Adoption Team. I've also been designated as the Lead Volunteer on the Ringworm team, on top of my fostering and other volunteer duties. Top that off with the Holidays and it's been a crazy season!

But enough of that, let's get to why you're here: Cats and Kittens!

Introducing two of our first babies this kitten season, Pip and Squeak

These two tiny babes are less than a week old; their eyes are still shut tight and they still have tiny bits of their cords stuck to their bellies.

After a brief adjustment period they're both eating like champs! It took them a little while to get used to the bottles and the taste of the formula, so their meal-times for the first day and a half were a little difficult.

Since these kittens are so young they are being fed every 2-3 hours. The kitten formula has to be reheated at every meal so their bodies can digest it more easily. Every feeding follows the same pattern:
1. Weigh the kitten and record the pre-feeding weight
2. Feed the kitten at least 5% of its body weight (so for these aprox 100 gram kittens, that's 5 grams per feeding)
3. Weigh the kitten again to make sure the kitten has eaten the proper ammount.
4. Stimulate the kittens genitals so that it can pee/poop (the most glamourous part of bottle-baby fostering)
5. Make sure no traces of milk are left on the kitten. The formula dried HARD and will have to be cut out of the fur if it is not cleaned off early.

I also like to make sure that my kittens stay nice and warm during their feedings, so I have a heating pad (on low) placed on the table with a blanket on it. The number one reason kittens won't eat is because they're too cold!




Last little note here, just to clear up a very common (and dangerous) mistake.

This stuff is NOT milk for kittens! This is NOT formula! Do NOT give this to kittens!!!!! 

If you are going to feed kittens, you need to feed them a milk replacement supplement. Whiskas Cat Milk is NOT safe for kittens, nor is any other commecially available milk. I can't tell you the number of times kittens have been brought in and have only been fed with this stuff or with cow's milk; most of the time, they don't make it. Cow's milk is NEVER acceptable to give to a cat, and the Whiskas milk is a TREAT MEANT FOR ADULT CATS!



Luckily most pet stores (and even some grocery stores) sell actual kitten formula now, even if they don't carry the best stuff. Here's what you want to look for:

The GNC, KMR and Breeders Edge powdered formula all have comparable nutritional benefits and seem to be of equal quality. While the Breeders Edge formula is a little harder to find, KMR and GNC formula are carried by lots of stores (including WalMart). DO NOT buy the Hartz kitten formula: it is NOT a good substitute, and if you look closely at their find print it is stated that it's meant as a supplement only and NOT as a nutritionally complete meal-replacement. The better formulas are a bit more expensive, but they are WORTH IT!!!! I would definitely reccomend getting the powdered formula instead of the pre-mixed liquid but the liquid stuff can work in a pinch.

Regardless of what kind of formula you choose make sure you read ALL of the instructions and follow them to the letter. Once you've started with a formula, stick with it. Changing from one to the other can cause massive digestive upset for the kittens and can be very traumatic.

Quiet time with kitties

Ginger and Snap are still recovering from their feral beginnings; both babies are still fighting off ringworm and respiratory infections, and they're both still pretty nervous around people. Today we're having some quiet time while the babies explore a new space in our house. Both of them have decided that they love the windows! They took turns sitting and watching the grass and plants in the backyard. It's cool and breezy, with lots of new smells blowing in on the breeze.

Rescue Spotlight: CedarPark/Leander Community Cats - A Trap/Neuter/Release Program

Today I wanted to give a shout out to a local group that is making a big difference in their community.
The Cedar Park/Leander Community Cats program is a very small organization, but they make a difference! Their program focuses mainly on caring for and maintaining the local feral cat colonies. They follow the Trap/Neuter/Release protocols; This allows for feral cats to spayed or neutered and then returned to the neighborhood colonies where they live. These kinds of feral cats are usually completely wild and not suited to living in a home; getting them spayed or neutered and then returned to their "wild" environment allows them to live their life without contributing to the overpopulation problem in their colony.

The volunteers in this group also try to isolate and catch kittens from the colonies; the kittens CAN be rehabilitated and can usually be adopted as they get older.

Ginger and Snap are two of the kittens that this group brought in from one of their feral cat colonies.
Their mother was also trapped, fixed, and released back to her colony.

Thank you Cedar Park/ Leander Community Cats! You all do a wonderful job!


You can find out more about this group on their facebook homepage at: https://www.facebook.com/Cedar-ParkLeander-Community-Cats-tnr-program-197589304098119/

Ginger and Snap: Two week update

Ginger and Snap had a good checkup today; they got their booster shots, and started a new round of meds for that pesky URI. The vet tech commented on how they were both so sweet and friendly today, which is a radical change from their fear and skittishness from two weeks ago. They both still have a LOT of active ringworm, but they're looking healthier and are making good progress! Hopefully by the time of their next booster (two more weeks) they'll be almost over it! The kitties are going to hate it, but it's time to step up the baths to twice a week.

Memorial Service for Lundy

Our dear friend Lundy L Lundy, APAs own resident Cat Man, passed away early Sunday morning after a hard battle with cancer.

He went peacefully in his sleep surrounded by dear friends and with both his furr babies close at hand.

Naming Sumac 1 and 2

Ok so these little kittens need some better names!
I made a post on Facebook about it and here are the suggestions so far:

Ginny and George (Weasley!)
Habanero and Bonnet (after hot peppers)
Felicity and Oliver
Oompah and Loompah
Lundy and Brittany (named for two very dear APA staff who died)
Ginger and Snap


So far my favorites are Ginger and Snap, tied with Brittany and Lundy,  followed by Ginny and George.