NEW BABIES kittens ALERT! We just got SEVEN, four week old, little wiggle worms. How precious are they?! šš„° We donāt have names yet, but have some ideas. Iāll be doing name announcements this week.
We had originally been scheduled to pick up another litter that was āred listedā (scheduled to be euthanized by the end of day), but another foster picked them up. The shelter had just taken in these seven cuties and they were also going to be euthanized because they werenāt eating and have upper respiratory infections. š£
It makes me so sad that their lives would have ended for things that are totally manageable. But here we are! We have them and they are safe now! (Please no shelter bashing ā they donāt have control over this. They are required to take in every single animal that is surrendered and they simply donāt have the resources, money or employees to care for cases like these).
Theyāre all on antibiotics and eye meds and have all started to eat on their own and are using the litter box already! Iām so proud of them. Theyāre a sweet, social and VERY TALKATIVE bunch. They should be a lot of fun.
Let the cuteness overload commence.Ā @thekittensfosterĀ said.
Have you ever seen anything more precious?! šš„° NAME ANNOUNCEMENT coming soon! Iāll give you a clue on the them and see if you can guess:
The theme for these kittens is based on an 80ās cartoon. The main character and friends are protectors of color.
Can anyone guess without googling??? This was one of my favorite tv shows growing up, which definitely ages me. šĀ @thekittensfosterĀ said.
Welcome the first kitten to the Rainbow Brite litter. Her name is RAINBOW and sheās a tortoiseshell (tortie)! A lot of you guessed correctly that I named this litter after one of my favorite childhood cartoon shows, Rainbow Brite!
Everyone who commented had great guesses and even gave me ideas for names for future litters, so thank you!
I chose the tortie to be Rainbow because she made it very evident from the beginning that she is the leader of the pack. Sheās spunky, social, friendly, energetic, and has the cutest personality. Sheās also the biggest of the bunch.
These kittens are around 4-5 weeks old and we wonāt be accepting adoption applications for them for another couple of weeks. As always, we are going to adopt these kittens out in pairs. We still need to see who is bonded. Whomever is bonded will stay together. We give priority to people who are willing to adopt two or who have other fur babies at home.
Right now, a few of them are very sick, so we have them on medication and are syringe feeding the ones who arenāt gaining weight.Ā @thekittensfosterĀ said.
More introductions to follow!
Welcome LUCKY š to the Rainbow Brite crew! And oh boy is this tiny little tiner lucky. He is the second smallest of the litter and was the one who I was most worried about yesterday when everyone started vomiting because heās already so underweight. Not only was he extremely lethargic, but he resisted eating like no other. He would clamp his jaw shut and not let the syringe in (fosters, I know you know this type well š¤£). In addition, he would scream at the top of his lungs (he has some serious lungs on him š).
Lucky is much more stable now. He still doesnāt like food, but he doesnāt resist it as much and heās starting to gain weight again. Iām cautiously optimistic, but he hasnāt vomited since 11 pm last night, which is a sign the medications are working. š¤
For as tiny as this little dude is, he is MIGHTY. He has a strong yet sweet personality. I tend to bond most with the sickies and this guy has my heart.
All of these babies have upper respiratory infections and likely parasites, which probably caused the vomiting. We tested them for Panleukopenia and it was negative, THANK GOODNESS. Keep Lucky in your thoughts and send him all of your healing vibes. šĀ @thekittensfosterĀ said.
Welcome VIOLET š to the Rainbow š Brite litter! Violet is the tiniest of all 7 kittens. She only weighs 250 grams. Sheās the weight of a 2 week old, but is almost 5 weeks š„ŗ. Donāt let her delicate physique fool you though. Sheās a power house. Even though sheās one of the kittens that threw up and has been frail, sheās been consistently gaining, eating on her own and playing with her siblings.
I am still supplemental feeding her because she hasnāt quite learned how to bite her food. Sheās still suckling like she would when breastfeeding. This is common among kittens in this transitional phase (4-5 weeks) where theyāre still weaning onto solid food. Regardless of illness, we often have to do this with kittens this age, especially ones that are orphaned.
No one is out of the woods yet with their illness, but Iām seeing progress, which is a huge relief from yesterdayās debacle.
Say hello to VIOLET! š„°ššĀ @thekittensfosterĀ said.
Welcome HAMMY š§” to the RAINBOW š BRITE crew! This little man is such a ham! Heās always chatting and trying to get our attention.
His illness hit him a little later, so heās been under the weather since yesterday. We started the critical care protocol with him and are just letting him rest.
When kittens are showing signs of illness (ie vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, anorexia, eye/nose discharge, sneezing, coughing etc) itās so important to act quickly. Upper respiratory infections, parasites and other viruses wreak havoc on their little bodies and things can escalate rapidly. As a foster parent, you kind of have to be a helicopter mom/dad, especially in the first few days of getting kittens; thatās usually when illnesses surface. This is because once theyāre comfortable, their nervous systems relax, and their body is no longer surviving on adrenaline (or at least this is the theory).
Anyhow, most of the other kittens are showing improvement. No one is gaining weight yet, but we have to let the antibiotics run their course. Everyone has stopped vomiting, so that is a good sign. Continue to keep them in your prayers.
welcome INDIGO š to the RAINBOW š BRITE crew! Indigo is a boy and he and his sister, Rainbow, have been inseparable. It may be because Indigo and Rainbow are the healthiest, liveliest and biggest of the bunch. The other 4 donāt have the energy to play like Indigo and Rainbow do.
Indigo is super social, playful and energetic. Heās such a cutie. š„° He also has these cute little white whispy hairs randomly all over his body. I think it will look really cool as he grows.
Say hello to Indigo!Ā @thekittensfosterĀ said.
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Welcome STARLITE āļø to the RAINBOW š BRITE crew! Starlite is a little more timid than the rest, but given some time and socialization, I have no doubt sheāll come around.
Star likes to huddle with her siblings, but she also loves to play. She has gotten a lot more energetic since two nights ago when she was sick. Sheās eating a little on her own, but none of the kittens have been interested in food, so I am still syringe feeding her.
Say hello to Star āļø Lite!Ā @thekittensfosterĀ said.
Welcome CHAMP š to the RAINBOW š BRITE crew! Champ is definitely a Champ. He had the worst case of vomiting of all 7 kittens. We were really worried about him, but heās turned a corner and has more energy and eats a little on his own. Much like Starlite, Champ is also a little timid, but Iām not worried. Iām sure weāll be best buds soon enough.Ā @thekittensfosterĀ said.
Say hello to Champ! š