Saturday, July 28, 2012

Mystery Revealed: 3 Boys, 2 Girls



Our five kittens are finally old enough to go in for their neuter/spay procedure. We were only “guessing” the sex of each kitten; it’s difficult to tell when kittens are young – at least for me.


All five kittens during the trip to the vet clinic.  Thanks, Becky, for loaning us your large crate that all five would fit into!

So yesterday, my sister and I loaded them into one large crate and headed out early to the veterinarian. The kittens were little dears during the 30-minute car ride. My sister drove and I sat in the car backseat with the crate and talked to and tried to entertain them as best I could. Apparently it worked, as there wasn’t a peep from them!

We called back late in the afternoon to find out if they could be picked up or would require an overnight stay. The report we received is that they were still too drowsy to go home, so this morning I went to pick them up.

I couldn't help but grab a photo of this adorable old Sheltie trying to hide behind his master, seeming to know what was in store!


This veterinarian clinic is a very busy place, and I had to wait my turn for one hour. Finally, I went back to speak to the vet and receive the kittens and learned that we have three males and two females. Well, we have already named them, so it seems that two of the boy cats will go through life with female names. As it stands, Myrtle and Blackie are girl cats; Carl, Murtie and Gurtie are boy cats. We aren’t going to change their names.

A full view of Murtie, probably the sweetest of the litter. And we were so sure she was a girl!


The next chapter of this story is that all five are now secluded and resting comfortably in a room in my basement, which has been outfitted with two litter boxes, two water bowls and three food bowls, plus a fluffy old robe on a love seat, as well as toys to entertain them.

It's the same room that Sox was confined to during her recovery, but she has been moved out to yet another room. Sox has taken quite well to the high life. She is Miss Self Confidence with the dogs and runs throughout the house as if she owns it. She’s a really great cat!

How long will the kittens stay inside? Not sure; a few days I think. If purring is any indication of their contentment, they are in good shape! All appear to be doing quite well. They must be taken back in two weeks, all for a DHL booster shot and stitches removed for Blackie and Myrtle.

It will be difficult to take them back to the barn, as I will have become accustomed to having them inside, but I don’t think there’s any way this can be a six-cat-household. Too much work cleaning litter boxes, etc.!

On other notes: Tonight's sunset was beautiful:


And I have two Moon Flowers in bloom this evening:
Not fully opened but that will happen as the evening progresses. They are so pure white and look like satin. And they smell divine!


9 comments:

  1. your kittens are adorable. It's always so nice and calming to read stories of dilligent owners ( I use the word in lieu of better phrase).
    Happy Sunday!

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    1. Thank you Anna. I think they're adorable, too. I know I'm going to become so attached to them while they're inside!

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  2. These are the sweetest kittens in the world. They are so easy to manage and worth all the trouble/expense. We are "joint owners" of these cats but Sanda is there close where she has most of the caring for them and seems to love every minute of it. They are truly adorable!
    Wish I could have been there for opening of the moon vine - beautiful.

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    1. These kittens have definitely been a time-consuming diversion for us. A good thing, I think!

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  3. What precious little kitties. They are so lucky to have such caring mothers and grandmother!! Cute photo of Sheltie; I remember those times taking my golden retriever to the vet..particularly when he got into the tacklebox and came out with lips/jaw full of fish hooks..not fun! Thx for cute pix.

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    1. Oh my, having fish hooks embedded in his lips and jaws must have been quite painful for your golden! Hope you get to come by soon to see the kittens again!

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  4. Big business over there.
    Somehow, I remember that kittens are sprayed at a much older age over here, somewhere after 6 months, not sure though.
    Is it proper to ask, how much this all cost you?
    Over here, vets are not inexpensive.
    Each time ( and there are lots of them ) I take Morty over to his vet, it will be 50-100€ with the medicine.
    But, like you, I think that we owe our pets the treatments they need.
    I´m so keeping my thumbs up for your kittens to get free access to your house, that is, if it will work out : ).

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  5. It has been a busy three days! I have "allowed" the kittens to take up much of my time. I must say I am thoroughly enjoying them. They are so affectionate. As for veterinarian costs, they are quite expensive here as well. We do not yet have the bill for the 5 kittens; they will tell us after we take them back in 2 weeks. But to give you an idea, the bill for Sox was $155 and this clinic is the least inexpensive around! But Sox had to get everything: rabies vac.($9);feline leukemia, 2 shots($22); worm check & deworming($16);spaying($35); meds administered and anesthesia ($15); iv fluid($10); and take home meds, plus various charges for exam ($10), etc.etc.etc. So for the kittens, we'll have 2 spaying@$35, 3 neuters (a bit less I think) plus all the shots, meds, deworming, injections. I fear it will all come out to $300! I will let you know what it turns out to be. But at this point in our lives, my sister and I much prefer to spend on beloved pets than to spend on fashion. Since these are "joint" cats, we are splitting all the costs.

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  6. Those kittens are so cute! It's nice you and your sister are sharing the vet bills. I know when my son's small (5 pound) dog had to have something done to his mouth, it cost over $700 just for the anesthesia, so I paid for that. (The smaller the dog, the more expensive it is to put them under anesthesia, I guess.)
    I have never seen a Moonflower before. They are fabulous!

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