Post by Honeylioness on Jun 8, 2009 12:37:59 GMT -5
Honeylioness - 06/02/09 09:50 AM[/u]
AARRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I am a bad bad bad bad bad bad kitty "mom"
A little background. I currently have three cats: Tigger, Naomi & Jericho (can youg guess which one I did NOT name ), two boys and a girl. The "boys" are enuchs, the girl - not so much. They are all indoor only cats since the townhouse is on a busy intersection. Once a year when Naomi's hormones get her all riled up we go through a week of yeowling and overt behavior that would make a seasoned streetwalker blush. Tigger has taken to "mounting" her and going through the motions which just gets her more "in the mood". But as he has not had the ... emmmm.... "goods" for
many many years he soon gets bored as nothing happens. He will stop, look at me as if to say "Hmmm, I know something should happen next but I can't remember what it is", then let her go and saunter away. At which point Naomi shoots him a look that I
SWEAR could kill him where he stands. The look that says "You evil *****, just like a man to leave me hanging".
Any-whoooooooooooooo
I KNOW I need to get her spayed. But the low-cost subsidized clinics say I make too much to qualify for financial assistance, and my regular vet will run me about $350 for initial visit, shot boosters, blood work and the surgery. So I have been putting it off and putting it off.
Somehow Miss Mata-Hari got past me last night when I was checking the back deck before locking up for the night. I am usually so SO careful about making sure they don't do that. And I did not even notice she was not "at home" until this morning. I was
exiting the back door downstairs to walk out to my car when I see not only the homeless furry black cat I have been leaving food out for this winter, but another beautiful long-haired siamese looking cat. This is really unusual as I almost never see neighborhood cats during the day. When the second cat moved I saw a third face - a really familiar black face with white tuxedo bib - NAOMI!!!!
I literally dropped my bags and ran over to the small area behind a neighbor's A/C unit where she was crouched. The other two cats, whom I have surmised are both males, slunked off growling at each other as I managed to get my arm behind the machinery and lift her out of her nook. She just looked at me - almost blankly. Did not purr, did not mreowl - nothing like she usually does when I pick her up. It was almost like she was in shock. Honestly, her stare at me was .... unsettling. Was she "assaulted" by the boys? Is this just because she was out all night for the first time in her life? Did she manage to keep the boys at bay all night?
I feel awful.
How come I did not triple check before going to bed? What if she is pregnant? Should I have stayed at home with her longer this morning to be sure she was okay? Do I wait and see if she is pregnant? What then? there are already too many kittens born each year who are unable to find homes. And she is a tiny cat - could she carry them safely? I called the Vet and there is no "morning after" pill for kitties. So do I find a way to finangle the money out of either my Vegas vacation fund or my Emergency Fund and just get her fixed? I could use any advice or point of view y'all care to share.
dakota4600 - 06/02/09 10:56 AM
Honey 2.0 - No advice on the kitty, but I hope she is okay. I guess I would wait and see if she is PG if not I’d definitely get her fixed. If she is I’d do it as soon as possible after the litter is born.
reeneejune - 06/02/09 11:09 AM
Honey – If she is still small and young, I would say get her fixed and tell the vet to abort if she is pregnant. I don’t know how big she is, but generally if a cat is not at full adult size yet, a pregnancy will slow their growth and put her behind. They
also generally do not have as strong of a maternal instinct at a younger age and are more likely to abandon the kittens. It’s sad, but it’s probably the best way to go. Call around to several vets and check prices, some may do the spay without a ton of other
things for a lower cost. In my area, there are sometimes discounts if you say that the cat is a stray that you’re adopting or something like that.
SES_Books - 06/02/09 11:19 AM
Honey - Have you called all of the free kitty clinics? In this economy would your vet be willing to haggle. That price seems so high. It cost $140 for Onyx and she was almost to term before I could catch her. And it included three nights of boarding so they could monitor her. She was small too, only six months old. Could you use your surprise gift card? IMOH this would be emergency fund eligible. If you decide on the surgery don't wait too long, some vets won't do later term cats.
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 06/02/09 04:41 PM
Honey, I'm 100% on the same page as SES_, reeneejune. To me, your quoted price seems high. I would have said $166, much closer to the $140 SES_ quoted.
red_wagon - 06/02/09 10:47 PM
honey - maybe she was just scared from being outside? I hope everything turns out okay! I wish I had advice to give but I lack experience in this arena. And whatever happens, you are NOT a bad kitty mommy!
3catslady - 06/02/09 10:56 PM
Honey, I had a kitten, 6 mo old, that was preg. She couldn't have the kitties because they were too big for her. I had to take her to the vet and she did a c-section. I wouldn't put the little one through that, if it were me. Have her fixed now even if she is preg. My 3 cents, inflation.
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 06/03/09 06:09 PM
Honey, Don't feel badly about Miss Kitty. My Nugget received a swipe from a grey tabby that comes around. His eye looked not great. I cleaned around it, and let nature take its course. It has taken a good couple of weeks just to open. The area is still very pink. Worse, I believe I detect a cloudiness on the surface. I think the cornea must have been scratched. In retrospect, I would have taken him right away to the vet's. It was more serious than I assessed. I'm beating myself up.
jillbean_1978 - 06/04/09 10:34 PM
I feel like the worst person ever. While doing laundry today, the baby kitten I found a while back got into the dryer without me seeing or hearing her. Called the local in town vet, he was out on farm runs. Had to take her to a vet in another town 10 minutes away. She didn't make it. I'm just so sick over this. I am the worst pet owner there is. And only my oldest DS knows, the other kids don't know yet. And I don't know how to tell kids under 4 yrs that a pet has passed(at my hand no less) Do I just tell them they are
sleeping now? My 10 yr old is going to not like me at all. And now we'll have a bill when we really didn't need that kind of bill. But what was I suppose to do!
I just want this day to never have been.
3catslady - 06/04/09 11:16 PM
Jill; when I had 32, yes 32,one of the babies, they were all outside cats at that time, liked to sleep on the wheel of my car. I went out and started to go work and, yep, I ran over its head. I threw up at the sight and my DS was only 7 or 8 at the time started crying and so I started crying and swearing. At that time of my life I could put a sailor to shame. Any way we buried it and put a gladiolas on the grave, went to work and felt like a killer all the time. But IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, and so was yours. It happens so don't beat yourself up over it. Just tell your little one that it is in a very good home right now. And yes all animals go to Heaven.
taxgalCA - 06/05/09 01:34 AM
Jilli: I'm so sorry about your kitty. Just remember, it was an accident, and these things happen. My housemate's cat blends in with the carpet, and we've had a few near runs of almost stepping on him or some other nonsense.
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 06/05/09 08:42 AM
jilli, Dearest girl, it was her day, the little kitten. Please accept that you are 100% alright with the universe on this. You could not be in any way at fault. You're an over-worked young mom with far too many heavy responsibilities of all kinds. My heart goes out to you and then some. Let the kids see your anguish, tell it straight up, walk through this fire, but walk quickly. We are walking with you. Don't, whatever you do, sink into despair. You are too needed by all around you. It's too big, this load you are carrying.
Honeylioness - 06/05/09 12:35 PM
Jill - And I am so so sorry to hear about the dryer incident. You are not a bad person. It happens more than you would think. Cats like small warm dark places - and so to them a dryer is just about perfect. My thoughts are with you and the kids. But it was just an accident. At one time all pet owners have done something less than commendable with one of their pets. I once gave a cat second degree burns on his tail because I was ironing, he was laying at one end "supervising" and I did not see him twitch his tail atop the fabric until it was too late. I had come down hard with a very hot iron, hitting the steam button as I did to go after a tough crease ... and instead wound up with a cat who eventually had to loose the last two inches of his tail because of the burn and infection.
Honeylioness - 06/06/09 09:15 PM
It was one of those weeks at work that really make me wonder why I don't make at least twice what my pay stub says I do. Several nights I put in 2+ hours of overtime and during the day it was so chaotic that on Wednesday I came home only to realize I had not eaten all day nor even gone to the bathroom.
Okay, well I promised you an update regarding the cat. On Tuesday after finding out that unfortunately there is NO "Morning After" pill for cats who spend the night engaging in questionable moral behavior I had called around to several rescue agencies and such trying to see if there might just be a more cost friendly option to my vet's office. I like most of the people at my vet's very much - but the quoted price of almost $400 was making me panic.
By Wednesday I had pretty much resigned myself to the idea that spaying the cat was indeed the only real option. There are just too many animals in shelters already bursting at the seams. And even if she has conceived I would find it personally more immoral to add more kittens to an already overloaded animal welfare system than I do getting her fixed. I think I mentioned in my last posting that most of the clinics I contacted told me I made too much money to qualify for a reduced fee spay.
I had decided that I would just have to put the cost on my credit card and work to pay it off in two months.
Then three things happened on Wednesday. My mother called to tell me that they were sending me $100 to help pay for the surgery. Money I had not asked for but was very grateful to accept. I then got a call from the Northshore Animal League that operate a Cat Mobile that goes to various towns for a day doing only spays and neuterings. When the lady heard what had happened she rearranged the schedule to fit me in for Monday the 15th as an "emergency spay". I would still need to have pre-op vaccines and bloodwork done, but my vet could do that and fax over the results. They charge $100 plus $20 for post-surgery antibiotics.
As I was leaving the office a woman who works with us, who I really don't know all that well, came up to me. She said she had overheard me talking to a co-worker about the situation and wanted to help. Out of her pocket she took a Visa gift card she had received a few days earlier. We give these out at employee meeting for employees who have gone above and beyond their job description. I told her I couldn't take it but she persisted and say "My husband makes more money that God. And you do so much around the office. I give a lot of money to charity, why shouldn't I give it to someone I know who needs it?"
The upshot is that between my folks, L and the found card in my wallet I have $275 to pay for the surgery. Naomi went in for her shots and blood work yesterday. That was $175. Then in a week the surgery will be $120. So I will be about even.
I am still in a bit of shock about L's generous gesture. But it sure has restored my faith in the basic goodness of people.
Honeylioness - 06/07/09 02:54 PM
I am trying really hard to not freak out.
I just spent an hour looking for my cat who slipped past me, ran the length of the deck and down the stairs. I lost her about three quarters of the way around the complex. I can't find her anywhere!!!! I meowed, tapped the food can which usually gets her running to me ... not so much worried about the kitten thing as I am about her getting hurt or hit by a car!!
I can't find her and don't know WHAT to do. Okay. I am freaking out
calsfan - 06/07/09 11:11 PM
Honeylioness---sorry to hear that your kitty is off on an adventure and forgot to tell Mom where she went. I’m sure she’ll probably be back when she gets hungry.
Honeylioness - 06/08/09 01:02 PM
Kitty Update - well, little "Miss Thing" was out and about for over 5 hours yesterday. The people moving in next door kept telling me they would see her scuttling along my side of the building - but of course I never saw her ... Finally she climbed the circular stairs up to the back decks - but misjudged and wound up on a different section than mine. A neighbor called me to say she was out on this other deck crying so off I flew to drag her furry little butt back home. About 30 minutes later her scruffy Casanova appeared looking for her. Yeah right - dream on buddy.
3catslady - 06/08/09 01:12 PM
Honey, hurray Miss Kitty is found. She knows on which side her bread is buttered. At least that's what my Mama always said. I have been thinking a lot about her lately. I really miss her. Anybody on here old enough to be my Mama second time around? I know I have a few surrogate mothers on this board and I am happy to have all of you.
AARRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I am a bad bad bad bad bad bad kitty "mom"
A little background. I currently have three cats: Tigger, Naomi & Jericho (can youg guess which one I did NOT name ), two boys and a girl. The "boys" are enuchs, the girl - not so much. They are all indoor only cats since the townhouse is on a busy intersection. Once a year when Naomi's hormones get her all riled up we go through a week of yeowling and overt behavior that would make a seasoned streetwalker blush. Tigger has taken to "mounting" her and going through the motions which just gets her more "in the mood". But as he has not had the ... emmmm.... "goods" for
many many years he soon gets bored as nothing happens. He will stop, look at me as if to say "Hmmm, I know something should happen next but I can't remember what it is", then let her go and saunter away. At which point Naomi shoots him a look that I
SWEAR could kill him where he stands. The look that says "You evil *****, just like a man to leave me hanging".
Any-whoooooooooooooo
I KNOW I need to get her spayed. But the low-cost subsidized clinics say I make too much to qualify for financial assistance, and my regular vet will run me about $350 for initial visit, shot boosters, blood work and the surgery. So I have been putting it off and putting it off.
Somehow Miss Mata-Hari got past me last night when I was checking the back deck before locking up for the night. I am usually so SO careful about making sure they don't do that. And I did not even notice she was not "at home" until this morning. I was
exiting the back door downstairs to walk out to my car when I see not only the homeless furry black cat I have been leaving food out for this winter, but another beautiful long-haired siamese looking cat. This is really unusual as I almost never see neighborhood cats during the day. When the second cat moved I saw a third face - a really familiar black face with white tuxedo bib - NAOMI!!!!
I literally dropped my bags and ran over to the small area behind a neighbor's A/C unit where she was crouched. The other two cats, whom I have surmised are both males, slunked off growling at each other as I managed to get my arm behind the machinery and lift her out of her nook. She just looked at me - almost blankly. Did not purr, did not mreowl - nothing like she usually does when I pick her up. It was almost like she was in shock. Honestly, her stare at me was .... unsettling. Was she "assaulted" by the boys? Is this just because she was out all night for the first time in her life? Did she manage to keep the boys at bay all night?
I feel awful.
How come I did not triple check before going to bed? What if she is pregnant? Should I have stayed at home with her longer this morning to be sure she was okay? Do I wait and see if she is pregnant? What then? there are already too many kittens born each year who are unable to find homes. And she is a tiny cat - could she carry them safely? I called the Vet and there is no "morning after" pill for kitties. So do I find a way to finangle the money out of either my Vegas vacation fund or my Emergency Fund and just get her fixed? I could use any advice or point of view y'all care to share.
dakota4600 - 06/02/09 10:56 AM
Honey 2.0 - No advice on the kitty, but I hope she is okay. I guess I would wait and see if she is PG if not I’d definitely get her fixed. If she is I’d do it as soon as possible after the litter is born.
reeneejune - 06/02/09 11:09 AM
Honey – If she is still small and young, I would say get her fixed and tell the vet to abort if she is pregnant. I don’t know how big she is, but generally if a cat is not at full adult size yet, a pregnancy will slow their growth and put her behind. They
also generally do not have as strong of a maternal instinct at a younger age and are more likely to abandon the kittens. It’s sad, but it’s probably the best way to go. Call around to several vets and check prices, some may do the spay without a ton of other
things for a lower cost. In my area, there are sometimes discounts if you say that the cat is a stray that you’re adopting or something like that.
SES_Books - 06/02/09 11:19 AM
Honey - Have you called all of the free kitty clinics? In this economy would your vet be willing to haggle. That price seems so high. It cost $140 for Onyx and she was almost to term before I could catch her. And it included three nights of boarding so they could monitor her. She was small too, only six months old. Could you use your surprise gift card? IMOH this would be emergency fund eligible. If you decide on the surgery don't wait too long, some vets won't do later term cats.
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 06/02/09 04:41 PM
Honey, I'm 100% on the same page as SES_, reeneejune. To me, your quoted price seems high. I would have said $166, much closer to the $140 SES_ quoted.
red_wagon - 06/02/09 10:47 PM
honey - maybe she was just scared from being outside? I hope everything turns out okay! I wish I had advice to give but I lack experience in this arena. And whatever happens, you are NOT a bad kitty mommy!
3catslady - 06/02/09 10:56 PM
Honey, I had a kitten, 6 mo old, that was preg. She couldn't have the kitties because they were too big for her. I had to take her to the vet and she did a c-section. I wouldn't put the little one through that, if it were me. Have her fixed now even if she is preg. My 3 cents, inflation.
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 06/03/09 06:09 PM
Honey, Don't feel badly about Miss Kitty. My Nugget received a swipe from a grey tabby that comes around. His eye looked not great. I cleaned around it, and let nature take its course. It has taken a good couple of weeks just to open. The area is still very pink. Worse, I believe I detect a cloudiness on the surface. I think the cornea must have been scratched. In retrospect, I would have taken him right away to the vet's. It was more serious than I assessed. I'm beating myself up.
jillbean_1978 - 06/04/09 10:34 PM
I feel like the worst person ever. While doing laundry today, the baby kitten I found a while back got into the dryer without me seeing or hearing her. Called the local in town vet, he was out on farm runs. Had to take her to a vet in another town 10 minutes away. She didn't make it. I'm just so sick over this. I am the worst pet owner there is. And only my oldest DS knows, the other kids don't know yet. And I don't know how to tell kids under 4 yrs that a pet has passed(at my hand no less) Do I just tell them they are
sleeping now? My 10 yr old is going to not like me at all. And now we'll have a bill when we really didn't need that kind of bill. But what was I suppose to do!
I just want this day to never have been.
3catslady - 06/04/09 11:16 PM
Jill; when I had 32, yes 32,one of the babies, they were all outside cats at that time, liked to sleep on the wheel of my car. I went out and started to go work and, yep, I ran over its head. I threw up at the sight and my DS was only 7 or 8 at the time started crying and so I started crying and swearing. At that time of my life I could put a sailor to shame. Any way we buried it and put a gladiolas on the grave, went to work and felt like a killer all the time. But IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, and so was yours. It happens so don't beat yourself up over it. Just tell your little one that it is in a very good home right now. And yes all animals go to Heaven.
taxgalCA - 06/05/09 01:34 AM
Jilli: I'm so sorry about your kitty. Just remember, it was an accident, and these things happen. My housemate's cat blends in with the carpet, and we've had a few near runs of almost stepping on him or some other nonsense.
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 06/05/09 08:42 AM
jilli, Dearest girl, it was her day, the little kitten. Please accept that you are 100% alright with the universe on this. You could not be in any way at fault. You're an over-worked young mom with far too many heavy responsibilities of all kinds. My heart goes out to you and then some. Let the kids see your anguish, tell it straight up, walk through this fire, but walk quickly. We are walking with you. Don't, whatever you do, sink into despair. You are too needed by all around you. It's too big, this load you are carrying.
Honeylioness - 06/05/09 12:35 PM
Jill - And I am so so sorry to hear about the dryer incident. You are not a bad person. It happens more than you would think. Cats like small warm dark places - and so to them a dryer is just about perfect. My thoughts are with you and the kids. But it was just an accident. At one time all pet owners have done something less than commendable with one of their pets. I once gave a cat second degree burns on his tail because I was ironing, he was laying at one end "supervising" and I did not see him twitch his tail atop the fabric until it was too late. I had come down hard with a very hot iron, hitting the steam button as I did to go after a tough crease ... and instead wound up with a cat who eventually had to loose the last two inches of his tail because of the burn and infection.
Honeylioness - 06/06/09 09:15 PM
It was one of those weeks at work that really make me wonder why I don't make at least twice what my pay stub says I do. Several nights I put in 2+ hours of overtime and during the day it was so chaotic that on Wednesday I came home only to realize I had not eaten all day nor even gone to the bathroom.
Okay, well I promised you an update regarding the cat. On Tuesday after finding out that unfortunately there is NO "Morning After" pill for cats who spend the night engaging in questionable moral behavior I had called around to several rescue agencies and such trying to see if there might just be a more cost friendly option to my vet's office. I like most of the people at my vet's very much - but the quoted price of almost $400 was making me panic.
By Wednesday I had pretty much resigned myself to the idea that spaying the cat was indeed the only real option. There are just too many animals in shelters already bursting at the seams. And even if she has conceived I would find it personally more immoral to add more kittens to an already overloaded animal welfare system than I do getting her fixed. I think I mentioned in my last posting that most of the clinics I contacted told me I made too much money to qualify for a reduced fee spay.
I had decided that I would just have to put the cost on my credit card and work to pay it off in two months.
Then three things happened on Wednesday. My mother called to tell me that they were sending me $100 to help pay for the surgery. Money I had not asked for but was very grateful to accept. I then got a call from the Northshore Animal League that operate a Cat Mobile that goes to various towns for a day doing only spays and neuterings. When the lady heard what had happened she rearranged the schedule to fit me in for Monday the 15th as an "emergency spay". I would still need to have pre-op vaccines and bloodwork done, but my vet could do that and fax over the results. They charge $100 plus $20 for post-surgery antibiotics.
As I was leaving the office a woman who works with us, who I really don't know all that well, came up to me. She said she had overheard me talking to a co-worker about the situation and wanted to help. Out of her pocket she took a Visa gift card she had received a few days earlier. We give these out at employee meeting for employees who have gone above and beyond their job description. I told her I couldn't take it but she persisted and say "My husband makes more money that God. And you do so much around the office. I give a lot of money to charity, why shouldn't I give it to someone I know who needs it?"
The upshot is that between my folks, L and the found card in my wallet I have $275 to pay for the surgery. Naomi went in for her shots and blood work yesterday. That was $175. Then in a week the surgery will be $120. So I will be about even.
I am still in a bit of shock about L's generous gesture. But it sure has restored my faith in the basic goodness of people.
Honeylioness - 06/07/09 02:54 PM
I am trying really hard to not freak out.
I just spent an hour looking for my cat who slipped past me, ran the length of the deck and down the stairs. I lost her about three quarters of the way around the complex. I can't find her anywhere!!!! I meowed, tapped the food can which usually gets her running to me ... not so much worried about the kitten thing as I am about her getting hurt or hit by a car!!
I can't find her and don't know WHAT to do. Okay. I am freaking out
calsfan - 06/07/09 11:11 PM
Honeylioness---sorry to hear that your kitty is off on an adventure and forgot to tell Mom where she went. I’m sure she’ll probably be back when she gets hungry.
Honeylioness - 06/08/09 01:02 PM
Kitty Update - well, little "Miss Thing" was out and about for over 5 hours yesterday. The people moving in next door kept telling me they would see her scuttling along my side of the building - but of course I never saw her ... Finally she climbed the circular stairs up to the back decks - but misjudged and wound up on a different section than mine. A neighbor called me to say she was out on this other deck crying so off I flew to drag her furry little butt back home. About 30 minutes later her scruffy Casanova appeared looking for her. Yeah right - dream on buddy.
3catslady - 06/08/09 01:12 PM
Honey, hurray Miss Kitty is found. She knows on which side her bread is buttered. At least that's what my Mama always said. I have been thinking a lot about her lately. I really miss her. Anybody on here old enough to be my Mama second time around? I know I have a few surrogate mothers on this board and I am happy to have all of you.
I trust your junk-punching skills. But you know what I mean. If you need an encore