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Not sure Zazie, her age is a mystery. The spay/neuter clinic put her age at 12 weeks.
The vet tech at the rescue says that the people at the spay clinic are incorrect and she is more likely 8 weeks.
The vet at my local vet's office is not sure but feels she is a very underdeveloped 10-12 weeks.
She was born in the wild to a feral mom. I have set traps a few more times where I found her because I am haunted that there might be more. Sometimes feral moms have several in the litter that die due to ill health but I felt like there would be more than just one (her) It remains to be seen if her malnourished state was due to lack of food and nutrition or is due to something wrong. I am anxious to get her the FELV test and already paid for it, but because she is so anemic they cannot get any blood from her. She is up on her feet now and walks a little but very slow and unsteady. For a week or so, she seemed to have trouble standing
She now has a window seat and looks out it quite a bit
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Darla ventures up and about you can see Cheddar get nervous when Darla seems to enter Cheddars room!
Darla gets tired and decides to take a break in Cheddars bed with Cheddar (who lets her)
Darla gets tired and decides to take a break in Cheddars bed with Cheddar (who lets her)
Sadly, the traps I am setting might not be catching the kittens if there are more as their weight might not be enough to spring the trap. Darla got loose in my garage when I first brought her home and was transferring her from the trap. Before she knew she could trust me, she bolted and ran. I could not open my big garage door for almost a week because I was trying to retrap her in the garage. I was using a squirrel trap and she would go in it and eat but it would not spring. After a few good healthy meals, either she weighed enough to spring it or she stepped on it just right because it caught her. I am using the squirrel trap at the place I found her but no luck so far. The only reason I caught Darla is because she was in the trap with another big orange male. I think she went in to eat and he came along and went in and sprung the trap. First time ever catching two in one trap. The clinic sedated them and then separated them.
Cheddar is being so good! She went on high alert when Darla was venturing into her territory (I didn't know Cheddar has her own room--pretty fancy) but didn't go after her and even allows her to sleep with her. I'm impressed, since she can be such a devil. I guess she knows poor Joe and poor Julie can take it, while Darla is frail.
I wonder who arranged for Darla to be spayed--and at no more than twelve and possibly eight weeks, to boot. Very strange.
I wonder who arranged for Darla to be spayed--and at no more than twelve and possibly eight weeks, to boot. Very strange.
Zazie, I dropped Darla at the spay and neuter clinic in a trap with a big orange male. I did not specify for them not to spay her and since this is why I drop cats there, I am sure they felt like I wanted them too. I did not know the age and really was not even aware how tiny she was. I always cover the traps to help calm the cat down and never really took a good look.
So Darla was dropped as two, as she was in the trap with another. I brought a spare trap for them to use for her once they were both sedated. They always call me for payment and questions or to give info and they did call for paymt and spoke about her, but never said anything about her being too young. They also gave her a rabies shot, forbidden unless 12 weeks old.
Once I picked her up I was shocked at how tiny and just knew I could not release her back to the wild.
I might have complained that they did not let me know how little she was before they spayed and gave rabies but this place is a godsend to me. I only pay $20 a cat for spay/neuter with rabies shot included.
In fact they gave me my own day and time slot, so I do not have to wait in line. Due to the massive amount of spay-neuter I do for ferals. It is quite a privilege because I used to have be there at 6;45am and hope I was one of the first five in line. Meaning I usually arrived at 6:00. They only take 5 ferals a day at this place and it is usually hit or miss if you get in. They also only take them M-W. It is quite the scene to take one back home that did not get in and then decide to 1) release and hope you can drap again (not likely) or 2) transfer to a cage in your garage and then re-transfer back to trap the next morning. transferring ferals is a strictly no touch thing as they will shred your hand and then hoping you get in the next day 3) leave the poor soul in the trap and slide some food in, letting it pee and poop in a trap (hardly ever an option for me)
Anyway they gave me Friday all to myself and I can bring 5 each Friday.
That is one boat I will never rock and am just grateful.
So Darla was dropped as two, as she was in the trap with another. I brought a spare trap for them to use for her once they were both sedated. They always call me for payment and questions or to give info and they did call for paymt and spoke about her, but never said anything about her being too young. They also gave her a rabies shot, forbidden unless 12 weeks old.
Once I picked her up I was shocked at how tiny and just knew I could not release her back to the wild.
I might have complained that they did not let me know how little she was before they spayed and gave rabies but this place is a godsend to me. I only pay $20 a cat for spay/neuter with rabies shot included.
In fact they gave me my own day and time slot, so I do not have to wait in line. Due to the massive amount of spay-neuter I do for ferals. It is quite a privilege because I used to have be there at 6;45am and hope I was one of the first five in line. Meaning I usually arrived at 6:00. They only take 5 ferals a day at this place and it is usually hit or miss if you get in. They also only take them M-W. It is quite the scene to take one back home that did not get in and then decide to 1) release and hope you can drap again (not likely) or 2) transfer to a cage in your garage and then re-transfer back to trap the next morning. transferring ferals is a strictly no touch thing as they will shred your hand and then hoping you get in the next day 3) leave the poor soul in the trap and slide some food in, letting it pee and poop in a trap (hardly ever an option for me)
Anyway they gave me Friday all to myself and I can bring 5 each Friday.
That is one boat I will never rock and am just grateful.
And yes, Cheddar has her own room but allows Daphne to sleep on her futon, next to Cheddars cage that she still sleeps in at night. She will run to her cage and jump in when I say "ready to go night-night but only if she see's me making her bedtime meal beforehand. And it is in a metal dish so she always hears it clanking around.
Oh! I thought she was already spayed when you caught her. Now I understand. I sure wouldn't want to do anything to upset your arrangement with that clinic, either.
No wonder the poor girl is feeling a bit wobbly. Major surgery while malnourished and stressed would take a toll. But she seems pretty spunky, judging from all the enthusiastic claw sharpening. And with Daphne and Cheddar as her nursemaids--not to mention you--she's bound to thrive.
No wonder the poor girl is feeling a bit wobbly. Major surgery while malnourished and stressed would take a toll. But she seems pretty spunky, judging from all the enthusiastic claw sharpening. And with Daphne and Cheddar as her nursemaids--not to mention you--she's bound to thrive.
Yes, exactly. She was probably too young, but to ask or accuse is not something I can do. I probably own some of it for dropping her off there without knowing more of what I had. Nonetheless she is better today than she has been for a few days and I will be taking her for weight check-in sometime this week.
I bet she's going to be fine. A safe environment and plenty of wholesome food can work miracles.
I wonder if she'll end up like another cat I knew--a male--who was neutered at a very young age and seemed to remain a perpetual child throughout his life. He was an absolute sweetie pie but definitely suffered from a case of arrested mental/emotional development.
I wonder if she'll end up like another cat I knew--a male--who was neutered at a very young age and seemed to remain a perpetual child throughout his life. He was an absolute sweetie pie but definitely suffered from a case of arrested mental/emotional development.
I absolutely love how Cheddar is acting with Darla. Has Cheddar had other kittens to play with since she's been with you? I always thought cats were territorial and only really bonded with their litter mates.
As for Daphne
Just look at grumpy he’s lively as ever and a good pet bunny now just with swollen cheeks. He let me and my mom clip off more clumps of fur from him on Saturday. He just hides his face in my armpit while she clipped
Torties are great, I wish we could have another but the wife has a hard time with her walker and is afraid of getting tripped up.
Grumpy is so lucky to have run into you, @Ricky Vapes. I think there's little doubt he would have died prematurely and unpleasantly if you hadn't taken him in.
Cheddar came to me with a brother so she had him for about 5-6 weeks when she was little. Then at about 14 weeks, I had two other baby kittens that she played (terrorized) aside from that now just Julie and Joe who are well past the kitten/playing stage. She tries to play with them but she gets on their nerves and they hit her and growl at her.
Sounds like she will be the feline version of Daphne with your fosters then
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