Adopt a Kitten

A few weeks ago, we were visiting folks on the farm in Iowa and met these kittens.



Cute they may be, but the farm already had its quota of cats necessary to keep the rodent population down, so these were deemed expendable. Even if they could survive the hard winter, the farmer figured he'd have to abandon them in a field or drown them in the spring. Well, how could we look into their eyes and just leave them to that fate? We had to take them home.



Since then, they've been staying in the back bedroom. They've had their first two sets of shots, they've been tested for feline leukemia and FIV, and they're doing fine.

The two kittens above are 5 months old, a boy (left) and a girl.

The boy is quite the calm, collected type. When his sisters may be carrying on to get food or attention, he's most likely to sit by and observe quietly. He can be playful, but he also enjoys sitting still with a person and chilling. With his thick, plushy fur, I think he'll grow up to be a nice lap kitty.

The little girl is quite bright, more adventurous and eager to explore. She's likes climbing up on my shoulders, and it's easy to get her to play with something simple like a string. When she winds down, though, she also likes being with a person. As I go to sleep, she often curls up on or right up next to me.

Below, she's playing with a tassle toy hanging from the door, next to her big sister in the background.



This is the big sister, in the picture below, who is 4 months older than the other two. She's probably the most directly affectionate of the three. When I walk into the room, she clamors for attention. But then when I lay down in bed, she tends to go underneath when she's ready to sleep. So I guess she likes her space and privacy, too. She seems especially adaptable to the other cats in the house. She may walk up to one to say hello, but, if the other cat hisses, she'll back off deferentially and go about her business elsewhere.



They're all great cats. They like people and are surprisingly easy to handle, considering how they were left alone outdoors most of the time in Iowa. We didn't even have trouble getting them to use the litter box. But, truthfully, since we already have four cats in the house, it would be a hardship if we kept all three of these kittens. So I'd like to ask for your help. If you'd like to adopt a kitten, or know someone who would be interested, please drop me a line.

You may contact me at frightwig71@yahoo.com.

Thanks.

Iowa Kittens

Isabella

Abigail

Isabella's Surgery Complete

Isabella, the five month old kitten with a liver shunt, has finished her surgery to correct the shunt. Without surgery Isabella was at constant risk for death. She has been doing so well that she was able to go home a day early. This is espically good because most of the animals that get shunts are dogs and her vets where not sure how things would go for her.

In addition to the surgery helping her liver to work there were two unexpected side effects. She has a small heart murmer. When her vets looked at her heart with an ECHO they found it wa slightly enlarged. The liver shunt was taking wastes and sending them right back into her heart causing the problem. Also, Isabella always walked bowlegged with her legs twisting as she walked. Since the surgery she has been walking completely straight! No one knows quite why but what was a skeltal abnormality that would make her crippled as she got older has been fixed by the surgery on her liver.

Isabella back from the hospital

Isabella looking healthy

Donations are tax-deductible

We are in the process of getting tax exempt status from the IRS. After our application is approved, donations will be tax deductible on our donor's taxes. The application is retroactive, so all donations made prior to the application acceptance will also be deductible. We will have this process completed by the end of the year so donations filed on next year's taxes will be covered.

Gusto