Sophie's been adopted!

Sophie has been adopted! All of Sohpie's kits found homes, and Sophie herself went to a the same (extended) family that adopted two of her kittens together. yeah!

Happy Birthday, Boaz!

Boaz is one year old today! Happy birthday, Boaz!

Quick Update

Keeping Up

Another month has gone by and my life is crazy-busy. I've got a Hebrew Exam on Tuesday and I've not done Hebrew in a week. Eek!

Today, I got a tetanus shot. Sophie bit me while I tried to pick her up. Let me explain...

I got up late today, having stayed up until 2AM working on the church technical budget. As usual, I checked in on Sophie. I found her lying in the middle of the room -- nothing unusual there, but then I noticed that she had made a mess, lost control of her bladder. She was not responding well to me, just barely acknowledging my presence. I saw she had diarrhea at some point, and I woke Cathy. I got the carrier, and, trying to lift Sophie gently into it, discovered that she was in a great deal of pain.

Sophie communicated her suffering by nipping at my hand near her face. When I persisted in moving her, she nipped harder, and tore some skin on my thumb. She wasn't trying to hurt me; the wounds are shallow and are scratches more than bites. The vet told Cathy later on that Sophie is hurting a great deal from a mammary infection, the poor thing.

Anyway, I got a tetanus shot today. Oh, and I got new glasses yesterday -- they have magnetic clip-ons for the sun. I like it.

Cathy's doing well, and is beginning to make jewelry again. I should take a picture or two... she's going to start selling them for some income.

Kittens

Sophie is recovering, and the kittens are growing. They've really started exploring -- Linus is a particularly brave one, and he's taken to following Cathy around. Lucy and Marcy are absolutely adorable. Lucy was the first, I think, to drink water, and Linus led the way in using the litter box. Sally and Charlie are the largest kittens, and very playful.

Random Thoughts

I had to write up a technology budget for my church. It is interesting, because I had a need to replace a laptop, so I'm spending my first bit of significant cash. But here's the interesting thing... I also got my quarterly giving report. Looking at the money we've given back to God, and looking for a replacement laptop for a pastor helped me crystallize something I already believed in: stewardship. You see, when I make a purchase or plan a budget, I'm not just spending "God's money" (which is difficult to quantify), but also "your" and "my" money -- money worshipers have given faithfully to God. As such, I must spend it carefully, judiciously, as a good steward.

I already believed in good stewardship, fiscal responsibility, and fiduciary trust. However, getting my tithing report at the same time I needed to purchase a laptop helped me truly incorporate that belief.

Sophie's kittens are starting to eat

You can see above a very cute photo of Sally (left) and Linus (right) with a dirty chin. Sophie has a potassium deficiency (vet says this is common) and has gotten an infection in one of her breasts (also common). So, this was good timing for the kittens beginning to be weaned.

They're also getting litter-trained as I type.

Video of Sophie & her kittens

Sophie is well again and the kittens are really big for just three weeks. Cathy named them after the Peanuts cast.

Charlie - solid dark kitten
Sally - dark with tabby stripes
Marcy - black & white, dark head, no white line on top
Lucy - black & white, dark head, half a white line on top
Linus - black & white, dark head, full white line on top

And, of course, Sophie is the momma.

New Cat: Sophie

I'm really sorry I haven't posted sooner. We have a new guest, and Cathy has named her Sophie.

We don't really know much about Sophie. The vet indicates that she is about seven years old. She came to the shelter as a pregnant stray. So that's how Sophie came to be with us on Saturday, March 17th -- as a shelter mommy. Cathy was told she would deliver any day now.

When we got Sophie she was almost bony, although her stomach was truly very big. She was very friendly and has no fear of humans, so it seemed unlikely that she was always a stray. The vet indicates that she is in good health, except for being really hungry.

Cathy made a next for her in the "office" of our apartment and set it up in the large cage we keep around. Sophie delivered five kittens, we think three girls and two boys, but we're not really sure. (We thought Zechariah was a boy...)

The kittens are a week old now, with the youngest being one week old at 3 A.M. Sunday. You can see the album of Sophie's Kitties here.

Boaz: Welcome Home

Sometimes, a kitten will just steal Cathy's heart. Cathy fell in love with Boaz, which means we have a new kitten around the house. He's really been purring loud for Cathy and sleeping in her lap at every opportunity; perhaps that's how he wiggled his way into our family.

So, last night we ran him through the paces. We let Boaz sleep with us, and after tunneling in and out of the blankets for about 15 minutes, he finally settled down under the sheets between Cathy & I and slept through the night. We're accustomed to having one cat sleeping on either side of the bed (Fanny sleeps next to me, Malachi sleeps next to Cathy, and Zechariah wanders around the house all night). Now we have Boaz in the middle.

The cats tend to favor one "parent" over the other. I hope Boaz sticks with Cathy; she's wanted a tom for a while, now.

So, welcome home, Boaz!

Update on Boaz the Kitten

Boaz is getting to the adoptable age. The fact that we haven't talked about him much isn't due to any deficiency on his part... I've just been too busy.

Boaz has earned a couple of nicknames around here. First, I started calling him Squishy, because he was constantly underfoot, and often in the way of a closing door. Amazingly enough, Boaz hasn't gotten himself hurt yet. Second, Cathy started calling him Gimpster. Some time last week, he hurt his right front paw and limped a little. As soon as that was well, he hurt his left from paw, too. He's back to romping full speed now, but Gimpster kinda stuck.

Oh, and I love on him by calling him Squishy, picking him up, hugging him, and lightly massaging him. He loves it!

Here's a cute photo of him. He does remain stationary for extended periods of time during the afternoon and after dinner. He is soooo cute, we're actually tempted to keep him.

We may have to keep Boaz, actually. He peed on our bed once about four weeks ago. He hasn't done it since... but still. Also, Boaz is soooo playful, and he likes to nibble pretty hard. He hasn't bitten me, but Cathy says he come close to drawing blood on her. He needs another kitten to be with, so he'd have to go to a home with another young cat, and with no kids under kindergarden. *sigh*

Anywho, enjoy the photo... I have that as my desktop background right now.

Keeping Up with Boaz

Here's a quick update on Boaz. He is now very playful and is filled with boundless energy. It wasn't easy to snap these photos! On the left, we have Boaz showing off his little claws, and on the right a very nice close-up of his adorable expression!

Here's a quick video of Boaz playing with the camera strap.

Boaz Update - Solid Food & a "Hello"

Boaz the Kitten is eating solid food now for his dinners. His first meal was on the 13th (yes, the Friday). He's coming along great; he's eating real food now, he is getting bigger, and he's starting to walk on his toes!

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Update Boaz the Kitten

A quick update on Boaz... His appetite has increased greatly and he is much more active. He must ave doubled in size since my last post! His ears get getting much larger and closer to the top of his head; so cute!

I also have a few videos to upload. Now that Google has acquired YouTube, I'm wondering if my videos will get migrated...

Boaz's Eyes Opening

Boaz the Kitten's eyes opened today. This morning it was one eye, but now it is both eyes! He is also purring audibly now and has begun to groom himself. The video below shows him licking his paws and Cathy's hand.

Just look at how big he is getting! One week now! Cathy took Boaz to the vet on Friday and got him deworming meds (all kittens need it) and the doc put him on a temporary diet that ends Sunday. Boaz now weighs 4oz. Boaz the Kitten is just beginning to be exposed to the sense of sight, and apparently he finds seeing things as being very distractive. It is actually quite interesting... Cathy tells me that Boaz would be crying, and suddenly he just looks up, looks around, and stares at things around him for 20 minutes or more.

It is very adorable, especially since he isn't sure what to do with being able to see just yet. His ears are opening, too, and he's getting around better.

Boaz Lost His Umbilical Cord

OK, Boaz was apparently born on 09/14/2006, on Thursday. His umbilical cord just fell off on its own, which takes seven days to happen naturally.

Here's some cute pictures of Boaz...




There's also a video of Boaz being fed, here.

Kitten Update: New Kittens

Yes, that's right, new kittens. Cathy brought home two kittens that look like they have some Russian Blue in them. These are less than a week old (ambilical still attached), and the teenage girls that brought them in think 4-days old.

They were quite weak and severely dehydrated, but we are hoping for the best!



UPDATE: I am sorry to say that the girl kitten died Sunday, about 3PM. The boy (we've named him Boaz) is still fussing and fighting, so that is a good sign, I think.

Kitten Update: Sam & Max

Cathy called from the pet adoption center at PetSmart; both Sam & Max found homes today. It never seems to fail... whenever we take kittens to the adoption center, they get adopted the first day!

I haven't posted too many photos recently, but to make up for it, here is a web album mostly of Sam & Max. (If you want a hi-res version of a photo, just email me.)

Max, the playful orange tabby with hazel eyes, went home to a family with a little girl that has been looking forward to having a kitty. I think they'll want to get another kitty to keep Max from going stir-crazy! I don't know Max's new name.

Sam, the lap cat, is the blue-eyed white Siamese-with-fawn-tips domestic short hair. Sam went home to a man who sadly lost his pets and was missing their companionship. Sam will be a great match! Sam's new name is Bob. :-)

Kittens 2006

Feb 3, 2006 - 25 Photos

Ellen's Video a Mover & Shaker

Remember Ellen's video of her teething posted back in May? The video made its way into the 300's yesterday on Google Video's "Movers & Shakers". So, it looks like Ellen got her 15 hours of fame!

For all the kitten videos on this blog, click here.

Sam & Max are Almost Weaned

Wow... when you get older kitties, they seem to grow faster. I wonder if that happens to foster parents?

Anyway, I was worrying about Sam because he wasn't takign his bottle. We did a little experiemnt and disovered that he is eating the dry food. And now Max is doing the same, too. They both ignored their bottle tonight, so it is on to "all dr food" with some wet food already!

They grow so fast... *sniff*

Bottle-Feeding a Kitten Video

In the morning, the kittens are pottied, then they get their bath, blowdry, and finally medications. After they are fluffed up, we feed them. Each kitten usually takes about 1.5 tablespoons to get full. After that, we burp them, massage them and play with them.

I almost didn't post this kitten video because I spend a lot of time making baby talk, but it is too cute me to withhold this from everybody!

New Kittens: Sam * Max

We got a call for another litter of bottle-fed kittens.

Apparently, the mom and one kitten were attacked by a Pit Bull. A woman found these two and called the shelter. So, there are two in this litter, and I have dubbed them "Sam & Max." Sam is the white one, Max is the orange one. They are both male, and that will break my mom's heart.

On that first day, I captured these videos of the kittens falling asleep.

Short Video...


Long Video...

A Time for Everything

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven" - Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3

Well, my summer class if finally over. Those was four grueling weeks of class, but I finished. During that time, I studied a church in Fullerton called Eastside. Nice church...

I started reading my daily devotions from the NLT. I received a copy of "The One Year Bible NLT" and decided I like it. There is a daily reading from the OT, the NT, a psalm and some proverbs. At the end of the year you have read Psalms twice and Proverbs 4 times. It is working out pretty good for my devotional reading, although I have been reading the daily allotment as well as "catching up" from January.

We also started a new diet... I've been on Atkins for over a week now. Cathy is still fat-free, so she's eating veggies and fish with the occassional bit of lean chicken. The Atkins-for-Lee & Low-fat-for Cathy thing was making it very difficult to cook (Cathy essentially prepares two separate meals), so some meeting of the minds was in order. It turns out that The South Beach Diet (article) is a refinement and, if you will, an update on the role of carbohydrates and fat in a diet. So, I can transition from Atkisn to SBD without trouble, and it really helps Cathy plan meals. So now I'm on the SBD.

Finally... another good thing kinda came to an end. Ellen the Kitten went home with her new parents a few minutes ago. We're going to miss her, but we're happy for her. She'll get spayed in approximately one month, so I'll see her again. But we are limiting contact in order to facilitate her bonding to her new mommy and daddy. *sniff*