Scrapbook: The Squirrelly
26 Apr
(HEY! Have you entered the giveaway for my awesome mix CD yet? Your chances of winning are excellent, and besides, I’m very proud of it.)
Here are some updates on the minutes-old abandoned kitten Anthony found in the middle of a tow yard. Exposed to the elements, covered in ants and still attached to his placenta, Anthony found him and brought him home. I am bottle feeding him and hoping he will survive to become an addition to our household. Isobel has named him “Squirrel.”
- Caring for a newborn kitten is really demanding. He needs to be fed every 2-4 hours and can’t even urinate on his own. I have to wipe his butt with a wet wash cloth to get things going. I’m almost certain he’s a boy, but if you’re interested, I do have a very funny story about the weirdest cat vagina I’ve ever seen.
-I’ve made a little nest for him out of my laundry basket, some blankets, a heating pad, and my shirt like so:
- But I think tonight I’ll have to upgrade him to the cat carrier while we sleep. He’s already climbing the basket and attempting to escape. Might I remind you, Squirrelly, you are barely 24 hours old. Let’s not go all crazy and pull a Kingston here.
- Isobel loves this little Squirrelly. To see how small Squirrel really is, see the first photo, wherein a toddler looks like a giant in comparison to the tiny, furry lump that is the kitten. I have to watch Isobel like a hawk while she holds him because she loves him so much. She just wants to hug him and hold him and name him George.
- Or, to see how small he his, see this photo of Squirrelly next to a grown-ass man:
- How are the other cats handling him? Well, despite everyone telling me to watch out for Zorro, it’s really Murders McMurderpants I’m concerned about. Jupey regularly takes down animals much larger than Squirrelly for breakfast. (Literally. He eats them on the back porch and then I find myself tripping on gopher parts and random skulls. It’s gross.) I’m vigilant with any of the cats near him, of course, but Zorro and Poppy just keep looking at me as if to say WTF HUMAN YOU HAD ANOTHER BABY AND THIS ONE’S A CAT?
- He is so small that I usually take off my glasses while feeding to get a better look.
- His whiskers, his claws, the little markings on his forehead–they are all perfect replicas of a grown cat’s, but in miniature.
- This cat has not been easy to bottle feed. He wants to nurse like a regular kitten, but since I don’t happen to have any cat’s teats lying around a bottle will have to do. I was going mad with frustration at trying to make him drink the first day, but he’s getting used to it and today he’s already a lot better and fights the process less. Yesterday he wanted to be fed constantly with very few breaks in between, and it struck me as to how much we mammals are alike. This was cluster feeding. I’d know it anywhere and experienced it with Isobel. He wants to held constantly, just like Isobel. Thank goodness we share enough of our DNA for me to be able to care for this little creature.
- He makes the most adorably disgruntled noises when he falls asleep after nursing.
This is, like, my most favoritest story ever.
Nadja (Athenabee) recently posted..Tattletale
I completely agree with you! Very heartwarming and sweet. Nice to turn off the bad news of the world and view these photos & read the story! Kudos to you and your husband and daughter for saving the teeny tiny kitty.
I really love you guys for taking care of him! You have a whole internets rooting for him, too!
I want to hear the cat vagina story.
Camilla recently posted..Edible Books Festival 2012: The Velveeteen Rabbit
Thanks for the update!
Helga recently posted..Clutching the Obsolete: A Meditation On The Stick Shift
go squirrel! you are so awesome taking care of this little guy. xoxo
Oh (s)he is just too cute! Very much hoping they hang on in there and become your newest family member.
Accidental Londoner recently posted..Addison Lee: mini-cab heroes or bike-hating villains?
ZOMG baby Squirrelly. I love him. You officially win best cat lady ever for nursing a baby kitteh back to health.
Sarah recently posted..More Pictures, From my Phone
Wow, I just discovered your blog while googling how to make fascinators. You blog is beautiful and very entertaining, and your daughter is ridiculously cute. And baby kittens and giant cats! It’s all too much, I really need to get back to work now…
Amanda recently posted..New Band
I love when wee bottle-fed kitties fill up like water balloons when they eat. Good luck and congratulations to you on your li’l bundle of fur!
Melissa D recently posted..So Excited
I love this story so much! I’ve been following your twitter updates religiously and an rooting so hard for you and Squirrel. Good luck !!
Gotta put a man’s perspective in too. I’ve been caught up since you first tweeted about Squirrel. Keep looking for updates & pix. Love that you’re sharing this with all of us. @7shores
GO SQUIRRELLY! And go you guys! Oh, good luck! How’s he doing at this point? I think generally if they don’t “fail to thrive” in the first few days, you’ll most likely be okay. They are a shocking combination of insanely hardy and insanely fragile. I never had to bottle-feed any, but I did have a number of litters on the back porch during my years as the neighborhood feral-cat-rehabbing lady. Well, not me personally, but I OVERSAW a number of litters of kittens. They are bizarre and beautiful little critters. THOSE PAWS!
Bless you and your family for taking on this task. And when I think I couldn’t love the story anymore, you throw in a Looney Tunes reference. I hope Squirrel grows up, strong, healthy and rascally.
Squirelly’s got some sweet hook-ups!
I love your story and the beautiful photographs…..
so very touching!