Today I am finding it difficult to move, let alone do anything. I started the day right. It's a rainy day, can't do anything on the ranch, so the first thing I did was take the five week old kittens out of the pen and play with them on the bed. In just a few minutes, I am going to repeat that process. When I told Mom that I was playing with kittens in bed, she said, "Why don't you do something profitable?"
I snorted and replied, "Mom, this is as profitable as it gets right now."
"Oh, right. Okay something more like work."
Does this count? I set up this blog, then felt too much like a blob to blog so decided to start by posting the Penny stories. So I started reading them. I am NOT crying. That would take too much effort. These are from July 2005.
The Beginning (Excerpts from Bengals-L)
Jim wrote: "Also, I would keep mom away from the other kitties...way away,and keep the> baby with her. She may start feeding it. The other cats are messing with> her instincts."
Well, Flo is a bit squirrelly to begin with. She has done this since her second litter of kittens; she never wants the little squeakers at first. She wants the big furry kittens of the mom next door. She settles down after a day or two when there are two or three kittens. This is the second time she has had only one, and that first kitten died while I was at work. This time I was watching very closely, and I would sit with her so she would nurse. She kept trying to get rid of the little squeaker (just like last time), and I kept finding it abandoned in various places in the bedroom. Spencer named the baby Penny (as in "Find a penny, pick it up"). By the time Flo snuck out to find better kittens, the baby was weakening. She had only gained 1/4 of an ounce in 3 days. It was time for me to at least supplement her feeding anyway. At this moment, Penny is flourishing. She's gaining weight (1/2 ounce per day--normal so far), pees and poops for me when I rub her bottom with a warm washcloth, snuggles with her warm leopard friend (a stuffed toy--the warmth comes from the reptile heater under her towel), and gets lots of love and snuggling from me.
Another Penny Question
What do I do about a chapped, sore butt?
Re: [Bengals-L] Another Penny Question
Let me rephrase that to include a KITTEN'S chapped, sore butt.
Subject: Re: [Bengals-L] Another Penny Question (from Brian)
( please hear uproarious laughter ) Bobbi Jean, ya had me there girl....... I was thinkin " Now I have met this Gal and she is quite a lady.... so whassup wit dis" ( I had to use ebonics on this one ). No clue about the kitten......I am still ROFLMBAO! Bobbie Jean you are priceless!Later, Brian P.S. Deb, where are you girl.... I just KNEW you'd be all over this one:~)
Re: [Bengals-L] Another Penny Question (From Deb)
HAHAHA Well honey...I knew you would give Bobbi Jean a run for her money...so I let you have at it, LOLOh...and Bobbi Jean? That was priceless
Re: [Bengals-L] Another Penny Question (My reply)
Thank you, Brian. *hugs And thanks to all the jokesters out there. Guess it was just darn time for a giggle on Bengals-L. All it took was one private e-mail for me to realize my point of reference was too obscure. Penny is my baby...notice she's now MY baby...a week old Bengal kitten for whom I am the only mom.
Penny’s Big Weekend
You know, no matter how chaotic or crowded or hot or cold things get, I always have fun at cat shows. There are always situations. We always live through them. This weekend's South Central Regional was no exception. A huge Thank You from Spencer and me to the Maine Coon Connection for the show, and for providing a place for little Penny to "be there" without being there in the showhall.
It was pointed out to me that folks were beginning to wonder why I was leading so many people out that back door by ring one. Hmmm...illicit substances? Nope, just my little two week old baby, Penny. Everyone wanted to see her. Okay, okay, I'm a mom like some people are grandmas. I wanted everyone to see her!
She sure did enjoy meeting everyone. Really. Because I picked her up and loved on her every time I brought someone else to the back hall, and she loves that! Thanks to y'all for refraining from touching her (I know it was hard). I apologize to those I'd promised a tube feeding lesson. She went on the bottle when her eyes opened on Friday.
You know, I didn't have to ask or anything. Everyone just refrained from touching her. They had all been handling other cats. My own hands are chapped and raw from the cleansing I do before I handle Penny. I've had to remove a ring from my right hand (and still sport the scar) because of it. It's just common sense. This is a baby without shots. We protect her as well as we can, and I really do sincerely appreciate the intentions of my fellow South Central Bengal (and other breed) folks for knowing that this baby needed protection. I also appreciate Christie Montgomery and the MCC for allowing us the space to protect our darling Penny so that we could attend our Regional show and banquet.
The staff at the La Quinta enjoyed her, too. They oohed and ahed everytime I went back to see her. Penny has an interesting method of approaching the bottle. Picture a cat sneezing and wiping at its nose simultaneously. She bats at the bottle frantically, swiping it right out of her mouth. One young man watched me feed her. He commented, "Oh, she's feisty! She is so feisty. That's one feisty kitten." Yep, she is. Feisty, strong, and uppity. Just like every woman should be.We do a lot of cleaning when she's done feeding. Eventually, she settles down and holds it with both paws as she suckles. I just love watching her little ears wiggle.
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