I told you I would do “Spirit’s” story next but “Winky’s” story just came to a close. Winky was the first kitten I found. Remember the one found on the floor in the barn? Winky was gung ho on eating for about 10 days. All of a sudden he decided he wasn’t going to eat from the syringe or from Dawn.
Each time I would try to feed him he would gag and try to scratch me. I tried to put him on Dawn. I took all the kittens out of the box and left him without the competition to nurse. Nada, nothing, he could have cared less about nursing. I forced a three cc syringe down him (working hard not to cause him to aspirate the liquid).
When I returned to the house I called the vet and asked him why the kitten stopped eating. He said that kittens and cats can become anorexic. He said dogs don’t but cats do. Winky did not have a name yet. In fact I had not named any of the kittens yet. I decided I should give them identities in case someone else would need to bottle them. They were not eating the same amounts each. I had a chart on the wall with their colors on it. I marked them off after they ate with the amounts they consumed.
Three of the kittens were very close in colors, names and descriptions were necessary. There was White socks, smoky, and gray beard. Then Spirit who looked like a ghost, Squeakers, Fuzzy, and Zoomer. We also had Lady, Grayling, My friend and Amigo. My little anorexic friend I named Andy.
Andy insisted on not eating for 2 weeks. He was getting skinnier and skinnier. I was just about to give up when he started eating. He ate like he hadn’t been eating for weeks; which he hadn’t. He began playing with all the others and darting around the room, getting into everything.
His rambunctious ness was to lead him into trouble. One morning I came in and it was very evident that something had punctured the center of his eye. There was an infection in the eye. I had antibiotic from my cataract surgery and the vet said to use it. The eye seemed to do alright until the night before I left to go out of town. It seemed to me it looked swollen (the eyeball). I told hunny to watch it and be sure to give the antibiotics 3 times a day. I was only gone three days and when I came home little Andy looked like he had one of those jawbreakers for an eyeball. The next morning I rushed to the vet with Andy.
He looked at the eye and said the only fix would be (removal of the eyeball); he used the fancy word for it. I asked him how much and he said 350.00 dollars. I gasped and told him I didn’t know. The kitten was a not worth anything Barn cat. He said he could put him to sleep; which sent me into cataleptia (I know it is Not a word). I called hunny, he knew how much vested interest I had in the kittens and he said go ahead with the surgery.
We left Andy with the vet for 5 days. We visited him daily. You couldn’t see anything, the head was bandaged. The vet said he was eating like a little pig. When we brought him home I was worried momma and the siblings would have trouble accepting him. It was no problem at all. Everyone ran around smelling everyone and they all did fine. My next worry was he would do something to injure the area.
For the next two weeks we had a regimen of medicine till the stitches would come out. The stitches would be removed the week before Thanks giving. That week we were excited because the Grands were coming to visit. I was thrilled we still had 8 of the kittens. I knew the kids would enjoy them.
Enjoy the kittens wasn’t the correct word. They were thrilled and each day would beg to go to the barn several times a day. The second day they played with the kittens my granddaughter said, “Baba, His name should be “Winky”. He looks like he is winking.” That day Andy became “Winky”.
At the end of the month it came time to pay the bill. We stopped by to pay him; he has been our vet for 35 years. He called us in to the office and said, “I know in this economy you are as pressed for cash as I am so I am making you a deal. If you ever find him a home they will owe me the money. But if you keep him for yourself consider the operation a gift.”
Christmas came and went. All the kittens except for” Spirit”, the chosen one and “Winky” were gone. Sunday night “Spirit” found a home and the Free Kittens sign came down. Winky was brought up to the house to learn how to be a house cat. We put him, his litter box, feed and water dishes in the den (it is a room that is totally closed off from the rest of the house.) We wanted him to get used to us walking in and out, to get used to the dog and the other cat without running and hiding. He adjusted really well and the first night snuggled up between Hunny and I while we were watching TV.
Hunny was sniffing. I told him to start the vitamin “Cs”. He said okay. The next night he said his eye felt really dry and scratched. I said try your moisturizer, the eye doctor said that could happen (he just finished cataract surgery). Tuesday night he complained his eyes were burning and I said he better start the eye antibiotic again. Well last night we realized the sniffling and the eye burning only happened when he went into his den. Hunny was allergic to Winky.
This morning I called the vet and told him. He told me to bring him over and he would find a home for him. When I delivered him I told him what a fantastic kitten he had been. How much he liked to cuddle. He looked at him and held him and said, “You know, I might just keep him for myself.”
It was very difficult to leave my little one but I was so glad I got to know what a prize he is. (Hunny is very upset “Winky” had to leave. Several times today he called me and said he was sorry.)
It has been an amazing five months playing Mama to the kittens. I learned so much watching them. My only regret is Hunny didn’t take pictures of them.
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