Dinah's Six Pack

KITTENS!!!!

UPDATE: There are a total of SIX kittens. Found another tuxie when changing the bedding this morning!
We changed the appointment at the Houston Cat Hospital until tomorrow at 1:30 pm. We lost too much sleep last night to even function. This first photo is blurry, but you can get an idea of how the kittens look. This is one of the "noir" cats (thanks, Rose):
Here's three of the six, just hours old. There are two Charcoals, two Noirs, and two Tuxie Juniors. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIX PACK!
Also, Margaret comes home from the hospital in a few hours. Just too much going on here!

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Well, Dinah wouldn't wait!!! The doctor's appointment was for 2 pm today and the C-section was scheduled for tomorrow moring! I went in as she was delivering the fifth tiny kitten. All the kittens are very healthy -- and loud -- and the little mommie is doing great. There may be more....???!!!
This is #4, perched on Mommy Dinah's shoulder (you can see her white whiskers to the upper right). #4 was still in its little bag making gasping noises, so I cleaned it up. #5, the latest kitten, is nursing. And #1-#2-#3 are beside her, wrapped in a clean sheet for warmth. Dinah is dozing off and on.

Dinah

This is Dinah (named by Bari of Cat Happy). We brought her indoors because she is very, very small and very pregnant. We are keeping her quarantined in the bathroom until she goes to the vet and is checked for diseases.
Her appointment is Tuesday at 2:00 pm central time. Dr. Smith is worried that she is too young and too small to deliver kittens, so they may have to be aborted.
If you remember, this is the same cat I photographed in early December, so we know she is at least 7 months old.
Update on Margaret: She will possibly have emergency surgery this morning (7/30). There is some underlying liver damage from the removal of the tumors a few weeks ago. Please keep her in your prayers.

Former Ferals on Friday

Tuesday

Skeezix has proclaimed today GRR, MIDNIGHT & COCOA DAY. Read about it on the Cat Blogosphere, on Skeezix's bloggie, and then stop by and congratulate the Triple Threat on another job well done!Here's KC relaxing in the lower level of her new house.

Look at her laser eyes!
You can see remnants of the last whirlybird by the door.
The mid-level is at the top of the picture, and from there it goes up to the skybox.

KC's 1st Gotcha Day!

A year ago today, 7/22, little KC boarded a Continental jet and made the long flight from LA to Houston.
It doesn't seem like a year, it seems like KC has been here forever.
Special thanks to Karen C & Deb for all their hard work getting KC cleared to travel.
And another thank you to QM Rose, who served as air traffic controller for KC's flight.
If you go to the archives for July 2006, you can scroll down for posts of the first seven days of KC's life here.

7/22/06 - KC snuggling with her Daddy Charley exactly one year ago.

[as soon as I can get Charley & KC to cooperate, will add a current picture of the "huge" KC today, snuggling on Charley]

End of the Week

This is one of the things received during the hectic day Wednesday (although I kept insisting it was Tuesday). Mom Robyn made the beads from rose-petals and then created the rosary. It is a handmade real rose-petal bead rosary. Click to biggify and see the detail. It is just beautiful. And it features St. Francis, Patron Saint of Animals. And guess what else? KC got another camera strap!

Margaret was moved from ICU into a room late Wednesday night. She is sitting up 4 hours at a time. Talking, eating and doing very well. She could be released within the next week... but she will probably have to go to rehab.

Wednesday

We had a real scare with Charley yesterday, his blood pressure went out of control. It had been steadily getting worse, probably all the stress of the past week. He went to the doctor and will be spending a couple of days resting.

Margaret is recovering so fast. She was allowed up today to take a few steps. She should be moved into a room later today or tomorrow and they are talking about her being released possibly in a week. Her doctor said she came within minutes of dying prior to surgery. Again, thanks to everyone, every cat and every critter who prayed for Margaret.

Monday

Here's a photo of Tazz waiting for us to turn out the lights and get to sleep. She likes to go to bed at 8 pm sharp and gets up around 10 am.

Margaret is making incredible progress. She is off the ventilator completely, her vitals are perfect, she is talking (!), and her memory/mental state is back to normal. She had a really close call. Thanks to the Cat Blogosphere for all the prayers and good thoughts! I'm going to print out everyone's comments and take them to her tomorrow.

Saturday

We visited Margaret at 1 a.m. this morning. Just had to go see her. She is on a breathing machine, but her color looks better than in months. They removed a lot of infection from her lungs and around her heart, scraped the lining and put in drainage for the gallbladder and lungs. The surgical team ended up running full speed to get her into the operating room. The doctor said had they waited another hour she wouldn't have made it. All her vital signs are now stable.

Thank you for all your prayers and good thoughts, I know that made a difference.

Friday

UPDATE - 9 PM: Margaret is out of surgery!!!! She came through very well, that's all we'll know until talking to the doctor. Again, thank you for all your prayers and support.

Margaret will have surgery beginning between noon and one pm central time was finally taken to surgery at 4 pm central time. It is scheduled for a minimum of eight to twelve hours. If she doesn't have this surgery, she will die. Please keep Margaret, her sister Kaye, and her daughter Lisa (recovering from major surgery in another hospital) in your prayers today. Thank you.

Update 7/11

Thursday PM: Just got back from visiting with Margaret. She looks much better than she did when they released her from the hospital last Saturday. She has been in tests today in prep for surgery tomorrow. She has a bad heart, so they will place her on a support machine that takes the place of her heart and lungs during (and maybe after) surgery. We had a good talk, lots of laughing and plans for her homecoming. I took photos of Tazz, her poodle, for her to look at. Incidentally, her oncologist is out, as she is 100% cancer free as of tests yesterday.

Thursday AM: Today we know what Margaret is dealing with. She has a severe blood infection and inflammation and collapse of the lungs. Surgery is scheduled ASAP and includes scraping the lining of the lungs (volumizing). Today she got a slim chance for survival, providing her heart can withstand this surgery. Her daughter, Lisa, is in another hospital after undergoing major surgery last week. Needless to say, she is frantic to see her mother. Please continue to pray for Margaret and her family.

Wednesday PM: It was touch and go for Margaret this morning. They drained her lungs a second time. The doctors say her condition is fatal, but there is a slim chance she will survive. Her sister Kaye arrived from PA to care for her. We are praying around the clock for her to fight and not lose the will to live.

Prayers for Margaret...

Margaret is back in ICU. The liver failure she was initially battling over the weekend has been resolved, but her blood pressure is at stroke level and her heartbeat extremely erratic. They have been working for the past 24 hours to get it stabilized. There is a chaplin with her, it is very serious. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, the next few hours are very important for her. Thank you, ML (Mary Lynn)

UPDATE 7/11: Margaret made it through the night and has a slight improvement in some areas. The pneumonia is back, she will have scans today to determine the extent. Also, she may have gall bladder problems. She is on a breathing machine and very frightened. Her heart beat is still very erractic, but improved from yesterday. Also, while hospitalized (until Saturday afternoon), she was receiving tylenol; she had an adverse reaction to the tylenol (jaundice and liver failure) which required her to be re-hospitalized in ICU on Monday.

Rockin' Girl Blogger, Tortie-Style

I'm a Rockin' Girl Blogger! Little CatZee says so 'n she's a rockin' torti, jus like me! i's get to pick 5 more Rockin' Girl Bloggers. An' they get a pinky ribbon an' they pick 5 more. an so on an so on...!

hmmmm, who ta pick? it's actually purrty easy:

1. Persephone, Jack's beautiful lil sisfur
2. Darlin Millie, who be so much fun
3. Ana, my fellow gatorrista
4. Momma Grace, mommie to Audace, Ruse, Brutus & Marigold
5. Emma, Kat's Cat

fanks fur nomy-nating me, CatZee.... now effurryone on mine list, u's gets to display tha pinky ribbon 'n picks 5 more Rockin' Girl Bloggers!

KC's Summer Secret Paw

Here's a package just furr me! It's from Cocoa Puff!!!
Can i's open it now, pleeze? PLEEZE!

Ohhh, looky what's right on top... mine favorite... fev-vers on a string....

Did u's ever see so much stuff? Wowie......!
There be specshul flavors of stinky goodness, lots of bags of Temptations, Greenies, Catnip Bubbles, fev-ver butt mousies, a big turtle that crackles when i's chomp on hims, a wooly-bully mousie, tha fev-vers on a string, an this....

what is this...
looks kinda familiar....

mine noo little furriend is watchin me sample tha Stinky Goodness... it's yummy!
hey noo little furr-iend, i'll share wif u's!

O, Cocoa Puff, fanks so much furr all tha goodies. Wow, u's made mine furrst Secret Paw reely reely specshul! Purrs, KC

pee ess: Mommie ML went crazie when she saw tha card
(Plantable Stationery with Wildflower Seeds).
tha card is bee-you-tee-full, an u's kin plant it an it grows flowers!

(click here for info about Summer Secret Paws)