April 2008 - Hope for Liver Shunt Cats

How Newt Got HIs Name

Well, the little bugger survived the night, wonder of wonders.

We had implemented supplemental bottle feeding every four hours, and he ate ferociously. His drawn little tummy was full and round, his eyes were bright, and he was teetering around on tiny little feet. We needed to name him, and add him to the log.

Being the ueber geek, I named him Newton, considering his harrowing experience with gravity.

This was promptly, and more fittingly, shortened simply to “Newt.”

Newt was quite content with his surrogate mother, and was doing well with the comfort nursing she provided, along with the bottle feedings every four hours. Being the overnight and weekend feeder, I decided it would be easier to take the pair of them home with me, instead of coming back to the shelter every four hours over the long weekend.

And so began his process of worming his way into our hearts and our home.

Newt’s First Experience with Reiki

The ACO on duty had tried to give the dirty, scrawny, hungry kitten to another cat who had recently weaned her litter.

She was not very accommodating.

He was then placed in the cage with a different cat, Belle, who had delivered one stillborn kitten a week earlier. She was VERY accommodating, fervently cleaning him, snuggling and loving him, guiding him to her nipples, all the while making little meeps of joy.

But she was not producing milk.

The ACO called me, as at that time I happened to also be working as an ACO, and asked me to come give Reiki to Belle to make her start producing milk. I explained that this was NOT how Reiki worked, but I would be very happy to try and share Reiki with the kitten and the surrogate, for the greatest good.

Upon arrival at the shelter, I saw for the first time this little scrap of cat. He was nothing fancy, a mangy little alley cat with dirty, ruffled tabby fur and pleading eyes.

Upon reaching into the cage to say hello to the little fellow, he promptly bit me, attacking my thumb with little snarls and growls, chewing and gnawing hungrily.

I was smitten.

I began performing Reiki on the pair of them, all the while explaining that Reiki was not some sort of on-demand, vending machine, but that at minimum, it would help to calm and relax the pair of them. Imagine my shock and surprise when Belle’s milk began flowing.

The kitten quickly switched his biting, chomping, snarling ,growling focus from my thumb to her nipple, and had his first meal in who knows how long.

He was still not expected to survive.

A “Fallen” (Soon-to-be) Hero?

A dirty, scrawny, hungry kitten was rescued from inside of a wall when telephone repairmen were working on an outlet.

Rescuers surmised that he had fallen down inside the wall from another section of the apartment complex. They had no idea how long he had been there, and there was no sign of a mother or any additional kittens.

Animal Control Officers took the kitten to the shelter.

He was not expected to survive.