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Do we have any Egyptian Mau experts out there? I want to settle a bet with Cat Daddy.

So many of the people who have seen Newt in person have commented on his exotic appearance, in particular his magnificent spots and ginormous eyes. Occicat, Bengal and Egyptian Mau have been frequently mentioned as possible breed origins. I assumed he was just a spotted tabby Domestic Shorthair, although I secretly hoped he was something extra special (his miracle kitty status notwithstanding). 

Months ago, Pookie developed a poochy. Cat Daddy said Newt was getting fat.  I, on the other hand, said “Nooooooo, it wasn’t fat, because the poochy was more of a pouchy at the back of his belly.  Two sort of empty flap, at the end of his stomach area, in front of his hind legs.  When you hold the area, it isn’t full at all, it’s sort of loose skin that you can shake, at least until he sinks his fangs and claws into you hahahaha.  (This was before he REALLY got fat, by the way.) When he sits, the area sort of pools over his hind legs.

Well, I recently looked up more information on the Egyptian Mau, and apparently they have a loose belly flap (primordial pouch) located in that same area! 

Hmmmmm, chirping, athletic spotted tabbies with pouches.  (Newt is able to leap straight up onto a 5’10’ person’s shoulder, from a standstill – that’s pretty darn athletic, if you ask me!)  Combine his spots with his velcro-like loyalty, athleticism, poochy pouchy, unusual soft, warbling, trilling meow, being blessed by Bast, and I am convinced that our humble little homeless shelter baby Schnookums is descended from Egyptian Royalty!

Cat Daddy, on the other hand, says that Newt is not Royal, he’s just a royal pain in the arse

Newt’s weigh in at his vet appointment today.

Drumroll please …

Little New New topped the scales at a whopping nine pounds, one ounce. (4.14 Kgs).  Everyone at the clinic was cheering! 

::Screaming:: 9.1 POUNDS!!! OMG! Almost a year ago, he weighed a mere one pound (.45 Kg) at diagnosis.  We continue to be humbled and amazed by how far he’s come, and how much he’s grown.

Cat Daddy, of course, is convinced it is because *he* has been the primary Newtritionist over the last three months while I’m on assignment working seven days a week. I concur.  Cat Daddy is a much better fixer of feline food, obviously.

Yay, Newt! You’re officially a little big cat now!

Quick hello to all of the new shunt cat owners who have emailed Newt.  I promise that we will get your information uploaded to his site ASAP.

We are in the process of purchasing additional server space, so hopefully we will be able to begin migrating the site over soon.

In the meantime, please keep your email updates coming – it lifts our spirits and gives us hope to see so many responses.

Hugs to you and yours, from us and ours. 

Little New New has been thriving under the care of Cat Daddy.  We’re pretty sure he’s gained a bit more weight!

Cat Daddy has gotten really good at juggling meal planning and preparation for Newt, and taking excellent care while I’ve been stuck on assignment with a grueling work schedule.

But now, Cat Daddy has an important job coming up – he’s been invited to perform at the Kennedy Center!

As you can imagine, *I* am as proud as I can be.  Newt, however, prefers to have Cat Daddy performing at home – in particular, singing silly songs about big ears, rat tails, and little pink footie paws …

In honor of fellow shunt cat Claudia in the UK’s third birthday, Newt has composed a special song for her.  Yes, he has shamelessly ripped off the Americanized version of the birthday song, but he did add his own special little kitty touch at the end …

Happy Birthday to You,

Happy Birthday to You,

Happy Birthday Dear Claudia,

Happy Birthday to You …

and many Meeeeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooooow!

Look deeply into my amazing copper-colored eyes

and tell me I’m beautiful. Or at least, feed me! Pretty please? I’m staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarving! Copper colored eyes can be indicative of a feline PSS. Although some breeds can, and do, have eyes like Newt’s, it is a breed characteristic, and not indicative of an underlying condition. However, one of the hallmarks in shunt kitties is that unusual eye color. We are aware of one cat who had a successful liver shunt surgery, and their eyes changed colour, from copper to a rich gold.  Another cat’s eyes began to change with their diet’s change, and eventually changed further after their shunt surgery.

Welcome to Newt’s blog. Subscribe and keep up to date on Newt’s journey toward health while living with a cat liver shunt.

Check back often, as we will attempt to re-create Newt’s previous timeline, and continue adding new updates on his condition. Please share Newt’s blog and website with other shunt kitty parents, who may be in need of additional information resources, and hope for their liver-impaired feline family members.

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.

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.