Cat’s Story / Haori-chan
When the time to give a birth came, the pregnant Mother-cat come and rub her head and body
against my leg. That is their expression of “I beg you” —– I spread a bath towel on the sofa
and lightly give a massage to her tummy. Then she start to push out the kitten next by next.
So, I take each kitten to her face for her to lick the new-born.
But some time (1 in 5~6), a still-born kitten came out. Once, there was a very hard deliver of
over-grown kitten. Only the head came out, I knew the trouble, and I pulled it hard.
When the whole body came out, the Mother-cat screamed.
That kitten was pretty big —- may be over 400g but I couldn’t save him.
Among the 3rd litter, Haori (of cause, named later) was the most miserable kitten.
In fact, she was yet another (almost) still born. I just took minuscule odds and revived her.
= As in the most of the case, kitten seemed to have drowned by the amniotic fluid, I shook
the body, head down to drain the water, and insert a small paper stick made out of toilet
tissue to the nose of kitten, for sucking out the water further. And massage the body in
a warm water while blowing the air into the nose several times. —– in minute or two, three,
the kitten started to move. = Voila’ one life was saved.
(— Sound, and looks may awful treatment though, I’m not intended to play “Tender Buddhist
posture”, —– if the matter was to drain the water, I needed to use centrifugal force, hence
shake the kitten’s body in Karate speed —– To drain the water from a drowned human by
putting the hand into the throat, it neither be a nice picture, nor revive a person in hypothermia
in the mountain, it is more of the battle field operation than a “hart warming tender story” =
What-so-ever, my practice was very effective and altogether 4 out of 6 kittens has been saved =
this is the fact.
Life is not for talking an imaginary sweet story, but just go through hard act. Just Do.
Revived though, Haori was still the smallest and weakest, hence couldn’t compete with other
5 kittens on the milk-sucking battle. I’ve tried as many times as possible, by taking other
stronger kittens off from tits and gave it to Haori, still, it was not enough, and needed to give
her supplement but, ordinary cow’s milk caused her diarrhoea and needed to buy special
“Kitten formulated Milk”.
On top of those trouble her eyes had infection and having eye-glue stacked on her eye lids.
When Mother-cat try to clean her eyes, she chew-off the dried eye-glue, but in the same time
her whiskers had been chewed-off as well.
(Poor Haori-chan, photo left ! / Photo right, Haori and Pino)
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A month past, when all the kittens started to change to the solid food, I trained Haori to eat
Kitten-milk-powder mixed with cream-cheese. Then cheese mixed with cat’s food but Haori
refused to eat cat’s food. —– (One theory said, that the baby (kitten) acquired the taste
(= what to eat) through the minute chemical in the Mother’s milk —– like Haori, who couldn’t
have enough milk from the Mother, hadn’t developed the taste for cat’s food.) Therefore, I
had to feed her frozen Coley Fish (lightly boiled) mixed with cheese. —– sound very special
treatment though, nothing special to Haori herself. It was her norm and she just grown-up
to an ordinary cat. (She didn’t grow Golden Fleece. 🙂 )
She behaved more or less the same to other cat but not so interactive, just sitting and
watching out of window or me. = only not ordinary was what she was eating.
And because of her expensive diet, she couldn’t be adapted by others.
In addition, another cat, once adapted by other family had came back, because she, Pino was
a too clever trouble-maker. Such as to jump to a door handle and open it etc. she was the
expert to open and sneak into anywhere, hence made a lots of mischievous. (= get inside but
couldn’t open it from the inside then shit there, kind of trouble. 🙂 )
(— Though, I could anticipate what she is going to do, hence such as to make the things on the
shelf to fall easily, she instantly learn and never attempt it again.
So, those two, Haori and Pino were the cats lived with me longest, and left many wired stories.
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What a sweet and interesting little crew. Sounds like a rough start for some, especially little Haori-chan, but your efforts helped her through. Nice post!
Thank you Lemony.
You make a great mid-wife and feline parent Yoshi:)
Thank you Elena.
Strangely, I did know what to do in the first moment.
I think it was a common sense response.
They are were sweet cats, Yoshizen, and clever.
Yes, they are very good observer !
And reading our mind from the minute sign.
Such sweet looking creatures. I love the kitten in the scale photographs!
What a good friend you are to these characters.
Ya~~~h, in fact, they were not expected or invited at all, though,
once they are there, what can I do ?
I had to take care of them in the best way I could.