Kitten update!

From the new parents:

The kitties are doing great!  They are so loving - they run up to us every time we walk into the room and climb over us when we are on the floor - you guys have done an awesome job as foster parents!  Our son, who loves cats, brought over a Turbo Track for them - it's a track with a pingpong ball that you can set up in all kinds of shapes - Napolean loves it!

Adopted!

Paris and Napoleon went home-- together!-- with their new family today! Best of luck to them, their new parents, and family that I'm sure will grow in the future.

Lil cuties

Our babies are adorable, snuggly, playful little fluffballs.

Napoleon

Paris

Napoleon, Paris

It's hard to tell them apart looking at just their faces. Napoleon looks a bit bigger, even though they weigh the same. They just got good at getting up on the couch.

Napoleon

Sweet dreams

 Playtime

 Paris, being trouble. She cuddled up next to me for a while this afternoon.

Paris and Napoleon!

Meet Napoleon and Paris:

They are a pair of kittens who are about 6 weeks old. We've had them since they were about 2 weeks old and still on the bottle.

They're big enough for surgery now and will be spayed and neutered on Wednesday. Then, they will be available for adoption!

 They're funny, playful, sweet and cuddly. They eat just fine but haven't started eating dry food yet.

Neither of them like to be picked up, but they will cuddle and play if you're sitting on the floor with them.

Bye, buddy

Sky has gone home to his new family in SC.

He went to live with a guy who was very supportive when we first got Sky. He and his wife have an older rabbit who had a similar accident about five years ago. They seem up for the challenge and I'm sure he'll have a very good life.

If two is too many, though, remember the sanctuary! Thanks, guys, for being willing to take him and give him a good home. And a girl friend. And a strange little piggy friend.

Sky's spa day

Thanks to two very generous donors, Lisa and Karen, Sky had a looong day at Avian & Exotic yesterday. He went in at 8 and came home around 4. He looks great, and I'll try to get photos soon. I never took photos of his state before because it was so depressing and gross. Now, it's still kind of gross, but manageable and therefore not depressing.

Things are good

How you do it.

We take on a lot of animals. Not as many as some of the fosters we know, due to time, energy, and space, but we tend to stay at (reasonable) capacity.

Most people, though, aren't shown an animal and told, "If you don't take this home, it will die." It's a hazard of the job. You always have the option to say, "No," and no one will be offended, but it is a very guilt-inducing situation. I have plenty of coworkers who simply don't foster, all for very good reasons*, but I would say 80% routinely foster and 90% have at least once.

I can't really explain our current situation on this blog, but suffice it to say that we are looking for new residence due greatly to our foster situation. If a place is so heartless that it will not allow an animal residence to save its life, at no cost to the place, then it is not where we belong.

I would encourage everyone who has space in their heart and home and a little spare time to take in an animal in need. It really does save a life. Letting go is always hard, but there are always more to help.

*One coworker, who works in Receiving, stopped fostering as often when she had to euthanize her own kittens because she was the only one on duty who could do it. I think that is enough to force anyone to take a break, if not permanently.

Sky's new digs

I think Sky has gotten an upgrade:

His new pen is more than twice the size of the dog crate he was in, about 4' x 4'. There are two panels of "wood", with a layer of absorbent pads topped by the new fleece. It is quite amazing. I was skeptical at first, but now regret not buying them sooner. The picture above is after 9 hours. He spends a lot of time outside of his cave (judging by the urine pattern on the pads), but really likes to hide in there.

I'm glad that our nightly grooming sessions actually seem to bond us more rather than make him angry. Sometimes he runs from us when he knows what's coming, but most of the time he runs up to the barrier and waits for attention. He's become so much more affectionate than when we first got him. It was like he'd never been handled. He's annoyed, of course, when grooming time goes well past his comfort point, but he doesn't stay mad for long and he's rarely too mad to eat his evening salad.

He has a vet appointment Friday morning so they can check on his legs and genitals, and he might be getting a good bath. I just bought some non-stick pads and waterproof tape to try and wrap his legs, hopefully keeping the urine off. It's a process, but I really think we're getting better at this.

Tools of the trade

Baby wipes, comb and powder for the dry bath, soothing spray for urine scald, medicated cream for sores, scissors to cut off mats, broom and dustpan for poopies, diaper with half-pad, wheelchair. We have quite an arsenal, and I think he's benefiting. Not ideal, of course, but I don't feel quite as overwhelmed as I did a week ago.

Sky's vet records

Not the most fun part of trying to rehome him, but I feel like having the vet records available adds a bit of transparency and helps interested people see how much money care for a special needs rabbit can require.

Just click on one to make it larger, then you can scroll through all six.

March 22:

April 5:
     


April 29:
 

Donations

My husband and I are not comfortable asking for donations, but when they are offered, we are more than happy and grateful to accept.

A nice lady from a Yahoo rabbit group has already made a donation, and we'd like to thank her for her help. Thank you, Dottie, for your donation toward his vet bills.

We are not a rescue, we are just normal, working people trying to help this one rabbit the best we can. Any donations given to us are not tax deductible because we are not a 501c3 or other charitable organization. We do foster other animals for Wake County, but they have nothing to do with Sky or his care. His care is entirely our responsibility.

As I've been telling inquirers, there are certain things that will go with Sky to his permanent home, whether it be a sanctuary or family. We expect no reimbursement for his vet visits, but it would be nice if the cost of these items were covered (again, not a requirement for rehoming him):

• wheelchair- $75
• diapers (2)- $20
• medicated creams (2)- $40
• fleece (2; custom for pen)- $25

The remainder of his food, hay, baby wipes, and soother spray will go home with him, too, as well as 4 panels for his pen (I really should take photos of his current set up).

We do use PayPal (diadrascritters@gmail.com), or you can send a private message to that email address. I welcome any questions or comments.

Super scooter?

We think we may have the chair figured out. We also learned why the rabbits we see in videos are usually taken outside to a parking lot. If we thought he was fast just scooting, the wheels make him pretty ridiculous. His bedroom is not nearly large enough for him to get around, and he keeps getting caught on things. I'm kind of tempted to make him something a bit more maneuverable for indoors, like a sack with a board and wheels stuck to it. Like some of the beggars we saw in China who didn't have any legs. Sorry for the image, but it might work for him.

In other news, Jeannette from Triangle Rabbits and her husband (I hate just calling him "her husband" but I'm terrible with names) came to visit him and gave us some good advice and much needed commiseration. They also showed us what we've termed "rabbit people" can do that we can't. Not only is there a deeper love of the species, but also an understanding that we just don't have. Like, they could scratch his ears way better than we can. Little things like that, I believe, would make his quality of life that much better if he were with people who understand him.

We love the little guy, but we know we aren't the right family for him. We've had a few hits, which is good, but nothing concrete has happened. We've been putting things--like his neuter, a deep cleaning at the vet--off, with the hopes that his new caretakers, who will surely materialize quickly, will take care of it. I'm starting to think we should just do what we know needs to be done for him, and if someone seriously wants to add  him to their family, they will understand his needs and current situation.

Scooter

We haven't quite got the wheelchair operational (it needs some adjustments), but he has a blast any time he's out of his cage. The diaper helps with that, though it slides right off him. Anyone want to make some rabbit suspenders?

We've been working on his care. They cut off his mats at the vet, but now the poop is sticking directly to his skin. It dries on and we have to soak it off, and even then we can't get it all off. He's still just as happy as ever, though, and I hope he stays that way.

A sanctuary may be taking him, but they're remodeling their facility and won't be able to take him for at least another couple weeks. In the meantime, we're trying to do better in caring for him and some people are coming today to see if they have any recommendations. We'll see what they say.