Cute Picture of Kitten Cat: Kirby's Continuing Story. . .
by Maria Kryszak
(Oak Lawn, IL)
Feeding time!
Cute picture of kitten cat, Kirby. Maria shows us how to kitten feeding with a syringe. Kirby is our June 2010 Cutest Kitten! Read the first part of Kirbys story.
Me feeding Kirby his liquid supplement by syringe. He's pretty good about taking it, but his solid food--not so much.
We try coaxing him to eat on his own by rubbing bits of his food on his tiny lips. Sometimes he licks it off, but won't eat on his own. Then we have to load the other syringe and "down the hatch" it goes. He's up to 1 pound, 10 ounces, up from 1 pound 3 ounces on Tuesday of this week. YAY!
Thanks for letting us know how Kirby is getting on Maria. Read more about Kirbys story.
Do you have a cute kitten at home? Share your cute kitten cat picture and story.
Update of Kirby--Cutest Grey Kitten for the Month of June
by Maria Kryszak
(Oak Lawn, IL)
What paper towels? I don't see a problem here!
Cute picture of little grey kitten, Kirby. Maria gives us an update on how Kirby is fitting in to his new home. Although still tiny he is growing up fast...
Kirby is our June 2010 Cutest Kitten! Read the more about the grey kitten, Kirby at Meeting Kirby.
We've had Kirby now for five weeks, and despite his having Fading Kitten Syndrome, he seems to be thriving! He is up to 2-1/2 pounds now--all the extra care and love we've showered him with have paid off!
I no longer have to syringe feed him, and he's off his liquid supplement. I am mixing 50/50 regular canned kitten food with his prescription diet, and he will eat on his own, sort of, if I get down on the floor with him and "shovel" the food towards his mouth to keep him interested. He is still pretty small, but he's active, curious, and comical, as all kittens should be.
He has met three of our other four pets, under close supervision; I think we should rename him Kamikaze Kirby, as he likes to repeatedly hurl himself at the much bigger animals, who will tolerate him for just so long before they stalk off!
Thanks Maria! We love hearing about kittens that are loved like your little grey kitten, Kirby.
Do you have a cute kitten at home? Share your cute kitten cat picture and story.
Cute Fuzzy Kittens: Update on Grey Kitten Kirby Pictured With Scratching Post
by Maria Kryszak
(Oak Lawn, IL)
I look innocent, but I'm a little ball of trouble!
Cutest kitten on earth! Well adorable grey kitten Kirby sure is close. Maria shares another update on how Kirby is getting on and settling in.
Kirby is our June 2010 Cutest Kitten! Read the more about the grey kitten, Kirby at Meeting Kirby.
Here is a photo of Kirby playing near his sisal scratching post. The dollar is in the photo to show how tiny he was. Behind him is his other post, along with his toys scattered around.
Maria shares with us another update on how Kirby is getting on and we can see just how tiny he really is!
Do you have a cute kitten at home? Share your cute kitten cat picture and story.
Grey Tabby Kitten Kirby's Thriving! Another Update on How Kirby is Doing...
by Maria Kryszak
(Oak Lawn, IL)
Why'd I have to get a shot, Mom?
We've had not-so-little-anymore-Kirby for 7-1/2 weeks. During that time, he's gone from just over ONE pound, to FOUR pounds!
He still needs to be "reminded" to eat sometimes (I'm getting used to the feel of canned cat food on my fingers), but he's active and fiesty! I proudly took him to the vet this week for his first shot, and she was very surprised and delighted to see how big he had grown. She said that "you just can't tell which kittens are going to make it and which aren't", but I was determined to see that Fading Kitten Syndrome would NOT take Kirby from us. His life-force is so strong...something I noticed the first time I saw him.
He has gradually been allowed more time out of the family room to explore and "play" with our other pets. I had been letting them inspect him for periods of time while he was caged and safe, so they were not completely shocked to see this little gray rocket fly past them, and then turn around and attach himself to their necks.
With close supervision, we are patiently teaching Kirby that his teeth are not for biting us, or the other animals, by either substituting a toy that he can wrestle with and bite, or by putting him in his cage for a short time-out so he settles down. We have lots of acceptable toys for him all over, so there is always one within reach to redirect him.
He is good about using the scratching posts and is developing his own personality. He trills and yips as he runs about the place, and thinks he is a match for the dog, who doesn't know what to make of him. He likes to sit on our shoulder, or wrap himself around an available neck while purring loudly, or nuzzle up to our face if we're sitting on the couch and touch his little pink nose to ours. I like to think it's his way of saying "thank you".
It is great to hear that Kirby is doing great! He is such a gorgeous grey tabby kitten and we love hearing from him here at Keeping Kittens!!
How Big is Kirby?
by Maria Kryszak
(Oak Lawn, IL)
Just Taking a Little Rest From Making Mischief. . .
Wow! Look at gray kitten Kirby now! Maria fills us in on how Kirby is doing, and he has come a long way since he was a sick little kitten with Fading Kitten Syndrome.
It's hard to believe Kirby is the same kitten we adopted almost three months ago, as we watch him run up and down the stairs, scampering and pouncing around the whole house.
He has gone through such a transformation as he has been fully integrated into our household, and has successfully charmed every human he has come in contact with. Just as we delighted in the emerging personalities of our children, we delight in the emerging personality of our youngest four-legged child.
Predictably, Kirby has a strong personality to match his strong life-force, which can sometimes cause him to be overbearing with our other pets. He holds his own with our dog, who acts like he's a soft, stuffed toy to be pushed around and nuzzled with her nose. Sometimes he is too confident for his own good, and bites our older male cat's considerably full tail, and gets a warning growl and nip.
We are careful when our one-year-old cat, Sasha, is near--not to protect him, but to protect her--from his often incessant "kitten antics". Whereas Sasha is sweet and calm and a bit shy, Kirby is more like that proverbial bull-in-a-china-shop. Zoe, our oldest cat, has accepted him more quickly than she accepted Sasha last summer.
Nevertheless, she still keeps her eyes on him when he's around her because he's prone to jumping on her back inviting her to wrestle with him, which she wants nothing to do with!
He is affectionate--on his terms only--which means it's usually about four in the morning when he decides he wants cuddle time and tries to lie on my husband's pillow or head while purring away loudly. Or, when I'm trying to type on the keyboard or read a book or magazine he often jumps on my shoulder and wiggles himself down and around until he is lying on the keyboard or reading material, effectively stopping what I was doing.
It's kind of hard to be upset with him though, when I remember back to all we had to do to help keep him from succumbing to FKS. It's almost like he's making up for the time he lost when he was a sick kitten, and we were so afraid we'd lose him. He's assuring us, "Look at meeeee Mom! Look at everything I can do now!"
Thanks again Maria. Love hearing about Kirby, I can see by the kitten photo of Kirby he really is thriving!
Kirby is Such a Handsome Boy!
by Maria Kryszak
(Oak Lawn, IL)
I Don't Know What They're Talking About! I'm Innocent!
Kirby came into our lives on May 23rd of this year. . .weighing in at just over a pound. It's hard to remember a time when we didn't have him. Despite the ups and downs of his first few months battling with FKS, he has grown and thrived and turned into quite a character.
Though he is the youngest of our three cats and dog, he thinks he's the boss. We often have to step in and "redirect" his energy, from trying to pin down his older brother's tail, or stealing his sister's toy so he can drop it in the water bowl for the 20th time, to some other activity. He has a very dominant personality, and is fearless and curious about anything and everything.
Considering how tiny (his little body fit in the palm of my hand) and helpless he was those first few weeks of having to syringe-feed him, it's hard for us to be irritated with him--for very long. (Our other pets do not share the same perspective we do, and often feel the need to put him in his place with a well-placed paw.)
We sometimes have to give him a "time-out", away from the others, mostly for their benefit so they can catch their breath and recover from his overbearing enthusiasm for life, and also for our sanity!! But we love Kirby!
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