Joey

31.10.08
Mark rang today to see if I would foster a kitten till he was old enough to be homed. The lady bringing him in had said she thought he was about five weeks old. He’d been abandoned by his mother. Five weeks is usually fairly easy, they can feed themselves, so no bottle feeding, or getting up every two hours through the night. So I said yes.

I arrived at Argae Cottage just after the lady had dropped him off. Stella picked him out of the carrier and he sat in the palm of her hand. His ears were still down, his eyes were a misty blue, and as he opened his mouth to mew, we saw just 2 tiny teeth.

Stella and I looked at each other.

“Does he look 5 weeks to you?” I asked.

“More like 3 or 4 at the most.”

I thought about it for a moment as the significance sunk in. If you have ever done it you will know what I mean. Hand rearing kittens can be quite tricky. They don’t always co-operate terribly well. Some find the bottle hard to get used to. It also means being there to feed them every few hours, day and night. Oh well, I’d said I would look after him, so was committed now.

“Okay, where’s the bottle?”


He was also pretty dirty, his fur all spiky where milk and food had dried into his coat. Poor little guy.

After we got home I warmed his milk and sat him on my knee to feed him. I’ve got Cimicat from the vet and goat’s milk from Mark and Stella’s goats. He screamed a bit, searching frantically for the milk he could smell. Then he latched straight onto the teat and sucked away, his little ears going rhythmically as he sucked, his paws kneading against my fingers. Oh wonderful. He is going to be easy.

He used his litter tray like a pro, covering it all up like a good boy. Then he settled on my knee for a cuddle.

Later on I settled him into the pen in the sitting room. He has a heated pad, a hooded bed and a soft toy to keep him company.

My two cats know there is Something Strange in the sitting room. Raffles, the older one, is keeping out of the way, but Bailey is dying to go see. I don’t want to let them in just yet. Best give him some space.

I’ve decided if I stay up late to give him a late feed and then get up very early morning it won’t feel like I’m getting up in the middle of the night.

1.11.08
Up very early to make sure he is okay. I didn’t like leaving him in the pen last night, but its the safest place for him. He is so tiny, and very wobbly. His legs don’t quite work properly yet, but that doesn’t put him off trying to run.

Tried him with some meat mashed up with milk. I put it through the sieve for him but he made no progress at all– just got very messy, and frustrated. So I’ve decided to concentrate on getting plenty of milk into him. Meat can come later.

He is still very dirty. He has this huge round tummy. I’ll ask Stella how soon I can worm him.

2.11.08
Tried to clean him up today, but he wasn’t keen and I don’t want to stress him, so I didn’t force him.

3.11.08
Been trying to decide on a name. I know that once he is homed the new owner will likely change it, but I have to call him something. He has four grey circles on his back, so maybe Domino.

4.11.08
Domino just didn’t seem to stick, so tonight I tried ‘Joey’. I called it to him and he looked up with his big blue eyes. ‘Joey, is that me? I like that’. So, Joey it is.

5.11.08
I let Bailey in to see him today. He was totally fascinated, and sat gazing in wonder as Joey trundled about the room.

Joey’s motions are very pale, but I guess that’s just the milk. Started the worming too. Poor little guy, it tastes horrid and he pulled a face and smacked his lips together in disgust. Bailey wanted to know what he was getting, so came for a sniff. He obviously didn’t like it all as it made him screw his nose up, blink his eyes and run off.

7.11.08
Bailey has been playing with him and they look so cute together. Bailey is huge and fluffy and to see him laying on his back and stretching a massive paw out, so gently to this tiny creature, is very sweet.

Tried him with meat again today, and he did much better with it this time. Whiskas in gravy. He’s got more teeth now and seems to like the little chunks. So does Bailey, so I have to give him a few pieces too. He is still having lots of milk. Bailey wanted to know what he was having, and kept trying to nuzzle in. When Joey had finished I held the bottle out to Bailey and he tried licking the teat, which flicked it, so he ended up with milk drops all on the ends of his whiskers.

8.11.08
Last night Bailey sat close up to me watching Joey who was asleep on my lap. Suddenly he gave one of those inward gentle noises that you hear mother cats give. Next minute, he was licking Joey to try and clean him up. Joey loved it and purred his head off, eyes shut in delight.

10.11.08
These two are so funny. Bailey is teaching him to play, and Joey keeps trying to bite Bailey, but all he gets is a mouthful of fur.

15.10.08
Now he is gradually getting cleaner we can see what a beautiful kitten he is. He is white, with grey on his head and ears, and four grey circles on his back. His nose is pink. His big round eyes are still blue, but clear now, and he has the sweetest expression. With his white face and big round eyes he has the look of a baby polar bear.

20.11.08
I love this little kitten so much. He is just so incredibly sweet. He wants to be with me, and loves to sleep on my knee, or on my shoulders under my hair. I’m not sure how I’m going to let him go.

Usually I’m okay about that. I worry about finding the right home. I get sad just before they leave, and mooch around a bit after they have gone. I often worry about them after they have left. But I just tell myself that if I keep them all I can’t help the next one. If I find the right home, its best they go where they will be loved, and then I can offer a temporary refuge to the next waif and stray.

But this Joey – he’s got right into my heart.

22.11.08
I had a coffee morning today to raise money for the Old Cat People. Such nice people came along, and sat chatting by the fire. Joey was gorgeous as ever and fell asleep on Stella’s knee.

24.11.08
The worming has given him diarrhoea. It often seems to do. Its so important to worm him, but seems a shame to give him the runs. He’s not bothered by it, but is going to his litter tray fairly frequently.

He will be around 8 or 9 weeks on Friday, so could be homed soon. I am not really ready to let him go. This is going to be such a hard one.

28.11.08
A girl rang tonight to ask about him. I asked her loads of questions about whether she would keep him in at night, where they lived, where he would sleep and so on. Poor girl. Anyway, she sounded lovely, they live in the middle of the countryside, and will keep him in at night. They are coming to see him at the weekend.

1.12.08
Joey has gone. The family came to see him and just loved him. Well, of course they did, he is adorable. So they went away to buy toys and beds etc, and now he has gone to live with them. They were really nice people which makes it a bit easier. But he was still incredibly hard to part with. Bailey is looking lost and has taken to washing a small cuddly toy. I am looking a bit lost myself. Good job I’ve still got my two to cuddle.