Meet the New Baby

TIPPER

I got a baby sister!!! Isn't she cute? Hey, wait...is she cuter than me?

MOM

You were cute when you were a baby...now you're beautiful.

TIPPER

Oh, ok....as long as she's not cuter than me.

Anyway, here is our new Crew member. She's 8 weeks old and will be named Misty. She was adopted from the same shelter as my brother Max and our friend Derby came from. Now we all have to get used to having a baby in the house so, Mom, please hide my red & white octopus. She can play with the green & yellow one.

Misty is a grey & white bi-color and wears a tuxedo dress, like me, so George will be adding her to his group, Coats of Many Colors and I'll talk to her about joining the Tuxedo Gang, too.

I think she should have been named Everpurr 'cause she never stops purring, and Mom says that's the reason she picked Misty. She purred the second Mom touched her! Maybe I'll make Everpurr her middle name. What do you think?

MOM

I'm taking over the blog for a minute to tell you all about Misty. We adopted her a week ago and she was playful & friendly. We kept her away from The Crew making slow introductions, as usual when bringing in a new member, with a little hissing & growling all around. At first she seemed healthy and we were able to get a few pictures, but 4 days later she started sneezing. 2 days after that, she was running a fever and was so congested she couldn't breathe. She started salivating and panting badly so we took her to our local 24 hour emergency veterinary clinic. She has a virus that's very common but also very contagious for cats, and has developed a secondary bacterial infection. So she now gets antibiotics twice a day and has had 2 shots to re-hydrate her. She's not eating, so today I'm calling to see if there's some kind of appetite stimulant that's safe for a sick kitten.

Our regular vet also said to put our 3 resident cats on Lysine which helps their immune system fight off any infections so they're each getting pills twice a day. Tipper was sneezing for 1 day so she also went in for a checkup of lungs & temperature. So far so good, but I'm watching all 3 very closely. They seem OK and are eating and interacting with the family as usual. But if they show any signs of illness, they'll be on antibiotics too.

But poor little Misty....none of this is her fault. We have the option of returning her back to the shelter but my husband and I are already attached to her plus I know what would happen to her if we give her back. So far this has cost us

1. Adoption fee $ 110 (included first kitten shots & spaying)
2. Emergency vet - $135
3. Regular vet for Tipper & Misty - $95

For $340 we could have bought a purebred, and I'm not sure we're done with vet bills yet! But I know every one of you would have done the same thing. We all have a weakness for cats and don't treat them as disposable when they're too expensive or cause too much trouble.

Misty has been living in the bathroom until we're sure she's well. Her fever has broken and she seems more lively, purring when picked up and held, but not eating. I'll keep you posted on her progress.