Update on the Puttikins

A house built upon an 'open plan' is the worst when the owner does not wish to be reminded of the fact that some of his tenants are cats.  Any whiff of a smell of the litter boxes and he goes into a fury.  The 'Silly Room' where the Puttikins live is quite spacious but it is in the basement.  Nonetheless, if some one has digestive problems, the smell will rise almost instantly to the bedrooms on the upper floor.  It is an impossible situation.

Cupid in particular is having ongoing problems with his food.  I did a bit of research and decided to change his diet to rice with chicken.  I boiled the chicken and mixed it into rice.  For the other Puttikins, I mixed rice into tinned cat food. 

It has made a bit of a difference but Cupid continues to deliver very soft stools.  At least it is not running through him instantly.  I suspect it has something to do with the kidney disease he has.  Unfortunately, when it occurs, I am treated as though it somehow is MY fault.  Very nerveracking...  I wonder if he needs some sort of medication at this point.  He is alert and active but quite obese.  It may be better if I feed him once daily for awhile but I need desperately to find a solution to the problem.

Temujin, wishing he were a plush animal

Temujin recently has been bullied by Pumpkin and Cupid.  I am not certain what is going on, but it makes me very upset with his brothers.  Temi never causes trouble for any one.  He is gentle and friendly towards his entire family.  I never saw him lash out or even respond to the attacks.  He simply runs away and hides.

I was afraid to bring him upstairs simply because he has had such a dificult time adjusting to the move.  When I tried to move him from the little back room to the back porch at the old house, he literally climbed the walls and hid for days afterwards.  Here, his actions reflected the same terror.  I therefore waited...

Two days ago, I brought him to my bedroom, thinking that the adjustment could not be worse than the hostility of his littermates.  He cried piteously by the door for a brief time, but then leapt onto the bed to sit quietly among my animals.  We had a lovely afternoon together.

Dear Little Kiffle, Rest in Peace

Kiffle was not, strictly speaking, one of the Puttikins, as he was not a cat.  Nonetheless, he was a beloved member of our family for many years.  When he died a few days ago, we cried and grieved for the sweet little Chinchilla.

Chinchillas make fantastic pets for children and adults alike.  You have to make certain that there is nothing in the way of paper, cardboard or fabric within reach of their cages, as they will chew on almost anything.  Apart from that, though, they are clean and intelligent as well as quite affectionate.

When Kiffle died, the last thing I wanted was a replacement.  I have enough trouble with the Puttikins, although I treasure each and every one of them.  Freya's best friend Kait had been babysitting Kiffle while I was away at sea, and he died at her home.   She and her mother, quite amazingly, had a family member who raised chinchillas and she offered us two babies...

Well, what can one say or do?  Freya really wanted another 'pastry pet'.  She named one Strudel even before we saw them.  She told me I could name the other one, and I decided I wanted to name it Kiffle, even after she said, 'We're not having a Kiffle II like Snowball II!'  (Any one who watches the Simpsons would know what that means.)

One cannot replace one pet with another.  Each little creature is unique.  I always felt sad that Kiffle was alone in his enormous cage, and if one is to have another Chinchilla, it is better to have a pair than one.  They do love company.

We do not know yet what the genders of these two are.  They only arrived at our house yesterday, causing a terrible upset in the Puttikins population.  Quite amazing really.  I had worried about the safety of the Chinchillas, surrounded by so many cats, but in fact, it was the Puttikins who responded with terror and hid!

In fact, Ashleigh had what I could only describe as an almost psychotic episode.  Half of the Puttikins never became acclimatised to the big porch with the windows and when they continued to hide behind boxes in dark corners, I decided enough was enough and returned them to their original 'womb room' which is a disused bathroom without any windows.  They were thrilled actually.  Evidently, there is comfort in that room for them.

Cupid, Apollodoro and Beauty continue to inhabit the porch and now, the Chinchilla cage is there as well.  Cupid went into hiding for half a day from the tiny creatures!  I am not certain why I thought it would be better to move Apollodoro temporarily into the womb room with the rest of his family except that, at the time, I felt that the Chinchillas would benefit from as few Puttikins as possible in their environment.

I am not certain what happened really.  There never has been any problem with Apollodoro and Ashleigh who is his father....  When I went into the womb room a couple of hours later, I found a total disaster.  The litter boxes had been tipped and there was enough hair on the floor and walls to create a new Puttikins.  Ash was in a corner baring his teeth, growling and hissing at EVERY ONE.  He never has growled before in his life.

I removed Apollodoro at once and cleaned the mess but even after that, Ash continued to growl at the remaining Putti who resembled Apollodoro.  In other words, the two other flamepoints, one of whom was his closest and dearest companion, little Leo.

Meanwhile, the Chinchillas did not appear to be paralysed with fear in thsir new room and Beauty and Apollodoro (when the latter was returned) did not appear to share any of the fear that Cupid demonstrated.  In fact, I felt Beauty was almost too curious about the Chinchillas.

It is difficult to tell the two babies apart, although one has a slightly longer nose and a more timid disposition.  The little blue house belonged to Kiffle who demolished it rather quickly even though it was made of hard plastic.  I then bought him a wooden one which he demolished with the same alacrity and perhaps more genuine pleasure as Chinchillas love wood.  The only materials they cannot chew to bits are metal and porcelain.  You can see the pink porcelain bath in the background.  I will find some new nesting houses for these babies soon... I did not even know they would be part of our family until Saturday, so was ill-prepared.

I believe that the baby in the blue house is Kiffle and the one who is out in the open is Strudel.  That would make sense as well as Strudel is kind of fearless.

I spent quite a lot of time with Ash last night, but he continued to hiss and growl at his family.  This morning, however, every one was loving and affectionate towards one another again.  It is the most bizarre and unpleasant event ever.  The most interesting aspect of it in a way was the fact that ALL the Flamepoints were treated by Ash as the enemy until he calmed down.

I had removed Leo as well last night, when Ash continued to hiss and growl at him, but Leo was desperate to return to his father and kept escaping out of the porch this morning  to race towards the womb room.  I finally surrendered to the inevitable and allowed him to be with his father.  I hope to God there are no further problems.

I believe now that somehow the Putti in the womb room were aware of a change in the dynamics of the pet population, even though they did not see the Chinchillas.  How else to explain all of this?  I have moved Putti back and forth from the porch to the womb room without incident in the past.

One of Kiffle's favourite treats was made of wood.  The treat consisted of a painted wooden stick.  It was sold as a package of many different coloured sticks made of very soft wood.  I do not know if the colours made any difference whatsoever to the Chinchilla.  The colours probably were more appealing to the humans than to the animal.  I daresay a Chinchilla would be as pleased with a natural, uncoloured piece of wood!  In any case, I still had an unopened package of Sticks and I decided to give a couple to Strudel and the new Kiffle.

Strudel went at it like a veteran, demonstrating no fear, nibbling at my finger from time to time as well.  His brother or sister, however, was less inclined to participate.  I left a stick in the little blue house where he was hiding, hoping he would go for it after I left.

Freya is very fond of Strudel and likes his manic energy.  I tend to be more drawn to the quiet little one, although I hate to think of him or her afraid.  I will be happier when both respond to me equally.  Meanwhile, though, it is highly amusing to see little Strudel exploring every inch of the cage, nibbling on the bars, on the wood, on the water bottle spout and everything else in sight.


This post was supposed to be about Kiffle and not the new Chinchillas.  It is difficult not to cry when I think of little Kiffle.  He was such a good boy, apart from the depredations he made on some of the furnishings.  He was very clever.  He would jiggle his cage until boxes moved close enough to allow him to chew on them.  Quite often a box I had placed out of reach would end up in his grasp!

He knew his name and responded to my voice.  When I asked if he wanted a Stick, he actually would become excited, knowing very well what I meant.  He was very clumsy sometimes, though, dropping his sticks half-eaten through the bars to the lower section where only debris was supposed to fall for removal.  When I cleaned the bottom section of the cage, I found dozens of wasted sticks.

I hope there is an afterlife for our beloved pets.  Dear Kiffle, we loved you and miss you.

Pumpkin has been FOUND!

I should have known better.  Whenever I gave one of my babies to some one in the past, the cat or kitten often would hide from his/her new owner, sometimes for a few days.  When Pumpkin did not show a whisker for two days after my return, though, I went into a panic, with awful visions of him lying dead beneath a box on the porch...

Yesterday afternoon, I realised that, whatever the cost, I had to move everything in that room to find my last recalcitrant Puttikins.  I found him ultimately in the darkest, most inaccessible corner with Jasper sleeping on top of him!  No air or light for those two.  They missed their windowless room, evidently, so I picked them up by the scruff of their necks and returned them to the little interior bathroom where they had resided previously.  They appear to be much more at ease now.  They actually eat and drink.  Silly little boys!

In any event, I was so happy to see that little heart-shaped face that I almost wept for joy.  I was annoyed that Pumpkin simply stared as though he could not understand what the problem was.  Did he not realise how much anxiety I had suffered???

A Missing Pumpkin

I did not wish to leave my Puttikins for an entire month and, upon my return on Saturday, I discovered how much it had disrupted their psyches.  Despite the fact that both Bobbie and Jackie love animals and especially cats, the disappearance of their Mummy for a month as well as their move to a new, larger room, albeit one filled with boxes and other storage stuff, made them even more fearful and paranoid than ever.

Remember that most of these cats never saw any one but me....  Two days after my return,  I still have not seen Pumpkin nor even any evdience that he is alive.  When I first greeted my Putti, they ALL hid from me.  Soon, though, Beauty and Ash came out and Cupid followed shortly after that.  I could see most of the others in their hiding places.  The ones whom I could not see were Temujin and Pumpkin.

I went repreatedly into the room and sat quietly on a chair.  It was not until I returned in the middle of the night (and no electricity there!) that I felt the presence of many of my Putti brushing up against my legs.  Scruffy Leo finally began to purr, a sound I had missed terribly.

I kept vigil in the night, but no Pumpkin.  I sat on the chair from 4.00 a.m. until an hour after dawn and was rewarded by greetings from every one BUT Pumpkin.

Dear little Pumpkin... I worried terribly about him and still do.  I pray he is alive and well somewhere in that room.  Despite the fact that I did my best to move all the boxes, finding horrid little desposits of offerings of resentment and terror in and beside them, (many of them archaeological evidence from the beginning of May I daresay), no hint of Pumpkin.

Cupid's Recovery

These liquids as well as the concoction of Cranberry Juice with Apple Cider Vinegar probably saved Cupid's life.  He now is behaving in a very healthy fashion for the most part, even complaining of boredom!

Here is Cupid in his little hidden corner, sleeping comfortably.  He has begun to chafe against his forced stay in the kitchen but I must keep him away from the other Puttikins for another day or two. This morning at 3.00 a.m., when I visited the kitchen, he immediately trotted towards me to complain that he was both hungry and bored.

He eats very little but would consume all the catnip treats if I allowed it.  It is REAL food that does not interest him that much.  He will eat pureed chicken from my fingers and a few mouthfuls of tinned food but his appetite still is not as healthy as I would wish.  I am giving him fluids subcutaneously and he continues to inundate the litter box with clear, healthy urine but I was very distressed because I never saw him drink either water or chicken broth that I had placed in some bowls I bought recently.

Today I discovered that he returns instead to the horrid old water bowls I intended to chuck out for his water.  I made certain to fill the double bowl with fresh water, even though I left the new bowls out in the open for him.  Cats are such creatures of habit!

I would like to thank every one who expressed concern for my little boy.  Your thoughts and prayers meant a great deal to me and I cannot help but feel they made a real difference.

Cupid, my Brave little Boy

Today has been eventful.  In fact, since Saturday, I have not rested either physically or spiritually much until now.

Cupid began to exhibit great pain when he went to the litter box on Saturday morning.  It had nothing to do with the procedure he had on Wednesday when he was neutered.  Everything was healing well.  In fact, he had been more his old self at dawn on Saturday... but suddenly, there was blood in his urine and he was prowling back and forth from litter box to litter box.  I wrote about this in an earlier post.

I took him to the doctor and suggested that he be given liquids as he was dehydrated.  They gave him some and sent him home with more painkillers.  What followed was a perfectly awful weekend for both of us.  I was terrified he was dying.  He was in almost constant distress or discomfort, prowling back and forth, pissing first in one box and then the other, almost always with fresh red blood showing in the urine.

I began to research the situation on the internet and discovered a natural remedy for crystals in the urine that consisted of Apple Cider Vinegar.  For the very acidic urine that Cupid had exhibited, Cranberry Juice was recommended.  I mixed Cranberry Juice, Apple Cider Vinegar and a little plain Apple Juice to sweeten it.  I forced it down his throat with a syringe.  I did this twice on Sunday.

The hospital opened this morning at 9.00 and I rang them immediately.  The doctor returned my call about an hour later.   He looked at Cupid's chart and told me what I knew, that he suffered from a low urinary tract condition.   It was hereditary and plagued Himalayans in particular.   Most important was diet.  He was not that concerned about the blood in the urine.  He was more concerned about the amount of urine that Cupid was passing.

He did agree to give me a bag of fluids for Cupid with needles so that I could administer the liquids myself.   I surprise myself sometimes.  I know that I have done this before.  I basically saved Miela's life once years ago by giving her fluids subcutaneously... but faced with the bag and needle today, I was filled with trepidation.  It was a far more complex arrangement of tubes than the ones I had administered years ago as well...

In any event, I was able to administer the liquids to Cupid, although I did not give him the full 150 cc. that the doctor had suggested.  He began to protest shortly after he had received 100 cc. and the bulge beneath the skin of his neck was very pronounced.  I decided it would be better to stop and then give him more later if necessary.

He immediately went to the litter box and spent about five minutes there accomplishing absolutely nothing.  I am not certain what he was experiencing at that point in time, but it made me very nervous as the worst situation is blockage.  When a cat cannot pass any urine at all, it can mean death in a very short time.  I had an odd feeling though that he was trying to do something quite different.  His posture suggested it...

I coaxed him out of the box when obviously nothing was going to materialise.  I persuaded him to rest a little in his little corner.  I then decided to leave him in peace for awhile.  After all, he had the fluids inside him.

When I returned, he had pissed in one box magnificently with only a tiny bit of blood in the other box.  He purred when I touched him and licked a little pureed Chicken (infant food) from my finger.  After that, he went back to the box and urinated again.  This time, the stream was entirely clear!

I do not want to be too jubilant at this point, but I still have a large bag of fluids that I am supposed to give him every other day.  The key to his recovery IS fluids.  He now is resting in a much more comfortable position than before.  He actually is curled up with his head on his arm rather than maintaining a rigid Sphinx-like position eloquent of pain and fear.

I want to thank every one for their prayers and good wishes.  Please continue them!