Cubes, Power Outages, and Jumping

Hi! You should see me now - I'm getting bigger every day, or at least that's what Mom says. Mom and Dad think I weigh about 8 or 9 pounds now! And Mom says that includes at least a pound or two of pudge. What can I say - I like to eat.

We are still in the trailer, but headed to the vet Monday morning, so keep your fingers crossed. We did get to come inside for a little while 'cause of the big storm. Mom had bought these cool little cube hut things we could stay warm in, and we have a heater in the trailer, but then the power went out! So we came into the house, but we had to stay in our crates. We got to meet some of the our housemates from a safe distance. I'm still not quite sure what I think of dogs. They look a bit like coyotes, and I definitely DON'T like coyotes. Bastie scared one of the dogs and he jumped up and back and it was really funny. After a while they were friends, though, so maybe dogs aren't so bad.

My big news is that I have learned to jump. I have a lot of fun jumping over and on my cube. Mom says you'd never know I'm missing a leg by the way I jump.

When we go to the vet's, I guess I may be staying overnight to get tutored. I think that's what Mom said. Something like that, anyway. Wonder what that means?

'Tis the Season

OK, so maybe it doesn't quite look that way in this picture (Mom took seventeen, but I only managed to hold still for one) but I really don't mind my Halloween costume.

Except I don't really care for the hat.

What do you think?

Vocabulary - with Spyder

im·pos·si·bil·i·ty - noun \(ˌ)im-ˌpä-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē\

1 the quality or state of being impossible

2 something impossible

Example of IMPOSSIBILITY:

Getting a very silly three-legged kitty to hold still for a picture is an impossibility.

My New Blankie

So I've got a new, big crate now, and a new bed, and new toys - and a new blankie! I can walk pretty good now - enough so that I can even play and chase things a little in my new big crate.

Still in isolation, but Mom says we're going back to see the vet soon, so maybe we can go meet the rest of our new family soon.

I'm walking much better now, and I've discovered the unmitigated joy of tummy rubs. My favorite place is still up on Mom's shoulder, but my bed is a close second.

And now my bed even has a new blankie - see?

Mom wanted me to show you my new mouse with the little fluffy bits on his tail, but I couldn't stop playing with him long enough for her to get the picture.


I love to be pet now, and I'm really liking my new home - so much that I purr a real lot. Mom says I'm really coming out of my shell, which is weird, cuz I don't even have a shell.

Hurricanes and Chin Scratches

First, the weather -

Irene came and went, and other than some leaves and small branches down, and a little water in the basement, you'd never know it.  We were very lucky.  Bast and I were snug in our camper, and weathered the storm safe and sound.

And I'm starting to walk on my own more and more.  Still a little wobbly, but I'm getting there.

My favorite thing to do is to have Mom pick me up, and then I climb way up onto her shoulder and flop down.  Sometimes I am so comfy I fall asleep.  Second favorite thing is still chin scratches.

I'm still a little afraid of everything, but I'm working on it.

- Spyder

Ringworm

Yep, ringworm.

My sister Bast has it. This is Bast at the vet's last week:


That's when Mom found out good news...and bad news. See, Bast got to our new home the same day I did. I had three legs, and Bast had MRSA. Since both of us were pretty sick, we had to be quarantined for a while. Our vet likes to be very careful about these things, so even after my stitches came out, he wanted me isolated for the time being. Well, Bastie had to be isolated on account of the MRSA, which I guess is a pretty nasty little bacteria that can make you really sick. Mom took Bast to the vet last week to make sure it was all fixed.

And it was! That's the good news. But the bad news...Bastie has ringworm. Which I guess isn't really a worm at all - it's a fungus. Wonder why they don't call it ringfungus. I just call it annoying, cuz it means both Bastie and me need to stay in isolation til it's gone. Sigh.

On the upside, Mom is teaching me how to play and I played with a little toy mouse all by myself today. And I really like playing with the FADTOAS. I'm getting lots better at catching and shaking things, and I walk a short distance all the time now. It's a little bit of work, and sometimes I lose my balance a little, but it's getting easier.

Picture Time!

OK, so when you're trying to take a picture of your kitten, and your husband's got one of those nifty Things-On-A-Stick (TOAS) to get him to look alert, this is how things go:

Dang.
Dang. Again.
Aw, come on - he was looking right at the camera when I snapped this!
Better...
Ok, this one's cute. But why does he hang out in the litterbox?
Target acquired...lasers charging...
"Wait a minute...is that the camera? You have the camera out again, don't you?"
Lasers fully charged and locked on sister kitty.
Target reacquired...Must...swat...TOAS...

What I Learned Today

Today was a good day. I am walking more and Mom gets really excited every time. Sometimes I move so fast she has to scramble to catch me while she's trying to clean my ears (still kinda yucky) and give me my meds. I think it's pretty funny.

Mom says I am getting a little pudgy and need to move around some more. I don't really know what pudgy means, only that it means I'm getting a little less canned food, which is a bummer.

And today I learned to play! Mom has bought me lots of toys, including this little snuggle/cuddle thing I really like because it kinda looks like a cat and is nice to lie down next to. I'm spending a lot less time sleeping in the litterbox since she got it:

Anyway, tonight we went through the whole clean-the-ears-and-take-the-yucky-meds" thing, and then she gave me chin scratches. And THEN she took out this super cool toy - Feathers-And-Dangly-Things-On-A-Stick (FADTOAS). I've been really shy and too scared to play up until now, but I saw the FADTOAS and I Just.Couldn't.Help.Myself.

I swatted it, and I grabbed it and shook it, and I stomped on it! It was really fun, and Mom seemed very happy that I finally learned that it was OK to play in my new home.

And I got some canned food. Yay!

What's Wrong with this Picture?

OK, someone needs to tell me why this is a problem:



Yes, I know that's my litterbox. Yes, I know I poop in there. But why can't I lie in there too?

Mom did not seem to approve.

Three Whole Steps

I took three whole steps on my own today!

Mom has been keeping up the "make me walk for food" routine. Usually, she has to put her hand under my tummy and hold me up a little, or I don't feel much like trying.

Tonight, after she cleaned my litter box and gave me fresh water and food, she put me near the entrance to the crate, but not in. I thought about it a minute or so, and then figured what the heck.

I stood up and walked into the crate, then into the litterbox, all by myself.

Three whole steps, all on my own.

Woohoo!

Vet Visit

I went to the vet's today to have my stitches out.

First the vet checked my ears, eyes, and nose. He said my ears were much better, but Mom has to still keep cleaning them twice a day, and I still have to take my medicine - yuck! And to top it all off, I'm two whole pounds now, which means I gained weight (yay!), so I have to take a little more of the yucky medicine (boo!). But I don't have to get the medicine that goes in my eyes now, so that's good.

I didn't really like getting my stitches out, but they were kinda itchy, so I guess that's good too. The vet and Mom talked about making sure I was up and moving around a little so I can build up strength in my back leg. Mom told him she's been putting my canned food a little bit away from me so I have to walk a little to get there - she's been doing that on purpose!

He said I'm doing really well. I have to stay away from my new kitty brothers and sister for at least another week, though, just to make sure I'm all better and won't give anyone else my runny nose and yucky ears.

And Mom sent an email to the shelter that saved me to let them know I'm doing OK and was getting my stitches out today. She sent them pictures, too.

Here are some she took today:

Still not happy about that "making me walk for the food" thing.

See? No stitches! My hair still looks a little silly, but Mom says it'll grow back.

Best thing about the day so far - chin scratches!

Picture Time!

I'm a little shy, and Mom had some trouble getting me to pose for the camera, but here I am:



Mom says she looks like she's choking me in the second picture, but she isn't! She's just helping me look at he camera, and rubbing my chin with her thumb (chin rubs are one of my favorite things in the world!).

For some reason, she decided to make a really big deal out of the fact that I pooped the day this was taken - this past Wednesday (my second day in my new home, and I didn't poop the first day, but I didn't eat much, either). I don't quite get it, but I got canned food today and that was really yummy, so hey, if it's poop they want, it's poop they'll get. I also pooped in the litterbox (duh) which is also apparently a big deal.

Canned food, new toys, and chin rubs. This, except for the medicine which I think tastes yucky, was a good day.

By Way of Introduction...

...a little kitten math:

This...
is a coyote.


This...is an adorable brown tabby kitten.


Now for the math.

+ =

That would be me there on the end. Yep, Coyote plus kitten equals me at the vet's, minus one back leg. Not good. Wouldn't recommend it.

I'm Spyder. My new Mom named me after a trike - a three-wheeled motorcycle thingie. She named me after the CanAm Spyder because it has two wheels in front, and one in the back - kind of like me.

I'm about nine weeks old, and I've already had more than my fair share of adventure, thank you very much. Already been almost eaten by a coyote, rescued, had surgery, been adopted, and now getting medications for my leg (or what used to be my leg), and some infections in my nose, eye and ear. Not exactly an ideal start. But I'm doing OK, and my new Mom's decided to start this blog to chronicle my progress as I adjust to life with one less set of toes. We'll see where that takes us.

You're welcome to come along for the ride.


All images in this post, except for those of Spyder, come from Wikimedia (http://commons.wikimedia.org). Images of Spyder belong to the blog author and are not to be used without permission.