Sometimes I'm not convinced that fostering kittens in a room with a view to the rest of the house is such a great idea. Occasionally it feels I'm living within an exhibit at the zoo.
Creepy Uncle Norman likes to keep an eye on the kittens... and their crunchies.
Crazy Cousin Chuck likes to know what's going on in there, too.
(And now you know why the door is so dirty in photo #1)
The photo in which we learn that teeny tiny kittens can make skinny old man cats look huge.
That Henry is always looking for something to play with... Uncle Norman's tail is just out of reach.
"Hey... where'd he go?"
There are moments when I wonder which side of the door is the actual zoo exhibit. Are they on display for us, or are we on display for them? :-)
The Part in which Kelly Admits She Might Have Gone Just a Touch Overboard
To put it mildly, I'm a worrier. Some might label me obsessively so. In most situations, being a compulsive worrier could be seen as a benefit... My tasks are meticulously done and ahead of schedule. My house is orderly and clean. My children make infrequent emergency room visits. I am an organizing guru who foresees incidents before they occur and prevents or minimizes them... let's call me PROACTIVE!!
I will admit that I was not prepared for the huge dose of reality that a litter of contagious kittens brought into my foster room. Fleas were stressful, but they're gone and the entire house has been Frontlined, sanitized, and vacuumed within an inch of its life. Ringworm, however, has knocked me for the proverbial loop. To watch a baby kitten's face develop sores that worsen before they get better is bad enough. To have the knowledge that the condition is highly contagious and that one wrong move on your part could allow it to spread, not only to the other foster kittens but to the adult fosters, your permanent residents, children, husband, and the general world at large???? ((Heh... you've just gotten a glimpse into my OCD skull. Scary, isn't it?))
On Friday, a troublesome kitten (Why, yes... it WAS Henry) swatted me on the lip while I was trying to medicate his ears. I instantly touched it with a hand full of anti-fungal drops (We'll call that Mistake #1). Throughout the day, the spot on my overly sensitive skin turned blotchy, then pink, then red. My worrier genes kicked in to hyperdrive and I self-diagnosed (Mistake #2) with early onset ringworm and put a dollop of anti-fungal ointment on it (Mistake #3) before going to bed.
Two days later, after experiencing a blister moustache of epic proportions and lips puffy enough to make any Botoxed Real Housewife jealous, I headed to the doctor... Allergic reaction to the first anti-fungal drops (that I had neglected to wash off) and chemical irritation from the dollop of ointment. NOT ringworm. My doctor laughed, told me I made it worse with all of my worrying, and reassured me that if I happened to actually catch ringworm from the kittens she "has medicine to fix that". I'm under orders to chill out a bit (yeah, right... but I HAVE realized that I can only do as much as I can do and am *trying* to let the rest of the world worry about itself). So I'm headed off in a bit to spend most of my Wednesday on a boat. Hence, a post light in photos for Thursday that I will try to rectify for Friday.
PS--- I tell you these things, not so that you worry about me or begin to think that fostering is "too much work" or "too much stress" (on the contrary, it's a fabulous experience that more people should get to enjoy). Please laugh with me or even laugh at me. I may be a worrier, but even I can laugh at the trouble my own worrying causes.
PPS--- While his poor little face still looks under attack, as of Wednesday evening the redness and swelling around Porter's eyes and mouth have decreased significantly. I know I'm in for a long haul, but I'm hopeful that we might have this thing under control within the next week or so.
PPS--- While his poor little face still looks under attack, as of Wednesday evening the redness and swelling around Porter's eyes and mouth have decreased significantly. I know I'm in for a long haul, but I'm hopeful that we might have this thing under control within the next week or so.
"Where is the Lady going? Henry would like to go on a boat ride. Henry's never been on a boat ride before in his WHOLE life."
"Bye Bye, Lady. Do they have jars of chicken baby food on boats? Can you bring one back for Eloise please?"
LOL.. I laugh with you because while I haven't dealt with ringworm, I have so been there and done that. My vet also knows my paranoia all too well and at least he understands and treats me well despite of myself.
ReplyDeleteHa.. I walked in to the vet's office on Tuesday right before they closed and asked a million questions to get a better idea of what I'm dealing with. The vet and her techs all came out to talk to me about it. I feel lucky that they put up with me (and my paranoia)
DeleteLOL Kelly-Hugs to you and the fosters and heck even the vet too! The opposite of being a overworrier is an overplanner. I have just spent about 3-4 wks looking at hotel and air websites to try to find THE best deal for vacation before THEN going to the travel agent to ask HER to find THE best deal for us. My husband was going nuts and asking me to stop overthinking things. BUT, my reward was going back to said travel agent yesterday and finding out I could save $400 on a flight she had found that I hadn't. So in 3 wks we will be off. NOW I get to spend the next 3 wks stressing about (oops PLANNING) how to get through security at the airport with the 2 kids and how to get everything we need into the least number of bags. Hope you are enjoying your boat trip. The kittens are adorable and I look forward to their/your continuing saga.
ReplyDeleteOh, but Holly... my overworry forces me to overplan! I'm a full-circle worrier (because then I worry that I plan too much!)
DeleteGreat job on flight planning! But if you have three weeks left before you leave, put all of it aside until you have one week left to go. Everything will change 14 times between then and now (including the weather report). That being said, remember that advice comes from me... the worrying planner :-)
Thanks for the advice Kelly. I'm not sure I will worry about the weather, I will just pack for ALL events. 2 yrs ago when we went to FL I thought it would be warm and it was actually the 2nd coldest it has ever been there. We were going to not wear jackets but managed to just shove them in a bag and check them. I was SO thankful we had them the morning it was 27 degrees out (we went in January). So this yr we are going to CA to the beach and since it'll be a long flight I will have to pack LOTS of activities as well.
DeleteOMC - mom is giggling. after all the fostering we have done, I believe the phrase is "been there, done that". Though like Connie, we are lucky enough to have avoid ringworm. Though we have had everything else: calici, coccidia, fleas, abcessed bite wounds, escaping kittens (come visit us today for that story) and an FeLV scare that has admittedly raised mom's panic-o-meter a little. :) The upside is that for all the stress, those adorable faces and antics make it worth it (and mom loves the idea of the glass door).
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to have people here who understand! My husband believes I'm slightly nuts (which I might very well be)
DeleteGood for you for going out on the boat!! Back when I had 8 cats in the house - who had to be kept in 3 seperate groups without seeing any of the others less all hell break loose - just going out and taking a day for myself was a lifesaver! You know what they say - "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" Enjoy yourself, and don't be surprised if the cats are all like "What, you went somewhere?" when you get back. :)
ReplyDeleteHa... Norman was starving. The dog had been crossing his legs for HOURS! The kittens hadn't seen me in at least a month. And Penny was upset that I opened her door again ;-) It was a nice day, though.
DeleteI'm going to make a sweeping generalization here and suggest that fosterers tend to be worriers. God knows that when I've got a kitten with diarrhea that lingers on and on, I will spend days fretting and talking about nothing BUT the topic. I know Fred tunes me out, but it helps me to worry out loud. I tune him out when he announces the weather report every five minutes. It works for us. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, Creepy Uncle Norman - hahahahah!
Yep... I'm pretty sure Brian's eyes glazed over when I started talking about ringworm this afternoon (it was over the phone, but you know how you can tell he's just not listening?). It's probably the same response he gets from me when he starts in with his litany of the acronyms in military lingo. I only know what I need to know ;-)
DeleteYea, I'm enjoying the Creepy Uncle Norman photo, too! A friend put a screen door on the extra bedroom while she socialized 2 ferals. Seemed like a good idea to me but perhaps I didn’t consider the 'fear of coodies' factor enough. Hope the boat ride (Lake St Claire?) is relaxing. Oh, oh, bring your camera & Henry (how cute would a little kitty life vest be?) and tell us all about it when you return safely to shore.
ReplyDeleteI actually drove down to Lake Erie for the boat trip instead of Lake St. Clair (although St. Clair would have been ever so much closer for me). The metropark down there runs boat tours on the Detroit River (and yes... I have pictures for you!) Henry stayed home this time around. He can't sit still for a second. We would have had cat overboard before we left the dock ;-)
DeleteOMG - Those doorway photos made my day! I think the zoo exhibit theory is apt for both directions in this case. And you are in good company, I'm a big worrier. That trait is part of what makes you a good foster parent.
ReplyDeleteWhile were on that subject. I volunteer at a local cat shelter and we deal with lots of kitties with ringworm. I did get it from a kitten once, but it was because the cat had (accidently) punctured my knee with his nail. You want to take normal precautions but its harder for the humans to get than you think.
When I think about couples (lovingly) tuning each other out I think of a quote from Homer Simpson. "The problem with marriage is communication, too much communication," lol.
Can I just say how much I love this blog? Thanks for writing it!
Thank you so much, Anna. I love writing it and love that you enjoy reading it. I get to talk about things here that would make my husband tune out :-) It's a win for all of us!
DeleteUm... cat scratches? The kittens are really, really good at that. My hands and ankles are covered in little puncture wounds. But, being the worrier that I am, I know the location and size of each and every one. If they change in the slightest, I'm off to the doctor's office (and I put ointment them after washing... but don't worry, it's just an antibiotic this time around!)