My California - Raising Monkey

derekrichardson (67)adminin SoCal Steemit • 4 years ago

For this weeks Show Us Your California contest by @socalsteemit my California has been a little different for me...

I'm raising a kitten!!

After I got back home from a great peakbagging trip in the eastern Sierra I was catching up on some property maintenance. Doing all kinds of jobs... three at a time. And I was out in my pool room grabbing some chemicals to add to the pool when I suddenly heard this odd squeaking noise. At first I was looking up towards the roof because I thought there must be a nest with baby birds in it somewhere... but I couldn't see it. I'm looking, and looking... then suddenly I look down to the ground. And just in time too, because what I found was a baby kitten and I was almost about to accidentally step on it!! Then upon further careful investigation I found there were actually three kittens! All newly born with the eyes closed and the umbilical cords still attached.

So I put my chores on hold and got online and started researching what I should/shouldn't do. I read that the best thing is to leave them there and hope that the mother comes back to get them because having the mother greatly increases the risk of survival. So all I did for them was lay down a towel so they were out of the dirt and then just went back to my chores and kept an eye on them from a distance. I wanted to make sure they were safe while also not scaring the mother from returning because I'm to close.

The next morning momma had still not returned so I was starting to worry. Most things I read online said to wait 24 hours... but some said only wait 12. I decided to call a vet. The lady at the vet recommended I wait for the momma for one more day. So I continued to keep my distance and only checked on them now and then.

In the morning on day three I went to check on them and the smallest of the three kittens had died. So at that point I decided it was time for me to step in. So I buried the little on and then I setup a spot for the other two in my house. I got back on the internet and immediately started researching what I needed to do to raise these kittens. I headed down to the pet shop and picked up powdered Kitten Milk replacement and some kitten bottles and some stuffed animals for them to cuddle with. I borrowed a heating pad from my friend to maintain the warmth and got them a nice soft area all setup.

Young Monkey

I felt everything was going good. I was warming milk bottles for them every 2-3 hours. They lost their umbilical cords and opened their eyes and started getting more active. They started climbing all over... although slowly and uncoordinated... they loved to climb. So I started casually calling them Monkeys as kind of a joke. And it stuck.

Then one morning I woke up to feed them and I saw one of them looked ill and seemed to be having trouble breathing. Kittens can have trouble with accidentally inhaling the milk when bottle feeding and unfortunately that is what happened. Once I realized what was going on I rushed her to the nearest vet. Unfortunately due to Covid-19 you have to sign a list and then wait outside. I sat there watching my kitten choke to death while I (not so patiently) waited my turn. And once I got to go inside I got the unfortunate answer that they couldn't help me and they recommended I go to a larger (and much farther away) vet. So I rushed back to the car and drove as fast as I could to the other vet. I had called them in advance so they knew I was coming and a lady met me at the door. At this point my kitten had stopped breathing and I was freaking out. They took her in and quickly got a tube down her throat and started trying to get her breathing again. But they warned me the chances were very slim that she would survive. I just begged them to try their best. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to save her. I was crying like a fool. But the staff were very supportive and comforting. I really appreciated how they were so understanding about me being a crying mess.

So... now that the sad parts are over. I still had one kitten left and I was determined that she would survive and grow up and become my new best friend.