feeling like a kitten again

The kitties are feeling better every day. There fur is starting to grow back, (though it's still very short,) and the incisions are healing nicely.


I had them out today in the laundry room to use the litter box, and I usually sit in there with them and give them some play and love time. They were feeling a lot more frisky than they have been. Applesauce found a little toy mouse and was trying to "kill" it. Onyx wanted in on the action, hunkered down, wiggled his hind end and (sort of) sprang towards Applesauce. Their hind legs are not quite as stable as they probably would like them to be, so the whole escapade was kitten-ish. It was very cute, and I couldn't help but giggle at them.


Don't worry, they did not play hard enough to jeopardize the healing legs. As soon as they laid down to rest, I took them back to their Kitty Condo and gave them some fresh water and food. They promptly took a nap.

hey roomie!

Applesauce had her staples removed and she had pain meds...once they took effect, she was in better spirits. It was time to move her into the Kitty Condo (a.k.a. the big dog cage) with Onyx.


Luckily, this brother and sister duo get along well together. They have enough room for each of them to sprawl out and not even touch. I have water and food set up inside the cage for them, and take them out a few times a day to use the litterbox.

They are doing well, on their way to recovering.

Onyx makes a move

After his staples were removed, and after being on the pain killers for a bit, Onyx was feeling better and starting to move around some more. He needed a bigger place. Luckily, my cousin, keepin up with the Jones, had a large dog cage she said I could borrow. I lined it with a soft sheet and towel and put it in my room, and wah-la...Kitty Condo was created. Onyx is now happily residing there, with plenty of room to move around, while still being safe until he can heal the rest of the way.

Of course, this place is even big enough that he could have a roommate ....*wink, wink*

Onyx, after surgery

I found Onyx one night by the back door to the garage mewing softly. I called to him, since we keep them in the garage at night, and I was ready to shut the large garage door. But Onyx didn't come...he just stayed there mewing.

I walked up to him and saw a small scuff on one of his hind legs. I figured he had caught himself on something (he had done it before) and took him inside to spray some medicine on it that I had gotten from the vet the last time. When I set him down, he put all his weight on the scuffed leg. I figured that could not be good, and thought he may have broken a bone or dislocated his hip. I called the vet to leave a message that I would be bringing him in first thing in the morning. I put him in bed with me, and he slept soundly through the night.

At the vet's (Woodside Veterinary Hospital) an x-ray was taken to verify what they also suspected, a broken leg. Sure enough, his femur was broken in half...and it was not a clean break. His leg had no visible injuries on the outside. How he broke it was perplexing.

The doctor explained what the surgeon would have to do, and then revealed the cost. I cried. It would be so much money, but I refused to put my baby to sleep. He was just laying there, not complaining at all...otherwise perfectly healthy. I gave the go ahead to do surgery, and left Onyx in their care.


I went to pick him up a couple days later, and the doctor said he was doing great. He had to have a metal rod inserted and have wire wrapped around the bone to hold it in place. Then he was stapled shut. He was sent home with some antibiotics and instructions not to be allowed to jump up or down on anything for a month. I joked that he did this so he could spend some time inside now that the weather was turning colder.

For the first few days, I kept him in our half bath on a towel. He was content and warm, and slept most of the time. Soon, however, he had no interest in food or water. I went to check on him and found he had tried to get into the trash can. His behavior had changed. I called the vet right away and took him in first thing the next morning.


Turns out he was in so much pain, he had refused to eat or drink and was just looking for a place that felt more secure. Cats livers are not very good at handling pain killers, they end up over working the kidneys, and so pain killers are not made for cats. However, a cat can be put on a canine pain killer in smaller doses and for short periods of time. This is what was done for Onyx. He was sent home with six small doses, one a day for the next three days, and then one on Mon., Wed., and Fri. I also lined our large cat carrier with a soft sheet and put him inside so he would feel safe.

meet Onyx

Onyx is a very loving cat. He loves to get attention, and although he's an outdoor cat for the most part, if given the chance will come inside and snuggle on a lap...and he gets to come in quite often.

He has this beautifully unusual coat, white at the roots, and black on the tips. The vet assistant once commented that it reminded him of rabbit's fur...that same guy said he would have taken Onyx home with him if I had not come to pick up the kitty before his shift ended! He is well liked at the vet's office.

Onyx is a great mouser, which just happens to be perfect for our farm. We have had plenty of "gifts" from him and the other cats left at the front and back doors...mice, moles, birds, frogs, and even a baby rabbit.

He was born here on the farm about two years ago and has two sister and they all three, along with their mother live here.