Raising Ivy

On the 1st of October, Ivy was born. She was tiny, helpless and an adorable ball of fluff. The first time my sister and I saw her was when she was a week old, hidden under some Ivy ( yes, hence the name )(apparently I’m like a native American the way I name my pets). She was the only kitten in her litter or at least she was the only one that her mother chose to look after.

 However her mother cat isn’t the best of mothers. She was just a stray cat that my uncle fed and she ended up staying. So after three weeks she decided she didn’t want Ivy anymore. I found Ivy In her usual spot, freezing cold, soaking wet, covered in her own diarrhoea and barely breathing. It was horrible to see. Everyone thought she was gonna die, and fairly soon. But I picked her up and put her on a cushion, covered her in a blanket and brought her home. I spent four hours gradually trying to heat her. First, just inside the door at home, then by a radiator and finally near the fire on a hot water bottle. Every now and again she would stretch and let out this horrible moaning screech. It was so upsetting to be there.

After the four hours, she still wasn’t anyway warm. Under her paws were so cold. But I was afraid she might dehydrate so, with a dropper I fed her warm water mixed with a little sugar. She still wasn’t moving so it was only when her mouth opened that I could drop some water on her tongue.
During the night I got up again to giver her some water. She slept on a hot water bottle with a blanket over her.

The next morning she was sitting up. A friend of mine had raised kittens during the summer so she gave me some of the powered milk that was leftover, until I could get to the vets. That day I fed her with a dropper, which is extremely difficult to do. The day after I bought my own box of powdered milk and it’s much easier to feed her with the bottle that is included.

Now she is 7 weeks, and I can finally sleep more often. Being a mother is so difficult, all the crying, pooping and constant neediness! I can only imagine what a real baby would be like. But anyway Ivy is doing brilliantly except for the biting. She just loves to attack our feet. She plays outside in the shed during the day and enjoys scaring my other cats; Daisy and Mona ( they’re beginning to accept her as part of the family).  Her favourite toys are shoes and laces and she like to cuddle before going to bed.