Three of the kittens have names

As I mentioned in my prior post I was only able to corral three of Grayson's five kittens so I could take them to the vet for their vaccines but most importantly so I could know what sex they are and be able to prioritize the females in my efforts to have them fixed.

Since I have a poor track record at guessing their sex I had not named them. That changed as soon as I had the expertise of a veterinarian. I bought a bag of twelve reflective cat collars some time ago but just my luck and my CRS...I could not remember where I put them 😞

Thankfully, the vet had some armbands that they use to place on pet crates with their owners' names and used them as makeshift collars for the kittens. Two of the gingers turned out to be females and a gray one with white paws was a male.

This is Darla...the brighter colored of the gingers wearing an orange collar.

This is Sam, the only male with a blue collar...

This is Karen...why Karen? Because she is a terrible kitten always fighting and bullying her siblings...

My fear is that Karen will take her collar off and then I will be unable to distinguish her from her other pale orange sibling who is identical to her and whom I was not able to corral. I do not want to have to pay for more vaccines and apply them to the wrong ginger.

Next week when I go to pick up Grayson I will try to take the remaining two but that is easier said than done when it comes to feral cats.

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Cat Humor

Grayson will be at the vet for five days

I was finally able to take Grayson to the vet this morning and as a bonus three of her kittens. Hard as I tried the other two eluded me. Why did I want to take her kittens? So the vet could tell me with certainty what their sex is in order to prioritize getting the females fixed first.

I was happy to find plenty of parking right by their front door which is highly unusual. I was glad I did not have to walk two blocks carrying two Pet Taxis. I went in first and asked the ladies at the front desk if it was OK to park by their entrance since the curb was painted bright yellow. She said the City of Acuña did that in most of the downtown streets...to go ahead and park...so I did!

There were only four other customers and their pets when we arrived.

The kittens cried all the way but once inside they got quiet...perhaps because there were four dogs there? In the picture, you can only see two of the ginger kittens but there was another one in the back.

The vet examined Grayson's paw, cleaned it up, and gave her two shots. He told me I had to put on this green ointment twice a day. I again had to explain to him that she is a feral cat and did not let me near her when I tried to clean her paw with peroxide after the accident happened or the following days.

He said the only solution would then be for her to stay at the clinic for five days so they could apply the medication. I agreed but was afraid to ask how much this was going to cost me but she is worth whatever amount it might be.

He examined the kittens and said they were in good health. Two of the gingers are girls and the gray with white paws is a male. He dewormed them at no charge and then applied vaccines or I would not have been able to legally cross them back to the USA. Though I must add that only once have the Custom Officials asked me for my cat's vaccine record. That was with Blanca.

My bill for the three kitten's vaccines was $1,140.00 pesos the equivalent of $57.00 USD.

I was hoping they would have let her stay in the blue Pet Taxi but he said she would be more comfortable in a larger cage and took her away.  I hope she is fine and is not too scared as most of the pets they bring to the clinic are dogs.

We came right back home. The wait was only ten minutes to cross into the United States.

This guy had it made he was able to avoid the line just like people on their bicycles are.

I do not know what they are called but they are fast...

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Grayson's paw is no longer swollen

Grayson's paw is no longer swollen but the tip is black and she still hobbles. I need to take her to the vet but we have been without air conditioning since my last post and I can not lock up the house with temperatures in the 90s and my prepper food supplies in the house.

The temperature in the kitchen on
Friday, August 19th at 3:25 p.m.

The temperature in the rest of the house
on Friday, August 19th at 3:26 p.m.

I do not believe there is anything they can do for her even if I had taken her early on...we will never know 😢

As far as Luna is concerned I have pretty much given up on ever catching her. I think she is crazy and she has distanced herself from her two now five-month-old cats from which she was inseparable. One of those cats looks a lot like Grayson and has taken to hanging out with her and her five kittens.

Luna spends most of her time by the northern cinder block fence or in the vacant lot on the other side which is totally fine since I own it. The only time she comes around is to eat or drink water. Bonnie Mae does the same.

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Grayson injured her paw

 I feed the cats twice a day once in the morning and again in the late afternoon. It is a chore because I have fifteen cats trying to chase me while I am carrying their plates and food and they don't much care if they trip me. That is why I like the new use I found for the shoe tray as I can put more plates and they don't all go for the first one as they fight each other over the food like they were famished or something like it.

This picture was taken later as I can not take pictures and feed them at the same time. This little ginger eats a LOT!

Sunday morning as I was feeding them and keeping them from killing each other I heard a cat crying loudly and when I looked over it was Grayson who was dangling from one of her paws like stuck on a branch of the bougainvillea plant.

This plant was the culprit

If that was not enough her other leg was being poked by another thorny plant. I ran to her aid and was glad she did not claw me and allowed me to hold her as I tried to pry her paw away but it had gone through her paw pad. I soon as I released her she took off very frightened and went under the kitchen crawl space.

Being the good mother that she is...she later came out to nurse her kittens who had already eaten and very well. Look how swollen her paw is as she holds it up.

Here she is giving me the "evil eye"...

This being Sunday the vet's office was closed. Fast forward to Monday and it began raining at 4:00 a.m. and did not quit all day. We received a lot of rain but Ciudad Acuña registered 6 inches and many streets were flooded.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday I tried to catch her inside the Pet Taxi while she ate but Tuesday the only ones that got inside it were her kittens. Look how swollen her paw is.

Wednesday I tried to catch her as she ate outside of the pet carrier but would you believe she bit me and then ran away? Thank goodness she received a rabies shot last week! I had errands to run so I let her be. Thursday I had to go get new tires as I could not take a chance crossing the border and then getting stranded in México.

Right now it is 1:42 a.m. on Friday, August 19th, and the air conditioner is acting up. At this early hour, it is 85 degrees with a feel-like temperature of 89 degrees. I am going to try to catch her but she won't go in unless there is food and I can't feed her if there is a chance she will be operated on. Though I have no medical training, the way she is walking does not look good. Wish us both luck 😢

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Grayson has been spayed

Thursday - August 11, 2022

Last Thursday, I was able to easily trick Grayson into going inside her Pet Taxi by placing two tiny cat morsels so she could smell them. The training I have had with her and her kittens was successful and there was no drama involved.  

I found another use for the shoe tray I bought at Ollie's I now place it in the back car seat and then put the Pet Taxi on top of it to prevent it from moving around.

We went early and she was such a good girl did not cry or whine even once.

The line to cross into México was not long at all.  A funny thing happened that I had never experienced before. I  have previously mentioned that two-persons man the line...a Mexican Custom Official and a member of the Mexican Army.  As I approached the army guy left and only the Custom Official remained. He looked different kind of like a Rambo very muscular, tall, with his face covered and dark sunglasses. He said, "Do you know your inspection sticker has expired?"  I replied that I did but I had the new one in my purse and I showed it to him. I remarked that it was the first time that a Mexican official ever brought it to my attention. I got the impression he was a higher-ranking officer.

In Texas, you have a five-day grace period before they pull you over for this offense. I am famous for waiting weeks before placing mine on the windshield but I always carry it with me. I have since replaced it.

Even though I went early it was hard to find a parking space and had to walk two blocks carrying Grayson...it is a good thing she is skinny. I was once again surprised that the head veterinarian offered to have her ready by noon just like he did when I took Chester. This allows me to only make one trip versus two.

Everything has gone up and veterinary services are not the exception. I paid $2,750.00 Pesos for the surgery and vaccines. The exchange rate was $20.00 Mexican Pesos to $1.00 USD. That comes to $137.50 USD versus $122.50 or $15.00 dollars more.

The line at noon to return home was equally sparse, I barely had time to pull my passport from my purse. I got a lady Custom Officer and she did not notice my "expired sticker" she was more interested in talking about my cat. She said she was an animal lover...I now regret not having asked if she knew anyone who wanted to adopt some very cute kittens.💓

I kept Grayson in the carrier and like all the other cats after surgery, I placed her on top of my ice chests in the kitchen to let her rest and sleep off the medication.

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Tractor & Supply / Training kittens to eat inside Pet Taxi

I buy my cat food at Tractor & Supply because they have a good variety but most importantly because they take it out to my car. However, it has been hard to find the Multi-Cat 44 lb bag for the past three months. Now that I have five more mouths to feed it is more cost-efficient.

I went last week but once again they were out of it so I had to buy another brand. Being outdoor cats they enjoy their Outdoor Complete Formula but it sure has gone up in price!

They love this Tractor & Supply brand...the cat on the package looks so much like Donald, Grayson, and Luna's two cats.

I have been placing food in one of the bigger Pet Taxis and holding the door open by using a bungy cord so they can get used to the crate and not fear it for the day they are old enough to be neutered or spayed I can take them to the vet without a fight.

They look big but they are not it is due to me enlarging the picture.

If I am in a hurry I just go ahead and feed them by the back patio.

Muñeca who is sister to Donald, and Luna has never really grown, she is small for her age, and now enjoys fighting with the kittens. I have had to get after her as she does not realize how much stronger she is in comparison to these 8-week-old kittens.

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Kittens had their first taste of cat food this morning

Grayson has been hiding from her kittens of late and yesterday she laid down with her tummy to the ground so her litter could not nurse. She is a small cat even though in the pictures she looks bigger than she is. 

Grayson

The kittens since they emerged last week have taken to going to look for her when she leaves them to go eat or to just chill on top of dad's old car. They are still too small to be able to jump on top of the car so they wait under the car.

To help her out I decided to help wean them so gave them their first taste of dry cat food. I suppose the other cats were leary but one of the ginger kittens really seemed to like it. 

The others finally joined in but I had to get a bigger bowl so they could have a chance at grabbing a bite because this kitten was not given the others an opportunity. 😁

I will have to say...I think they liked it...

Even after all they ate, Grayson ended up nursing them...she is a good momma cat!

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Grayson's kittens finally emerged

Grayson's kittens finally emerged two days before they turned four weeks old. I saw them early in the morning last week as I was watering the plants and did not happen to have my glasses on. They were looking at me from the small crawl space under the kitchen door. 

I had to do a double take as they looked like triplets. Yep, three little ginger kittens...cute as a button! After I finished my morning chores I saw them once more but this time two more had joined them...one that looked like her and another that looked like Donald.

Here is the proud momma and her litter...

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Chester was the lucky one / Luna remains elusive

Tuesday, July 19. 2022 after having hardly slept... much like the last time I took Donald to the vet in México...I started my day early by setting up my two Pet Taxis in strategic places around dad's old car where I feed my brood.

Like last time my main focus was capturing Luna but that is easier said than done. She does not trust anyone and won't even allow me to come near her much less pet her. I bought some heavy-duty leather gloves at DD's at a bargain price the last time I was there. My first choice was thorn-proof garden gloves from Walmart.com but they have gone up significantly in price since I last placed them on my list.

To say we had a struggle is putting it mildly. Luna went wild and I was in serious need of long gloves like in the above picture. She got one of her paws inside one glove where she managed to scratch me once before I let go of her...she took off like a bat out of hell...😠

My second choice was Chester who was so willing to be placed on the smaller of the Pet Taxis last time but did not fit...decided he too would give me a hard time but at least he did not try to scratch me.

Here is a picture I took of him before we left for México...he looks a little worried!

I do not know if it was due to the heat or maybe because it was Tuesday but there was very little traffic crossing the border into México.

Likewise, at the vet's, there was plenty of parking space and his office was not full of clients like there usually is.  After the vet checked him over he told me to come to pick him up after 12:30 p.m. I was pleasantly surprised because that meant I did not have to make two trips.

Before being taken to have his surgery, Chester wanted to send a video message to Governor Greg Abbott of Texas...

Translation from cat to human talk:  Help me, Governor Abbott, I want you to protect my male cat reproductive rights!  Why is this woman deciding for me?

I left him and went to run errands in Ciudad Acuña which I will cover in more detail in my other blog Terlingua Dreams. Click on the header picture and it will take you there though I have yet to write it... give me until this afternoon.

Picked Chester up at the agreed-upon time. Once again I paid 2,450.00 Mexican Pesos... which consisted of $2,300.00 for the surgery and $150.00 pesos for his vaccines... today's exchange rate was $20.00 pesos to one US dollar...$122.50 USD.

There were only two cars in front of me to cross back to the USA. By this time it was much hotter so I will give credit to the weather for the smaller lines.

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I had intended to take Luna but it ended up being Donald

The wait to get a veterinary appointment to spay/neuter a cat or dog seems to get longer at my Veterinary practice in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila - México. I suppose I should be glad because that means that more owners are taking this welcome and positive step in improving the life and health of their pets.

I have been trying to gain Luna's confidence for a long time but for some reason, she continues to evade me and she has taught that to her two kittens. They only follow me when they see me walking around with food but keep their distance until I go inside.

I suffer from chronic insomnia and it does not help when I have to get ready for an early appointment or when we have to go out of town. I was wide awake at 3:11 a.m. making it more difficult was that Mr. Joe's security light kept on being activated and light flooding my room since I only have blinds on the windows as I do not like curtains. Got up and decided to start my day.

At 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21st I went outside to "pretend" to feed the cats...my objective was to nab Luna but she was having none of it. I came back with food so the other cats could eat except for Chester who was going to be my second choice. However, an opportunity presented itself and I was able to nab Donald and immediately placed him in the larger blue Pet Taxi that I had staged by the side of dad's old car...he was not very happy about it 😠 and put up a fight once he was inside even turning the cage over. Glad I took him by surprise!

I have a smaller cat carrier and had no problem with Chester letting me try to place him inside since it has a top opening but he was too big for it. It would have been great if I could have taken both in one swift trip. That was the carrier I had for Luna since she is skinny.

It only took eight minutes to cross to Ciudad Acuña. Mexican Immigration works in pairs...one is a member of the military and the other is an Immigration Officer. They were both young and cordial the lady military (who had a big gun) asked me to pop the trunk which I did. I only had my empty grocery bags (stores no longer provide bags you have to bring your own) as I was going to go shopping after dropping Donald off at the vet. They quickly sent me on my way.

Though it was a little after 8:15 a.m. I was barely able to get a parking space as he has a big practice which I would say is 85 percent American and 15 percent Mexican. I am sorry this photo did not come out very well.

It took a while to get called and I had to warn them that Donald was a wild one. I told them my problem with trying to trap Luna and how I feared that now that her kittens were 9 or 10 weeks old she would get pregnant again. I got a verbal commitment from them that if I trapped Luna I could bring her and they would try to work her in as long as she had not eaten.

I left him in capable hands and went shopping...I will cover that in my other blog...Terlingua Dreams.  You can click on my header picture and it will take you there or click on this link https://terlinguadreams.blogspot.com/

Crossed back to the USA around noon. The wait was 35 minutes and I got a young lady officer who was also nice, unlike others I have gotten in the past.

It was very hot and my feet hurt from all the walking I did in México but I was afraid to take a nap and oversleep so I just went on with my day. I returned to Ciudad Acuña a little after 4:00 p.m.

Another long wait to pick him up. The good thing is they were limiting two people per pet as the waiting room is small.

Donald still under the effects of sedation was mellow...

I was charged $2,300.00 Mexican pesos for the surgery and $150.00 pesos for his shots. That comes to $2,450.00 pesos at an exchange rate of $20.00 pesos to one US dollar or $122.50 USD for a cat that does not like me and the feeling is mutual. However, I am 99.9 percent sure he is the father of Luna's kittens as well as the recently born litter Grayson had two days ago (future post on that).

They had more lanes open for the second crossing back to the United States and again I was greeted by a young and friendly officer...talk about having good luck! 

Here is Donald with his innocent face as if saying "why mommy?" 😁 Once we got home and I opened the Pet Taxi he took off like lightning.  He came back to eat but kept an eye on me and then I never saw him until the following day.

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