Kittens!

We drove back yesterday from visiting Nathan, and then I got dressed up and went ballroom dancing at my dance studio.  When I arrived home at about 9:30pm our very pregnant cat immediately greeted me and ran to the box we had prepared for her to deliver in.  She was trying and pushing, but all we saw was a little tail trying to come out.  I called my neighbor, Pam, who had wanted to be there for the delivery, so she came over.  When we realized nothing was happening despite all the pushing our cat was doing Pam suggested we contact Fetch Emergency Veterinary Hospital.  They said if none of the kittens were coming out we would need to bring her in for a c-section.  Sure enough, that's what we had to do.  So thankful for Pam's suggestion, because Fetch was fantastic!  They called a surgeon in from home, and when she got there she met with us and explained what she was going to do and showed us the x-ray where it looked like there were 4 or 5 kittens in there.  I also requested she spay our cat while she was in there, and she agreed.  The surgeon then suggested we go home and get some rest (by now it was well after midnight) and they would call us in the morning.  The crazy thing about it is that we had to put down a $3000 deposit, and we have always kind of joked about those pet owners who spent thousands of dollars on their pet!  Goes to show - never judge!  Anyway, they called us this morning and she didn't have 4, or 5, or even 6 kittens.  No - she had 7!!  But they said one was a runt and probably wouldn't make it.  We bought kitten formula and a bottle and went and got them and brought them all home. (by the way, Fetch said it was less expensive than the deposit we put down and they actually gave us a $150 refund!).  We started feeding the little kitten right away, and needed to feed it every 2 hours.  Tim and I had planned on going down to Port Charlotte for the day to visit my dad and sister, so he encouraged me to go while he stayed behind to feed the kitten.  Tim said the kitten took less of the formula on the 2nd feeding, and even less on the 3rd feeding, and then passed away.  He and Nicole and her friend who was over gave it a proper burial and while it was sad, we're glad we at least tried to save it's life.  Here's a picture of mama cat before delivery and then the kittens, and then a picture of my time in Port Charlotte.  Great visit with the fam!