Laundry Time!

Just a quick post about the chaos that is my house. :)
So our washing machine is out of commission, and I have procured a replacement but have not yet done the switch in moving the machines around.
So what do you do when you run out of underwear? Have a laundry lesson.

So first I picked up a bar of soap. As a busy beaver mom who loves natural, eco-friendly products... I chose Dr. Bronner's Organic Castile Bar Soap.. almond scent.

So we took the laundry that needed done... upstairs to the bathroom. I have a large green tub from IKEA

This is what my son did his laundry in. I used the bathtub. 

Next, I filled both with hot water and broke out the bar of soap. 

Hand scrubbing the clothes was fun. While we did the laundry I explained how this is how they did laundry in old fashioned times. (He loves everything old-timey)

Also, I explained that when you go camping for extended periods of time, you're not going to have a washing machine around, and this is what you do if you need clean underwear or socks. 

Overall, a fun and excellent learning experience. 

Luckily the dryer works, so we were able to toss the rung out clothes in the dryer and continue onto our Saturday night activities. 

Stray Kitten.

Well it certainly has been busy here in the busy beaver household.
It started last month....

While Saturday went off without a hitch and I actually got my living room cleaned to the level I wanted....
Sunday went totally off-script.
I was taking my son to his dad's house after breakfast with the grandparents, when I saw a small shape in the middle of the road. I stopped the car,  and proceeded to pick up (with out any argument or fight) a small gray kitten.

Estimated age: 7 weeks old

**** Disclaimer: I was a Vet Tech/Assistant for several years and feel comfortable with the treatment options I pursued. ALWAYS check with your vet! This is just what I did for the kitten I found.*******

Luckily I had a box in my car so we managed to put him in there. Upon returning home, I took care of his major problems.
* Severe Flea Anemia
* Ear Mites
* Intestinal Worms (guessing by his big belly)
* Severely malnourished/underweight
* Upper respiratory infection
* Goopy Eyes

First a bath. Can't get rid of flea anemia without getting rid of the fleas.
I bathed him in plain warm water and then a little dawn dish soap.... rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar (fleas hate that).

(DO NOT USE over the counter flea products. Those can kill your kitten!!!)

Of course, since I submerged his body, all the fleas ran to the top of his head. Poor little guy.... so I caught them with my fingernails and squished or drowned as many as I could.
Toweled him off and fed him next... some kitten milk replacer (kmr) formula, and canned cat food. Trying for maximum calories.

Ears.... cleaned out his ears the best I could, but as it was Sunday, the vet wasn't open to get ear meds.
I also used sterile eye wash and cotton pads to clear away as much of the yellow eye discharge that I could.

I isolated the kitten in a dog crate with a litter box, polar fleece blankets and food and water.. plus my son donated a stuffed animal to keep it company.

At this point I wasn't sure if the kitten was going to make it, the flea anemia was pretty severe. His gums were pure white.

I also washed the blankets and towels I used for transport and bath and threw the box outside. Don't want those pesky fleas in my house.
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Monday: Day 2 of the kitten extravaganza
Kitten still has a great appetite and a huge belly.
I went to tractor supply to get some more supplies. I noticed they had Terramycin, which is great for eye infections. So I applied that 2 x a day for 10 days.  (I noticed a difference within 24 hrs, but as with antibiotics you have to finish the due course.)

I also picked up some pyrantel pamoate. I remembered from vet tech days that this was the dewormer of choice.  I couldn't remember the dosage, so I gave a small amount. (proper dose for a small kitten is about 1/2 cc squirted in the mouth of 50mg/ml)

Day 3- 5: Kitten is getting stronger and stronger. Eating well, and overall doing very well. Gave a second bath to get rid of more fleas.
I put diluted lavender oil on all my other pets to deter the fleas from traveling to them.
Day 6: Vet appointment.
Kitten did have ear mites, and intestinal parasites. Flea anemia is much better but still has a few fleas left.
I chose not to test for FELV/FIV at this time.
- I felt his flea anemia was still recovering and needed his blood.
- My strictly indoor cats are older 10-12 years old, and not much risk for them if they contract those diseases at this point.

We did not give him his vaccines yet either. His immune system was already compromised with the upper respiratory infection.  He did receive an antibiotic injection though, and some Revolution.
Revolution is awesome for cats because:
- kills ear mites
- kills fleas
- kills intestinal parasites (roundworms and hookworms)
- kills heartworms in cats (not too worried about that right now)

So it took care of most of his problems up front.

Fast forward to another week..... he's gained weight and getting bigger. Definitely more energetic and playful as my older cats will begrudgingly attest to. (They're not too sure about this THING I brought into the house.)  He is recovered from his goopy eyes, and flea anemia (nice pink gums!).
Still an occassional sneeze here and there, but all in all, a healthy kitten. NOW to get him his shots, and eventually neuter him.

Whether he'll stay with us or get a different permanent home is unclear.... I really don't need extra pets right now... but the kitten is cute... and loves to snuggle with the BusyBeaverMom....

We're still arguing over a proper name.......purrmeister is sitting by my head as I type...