Moses, One is more green and one tinted more yellow orange.

Ingrid, Jason is so cute in his little kitty cave. We started building a cat house/tree but it got so big that its still out on the back patio lol. I need to make a smaller one to fit in the house.

What a good story -- I am so happy that the kitten survived her rough night! You may want to look into the kind of flea treatment she received. Some cats have a terrible reaction to certain flea treatments.

I just love this story. What wonderful people you both are to do this!

Along the lines of PPs suggestion of Lazarus, Tabitha is the name of a woman who was raised from the dead in the Bible. Tabitha is also the name of Samantha's daughter in the series "Bewitched", especially appropriate for a black cat, though that aspect may or not appeal to you.

Her Greek name was Dorcas.

Lovely, lovely, incredible story. Animals are amazing creatures.

Thank-you all so much. I do enjoy seeing the photos of your cats. Ingrid your Jason looks happy in his house. Sultry, of course your beautiful grey cat has to check out the new roses. Jackie, your Lizzie and your older cat look so comfortable together.

KS I will certainly ask the vet about the treatment she gave the kitten. That was more than scary.

Kristine, I love your idea of calling her Lazarus, but I think Suncoastflowers's idea of Tabitha or Dorcas is more suitable for a female. I think I like the sound of the Hebrew Tabitha more than the Greek Dorcas and she suits the name Tabitha. Thank-you for the idea.

Here are a few more photos.

Daisy

I prefer Tabitha over the Greek version as well. :)

She's a beautiful kitten.

I like Tabatha too. Easy to say a s easy to call

Didn’t Beatrice Potter have a Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit or something? But she was a tabby, I think.

Oh, I just want to cuddle her! Tabitha sounds great, so appropriate while still sounding feminine and delicate. I’ll bet Millie would love to play with her. They sound so much alike! She’ll get along fine with the others, with her attitude. Millie was the same, never hissing back, always trying again with great joy. She never held a grudge, just kept trying to love on “the boys”. Your little girl would be a lot more fun for Millie than my beloved “older gentlemen” Sebastian, or my son’s easily annoyed, Dexter. But hey, they’re all “family”and have their own personalities, just like us. Lisa

Add me to the many people who were touched and uplifted by your story! You and your husband show the ultimate spirit of the Season with the literal gift of life to Tabitha. What a wonderful story of the resilience of life and the joy in sharing that life together. We are so grateful you shared this story with us.

Cynthia

Your little Tabby is so tiny; she has a lot of growing to do, but she is absolutely adorable, and such mesmerizing eyes. I feel that she belongs to all of us now, thank you Daisy.

I'm glad some of the homeless kittens find homes. Yours reminds me of our Charlene. My son, the cat finder, or rather kitten finder, found her above a car wheel. She had ringworm and looked pretty scruffy. Now she is beautiful and strong. Maybe 6 yrs old.

Here she is little:

And bigger:

Your tale about how your kitten got weak and almost died reminds me of another little stray kitten . This one I named Basil. He was very, very sweet and very beautiful. Found him at our front door. I took him to the vet and she said there was nothing terribly wrong with him, just weak. She also gave him a topical flea treatment. He died I think the next day. I think it was the flea treatment but he could have had leukemia or something terrible.

Basil

Good for your husband to help your kitty make it! When I was in college my dad took care of my cat, Mouser. One day Mouser keeled over and quit breathing. My dad gave the cat mouth to mouth artificial respiration and he survived for a couple more years. I had a cat trophy made up for my dad which said, Cat's Hero . My dad especially liked cats.

For most of 2018 we've had stray cats outside. We had a mama cat who had three kittens, and the daddy cat. We had the mother spayed, but then she was hit by a car. She was a wonderful mother. We can't keep all these strays inside. We kept two of the kittens. I bring them in at night, along with Charlene.

I also made some outdoor cat houses out of clear plastic storage tubs. I used clear plastic so there would be light inside, hoping that they would be less afraid to go in them as they could see if they were empty or not. We cut a door in the plastic, put a soft cat bed inside, and of course kept the lid on. When the kittens were a little smaller they used the cat house often.

Now we have a big beige stray coming over to eat. This cat looks very scared most of the time. I can't run a cat shelter but it is too sad to see them alone, hungry, and cold. The shelters around here were all full last time I called them.

This is Bat and Lambie a little younger. They play together a lot. The other day they charged at each other full speed, both leaped up and collided mid air.

I don't mean to hijack your thread, Daisy, but wanted to mention that I think the flea killer might be dangerous for a small , weak kitten..it seemed to have killed Basil.

Also wanted to mention the cheap cat house that can be used by a stray.

Erasmus, I saw this idea adapted for cold winter areas. A styrofoam food carrier was inserted into the tub with the door cut through both materials.

Bless your husband, what a beautiful story!
A few years ago, I rescued a teeny-tiny kitten from my back yard that came up to me crying for help. She could sit in my hand.

I bought some kitty formula to feed it from an eyedropper. The next day I took it to my friend Nancy upstate in the Hudson Valley, as I know she is soft hearted & likes to rescue animals. .

Over the phone the vet told us to bathe our kitty in a basin of warm water. We did, and many, many fleas came off her. We had to repeat this process a few times.

When we brought her in, he said she was stunted and perhaps two weeks older than her size. He said many many kittens' lives have been saved by from anemia by "advantage" (I think it is) flea medicine, but that she was still too young for it.

Nancy fed her for several weeks with an eye dropper, carrying her around in a little carrier made for some tinier animal than a cat. Phoebe eventually became very attached to Nancy's dog and then to one of her male cats who brought sample prey animals indoors to teach her to hunt. Now she is well grown and somewhat wild, though attached to Nancy and Nancy's dog. She doesn't recognize me at all anymore (sniff). Below: Feeding Phoebe

Phoebe and Dash the hound dog.

I have a cat, also, from my backyard:

Such great pictures, Monarda. I am still upset that I let that vet give Basil the flea medicine. There are two vets in that office and I always ask for the other one after this happened. However, a vet tech in the office said she has given small kittens the topical flea stuff with good results. I think Basil was too weak to begin with.

Even flea shampoo has a warning on it not to use before about 12 weeks. I used Dove dishwashing soap on Bat and Lambie but didn't seem to get rid of that many fleas. I gave them the topical stuff when they were older. We nursed two tiny kittens a long time ago for a month or more with little bottles and cat formula. They took to it with a passion. My son the cat finder found these two in the woods on a cold November day..they were just opening their eyes. We had one of them for a very long time..my daughter said it was about 18 years. He was a great cat. He was so strong as a kitten one of my sons nicknamed him Hercules though we always called him Woodbaby. He always called him Hercules. Woodbaby was friendly and welcoming to any animal that came in the house. I like your picture of Phoebe and the dog. I wish my current three terriers would get along with cats. They did for awhile, then decided a cat is something to hunt.

Here is Woodbaby with on topic rose:

His brother was a beautiful longhaired silver tabby named Chiminey. Right after we had Woodbaby neutered Chiminey ran off , never to be seen again. But he was another great one.

Flowersaremusic, I saw the idea about the styrofoam inside a tub also. I think it's a good idea, probably better for warmth than what I made, but I couldn't picture the cats wanting to go in a dark box. I guess some do. What we made does trap some body heat, and the bed helps keep them warm. I have two cat beds under my house, which is a warmer area. They get in and out through an open vent. It is starting to stink under there. Not what I want.

If you just immerse the tiny little guys in warm water -- you don't have to shampoo or even touch them -- a lot, and I mean a lot, of fleas will come off them and float, stunned, in the water. You can then dispose of the fleas and the water any way you wish. (A lot will also come off with a flea comb.) The babies are too young to mind the warm water. The chemical treatment is overkill. Save it for big, robust cats that can withstand it. I was astounded at how many fleas tiny Phoebe had, since you couldn't see them. Just passing this tip along since it was news to me.

What is that lovely rose on the lovely cat, Erasmus, if I may ask?

Erasmus, my 14 yr old Ragdoll mix, won't go in anything dark, so you are right on the mark about that. She's never liked any of the 'cat' enclosures I've bought for her. And when cats make up their minds about something, there's no persuading them otherwise!

I think that rose is probably Mrs. B.R. Cant. Fleas are terrible. I sometimes wonder how wild animals deal with them. They probably try to drown some of them.

There is a cute cat house on ebay I almost bought but in one picture it looks like it is pretty small. I wouldn't mind if someone in my family built one of these on a larger scale with several windows and several different apartments so cats who don't like each other can have some privacy.

Here is the cute cat house:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Story-Outdoor-Weatherproof-Wooden-Cat-House-Condo-Shelter-With-Ladder/152809616597?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEE

Ok, here's a picture combining cat and garden to top off hijacking this thread. I'm guilty ! Come on Daisy, tell us some more.

Some people say cats do not belong outside but they beg to differ. They love it outside. I know they are more at risk but I simply can't keep them in with my dogs. Some cats develop a lot of street smarts and seem to understand the boundaries of their property. I try to teach the kittens to fear the street. Lambie ran at a car not long ago. I shouted at him, " No, no no no no!" and he turned around at the last second and ran back to the yard. He knows " No" because I say no every time I pass the dogs with Lambie in arms. The dogs are jumping and barking ferociously to get at the cat. " No" has to do with threats, they think. Well and good.

Some of the people on this thread -- I should say, on this forum -- have my favorite gardens on the whole internet -- perhaps the world -- and they love cats and dogs, as well!

I’m just loving all these cat pictures and stories! I hope your little one is doing well, Daisy.

Erasmus, that IS an adorable cat condo. It’s $5 off today:) My kitties definitely love being outside, but I let them in the fenced backyard only. Dexter occasionally makes a run for it, and jumps the fence, so I have to keep a close eye on him. Sebastian is too old and chubby for such nonsense, and Millie will never be able to jump any fences. They are so spoiled that they’d be crying at the sliding glass door, if I left them outside for very long. I’ve been keeping my “kitty door” closed, since Dexter brought me a gopher and other catches via the kitty door.

Last year I bought a great indoor cat condo at Costco. The moment my son walked in and saw it, he said, “Millie can’t use that. The vet said after her surgery to never buy her one. Her remaining hind leg will give out much faster if she’s jumping up the levels.” I didn’t know. I meant well, but had to return the giant thing immediately. That was great fun.

I can’t resist taking a picture of Millie sitting on my lap, right now. She’s taking a rest after her morning romp in the garden. She’s thinking about napping here on the patio on my lap, but she keeps hearing another birdie...... Lisa

Hmmm.. I cant help but think that my chickens would LOVE that cat condo erasmus posted lol

I love reading about all of your cat stories and the great photos . From some of your stories, it would seem that the vet was wrong to give such a young kitten flea treatment. Luckily, Tabitha is now going from strength to strength. This week, she has been helping me dress the Christmas tree! So of course, it has taken me twice as long as usual to do.

I only allow her to go outside with me. So I follow her, as she explores the garden and panic if she goes too close to the boundaries, where I would not be able to reach her.

The other three cats are beginning to tolerate her. She still bounds up to them full of fun, but now they only watch her with suspicion and neither lash out or run away. Although I do have to tell her that it is perhaps not such a good idea to play with their tails.

Tabitha is growing fast. She is more than double her original size already.

I will have to take some more photos soon.

Daisy

It's been delightful to come back and follow this thread.

Quickly about fleas, Dipping a cat to flood the fleas off works, and a few drops of Dawn in the water will break any possible fleas floating on the surface to escape. They drown faster with dawn! (Somehow I don't expect to see that on National Dawn Ads any time soon.)

Some cats pass out.

My late great Snurr was an early teenager, and we had a house full of guests in New Orleans. One guest (LB) was sitting on the sofa with me , somehow the house was quiet, and Snurr was receiving quality chin rubbing. Suddenly, her chin slipped off of my hand. LB looked over and said, "Ann, did your cat just die?" (Memorable words, those.) I was just staring ...pulled myself together and I lifted her tail and it dropped like a piece of cooked spaghetti. I lifted paws and they were slack. I pulled her up on her back, and pushed her back hip joints in (I'd done this fairly often as sometimes the left hip joint would get slightly out of alignment.)

\I then lay her on the sofa and her eyes opened and she didn't remember a thing that had happened.

LB started musing about cats having nine lives.

Several years later she started having brief fits that lasted less than thirty seconds. She lasted to 19 1/2 and ruled the house the entire time.

I still don't understand how she could go limp and stay limp for a couple of minutes.

We've had other cats be really sound sleepers. (One recently was so deaf she slept on the vacuum cleaner and didn't even wake when we'd turn it on under her.)

Now we need a couple more kittens to wander up this spring. (East Tennessee, if anybody has some.)

This is such a nice thread with everybody’s kitties (and their emergencies). And Millie!!! Such incredible eyes <3. Tali never experienced any great emergency, but being one of eight kittens and a mother, abandoned at night on a vet clinic’s doorstep is bad enough.

Gdinieontario, what a gorgeous creature! How could anyone give that beautiful baby up. I can't see it, but I just know she/he has a magnificent tail, too. My fur baby has the ruff around her neck like that, and a big fluffy tail. I love seeing everyone's cats. Is there a connection between roses and cats? So many of us on the rose forum have cats.

Tali certainly has a tail:

The picture on the website of the cat rescue showed her like this:

I soon found out that most of that magnificent tail was mats: she did not like to have her tail brushed out ;-).

Daisy, I think we all would love to see more pictures of Tabitha!

Rosesaremusic, a picture of your kitty?

Tali is lovely, gdinieontario! Love that tail and her subtle coloring. Those are both beautiful photos. I don't have any pics of my girl that I haven't posted before. She's in advanced stage renal failure. She's down to 6 lbs. and feels so fragile. She just wants to be held and rocked like a baby these days.

She was healthy here.

She just woke up and not feeling well here. Can't find a pic of her beautiful tail.

Sigh. How beautiful. I am so sorry for her illness.

flowers, I had a dog with severe kidney problems. A vet (lovely man) put her on a paste. I can't remember what it was now, but it is a standard treatment. It helped her a lot. I don't know if the same thing works for cats, and anyway maybe your beautiful girl is already on it.

Monarda, how kind of you. Thank you so much.

Thanks, Trish. I will ask the vet about that. She's on a prescription diet to which I add salmon oil, Vit. B and Catsip, a cat friendly dairy product, all vet approved. She had a 48 hr. IV treatment 2 weeks ago to replenish electrolytes and trace minerals, with the hope it will increase her appetite. It did not.

I'm so sorry you had a pet that suffered with this disease. It's very common and there are no symptoms until it's advanced.

Flowers, I am so sorry for your beautiful girl. I had to let go my previous kitty with renal failure. It is a miserable disease. She is a beauty, and she looks so content and happy in that first picture.

For loss of appetite, have you tried really stinky fish? Our deaf kitty had stopped eating and just lost interest. I had some freezer burned salmon w skin on, and I boiled it up, removed the bones and blended it with minimum water (lots of that grey fat). She smelled it from the next room and came in and demanded it.

For the next two and a half years she ate puree of mackeral (vile smelling stuff) and canned salmon. I'd pour off the brine each was canned in and then puree with water. Twitchit did survive two and a half years on that vile diet. I'd make four cans at a time and freeze three. (Clean up also smelled). Warning: any plastic that it's stored in will take on a smell that can't be washed away.

What finally took Twitchit (who I mentioned above as deaf and who slept on the vacuum cleaner) was a slow growing brain tumor that grew slowly out of her left ear space. It didn't affect her actions or reactions, it was just there.

I think we remember animals we've loved more than many movies we've seen. Our minds hold onto that which is real.

Flowers, I'm sorry about your beautiful kitty too.

Daisy, so nice to hear Tabitha is doing well. Ann, I enjoyed hearing about your kitty on the vacuum cleaner. I wish I could transport some of the strays around here to TN. Gdinie, I like that picture of your fluffy cat in the tree.

Renal failure is an insidious disease that takes so many pets lives. Cats, especially, hide their illnesses so well that it's hard to know when they're sick.

Gdinnie, I'm sorry that you've been through this awful disease with your cat. It's truly heartbreaking.

Stillann, I know you're right about the fish. I'll talk to the vet about it. Salmon oil on her food helps. Her protein is limited, but, there comes a time when you just want them to eat. I'm so sorry you lost Twitchit, who sounds like a fun kitty.

Thank you, erasmus. It is comforting to know how much others love cats and appreciate their distinctive behavior. They are funny little people.

Daisy, we'd love to see more of Tabitha and have an update on how she's doing.

Jin, what "reckless procedure" was attempted on your poor kitty?

I loved looking at all these sweet kitties and reading their stories, and at the end was in tears because I have lost cats, one due to renal failure, and you never really get over the loss, even though a new shelter kitty takes its place. They are each unique in their own way, and all loved, and each one is remembered always.

My husband is the animal nurturer in our house. We don't have kittens since we always adopt older cats that can't find a home as easily, but he saved the life of a baby wild mouse and hand fed her, and Mousey lived with us in her cage for some years until she died in my husband's hand of a tumor. We still miss her very much. Such a little life and yet she loved us and we still love her.

Sammie was another orphan raised by us until we let her outside at four months when she made it clear she was ready to go. She lived on for about six years and only this year left us. Gone but never, ever forgotten.

Here's Jason a few days ago. He doesn't get to go outside because of all the dangers from predators, although he'd like to.

Ingrid, your Mousey and Sammie are great. Other little companions. We had pet mice when I was a kid. I can still rattle off the five names in sequence. Your Mousey is beautiful with her white belly. Believe it or not, I still miss Shnake, our son’s corn snake. He died more than 4 years ago. He used to sometimes sit in the hood of our son’s hoodie while he was doing homework

Here are old pics of Billa as a kitten.

Billa

Both fast asleep...lol.

Nikita name her second cat as Billa also.

Nikita went into fit at the vet's office. Her best friend. . We still talks about the first Billa. Never had a cat like that who loves to play tag, sleep at night and up all day. Such a character , personality and thinks he is a dog . greeting us at door, recognising our car and first to ran to greet us. Have 3 meals a day. Billa was very unique character.

jin

I just took her pics a few mins ago without her knowing Bec Nikita is very camera shy.
She and her best friend ❤️

jin

Jin, what was the "reckless procedure". I'd like to avoid one for my pets if possible.

Oh, my goodness! Each one so precious and sweet. And, Jin, your daughter is so pretty! What an unbelievably sad story about how you lost your first cat. Billa, Jr. is a fluff ball with gorgeous coloring. Ragamuffins are similar to Ragdolls, which my cat is, partly.

Gdinnie, I'm not quite there yet with snakes. When my grandson came to live with us for university, I told him he could have any kind of pet he wanted, except snakes, which of course was his first choice. He opted to foster 3 baby kittens and still has one of them.

Ingrid, bless you for adopting older cats and keeping them safe indoors. My Daisy (with apologies to Daisyincrete) is an indoor girl, too. She's part Ragdoll, and they are known to be easy prey because they won't fight back. Jin explained it very well. Your Mousey and baby squirrel are also as cute as can be. Jason is a beautiful boy! He looks like a young fella. He has a sweet face and beautiful coloring.

Shiela, we don't know. Billa was so under age but as he grew strong and received all his shots. When he started to spray the house and with vet advise to have him sprayed. He was very healthy and happy cat.
We did not do any autopsy because they charge a lot. But the vet believes it is anesthesia that may have cause it. He said he used recommended for cats but after I been googling and talking to a lot of cat breeders like the second cat which was a pure breed. The ACK breeders told us this docs used too much meds but when they have theirs cats spray after shows and all. They put them on lower dosage .
So when time came we ask the same vet if not we will take Ragmuffin cat to recommended vets where most AKC breeders go to. The vet told us he followed the protocol of the recommendation provide by state but he can make an exceptional and used less medicine for us. He agreed that it can be too strong for some cats.
Our vet is not private but works for Animal hospital by State .
The Siamese kitten we found must be thrown away by someone. It was not a stray kitten. It was so young that he can only move by two front legs and he was dragging his back hind legs. Barely opening his eyes believe he might be less than 3 weeks old. We look for a nest the next day and basically the whole week. None at all and no other kittens or cat.
His chances without a mother was barely 10 per cent and we follow very strick schedule until he grew stronger and stronger. We wrap him up with baby blankets / towels. We bought best milk from vets, bottles, heating pad and all.

We believe he gave Billa too much medicine or maybe allegic reaction. The vet has never lost an animal except for 2 in his life time. Even he believes it could be the above too much or allegic. It greatly affected him so he went with lesser amount for us.
Jin

Thank you, Jin. I have heard of anesthesia deaths sadly too. Poor, poor kitty.