Hi there:

Well, I got Star and he was groggy.  I took him to meet Sarah and she is
an absolutely lovely person - she has had cats before (I thought she
hadn't) and knew how to treat him in his grogginess.  He didn't want to
come out of the carrier so I opened the container of catnip and he came
out.  He is a total pathetic nip-head.  She had looked at the pictures
of him and decided to name him Hunter, which is a good name for him.  It
suits him.  I had bought him toys and treats and a soft cat bed and left
them with her too.

After some time, I left.  I was very *very* sad to leave him.  I was
surprised by how sad I was.  I am still sad.

I was taken aback by the size of her apartment - it is tiny.  I am
worried about him being a young outdoor kitty transitioning to a small
apartment.  I don't think its ideal.  She works but lives just a few
minutes away from the office so has been going home at lunch.

I think she is an ideal slave but I remain concerned about him being
alone in such a small space.  I am glad that he's in (-31C tonight with
a savage wind chill bringing it to -46C).  I imagine that he will let
her know if he's unhappy and she knows that I get him back if there is
ever any problem.  I have even thought of asking for him back and
finding him a bigger home with people around.  It's getting a little
late for that.

I can't shake the feeling that my time with Star isn't over yet though.

Melba has made a fairly good recovery so far - surprised my brother and
SIL by eating at about 90% of usual and being fairly perky.  I spoke to
my brother tonight and Melba's having the best day ever today.  They
successfully changed her bandage today and it was unmitigated hell but
they got it done.  It stresses them out big time.  She goes tomorrow for
a blood test to see where her red blood cell count is - if it is low (it
was a borderline test before), then she may need a transfusion.  Yikes
again.  But I think she should be okay based on her spunky behaviour.
Ideal the number is 35 - 45 and she was at 22 last time - 16
necessitates a transfusion.  She may get stitches out tomorrow too.
They would also prefer the the feeding tube removed and to syringe feed
if necessary.  She's been eating so well for about 5 days now.

More on the spleen - it was 4 times oversized compared to usual - had a
hematoma and was folded over and growing over upon itself.  They were
proposing an aspiration but realized that if they had penetrated the
hemotoma, it might have created a huge problem.  It could have burst
even over time if they hadn't elected to remove it.  That's what they
said and they seem comfortable with their decision, despite the
complications.  I passed on your comments and concerns Christina and
Lesley - because they echoed what I thought.

Sylvester has been a complete handful at my SIL's dad.  He's happy and
loving and all over John - but scratches every item of furniture, jumps
on everything, climbs on everything, and sleeps in the kitchen sink.  He
drinks and eats in a very very strange manner.  He flattens right to the
ground and has to pry his head over the edge of the bowls to eat and
drinks.  His litterbox habits are pristine.  John likes the cat but
thinks that Sylvester might need more space - he lives in a small condo.
 My brother and SIL are thinking that they might never be able to
integrate Sylvester into their house given Melba's fragile condition and
tendency to stress.

Susan M
Otis and Chester