How Basic got his name

Basic's Mom

Basic's Mom

Member Since 2023
Basic's numbers could be better. I held this dose a little longer after his last increase (previously had 3 back to back reductions under SLGS and we've switched to TR since) because he is newer to numbers in the 200s and dosing protocol suggest to do this.

Today's numbers have shocked me though. I would've assumed he got into his sister's 14% carb wet, but when Basic has stolen food in the past, he leaves nothing behind, not even a speck. She had plenty of food in her bowl.

I'm saying all this to ask if I should try a full increase of .25 or if I should try a dose in between 3.5 and 3.75. I understand his numbers can be lower with TR. Just would like some guidance on what others would do. What I don't want to happen is me make an increase and turn around and have 3 reductions again. It isn't likely with TRs protocol though.

TIA
 
Basic's Mom said:
Basic's numbers could be better. I held this dose a little longer after his last increase (previously had 3 back to back reductions under SLGS and we've switched to TR since) because he is newer to numbers in the 200s and dosing protocol suggest to do this.

Today's numbers have shocked me though. I would've assumed he got into his sister's 14% carb wet, but when Basic has stolen food in the past, he leaves nothing behind, not even a speck. She had plenty of food in her bowl.

I'm saying all this to ask if I should try a full increase of .25 or if I should try a dose in between 3.5 and 3.75. I understand his numbers can be lower with TR. Just would like some guidance on what others would do. What I don't want to happen is me make an increase and turn around and have 3 reductions again. It isn't likely with TRs protocol though.

TIA
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For where his BG is, I would not fatten the dose, I’d give him the full 0.25u increase to 3.75u. While doing fat and skinny doses is mentioned in the TR protocol, we have generally found that until a cat gets really low in dose, they do much better with a full 0.25u increase and decrease.

Reductions don’t generally come so quickly with TR because it is more aggressive. So if he drops below 50 during a cycle and then again the next day, we don’t reduce again because it’s likely the depot. If a cat continually fails reductions, we also have the option of allowing three drops between 40 and 50 before reducing. So don’t worry about increasing and then having him stall out from back to back reductions. We try to not take those unless the BG falls below 40 within 3-4 cycles after a reduction.

Good luck with the increase.
 
Marje and Gracie said:
While doing fat and skinny doses is mentioned in the TR protocol, we have generally found that until a cat gets really low in dose, they do much better with a full 0.25u increase and decrease.
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I tried to do this, but lo & behold, it didn't work, besides that my kitty was no where near that stage. Guess I was getting frustrated to go down .25, and then have to go back up .25, and then reduce yet again.... and again. :oops:
Glad you're getting help from the moderators.

Also, Leo seemed to take longer to settle in to a new dose.

You're doing great with Basic. BTW, how did you get the name for your fur baby?
 
La-La Leo said:
I tried to do this, but lo & behold, it didn't work, besides that my kitty was no where near that stage. Guess I was getting frustrated to go down .25, and then have to go back up .25, and then reduce yet again.... and again. :oops:
Glad you're getting help from the moderators.

Also, Leo seemed to take longer to settle in to a new dose.

You're doing great with Basic. BTW, how did you get the name for your fur baby?
Click to expand...
It can certainly get old to go up and down around the same dose but, eventually, the kitty settles in, earns a reduction that holds, and then, often, does the same thing at the next lower dose. It just takes patience. In many kitties, the liver suddenly “clicks” and the race down the dosing ladder becomes very fast.

My Gracie also needed about 11 cycles to really settle into a dose. I gave her that much time as long as she had gotten into the 100s frequently on a dose. Know thy cat!
 
@La-La Leo
I'm the person everyone calls when an animal needs help. Doesn't matter if they are domestic or not either. I've helped raccoons and even birds of prey. Spent years working with domestic animal rescues though. So, when I got a frantic call about abandoned kittens, I was shocked, but not super worried. I wasn't worried because cats are excellent mothers. Humans usually try an interject themselves when they find babies of any animal and it often leaves the mom just watching as her babies are taken.

My friend called me because she found newborn kittens on the ground of her wood shed. It was pretty cold as it was September here. I was still at my 9-5 downtown, which was an hour from her place. I told my friend that she could put some food out for the mom, but instructed her not to bother the kittens. Young ferals could possibly abandoned kittens, but I was more worried that mom had gotten hit and killed or that she was nearby and too afraid of my friend's presence. The clock was ticking though because of the temp, as they cannot regulate their body temperature yet. I got off work, went to the store and then to her house because the food had been untouched and the kittens have been exposed to these temps for a few hours by this point.

When I arrived, I was shocked at the condition that the preemie calico was in. She was so incredibly tiny and cold. I stuck each of them in my shirt as I started preparing bottles. My friend's son was so upset that they couldn't keep the kittens that he had already named. My friend knew what my life was about to become. She had 3 younger children, all in sports, and knew she didn't have the time it would require to do the job I had just taken on. I felt awful for this child because I knew how I would've felt. I promised him I would keep the black and white kitten's name that he chose which was Basic.

I had no previous experience with handraising newborn kittens though. NONE. Everyone told me to just drop them off at a vet's door. I'm pretty stubborn and love challenges and also thought it would be unacceptable to drop babies on a doorstep anywhere. The next 120 days my life was nothing but caring for newborn kittens. I took them with me to my 9-5. I wasn't allowed to have them in the office. I kept them in my car in the parking garage below my building. Every 2 hours, I warmed up water bottled for warmth, warmed up formula but never in the microwave, feed them, burped them, cleaned their faces, and helped them use the restroom as they can't do that on their own at that age.

Everyone told me I would fall and love and keep them. I laughed and said "you can't keep all the ones you love in rescue."

As they started getting closer to the age where they could "leave the nest", I made arrangements for them to go to their new homes. They were all people I knew. I didn't go through saving them for them to end up in shitty homes. People were backing out for one reason or another, moving and job loss. I just made the decision to let my best friend pick the one she wanted and keep the other 2.

Moonshine is the tiny calico that only survived because of her will and tenacity. Basic has been the biggest of all 3 kittens from the beginning and still is. In fact, I used to have to stick my pinky in his mouth as a pacifier because he was never satisfied with the meals he was given and just carried on. You have to carefully weigh them each time before you feed them and their weight determines the amount of formula they get. You don't want to overfeed them. My friend still has Si, their littermate.

Two years prior, on this exact date that the kttens came into my life, my dog had waited for me to get home to die in my arms.

Fast forward to that same date, on his 10 birthday this year, I took Basic to his vet becasue he was so sick. I told him I wouldn't allow his death to be like Frankie's. That if he needed to pass he could, but I would save him if he wanted to live. 2 days later we were at the ER. 7 days after that, I found this group.

And that's the story of the Harvest Moon kitties. I'll try and attach some photos tomorrow when I'm at my mom's. They were/are the cutest.

Thank you for your kind words and for asking.
 
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The syringe is the same one in each photo of them being fed. That was just how drastic of a size difference between Basic and Moonie were. Si was in the middle for size and still is. Moonie was so tiny. I cant find my notes, but she was itty bitty. Basic still sleeps with his paws touching my neck or face.

Thank you @cecile & bella . I like to think my pup that passed said..."here, occupy yourself instead of crying about me."
 
Oh my Sybil, that’s some story. Those are the sweetest baby pics I’ve ever seen. You’re awesome and I admire your dedication and tenacity to save those kittens and how hard you worked! They have one amazing Mom!! :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Thank you. It was complete insanity when they were so tiny. All my rescue friends that dealt mostly with bottle babies (as they are called) told me they can die with no warning. I was determined not to let that happen. They are definitely my babies.
 
Basic's Mom said:
@La-La Leo
I'm the person everyone calls when an animal needs help. Doesn't matter if they are domestic or not either. I've helped raccoons and even birds of prey. Spent years working with domestic animal rescues though. So, when I got a frantic call about abandoned kittens, I was shocked, but not super worried. I wasn't worried because cats are excellent mothers. Humans usually try an interject themselves when they find babies of any animal and it often leaves the mom just watching as her babies are taken.

My friend called me because she found newborn kittens on the ground of her wood shed. It was pretty cold as it was September here. I was still at my 9-5 downtown, which was an hour from her place. I told my friend that she could put some food out for the mom, but instructed her not to bother the kittens. Young ferals could possibly abandoned kittens, but I was more worried that mom had gotten hit and killed or that she was nearby and too afraid of my friend's presence. The clock was ticking though because of the temp, as they cannot regulate their body temperature yet. I got off work, went to the store and then to her house because the food had been untouched and the kittens have been exposed to these temps for a few hours by this point.

When I arrived, I was shocked at the condition that the preemie calico was in. She was so incredibly tiny and cold. I stuck each of them in my shirt as I started preparing bottles. My friend's son was so upset that they couldn't keep the kittens that he had already named. My friend knew what my life was about to become. She had 3 younger children, all in sports, and knew she didn't have the time it would require to do the job I had just taken on. I felt awful for this child because I knew how I would've felt. I promised him I would keep the black and white kitten's name that he chose which was Basic.

I had no previous experience with handraising newborn kittens though. NONE. Everyone told me to just drop them off at a vet's door. I'm pretty stubborn and love challenges and also thought it would be unacceptable to drop babies on a doorstep anywhere. The next 120 days my life was nothing but caring for newborn kittens. I took them with me to my 9-5. I wasn't allowed to have them in the office. I kept them in my car in the parking garage below my building. Every 2 hours, I warmed up water bottled for warmth, warmed up formula but never in the microwave, feed them, burped them, cleaned their faces, and helped them use the restroom as they can't do that on their own at that age.

Everyone told me I would fall and love and keep them. I laughed and said "you can't keep all the ones you love in rescue."

As they started getting closer to the age where they could "leave the nest", I made arrangements for them to go to their new homes. They were all people I knew. I didn't go through saving them for them to end up in shitty homes. People were backing out for one reason or another, moving and job loss. I just made the decision to let my best friend pick the one she wanted and keep the other 2.

Moonshine is the tiny calico that only survived because of her will and tenacity. Basic has been the biggest of all 3 kittens from the beginning and still is. In fact, I used to have to stick my pinky in his mouth as a pacifier because he was never satisfied with the meals he was given and just carried on. You have to carefully weigh them each time before you feed them and their weight determines the amount of formula they get. You don't want to overfeed them. My friend still has Si, their littermate.

Two years prior, on this exact date that the kttens came into my life, my dog had waited for me to get home to die in my arms.

Fast forward to that same date, on his 10 birthday this year, I took Basic to his vet becasue he was so sick. I told him I wouldn't allow his death to be like Frankie's. That if he needed to pass he could, but I would save him if he wanted to live. 2 days later we were at the ER. 7 days after that, I found this group.

And that's the story of the Harvest Moon kitties. I'll try and attach some photos tomorrow when I'm at my mom's. They were/are the cutest.

Thank you for your kind words and for asking.
Click to expand...

Oh, my! Just now read this from you about Basic and how the name came about. What a beautiful and sacrificial gift! ♡♡♡ Thank you for sharing.
 
Aww, shucks. Thank you both for your kind words. They have certainly brought me immense joy over the years.
 
Basic's Mom said:
@La-La Leo
I'm the person everyone calls when an animal needs help. Doesn't matter if they are domestic or not either. I've helped raccoons and even birds of prey. Spent years working with domestic animal rescues though. So, when I got a frantic call about abandoned kittens, I was shocked, but not super worried. I wasn't worried because cats are excellent mothers. Humans usually try an interject themselves when they find babies of any animal and it often leaves the mom just watching as her babies are taken.

My friend called me because she found newborn kittens on the ground of her wood shed. It was pretty cold as it was September here. I was still at my 9-5 downtown, which was an hour from her place. I told my friend that she could put some food out for the mom, but instructed her not to bother the kittens. Young ferals could possibly abandoned kittens, but I was more worried that mom had gotten hit and killed or that she was nearby and too afraid of my friend's presence. The clock was ticking though because of the temp, as they cannot regulate their body temperature yet. I got off work, went to the store and then to her house because the food had been untouched and the kittens have been exposed to these temps for a few hours by this point.

When I arrived, I was shocked at the condition that the preemie calico was in. She was so incredibly tiny and cold. I stuck each of them in my shirt as I started preparing bottles. My friend's son was so upset that they couldn't keep the kittens that he had already named. My friend knew what my life was about to become. She had 3 younger children, all in sports, and knew she didn't have the time it would require to do the job I had just taken on. I felt awful for this child because I knew how I would've felt. I promised him I would keep the black and white kitten's name that he chose which was Basic.

I had no previous experience with handraising newborn kittens though. NONE. Everyone told me to just drop them off at a vet's door. I'm pretty stubborn and love challenges and also thought it would be unacceptable to drop babies on a doorstep anywhere. The next 120 days my life was nothing but caring for newborn kittens. I took them with me to my 9-5. I wasn't allowed to have them in the office. I kept them in my car in the parking garage below my building. Every 2 hours, I warmed up water bottled for warmth, warmed up formula but never in the microwave, feed them, burped them, cleaned their faces, and helped them use the restroom as they can't do that on their own at that age.

Everyone told me I would fall and love and keep them. I laughed and said "you can't keep all the ones you love in rescue."

As they started getting closer to the age where they could "leave the nest", I made arrangements for them to go to their new homes. They were all people I knew. I didn't go through saving them for them to end up in shitty homes. People were backing out for one reason or another, moving and job loss. I just made the decision to let my best friend pick the one she wanted and keep the other 2.

Moonshine is the tiny calico that only survived because of her will and tenacity. Basic has been the biggest of all 3 kittens from the beginning and still is. In fact, I used to have to stick my pinky in his mouth as a pacifier because he was never satisfied with the meals he was given and just carried on. You have to carefully weigh them each time before you feed them and their weight determines the amount of formula they get. You don't want to overfeed them. My friend still has Si, their littermate.

Two years prior, on this exact date that the kttens came into my life, my dog had waited for me to get home to die in my arms.

Fast forward to that same date, on his 10 birthday this year, I took Basic to his vet becasue he was so sick. I told him I wouldn't allow his death to be like Frankie's. That if he needed to pass he could, but I would save him if he wanted to live. 2 days later we were at the ER. 7 days after that, I found this group.

And that's the story of the Harvest Moon kitties. I'll try and attach some photos tomorrow when I'm at my mom's. They were/are the cutest.

Thank you for your kind words and for asking.
Click to expand...
What a moving story, Sybile. I was so moved. You have such a huge heart. These kittens earned the best mummy they could have. I'm so happy for that.
I took Fistuk in as an almost new born kitten as well. I have to feed him and his brother Prince with a bottle too. I used to give them fresh goat's milk from the farmers near by. It's a big process. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
What an amazing story, and absolutely precious pictures! Thank you so much for all you do for the souls who have no one else to help them. It's a long, hard, and trying road most times; bless you for traveling it with love and tenacity. I hope Basic settles back to the blue/green zone safely and soon. Sending hugs :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Thank you all. They were definitely worth all the sleepless nights.

@Fistuk & Shelly Bottle babies aren't for the weak. Pat yourself on the back.

@Jack & Mopem'sMom l don't do much rescuing anymore. I only do transports which are when animals are pulled from high kill shelters and driven to the rescue that pulled them from the euthanasia list. Most of my passengers are dogs, but I've had a few cats and even a bird.

I'm livid at his numbers currently and have e a call into his new vet. He is at 297 at +5. Not sure what preshot will look like this evening. We have hours to go yet. I also have no clue how long this will keep his bg elevated. His file will be marked that he can't have this medication again. So frustrating.

Thank you all again
 
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