RAINBOW BRIDGE
Breeding isn't all it's cracked up to be and sometimes it is very hard carry on and we always wonder why we do it?
The main aim at Maystar is to breed healthy kittens and if we find a defect in the line, inevitably we look into that defect and neuter the line, also making sure that nothing goes for breeding from that line in case the problems are genetically passed on. Here are some of our stories and newborns that haven't made it.
We always say that TomFun has taken them to Rainbow Bridge.
The main aim at Maystar is to breed healthy kittens and if we find a defect in the line, inevitably we look into that defect and neuter the line, also making sure that nothing goes for breeding from that line in case the problems are genetically passed on. Here are some of our stories and newborns that haven't made it.
We always say that TomFun has taken them to Rainbow Bridge.
STIX
Flaire's Fourth Litter
29/01/20 - 03/02/20 (5 days)
Stix was so named after the river deity that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld. I so wanted this tiny 41g premature baby to survive. She left this world much loved and a trail of broken hearts. I shall never forget her tiny body struggling to breathe in those last moments and my tears aiding her towards Rainbow Bridge. She had very tough days and nights with an upset tummy that resulted in dehydration and hypothermic reaction. She spent nights on warmed fluids and enemas to raise her core temperature to normal. I thought she was a gonner more than once. Then one morning she decided she was hungry again and demanded food in a way only a teeny tiny diva dot of a tortie can! We had turned a corner. She was suckling from a syringe and even latched onto mum for a quick bite to eat. We were thrilled after days of dreading her demise.
Flaire would sit with this tiny dot and stare at her, washing her face and cleaning up after feeds. She really doted on that baby and frustratingly, I trusted her to keep an eye on Stix whilst I turned my back for a second to get her milk and bam, Flaire had stolen her from the incubator and whisked her into bed with the other four kittens. When I reached in to get her, her tummy had a nick in the skin from Flaire's tooth. The baby was so delicate, it wasn't intentional. And that, very sadly was the beginning of the end and despite the antibiotics being administered, she became septic around the wound and this was the final straw for her which was so hard as her tiny body had done so well reaching a great 69g, her tummy was full of milk and her coat was all plush. What a terrible waste of life and totally heart braking.
29/01/20 - 03/02/20 (5 days)
Stix was so named after the river deity that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld. I so wanted this tiny 41g premature baby to survive. She left this world much loved and a trail of broken hearts. I shall never forget her tiny body struggling to breathe in those last moments and my tears aiding her towards Rainbow Bridge. She had very tough days and nights with an upset tummy that resulted in dehydration and hypothermic reaction. She spent nights on warmed fluids and enemas to raise her core temperature to normal. I thought she was a gonner more than once. Then one morning she decided she was hungry again and demanded food in a way only a teeny tiny diva dot of a tortie can! We had turned a corner. She was suckling from a syringe and even latched onto mum for a quick bite to eat. We were thrilled after days of dreading her demise.
Flaire would sit with this tiny dot and stare at her, washing her face and cleaning up after feeds. She really doted on that baby and frustratingly, I trusted her to keep an eye on Stix whilst I turned my back for a second to get her milk and bam, Flaire had stolen her from the incubator and whisked her into bed with the other four kittens. When I reached in to get her, her tummy had a nick in the skin from Flaire's tooth. The baby was so delicate, it wasn't intentional. And that, very sadly was the beginning of the end and despite the antibiotics being administered, she became septic around the wound and this was the final straw for her which was so hard as her tiny body had done so well reaching a great 69g, her tummy was full of milk and her coat was all plush. What a terrible waste of life and totally heart braking.
STILL BORN & PREMATURE KITTENS 2018 & 2019
Tyga had a huge litter of 7 kittens on the 9th December 2019 from the same stud cat as Pearl. She was stuffed full of tiny 40g babies and although all were born alive within just a two hour period, it soon became obvious that some were just not going to make it, although I did try and try to save them all. I found this litter particularly heart braking as they just didn't want to survive. We lost 4 of the 7 kittens. One minute they were drinking from a syringe and the next in deep hypothermia despite the 30degree ambient room temperature. The first one was the very hardest. We very nearly lost Robyn too, but she hung on as I tube fed her. I just feel I didn't do enough and yet I also feel I did too much. Either way, Tyga didn't have any milk and I hand fed the rest of the litter for the next four weeks.
Pearl had a huge litter of 7 kittens on 1st October 2019 and three were unformed and required a C-section to remove the one stopping Rambo & Tina being born. They were born 24hrs after the first two live kittens. With two premature kittens born naturally. The unformed babies were 10days behind and it is suggested that Pearl was mated on the last day with the stud cat.
Viktori had an amazing stripey boy from her first litter on 26th August 2018. The labour had been really difficult lasting 48hrs and this little boy had just got too distressed in the womb. It was so sad as he was so perfect.
Pearl had a huge litter of 7 kittens on 1st October 2019 and three were unformed and required a C-section to remove the one stopping Rambo & Tina being born. They were born 24hrs after the first two live kittens. With two premature kittens born naturally. The unformed babies were 10days behind and it is suggested that Pearl was mated on the last day with the stud cat.
Viktori had an amazing stripey boy from her first litter on 26th August 2018. The labour had been really difficult lasting 48hrs and this little boy had just got too distressed in the womb. It was so sad as he was so perfect.
ROSIE - MAYSTAREX TUDOR ROSE
Faith's Third Litter
7/10/15 - 23/11/15 (6weeks)
After the loss of Petroc, we thought this would be it and we would be able to neuter Faith and draw a line under her 'Line' once and for all. Unfortunately, the very sad fact of the matter is we also lost Rosie to Congestive Heart Failure. Any one who has ever seen it in their kittens will never ever forget it and once it presented its self in Rosie one evening, we knew exactly what we were dealing with. I thought she was looking rather plump and thought I would weigh her. She had been weighed a few hours before. When I went to pick her up i could feel a fast erratic heart beat through her chest wall and on weighing her she was 30g more than just 4hrs previously. Her breathing was a tiny bit raised, but it was that heart rate - well over 300bpm. Really scary experience. Our hearts sank and by morning she was breathing much faster and by the time we reached the vet she was in respiratory distress. Our Vet, Simon Pudsey from Medivet Coventry, looked her over. He was devastated this was happening. So he suggested, as we had caught it early, some diuretics to keep the fluid from her chest and heart. This he administered by injection, then that evening he came around with a further dose and we continued like this for a week. We had to break the terrible news to Rosie's new family. It was horrid and they still came to visit her to say goodbye and farewell. Rosie had a lovely few hours with them, then later she just began to sleep. We left her be for a few hours and watched them on camera. Then we saw Rosie acting strangely. She was rocking forwards and backwards, almost as though she was 'drifting to sleep'. I raced upstairs and lifted her up. She was staring into space and still rocking and trying to 'perch' onto my hands. I looked at her tummy, it was filling again, 5hrs from her re-medication time too. I gave her more diuretic immediately and waited for a reaction. During the wait, she feinted and went into syncope. This part was peaceful, I thought she may drift off into spirit, but she began to gasp awake. This was awful. Such distress and racing forward grabbing everything in her wake to escape what I believe is severe pain. This was no good. This was not going to go on in an easy way for her, so we had a long chat and decided to up her medication for the night to make her comfortable and have her PTS the following morning. Faith has taken it really hard again. She is so depressed and low. Gracie's kits are a comfort, but she is always looking for Rosie. It's all too sad. I am not sure just how much more Maystar can take.
7/10/15 - 23/11/15 (6weeks)
After the loss of Petroc, we thought this would be it and we would be able to neuter Faith and draw a line under her 'Line' once and for all. Unfortunately, the very sad fact of the matter is we also lost Rosie to Congestive Heart Failure. Any one who has ever seen it in their kittens will never ever forget it and once it presented its self in Rosie one evening, we knew exactly what we were dealing with. I thought she was looking rather plump and thought I would weigh her. She had been weighed a few hours before. When I went to pick her up i could feel a fast erratic heart beat through her chest wall and on weighing her she was 30g more than just 4hrs previously. Her breathing was a tiny bit raised, but it was that heart rate - well over 300bpm. Really scary experience. Our hearts sank and by morning she was breathing much faster and by the time we reached the vet she was in respiratory distress. Our Vet, Simon Pudsey from Medivet Coventry, looked her over. He was devastated this was happening. So he suggested, as we had caught it early, some diuretics to keep the fluid from her chest and heart. This he administered by injection, then that evening he came around with a further dose and we continued like this for a week. We had to break the terrible news to Rosie's new family. It was horrid and they still came to visit her to say goodbye and farewell. Rosie had a lovely few hours with them, then later she just began to sleep. We left her be for a few hours and watched them on camera. Then we saw Rosie acting strangely. She was rocking forwards and backwards, almost as though she was 'drifting to sleep'. I raced upstairs and lifted her up. She was staring into space and still rocking and trying to 'perch' onto my hands. I looked at her tummy, it was filling again, 5hrs from her re-medication time too. I gave her more diuretic immediately and waited for a reaction. During the wait, she feinted and went into syncope. This part was peaceful, I thought she may drift off into spirit, but she began to gasp awake. This was awful. Such distress and racing forward grabbing everything in her wake to escape what I believe is severe pain. This was no good. This was not going to go on in an easy way for her, so we had a long chat and decided to up her medication for the night to make her comfortable and have her PTS the following morning. Faith has taken it really hard again. She is so depressed and low. Gracie's kits are a comfort, but she is always looking for Rosie. It's all too sad. I am not sure just how much more Maystar can take.
PETROCFaith's Third Litter
7th October 2015 Faith had another good pregnancy, no sickness, lots of milk and although when it came to pushing she was a little tired, we praised the fact we only had two kittens this time to contend with. The two babies were born very close to each other and were the picture of health. Then after 7 days the little black fella, who had a home to go to, took on a funny turn with racing forward and screaming. We had spent 7 days and nights sitting with this litter because they wouldn't latch on properly and Faith was being funny about her nipples being touched. Such a princess at times. The little boy became more and more distressed with feeding so I was hydrating him with tiny drops of water. It worked, we had weight gain with water and Faith's milk. he then crawled from the heat mat and went into hypothermia mode, even though the kitten box was on 30degrees? We were in and out of the vets with him all that day and he spent that time in an oxygen box. Everyone tried so hard and he even took big meals between his box time, but he just could't breath normal air anymore and he began to foam at the mouth. After getting half way home with him, he went into respiratory distress again. We rang the vets to say we were turning around and we had him pts. It is all very sad and so very tragic. |
|
ROCKY
Gracie's First Litter
28th September 2015
Gracie was having an amazing pregnancy. We had her scanned to reveal 3 babies, but the scanner said she had more but couldn't find them because they were behind a big kitten. Gracie had started during the day and produced a lovely boy kitten and then a few hours later she had three girls in succession. It was amazingly quick. But we could feel a huge lump inside her still and she was still having massive contractions. Unfortunately, the boy inside was so huge that Gracie had to be rushed in for a C-Section. There was no getting him out at all. Everyone tried to keep him alive after he was born but he had been in too much distress inside a very floppy uterus. I had to take this picture of him because I have never seen such a huge kitten before. he was almost the length of my hand and exceptionally heavy compared to his litter mates. When Gracie ha her scan and Trudy was scanning her, my friends phone had a text message and it announced it's self as "Hi, I am Rocky balboa" and we all said "Hi Rocky, nice to meet you". He sure was a heavy weight!
28th September 2015
Gracie was having an amazing pregnancy. We had her scanned to reveal 3 babies, but the scanner said she had more but couldn't find them because they were behind a big kitten. Gracie had started during the day and produced a lovely boy kitten and then a few hours later she had three girls in succession. It was amazingly quick. But we could feel a huge lump inside her still and she was still having massive contractions. Unfortunately, the boy inside was so huge that Gracie had to be rushed in for a C-Section. There was no getting him out at all. Everyone tried to keep him alive after he was born but he had been in too much distress inside a very floppy uterus. I had to take this picture of him because I have never seen such a huge kitten before. he was almost the length of my hand and exceptionally heavy compared to his litter mates. When Gracie ha her scan and Trudy was scanning her, my friends phone had a text message and it announced it's self as "Hi, I am Rocky balboa" and we all said "Hi Rocky, nice to meet you". He sure was a heavy weight!
WALTER & CROMWELL
|
Faith's Second Litter
April 2015 In the early hours of the bank holiday, Faith started to produce a fair amount of blood, two days prior to expecting. There was also no milk to speak of and the kittens felt very high in her tummy. She had experienced vomiting throughout the entire pregnancy. Poor girl. Finally, on Good friday we took her for an emergency C-section as pushing was producing nothing at all and her contractions were very weak indeed. She ha gone into inertia. Once home we tried to hand feed them but immediately, Walter was bringing fluid through his nose, he was pts with a cleft palate. Cromwell made it to 7days before we had him pts too. He had congestive heart failure and was turning blue and gasping for breath as well as screaming in agony. It was one of the worst experiences we have ever encountered and Faith was so upset too. |
|
PROMETHIUS
Faith's First Litter
15th September 2012
She had an amazing litter. Text book really, besides the mastitis and the lack of energy right at the end.
She had two girls and two boys. Earlier in the day Faith had spotting of blood and I thought then, something isn't quite right and when first two were born and Faith was exhausted already. It was on kitten three that we found the cause of the bleeding. A huge chocolate kitten had a large haematoma on his side where earlier in the day Faith was throwing herself about the kitten room because I had left the room! He was born dead on arrival due to his injury. The kitten born after him was very tired and bothered and starved of oxygen. She stayed with us here at Maystar.
15th September 2012
She had an amazing litter. Text book really, besides the mastitis and the lack of energy right at the end.
She had two girls and two boys. Earlier in the day Faith had spotting of blood and I thought then, something isn't quite right and when first two were born and Faith was exhausted already. It was on kitten three that we found the cause of the bleeding. A huge chocolate kitten had a large haematoma on his side where earlier in the day Faith was throwing herself about the kitten room because I had left the room! He was born dead on arrival due to his injury. The kitten born after him was very tired and bothered and starved of oxygen. She stayed with us here at Maystar.
