Dolly has a parasite. It is Coccidia, which Charlie had when we adopted him too.
She will be on five days' worth of antibiotics and then will have another stool sample checked. After she gets a clean bill of health, we'll finally be able to let her out of the bedroom to roam and coexist with her brothers and sisters.
This pushes her grand entrance, her "coming-out party," so to speak, up to around the 15th or so, roughly.
The antibiotic was $8. Practically pennies.
We're not especially concerned; the parasite is transmitted via feces (i.e. by the litter pan) and not saliva, and she has been sequestered in the bedroom as the only one using that litter pan. It's also a strain that's doesn't affect humans. So, once she's all clean, that pan will be bleached/scrubbed before use again and none of the other cats should be affected as there's not really any way they could've been exposed up to now, either. Dolly has had very limited interactions with the other cats, which has basically consisted of "look at me" sessions through the baby gate and allowing Mable/Gary/Charlie to sniff her a little to get her scent.
She does not seem to be incredibly stifled by the bedroom -- which, to be fair, is a kitten paradise. She has toys, food and water at all times, a litter pan all to herself, a cat tree, a play tunnel, and two loving parents. However, it is very clear she wants out and even more clear that the other cats want back in. Mable, Charlie, and Gary have all jumped the gate a few times when we've left the door open long enough, and last night Dolly jumped against the door so hard that she unlatched it and could have escaped into the house if she wanted to. She did not, but she could have.
Dolly is the most hyper cat we've ever adopted; she has so much energy. She has just as much love too, though -- Daisy and I have awakened to find her sleeping with us, either on our legs or at the pillow. She is a licker and a chewer, just like Gary was, but she seems far more cuddly than most of the other cats we've adopted. We're hoping her bond with us doesn't change once we let her out into the house, because she is so very fun and so very sweet. Daisy likes to bring up that Empress was very cuddly and sweet too, and then she met Hank and no longer wanted anything to do with us from a cuddle/love perspective.
Don't get me wrong, Emmy is still very lovey with me, but usually when nobody else is around or the other cats are asleep. She does love her papa very much. She also loves Daisy, but last night clawed the shit out of Daisy's arm when she was trying to rub her, so...it's hit or miss.
I will note that Emmy has never once clawed or bit me on purpose, not once.
We took Hank in to the eye doctor yesterday for his scheduled monthly appointment. His eyes have greatly improved and they're comfortable in saying that at this juncture, he's exactly where they want him to be. For those of you who didn't know, or haven't been following along, Hank suffers from a condition called eosinophilic keratitis.
We were basically told that it's an autoimmune disease and that it's the eye attacking itself. That seems to slightly contradict the above, but whatever. Anyway, that's like 95% healed now, and he has a little cloudy scar-like spot on the bad eye, but it's almost completely unnoticeable unless you're actively looking for it. We're keeping him on limited steroid and lubricating eye drops every day still, and he will go back in for a further checkup near the end of April.
Going in to the vet or eye doctor for anything for Hank is a traumatic experience. He is very much a house potato and hates the carrier and the car. I have begun holding him on my lap in the car (in the carrier of course) with my hand inside and on him, talking to him sweetly, because otherwise he absolutely freaks out. He still cries and shakes with fear even with that, but it lessens his trauma.
Once he's there, he relaxes a bit -- he likes the vet girls (doesn't matter which vet, honestly) and they all adore him -- the eye doctor had two trainees come in yesterday when she was looking at him, and they got to love on him. I'm not so certain they were shadowing to learn the job as much as the eye doctor lady telling them on the side "hey, come in with me and see this big sweet boy." Hank is adored everywhere he goes, and that makes the trip a bit less traumatic. Usually on the way home he is much calmer in the car, and he was yesterday too.
The other cats, with the exception of Emmy -- who is still scared -- can't wait for Dolly to be let out of the room. When the door is opened with the baby gate up, she will nose-touch the Double Trouble boys and they are all excited to see her. Mable is also raring to go in order to play with and mother the little girl, and they are no longer afraid of one another. We still have another week, at least, before that can happen.
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