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we're in the process of trying to adopt some cats and i'm not getting my hopes up too much but check these two out. apparently the one on the left lacks confidence unless the one on the right is with him
iconic duo
and yes of course we're aiming to get both
we're going to be charming our way into taking them home. or attempting to
UPDATE: CATS GET
we're figuring out when we can pick them up
we have arrived home with the kittens. they are hiding and i think taking a nap in the back of a cubbyhole they found in the kitchen. pics forthcoming when they emerge
<<enhance>>
update: i can hear them talking down there
Everyone: meet Fern (grey) and Sid (black). They are currently hiding behind the couch.
They are like 2.5 months old. They are pretty clumsy still, though Fern is very into climbing and exploring. She already squeezed into a golf ball sized hole in the bottom of the kitchen cabinets and ended up stuck behind/in the guts of the dishwasher. Took a while to find her.
total champs, these two
Sid is hard to photograph on account of being a black puffball. Fern however is like a national geographic cover.
They're not even from the same litter. They're from different Western PA counties. They just met at the foster home and became inseparable. Fern was apparently sick, starving, and very close to death when she was rescued and Sid was around for that recovery.
The camera doesn't quite know what to do with Sid.
Anyway now they've settled in on top of me and we're watching Kong: Skull Island. It's nice to have late night hangout partners again.
Bethany finally got a good clear pic of Sid. You need direct light on him, just like the late Ico Benson. Glad we're keeping the tradition of having hard to photograph cats.
note how huge the paws are. i foresee Sid being a beefy dude
Good morning
Fern is super affectionate and playful. She wants to sit on your chest and lean directly on your nose and then just chill. This is combined with the rest of her vibe, a cat who has seen a whole lot in 2.5 months of living.
This kitten thread is gonna go on for a while hope that's ok
I've never lived with cats this young before. They sure do sleep pretty much constantly. They're like 10% hanging out/eating/whatever, 10% going absolutely feral all over the place, 80% dozing. It's not like older cats don't sleep all the time but this is just very pronounced.
Ico was 6 months old or so when we got him so already less sleep than this
Evening update:
I scratched Sid's belly and he immediately passed out under me.
Kittens have no time for doing things halfway. When they sleep it is immediate.
zzz
This is happening right next to my head. This whole kitten thing is already raising my mental health like an entire letter grade.
Sid has a very specific default expression.
sound up
terrifying night time battles
I'm supposed to work while this is happening one room over
So Fern is predominantly American Bobtail, which is a breed I wasn't familiar with. Notable characteristics are the tail, of course, but also back legs that are noticably longer than the front legs. Big jumps, sort of runs like a rabbit.
At first I thought she maybe had some hip or spine issues but no her back legs are just looooong. This is going to make her a powerful jumper and climber.
No clue about Sid yet. He might just be a small bear we got by accident.
Goodnight
Good morning
The cats have discovered the chair in my office that I specifically got and placed in the sun in hopes future cats would sleep on it while I work a few feet away. I am a tactical genius.
inadvertantly showcasing my high end wardrobe items, the gray flannel shirt from target and the low top CUSTOM COLOR chucks
the letter board just says SCOPE, this is an important word to look at every day when you make video games
Sid doesn't meow much but he's like constantly chattering and squeaking to himself. Also he has a snuffy nose today so there's a little mouth breathing in there as well.
I mean to say stuffy but snuffy is very cute so
Fern went to the vet this morning and has spent most of the day since sleeping. Apparently very energy consuming for a ~10 week old cat.
<<enhance>>
We're watching Predator 2 and Sid is giving me a bath.
CRISIS: Sid has a cold
He's off to the vet tomorrow morning to get checked out. Seems like some pretty common kitten sick stuff. Like human children they're just sickness monsters for a while.
Fern has already figured out where the dry food is kept and was trying to break in this morning. Fern is scary smart, and a born petty criminal.
i've made a career drawing characters, often animals, with this sort of expression and now we are truly walking the walk
i was wondering when the kitten fan art was going to start appearing https://twitter.com/donutwolfglory/status/1276576957015166977
I feel like people are going to get bored of all of this Fern and Sid content but it is not stopping now
Sick Sid Update: Bethany getting him used to some steam to help with the stuffed up nasal passages. Sid has responded by falling asleep. Vet tomorrow morning. Prayers up for Sid
Meanwhile Fern is a spooky intelligent and very bored without her brother to play with and is slowly going out of her mind.
Friday night.
The kittens are really into sleeping on my shoulders. It's weird. I'm not even holding them they just want to balance there and zonk out and purr directly into my ear. Every night.
update: Bethany took the kittens to the vet this morning. They were weighed. They are so, so small
Sid got an antibiotic shot and we have to put drops in his one ear twice a day for 10 days. But the boy will be just fine. Here he is, post shot and drops.
Sid is coughing a lot. Nose sounds better but lots of coughing. Apparently that's par for the course for cold/respitory thing he got a shot for and it should run its course in a couple days. Ico died of lung issues and he coughed all the time in his final months so I'm like D:
Finally got him eating. Interrupted by lots of sneezes and coughs. But eating!
Fern continues to miss her bro being his full 100%.
Update: Sid is feeling much better
Still some sniffles and sneezes but definite improvement.
Sid is feeling better but his sinuses are clearing and that means we are wiping big hunks of snot off his face every 10 minutes.
No pics.
No pics.
Fern is helping care for him as he recovers
Nap time
Sid has been blowing snot down his face and into his fur for a day or two now and we can only keep up with wiping so much and it was getting all crusty and that meant we had to take drastic measures.
Sid got a bath.
Sid got a bath.
Sid gets a bath.
He was very chill. Didn't like being cold by the end though.
Sid is extremely fluffy now that he's dried. And he just wants to sleep on one of us. He cannot be denied right now.
The shoulder sleeping kittens have inaugurated an era of selfies, hope that's fine
goddammit sid how can so much snot come out of so little cat
Fern keeps trying to clean Sid off and ending up with snot all over her. Fern doesn't care, Fern is a beast
Sid update: still not fully better, still draining snot and sneezing, though less than before. He's going back to the vet because he's super skinny and not eating much and it's been several days. He wants to be held a lot, follows us around until we pick him up.
I love Sid and he needs to eat and grow giant and strong
At the vet with Sid. Waiting in the parking lot, he's doing a lot of gasping and coughing and foaming, they're 20 minutes late now getting him in, and I know it's because they're probably very busy, but I am very worried.
Requesting spirit bomb energy for Sid
Well, Sid came out of the emergency clinic with clean lung scans and some prescriptions. He apparently just has a particularly bad respiratory infection that wasn't responding to the treatment form last week. He lost a full pound of weight in the last 4 days, down now to 1.25 lbs
The weight loss is due to the fact that cats have a malfunction where if they can't smell food they just won't eat, and will starve, because they never think hey i'm stuffed up but i'm sure hungry, might as well just eat this same food i enjoyed yesterday anyway
So he got a shot today to dry up mucus and stimulate appetite and as soon as I got him home I placed him in front of the food and now he's eating everything that isn't nailed down. Noisily. Fern came over to see wtf was happening.
GO SID GO 
we're gonna do some kitten feeding hacks to make sure he's just wolfing down food for a bit. he has a lot of catching up to do and hey it turns out if you're a tiny kitten you don't have much of a margin of error on caloric intake
Sid has now turned to the water, which he had also been avoiding
so yeah fingers crossed for the boy Sid, who has about a day to show marked improvement before he has to be hospitalized to deal with the infection and get him nutrients
there are those old games where the player character can break an entire turkey or chicken dinner out of a wall or crate and immediately eat it and that's what we need Sid doing right now. just down an entire turkey, no questions asked
We went out and got very smelly cat food and while it takes him a bit to get into it once he does he's a vacuum. Fern is also enjoying this.
what we've noticed is that Fern eating makes Sid more eager to eat. he's like oh ok Fern likes it this is good food alright let's eat now
Sid is still coughing a bit but he is absolutely destroying his breakfast this morning in the loudest and grossest way possible. 
Sid is feeling social
he still has a runny nose but it's FAR FAR less than before, when he was like a small faucet of snot
notice his little click and chirp language and how he gives some sort of cry to psych himself up for the climb
chill evening with Fern
Sid is like noticably less skinny after a couple days of eating every few hours. He was literally starving after all. Now his belly is round and full.
Saturday
Sid is smart. He's just so chill and good natured that if you have to pill him or pick something off of his nose and he hates it, he will totally forgive you within minutes and be back following you around. This is him being extremely cool and NOT him having a goldfish memory ok
It's just that Sid decides to forgive and forget easily ok. He's just a really nice guy ok. He's smart
Perpetually mildly-blazed chill dude Sid paired with spooky lucid tactician Fern is quite something. I feel like Sid is going to enjoy watching me playing with synths while Fern will need us to run relays and learn to pick locks together
Sid: hey dude you should get one of those laser globe things for your desk and we can just hang and listen to the moogs
Fern: i've prepared my taxes and won trophies in some sort of track and field for cats and i have hacked the neighbors wifi
Fern: i've prepared my taxes and won trophies in some sort of track and field for cats and i have hacked the neighbors wifi
So Sid is 3 days into 6 days of meds so he's still a bit sniffly and droopy and the meds make him drowsy and Fern doesn't understand that he can't play at full power yet so I eventually had to separate them. Witness this carnage.
It went on for a long time until Sid was just laying there whining and Fern kept climbing up on things and divebombing the poor guy. In healthier times he would be fighting back and scampering around. Little dude just wants to sleep on my (now stolen) flannel shirt until he mends
Sid is pretty much ok aside from the fact that he is still just a complete snot factory and that hasn't decreased with his other symptoms. :\\ We're still wiping his nose pretty much constantly and trying to remove the hardened snot that keeps getting replaced overnight.
He of course won't eat if he can't smell so we have to clear out his nostrils and wipe away any mucous from his mouth before setting it down in front of him. He's otherwise still a bit weak and tired but romping around, playing, etc.
Fern is fine. Fern is hanging out.
crossover post with the renovation thread, that other thread people follow me for https://twitter.com/bombsfall/status/1159189186521575425?s=19
bethany told me to assure everyone that she sealed the lead painted chair quite thoroughly before allowing the cats to touch it
Sid is on medication #3 for his respiratory bug and seems to be doing much much better. Hoping it continues. He is a little raggedy but is in good spirits and doing a lot of eating and romping with Fern.
Sid!
Wiping Sid's nose every 10 minutes. This is what love is.
Sid is like 95% better. Nose has mostly dried up, just have to wipe it every now and then. His non-sick personality has really come back out in the past 24 hours. Fern is very happy.
Today they've been hanging out in Bethany's office.
They live here now it's wild
They're getting better at stairs. Sort of. Sid was first up but has a hard time coming down without falling or getting scared. Fern is now bounding up and down with no issue. Sid just hasn't grown big enough yet to keep up with Fern's giant back legs.
Moving into our first house right at the start of a months-long quarantine means we still have a lot of bare walls. Please excuse
Thursday
This is a three month old kitten. Fern always has the vibe of an old dust bowl photo.
Now that Sid has recovered Fern has a full on sparring partner again and she is very happy. Moments after this he straight up suplexed her.
Sid grows!
Friday night
turns out Sid is a gamer
Sound up for Sid
Fern
Sid gets overexcited sometimes rubbing his face on your face and that ends up with him biting your nose rather hard but it's fine
my nose hurts
Ico was big into friendly bites but he generally stayed away from the face with that
Morning
tiniest bit of snot from Sid this morning. much improvement
Good afternoon Fern
Sid was back at the vet today. He's acting totally well but the sniffles won't go away and his belly has been bloating a bunch. Vet says it could be a lot of things, hopefully not FIP. So more meds, more tests. In the meantime he's very tired after today but just fine, and hungry
so his stomach bloat is a combo of fluid and gas, and i don't know that i've mentioned it before but Sid farts. a lot. like the first time i've noticed that a cat farts a lot. so the bloating might be more than he almost starved and then ate like a hog for a week. who knows yet.
Sid is a garbage pail kitten
the tests today were stressful for him so this evening he just wants us to hold him and stare at him. he was on bethany for hours before she passed him to me an hour ago and he just now got up and is currently snorting and chatting and wandering all over my desk.
Sid loves nothing more than to menace this little dude. Simply cannot abide him standing up. He comes up here just to find him and knock him over. I even moved him to another spot on the desk. Immediately hunted down.
context for this pic: Sid was sitting on my chest and I was scratching his ears and belly and he was purring very loudly and rubbing his face on mine. this is an extremely happy expression https://twitter.com/bombsfall/status/1283214685203046400
the boy grows
this is cyberpunk
Evening
Sid checks my work
summer insomnia work hours with new co-worker
Fern has apparently been talking to Sid
Sid just keeps being at least a little sick. I stayed up an extra hour just to hold him bc he insisted on being held. When he's really intense about it he needs to sit on your chest and stare directly at your face until he falls asleep.
when you're brutally owned by a friend
love not being able to tell if our kitten is terminally ill or simply has a couple simple and common problems, because it's impossible to tell, because he's a kitten and everything has the same symptoms and you can't reliably test for the things you're worried about
terrifying psychic combat happening here rn
realized who Sid with his endless mucous and digestion issues combined with a sweet but spacey manner reminds me of
slight digression from the kitten thread: Jason appreciation post
good morning
Stairs (sound up for Sid)
followers of this thread will note that this is a victory for Sid Catfield Benson
Saturday
sid get off the accordion you can't even play it
Sunday afternoon
Bethany is bagging up pin packs for the NITW merch shop and helpers have arrived
Tuesday
intense violence in my office rn
Sid is VERY SMART https://twitter.com/katie_panda/status/1285633063070961665
I haven't posted much about Sid's health over the past few days because we're waiting for some tests to come back. But the shorthand is he sort of plateaued and was still coughing a bunch and his belly was still swollen so last friday Bethany took him in for vet visit #5 or 6
and the vet drew fluid from his belly and was like welp that looks like FIP do you want me to euthanize him and Bethany was like UH NO. Sid doesn't have most of the symptoms of FIP aside from that, so the vet sent away for tests which we're still waiting for.
He eats plenty, plays all the time, and not eating + basically starving are big FIP symptoms. And the wet kind of FIP which is what he would have acts pretty fast in kittens and he's like... mildly sick but that's it? For weeks? Like plateaued at "light cold". So idk
So in the meantime the vet put Sid on yet another course of antibiotics and steroids (which she meant as like end of life care). Since then Sid has been all but running around lifting weights.
He is hyperactive and still eating all food that isn't nailed down. If this was FIP he *should* need the steroids just to function but he was already functioning and now he's like https://twitter.com/woodmuffin/status/289100320183828480
So yeah we're not sure. He just has a dry cough now and the very rare trickle of snot. Which I know is partly the steroids but yeah. Who knows. We're hoping for the best and will keep trying until all options are spent.
This kitten is very expensive.
This kitten is very expensive.
it's chill time
Sid's results came back negative for FIP, vet still thinks he has it anyway, stay tuned for more.
SID ENDURES
Morning
Friday stairs
Fern has discovered the concept of the laundry basket.
Sid update: sniffles and sneezing and some coughing fits. Otherwise just going about his business.
He still eats like a hog and when he's not sprinting around and wrestling with Fern he's doing this. I don't know. What even is health really
sound up for Sid noises
At the vet hospital with Sid. Feeling anxious about this one. The only funny thing is they can't x-ray his abdomen because he has so much gas after a meal. Sid you need to fart a bunch so radiation can image you
Sid blocks penetrating rays via being a fart machine
I don't know what's going to happen with the boy Sid. I am sad.
We're at a different vet hospital. This is the third vet in the past month. Probably the 6th visit overall.
Update: the vet says that she can't rule in or out FIP but she doesn't think he has that. What she thinks at the moment is he has
1. a long running standard kitten upper respiratory bug
and
2. an absolutely massive gas issue. Just so full of farts it's alarming.
1. a long running standard kitten upper respiratory bug
and
2. an absolutely massive gas issue. Just so full of farts it's alarming.
Vet: "his belly is just so distended from the gas, he is just SO bloated, that's probably where some of his gasping is coming from, like when you eat so much and get so bloated you almost can't breathe..."
Now the less funny part is figuring out why he is like this. So we're waiting for them to literally drain the gas from his stomach and do an ultrasound. Thanks for tuning into this vet hospital visit livetweet
SID IS HOME
AND ALIVE
AND ALIVE
The short version is it could be a few different things but we won't know until we try some new meds and give it a week, but at the moment none of it seems life threatening and FIP seems less likely than a combo of other stuff. So hey that's very very good news. Finally. For now.
Sunday
Sunday evening
Monday
Fern
FERN! WHY DID YOU DO THIS
i just walked out of the office and i have no idea how long she's just been sitting there barely holding on. she eventually fell very hard onto the stairs and rolled down to the floor
Sid is working hard at getting into this afternoon nap.
As always, Sound Up For Sid (SUFS)
Sid really speaking for all of us right now
Wednesday
Sid update: the boy is doing much, much better. New antibiotic and being off steroids is agreeing with him. Very few sniffles or coughs. Gasiness isn't gone but it's down. This is like the healthiest he's been since we got him I think. So fingers crossed that this continues.
SID ENDURES
Sid really has some strong Victorian advertisement illustration vibes going on sometimes
Sid and Fern are at the vet for a scheduled checkup. Which is funny b/c Sid has been to a vet half a dozen times since last checkup.
WEIGH IN:
Sid is 2.7 lbs
Fern is 4.9 lbs
WEIGH IN:
Sid is 2.7 lbs
Fern is 4.9 lbs
the good news is that a few weeks ago at his sickest Sid was down to like 1.2 and last friday he was like 2.4 SO WE'RE MAKING HEADWAY. need more bloodwork though as we figure out where all this food he eats is going.
he's been thoroughly dewormed and none have ever been detected in him, and he doesn't have diarrhea nor is he puking all the time. he just has a black hole where food goes in his very gassy stomach
Everyone at the vet loves Fern and says she's beautiful and charming and is growing well and is starting to lose her kitten teeth. You hear it more and more: Fern is good
a lot of the issues we're having with Fern beating up Sid is probably just because she's almost twice his size now. he fights back and has fun doing it but i mean there's only so much he can do before he gets overwhelmed
I mean
Depending on the light and pose Sid is either a ratty stuffed bear or a grand beast with the face of a forest god.
A small one, but still.
A small one, but still.
We had a mouse in last night, but it stayed up on the kitchen counters. Sid and Fern's debut as mousers will have to wait.
Saturday
I was watching NES Works from @gamespite and Fern decided that the sun from SMB3 was an actual creature in the room and ran to the edges of the tv waiting for it to fly out so she could catch it. Oh Fern, that's a false sun.
Fern likes tv
Tuesday
Fern is constantly posing for the author pic on the back of the hardcover of her forthcoming book
It is never not funny to me that Sid's original name at the shelter was RAVEN
The majestic and mysterious RAVEN
Fern tends to silently prowl around in the dark nearby on your way to bed. You have to be careful not to trip on her on the stairs or in the upstairs hall.
vet: so his throat inflates when he breathes, like a bullfrog
us: yeah
vet: that's not normal, obviously
us: yeah
vet: and he has a lack of meow
me: yeah he just sort of crackles and quacks at you
vet: yes and that is an abnormal sound
me: it's cute
vet: it is very cute, yes.
us: yeah
vet: that's not normal, obviously
us: yeah
vet: and he has a lack of meow
me: yeah he just sort of crackles and quacks at you
vet: yes and that is an abnormal sound
me: it's cute
vet: it is very cute, yes.
vet: so we need to see if he has an esophageal fistula or maybe an issue with his larynx, which might be caused by past trauma or... some kitties are- and i say this with the most love- sometimes you just get a lemon kitty from birth
us: did you say "lemon kitty"
vet: yeaahhh....
us: did you say "lemon kitty"
vet: yeaahhh....
according to the vet the definition of Lemon Kitty is a cat born with multiple issues that don't have an easy diagnosis. can't pinpoint an inciting incident where they were injured or were exposed to something. just rolls off the lot with a bullfrog throat and lack of meow
anyway we thought it was funny and the vet seemed very apologetic for using what i think is just vet shop talk. we are going to make Sid into a Lemonade Kitty
Sid Catfield, Lemonade Kitty
Sid is back, a bit loopy from sedation. One of the vets sheepishly told Bethany they put a bandana on him, for fashion purposes more than medical.
Fern remains fine. She's applying to law schools and finishing up a research paper she's going to submit to journals right after track season is over this fall. She's also a notary public now.
SID DIAGNOSIS UDPATE: x-rays have revealed a nasopharyngeal polyp, which basically means he's got a growth fucking with his sinuses and airway. There are questions if there is anything else going on with him but this explains a lot of symptoms. And it's something we can fix!
We have to wait a month for him to grow a bit so they can operate and remove it. Bethany asked if the polyp and surrounding issues helped explain his smallness and they said maybe but also he might just be a tiny dude with big paws. So we'll see.
unbelievably expensive cat. thanks for buying our video game, it pays for Sid's mountain of vet costs
"udpate"
Thursday
So I don't know if I've addressed this here or not, but as much as Fern projects an air of sophistication and having it all together... Fern kinda smells. Like if she's in your face she has this sort of gamey wild animal ass smell. I would say it's a secret but she is not ashamed
We thought it might be her ANAL GLANDS but the vet said no. So she might just sort of smell. It's part of who she is. As far as evolution has a say in it she really should be out roaming a farm somewhere but now she's living in a house and learning french and how to play piano.
Saturday. Took the food processor out of the cabinet. Door was open about 20 seconds before I turned back around.
When the dude you live with is eating tuna and won't give you any despite you getting your driver's license today, as a four month old, and a CAT.
Back at the ER with Sid. We were supposed to wait a month for surgery and more testing but his breathing has gone super downhill in the past 24 hours and now he's on oxygen and they're stabilizing him overnight and tomorrow we'll be talking to a specialist at the hospital.
With Sid everything is fine and looking up until it suddenly isn't. I am sad. I hope he'll be ok.
Vet: looking at his records, Sid's an interesting little guy
Us: haha yeah
Vet: ...and unfortunately I'm this situation you don't want to be interesting
Us: oh
Us: haha yeah
Vet: ...and unfortunately I'm this situation you don't want to be interesting
Us: oh
Sid romps and plays and wrestles and eats constantly so he's not like having quality of life issues that would make us feel that this is just prolonging suffering, so we're going ahead with just speeding all of this up bc we apparently don't have the luxury of waiting now
The only issue is he's very young and very scrawny and has breathing issues so options get very limited and risky very fast. So we'll see.
For context on how we're feeling I guess, if you're a new follower this is actually the second big long cat thread this year. The first was saying goodbye to Ico. https://twitter.com/bombsfall/status/1218457047206912000?s=19
Sid is going into surgery today to try to remove any polyp they find and open up his airway so they can get at whatever is happening in his esophagus. So yeah. Let's go vets, let's go Sid.
Expanding my demand for universal healthcare to cats
Fern is going out of her mind without Sid to romp and wrestle with. We are poor substitutes.
SID UPDATE: Vet called. He made it through surgery. They removed a poly from his nasal area/throat the size of a QUARTER. He is a tiny guy, no wonder he's been having so much trouble breathing. He should be home tonight after they observe him for a few hours.
