I took the 3 kittens to the vets office today. Apparently, Oreo has brought Ringworm with him. They said that Merlin was OK and that Riley was OK, although Riley had a spot on his chin that was “suspect”. So they were going to treat all 3 of them and give them “Program” which I guess is a medicine for ringworm. They want me to shampoo them, but they do not have the shampoo that I need to do it. Said they are all about 4-5 weeks old and that I need to return in 2 weeks for the 2nd dose of “Program” and for their initial shots.
Merlin also has a nasty case of diarrhea. I mentioned it to the vet who said to keep an eye on it and if it continues, I’ll have to bring him back in for a culture. Since I just got him, and we don’t know where he came from or what he had been eating, I’m hoping it’s just that his system is adjusting to the real food that I’ve been giving him for the last 2 days. We’ll see how it goes.
My friend Joe came at lunch to take a look at the gutters. It’s not really the gutter problem, but more how the water flows down the roof. He hypothesizes that when it rains REALLY hard and fast (like it did the other day), that the water just comes flooding down the roof and overshoots the main gutter, only to land in the smaller gutter which can’t keep up with the water flow. It then overflows and backs up. This house is old and the gutters are built into the roof, so it’s easy to see how this happens. There is nothing he can do to fix it; he does make a suggestion to add sort of a “dam” up on the roof to force the water into the larger gutter, thereby missing the smaller one and avoiding future flooding. So I put him on the phone with my homeowners and he explains this to them. Since we’re in the middle of summer and in the middle of a drought, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency to get this done now. So perhaps after they return in the fall, they can address this issue.
The pest control people came again. Despite the fact that they have set rat traps in both the main house and the guest house, there have been no captures. And of course, every time they come out, there is a charge. So I’m not sure how much longer we’ll deal with this routine. But I think we’ll perhaps give it another week to see if anything shows up.
By the end of today, I’m wiped out. Overwhelmed. Between the rats, the smell, the various appointments to meet people, the flood in the dining room and all the kitten drama, I’m mentally fried. This was supposed to be a “simple” house and pet sitting assignment! I’ve done house and pet sitting for years and years; taken care of 30 horses and 50 dogs on large acreage. And yet, I’ve never had all these issues happen within a span of about 3 weeks! It’s very frustrating and I’m worried that the property owners are going to think I’m destroying their house! So we have a long talk this evening. I think she is just as frustrated. This hasn’t really happened to them either; this is supposed to be a relaxing summer for them! It seems like every time I call her, I have something new to report and it’s not good news! She gives me a pep talk….tells me how much they appreciate what I’m doing and how I’m handling everything. Said if this would have happened last year with the other housesitter, it would have been a disaster and they probably would have already been on their way back! She also reminded me of the rescue work I’m doing with these kittens. They most assuredly would not have survived to this point on their own. Poor little Merlin would have been euthanized that day at the vet’s office had I not come and picked him up! And now, the 3 of them have a chance to grow up and find a family to adopt and love them.
So by the end of the conversation, I felt much better. The pep talk worked!
I’m going to go and spend some time with Amadeus, since I’ve not been as attentive to him the last several weeks because the kittens have taken so much of my time. I’m sure he will appreciate the attention! ♥
