06/16/2025
“Air” (Parichart Elliott) here—HAPPY SUNDAY! And, a very Happy Father’s Day to all the fabulous dads out there—with a little extra love to all the fabulous cat dads! (To the not so fabulous dads? Do better.)
This guy here—he weighs just 3 ounces, but he’s got the spirit and fight of a full grown LION. And, he’s proven it every single feeding for the past four days. He has fought every drop of kitten formula I have managed to get in him. I’ve tried 3 different formulas, five different ni***es, and even a naked, 1mL oral syringe, but every feeding has been a struggle. After double checking with our vet, I’ve supplemented daily with Nutri Cal and sub q fluids to guard against dehydration and a blood sugar crash.
I was so worried about and stressed over him, and frustrated by my inability to better help him.
There are many things I do not do well, but bottle feeding even the tiniest kittens? That, I’ve proven to do very well. My first bottle baby was the legendary Bear, back in 2019. Lil’ Lion Man here is #167. These are the most fragile little lives, but 9 times out of 10, I’ve been successful.
It isn’t because I’m some bottle feeding prodigy. From Bear to Lion, there wasn’t anyone else to do it, but it had to be done, so I sought guidance from other bottle feeders, experts, YouTube, Google, etc. I’m always willing to try new methods and new tools, and I always try to learn something from every baby—every success and, especially, every failure.
I’ve had as many as 17 bottle babies at one time—I do not recommend anyone do this. It’s absolutely insane and not in the best interest of the bottle feeder or the bottle babies. I survived it; they survived it; I hope there is never a real need for me to do that again.
NEVER have I cried more 1 AM and 3 AM tears as I have cried over Lion as I’ve begged him to eat and willed him to live. His little head would thrash and his little arms would flail, pushing my hand away with surprising strength. It would take 30 minutes to an hour just to get the very small amount of formula his little body needed into him. Middle of the night feedings for a single, week old bottle baby should be a matter of a few minutes and back to sleep. I just knew my inability to find what worked for him would be the death of us both!
This morning, my tears were of pure JOY! We finally had that “Magic Moment” where he latched and guzzled down the formula his little body needed in just a few minutes! Hallejuah! Every feeding today has been the same! I can visibly see him getting stronger with every feeding!
🎉💕🐈💕🎉
The difference? This morning, for the first time, I “purrito-ed” him—wrapping him snuggly in a small, soft blanket with his arms tucked in. This helped to calm him and focus him. An experienced bottle feeder reading this is likely reacting with a, “well, duhhh!” I agree! I can’t believe I didn’t remeber to try a “purrito” until today. I’ve purrito-ed countless bottle babies to help calm and focus them on latching and nursing. I just haven’t had one need that done in a while and it just didn’t even occur to me…
This past week, I physically and mentally hit rock bottom. Body, mind, and even soul—I felt run over, lit on fire, and stomped out. Something had to change—quickly. Yesterday, I really pushed myself to hydrate well, and in between Lion’s feedings, I clocked some decent sleep last night. This morning, I felt better than I had in WEEKS! After just ONE DAY of making BASIC self-care a priority, I physically felt like a new person; my constant headache was gone and the dense brain fog was just a mere mist…😆
It’s no surprise I suddenly remembered to try to “purrito” Lion this morning! And, it worked like a charm.
To my fellow rescuers—especially cat folks during Kitten Season—what we do is so hard, the need is overwhelming, and there is never enough time, help, funds, resources…. It’s essential that you make time to take care of yourself—especially the basic necessities for life. Sufficient, quality sleep, food, and water make all the difference!
I’ll pray for you—and you pray for me that I continue to remember how great I felt today and keep it up!
Linked below is one of my favorite videos of tips for tricky bottle babies by Hannah Shaw, aka Kitten Lady. Check out her YouTube channel for FABULOUS, informative videos on kitten health and caring for kittens.
https://youtu.be/YQZ1IB5vth8?si=ESUHjIJekeUMLJCY
💕🎉🐈⬛💖🐈💖🐈⬛🎉💕
If you’d like to help the FabuCats and kittens (and my mental health🙈😊—the peace of mind of knowing we have the funds and other resources to meet their needs is beyond PRICELESS), please give if you can—no amount is too small:
🐈⬛ Venmo:
🐈 Zelle: [email protected]
🐈⬛ PayPal: [email protected]
🐈 Address: 554 Flint Branch Church Road,
Jesup, GA 31545
Thank you. 💖🐈💖
💕🐈⬛💕Because even small acts of kindness add up to BIG changes.💕🐈💕