How do you spell RELIEF?

 

If you said, "From the 1970s TV commercial: R-O-L-A-I-D-S," you get 30 bonus points.

The vet appointment last night ran long.  It was supposed to be at 6:30 - we were there 20 minutes early, in case they could get us in sooner.  We didn't get into an exam room until just before 8:00.  The little furry girl was a champ during the wait.  Only one minor outburst in the exam room, when she was done with being handled, poked, and prodded.

More patient than I would have been.  And, perhaps, scrappier.

But the relief: the little girl is healthy.  The Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS tests were negative.  As was the heartworm.  Confirmation that she really is a girl (it's hard to tell with kittens).  Good skin and teeth.  No fleas.  The vet declared her "very fit."  A big sigh of relief.  She got her first round of shots.

We made an appointment for next month to have her spayed, chipped, and the booster shots.

This means she and Murphy are OK being around each other.  I did not want to let Murph get close, in case the little girl had anything contagious.  She has spunk.  It will be interesting to see what Murphy does when she hisses back at him.

Now, we need to work on a name.  We had time while waiting last night to go through lists of names.  We need to make a trip to PetSmart to stock up on kitten food, a collar, a tag, and a harness.

Joan had ordered a couple cans of kitten food to get us through these first few days.  When we got home last night (close to 9:00 pm), I opened one of those cans and gave her 1/3 of the can.  She ate that right down.  She got more before we went to bed.

A photo from the vet exam room...

 Cute little face.

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Knowing we can put this little girl and Murphy in closer proximity, we moved the catio into the living room.  Murphy was very curious, walking all around the catio to take in this new critter from every angle.  She kept an eye on him.  No aggression on either part...

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This afternoon, we made a trip to PetSmart: Steph had some "after Christmas" items she wanted for Dicha, but our main objective was for kitten food, new litter, and a collar.  A harness will come in time, and a name tag when we finalize a name.

As of right now, the finalist names are: Skye Blue, Star Angel, or Stella Rose.  I am good with any of those; we'll take some time to see what feels right.

While we were out, Steph came over to check on the kitties; Murphy was resting on his tower (where he usually goes when we are out), and the little girl was resting in the catio.  Steph got to hear her purr, when she reached inside to give the little girl a soft pet. 

When we got home, Joan cleaned the litter boxes for each of the fur babies, then got the little girl out for her first "lap time"...

 Yes, Murph was right there, too.  Very gentle.  He was quite content to be beside these two.  And little Stella/Star/Skye fell asleep purring.

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This evening, I got to do some kitty cuddling, too...

 Murph came over to check in on her: "She smells nice."...

 I have been very impressed with how gentle Murphy is with her.  As I'm writing this, she is back in the catio in the living room, Murphy is laying right beside it.  They have been reaching out paws to each other.

Murphy is behaving even better than I had hoped.  When he is at Steph's house, he and Tango wrestle like a couple young boys.  Murph is very gentle with their special needs boy Alfie.  And gives their Grande Dame Tasha plenty of space.  I am even more impressed now with our big boy.