Gale: Bitten Kitten!

Good news for Gale! We were worried about the strange bumps on his forehead, especially when they seemed to get bigger almost overnight. They were side by side, just above his eyes, in the middle of his forehead. It almost seemed as if he was growing little ... well ... horns! 

Should we start calling Gale "Hellboy?"

 At first, we thought Gale might have bumped his head, but since there were two lumps, and since they had changed size, we started to worry. What if this sweet little guy had a tumor?

Gale didn't act like a sick kitten. He still ran around, jumped, and played with his litter-mates, still had a good appetite, and didn't seem to have any hearing or vision problems. Still, this just didn't seem normal. So, even though funds are tight, we decided that another trip to the vet was in order.

As before, we decided to load the whole kit 'n' kaboodle into the carrier so that Mama wouldn't stress out over her missing kittens, or vice versa. Also as before, the awesome staff at Acoaxet Veterinary Clinic all gathered round for their dose of floofy kitten cuddles.  But this time, instead of Rue, it was Gale in the hot seat. Dr. Hall examined Gale and didn't find anything wrong, but he could definitely feel two bumps. We'd  hoped they could avoid shaving his head, but unfortunately, it looked like Gale was going to get a mini-Mohawk.

Whatchu lookin' at? I think Joe Strummer rocked this haircut once.

 Poor Gale! When the vet took him into another room to shave his head and aspirate the wounds for biopsy, he made his displeasure known, vocally and VERY loudly. Poor Runway was frantic, running around the room and chirping at the door: "I want my baby back!"

When Gale returned, he had a new punk haircut and two clearly visible red bumps. We couldn't help but comment on his resemblance to the comic character Hellboy. And there were further indignities to endure: an antibiotic shot and worm medicine, which he proceeded to spit out all over the examining table. We couldn't really blame the poor guy. He's had a bad day.

"I gots boo-boo!"

The good news is that Gale's bites, while serious enough to need antibiotics, should recover within a week. We'll need to keep an eye on his boo-boos, apply hot compresses twice a day, and make sure his siblings don't go all True Blood on him again. We don't know who the biter is, but we strongly suspect Peeta, who was the very first eater, and has already used our hands and ankles as chew toys.

Just another day at Chez Kitten. We will be keeping an even closer eye on the growing clowder, moving them into a bigger room to give them more room to play as they move into this new, more active phase of kittenhood.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to Gale's medical expenses. They were higher than we expected ($128.62), but we've already raised one-fifth of the cost through donations, and the vet has graciously given us until Friday to pay off the remainder. If you'd like to help sponsor Gale, or any of the Hunger Games Kittens, just use the link below to donate. Thanks for following our story, and stay tuned for more kitty adventures!

And remember, your brother's face is NOT a chew toy!

Image credit: "Hellboy and Kitten" by Kory Bingaman, retrieved from elfwood.com.