A photo of a skinny baby, whose given name is Mohammed Zakaria, inflamed some bloggers. "But he has health problems, some say? Anybody would have health problems if people keep killing the people who are delivering their food." The Internet kerfuffle has established, mainly, that Americans can't tell one kind of Semites from another. Semites are delivering food to Gaza and other Semites are attacking them, so the question becomes whether Israel, Iran, the United Nations employing local people, or whoever else, are delivering the food and whether Israel, Hamas, or some other group are attacking them. Maybe it's not a matter of politics. Maybe there are just a lot of men in this part of the world who will fight over food.
Meanwhile Serena's kitten was growing fast for the first few weeks. Sedentary, no indication that he'd ever be a hunter, but such a sweet, cuddly, well-behaved kitten. Then he hit a plateau, as he reached an age where he needed more food and his mother supplied less food. Nature intends six-week-old kittens to feel hungry after nursing, look around, and start eating solid food. Serena's kitten ate four or five kibbles one day--and no more. He stopped gaining bone length and started losing flesh. He went from adorably coltish to alarmingly emaciated. Kibble was set out for him, even held up to his mouth; he wanted nothing to do with it. I offered him cooked meat. He eats that, but he's not gained any length, weight, muscle mass, or energy yet. (Kittens are supposed to be just noticeably bigger almost every day.) Control of digestive functions seems to be coming slowly and with difficulty, rather than developing almost instantaneously as it does with most kittens. Self-cleaning is also coming slowly; this week Serena's kitten has a body odor most felines never allow themselves to have.
There are a few unfortunate baby lifeforms--in all species--who can starve to death even while receiving enough food to keep normal members of their species well fed. They're born without the ability to absorb nutrients from food. Sometimes a single food source, like cow's milk or wheat, may be the problem and the baby can develop normally if supplied with an alternate source of the same nutrients. Sometimes only mother's milk nourishes the baby. A few unfortunate creatures, like some tailless kittens, don't digest even mother's milk well enough to support life.
"Mohammed" is a human name, but if Serena's kitten fails to qualify for the name Miracle his name may be recorded as Zakitty.
Petfinder documents that some people do seem to want to make the effort to keep alive Manx cats who may be considered sicker than Serena's kitten is, Mix human-quality food, massage the posterior half, clean the fur. The cats can be "worth it." They have extra soft, thick fur and may reward their humans with lots of purring and snuggling. I think Serena's kitten may have inherited some ability to understand words. He certainly is affectionate. For someone who can commit to a lot of the kind of caretaking most cats never need and would violently reject, he might still be a satisfactory house pet.
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