For Cat Lovers Only VIII - Post Pics, Ask Questions, Comments, Etc.

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I'm not usually a fan of forwards, but I thought I would share this information I got today. Just by visiting this site daily and clicking the purple box, you can ensure that over half a bowl of food is donated to an abused or neglected animal. The companies that advertise on the site will make a donation for every time someone visits the site and clicks the box. It doesn't cost you a thing, and you can click more than once. Please visit!


http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com
 
i've got a kitty question. we've got this adorable little stray kitten in our neighbourhood. it's so teeny tiny, it could fit in my hand. when i came home last night, it was sitting on the step of our front porch :cute: it ran away when i walked towards it, but it came back again and was curled up right by the front door. one of my cats, sunnie, was staring at it.

i opened the door to bring a dish of food and it ran away, but it came back again and was eating the food. i tried to sneak around the back of the house to get it so i could bring it inside (i just couldn't bear to see it outside, even though we brought it food and water i was afraid it'd get hit by a car or something) and it hid in our garden. i left out some food and water for it and it ate it all.

i've pretty much convinced my parents that we should take the kitty in. they've got a soft spot for cats and my mom especially loves this one because it's an orange tabby and she's always wanted one like that. anyway, does anyone have any tips on how to get it to calm down i guess? i want to get it to the vet because i'm sure she's got fleas just from being outdoors, but i know due to her age she's due for all sorts of shots.

i know it's got to be a stray, i haven't seen any signs for a lost cat up, and who would let out a little kitten? i'm guessing a stray cat had babies and she either got away or the mom died :sad:
 
I've never had much luck calming down kittens, even domestically born ones. In my experience, kittens are just not touchy-feely and don't appreciate attention like it seems they would. They'd rather snuggle with fellow kittens or be running around playing. My cats didn't really warm up to being handled and held until they were at least 6 months. Posh will not put up with being lifted or carried, but she will come sit on my lap on occasion. Beckham will put up with being held, but does not like it. Marijke is the oddball. She LOVES to be carted around like a baby and will whine and howl if I'm sitting in such a way that she can't get on my lap. But even she didn't care to be held until she was about 16 weeks old. The only time I've really gotten my kittens to sit on my lap is after playing for a long time so they are dead tired. If you intend to keep it, the younger you get it inside, the better. Even domestic kittens would rather run around outside and play, so don't worry if you just have to pick it up and take it in. Introducing it to the other cat will take time. It typically takes me about a month before I feel safe leaving a new cat with current cats (and since I got Beckham, I've done 5 cat introductions). If she's real tiny, she probably needs to be de-wormed and get her distemper combo. Rabies isn't given until they are 2 lbs in weight. You might also want her tested for FIV and leukemia, since you don't want your other cat exposed to that.

Oh and post some piccies!!
 
yeah, most of my kitties have been like that too. tabitha though has always been super affectionate and liked to be petted, stroked, held, etc. ever since i got her. i definitely know how tricky it can be introducing a new cat, we've had six altogether.

the only problem is every time i go near her, she runs away. but even one of my cats i have, dolemite, is like that and won't let me pick him up all these years later.

i haven't seen her today, but if i can catch her lurking around i'll definitely have to take some pics. she's so cute and tiny and her meow is so :cute:
 
The kitten is probably feral. Born outside with no human contact. Maybe she got lost from her mom and siblings. It might take a little time but since she's so young she has a good outcome if you're able to catch her and tame her. I socialized a 2 year old feral cat. It took a LONG time but she is now the sweetest, friendliest most affectionate cat I've ever known. If she's as young as it sounds, she should really be inside with warmth and food, and a vet trip. Good luck!
 
My cats have tended to arrive when they are a bit older (all of them strayed in), but most are quite wary at first (I also had a feral that took years for me to be able to touch, and then he was soooo sweet). What I do is make sure to always have food for it when I see it. I try to make sure the cat sees me put the food down (I want it to know I am the giver of that good stuff) and then move away. If the cat/kitten is very shy you might have to even go back inside, but often you just have to move away 10 or 15 feet to give it some room. I also keep up a steady stream of conversation. It sounds funny, but I've had good luck with it. I just keep talking in as soothing a voice as I can manage and fairly soon the cat learns "that" voice belongs to "the giver of the good stuff" and won't run away. Then I just slowly work on getting closer to the cat without frightening it (be prepared to walk away if the cat/kitten shows signs of bolting) and eventually it will understand that I'm a friend. It can take a little time and patience, but it does work.

Good luck!
 
You could maybe rent or borrow a live trap from a hardware store or the animal control people. If the kitten already ate the food you offered, the trap should be a done deal.
 
Here's a quick question: we just got back from the vet because my wife's cat has been acting under the weather. We found out that the cat is anemic (12% white blood cell count when it should be between 25% and into the 40%). Our best hope - and diagnosis that fits the symptoms - is that the cat has haemobartonellosis. We have started the kittie on a cycle of prednisolone and doxycycline which the vet believes will kill the parasite if that is what the problem is.

My question is should we get the cat a blood transfusion right away or does the medicine work fast enough to get the white blood cell count back up?
 
i didn't see it at all yesterday, so we'll see if it comes back. i'll definitely try to see if i can trap it or something. it probably is feral, but one of the cats i own, sunnie, was basically feral when we got her. she's very territorial, but she's a sweet cat and even lets me pick her up. only me though, it's weird. so i definitely do know if you get one young enough, you can domesticate it.
 
Has anyone ever clicker trained or done operant conditioning with cats? I just starting clicking Beckham tonight. It's too difficult to try all three at once, so I chose Beckham because 1) he's usually fearful and I want him at the very least desensitized to the clicker before Chop comes, 2) he's the smartest and has the most focus, and 3) he takes treats without question (Marijke and Posh sniff them and investigate before eating, so it interrupts the association between the behavior, the noise, and the reward). I just clicked and handfed him half his meal and he's already figured out that "click" = a kibble and sitting still = click/kibble, jumping up and meowing = nothing. I'm hoping to teach him some actual tricks.
 
Here's Our Precious (aka Mousya), looking pensieve and deep while sprawled on my tummy:

mousyaaa.jpg
 
Dalton said:
Here's a quick question: we just got back from the vet because my wife's cat has been acting under the weather. We found out that the cat is anemic (12% white blood cell count when it should be between 25% and into the 40%). Our best hope - and diagnosis that fits the symptoms - is that the cat has haemobartonellosis. We have started the kittie on a cycle of prednisolone and doxycycline which the vet believes will kill the parasite if that is what the problem is.

My question is should we get the cat a blood transfusion right away or does the medicine work fast enough to get the white blood cell count back up?
Click to expand...

I don't have any advice for you, but I hope kitty gets better. :hug:
 
I got a couple of pics of the other stray tomcat I've been feeding. I call this one BOC (for Battered Old Cat). because he has seen better days. He loves me as long as I have food and he is hungry, and once in a while he will lounge around on the deck or the porch for a few hours, but he's a lot more wary of people than LBC (Little Black Cat) is.

IMG_0763.jpg


IMG_0766.jpg


He has a lot of scarring on his head as you might be able to see and his ears are more flat than upright. One ear especially looks kind of squashed from his many cat fights, but doesn't seem to bother him. He doesn't look like much, but he's a pretty nice old fellow.
 
indra said:


I don't have any advice for you, but I hope kitty gets better. :hug:
Click to expand...


Thanks. This has been pretty draining. With its white blood cell count so low the vet told me that the poor thing could drop dead at any moment. So, if this medication doesn't work he won't be with us by the end of the week. :sad:

This is the cat that sleeps with my wife (under the covers in the crook of her arm) every night, runs to the door and waits for her when he hears her car come into the garage.

Another thing is that we are going in for our first ultrasound today, so we should be excited about seeing our baby for the first time, but my wife has hardly slept because she keeps checking the cat.

Sad days ...
 
:hug: Dalton, just reading that is heartbreaking. I'm hoping for all the best. :hug:


My Chloe's anal glands are impacted again, we're taking her to the vet this afternoon to get them flushed out *again*. I really hope this isn't going to be a monthly occurrence.
 
Dalton said:



Thanks. This has been pretty draining. With its white blood cell count so low the vet told me that the poor thing could drop dead at any moment. So, if this medication doesn't work he won't be with us by the end of the week. :sad:

This is the cat that sleeps with my wife (under the covers in the crook of her arm) every night, runs to the door and waits for her when he hears her car come into the garage.

Another thing is that we are going in for our first ultrasound today, so we should be excited about seeing our baby for the first time, but my wife has hardly slept because she keeps checking the cat.

Sad days ...
Click to expand...

I am truly so sorry to hear about ur kitty. I sure hope the medication works and your kitty gets better...:hug:

I totally understand the closeness that your wife has with your cat. This is exactly how it is for my cat. I call her my "furry first child". She goes everywhere I go in the house. Sleeps with me every night, is up with me every morning in the bathroom while I get ready for work. And is the first to greet me when I get home every day.
 
Dalton said:
Here's a quick question: we just got back from the vet because my wife's cat has been acting under the weather. We found out that the cat is anemic (12% white blood cell count when it should be between 25% and into the 40%). Our best hope - and diagnosis that fits the symptoms - is that the cat has haemobartonellosis. We have started the kittie on a cycle of prednisolone and doxycycline which the vet believes will kill the parasite if that is what the problem is.

My question is should we get the cat a blood transfusion right away or does the medicine work fast enough to get the white blood cell count back up?
Click to expand...

Is this your polydactyl kitty? :(

You could PM bonosloveslave.. she's a kitty vet :hug:
 
Sicy said:


Is this your polydactyl kitty? :(

You could PM bonosloveslave.. she's a kitty vet :hug:
Click to expand...


Thanks Sicy. I've talked to our vet today and she says the best thing to do is wait at this point (plus it would cost almost $1000 for blood :huh: ).

It is NOT the plydactyl cat. That one is named Dante, but I call him "Fat Cat" for reasons that are apparent to all who see him.

The sick kitty is Emerson or "Emmy". That's a bad nickname for a boy, but I've always felt that he had some gender issues anyways ...

Thanks to all of you who are thinking and praying for Em. He's a good cat and it breaks my heart to see my wife so sad.
 
That is great news! Hope your kitty continues to improve, Dalton. :)
 
Saracene said:
Here's Our Precious (aka Mousya), looking pensieve and deep while sprawled on my tummy:

mousyaaa.jpg
Click to expand...

Awww! :cute: I love the little spot about her nose.
 
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