Need immediate advice on cat

[Matata]

If she isn't hissing with her ears back, pupils dilated and body in defensive posture when you feed her and attend to the cage, she probably won't freak out if she has use of the whole room. My first adoption failure was a year old savannah cat who tried to rip me to shreds for an entire week and then he stuffed himself into a tiny box and wouldn't come out. I had to return him to the breeder in that box. He hadn't eaten, peed, pooped or had water the entire week and I thought he would die if I kept him any longer. This wasn't a feral cat, but one who didn't want to live with me. If she is relatively relaxed, you might want to take a chance. Perhaps put up baby gates in the bathroom doorway instead of closing the door so she can see and hear you and you can continue to gain her trust without actually being in the room.

 

[elle_71125]

Don't be sad. It will all turn around. I believe it!
Maybe she's not eating or drinking enough to feel the need to eliminate. It reminds me of an episode of Monk where he refuses to drink any water on a camping trip because as he says, "if I drink water, I make water."

The miralax should help. At least you'll know if she needs a vet appointment that way. Maybe she's been too nervous to venture around the side of her box. Perhaps the new location will encourage her to give it a shot.

 

[CJ2008]

Guys you have NO idea how comforting it is to have you guys here.

No idea.

Matata she hasn't come even close to hissing or showing any aggressive postures. There's been times when she's actually kind of closed her eyes while I was in there.

I think I have some baby gates. I'll look.

Elle I am so stressed out I can't even begin to tell you. The conversation with that lady put a really scary and dark twist for me in a matter of two minutes. I immediately realized it had been a mistake to reach out to her but by that time it was too late.

I'm beginning to feel that I did the wrong thing by this cat that I am not the right person for this.

Thank you for your encouragement. I am just finding it really hard to feel anything but scared and sad.

 

[elle_71125]

Guys you have NO idea how comforting it is to have you guys here.

No idea.

Matata she hasn't come even close to hissing or showing any aggressive postures. There's been times when she's actually kind of closed her eyes while I was in there.

I think I have some baby gates. I'll look.

Elle I am so stressed out I can't even begin to tell you. The conversation with that lady put a really scary and dark twist for me in a matter of two minutes. I immediately realized it had been a mistake to reach out to her but by that time it was too late.

I'm beginning to feel that I did the wrong thing by this cat that I am not the right person for this.

Thank you for your encouragement. I am just finding it really hard to feel anything but scared and sad.

I really hope you don't give up. I like that she isn't showing any signs of aggression. She's scared but not hissing. That's a good thing right?

It's hard knowing what kind of person you're reaching out to. We all feel strongly one way or another so I guess she feels strongly on the "catch and release" side of things. That doesn't mean you have to agree with her. Every situation is unique. This poor kitty may be so grateful to you, after she starts to acclimate. Changing one life for the better may not change the world but it surely changes that one life.

I think opening up the cage may be a good idea. I'd say to keep the blanket over top so she has her "home" to run back to for now. Also, you should try to give her some space for a few hours. I know your nervous but going in and out every few minutes doesn't give her the time she needs to explore (she'll always worry that you're going to pop back in). Just remember, this takes time. She's not going to be comfortable with you overnight. It's only been a couple days so keep your chin up.

 

[CJ2008]

Posting here is the only thing that is keeping me sane AND not going back in there every 5 minutes.

I made the mistake to leave the light on in there really bright. And the blanket is not really covering the black cage. So she'll only have the carrier to run into.

See that's what I mean I am not thinking clearly I am nervous and that is affecting my ability to take my time with things.

The thing is I need to weigh leaving her alone against knowing it's time to take her to the vet and it can't wait any longer.

I know I am repeating myself.

 

[elle_71125]

Posting here is the only thing that is keeping me sane AND not going back in there every 5 minutes.

I made the mistake to leave the light on in there really bright. And the blanket is not really covering the black cage. So she'll only have the carrier to run into.

See that's what I mean I am not thinking clearly I am nervous and that is affecting my ability to take my time with things.

The thing is I need to weigh leaving her alone against knowing it's time to take her to the vet and it can't wait any longer.

I know I am repeating myself.

It's ok.
I think you mentioned that you can't take her to the vet right now right? If you can, then maybe you should. You're clearly very nervous. If you can't get to vet right now, then try and give her some space for a few hours. It can't hurt her.

As for the lights, maybe you can put in a night light to dim the room for her.

 

[CJ2008]

And as far as the lady...

I think she could have handled things better, for a few reasons.

But yes we all have our opinions about things especially when it comes to animals. And I would imagine if she has been doing this a long time (and I think she has) she has seen a lot of things and her opinions have been shaped through those experiences.

That's what happens sometimes though. Then it becomes hard to LISTEN and see things on a case by case basis. A lot of assumptions and jumping to conclusions.

But you're right - I don't have to agree with what she thinks I should have done.

I'm proud of myself for standing my ground even though I panicked. I know I'm good with animals and that's where I drew the strength from.

It's ok.
I think you mentioned that you can't take her to the vet right now right? If you can, then maybe you should. You're clearly very nervous. If you can't get to vet right now, then try and give her some space for a few hours. It can't hurt her.

As for the lights, maybe you can put in a night light to dim the room for her.

I had a night light in there.

I had it dim THE WHOLE TIME, since she's come here.

Except for when I last went in there. I left all the fng lights on. Because I am not thinking clearly. I think part of me thought it would be better so I could make sure I see her if I go in there. And if it's bright she'll be more likely to run for the tunnel/darkness of the carrier.

I don't know.

I'm hungry, I'm stressed, I'm thirsty and I am like low level panicking.

I know you have to keep repeating yourself too.

I can, it will be an emergency vet unless I wait until 9 am tomorrow. But I will do it if I have to. I took the responsibility to bring her here I can't fail her now. But as you can imagine the emergency vet is pricey, feral / stray or not.

 

[elle_71125]

I would try and wait it out until tomorrow.

I think you said she hasn't eaten much and there's no noticeable water intake. Have you given her the Miralax yet?

 

[CJ2008]

No I did not do the Miralax yet.

Seriously it seems everything I was supposed to do I didn't do the moment something went wrong.

I bought the Miralax, I have it. But it's only been about an hour since I left the room and the cage open and I am just afraid it's too soon to go back in.

 

[arkieb1]

People I know used to catch and rehabilitate feral cats from a rural airport. And the best thing you can do is not panic and leave her alone for a while, so she can go to the toilet in private. If she continues not to go then you need to take her to a vet tomorrow to make sure there are no blockages or issues why she is not going.

 

[CJ2008]

People I know used to catch and rehabilitate feral cats from a rural airport. And the best thing you can do is not panic and leave her alone for a while, so she can go to the toilet in private. If she continues not to go then you need to take her to a vet to make sure there are no blockages or issues why she is not going.

I am trying, arkie.

The local (nice) lady told me the same thing, to leave her alone.

But it's almost like the moment something went wrong I started doing everything wrong and half assed and just chaotically, even though I made sure to remain calm in front of her while I was in the room.

And I know I should eat but at the same time I know I won't enjoy it so I keep waiting.

 

[arkieb1]

It's O.K you are just worried about her. She is super stressed being in an unknown environment if she can't see well it all smells and sounds new to her which is probably causing her not to want to go so if you leave her alone for a number of hours perhaps she will then relax enough to think about searching for the litter box.

If she still hasn't gone by tomorrow I would be taking her back to a vet just to check nothing is medically wrong with her.

 

[CJ2008]

((((thank you))))

I just put a slice of pizza in the oven and I am GOING TO MAKE BELIEVE everything is OK.

It is not helping anything for me to be in this state.

I will eat the two slices of pizza and finish watching the show from earlier that's been on pause for oh about 8 hours now. That should give me another hour of not checking in there.

There is absolutely no question that I will take her to vet first thing in the morning. I already had an appointment set for her for Wednesday "just because" this is when I thought everything was OK. I just wanted a regular vet to look at her and give her a full checkup.

The only question is whether I will take her tonight.

I will wait a few hours and see.

 

[junebug17]

CJ, no great words of wisdom here, just want to let you know I'm thinking o you and the kitty. I'm sorry this has turned into such a stressful situation for you. Please try not to be too upset, you did an amazing thing by helping this kitty and honestly I don't see you making any horrible mistakes. I hope you take some time to relax and try to eat and drink something. It will help you feel better and think a little more clearly. She will be ok for a while by herself. See how she's doing tomorrow and take it from there. Sending lots of good thoughts to you, I know you are worried - you're doing a good job!

ETA - We were posting at the same time lol - good, I'm glad you're having something to eat! I'm thinking it will be ok to wait until tomorrow to take her to the vet but hopefully those more knowledgeable will chime in.

 

[CJ2008]

Guys,

I think she peed.

What's throwing me off is that even with my nose very close to it it doesn't smell strong there is just the slightest indication that it isn't just plain water.

I almost didn't notice it. It was only when I looked really closely I noticed the corner of the newspaper sticking out looked wet and that's when I dug underneath a bit and it was wet.

You don't think the moisture of the soil could have done that right? The soil does not appear that moist to me to cause that.



The cage door was open, she was inside the carrier.

I put down a bowl of wet food with a little Miralax sprinkle and a couple of pieces of dry food.

She had eaten the little bit of tuna I had left which I had put there to entice her out of the carrier.

I left the lights nice and dim for her.

 

[CJ2008]

June thank you so much.

Even when I am not responding individually I am thankful for each post.

 

[junebug17]

CJ, I agree, the newspaper looks pretty wet. I have a feeling she went, looks that way to me.

 

[CJ2008]

CJ, I agree, the newspaper looks pretty wet. I have a feeling she went, looks that way to me.

Right towards the edge right? I had almost missed it. What's funny is that I almost took out all the newspaper when I set up the 2 boxes. If I had, I might not have noticed any wetness at all. Hard to see wetness in soil. Although I'm sure I would have stuck my hands in it. Yeah I would have.

I want to jump up and down but I don't want to get my hopes up too much yet.

 

[junebug17]

I know what you mean... but this is encouraging! I'm really hoping she's getting back on track.

CJ, You should try to get some sleep! It's been a long day for you.

 

[CJ2008]

Sleep? No way! This is the happiest I've felt all day! Now I can reheat the coffee I never drank, and have some cookies!

Thank you June

Have a great night.

 

[junebug17]

Lol! Ok, that sounds good too! I'll check in with you tomorrow!

 

[freezing_in_MO]

I had a work commitment tonight, so I couldn't post sooner. I covertly read your messages under the table.

Yay! I too think that she peed!

For what it's worth, I can't smell anything when my cats pee either, unless the clump has been sitting there for a while. I have a reasonably good sense of smell.

It probably depends on their diet and level of hydration. Dehydration causes more concentrated urine that smells worse. I can imagine that medication might affect the smell too.

Several of your posts say that you have done everything wrong and chaotically. It seems to me that you have been methodical and prudent, and have done everything in your power to help this cat. Pat yourself on the back!

P.S. Here is a delightful article I just found on cat urine. It says that it's possible for it to not smell right away, as the smell increases over time. It's not scientific literature, but it seems to make sense.

http://www.felinefriendlycare.com/cat-urine-odor.html

P.P.S. Have you ever tried Feliway? It's a liquid that you use in a plug-in infuser. They claim that it contains synthesized cat pheromones and helps cats to relax and feel less anxious. Some people swear by it. I think it was helpful when I was introducing my cats to each other. I can't be sure, because the reduced fighting could have been coincidental. Might be worth a shot, both for new kitty and your resident kitties.

 

[elle_71125]

Yay!! Looks like she peed to me!
How's she doing that s morning?

 

[missy]

CJ2008 honey you are doing such a fantastic job and one that I know is challenging and full of worry and stress. Biggest (((HUGS))) to you!!! You are saving this sweet kitty!!!! YAY CJ!!!!

Hoping she is doing even better this morning and getting used to her new environment. I would suggest depending on how it goes getting her tested for FeLV and FIV but only if she has the potential to be socialized. That will be important info if she becomes a house kitty with any other kitties.

Sending bucket loads of healing dust and good luck vibes for it to all work out well and lots of hugs and love to you CJ for taking on this challenging experience. (((HUGS))).

 

[CJ2008]

Apologies to @ecf8503. I did not remember her username and did not realize that s/he had responded about the URI when I added in my amateur advice. I have asked that my previous post be edited by the mods to clearly indicate that I am not a vet and to recommend that anyone reading it seek expert advice.

CJ, I am your fairy amateur cat-mother. I flew here in a (new, unused) litterbox and will turn into an ignored cat bed at the stroke of midnight

I am running a work event today and may not check PS if things go wrong. I will check my email regularly though. I made an LT listing so you could contact me directly if I can be helpfui:
https://loupetroop.com/listings/other/contact-freezing-in-mo

ETA: The listing needed a price, so I put in $1,000,000,000. LT decided to change it to the completely arbitrary value of $21,474,836.47. I find that hilarious, so I left it there.

I haven't had a chance to investigate PS's direct messaging capabilities. For all I know, it has a messaging function.

I was mostly lurking on PS until recently. I try not to dispense uninformed advice - recent veterinary presumptuous-ness excepted. Everyone here knows so much more about gemstones and jewelry than I do that I rarely have anything to add. One thing on LT led to another and I discovered the Hangout, where I occasionally have something useful to contribute. I used to think that chiming in to compliment other people's jewelry was a waste of their time, then I realized how happy it had made me to receive similar compliments, so I try to do that too.

I can't speak on behalf of anyone else, but please don't worry about replying to my messages unless I can be helpful. I know you have a lot on your plate right now.

My husband wasn't home when I brought in our volunteer kitty either. He is calm and rational (unlike me), but it was good that he wasn't around, because our other cat is his spoiled little brat. After a whole year, he is still worrying and complaining about volunteer kitty infringing on first kitty's space.

I really wouldn't worry about the sneezing. My COMPLETELY UNQUALIFIED and anecdotally-based guess is that your resident cats have the dormant kitty cold virus, and it has been triggered by the stress of smelling another cat in the house, not by a viral transmission. I say kitty cold because I know "herpes" sounds alarming to people who don't know that feline herpes isn't zoonotic and worry that they might catch it from a cat. Postings become part of the eternal Internet unsubstantiated knowledge base, hence my caution.

I've been meaning to reply to this post and never got a chance too. And I HAVE to reply because you said not to unless you can be helpful. So there you go. I have to answer you.

You're hysterical FiMO. Unused cat bed at the stroke of midnight

And the listing

I hope someone buys it

(then maybe do you want to join LaylaR missy and me and many others here who would love to open an animal sanctuary?)

I understand about double thinking giving any advice for fear that maybe it's wrong. I appreciate you going out of your way to remind me that it's things you believe work and that you have done for your cats. But don't worry, just like you I'm sure I would always quickly research any advice I had not heard of before and then make up my own mind whether I wanted to try it.

 

[CJ2008]

Good morning guys

I was going to reply to some of the messages I owe but figured I owe you an update.

She ate this morning, both the wet and dry food.

But I did not see any more pee or feces. The thing is, I feel like it smells like poo in there. Something smells. And I removed my girl's poo from the litterbox so it's coming from somewhere else.

I would love to remove the towel she is laying on in the carrier to see if maybe there's poop under there but I don't know how I can/should without freaking her out.

Any suggestions?

 

[missy]

Good morning guys

I was going to reply to some of the messages I owe but figured I owe you an update.

She ate this morning, both the wet and dry food.

But I did not see any more pee or feces. The thing is, I feel like it smells like poo in there. Something smells. And I removed my girl's poo from the litterbox so it's coming from somewhere else.

I would love to remove the towel she is laying on in the carrier to see if maybe there's poop under there but I don't know how I can/should without freaking her out.

Any suggestions?

CJ my thoughts are right now just let her be. Don't freak her out and remove the towel. Give her a little more time. She probably peed (yay!) and she might have pooped so just wait a bit more before you disrupt her since she is getting used to her new surroundings and maybe feeling a bit more at peace right now. Give it some more time.

However I could be completely wrong so maybe others can chime in (hello resident veterinarian ) with advice.

 

[CJ2008]

One thing that she did this morning for the first time ever is she turned her back to me.

The Way of Cats says that indicates hurt feelings. Another article said it indicates trust too, because she has to trust me to give her back to me. If it is hurt feelings i need to know how to make it up to her.

(OK. I am totally sounding like a CCL but honestly this all seems perfectly normal to me so it's good that *I* don't think I'm crazy )

Trying to find some reliable articles on cat body language / behavior.

I do have some Feliway, by the way. The only thing I don't like about it is that I notice those plug-ins get super hot. But I'll put it on a timer for 30 minutes.

Hi missy you're right about the towel. I'll leave it alone for now.

 

[junebug17]

Hi CJ, I hope you got some rest last night! I'm so glad she's eating, great news! Obviously not an expert here but I think I'd let her be for now too. I'm thinking maybe later in the evening you can check? You're doing great. Hang in there.

 

[freezing_in_MO]

Yes, please and thank you. I have had it with humans. Animals, on average have far more fundamental decency. I am obligated to warn you that I become completely, irrationally, terrifyingly hysterical if I see a snake or mouse. We'll have to agree on the animals beforehand

I am sure that you double-check all the advice you get. My disclaimers are for posterity. I fear that a person who is desperately worried about their cat may come across the information in a search later, and assume that it is from an expert.

(then maybe do you want to join LaylaR missy and me and many others here who would love to open an animal sanctuary?)

I understand about double thinking giving any advice for fear that maybe it's wrong. I appreciate you going out of your way to remind me that it's things you believe work and that you have done for your cats. But don't worry, just like you I'm sure I would always quickly research any advice I had not heard of before and then make up my own mind whether I wanted to try it.