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#1
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Kit and Cat
One year ago, my boyfriend and I adopted Gracie -- a quarter pound
reject from the humane society (we have a Cat Network agency in the area that looks over the humane society rejects before they are euthanized). She is now 11 pounds, pristine white, and has a lovely personality that is 90% "Gracie the Hellion" and 10% "Gracie-I'll-smother-you-with-my-love". Gracie is currently bunkered down under the bed and refuses to come out - despite tantalizing offers of milk and a dancing string. I am moving out of town this summer and Gracie is staying with Dad. Sadness. We thought it best to get Gracie a play-mate to keep her company after I leave. Monday we adopted Rocco, a 7 week old kitten found with his litter-mates inside an abandoned tire. Rocco has been pretty sick this week. He is experiencing GI distress (with blood in his stool), which the vet feels is just secondary to his body expelling the parasites from the de-wormer. He also has a virus, and has been sneezing over the past 3 days (clear discharge and not worrisome). I need advice on two subjects, any experience on either subjects would be welcome. 1. Rocco has lost his affectionate personality and cries all the time. When I picked him up at the humane society (6 days ago) he was practically falling over himself in his attempts to rub against me. On day #1 at home, he would sleep, purring, on my boyfriend's chest. His relationship with Gracie has been strained (see below), but she has never attacked him, and last night they were sleeping on the same bed...albeit at a distance. He started his mournful meowing on Day #2-3. He no longer seeks either of us out for affection, and in fact prefers sleeping on the floor instead of with one of us. Do kittens become less affectionate when they are sick? Is the Gracie-strain too much? Will he regain his affectionate behavior? What can I do to make him like us again? 2. Kit vs. Cat: This discussion group has been the only reassurance for me over the past 6 days. Gracie hates Rocco. Day #1 she hissed and growled. Day #2 we kept them strictly separated (I should have read the web info before Day#1). Day #3 I built a screen to give them each half of the house. Day#4 Gracie stopped hissing, and only growled. Day #5, Gracie stopped growling (mostly) and they were able to co-exist in the same room. Last night I became increasingly bothered by Rocco's meowing and loss of affection. I thought that maybe the strain of having Gracie in the room was too much, so I put Gracie out of the bedroom for the night. In my defense, the kitten is sick and she's a healthy well-adjusted cat (supposedly). Well, that obviously did not sit well with Gracie, who won't have anything to do with me this morning. She has NEVER behaved like this before...and I can't figure out if she's angry at the shut-out or whether she might also have caught the virus. Has anybody had an adult female, introduced a male kitten, and not had it work out eventually? Yikes, I swore I would keep this short. I really would appreciate any help you all could provide. I've always had cats in my life...but never had problems like this. |
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#3
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#4
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Oh my... where do I begin?
For one thing, 7 weeks is too young for a kitten to have been adopted out. 8 weeks old is the accepted age limit for kittens to be separated from their littermates and mother. You might think, well, that's only a week, but a week is a long time in the life of a kitten. Anyway, poor little Rocco has been through a lot. The blood in his stool could very well be from the de-wormer. Did the vet also check his stool for parasites? Is there any mucous in the stool? Is he eating well? Kittens can go downhill very quickly. Please keep an eye on him. I would take him to the vet once a week until his condition clears up. Rocco's sneezing could be from a URI (upper respiratory infection), or it could be a side effect of the intranasal distemper vaccine that some kittens receive. Check his paperwork and find out if he had that type of vaccine. If it is a URI, he should be on an antibiotic. The GI distress and sneezing could also be a reaction to the stress of coming to a new home with a non-welcoming resident cat. Keep him separate from Gracie until he is stable. You don't want her to catch anything, and Rocco is also vulnerable right now. Give him lots of attention, but also give Gracie equal attention. You might want to put him in a bathroom or spare bedroom for now. He needs a small space where he can feel secure. After he is feeling better, then work on the introductions. A kitten might not have been the best playmate for Gracie, but it can work. I can't stress enough that you need to keep a close watch on this little guy. Make sure he is eating and drinking. Don't think twice about taking him to the vet. -- -Kelly kelly at farringtons dot net Check out www.snittens.com "Binny" wrote in message . .. One year ago, my boyfriend and I adopted Gracie -- a quarter pound reject from the humane society (we have a Cat Network agency in the area that looks over the humane society rejects before they are euthanized). She is now 11 pounds, pristine white, and has a lovely personality that is 90% "Gracie the Hellion" and 10% "Gracie-I'll-smother-you-with-my-love". Gracie is currently bunkered down under the bed and refuses to come out - despite tantalizing offers of milk and a dancing string. I am moving out of town this summer and Gracie is staying with Dad. Sadness. We thought it best to get Gracie a play-mate to keep her company after I leave. Monday we adopted Rocco, a 7 week old kitten found with his litter-mates inside an abandoned tire. Rocco has been pretty sick this week. He is experiencing GI distress (with blood in his stool), which the vet feels is just secondary to his body expelling the parasites from the de-wormer. He also has a virus, and has been sneezing over the past 3 days (clear discharge and not worrisome). I need advice on two subjects, any experience on either subjects would be welcome. 1. Rocco has lost his affectionate personality and cries all the time. When I picked him up at the humane society (6 days ago) he was practically falling over himself in his attempts to rub against me. On day #1 at home, he would sleep, purring, on my boyfriend's chest. His relationship with Gracie has been strained (see below), but she has never attacked him, and last night they were sleeping on the same bed...albeit at a distance. He started his mournful meowing on Day #2-3. He no longer seeks either of us out for affection, and in fact prefers sleeping on the floor instead of with one of us. Do kittens become less affectionate when they are sick? Is the Gracie-strain too much? Will he regain his affectionate behavior? What can I do to make him like us again? 2. Kit vs. Cat: This discussion group has been the only reassurance for me over the past 6 days. Gracie hates Rocco. Day #1 she hissed and growled. Day #2 we kept them strictly separated (I should have read the web info before Day#1). Day #3 I built a screen to give them each half of the house. Day#4 Gracie stopped hissing, and only growled. Day #5, Gracie stopped growling (mostly) and they were able to co-exist in the same room. Last night I became increasingly bothered by Rocco's meowing and loss of affection. I thought that maybe the strain of having Gracie in the room was too much, so I put Gracie out of the bedroom for the night. In my defense, the kitten is sick and she's a healthy well-adjusted cat (supposedly). Well, that obviously did not sit well with Gracie, who won't have anything to do with me this morning. She has NEVER behaved like this before...and I can't figure out if she's angry at the shut-out or whether she might also have caught the virus. Has anybody had an adult female, introduced a male kitten, and not had it work out eventually? Yikes, I swore I would keep this short. I really would appreciate any help you all could provide. I've always had cats in my life...but never had problems like this. |
#5
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Oh my... where do I begin?
For one thing, 7 weeks is too young for a kitten to have been adopted out. 8 weeks old is the accepted age limit for kittens to be separated from their littermates and mother. You might think, well, that's only a week, but a week is a long time in the life of a kitten. Anyway, poor little Rocco has been through a lot. The blood in his stool could very well be from the de-wormer. Did the vet also check his stool for parasites? Is there any mucous in the stool? Is he eating well? Kittens can go downhill very quickly. Please keep an eye on him. I would take him to the vet once a week until his condition clears up. Rocco's sneezing could be from a URI (upper respiratory infection), or it could be a side effect of the intranasal distemper vaccine that some kittens receive. Check his paperwork and find out if he had that type of vaccine. If it is a URI, he should be on an antibiotic. The GI distress and sneezing could also be a reaction to the stress of coming to a new home with a non-welcoming resident cat. Keep him separate from Gracie until he is stable. You don't want her to catch anything, and Rocco is also vulnerable right now. Give him lots of attention, but also give Gracie equal attention. You might want to put him in a bathroom or spare bedroom for now. He needs a small space where he can feel secure. After he is feeling better, then work on the introductions. A kitten might not have been the best playmate for Gracie, but it can work. I can't stress enough that you need to keep a close watch on this little guy. Make sure he is eating and drinking. Don't think twice about taking him to the vet. -- -Kelly kelly at farringtons dot net Check out www.snittens.com "Binny" wrote in message . .. One year ago, my boyfriend and I adopted Gracie -- a quarter pound reject from the humane society (we have a Cat Network agency in the area that looks over the humane society rejects before they are euthanized). She is now 11 pounds, pristine white, and has a lovely personality that is 90% "Gracie the Hellion" and 10% "Gracie-I'll-smother-you-with-my-love". Gracie is currently bunkered down under the bed and refuses to come out - despite tantalizing offers of milk and a dancing string. I am moving out of town this summer and Gracie is staying with Dad. Sadness. We thought it best to get Gracie a play-mate to keep her company after I leave. Monday we adopted Rocco, a 7 week old kitten found with his litter-mates inside an abandoned tire. Rocco has been pretty sick this week. He is experiencing GI distress (with blood in his stool), which the vet feels is just secondary to his body expelling the parasites from the de-wormer. He also has a virus, and has been sneezing over the past 3 days (clear discharge and not worrisome). I need advice on two subjects, any experience on either subjects would be welcome. 1. Rocco has lost his affectionate personality and cries all the time. When I picked him up at the humane society (6 days ago) he was practically falling over himself in his attempts to rub against me. On day #1 at home, he would sleep, purring, on my boyfriend's chest. His relationship with Gracie has been strained (see below), but she has never attacked him, and last night they were sleeping on the same bed...albeit at a distance. He started his mournful meowing on Day #2-3. He no longer seeks either of us out for affection, and in fact prefers sleeping on the floor instead of with one of us. Do kittens become less affectionate when they are sick? Is the Gracie-strain too much? Will he regain his affectionate behavior? What can I do to make him like us again? 2. Kit vs. Cat: This discussion group has been the only reassurance for me over the past 6 days. Gracie hates Rocco. Day #1 she hissed and growled. Day #2 we kept them strictly separated (I should have read the web info before Day#1). Day #3 I built a screen to give them each half of the house. Day#4 Gracie stopped hissing, and only growled. Day #5, Gracie stopped growling (mostly) and they were able to co-exist in the same room. Last night I became increasingly bothered by Rocco's meowing and loss of affection. I thought that maybe the strain of having Gracie in the room was too much, so I put Gracie out of the bedroom for the night. In my defense, the kitten is sick and she's a healthy well-adjusted cat (supposedly). Well, that obviously did not sit well with Gracie, who won't have anything to do with me this morning. She has NEVER behaved like this before...and I can't figure out if she's angry at the shut-out or whether she might also have caught the virus. Has anybody had an adult female, introduced a male kitten, and not had it work out eventually? Yikes, I swore I would keep this short. I really would appreciate any help you all could provide. I've always had cats in my life...but never had problems like this. |
#6
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On day #1 at home, he would sleep, purring, on my boyfriend's chest. His relationship with Gracie has been strained (see below), but she has never attacked him, and last night they were sleeping on the same bed...albeit at a distance. He started his mournful meowing on Day #2-3. He no longer seeks either of us out for affection, and in fact prefers sleeping on the floor instead of with one of us. Do kittens become less affectionate when they are sick? Is the Gracie-strain too much? Will he regain his affectionate behavior? What can I do to make him like us again? I liked kelly's answer, but I do want to touch on the lack of affection the kitty is showing. In my experience fostering kittens, the sick ones tend to be MORE clingy than less. almost as if knowing you can make them feel better. The mournful meowing and the wanting to be alone would scare the daylights out of me, and I'd be bringing the kitten back in for more tests. Is he on antibiotics? Is his walk stable? Is he eating ok? does he have a fever? Does the shelter know his history? has he been tested for felv and fiv? If you have assurances that this is just a cold, I would "impose" yourself on the kitten. Hold him for as long as he'll stand; patting, cooing, offering yummy food and treats. rub the sides of his face - behind his whiskers - and rub your face up against his. Offering yummy food and treats tends to make the most headway when I have a standoffish one |
#7
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On day #1 at home, he would sleep, purring, on my boyfriend's chest. His relationship with Gracie has been strained (see below), but she has never attacked him, and last night they were sleeping on the same bed...albeit at a distance. He started his mournful meowing on Day #2-3. He no longer seeks either of us out for affection, and in fact prefers sleeping on the floor instead of with one of us. Do kittens become less affectionate when they are sick? Is the Gracie-strain too much? Will he regain his affectionate behavior? What can I do to make him like us again? I liked kelly's answer, but I do want to touch on the lack of affection the kitty is showing. In my experience fostering kittens, the sick ones tend to be MORE clingy than less. almost as if knowing you can make them feel better. The mournful meowing and the wanting to be alone would scare the daylights out of me, and I'd be bringing the kitten back in for more tests. Is he on antibiotics? Is his walk stable? Is he eating ok? does he have a fever? Does the shelter know his history? has he been tested for felv and fiv? If you have assurances that this is just a cold, I would "impose" yourself on the kitten. Hold him for as long as he'll stand; patting, cooing, offering yummy food and treats. rub the sides of his face - behind his whiskers - and rub your face up against his. Offering yummy food and treats tends to make the most headway when I have a standoffish one |
#8
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Kelly,
I agree that 7 weeks is too young, but for Rocco, coming home with me was the best option. The litter of four (with no mother) was being kept in the Sick Room of the animal control agency...which is probably the root of all my troubles. When I called to see whether the litter-mates were sick too, they had all been adopted out. Interestingly, Gracie was 6 weeks old upon saving, and she had no problems adapting. Must be kitten-dependent. - Rocco's stool did check negative for parasites. - Rocco eats a minimal to moderate amount...but what is with the teeth grinding while he chews food? The vet thought perhaps mal-occlusion. Is this common? Will it self-correct or do we need to break the jaw and rewire? (just kidding) - I have no record of a intranasal distemper, only FVRCP. Might he already have FVR...and if so, the vaccine wouldn't help, would it? If he does have a URI, and the secretions are clear, then that means viral, right? Thus antibiotics would be prophylactic? I am keeping in close tabs with my vet...I just didn't want to bother her twice in one weekend (I already called in with the bloody stool on Saturday). And truly, it's nice to hear from people who have gone through the same experience. Gracie emerged from under the bed after 9 stressful hours (now we know how long she can hold it.) I continue to coo to her, "I have never known such a beautiful, HEALTHY, non-meowing, non-teeth grinding, intelligent being such as yourself." She seems somewhat appeased. |
#9
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Kelly,
I agree that 7 weeks is too young, but for Rocco, coming home with me was the best option. The litter of four (with no mother) was being kept in the Sick Room of the animal control agency...which is probably the root of all my troubles. When I called to see whether the litter-mates were sick too, they had all been adopted out. Interestingly, Gracie was 6 weeks old upon saving, and she had no problems adapting. Must be kitten-dependent. - Rocco's stool did check negative for parasites. - Rocco eats a minimal to moderate amount...but what is with the teeth grinding while he chews food? The vet thought perhaps mal-occlusion. Is this common? Will it self-correct or do we need to break the jaw and rewire? (just kidding) - I have no record of a intranasal distemper, only FVRCP. Might he already have FVR...and if so, the vaccine wouldn't help, would it? If he does have a URI, and the secretions are clear, then that means viral, right? Thus antibiotics would be prophylactic? I am keeping in close tabs with my vet...I just didn't want to bother her twice in one weekend (I already called in with the bloody stool on Saturday). And truly, it's nice to hear from people who have gone through the same experience. Gracie emerged from under the bed after 9 stressful hours (now we know how long she can hold it.) I continue to coo to her, "I have never known such a beautiful, HEALTHY, non-meowing, non-teeth grinding, intelligent being such as yourself." She seems somewhat appeased. |
#10
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