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.

In article ,
(Binny) wrote:
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?

Sounds like things were progressing until you showed favoritism to the
kitten. I'd make up to Gracie like mad. You want her to think that the
kitten mean she'll have just as much or even *more* attention than she
used to get. She needs to know she's still number 1. Can you hold the
kitten and pet Gracie simultaneously? Give her positive associations
with it.

I'll leave the other issues to people who know more than I about sick
kittens.

Priscilla

In article ,
(Binny) wrote:
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?

Sounds like things were progressing until you showed favoritism to the
kitten. I'd make up to Gracie like mad. You want her to think that the
kitten mean she'll have just as much or even *more* attention than she
used to get. She needs to know she's still number 1. Can you hold the
kitten and pet Gracie simultaneously? Give her positive associations
with it.

I'll leave the other issues to people who know more than I about sick
kittens.

Priscilla

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

(Binny) dumped this in
m on 18 Apr 2004:

- 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 keep reading people describe the sound of "grinding teeth" when
describing nausea, or any meriad of ailments and I can't "picture" it. I
wonder if you hear a snuffly nose?

- 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'd be more concerned with the possiblity of a feline herpes virus in one
so young. Very common in kittens. Stress seems to bring it out. Make sure
Rocco keeps eating because if the nose is stuffy, and Rocco doesn't feel
well, eating is the first thing to go. L-lysine also helps the Feline
Herpes virus and you can get capsules in the grocery store, or health
food stores and sprinkle on canned kitten food. 250 MG 2x per day.
Reserve antibiotics for secondary infections which could easily occur
with herpes. Also taking him into a steam-filled bathroom a couple of
times per day if the breathing becomes labored is very helpful. By all
means run this by your vet. If Rocco does stop eating, heating up canned
kitten food in the microwave to make it stinkier can help, putting some
on a small spoon and holding under his nose so he licks it off, or let
him lick it off your finger.

--
Cheryl