Scared and Sad Kitten - Please Help!

Our 6-month old kitten is terribly scared of everything at the moment.
As she has been recovering from illness (I'll give more detail below),
we have been letting her come out of her shell but she's getting to a
point now where it's 2 steps forward, 3 steps back.

She's especially scared of my boyfriend who worships her but might come
across as big and looming to her - which is strange since they were
best friends before. She rarely purrs or plays and hides away a lot.
Since last night she's been peeing on the bed, when I leave the room
and she's alone with him. Normally she's okay with me and will
eventually come out and purr but now she's hiding and cowering when she
walks about the house.

To better understand, here's a bit more of her history (sorry, it's
quite long for such a young cat but it might help explain things):
Midi had the flu when she was a baby, when we got her and her 'brother'
and sister about 4 months ago she was still recovering. She was scared
at first but quickly came out of her shell and was particularly playful
with her 'brother' (not from the same litter but another born to the
same house at the same time). After a month or two, her sister (same
litter) got ill and we watched her closely for a while but she was
still eating so we didn't rush her to the vet. The day we decided to
take her in, she passed away a couple of hours before we would have
gone. She is still in a freezer somewhere awaiting an autopsy. We were
gutted. A few weeks later Midi got sick with the same symptoms - we
immediately rushed her in and she stayed overnight, had loads of tests
(with no definite results) and was on antibiotics for a week. About a
week after that I came home to find her 'brother' dead. He was my baby
boy so I was completely devastated by this point. I found Midi hiding
in their box and comforted her but she just wanted to hide away. The
next day the vet suggested we test for carbon monoxide poisoning so we
did and it came out positive. We called emergency gas services and
evacuated the flat that night. Getting out of the lease was fun but I
couldn't go back (I had lost my long-loved baby there in the same way
just a couple of months before we got the kittens). We stayed in my
boyfriend's flat with his 2 flatmates for about 3 weeks while we found
and moved into a new home. She seemed okay there for the first while
but became gradually more withdrawn. She lost some fur (we believe
because of pressing herself against a heater) and was on antibiotics
and other medication again. We moved into the new house about a month
ago and she was slow to get used to it but had finally built up
confidence until about a week ago when she became very withdrawn again.
She's been going to the vet constantly for various things - she still
walks funny and has some sort of central nervous twitch, her eyes weep,
her nose bleeds, she lost more fur under her chin. The poor baby has
been through the wars and we have done everything to help her. We had
to carry her from room to room and to her food for a while. She's
become very fussed over and expected strokes while she ate or wouldn't
eat. We're trying to cut back on the doting now that she's better (she
has much fewer symptoms and moves about by herself easily).

I'm not sure if she's become spoiled (all my other cats were perfectly
happy but we let them be and cuddled them when they came for cuddles)
or has gotten depressed or something.

I could use any help I could get, I'm starting to get desperate - she's
been to the vet over and over but he can only offer medication and the
advice to wait till she gets better. Now she's there I wish she wasn't
so scared of life and would do anything to help her get happy again.

Jaq wrote:
I could use any help I could get, I'm starting to get desperate - she's
been to the vet over and over but he can only offer medication and the
advice to wait till she gets better. Now she's there I wish she wasn't
so scared of life and would do anything to help her get happy again.

I'm so sorry to hear of your losses. That must have been devastating
for you. The only thing I can think of is to get a second opinion.
Personally, I use a vet who practices holistic medicine and he's really
helped our asthmatic cat. Anyway, good luck with your kitty. I hope
she gets better soon.

Lauren

"Jaq" writes:

She's especially scared of my boyfriend who worships her but might come
across as big and looming to her - which is strange since they were
best friends before. She rarely purrs or plays and hides away a lot.
Since last night she's been peeing on the bed,

I know she's been to the vet a lot but I'd be concerned that she's
hiding and peeing inappropriately because of illness. I second what
someone else already said and suggest a second opinion from another vet.
They can make sure she's healthy and maybe have more ideas on her
behavior than your current vet. I know some cats get really upset when
they have to go to the vet but it's best to make sure she's okay.

Stacia

Have you thought of getting another kitten to keep her company?


Jaq wrote:
: Our 6-month old kitten is terribly scared of everything at the moment.
: As she has been recovering from illness (I'll give more detail below),
: we have been letting her come out of her shell but she's getting to a
: point now where it's 2 steps forward, 3 steps back.

: She's especially scared of my boyfriend who worships her but might come
: across as big and looming to her - which is strange since they were
: best friends before. She rarely purrs or plays and hides away a lot.
: Since last night she's been peeing on the bed, when I leave the room
: and she's alone with him. Normally she's okay with me and will
: eventually come out and purr but now she's hiding and cowering when she
: walks about the house.

: To better understand, here's a bit more of her history (sorry, it's
: quite long for such a young cat but it might help explain things):
: Midi had the flu when she was a baby, when we got her and her 'brother'
: and sister about 4 months ago she was still recovering. She was scared
: at first but quickly came out of her shell and was particularly playful
: with her 'brother' (not from the same litter but another born to the
: same house at the same time). After a month or two, her sister (same
: litter) got ill and we watched her closely for a while but she was
: still eating so we didn't rush her to the vet. The day we decided to
: take her in, she passed away a couple of hours before we would have
: gone. She is still in a freezer somewhere awaiting an autopsy. We were
: gutted. A few weeks later Midi got sick with the same symptoms - we
: immediately rushed her in and she stayed overnight, had loads of tests
: (with no definite results) and was on antibiotics for a week. About a
: week after that I came home to find her 'brother' dead. He was my baby
: boy so I was completely devastated by this point. I found Midi hiding
: in their box and comforted her but she just wanted to hide away. The
: next day the vet suggested we test for carbon monoxide poisoning so we
: did and it came out positive. We called emergency gas services and
: evacuated the flat that night. Getting out of the lease was fun but I
: couldn't go back (I had lost my long-loved baby there in the same way
: just a couple of months before we got the kittens). We stayed in my
: boyfriend's flat with his 2 flatmates for about 3 weeks while we found
: and moved into a new home. She seemed okay there for the first while
: but became gradually more withdrawn. She lost some fur (we believe
: because of pressing herself against a heater) and was on antibiotics
: and other medication again. We moved into the new house about a month
: ago and she was slow to get used to it but had finally built up
: confidence until about a week ago when she became very withdrawn again.
: She's been going to the vet constantly for various things - she still
: walks funny and has some sort of central nervous twitch, her eyes weep,
: her nose bleeds, she lost more fur under her chin. The poor baby has
: been through the wars and we have done everything to help her. We had
: to carry her from room to room and to her food for a while. She's
: become very fussed over and expected strokes while she ate or wouldn't
: eat. We're trying to cut back on the doting now that she's better (she
: has much fewer symptoms and moves about by herself easily).

: I'm not sure if she's become spoiled (all my other cats were perfectly
: happy but we let them be and cuddled them when they came for cuddles)
: or has gotten depressed or something.

: I could use any help I could get, I'm starting to get desperate - she's
: been to the vet over and over but he can only offer medication and the
: advice to wait till she gets better. Now she's there I wish she wasn't
: so scared of life and would do anything to help her get happy again.


--




-------------------
Keep working millions on welfare depend on you

I hope I don't sound severe here, but listen to your story. The cat is
just a baby, and she has been living in poison, watching her siblings
drop dead, and experienced and is still experiencing symptoms, and has
been in and out of medical care in the last few months.
You're darn tooting she's traumatized and she probably will be for some
period of time.
Suggesting that she's become spoiled is absurd - she is emotionally and
physically recuperating. If it has been several months of trauma, then
it will be several months of recovery, in this case probably close to
another 4-6 months. She doesn't feel well, she lost her siblings, she's
moved to a new place - give her a break. The vet's advice is on target
-
wait for her to get better.

hey calm down a bit, the lady/person only asked.
Its very good of you Jag to perceiver so, with the sick little cat. Maybe
ask the vet about an oxygen tent to help her get some pure air. If she perks
up you might find a pointer to the right diagnosis, I hope your hard work
and worry for the cat will rewarded and your cat will get better. Oh and by
the way you should sue the arxehoxes of the land lord and any gas
maintenance company who hold maintenance contracts for your
buildings/home!!!!!!

Thank you for your comments. I do realise she's traumatised and has a
long way to go and we are willing to help her through that. It just
feels like she's getting to the point where she's recovered to a point
and she's holding herself back from psychologically recovering. The vet
we are using now is a second vet and has been much better with her (and
us!) than the previous one, giving more suggestions and helping us and
her to deal with it better. He even calls from time to time to get
updates as he doesn't think it's necessary to take her in for a checkup
at the moment unless something else goes wrong. She did go in 3 times
in the week before Christmas.

I take her for a walk outside every so often (the new house has a
private garden for her which is why we chose it) but I have to carry
her round the garden. I think it perked her up a little as she is
willing to use the litter tray before retreating back to her corner.

We have considered getting a friend for her but we aren't sure if it is
selfish of us to not get one as we don't feel ready. Also, we're not
sure how she'd take to another cat - it could provide additional trauma
for her if they don't get on. But on the other hand it could be really
good for her.

Thank you for your comments. I do realise she's traumatised and has a
long way to go and we are willing to help her through that. It just
feels like she's getting to the point where she's recovered to a point
and she's holding herself back from psychologically recovering. The vet
we are using now is a second vet and has been much better with her (and
us!) than the previous one, giving more suggestions and helping us and
her to deal with it better. He even calls from time to time to get
updates as he doesn't think it's necessary to take her in for a checkup
at the moment unless something else goes wrong. She did go in 3 times
in the week before Christmas.

I take her for a walk outside every so often (the new house has a
private garden for her which is why we chose it) but I have to carry
her round the garden. I think it perked her up a little as she is
willing to use the litter tray before retreating back to her corner.

We have considered getting a friend for her but we aren't sure if it is
selfish of us to not get one as we don't feel ready. Also, we're not
sure how she'd take to another cat - it could provide additional trauma
for her if they don't get on. But on the other hand it could be really
good for her.

"Jaq" wrote in message
ups.com...
Our 6-month old kitten is terribly scared of everything at the moment.
As she has been recovering from illness (I'll give more detail below),
we have been letting her come out of her shell but she's getting to a
point now where it's 2 steps forward, 3 steps back.

She's especially scared of my boyfriend who worships her but might come
across as big and looming to her - which is strange since they were
best friends before. She rarely purrs or plays and hides away a lot.
Since last night she's been peeing on the bed, when I leave the room
and she's alone with him. Normally she's okay with me and will
eventually come out and purr but now she's hiding and cowering when she
walks about the house.

To better understand, here's a bit more of her history (sorry, it's
quite long for such a young cat but it might help explain things):
Midi had the flu when she was a baby, when we got her and her 'brother'
and sister about 4 months ago she was still recovering. She was scared
at first but quickly came out of her shell and was particularly playful
with her 'brother' (not from the same litter but another born to the
same house at the same time). After a month or two, her sister (same
litter) got ill and we watched her closely for a while but she was
still eating so we didn't rush her to the vet. The day we decided to
take her in, she passed away a couple of hours before we would have
gone. She is still in a freezer somewhere awaiting an autopsy. We were
gutted. A few weeks later Midi got sick with the same symptoms - we
immediately rushed her in and she stayed overnight, had loads of tests
(with no definite results) and was on antibiotics for a week. About a
week after that I came home to find her 'brother' dead. He was my baby
boy so I was completely devastated by this point. I found Midi hiding
in their box and comforted her but she just wanted to hide away. The
next day the vet suggested we test for carbon monoxide poisoning so we
did and it came out positive. We called emergency gas services and
evacuated the flat that night. Getting out of the lease was fun but I
couldn't go back (I had lost my long-loved baby there in the same way
just a couple of months before we got the kittens). We stayed in my
boyfriend's flat with his 2 flatmates for about 3 weeks while we found
and moved into a new home. She seemed okay there for the first while
but became gradually more withdrawn. She lost some fur (we believe
because of pressing herself against a heater) and was on antibiotics
and other medication again. We moved into the new house about a month
ago and she was slow to get used to it but had finally built up
confidence until about a week ago when she became very withdrawn again.
She's been going to the vet constantly for various things - she still
walks funny and has some sort of central nervous twitch, her eyes weep,
her nose bleeds, she lost more fur under her chin. The poor baby has
been through the wars and we have done everything to help her. We had
to carry her from room to room and to her food for a while. She's
become very fussed over and expected strokes while she ate or wouldn't
eat. We're trying to cut back on the doting now that she's better (she
has much fewer symptoms and moves about by herself easily).

I'm not sure if she's become spoiled (all my other cats were perfectly
happy but we let them be and cuddled them when they came for cuddles)
or has gotten depressed or something.

I could use any help I could get, I'm starting to get desperate - she's
been to the vet over and over but he can only offer medication and the
advice to wait till she gets better. Now she's there I wish she wasn't
so scared of life and would do anything to help her get happy again.

If your other two cats died of CO poisioning, and Midi seems to have
neurological problems, I strongly suggest you have her examined by a
verterinary neurologist.

Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen in the blood and deprives the heart and
brain of oxygen. Thus, your cat may have sustained some brain damage. That
doesn't mean she can't live a long and happy life. She'll just needs a lot
of time and a lot of extra TLC and understanding.

Best of luck,

Phil