Ferris has a vet appt today

gingersmom

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I'd posted in a previous thread that Ferris seems to have something wrong with his rear legs. They splay just a little bit, even when he is sitting, and he has had difficulty standing up on just his hind legs. He goes down onto his heels a LOT, where other cats would stay standing.

Through the suggestion of a TCS member and some research I did afterward, I strongly suspect that he has a slight case of the rickets.

I'm taking him to the vet this afternoon at 5:20. Getting him into the carrier ought to be fun
but at least he's much, much tamer than he was even just a week ago. I'm also going to have the doc check his stool, as it continues to be a little soft.

His legs seem to have gotten a little stronger, but I'm still concerned, so off we go later today.

Please send us some good vibes so that he doesn't freak out too much either because of the carrier or the vet trip, and that there isn't anything really wrong with him than perhaps some poor early nutrition!
 

kittylover4ever

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Tons of good vibes headed from us for Ferris!! Let us know when you get back from the vets!
 

xocats

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I think that your are wise to have sweet Ferris check by your vet.
Lots of calming vibes on the way to both of you and I will be watching for you update.
 
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gingersmom

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Well, we're home. I tricked him into the carrier with a treat and a scritch, and I felt SO guilty about it!


He was a reallly good boy even though he was scared. The vet took a good look at him, and said his bones feel really good, so he's not a rickety kitty (YAY!
) but that it may have been caused my muscle atrophy from crouching in a cage for a month at the foster home.

He was pronounced to weigh 5.8 pounds, so he's gained just over a pound in just under a month. He is SUCH a piglet though, you'd almost expect him to weigh more than he does.

He was wormed, and I got a set of doses to give Ginger at home, just in case. The vet said he'd only been wormed once before, and because his stool is still soft, there's a chance he may have them, so doses all around, once today and once on October 10th.

His eyes and ears look great, she told him how handsome he is and I kept telling him what a good boy he was being. At one point, when the vet went to go get the medicine for him, I told him that he was a really good boy and that it was almost over. As soon as I said that, he heaved a great big sigh. Awww! Do you think he understood me?


When I got him home and let him out of the carrier, he went right back to being his sweet little self. I went into the kitchen with him and sat on the floor with some chicken baby food, and gave him some from my finger. I think we're still friends.


Giving Ginger her worm meds was so incredibly easy, although I don't think she liked the taste much
she was a little surprised, to say the least. Gee whiz I love that baby Ginger kitty of mine. I don't care how old she gets, she'll always be my baby kitty.


So, as you can see, all is well with my furbabies, and although I'm out $70 for the visit and the meds, I have SUCH peace of mind. It's a wonderful feeling, huh?
 

pami

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Thats great news !!!! ..... Sounds like both of them are super sweet babies !!!
 

AbbysMom

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I'm so glad things went well at the vet. The poor little sweetie having to crouch in the cage
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by AbbysMom

I'm so glad things went well at the vet. The poor little sweetie having to crouch in the cage
I know. When I think about it, I get really angry. The foster home was overly cluttered, barely any room to walk through the rooms in the tiny house, and they had at least 7 cats and at least three dogs of their own. The dogs were penned in the back yard, and they asked me if I wanted one. The foster dad said they were trying to, and I quote, "get rid of her" because they had too many and she was a "pain in the uknowwhat."

The five feral kittens that they'd taken in (the mother of the foster mom is the one that trapped them - she feeds a colony in her backyard and does SOME TNR as far as I know) were all put into the same cage and mostly kept there, although I was told that they took Ferris out once in a while to be held on the lap of the foster mom. Not sure I believe it, based on his behavior with me that first week I had him.

They had no place to run around and exercise, no toys to play with, and they weren't separated from each other at all, so they really stayed more feral as they weren't given proper socialization time.

He was in this cage for a whole month, between about 8-12 weeks of age, during which time he was having a huge growth spurt, as do most kittens that age. I feel bad for the other 3 babies that hadn't yet been adopted. Their pics are in the first thread that I posted Ferris pics in. You can see by their posture and their eyes how terrified they were.

I'm really hoping they went to good homes and that they aren't dealing with muscular atrophy as a result of their fostering.

I can appreciate why people do it, and bless all of you who do it properly, but these people just shouldn't be doing it, in my opinion. Poor baby kitties!!!
 

laureen227

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for the great behavior report & satisfactory vet report. glad to hear it was something that'll probably mend itself with time, nutrition & exercise!
 

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I'm glad to hear Ferris is OK! I'm glad you adopted him & he got out of the foster home. Did the vet say that he will eventually be able to walk normal?
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

I'm glad to hear Ferris is OK! I'm glad you adopted him & he got out of the foster home. Did the vet say that he will eventually be able to walk normal?
Yes, and actually, I played with him with a new wand toy last night (I had felt so guilty about tricking him into the carrier that of course I had to go out and buy $25 in new kitty toys for him!
) and got him up on his hind legs, and he was MUCH stronger than he was before.

So I guess my next duty is to make sure that I play with him in ways that will increase muscle mass and strength for his hind legs.


Thank you all for caring, I appreciate your kind words of support more than I can say - although I'm sure many of you feel the very same way about our fellow TCSers!!!
 

xocats

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It is hard to imagine anyone making a cat crouch in a cage for a month.


Farris and Ginger are really lucky that you opened your home and heart to them.

I am sure that you are really relieved by this excellent news that Farris is OK.
 
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