Shelter cats?? Need to vent

lmunsie

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I just really need to vent to some other cat people!!! I have always had cats all my life, so when I finally moved out on my own to do graduate work in a hospital I decided to adopt. I spent a lot of time finding a pair that seemed perfect, they were older so I didn't have to worry about my long hours, had been together their whole lives (no messy introductions and they already have a friend) and one was siamese which I love!! I met with them 3 times to get to know their personalities before I got them, and I fell in love. One was overweight so I researched foods and litters and got my dad to make them a big kitty condo, bought leashes, I thought I did everything right.

Now, their personalities are still wonderful, however it has been one non-stop visit to the vets since I got them. First the siamese started urinating outside the box in the first couple days, advice from here told me he probably had a bladder infection, well he did. I think the vet prescribed the wrong antibiotics the first time, so when I brought him back he wasn't any better, got X-rayed ($$$ ouch) and new antibiotics. By the FOURTH vet visit I had him better. As soon as he was done with that my little girl went off her food, she is lethargic and losing weight and we are going to the vet tonight, and I have NO IDEA what to expect.

I have no plants she could have eaten and almost nothing she coul dhave gotten into. She is indoor only but has been outside 2 or 3 times with a leash but completely under my supervision!!

I feel like I'm doing something wrong or I've made a mistake getting them, I don't know if these are residual problems from being at a shelter loose with 14 other cats or what, it's been 2 months though and I've already paid more then my rent in vet bills.........not what I was expecting, atleast not right off the bat............I know cats cost money and I didn't expect it to be nothing, but this is really hurting, not to mention the emotional stress it's been putting on me.

OK if nobody reads this I understand, but I needed to get tha tout.
 

katz4life

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Vent all you want - We are all hear for ya!

You are doing a great job & you did everything right even if its stressful... We can see why you are a little frustrated. We would be too but sometimes cats just get sick. We adopted our cat Sage & we have had many problems with him. Stomach issues, teeth issues, eye issues...the pet store we adopted him from wasn't a good place to adopt from.

Your cats are lucky to have you! Hang in there... Always remember you are doing a great job!!
Everything will be alright again sometime soon
 

lunasmom

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It's stressful getting a new pet, for both the pet(s) and the new owner. Probably a lot of what is going on will be due to the new home. the older the pets the harder it can be on them, so they are probably stressing too.

Just hang in there!!!
 

ddcats

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I think the vet prescribed the wrong antibiotics the first time, so when I brought him back he wasn't any better, got X-rayed ($$$ ouch) and new antibiotics. By the FOURTH vet visit I had him better.

to you! You may want to change vets, FOUR times!?!
 

icklemiss21

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Originally Posted by ddcats

I think the vet prescribed the wrong antibiotics the first time, so when I brought him back he wasn't any better, got X-rayed ($$$ ouch) and new antibiotics. By the FOURTH vet visit I had him better.

to you! You may want to change vets, FOUR times!?!
That can be normal and not something I would change vets for, some cats do not do well on certain types of meds and it takes a while to get the right one, especially when their stress levels are elevated from a new situation and their bodies react slightly differently.

As far as the second cat, mine go off food for a few days at a time, as long as they are eating some and drinking normally and have no other symptoms of illness I don't worry too much. But once it goes on for more than a few days they get to visit the vet. They do get depressed and they do have moods just like we do, so it could just be stress levels or depression which they do have moods for.

I have one from a shelter who came to me with Upper Resp and all of mine had a cold for a week or two, but with meds they are all fine. The others came off the street and had no major problems. The one I got from someone's home has been in and out of the vet every since I got him. He needed teeth removed, he has major weight issues, he had a lump removed, and had diabetes (now completely under control and just checked at home and at twice yearly vet visits).

It really is down to the cat not where they spent time


I hope all goes well at the vet and it is nothing serious, sometimes it is simply just a special food that is needed
 
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lmunsie

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Thanks so much everyone. I'm hanging in and will update post vet. It's just odd because she seemed so well adjusted and was such a happy girl, I don't know what could have made her upset or off of food other then health issue. Also it's been a week of not eating properly and at first I could get her to eat turkey, tuna and treats, but now she won't even eat those, which is why i don't think I'm over reacting taking her to the vet. I even tried to give her the old food she was on at the shelter and still not interested.......keeping my fingers crossed though............thanks.
 
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lmunsie

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I feel like the worst owner in the world, I shouldn't have waited a week to bring her in. She was completely jaundice and I didn't even notice. Liver disease, either fatty liver syndrome or a tumour, she's only 7 so this all seems ridiculous to me. I'm so upset I can't type anymore, but she's at the vets and I'll know more tomorrow once better blood result tests get back.
 

norachelhere

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Oh no. . . I am so sorry to hear that. . . I hope all gets better. Think of it like this. Now she will have someone to love her exclusively while she lasts. . . She may last another seven years or another 2 weeks, but at least you are there to love her. Imagine her alone in a shelter. . . Thank you for giving her a forever home, no matter how long forever is. We are always here to talk to. . . Good luck and keep us updated, and you relax yourself. You dont need to get sick too. . .
 

catcaregiver

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Originally Posted by lmunsie

I feel like the worst owner in the world, I shouldn't have waited a week to bring her in. She was completely jaundice and I didn't even notice. Liver disease, either fatty liver syndrome or a tumour, she's only 7 so this all seems ridiculous to me. I'm so upset I can't type anymore, but she's at the vets and I'll know more tomorrow once better blood result tests get back.
I'm sorry to hear this. If it is hepatic lipidosis it's treatable so don't give up yet!
 

jenc511

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Not to play the "one-up" game, but I got my two from the shelter on August 25th and Labor Day (they were not a pair, but at the same shelter). Within two weeks of adopting Lucy, we had two emergency vet visits (the second one to the tune of about $4k and involving lots of mystery and a completely unproductive exploratory surgery), Connie had a very persistent severe URI, and I was overwhelmed.

It does get better. They've been perfectly healthy since we got over the initial humps. Of course, at the time, I was like, "
did I get myself into?!" I really started wondering if I had made a terrible mistake, that maybe I had miscalculated, and cats were much more expensive than I'd figured (my previous cats had all been healthy for many many years with minimal veterinary care thoughout their lives).

I'm still paying off Little Miss Lucy's vet bills, but I've got two very sweet kitties who are doing their best to avoid the vet until my credit cards recover. Liver issues can often be treated, and don't have to be chronic issues, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that this is an easily treated problem.

Maybe we should start a club? Unsuspecting Adopters of Walking Vet Bills Unite!
 
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lmunsie

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4 K??? my credit card doesn't even go that high. Thanks for the support though, nice to know other people have been through it and your kitties pulled through! I'm happy for you and I'll keep their prolonged health in my thoughts while worrying about my poor little girl hooked up to IV's right now....
 

thezookeeper

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I adopted 2 kittens from the animal shelter 3 months ago. The shelter said that one of the kittens, Cali, was 2 moths old but it turned out that she wasn't quite 1 moth old. Cali only weighed 1 lb 9oz. She couldn't be spayed for another month, until she weighed 2 lbs. Cali was not only severly underweight but she had a sever upper respitory chest infection. We had to take her to the vet 4 times in the 1st 2 weeks and she took 3 different medications. She was so sick and miserable. We didn't think she would survive because she was so young, small and thin.

Thankgoodness she got over it. She is still small, but she uses it to get into even more trouble then her much bigger sister.
Hang in there and know that it will pass.
 

jellybella

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Sorry to hear your kitties (and you!) are having such a rough time. I know that when we got Stan and Bella it was an "adopt one adult cat, get another for free" deal...what a deal!! Stan turned into the $1,000 free cat...it took many antibiotics and vet visits for both...probably 4 months or so of constant meds and vet visits.

I'm sure it was a combo of the "baggage" they had from their former living conditions (feline herpes, bartonella, ear mites, yeast infections, URI) and the stress of a new house. They are now healthy active cats that are the joy of our lives.

Good luck and hang in there!!
 

butzie

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Also sorry to hear about your sweet kitties. You are a wonderful mom to have adopted them and care for them. Butzie came from a shelter - a beautiful new facility (you should see this place!
) with lots of loving caretakers. Our wonderful vet gave her a clean bill of health. I would think about a different vet.
 

white cat lover

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I hate to say this, but you cannot blame the shelters. There is no money, a surplus of cats, & if its like here, there are 4(yes FOUR) people caring for almost 80 something cats twice a day. We miss things.

There are tons of cats in a small space, they do not do well there. Not to mention the stress of landing in the shelter, having to live there, then being in a new home....

You have to realize that shelters are doing all they can. You have no idea until you actually work in a shelter. Right now, this is my sore spot. We take cats of unknown history, many who've never been cared for at all, & try to make them adoptable. When you haven't got much money, its hard to do.

I am sorry your kitty is so sick, but just do not forget, if you hadn't taken her in....she might've been euthanized.
 
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lmunsie

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ohhhhhh I didn't mean to blame the shelter! OF course it isn't their fault. I am just really frusterated, and it makes me wonder if I made the right decision financially etc. I understand that it is probably not even the shelters fault but the stress the cats are being displaced from their original home to the shelter, and then to my house....I do understand. It is just hard to adopt with all the health issues that may come with it, on the other hand had I got a vetted kitten it would have still required getting spay/neutered etc. and you still just don't know, so there are other costs......I just don't know what I'll do if she doesn't pull through, I feel like I SHOULD have caught it earlier, and that I HAVEN'T done everything I could have, I mean she was FINE at the shelter and now I've had her for two months and she's on the brink of dying....
 

carolpetunia

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Originally Posted by lmunsie

...I feel like I SHOULD have caught it earlier, and that I HAVEN'T done everything I could have, I mean she was FINE at the shelter and now I've had her for two months and she's on the brink of dying....
No, no, no... it can be hard to tell something's wrong, they try so hard to conceal it when they feel bad. And you were distracted by the other kitty's problems, too. You've done just fine!

And the way things go in most overcrowded shelters, it's entirely possible that no one would have noticed anything wrong with her there. If not for you, she might not have gotten to a vet until it was too late -- so at least you've given her a chance to get well!
 

clairebear

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The same thing happened to me when I adopted Bean. He got very ill about a week after I got him. Cost me so much in vet care. But he did survive, and I'm so grateful, because he is such a good little kitty. It was very tough to afford at the time, but we got through it, and I've never regretted it. Sometimes these things happen, theres no way to tell when you adopt a kitty if some issue is going to arise in the future. It's just part of the responsibilities of pet ownership. Hopefully your problems are over for now. Good luck with your new babies, their so lucky that they found someone so caring.
 
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