We live in a farmhouse out in the country, and have acquired a small colony of outdoor cats (7). Most have been spayed/neutered, but no shots. I'm kicking myself now for not doing feline leuk on them, but it was a small fortune to get them fixed. Two actually do have the shots. They hang out in the fields and around the house -some are tame, some are not.
We have a newbie, Shelby, who is 6-8 mons. She's been hanging out under our pine trees for a few days. She seems quite healthy except she doesn't go far (of course she may prowl at night, IDK). At first, our two (un-neutered) tomcats were hovering though she shows no signs of going into heat. Her head is cocked to the side a lot of the time, but we figure it's mites. She scratches often (won't let me near her). She also has a silent meow - opens her mouth when she's happy (loves to eat), but no sound comes out. The very strange thing is - all of our cats have abandoned the pine tree area, including "Gray Mom," the head honcho who always hangs around there. Even the males are distancing themselves though I saw one of them under the deck watching, close by. I figure this is b/c Shelby's too young to mate, but then why are all the cats keeping away? I'd figure our females would run her off for sure. Perhaps the males are wanting to isolate her, though like I said, they're now showing less interest. I'm worried that she could be ill, but she shows no signs of feline leuk. I'm also worried for the other cats as they're likely already exposed. Can cats tell when another is ill? Of course it's so hot outside, the cats are seeking shelter, but this is their territory. They're rarely even around in the evening anymore. Wouldn't they run a sick cat off, or attack it like the "big cats" do (not that I want that to happen)? None appear ill, they just act like something's up. My dad (who knows cats better than I do having grown up on a farm) feels that she's been dumped and is disoriented, which puts the other cats off.
We've trapped our wild strays in the past in order to take them to the vet (we've got an animal trap). So I can get Shelby to the vet. I plan on calling the vet tomorrow, but I'd like to have a better idea of what I'm dealing with first. Has anyone ever experienced this? Shelby is definitely going to go wild when trapped and I want to give her a little more time since she's obviously scared already. Is there a way for them to sedate her so she can get some kind of exam? Usually with the ferals, we go straight to the spay process since they're typically scared to death. I'd like to get the feline leuk. test out of the way, then if that goes fine, a spay. I want to get specific with them b/c I know from past experience, the vet bill stacks quickly if you're not. My dad has cancer so we're dealing with that now - I know it's selfish, but this is a really difficult time to have a new, possibly ill cat on my hands! My dad and I usually work as a team, but I must do this one alone. I guess I'm just asking for any advice you have. Thanks!
We have a newbie, Shelby, who is 6-8 mons. She's been hanging out under our pine trees for a few days. She seems quite healthy except she doesn't go far (of course she may prowl at night, IDK). At first, our two (un-neutered) tomcats were hovering though she shows no signs of going into heat. Her head is cocked to the side a lot of the time, but we figure it's mites. She scratches often (won't let me near her). She also has a silent meow - opens her mouth when she's happy (loves to eat), but no sound comes out. The very strange thing is - all of our cats have abandoned the pine tree area, including "Gray Mom," the head honcho who always hangs around there. Even the males are distancing themselves though I saw one of them under the deck watching, close by. I figure this is b/c Shelby's too young to mate, but then why are all the cats keeping away? I'd figure our females would run her off for sure. Perhaps the males are wanting to isolate her, though like I said, they're now showing less interest. I'm worried that she could be ill, but she shows no signs of feline leuk. I'm also worried for the other cats as they're likely already exposed. Can cats tell when another is ill? Of course it's so hot outside, the cats are seeking shelter, but this is their territory. They're rarely even around in the evening anymore. Wouldn't they run a sick cat off, or attack it like the "big cats" do (not that I want that to happen)? None appear ill, they just act like something's up. My dad (who knows cats better than I do having grown up on a farm) feels that she's been dumped and is disoriented, which puts the other cats off.
We've trapped our wild strays in the past in order to take them to the vet (we've got an animal trap). So I can get Shelby to the vet. I plan on calling the vet tomorrow, but I'd like to have a better idea of what I'm dealing with first. Has anyone ever experienced this? Shelby is definitely going to go wild when trapped and I want to give her a little more time since she's obviously scared already. Is there a way for them to sedate her so she can get some kind of exam? Usually with the ferals, we go straight to the spay process since they're typically scared to death. I'd like to get the feline leuk. test out of the way, then if that goes fine, a spay. I want to get specific with them b/c I know from past experience, the vet bill stacks quickly if you're not. My dad has cancer so we're dealing with that now - I know it's selfish, but this is a really difficult time to have a new, possibly ill cat on my hands! My dad and I usually work as a team, but I must do this one alone. I guess I'm just asking for any advice you have. Thanks!
