Had a stray walk in my door ...

Originally Posted by LDG

If Sabra is going to your ex-MIL, I would definitely send her with some Feliway and Bach's Rescue Remedy (add a few drops daily to her water dish just after its cleaned and fresh water added). The biting could definitely be a stress reaction, and another change won't help.....

Click to expand...

She never bit as in attack (although she nips kinda hard at times), its just been a scratching problem, but she's been oddly calm for the last three days now. Not sure if she's aware that she's going to my ex or whatnot, but its nice to not wake up to claws.

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to ship the Feliway (or equivalent with Sabra; I'm not even sure where to get it in NYC); most of the transport services I've looked at only take the cat, and not anything else, but I'll advise my ex to buy some there.

I'll keep you guys posted with my status as soon as I have more things to post about. With a little luck, I'll be heading to Rochester this weekend to retrieve the nameless kitty.

Sabra may not have had proper socialization at the crucial early weeks in her life for her to behave like that. Or she just may be a psycho kitty! JK!

You see it as slow incremental change in her behavior... you can't really view things as a human... but as a cat.... It also sounds like from what you said that your ex reinforced some bad behaviors in the cat. "Discipline" with a cat doesn't really work; it just makes them more fearful.

Positive reinforcement and redirection of bad behavior does help. I rescued a frightened cat who bit me very badly a couple of times. It took starting over and several months of behavior mod with him to get him to come around. He doesn't bite or scratch me anymore, but he is still a big scaredy cat. His bad behavior wouldn't get rewarded, but when he "behaved" he got what he wanted - which was attention and petting. I had to teach him not to communicate with me with his TEETH!

Any decent pet store should have Feliway. You can also get it on Amazon.

As for a vet - Manhattan Cat Specialists is a TCS member- someone at the clinic recently joined. Maybe a cat-only vet office would be able to help with Sabra's issues.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Sabra may not have had proper socialization at the crucial early weeks in her life for her to behave like that. Or she just may be a psycho kitty! JK!

You see it as slow incremental change in her behavior... you can't really view things as a human... but as a cat.... It also sounds like from what you said that your ex reinforced some bad behaviors in the cat. "Discipline" with a cat doesn't really work; it just makes them more fearful.

Positive reinforcement and redirection of bad behavior does help. I rescued a frightened cat who bit me very badly a couple of times. It took starting over and several months of behavior mod with him to get him to come around. He doesn't bite or scratch me anymore, but he is still a big scaredy cat. His bad behavior wouldn't get rewarded, but when he "behaved" he got what he wanted - which was attention and petting. I had to teach him not to communicate with me with his TEETH!

Any decent pet store should have Feliway. You can also get it on Amazon.

As for a vet - Manhattan Cat Specialists is a TCS member- someone at the clinic recently joined. Maybe a cat-only vet office would be able to help with Sabra's issues.

Click to expand...

I don't know how much socialization she's had in her early life prior to when I acquired her (she was 3 mo old at the time), but whenever she started scratching me, I kicked her out of the room I'm in, which seems to have worked towards solving the issue.

As far as long term correction of this issue, I will give that to my ex with any suggestions you give me; she has a lot more experience with cats than I do, so hopefully she'll be able to help to resolve this issue. What she re-enforced wasn't major (specifically, begging for food, and encouraging her to jump on my desk which greatly irritated me since I used to have exposed electronics on it).

I'll keep you guys informed on my progress with both cats and I hope you all know this wouldn't have been possible without your guys wonderful support.

Originally Posted by NCommander

I don't know how much socialization she's had in her early life prior to when I acquired her (she was 3 mo old at the time), but whenever she started scratching me, I kicked her out of the room I'm in, which seems to have worked towards solving the issue.

As far as long term correction of this issue, I will give that to my ex with any suggestions you give me; she has a lot more experience with cats than I do, so hopefully she'll be able to help to resolve this issue. What she re-enforced wasn't major (specifically, begging for food, and encouraging her to jump on my desk which greatly irritated me since I used to have exposed electronics on it).

I'll keep you guys informed on my progress with both cats and I hope you all know this wouldn't have been possible without your guys wonderful support.

Click to expand...

You're welcome, NC!

Sometimes kittens w/o mama behave badly b/c they never learned HOW to behave. Mama doesn't put up with crap. Siblings also help teach boundaries. Biting or scratching too hard, etc. Most folks on here will tell you that kittens need to stay with mom/sibs until 10-12 weeks at the earliest. So am wondering about Sabra's first few weeks of life. Rhetorical since you don't know.

Sabra may also be missing your ex more than you or I understand.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

You're welcome, NC!

Sometimes kittens w/o mama behave badly b/c they never learned HOW to behave. Mama doesn't put up with crap. Siblings also help teach boundaries. Biting or scratching too hard, etc. Most folks on here will tell you that kittens need to stay with mom/sibs until 10-12 weeks at the earliest. So am wondering about Sabra's first few weeks of life. Rhetorical since you don't know.

Sabra may also be missing your ex more than you or I understand.

Click to expand...

TBH, I'm not sure, she used to whine when I went on trips and left her with my ex, but the reverse never happened. She stopped doing that though with my last two. I do know she with her littermate up until the point she was adopted, but the mother and the litter was found in a bar in Rochester in a *really* horrid winter we had, I don't know how young she was when she was removed.

Still, I think she'll be happier with my ex in the long run since it will be more stable for her, and quieter.

Originally Posted by NCommander

TBH, I'm not sure, she used to whine when I went on trips and left her with my ex, but the reverse never happened. She stopped doing that though with my last two. I do know she with her littermate up until the point she was adopted, but the mother and the litter was found in a bar in Rochester in a *really* horrid winter we had, I don't know how young she was when she was removed.

Still, I think she'll be happier with my ex in the long run since it will be more stable for her, and quieter.

Click to expand...

Sounds a little like separation anxiety and yes - cats can get that. You can google it and read up on it. Usually, it's things like pooping on the bed, licking themselves bare, stuff like that... but it can manifest itself as aggression.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Sounds a little like separation anxiety and yes - cats can get that. You can google it and read up on it. Usually, it's things like pooping on the bed, licking themselves bare, stuff like that... but it can manifest itself as aggression.

Click to expand...

So some quick Googling tells me that seems to be exactly what's going on. I was just never aware of it since Sabra was my first cat, and I feel kinda guility about it; she often follows me from room to room, and sometimes refuses to eat unless I'm watching her by her food bowl (to an extent that I gave up, and put the food bowl on my desk so she can eat while I work) and always sleeps next to me if there's room (she's learned that if I'm a twin to sleep elsewhere, else I might roll over in the night and squish her :-/).

I'm now convinced sending her to my ex will likely be in her best interest in the long term, since my ex doesn't travel for weeks on end although I realize that it will be a difficult adjustment for Sabra :-/.

The vet who examined her when I got the health certificate did a full physical checkup, and didn't find anything wrong with her.

So I'm back in Rochester now due to multiple reasons, with my mom looking after Sabra. I went to the vet and picked up Kitty 2. He's still really mangy looking, and it looks like he ate very little while he was there :-/. He bunted my finger when I put it against the carrier, and bunted me when I let him out at my apartment, then he went around, and bunted everything around. His fur is all full of dead fur again; I *really* don't think he was a happy kitty at the vet, but I have him all this week to look after him, and start building the foundations to train him to come and then walk on a leash so he doesn't need to be carriered to go everywhere.

This is one very insecure kitty though, but I'm glad he's not upset at me ...

Watching him eat, he sits all crotched up, and he keeps looking to make sure no one is after his food, but he's so sweet and affectionate. I'm so angry that someone abandoned this cat; I just hope I can help get him back to a healthy size, and help with his coat.

EDIT: *sigh*, after the vet washed him, it looks like they got most of the grim off his paws, and they're all scared and in poor condition. What the hell did this cat go through outside?!?!?!

Originally Posted by NCommander

EDIT: *sigh*, after the vet washed him, it looks like they got most of the grim off his paws, and they're all scared and in poor condition. What the hell did this cat go through outside?!?!?!

Click to expand...

All of the adults and older kittens I've taken in had paws like that. That's pretty normal for outdoor kitties that roam over a rough area. They have to walk, run, and climb over all sorts of things. His paws will heal with time, though.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

All of the adults and older kittens I've taken in had paws like that. That's pretty normal for outdoor kitties that roam over a rough area. They have to walk, run, and climb over all sorts of things. His paws will heal with time, though.

Click to expand...

Good food, care and love will help.

*sigh*

I still don't know how anyone could abandon such an affectionate cat. Anyway, I've yet to find a treat that he'll eat, I've now gone through three different brands, and I admit, the last one smelled well enough that I kinda considered it might make a tasty human treat .

Play with toys was rejected, though he did at least follow the laser pointer with his eyes, but didn't even pay attention to the wand toy. *sigh*. I'm guessing he's probably too tired or too ick feeling to be interested in playing. I did buy a grooming brush, so I'm slowly working out all the dead fur that got back in his coat. He tolerates it, but not well, still, I already removed a lot of fur before he said he had enough and hoped on the window sill.

EDIT: everytime I watch him kneed, it looks like its a real effort for him to do so, and his pur feels strained and difficult, even though he's contentionally resting his head on my lap. I think my heart is breaking into little pieces for having left him at the vet.

SON OF EDIT: so I was lying down in bed, and kitty walked up and began to bunt my arm. I lifted up the flap of the blanket, and he crounched down, and lie next to me under the blanket for awhile. This is a really affectionate kitty; its hard to imagine him surviving out in the wild :-/

Yeah, that first week or two at home, all the older kitties really seem to want to do is sleep, eat, be loved on (if affectionate kitties) - get used to new smells and sounds, routines - make a space "safe" and "theirs" (smaller territory like being confined to a bedroom or something is best) - and just want to rest, eat, relax, and be loved. Then the rentroduction of toys & etc. works. We've been fostering Charlie for a month, and he was happy for pets, food, and just wanted to sleep. After they've been through whatever they've been through, they just need to - shut down and regroup, really. Slowly introduce toys again when they've got their strength and confidence - and trust - back. I'd lay off the leash training for a while.

So for a good part of the night, he's been yowling, and making other noises, and managed to attracted at least one other cat to the door; I'm thinking he must be smelling a female in heat, but I thought that fixing a cat solved this issue, unless the hormones haven't trained out of his system yet.

He stopped about half an hour after I posted, and was good for the rest of the night. I just fed him; I think I need to put him on a more regular feeding schedule then just 3x a day, since if I go by the hours I'm awake, kitty will never know when that next meal is coming.

EDIT: so while petting him, he seems to twich or have a mini-seizure from time to time. I noticed this before, but I didn't think anything of it; is this something I should be worried about?!

When you say twitch or seizure - can you describe it better? Sometimes their skin seems to be rippling .. that is not unusual... it's the muscles underneath. Not a big deal tho there is some kind of condition - can't recall the name.... but I think it is kind of unusual.

Yeah - re: neutering... it takes up to 8 weeks sometimes for the hormones already present to dissipate when an intact and sexually mature male is altered.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

When you say twitch or seizure - can you describe it better? Sometimes their skin seems to be rippling .. that is not unusual... it's the muscles underneath. Not a big deal tho there is some kind of condition - can't recall the name.... but I think it is kind of unusual.

Yeah - re: neutering... it takes up to 8 weeks sometimes for the hormones already present to dissipate when an intact and sexually mature male is altered.

Click to expand...

No, when I say twich, I mean twich, like his legs or the whole kitty will spasm; its really quite pronouced; its like watching someone have a mini-seizure.

As for the hormones ... time to buy earplugs I guess :-/

Originally Posted by NCommander

No, when I say twich, I mean twich, like his legs or the whole kitty will spasm; its really quite pronouced; its like watching someone have a mini-seizure.

As for the hormones ... time to buy earplugs I guess :-/

Click to expand...

Geez... cats can have seizures of various types. See if you can capture it on video and show it to a vet. We have had other TCS members with cats that had issues and it helped to SHOW the vet what was going on.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Geez... cats can have seizures of various types. See if you can capture it on video and show it to a vet. We have had other TCS members with cats that had issues and it helped to SHOW the vet what was going on.

Click to expand...

Will attempt to do so. He's been somewhat more of a picky eater than usual, and not eating as much as he used to (I used to give him an entire can, and now he only eats about 1/2 to 3/4ths of it ...). Still, I think he's feeling better overall. I just watched him run around the room after a fly so definitely feeling better.

EDIT: So I fixed the screen door and opened the porch door so fresh air could come into my apartment, and the nameless one went all crazy making all sorts of noise (it sounds like a meow and a growl put together). He stopped once I picked him up, but I think he really wants to go outside, and I'm not sure if I should let him.

Ok, now I'm a bit worried. Kitty's last bowel movement was a bit soft and looked kinda watery, but I can't tell if that's because he urinated in the same spot or not. He also failed to bury it.

Its possible I caused this by changing from packs to cans (Walmart was sold out of the packets I was feeding him, and no doubt the vet fed him something different while he was there).

EDIT: So he just jumped into my lap for the first time :-), but his bum was dirty and now on my leg :-(. Is this something I should be worried about?

SON OF EDIT: So he hoped off, and groomed down there, but I'm wondering if I'm being paranoid or not. The vet gave him a clean bill of health when he saw him but I'm still kinda worried.

Looks like my concerns were justified. Kitty puked all over the carpet, and it looks like he has flatworms. Called Scottsvile, and made an appointment, and i got the worms in a baggy (ugh, possibly one of the more nasty things I've ever done in recent memory).

Also, anyone got any advice for removing cat puke from a carpet?