DEFINITELY a Louie!! (Lou, for short)... yeahhhh, a nice mafioso name for a handsome fella!
Everyone else has covered his needs it seems. If they haven't suggested starting a medical folder for him, (I didn't read through all answers), I'd start a folder with his name on it, after any vet visit, they give you an invoice saying what they did, but ask for the full report on him. I didn't do that for a long time and finally started to and can see the changes progress or digress and it's just good to have the records.
I also keep all 10 of my cats' names/DOB/Current Age ("as of") on a card along with their pictures so if something happens, family/friends can identify them.
Enjoy your beloved and most beautiful boy!! I have 2 black and whites! :-D
My Domino was sitting at the Shelter/Petsmart for 5 mos waiting for someone to pick him up, too. They told me he would be laid back but he's quite active . I think they get depressed (and who wouldn't?) being in the cages for so long. I don't know if your kitty has his claws, but you might consider picking up some double sided tape at Petsmart to protect your furniture if you don't have a scratching post. With the adoption fee, Petsmart usually throws in a bunch of coupons and they are quite good. This should help out. I think my coupons included free toy, litter, bag of food. The shelters usually have a free exam included in the visit but as Mr. B stated, but don't be surprised if your vet recommends other things before you are done. They are usually familiar with what the local humane society does and does not do. Can't wait for an update on how he's doing!
We renamed him Buddy, since he did not respond to Riley or any of the other hundred or so names we applied on him. Buddy was the only word that got a reaction, and now he's coming to us when we call his name.
When I was adopting him the oddest thing happened. Nobody seemed to know anything about him. They had medical records for his vaccinations, but they were vague and not dated. The volunteers seemed to know about the other 3 cats on the same page so I have an approx. date for his vaccination records (2 weeks ago). There was no dates or any other information, and no microchip information. They didn't even have an adoption fee posted, so they gave me the lower fee.
When I took him to the vet for my free visit he did not appear to have a microchip even though they said all their cats were microchipped. When I told them they were absolutely shocked, and said they'd set up an appointment to give him a free microchip.
He does have a very minor upper respiratory infection (probably just kennel cough) which I told them to watch out for in their other cats. We have some Clavamox to clear it up.
He's about 3 feet long and weighs 16 lbs!
We had a dispute with my gf's mother and now we're staying in a motel for another week so I will not have internet to keep you guys updated. We're done with her psycho mother and so we're heading up to West Virginia to stay with my brother.
Buddy is AMAZING with the bird and our rats. He has no interest in them at all. Calypso (my bird) was screaming all morning so I took him out and Buddy came over, flopped on my lap and stared at the bird but only seemed interested in wanting pettins.
I don't think we could have gotten a better cat. Apparently he slept on top of my back all night and I didn't even feel it lol.
Congratulations to you and Buddy. Post pictures when you get the chance.
Also, it's great to hear that he shows no interest in them but I would think it would be wise to keep them supervised at all times when they are out of their cages. Better to be safe!
Thank you for checking back in with us! We've all been wondering if you'd brought Buddy home or what had happened. So glad he's adjusting well and is a good fit for your home.
Buddy is doing great. We're moving from Florida to West Virginia (I tend to move a lot) and when Buddy first gets in the car he meows pathetically, but then calms down and goes right to sleep.
I am REALLY annoyed with the shelter I got him from tho. I feel like they lied to me.
When I adopted him they sounded like the best shelter on earth. They "rotate" their cats from the Petsmart store to foster homes so they get the much needed interaction and love. They guarantee all of their cats are vaccinated, dewormed, tested for FIV and FeLV, medicated for fleas, neutered and microchipped before adoption.
Buddy has a respiratory infection, was NOT microchipped, was NOT dewormed, and there are no dates on his vaccination records. I found out that he was in a foster home for about 9 months, and he is covered in flea poop from a severe infestation (his little white chin is covered in black spots), he has yellow stains on his heels and developing sores on his skin (which I've only ever seen on animals rarely let out of cages)... I can also feel his spine and his hips, which I pointed out to the vet at Banfield, but she seemed to shrug it off. Having worked at Petsmart, I have a thing against Banfield and I will get a second opinion on Monday when I take Buddy to a different vet.
Buddy also is afraid of loud noises, terrified of sticks (I bought a string on a stick toy, which he runs and cowers from), and he appears to have no feeling at all in his right hind foot but it doesn't affect his walk... He also seems to be afraid to play... I suspect this is due to abuse from his previous home. =(
Even though all that he's been through, and I suspect that is a lot, he is still a lover. He warmed up to me right away and he curls up with me at night. I made a promise to him that I would never abandon him or hurt him. Hopefully someday I can prove that to him and he will believe me.
One of the volunteers told me that he had a severe flea infestation. They were laying eggs on his chin and in his cheeks, and they were swarming his face. I would think it was acne, except the black spots are all over his body but mostly concentrated on his face.
He's gonna hate me, but dirty kitty really needs a bath. I may, in a week or so, find a groomer willing to bathe a kitty. But for now health and security are the most important things. We're staying in a "strange place" (hotel) tonight, so he's hiding under the bed. I haven't seen him in hours.
Make sure you treat him for fleas and tapeworms! If he was that badly infected with fleas, he's most definitely got tapeworms. Also, he may be anemic, so get a check up at the vet and a blood test to be sure he's okay.
I'm making a list of vets to call on Monday. I don't care if I have to spend $200 just to find out that Buddy is a healthy kitty... I want to know. =/ I'm sort of a paranoid type of person...
The worm I saw looked like a long grain of rice, but I thought tapeworms came out dead? This thing was wriggling around and looked like it was laying eggs on his tail.
The one thing I'm pretty sure they did was treat him for fleas. I saw one flea on Saturday that was alive, but I haven't seen any since. They told me they used a dose of Advantage a few days before I adopted him, but next month I'm going to start him on Revolution.