Picasso's Home! Intro questions..

Aw, looks so cute sleeping on the towel.

BTW, if you do decide to invest in a gate, this one has worked awesome for us:
Wesley in particular can jump VERY high, but hasn't had the nerve to try and jump to such a narrow top edge, and there is no way he can clear it. Only concern is that a tiny kitten might fit through the bars, but little 9lb Buttercup definitely doesn't come close to fitting. I just got it as its a lot easier to close the gate and plop the cats over the top than try to get both through a door and myself back out without one darting out, heh.

thanks Stephanie, I certainly will keep you posted

Ducman, I'm going to see if my sister still has her baby gates I can borrow. I'd rather not invest extra cash when I should be saving it, lol. I liked that plexi-glass door idea that someone made in a thread around here somewhere. If all else fails, I'd try something like that, cheaper too.

Aw poor 'Cassie! to you and to her! No wonder she wasn't eating.

Originally Posted by LDG

Aw poor 'Cassie!

to you and to her! No wonder she wasn't eating.

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I really had no idea she was running a fever. All I knew is that she was very mopey and depressed. I thought it was because of new surroundings and her leg. I'm really glad I talked the shelter into finding a vet TODAY and not tomorrow.

thank you LDG

An update:

Picasso does not have a fracture in her leg, but she is indeed in pain. The doctor is giving her antibiotics.. whether its a virus or an infected bite, it should help.

I have to call the vet back tomorrow after 12pm to see what the status is, see if I can take her home. If I can take her home, I will be getting antibiotics and pain killers for Picasso.

Poor thing.

Awwww. I'm so sorry for Cassie, Draco!!! Hopefully, she'll associate being in your care with healing from her pain, and will help her bond with you.

that's a good thought, parsleysage! It would be a good bonding experience!

Monet is back to normal, he probably thinks Picasso's gone for good! He'll be in for a shock if/when she comes back home today. I am taking advantage of hugging the stuffing out of him because it'll be a while before he'd let me hug him again!

Well congrats on your new little girl! And so sorry she's not feeling too good... hopefully the antibiotics and/or pain meds will get her back to normal soon, and then I hope Monet will get back to his hissing and growling so he can get over that soon too!

In the meantime, enjoy your snuggle time!!

Make sure they don't give her Metacam! Tell them NO METACAM!! I'm not sure if they use it in young kittens, but be sure to put it on the "NO" list.

Hope she's able to come home today!

Originally Posted by stephanietx

Make sure they don't give her Metacam! Tell them NO METACAM!! I'm not sure if they use it in young kittens, but be sure to put it on the "NO" list.

Hope she's able to come home today!

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I will have to write that down! Is Metacam the antiobiotics or pain killers?

I called the vet, they said she's doing better. The doc wants to check her leg and see if she's walking better today before I go and pick her up. gotta wait for their return call.

EDIT: Yikes, I read up on Metacam. Scary crap!! I will have to ask the vet what they used. From my impression, they did not give her any pain killers, but will let me take some home for her. I will ask her when I hear from her

The shelter manager emailed me:

Hi Karen!
How is the baby? The president is aware of the situation and ironically enough, this weird condition has been going around with other kittens as well- VERY bizarre-
we are so sorry you have had to go through all of this.

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now I am concerned it might be something more than just a bite. I am glad Picasso's at the vet, being taken care of.

Wow, that's a strange message to get. Vet says it's a bite... yet there's a "weird condition going around." ????

Did you take Picasso to YOUR vet?

Continued

I see you found out about metacam. It's given for pain. There are some other more suitable options out there if she ends up needing something for pain.

How is she doing this afternoon?

The vet said there is a virus going around for kittens. I forgot the name of it, but it affects the joints of kittens and they do get fevers. She said she rarely saw just one leg joint affected, usually its a bunch of joints. We got it early it seems. After further examination, the vet confirmed it wasn't a bite, but the virus indeed.

The vet showed me X-rays to confirm there's no fractures or anything.

She's home now, in the bathroom. What a difference compared to yesterday! She's more perky, she ate as soon as I put the food down for her. She didn't even want to stay in the bathroom (I'm not letting her roam the main part of the apartment yet)

She's on antibiotics.. 62.5 mg of Clavamox twice a day. The vet gave me pain killers, and it is Metacam. I told her my concerns, and she said the vets previously were giving the wrong dosage to cats. For dogs, its mg (I think) per weight (if the dog is 20 lbs, give it 20 mg). The vets were directing the same with cats, which was too much. She said just a drop a day is all she needs. She guaranteed the safety and feels there's no need for any alternatives.

I called 2 other vets to see what they say, and they all said the same thing about the Metacam. I am still concerned and debating on not giving it to her at all.

Originally Posted by Draco

I called 2 other vets to see what they say, and they all said the same thing about the Metacam. I am still concerned and debating on not giving it to her at all.

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... Keep us posted on what you decide to do!!!!!! I'm glad the vet was able to figure out what the issue was, and here's hoping Cassie will be feeling much better soon!

Since Monet was sulking under the bed, I let her out. And man, WHAT a difference! All she wants to do is RUN and explore! I made she she does not over-do it. When she realized she got too far from me, she'd run up, head butt me and wander off again. TOO cute!

Updated pics on my thread in the pics forum

In the future, know you can refuse to take the prescription. Just tell them NO METACAM and ask for something else.

I'm SO glad she's back home and she's feeling better. Off to look at the pics!

Originally Posted by parsleysage

... Keep us posted on what you decide to do!!!!!! I'm glad the vet was able to figure out what the issue was, and here's hoping Cassie will be feeling much better soon!

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Since Picasso does not seem to be in any pain, last night and this morning, I decided not to give her the Metacam. She's running, and she seems to know when she needs to stop. She's no longer limping.

With Monet in the bedroom, I let her out and she was just a BUNDLE of energy. She discovered Monet's Cat Dancer and she went CRAZY. I let her play with it for about 10 minutes, not wanting her to overdo it. I made sure she does not jump for it.

This morning, she really wanted out of the bathroom, but it's mine and Monet's time first. At least Monet is getting used to her scent, he's not hissing and growling at me (much)

Yay!! Sounds like she's well on the mend and adjusting to her new home. Continue to spend LOTS of time with Monet and he'll come around.

She's having a hard time staying in the bathroom! Soon as the door opens, she bolts out! I need to remember to make sure Monet's in the bedroom before opening the door!

Even when I put her back in, I have to make sure I don't accidentally close the door on her paw or something!