I joined TCS because I was feeling a little overwhelmed with my cat's medical issues and just wanted people to talk "cat" with. In particular when I first signed up here I had just adopted the most pathetic kitten to cross my doorstep in a while.
He was terribly underweight at 4 months old; he was all of 2# 2oz. He was a totally unsocalized kitten from a feral litter that was being TNRed but given his obvious issues couldn't be NRed after he was T'ed. I took pity on the critter and took him in, despite the fact that no one thought he would live very long since he has some weird congenital defect that resulted in serious nerve defecits, consitpation, and phyrengeal dysphagia. Basically when he ate he would gag on his food and have to spit it out, what he did manage to get down would often come right back up. Getting it out on the other end was also a big problem for him.
Rather than going full metal vet tech and doing every test under the sun to figure out what was wrong with him I decided that my goal would be his comfort (Which meant not terrorizing him with a bunch of office visits and tests) and we would treat him symptomatically with Cisapride to get his GI tract moving along. For the first several months I had to put his food through a blender to make it into a liquid as that was the only way he could anything down. He is going to have to be on Cisapride for life, but it is a small price to pay to share my home with such a wonderful personality.
This month he turns one year old, weighs 6# 4 oz. and can eat a 6oz. can of food in under a minute ( no joke, he really does!) He is playful, insanely active, totally in love with my 2 black and white kitties and allows me to pet him. Sometimes, briefly. Usually he hangs out next to me when he isn't tearing around and chirping like a lunatic. As he has gotten stronger and bigger, he has found his voice. I always know when he is awake because he constantly coos, even if he is just hanging out on top of a cat tree doing nothing.
Hector may not be a snuggle bunny like my two eldest cats, but he is hilarious, charming and delightful even if at times more frustrating and annoying than any other cat I've ever had. He is obsessed with food (probably because he was starving for the first 4 months of his life) and not terribly bright (for the same reason). He is a light in my life, and I'm glad I took a chance on this little beast and brought him home with me.
He was terribly underweight at 4 months old; he was all of 2# 2oz. He was a totally unsocalized kitten from a feral litter that was being TNRed but given his obvious issues couldn't be NRed after he was T'ed. I took pity on the critter and took him in, despite the fact that no one thought he would live very long since he has some weird congenital defect that resulted in serious nerve defecits, consitpation, and phyrengeal dysphagia. Basically when he ate he would gag on his food and have to spit it out, what he did manage to get down would often come right back up. Getting it out on the other end was also a big problem for him.
Rather than going full metal vet tech and doing every test under the sun to figure out what was wrong with him I decided that my goal would be his comfort (Which meant not terrorizing him with a bunch of office visits and tests) and we would treat him symptomatically with Cisapride to get his GI tract moving along. For the first several months I had to put his food through a blender to make it into a liquid as that was the only way he could anything down. He is going to have to be on Cisapride for life, but it is a small price to pay to share my home with such a wonderful personality.
This month he turns one year old, weighs 6# 4 oz. and can eat a 6oz. can of food in under a minute ( no joke, he really does!) He is playful, insanely active, totally in love with my 2 black and white kitties and allows me to pet him. Sometimes, briefly. Usually he hangs out next to me when he isn't tearing around and chirping like a lunatic. As he has gotten stronger and bigger, he has found his voice. I always know when he is awake because he constantly coos, even if he is just hanging out on top of a cat tree doing nothing.
Hector may not be a snuggle bunny like my two eldest cats, but he is hilarious, charming and delightful even if at times more frustrating and annoying than any other cat I've ever had. He is obsessed with food (probably because he was starving for the first 4 months of his life) and not terribly bright (for the same reason). He is a light in my life, and I'm glad I took a chance on this little beast and brought him home with me.