Neuralogical, genetic, and truma Isses..Adivice?

Geo is our Ex Foster kitty and Now just our dearly loved pet. Why because no one wants a cat with problems and i didn't feel comfortable handing him over to someone else who might not understand.

Geo has a sad begining, he was found trapped in a vent of an abandoned rental house, where someone had left him to die. He was rushed to a vet when found by the owner of the rental. I was contacted my our Local Humane Society that there was a kitten that needed a home, so i went and picked it up along with all of its vast amounts of medicines. The first month that i had Geo he was on a vitamin suppliment for Enemic Cats, antibiotics, Anti Fungal Anti Bacterial and Anti Inflamitory for his ears, and Eye gel. In other words he was one sick kitty.

At first i thought his sickness and his ears being cloged were causing his developmental problems, but once he was "better" they kept getting worse instead of better. I had to once again take him to the vet when mysteriously hair began falling off his ears in a thumb pattern on both ears. I asked the vet about his problems jumping, walking and developmental problems. She said that he has a very rounded head , just like one of my friends told me, which means often times that the cats relatives were all to closely related. Also that with the truma of being maciated(sp), enemic, dehydrated, and flea ridden with infection racking his small body at that early of an age , expecially since we haven't a clue how long he was in that vent. She said that basically it was probubly mostly genetics, but that his hystory agravated the problems. She told me that there wasn't anything she could really do to change genetics and that neurological problems in cats were hard to diagnose.

I am worried about his future, i am trying to keep his weight down some so he doesn't get tubby since he has problems walking ( which as he has grown and gotten heavier have gotten worse .. but have not gotten any worse since he has reached a constant weight) He can not jump and will miss or fall off things often. He runs into walls out right or will sort of "wipe out" while running and end up running into the wall. He has issues with Human interaction, where he will be like okay i am going to get petted and then all of the sudden he is like OMG RUN or he will let you pet him with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes he is so nerves are so charged that when you scratch his belly ( which he LOVES to have done) he will jump as your fingers move as if just that simple touch is over stimulating. He also still tries to suckle on our 2 older cats, but not Shadow which was about the same age as Geo when i brought him home.

People who see Geo think he is a stupid cat and that we should just have him put down because they say he is obviously messed up. Which is another reason i decided to no longer have him on the adoptable list and the others at the Humane Society agree. He has got his best buddy Shadow here which he LOVES to play with. He has got his "foster mom" Delilah who still babies him. He's got Luna who still is trying to teach him whats right and protects him and loves on him, basically a "caring foster daddy".I think as long as he is even slightly mobile ( even if in the future we have to get him wheels for his back end ) and comfortable that he should have the best life possible and be loved and cared for without worring about possibly being put to sleep. I would put him to sleep if he ever ended up with medical problems that had him in so much pain that he no longer could enjoy life.

Anyone else have any cats that have these type issues that could offer some comfort to me that i am doing the right thing or ideas on ways to help him ?

How old is Geo?

It sounds like you are doing the very best you can with a difficult situation. Thanks for adopting him!

I agree. Cats are all different in their intelligence, behaviour and physical appearance, just as humans are. We love our children because of who they are, not what they can do, and htat goes for fur babies too. If Geo is loved, as he obviously is by both the humans and cats in his family, and is enjoying life, then you are doing the right thing by him. Maybe you need to look at your home a little more carefully than most, to make sure he can't hurt himself. Good luck, and may you have many happy years with him.

He will soon be a year old, and is about the size of our 3 year old cat although i try to keep him trimmer, but not ultra thin. He can hardly jump up on the couch now so usually he ends up crawling up.

To me he acts sort of like a 2 year old human child.. he will try to jump and fall backwards and cry and cry.. then you call for him or ask whats the matter and he will come to get some rubs and then go back to trying to get up on to the couch or what ever else he was trying to do.

If i do notice him about ready to fall backwards i usually catch his rump and give him a little extra Umpf. Usually though i will let him jump and try, although he doesn't try high flying things and nothing is really High in the house, so he is relatively safe. the highest thing we have is the bunk beds but the bottom bunch goes out at a 90 degree angle and he jumps off on to that so he doesn't hurt himself if he doesn't land right.

I call him my little clown .. because he takes everything that has been delt him so well.. he is so goofy too .. he will sit there and play with a fuzzy for ever and get this goofy look and brrt. It's precious.

My fiance Kevin has already started setting money aside so we can eventually go see a neurological specialist if we can find one, and if not incase he does need a wheel chair. Or if he does have major problems later in life. Kevin says Geo is a "retard", but when it comes down to it he is the first one to back him up.

It sounds like he has wonderful 'parents' looking out for him.

Originally Posted by qtkitty

People who see Geo think he is a stupid cat and that we should just have him put down because they say he is obviously messed up.

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You're doing a great thing for this cat, don't pay those people any mind.

I can't really offer any suggestions, but he sounds like a happy cat which is all the matters

Thanks Guys !!

Sometimes when other people make comments like " whats wrong with your cat" i sort of second guess if there is more i could do to help him.

When someone asks that, just say: "Neo is a special needs cat. He was abandoned as a young kitten and as a result has permanent neurological problems. I worked with the humane society and this is the best that can be done for him." I couldn't imagine anyone pressing more except to ask for details about how the cat was rescued.

It is like when someone asks about Nano or looks at her funny. I just say: "I rescued her as a stray after several months on the streets. She was starved and abused by humans. She is still slowly recovering, but there is nothing contagious and she has all of her shots now." Usually people ask about how she was abused, and I don't like to discuss it but I mention a couple of things just to give them examples.

Again, you have to remember that most non-cat owners think of the cute kittens at the pet store or purebreeds and this might be the first time they have ever seen a "rescued" cat.

It sounds like you are doing wonderful with Neo so you have nothing to be self-conscious about.

Kudos to you for caring and be willing to help this fellow animal...

I strongly believe that animals have souls

Geo is a sweety .. when you look into his eyes you see a total innocence unlike any kitty i have ever seen ... it's almost like looking into the eyes of a child with Down's Syndrome .. the total innocence .. i am at a loss to expess it .... but anyone who has known a person with Down's Syndrome you know what i mean.