I am REALLY sorry for this gigantic post, but I have soooo many questions !!!
On Friday 23rd November, my beloved black and white male, Scuttles had to be put to sleep. The cause was never determined, but he was terrible anemic and slept loads, and lost weight in the last week of his life. I just was reading some of the Litter box problem links (which is one of my questions, and the reason why I registered ! )when one of them lead me to a FELV information. The symptoms seem like a pretty close match. My cat in October became ill, and the vet, inspite of tests, couldn't understand why. As my Godmothers cat was diagnosed with FELV a couple of months before Scutty became ill, and we did spend an awful lot of time, cuddling her cats and playing with them, and my mum having them on her until they drooled all over her clothing, Would you think that there is a possiblity that he could have had the virus ???? I specifically asked the vet for a test, but he said it isn't worth it, as there is no cure and he wasn't displaying any particular symptoms. At the time, Scuttles had about 4 of those listed ! And should we now insist Mozzie is tested for FELV ????
Now I'm really worried, I have a kitten whom I rescued in June, from being beaten on a car, by kids holding it's tail. From what we have seen, and all the research we've done, we are 99% sure he's a Bengal. He is less than a year, from the estimation age, and he's so energetic. Could he be infected too, if Scuttles was a carrier ??? I am so worried now. Should I insist and get Mozzie tested, regardless of what the vet says ? Please advise me, after losing Scuttles, I would go mad if I have to deal with this pain again, and so soon. Mozzie is a picture of health at the moment, but he has taken it into his manic brain to yowl ( he doesn't have a normal meow ) and yowl repeatedly for hours on end, whether we ignore him or give him any sort of attention. He does it at any hour he feels like, and I and my family are getting a little stressed with the sleep loss. Mozzie, meantime, thinks it is all rather good fun ! Advice needed !!!
Also, he will not stop using my bedroom as a toilet. In drawers, on the floor, in my guineapig cages, anywhere he feels. He used to do his 'stuff' in the other rooms in the household, but now the other family members all close the doors. My room is doorless and cannot have one added. I also can't use anything that will make any noise, loud bangs or ultrasonic, because of my guineapigs. We clean the room everywhere. My piggies are also kept spotless, and we have tried messing around with the textures on the surfaces. We've tried having a litterbox upstairs, but he just slept in it ! If he can't go into my room, because it is too messy or whatever, he just goes outside, in the hallway, as close to the room as he can aim to !!! My mother adores him, we all do, but this is driving her, and me nuts...I need help urgently !!! I don't think Mozzie is trying to put his scent on me as he rarely cuddles up to me and will run away and hide rather than let me near him. He is fine with everyone else though. Oh, and there is always somebody at home 24 hours, 7 days a week, but we can never catch him at it, so it can't be an attention thing...can it !?!
The other thing is his smell. He has such a strange body odour, it is very metallic and gets so strong when he is up and running around as if the devil were riding him...er...which is whenever he is not asleep !!! Has anyone else had similar experiences with a cat's body odour. My vet is baffled and we've had 4 different opinions, no one can find a link to this metallic smell.
Any advice on handling a Bengal as well ??? He is trained to sit, back up a full body length, side step left or right a full body length, walk forward, and a vague ( certainly used in conjunction with selective deafness ) halt. He also fetches and retreives on comand, and plays tug-of-war, usually as he is about to steal things to hide !!! He goes well in a harness, and has the run of the house( well the rooms that aren't closed ! ) and garden, and he gets so many cuddles...when he feels like it. Someone said on a Bengal kitty link, that he should be trained to keep his mind ticking over, and so I did using reward and repeat training. He picked most of it up in 14 days. We also leave a little water in the bath and sink because he loves to play in it !!! Mad, mad, mad !!!
Sorry for the full interogation, straight off in my first post, but with the stress of Mozzie possibly being a carrier now ( please advise ) and everything, I am so confused !!! Hope you can forgive me !!!
Peace, Love, and Happiness, Always
Sonia
On Friday 23rd November, my beloved black and white male, Scuttles had to be put to sleep. The cause was never determined, but he was terrible anemic and slept loads, and lost weight in the last week of his life. I just was reading some of the Litter box problem links (which is one of my questions, and the reason why I registered ! )when one of them lead me to a FELV information. The symptoms seem like a pretty close match. My cat in October became ill, and the vet, inspite of tests, couldn't understand why. As my Godmothers cat was diagnosed with FELV a couple of months before Scutty became ill, and we did spend an awful lot of time, cuddling her cats and playing with them, and my mum having them on her until they drooled all over her clothing, Would you think that there is a possiblity that he could have had the virus ???? I specifically asked the vet for a test, but he said it isn't worth it, as there is no cure and he wasn't displaying any particular symptoms. At the time, Scuttles had about 4 of those listed ! And should we now insist Mozzie is tested for FELV ????
Now I'm really worried, I have a kitten whom I rescued in June, from being beaten on a car, by kids holding it's tail. From what we have seen, and all the research we've done, we are 99% sure he's a Bengal. He is less than a year, from the estimation age, and he's so energetic. Could he be infected too, if Scuttles was a carrier ??? I am so worried now. Should I insist and get Mozzie tested, regardless of what the vet says ? Please advise me, after losing Scuttles, I would go mad if I have to deal with this pain again, and so soon. Mozzie is a picture of health at the moment, but he has taken it into his manic brain to yowl ( he doesn't have a normal meow ) and yowl repeatedly for hours on end, whether we ignore him or give him any sort of attention. He does it at any hour he feels like, and I and my family are getting a little stressed with the sleep loss. Mozzie, meantime, thinks it is all rather good fun ! Advice needed !!!
Also, he will not stop using my bedroom as a toilet. In drawers, on the floor, in my guineapig cages, anywhere he feels. He used to do his 'stuff' in the other rooms in the household, but now the other family members all close the doors. My room is doorless and cannot have one added. I also can't use anything that will make any noise, loud bangs or ultrasonic, because of my guineapigs. We clean the room everywhere. My piggies are also kept spotless, and we have tried messing around with the textures on the surfaces. We've tried having a litterbox upstairs, but he just slept in it ! If he can't go into my room, because it is too messy or whatever, he just goes outside, in the hallway, as close to the room as he can aim to !!! My mother adores him, we all do, but this is driving her, and me nuts...I need help urgently !!! I don't think Mozzie is trying to put his scent on me as he rarely cuddles up to me and will run away and hide rather than let me near him. He is fine with everyone else though. Oh, and there is always somebody at home 24 hours, 7 days a week, but we can never catch him at it, so it can't be an attention thing...can it !?!
The other thing is his smell. He has such a strange body odour, it is very metallic and gets so strong when he is up and running around as if the devil were riding him...er...which is whenever he is not asleep !!! Has anyone else had similar experiences with a cat's body odour. My vet is baffled and we've had 4 different opinions, no one can find a link to this metallic smell.
Any advice on handling a Bengal as well ??? He is trained to sit, back up a full body length, side step left or right a full body length, walk forward, and a vague ( certainly used in conjunction with selective deafness ) halt. He also fetches and retreives on comand, and plays tug-of-war, usually as he is about to steal things to hide !!! He goes well in a harness, and has the run of the house( well the rooms that aren't closed ! ) and garden, and he gets so many cuddles...when he feels like it. Someone said on a Bengal kitty link, that he should be trained to keep his mind ticking over, and so I did using reward and repeat training. He picked most of it up in 14 days. We also leave a little water in the bath and sink because he loves to play in it !!! Mad, mad, mad !!!
Sorry for the full interogation, straight off in my first post, but with the stress of Mozzie possibly being a carrier now ( please advise ) and everything, I am so confused !!! Hope you can forgive me !!!
Peace, Love, and Happiness, Always
Sonia
