Folded eared stray

[agp027]

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• agp027
• Sep 13, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 13, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 13, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 13, 2015

So, I have an odd issue. I'm not sure if I'm posting in the correct forum, but here goes.

I took in a stray momma cat who just had seven kittens about five weeks ago. They were scattered all over my neighbors yard, and I just couldn't leave them there. I live in West Virginia, so the weather is pretty unpredictable. Leaving them wasn't an option. One by one, five of them passed away. The mom would move them away from the rest and not feed them, then I would try desperately to save them. I'm assuming it was due to malnutrition in the womb, because I could see the mom's hip bones when I first took her in (not to worry, she's fat on kitten formula, kitten chow, and wet food now).

Five weeks down the road, I have two adorable, perfect little kittens and one very temperamental mom cat.

I have two issues. The first is that they're too perfect. I know, weird. My little zinc (the orange guy with the floppy ears) appears to be lop eared. He turned five weeks old yesterday, and his ears started to fold when he was three weeks and two days old (when we noticed it). He's probably the most adorable cat I've ever seen, but none of the cats that hung around the place where his mom was at are lop eared and neither are his little sister violet's ears. His other siblings passed away, so there's no way of knowing if they would have been lop eared as well. His ears are really clean, so I don't think he has mites. Could there be something wrong with him causing his ears to lop?

Violet also is gorgeous and I think (know) she's going to have long hair, which wasn't a trait of the other cats hanging around his mother either. I'm not too worried about the hair, but the ears scare me. I've heard that lop eared cats can be prone to bone issues, but I'm not even sure how he could be lop eared.

Also, when is it okay to spay the mom cat? I've heard that they can nurse for six months. I think she may be going into heat again.

My second issue is that the momma cat has a bad habit of swatting and chasing ankles. I've tried to play with her, but does anyone have any tips about getting a feral/stray cat to warm up to you? I plan on letting her come and go as she pleases after she's spayed so that I won't be breaking up their family. does this sound like a good idea? Sorry I have so many questions; this is my first time taking in a litter. Any tips at all are welcome, and if anyone can give me some info about Zinc's ears I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[agp027]

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• agp027
• Sep 14, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 14, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 14, 2015

Here are some cuter pictures of violet. I felt bad after rereading my post. Zinc has cute pictures up but violet looked wild lol.

 

[nansiludie]

Little Zinc, slightly resembles a Scottish Fold, possibly a mix? He's very cute regardless.

 

[margd]

I don't know the answers to your question about Zinc's ears but just wanted to tell you how adorable he is. And Violet looks like a real sweetie - not wild at all. I love their names!

You do not wait until they stop nursing to wean Mama. It's my understanding the incision can be made between the mammary glands and not affect nursing. If she's going back into heat, you might want to have her spayed sooner than later.

I think it's great you're not breaking up the family. As for the attacks on your ankles, you can try hissing loudly at her or saying a loud ouch and leaving (or putting her aside for a few minutes). You can also try shaking a can with coins in it or spraying a burst of compressed air (not at her though). For playing, try a rousing session with a wand toy like Da Bird. Most cats love those!

 

[mservant]

First things first:  Violet and Zinc are gorgeous, and both super cute.   Secondly, you are wonderful for taking this little family in to your home, keeping them together and offering them a safe and loving home where they have food and shelter.   I hope that as mama cat settles and builds trust in the people around her she is less inclined to swat and chase ankles.   She may be alert and playing but given she has been in your home for a limited amount of time her behaviour is more likely to relate to anxiety and defensive actions - she will be on high alert, esp with her kittens around her.

For momma cat, her feeling safe and in a calm, quiet environment will hopefully begin to settle her, and as she sees you continue to feed and offer comfort she will build trust.  If she does swat try not to pull away suddenly or move quickly as she will likely see this as a threat and cause further stress and attacks.  Remain still, hiss or say ouch, and wait for her to settle before moving away from her slowly.  Loud noises and sudden movements are probably best avoided as these can make her more stressed and prone to try to defend herself (attack you).  I agree with Margd, that introducing play and interacting with her using wand toys like DaBird are the best idea as she can learn about interacting and playing with humans but from a little distance.  After play, offering her a little food snack can help her understand the role of play - which she may well not have experienced before as she would have been hunting for her food.

My thoughts about Zinc are that you are right to have some concerns about him as there is a well known condition called Osteochondrodysplasia which is associated with the folded ears.  This condition affects many Scottish Fold pedigree cats severely to the extent that some countries such as the UK do not recognize or encourage this breed.  The information I have seen notes that all cats with folded ears will develop the condition.  Cats who do not carry the gene from both parents (presumably those not pedigree therefore have best health chances - like Zinc) are usually affected less severely.   This article tells you some of the things to look out for, hopefully without being too scary or complex.  In non - medical language it basically means that the bones of the front and back limbs which are furthest from the body do not grow normally, and as a result the animals affected are prone to getting arthritis from a young age.   How Zinc might be affected is likely to become more obvious as he grows, and as he gets older, but hopefully he will not be severely affected with it being likely only one of his parents was a carrier of the gene.    Some articles about the condition are pretty scary reading, esp when you really don't know how Zinc is likely to be affected, so my advice is to chat with a vet soon and see what they can tell you about Zinc, and how best to care for him.

 

[catapault]

Just a thought. West Virginia is not a place where I would expect to find stray cats with Scottish fold ancestry. It is not a common breed.

The original Scottish fold was a barn cat named Suzy. People found the folded ears attractive / interesting, and developed the breed. (Since it is a dominant gene action it was easy.)

So my guess is that Zinc is a true original! He is also a mutation, one with ears that appear somewhat less folded than the Scottish fold breed whose ears appear flat to their head. And very adorable. Give him a smooch for me.

 

[stewball]

You have beautiful kitties. How about pictures of mummy kitty.

 

[agp027]

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

Here's the momma cat. She looks nothing like her babies! Not folds and short hair haha.

I've never seen a folded eared cat in person, and absolutely never in my neighborhood. He may be a mix, but I'm so desperately hoping that he's not. I really don't want him to have any disabilities of course we'll deal with them if they do come up, but what catapault said gave me a little hope! I would love it if he was just an odd ball. He plays and runs around constantly (when he's not cuddling and eating). I don't know why anyone would EVER care to breed cats like that. Yeah, they're cute. But it's not cute for a cat to be in constant pain.

I've been trying with the momma (I named her Lucy, but it hasn't stuck yet so name is tbd) she lets me pet her when she's half asleep and even purrs haha. I'm hoping she'll relax. I'll try the hissing thing, it sounds fun

One more issue. Does anyone have any nursing kitten safe ways of keeping fleas off? I have to bathe the kittens once a week to keep them controlled (they get pretty bad) and the hate it. I obviously can't bathe momma because she'd probably claw my eyes out. We front lines her (vets said it was safe) but it's not working I try to pick fleas off of her when she's asleep, but it's hard to do much because she's pretty aggressive.

And thank you guys for the cat compliments! I got so lucky with them. They're the smartest, sweetest, cutest cats that I have ever met. At first I was thrilled about zinc's ears, but now that I have read about them they concern me every time I look at him.

 

[agp027]

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

 

[agp027]

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

Here are some more pictures of the babies too (I love bragging on them lol)

 

[agp027]

And just to confirm, is it okay to let a feral/stray come and go? I don't mind to keep her in, and for now I'm forcing her to stay in (hasn't been spayed yet), but she always gets this look in her eye when the doors open like she wants to go adventure. We have let her out on the porch under our supervision. I really don't want her to get hurt out there or not come back, though (keep in mind this is after she's spayed) her kittens love her to death and I'm attached to her in a weird way too. I'm hoping if I do let her out she'll come back to visit her kittens. The kittens will definitely never go outside without a cat harness on (I'm not willing to risk it). We managed to litterbox train her with a crate, so I really don't mind her hanging out, but it feels wrong.

 

[ondine]

Just seeing this. What an adorable family! Once mom is spayed, she should be able to be and in and out cat.

However, if you possibly can, though, keep her inside. It is so much safer. When she is spayed, chances are she will be more willing to stay, as her hormones won't be forcing her to go "looking for love."

I think there is a stray Scottish Fold in West Virginia somewhere! Either that or, like Catapault said, he's an original!

 

[mservant]

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

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• mservant
• Sep 16, 2015

   Too much cuteness, I swear I couldn't breath there for a few seconds when I saw these!    I can't even decide which picture turns my brain to mush more, that bottom one of the one of Violet or the second one of Zinc.  

    And love that you have Zinc starting his education nice and early, are you hoping he's going to be a biology major?  

     

Ondine has some good advice there on mamma cat, the risk of her taking off and getting pregant with more kittens again if she goes out right now is very high.  There's a good chance that's one reason she's so keen to get out and about.   

As for young Zinc, I suspect his ears are just one of those rare chance in whatever where the folded ears happen naturally like they did when people decided they looked cute and started to select them to create the Scottish Fold breed.  Hopefully he will not go on to develop nasty problems, and the best signs here are that his limbs look nice and long and that he is physically active and playing.     If his limbs don't seem to grow at the same rate as his body, or he seems to avoid running around or jumping then that would be an indication that something might be bothering him.   What a good reason to be happy when he is dashing about your home like crazy, chasing his sister, waking you up in the middle of the night, and chewing and breaking almost everything you have.   

    

 

[nansiludie]

As for the fleas. I'm surprised your Vet recommended it. I've not had much luck with Frontline in recent yrs. The fleas are  building up a tolerance to it. I use Advantage on all but one of mine. It works well, and fast just doesn't kill ticks. I don't know what you might do for her since she's been treated already. Your Vet might give you a cap star tablet but that's only good for a day. As for the little ones, you can get a flea comb and pick them off the kittens. I've heard of people using Diatomacous earth food grade for killing fleas as it is the fossilized remains diatoms. It is not chemical  so it will not harm them, only they must not breathe the powder in as its irritating to the lungs. You would sprinkle it on the kittens and the momma cat much like you would traditional flea powder. These kittens are too young for flea powder but DE is should be alright as long as they don't breathe it in. Same for momma cat.I have personally not used it but have read about it and asked. Flea season where I am has not been too bad so I've not needed it.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Zinc and Violet and "Lucy" are so gorgeous, what a trio! "Lucy" looks pretty young herself. (I'm putting her name in quotes because it may not be her final name?) After she is spayed, and if you are able to make a home for 3 kitties, you might think about keeping "Lucy" indoors as well... it's a big, wide, dangerous world out there and being an indoor cat would likely extend her life. Otherwise, you could also get her socialized more to humans, and try to find a good forever home for her.

 

[agp027]

ondine I'm thinking I am just going to keep her inside. The only reason that I was debating was because I had a cat named Wolfie when I was growing up and he loved it. But I guess I do need to be realistic about things. I'm really hoping he's just an oddball and not a Scottish fold. They have way too many problems, and he's just too little and cute for that.

I know how you feel mservant ! I live with them, and they're constantly that cute! Except they hop around like little bunnies and duck under things. And we're working on it! But he's gonna be a biochemistry major like his adoptive mother lol. And I would never let her out right now, she's making those weird kitty in heat noises lol. I won't make any decisions about that until she's spayed and I have thoroughly consulted the cat forums lol (I love that those exist haha). I'm leaning on keeping her in. She's street smart, but another cat could hurt her pretty easily. She's smaller and she'll be fixed. I've read that unspayed male cats don't take no for an answer and that can get a girl cat hurt. He's doing amazing right now! Cuddling at my feet as I type. Is it bad that I almost want to get a DNA test just to know if he's likely to have those problems? No idea how much those cost though lol. And they actually haven't broke anything yet! Zinc had an accident on some school papers, but they were just coupons. Other than that they keep each other occupied and are taking to their cake pan litterbox just fine

@nansil that powder sounds pretty scary, I'd be so afraid to get some in their lungs they're about six weeks, so I'm hoping we can hold out until eight weeks and then I can get some decent flea medicine to put on them. That's okay at eight weeks right? I was hoping there was some magic cure that I haven't heard of yet. That may very well be it, but it's scary to even bathe these little guys. I'll attach a picture of zinc at bath time today to give you a good visualization lol.

@pushpurr I'm thinking that this was her first litter. I think that coupled with the fact that she was so tiny was the reason for most of the kittens passing away that was seriously traumatizing btw. I wish I would have known about thecatsite then. I followed the books, but they just didn't make it. And I'm not sure about her name. Does she look like a Lucy to you? I can't decide. I think it's because I haven't gotten to bond with her yet. She's so worried, and now she's needily following around her kittens because they don't need her as much. It's really sad/cute. I would like to keep her inside. I just worry that she's truly feral and won't be happy. Then again, she sleeps in her own big comfy chair warm and safe with tons of cat toys and food, so I'm sure she's not too miserable. She also sleeps with her kittens when they don't come to the bed to cuddle with me. I think she may be happy, but I'm not sure. She's pretty detached from me.

Okay I forgot to mention something. Lucy (momma cat) will rub her face against my legs and even do a face roll (roll over completely while rubbing her face against me) she'll follow me around the house like this and everything. She's done this since we got her, so I don't think it's a weird kitty in heat thing. It's just whenever I move too fast or try to directly touch her she spazzes. Is this normal? She's giving me kitty love , following me to where I can barely walk, but then spazzing and swatting if she doesn't like the way I'm walking. Is this normal? Like I said before, I've only been able to successfully pet her when she's asleep.

 

[agp027]

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

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• agp027
• Sep 18, 2015

 

[agp027]

Here's zinc before and after his bath and violet after her bath. They get so sleepy afterwards! Zinc was still a little mad about bath time, as you can see lol.

 

[happybird]

Nothing is cuter than a wet kitty! :lol3: They are both absolutely adorable. I love Violet's colors and that sleeping pose is precious. And those droopy little ears on Zinc are just too much. :heart3: I want to eat him up! (Hmmm. I never realized how disturbing that expression really is, but you know what I mean, lol! )

 

[nansiludie]

Yes, that would work alright but most flea medicine says to wait until 12 weeks old. I personally do.