Taming my feral cat.

[tigerclaw]

Originally Posted by AbbysMom

I've had the problem with timing out once in a while, but as LDG mentioned clicking the "remember me" box when logging in normally takes care of it.

Thanks, i'll keep that in mind. Usually the "remember me" is keyed to the password and more than likely held there by either cookies or history which I delete along with the temp internet files on a daily basis. I'll try that the next time I post a lengthy post but in addition I will copy it into WORD just in case it fails. I'm a hunt and peck kind of guy, so retyping long post is a real pain. If I know what to expect I can work around the problem which I see most of you do. Thank God for WORD and "copy & paste".

 

[ldg]

Pete, our kitties were younger when they got neutered, so they weren't ever marking territory, so I have no way to compare how much they were peeing prior and after.

In answer to your other question, we let them free feed on dry C/D. We have four males and three females - three of the males have had problems. The other male we brought in one year and 4 months ago, and he was about two when we brought him in, though we had him neutered at about 1 1/2 years old. We were never aware of him marking territory prior to being neutered. He was scared when he first came inside, and even though we provided him his own litter box, he only would go once a day - one huge, giant pee. Hopefully because he's on the C/D diet with the rest of the boys now, he'll never develop a problem.

As to the other three.... I don't know if the problems would have developed if they were eating garbage and hunting mice - or if we'd had them on a raw diet. I suspect it is the diets we feed them that create the problems. Years ago there was a bigger problem with struvite crystal formation in male cats. Pet food manufacturers started adding more ash or magnesium or something (I think it's the magensium) - and now vets are seeing a much higher incidence of calcium oxalate crystals. The big problem would be what we're feeding outside strays/ferals - and not seeing the problem in peeing - because the urethra of the male is constructed in such a way that they can get blocked with a plug of crystals pretty easily - and then it's 24 - 48 hours (depending upon how much they drink) before the toxic urine backs up through their kidneys and kills them.

We simply knew there was a problem because they'd either start trying to pee outside the box, or were in the box with increased frequency. They all blocked at different times, but all three had to be catheterized at some point, one of them three times. This generally happened with each one over a several week/ month long period - all of them when they were somewhere around 2, I think - and that's when we just switched to the Hill's Science Diet C/D. We'd already switched to some "urinary tract health" food - but that just didn't do the trick. Thankfully, given enough time on the c/d diet, they seem to be doing just fine now. Stress, however, does play a role in bladder problems - and let's face it, being transitioned from feral to house kitty is kind of stressful (at least at first!).

Anyway.... to finish the question, we feed them only one wet meal a day. That is the canned C/D. We add the pumpkin and the warm water to the wet meal we feed them around dinner time. The pumpkin we add only for the fiber (and in the amount we add it, they all seem to like it. Two of them will eat it plain - but they don't like any other squash. Go figure). We also add the water for hydration. You've increased his fiber through using Z/D (or whichever one it is).

And yes, they should probably be given at least another meal of wet food a day because they eat so little at the one meal they do get. ...But these guys really never liked wet food much, and would never eat much unless it was just "junk" wet food.

It had to be treated more like a "treat" - which is just another argument for giving it to them more frequently - but our schedule was such that we just weren't able to give them more than the one wet meal at any consistent time, so that's just how it's worked out for them.

 

[tigerclaw]

So glad to hear that the c/d is working for your cats. That's what my vet recommended, she wanted to give Tabby to start with one 5.5oz can of the c/d and 1/4 cup of c/d dry food per day. I switch to the lady vet because she was willing to neuter Tabby even though he was feral. The owner a guy vet I was seeing said that he wanted me to tame Tabby some before he would do the neutering. When Tabby had the crystals she said bring him in and i'll neuter him to. I told her I had a raccoon trap I could bring him in. I also rigged up a piece of panel board inside the trap with a removable handle that could be use to push Tabby to one end of the trap and confine him so she could give him the shot. She said it worked like a charm. She also did eye lid surgery. One eye lid was dragging on the eye and causing him be blink. I told her it looked as if he had a hair in his eye. She could see the problem right away. It turned out perfect. I told her she would make a perfect cosmetic surgeon. That made her laugh. Last week I saw the owner and told him I got Tabby neuter by Dr. Preston. He laughed and said she is braver than I am.

Ok, you answered my question about the signs to look for for problems with increase crystals. More frequent urination and possible not using the litter box. With increased urination I suppose the quantity per urination would also be reduced. So if your cat was peeing golf ball size urine balls, I use the clump litter, and the urine ball dropped in size then that would be another sign I suppose. I'm just getting prepared to keep both my cats from having any future problems.

Do you buy the pumpkin in a can or is it fresh. Only time I see fresh pumpkin is in the fall. Oh, I switched to w/d canned which is not as runny and has 4% fiber. In the wild Tabby always preferred a spoon full if fancy feast mixed with a couple hands full of the dry food. That's why I give him a 1/4 can(5.5oz) of the w/d mixed with 1/4 cup of the c/d dry twice a day. My vet also recommended distilled water rather than tap water which contains alot of calcium and magnesium the two components in hard water which we have. The city has a few very deep wells for our water supply.

Thank you so much for all the info.

 

[ldg]

Yup, we use distilled water too. In our multicat household, we add Bach's Rescue Remedy to it. Might not be a bad idea for Tabby: http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm

Yes - very small pee sizes in the litter box is definitely a sign.

If you're not having problems with the w/d, then I'd just keep using it. I never asked the vet about what to do about the constipation from the c/d, just found out here how to deal with constipation. The pumpkin seemed like the best answer - and it really has worked.

If you feel you want to use it, you may be looking in the wrong section. We find it all year long at WalMart and at the grocery store. It's in the baking section - where you find fillings for pies and flour and sugar. Obviously we buy the pumpkin without anything added. The brand happens to be Libby's - and it is just pumpkin.

Dr. Preston sure sounds like a keeper! It is amazing how much better you feel with someone you trust.

 

[tigerclaw]

I'll have to look into the Bach's Rescue Remedy, I think it would be good for Tiger as well. The grandson screams sometimes and does alot of running around the house and has got Tiger a little skiddish lately.

I didn't get a chance to go to Walmart but was at Strack's and got some zucinnie(sp). I mixed one tablespoon(skin remove and cut into very very small pieces and mashed a little) with Tabby's canned/dry food mix. He eat it right down without any problem. He was hacking another hairball today. Before his neutering and change of diet he would pass all the hair without any trouble.

One thing that concerns me though with the added fiber it might take away some of the moisture from the urinary system and provide additional moisture in the bowel system to solve problems their. It's going to have to be a balance between the two systems.

By the way the canned w/d is also for urinary problems with added fiber. That's the reason the vet recommended it as a alternative for canned c/d.

Today was a nice day, mid 40's here in N.W.Indiana, so I transplanted some catnip plants to my more protected flower garden. I've had fresh catnip all winter long, it grows right under the snow. I put some on Tabby's mouse toy. He must of licked on it for 1/2 hour. Got him some of the plant too and he ate that. It should help his changing digestive system.

He was laying near his scratch pole so I got the feathered toy on a small pole and played with him through the screen next to the scratch pole. He really got in the play mode so much that he actually started to bear-hug and play with the base of the scratch pole. He is really starting to enjoy his play time. He is progressing very well, i'm just so pleased with him.

 

[killerapple]

I've been using the Rescue Remedy with Patches since Batman has been interacting with her. I assuming it has been helpful but hard to say since he is a new variable into the equation as well as the Rescue Remedy - but I think it has helped. I'll be ordering another bottle here soon.

I can't recall - have you tried harp music for cats? I play this CD when I go visit Patches: Diane Schneider's Harp of Hope: http://harpist1.tripod.com/index.html Sorry if I missed this in your post from the fall whether you were playing music or not.

That's so wonderful he is getting into playtime!!

 

[tigerclaw]

Originally Posted by killerapple

I've been using the Rescue Remedy with Patches since Batman has been interacting with her. I assuming it has been helpful but hard to say since he is a new variable into the equation as well as the Rescue Remedy - but I think it has helped. I'll be ordering another bottle here soon.

I can't recall - have you tried harp music for cats? I play this CD when I go visit Patches: Diane Schneider's Harp of Hope: http://harpist1.tripod.com/index.html Sorry if I missed this in your post from the fall whether you were playing music or not.

That's so wonderful he is getting into playtime!!

No someone mentioned it last fall about the Harp music. It was probably you. I found a couple romantic CD's at the Library book sale a few months ago and was playing it for Tabby. Not sure if it help. I think back then he was too full of testostrone to make any difference. Oh, but I did ask Tabby if he liked the CD music, he replied that he preferd Rock an Roll better.

After todays evening meal Tabby was going nuts. He was jumping up and down between the two levels of his cages chasing his soft ball toys. I would throw the toy up to him from the lower level through the jump hole in the top flooring and he would bat the toys around and they would fall down to the lower level and he would chase then down. I've never seen him this rambunctious before. There wasn't even any catnip on these toys. He is really getting into these toys of late. I think too his testostrone level is pretty low by now, it's been 40 days since neutering. I can see the difference more and more. I'm getting the feeling he is getting ready to get out of the cages and venture around the house. I would like to be able to hold him first.

I've read somewhere that it can take as long as a month for the testostrone to get down after neutering. I still wonder how Tabby would do if he was in a room setup like Patches. He is so restricted in these cages now. Before he didn't do so much running around like he has been doing lately.

I'm glad Patches is really getting into playing so well. It's funny how they both are really getting into it kinda at the same time.

I got to look into "Da Bird", is those feathers tide to a string and attached to a wand? I think someone said their sold at Petsmart.

 

[ldg]

I order da Bird online from Amazon. What makes them different than most wand toys is the way they attach the feather or mouse (or whatever ends) to the string. Are you a fisherman? If so, you'll recognize the swivel they use. It makes especially feathers twirl completely differently than other feather wand toys.

Interestingly, they also have a small mouse that attaches by the nose. ...and when I say small, I mean small. It is like maybe an inch long? ...but there is something about it...

I thought our cats went nuts for the feathers - but they went even crazier for the mouse attachment! I mean - back flips and leaps like I've never seen before!

 

[tigerclaw]

Originally Posted by LDG

I order da Bird online from Amazon. What makes them different than most wand toys is the way they attach the feather or mouse (or whatever ends) to the string. Are you a fisherman? If so, you'll recognize the swivel they use. It makes especially feathers twirl completely differently than other feather wand toys.

Interestingly, they also have a small mouse that attaches by the nose. ...and when I say small, I mean small. It is like maybe an inch long? ...but there is something about it...

I thought our cats went nuts for the feathers - but they went even crazier for the mouse attachment! I mean - back flips and leaps like I've never seen before!

I got to get me one of those, sounds interesting. I think Tabby would go for the mouse, he kind of chews on feathers but love more solid toys. Tiger will play with feather more. Maybe i'll get one of each. Thanks for the info. da bird

I did a search and found out there is the mouse and the fur da bird.
http://www.amazon.com/Da-Bird-Catche...pd_rhf_p_img_2
http://www.amazon.com/Go-Cat-Da-Bird...ref=pd_sim_k_1
http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Cat-Toy-R...ref=pd_sim_k_2
Now I got to get both plus the feathers.

 

[killerapple]

Da Bird is awesome!! It makes Batman goes absolutely nuts. It's a really long wand as well. For us, we can only use it in a safe room with lots of open space or we risk Batman flying into the TV or something.

The different attachment options look fantastic. At PetSmart, I paid $10 for the wand w/ feather.

There's a lot of videos on YouTube - check out this one!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiswA...eature=related Look at those jumps!!

 

[tigerclaw]

Originally Posted by killerapple

Da Bird is awesome!! It makes Batman goes absolutely nuts. It's a really long wand as well. For us, we can only use it in a safe room with lots of open space or we risk Batman flying into the TV or something.

The different attachment options look fantastic. At PetSmart, I paid $10 for the wand w/ feather.

There's a lot of videos on YouTube - check out this one!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiswA...eature=related Look at those jumps!!

Cool vid's, died laughing at the first one.

 

[tigerclaw]

I have some very very sad news. Tabby died sometime this afternoon. He was fine when I fed him this morning. When I went down to feed him his evening meal he was laying partly out of his hide box like he always does during the day. I thought it strange because he always is waiting to get fed.

This is so sad for me because I never got to touch him, but he did touch my heart. I'm sure going to miss this guy.

 

[c1atsite]

Pete, I'm saddened to hear the tabby died. They do touch our hearts, those little furballs

At least he wasn't out in the cold.

 

[killerapple]

Originally Posted by tigerclaw

I have some very very sad news. Tabby died sometime this afternoon.

Oh my goodness. I am so so sorry to hear this news about Tabby.

I am so sorry.

I wonder what happened to poor dear Tabby.

 

[ldg]

Oh how horrible!

I am so, so sorry.

My thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

 

[tigerclaw]

c1atsite, killerapple, LDG,
Thankyou so very much for your kind thoughts. I keep rolling around in my mind what could of happened. Everything was going fine I thought. His urinary problem was doing fine, he was beginning to show signs he was coming out of his shell. He played with his toys, bear hugged the scratch pole and would jump down and sit next to the litter box and watch me clean it. And now this...I still can't believe it. Never thought I would miss Tabby this much.

 

[momofmany]

Oh Pete, I'm so very sorry to hear this.

Every time I've lot a cat suddenly like this, it's been due to a hidden heart disease. Please try not to play the should of / could of game with yourself.

 

[tigerclaw]

Originally Posted by Momofmany

Oh Pete, I'm so very sorry to hear this.

Every time I've lot a cat suddenly like this, it's been due to a hidden heart disease. Please try not to play the should of / could of game with yourself.

Thanks so much for your kind thoughts. I was thinking too that I really didn't know his age. He had a few nicks in both ears so i'm thinking he's been around the block a few times. I found him in his normal sleeping position, so it probably happened in his sleep or something that happend suddenly. Heart failure could very easily be the case and makes a lot of sense. Thanks, that will give me the closer I was looking for.

 

[donw]

What a shock! I am sorry to hear this sad end to your adventure with Tabby. Losing a cat is difficult, but at least this guy had someone that cared.

 

[tigerclaw]

Originally Posted by DonW

What a shock! I am sorry to hear this sad end to your adventure with Tabby. Losing a cat is difficult, but at least this guy had someone that cared.

Thanks for your kind thoughts. Yes it was a shock. Can't wait to see a pic of your big guy.