Cat help

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 3:57 pm

We have a spare cat - Merlin, he's sort of the street's cat, owners moved years ago and the thing just refused to accept that and kept walking back to the old area until they just eventually decided it was what he wanted... Now four or five of us take turns to feed him, shelter him if the weather's horrible, and so on.

He's in very good health in terms of cleanliness, and gets flea treatment, worming treatment and the like. He's quite old, we don't know how old. He's usually lovely, if incredibly quiet for a cat (we think he's got a damaged/deformed larnyx, he's been like that for the five, six years he's been coming around here). He's also our cat's muscle and back-up, and up until a couple of days ago was fully in his usual routine - charging after anything that went in our garden that wasn't our cat, eating like a horse, climbing stuff, the lot. However, the past couple of days he's done nothing but settle in a patch of a neighbour's garden, is very surly when we try (emitting a very low, painful growl, which we've heard every now and then when he's pissed off, but rarely with such frequency and with such little cause) and move him and seems to be off his food.

Considering his age and everything, I know what it could be, though it does seem to be very sudden considering literally Monday he was kicking the shit out of some ginger tom that was having a go at our cat. I've inspected him as best as possible and can't see any injuries - it's difficult because he's jet black, though his growls don't correspond to the "broken bone" test, it just seems to be when he's picked up. I know that if he's on his way there's not much we can do, but I was away from home when my parent's cat passed away and am amazed at the switch. Anyone got any ideas other than the obvious, anything to check for that we can actually do something about? Transport makes the vets difficult, plus we're not sure what to do regarding him not actually being ours...

Please, anyone got any ideas? I don't want anything to happen to him that doesn't have to happen to him.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 5:15 pm

Have you checked his stomach/gut area for hardness/anything?

Whilst it sounds sudden, there could obviously be something wrong with him that's been slowburning and just kicked in overnight. Presumably he's not had regular vet checks that would show something like that up. My ma's cat developed a tumour on the spine pretty quickly that basically manifested as him waking up half paralysed one day. He was about 17 and deaf, though.

Dunno. Could be anything from an ear infection to having eaten something he shouldn't and now he's got epic bellyache. Other than recommending a trip to the vet, it's pure guesswork.

Sorry mate.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 5:31 pm

Yeh, we're hoping our neighbours will take him down tomorrow - speaking to them, it turns out he was in a massive fight this morning. Nothing felt wrong on him - no hardness (he let me touch him, he just wasn't especially happy about it) or signs of cuts or swelling... It could just be he wants to keep out of the way for a bit (the garden he's lurking in isn't one of his usual haunts), we're giving him a day or so to see how things go.

Cheers, mate

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 5:38 pm

If he was in a fight, it's highly likely he just got twatted a bit harder than he's used to so's feeling sorry for himself.

I feel like I'm in here stating the bloody obvious, really. So let's pretend I said something insightful and leave it at that.

Hope he's alright.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 6:10 pm

It's all good stuff

He's just had some tea in our garden and now there's no sing of him, which at least means he's not skulking next door still - hopefully he's off on his rounds and it's no more than hurt pride, and I'm just a soft, panicky twat. I can live with that, TBH.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 8:08 pm

Since getting one of the blighter's myself I've developed a great deal of empathy for other people's cat problems. I actually stop and read those "Missing.. Have You Seen?" posters these days and hope they turn up OK.

God knows why as Clara is a bossy little bitch who keeps ordering me about with very specific meows ("I would like you to open the front door to the flat so I can go out to the hall. Follow me in case I need you to open the connecting door to the flats on the other side of the lift so I can eat their potted plants").

Hope your furry transient turns out to be fully OK Cliffy.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 8:18 pm

As far as I can tell in the dark (bearing in mind that he's an SAS cat) it seems he was back in our garden this evening, and came running for his cat-stick-treat thing when I called from the front door, and after wolfing that down he got lifted and spun around a bit, and reacted with his previously-standard nonchalance. So yeh, looks like he got a kicking and just felt a bit put out for the day. Only downside is I think the bugger's Frontline needs renewing, as I now seem to have fleas in my beard... That and our actual cat keeps trying to eat my hand. I can live with that.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 8:29 pm

Yay! A happy ending.

Apart from the fleas. You can always pretend you're one of the Enearthly Child cavemen.

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 2:41 am

Glad your community cat's feeling better. Going through some cat issues of my own right now, so I know how depressing and worrisome it can be.

I need to get Sophie to eat her antibiotic, but part of her condition is a lack of apetite, and when a cat doesn't want to eat something, unlike a dog, you just can't force it down their throat. So I dunno what I can do to help her.

Post by **Sades** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 7:22 am

Nothing overly useful to say, but +1 on the glad for normal cat behaviour.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 1:52 pm

Cheers - he's properly back on form now today, and is currently eating sliced turkey (me soft? Faak off).

DrSpengler wrote:Glad your community cat's feeling better. Going through some cat issues of my own right now, so I know how depressing and worrisome it can be.

I need to get Sophie to eat her antibiotic, but part of her condition is a lack of apetite, and when a cat doesn't want to eat something, unlike a dog, you just can't force it down their throat. So I dunno what I can do to help her.

Mix it in with something (baby food, or some of the really mushy pouched stuff), pop it in a syringe, get someone to hold the poor thing, prise the jaws open and fire. It's a pretty harrowing thing to have to do, though.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 2:52 pm

The cream the vet gave us for our cat when she had some sores on her neck was rendered completely useless by her just licking it off right after it was put on.

Heinrad · Post by **Heinrad** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 3:59 pm

My last cat had to take pills, and since he was on a special diet as well(urinary tract blockage + really agile cat + repeated catheterizations = gender neutral cat on meds), what I'd do is crush his pill into powder and mix it in with his food.

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 12:23 am

Thanks for the advice.

I powdered the pill and worked it into a small glob of catfood patte. I then gave her that glob on a dish, held it up to her face, and he slowly ate it. This has worked the past few times.

I think she's felling better now that I've gotten a couple days of the antibiotic in her (though, I know that for antibiotics to work, you have to take them ALL no matter how good you feel after the first few).

She's slowly recovering (she had a urinary tract infection). Unfortunately, when we brought her to the vet, he also noticed a growth near her kidneys and liver which is probably a tumor. Going to take her for ultrasounds next week and see if its operable.

Heinrad · Post by **Heinrad** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:30 am

I hope the ultrasounds turn out okay.

And now, I need some advice.

One of my cats is a Maine Coon mix, and for the last few days, she's been off her feed. Unlike any other cat I've ever had, her behaviour is the most "cat-like". She's aloof, she hides, she only comes out when there's food in the offing or she wants affection, throws up hairballs, etc.

Last night, I figured out what her problem was. She had apparently digested a hairball(as opposed to the usual practice of throwing them up), and finally managed to work it out of her system. After much struggle.

Any idea how I can cure her of hairballs?

Notabot · Post by **Notabot** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 3:12 pm

Shave her.

RUNAMOK · Post by **RUNAMOK** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 4:40 pm

I once heard on TV that brushing you cat might be a way to control hairballs a bit. The cat itself has to remove fewer loose hairs with its toung that way, and that will cause it to swallow less of them.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Oct 01, 2010 3:18 pm

So in a a wacky sitcom style I'm house sitting for a friend on holiday to look after their six cats (including three kittens). The big male cat (who normally only goes out for any length of time at night) had me let him out through the flat window again this mourning after only being back in for a few minutes, and when I woke up this afternoon I couldn't see him outside (he normally can be seen sitting under one of the cars in the parking area) and he's not responding to his name nor the shaking of the food bag.

Is he likely just asleep outside not visible or am I going to have to replace him with an exact lookalike?

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Fri Oct 01, 2010 3:31 pm

inflatable dalek wrote:Is he likely just asleep outside not visible

This one.

Cats sleep. A lot. They also do whatever the **** they want.

They are essentially the purest of God's creatures.

He'll be back.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Fri Oct 01, 2010 4:25 pm

They also tend to treat any overt attempt to find/retrieve them as a game. If this is what he's doing he'll get bored and hungry soon enough.