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- Jun 11, 2012
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I’ll try to make this a short as possible (apologies in advance for the length), but I need some advice. I have a formal feral who’s taken us almost 5 years to finally bring into the house. He’s been indoors for over a year and has adjusted wonderfully. We trapped and neutered him 4 years ago with no problems. We tried to keep him indoors then, but he wanted no part of that. We were patient and he finally decided on his own that he wanted to stay in the house. Just walked over to a chair one day, fell asleep and never left.
He’s always been skittish and we’ve taken things very slowly Very slowly. We’re now at the point where he lets us touch him and give smooches, even sleeps with us. But, never sits on our lap and doesn’t like to be picked up. I’ve been trying to get him used to it by picking up his front legs (hind legs on touching the floor), giving him a quick kiss and putting him back down quickly. He’s been good with that so far.
Other than the neutering, he’s never been to a vet and so far he seems to be healthy with no obvious problems. I tried one time to get him to a doctor’s office, but couldn’t get him into the carrier. We were both so upset, that I just let it go. He has shown no signs of any problems.
However, lately in the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that he’s been wheezing a little. Not all of the time, only sometimes, and not like he’s struggling to breathe, just like we sometimes sound if we have something stuck in our nose and need to blow it (sorry, it’s the best way I can describe it). Sometimes, it sounds like he’s snoring when he’s sleeping. No distress, though. I’ve also noticed that one of his eyes looks like it’s glazed over (sort of like our eyes if you have cataracts). First it was one eye, then that cleared up and now the other one. Again, no sign of distress or discomfort, but it’s there.
We have an appointment for the vet on Saturday. One of my friends suggested that he could have allergies, but I’ll feel better taking him to the vet. I’ve been trying to use all sorts of methods to get him used to the carrier (that’s another story), so we’ll see how it goes. But, my husband isn't able to be home and I'll most likely need help getting into the carrier.
My questions: 1) since he doesn’t seem to be in distress and is as loving and playful as ever, assuming that I can’t get him in a carrier on Saturday, is this something that would be considered critical or could this wait a few more weeks while I try more to get him used to the carrier and getting picked up? 2) in addition to the issues above and a general wellness look over, is there something in particular I should make sure they do or something I should make sure they don’t do… particularly in regards to vaccines?
Our first cat and he’s become the most important member of the family. I just want to do right by him, so any advice would be appreciated.
He’s always been skittish and we’ve taken things very slowly Very slowly. We’re now at the point where he lets us touch him and give smooches, even sleeps with us. But, never sits on our lap and doesn’t like to be picked up. I’ve been trying to get him used to it by picking up his front legs (hind legs on touching the floor), giving him a quick kiss and putting him back down quickly. He’s been good with that so far.
Other than the neutering, he’s never been to a vet and so far he seems to be healthy with no obvious problems. I tried one time to get him to a doctor’s office, but couldn’t get him into the carrier. We were both so upset, that I just let it go. He has shown no signs of any problems.
However, lately in the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that he’s been wheezing a little. Not all of the time, only sometimes, and not like he’s struggling to breathe, just like we sometimes sound if we have something stuck in our nose and need to blow it (sorry, it’s the best way I can describe it). Sometimes, it sounds like he’s snoring when he’s sleeping. No distress, though. I’ve also noticed that one of his eyes looks like it’s glazed over (sort of like our eyes if you have cataracts). First it was one eye, then that cleared up and now the other one. Again, no sign of distress or discomfort, but it’s there.
We have an appointment for the vet on Saturday. One of my friends suggested that he could have allergies, but I’ll feel better taking him to the vet. I’ve been trying to use all sorts of methods to get him used to the carrier (that’s another story), so we’ll see how it goes. But, my husband isn't able to be home and I'll most likely need help getting into the carrier.
My questions: 1) since he doesn’t seem to be in distress and is as loving and playful as ever, assuming that I can’t get him in a carrier on Saturday, is this something that would be considered critical or could this wait a few more weeks while I try more to get him used to the carrier and getting picked up? 2) in addition to the issues above and a general wellness look over, is there something in particular I should make sure they do or something I should make sure they don’t do… particularly in regards to vaccines?
Our first cat and he’s become the most important member of the family. I just want to do right by him, so any advice would be appreciated.