Officially forever family

sarsoon

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I have been caring for a stray, Patches, for about two years. We eventually got close enough that she would accept my invitation to come indoors when the weather got bad and while she was more than welcome to stay, she would never stay longer than a nap by the heater.

The end of December, I adopted an indoor cat and she was no longer let indoors to keep my new cat safe from anything she may be carrying. Until a couple days ago when I went out to feed her breakfast and she walked right on in. For the first time, rubbed herself all over me, purring, and melting for some good pets. Like the flip of a switch she went from comfortable yet cautious around me to absolutely affectionate. She refused to go back outside so I took her in and have been keeping her in her own separate room.

Today we went to the vet to finally take a look at all the things that have been concerning me as I’ve watched her decline the past few months. She tested positive for FIV and potentially kidney failure. Which explains why she has gotten so skinny despite eating well, her white fur and teeth have yellowed, and has been sleeping nonstop. Also a respiratory infection and yeast infection in her ears but surprisingly no parasites! I will be putting extra effort into fattening her up and raising her fluid levels while I save for another vet visit to stay on top of things.

I’m on the fence about allowing cohabitation with my healthy cat, but after looking into it all evening, it seems the concerns are not big so long as they get along. Sloooow introduction it will be. Thoughts on this? Not just a concern for the FIV, but also the respiratory infection. I’m waiting until she gets adjusted to life indoors before even beginning the introduction process and she may be in better shape by then. With receiving so much information at the vet, it slipped my mind to ask details about the infection. Just wondering if this throws an extra wrench in the mix?

Anyways, I’m happy to finally get to take care of her like she deserves. I never expected her to allow me to adopt her but it is a dream come true. I hope I can make the rest of her life worthwhile. Just wanted to share the news as well as ask for that but if advice.

Here is my baby at the vet. What a milestone we’ve made it to!
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Norachan

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Thank you for rescuing her sarsoon sarsoon She's going to have a much better life with you.

The URI will be contagious, so you'll need to make sure she has completely recovered from that before you start introducing her to your resident cat.

What medication is Patches on? Is she getting anything for her kidneys as well as antibiotics for her infection?

I have a feral rescue who is FIV+ and has kidney disease too. Semi Feral Cat. FIV and Renal Failure.

He's difficult to handle, so all I can do is give him kidney medication that can be mixed with his food. If Patches is more tolerant it will be easier to control her kidney function with Sub-Q fluids as needed.

If you can get it Hills Urgent Care is really good for sick cats that need to put on weight.

Is your other cat vaccinated against FIV? Talk to your vet about getting her vaccinated if she isn't. The vaccine is only effective against one strain of the virus and I think it has been discontinued in some US states and Canada now, but ask your vet if it's worth doing or not.
 
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sarsoon

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Thank you all. She is taking amoxicillin for the infection. They offered to give her fluids for her dehydration but I was unfortunately running short on time. I plan to go back soon and will take them up on that if they mention it again. For now, we’ve switched from mostly dry food to mostly wet kitten food to assist her with water and calorie intake. I’ll look into Hills Urgent Care as that sounds like something she would benefit from. Surprisingly, she already seems to be feeling better today!
 

tarasgirl06

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Thank you all. She is taking amoxicillin for the infection. They offered to give her fluids for her dehydration but I was unfortunately running short on time. I plan to go back soon and will take them up on that if they mention it again. For now, we’ve switched from mostly dry food to mostly wet kitten food to assist her with water and calorie intake. I’ll look into Hills Urgent Care as that sounds like something she would benefit from. Surprisingly, she already seems to be feeling better today!
She's beautiful -- thank you for adopting and loving her!
Do you have any sort of separate room where she could be? If the room is large enough, has vertical cat activity centers, scratching pads/posts, toys, her water and food, warm place to sleep and windows to look out of, she could be very content with daily visits from you. My beloved baby Su (my avatar) did not have any medical problems, but she mainly stayed in the master bedroom after our roomies moved in. She was very happy there; and every time I tried to bring her back out into the rest of the house, she'd run straight back to her room. Elvis, my only cat now, stays in there most of the time, too, and is also very contented.
The FIV shouldn't be a problem as far as your other cat is concerned; FIV is not easily contagious unless cats break skin in fights. And as to renal failure, if she's a candidate for sub-Q, you can learn how to administer this at home. I did when our angel Moti went into CRF and we had 7 good months together after her diagnosis as a result. I'd put her in her top-loading carrier on the bathroom countertop; across from that was the shower, and I'd hang the Ringer's bag on a hanger and then on the shower frame. It worked out really well.
 
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sarsoon

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tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 Yes, she has her own room right now. Two large windows to look out of as well as a bird feeder outside of one. Plenty of vertical space to explore, although, she is quite strange with that and I don’t think I’ve seen her scale anything higher than a chair. Some toys and a scratching post. We went for a walk yesterday to give her some outdoor fulfillment since I’m sure it’s tough going straight from always outdoors to always indoors.

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Anyways, great to know that fluids can be given at home. Sounds scary if I’m being honest but I’m sure I could do it. I’ve been mixing as much water to her food as I can until it’s almost soup and that seems to be helping a lot! Thank you for the reassurance on all of this.

Plumeria Plumeria I didn’t know that was an option. Would’ve never thought of that. Thank you!
 

tarasgirl06

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tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 Yes, she has her own room right now. Two large windows to look out of as well as a bird feeder outside of one. Plenty of vertical space to explore, although, she is quite strange with that and I don’t think I’ve seen her scale anything higher than a chair. Some toys and a scratching post. We went for a walk yesterday to give her some outdoor fulfillment since I’m sure it’s tough going straight from always outdoors to always indoors.

View attachment 443200

Anyways, great to know that fluids can be given at home. Sounds scary if I’m being honest but I’m sure I could do it. I’ve been mixing as much water to her food as I can until it’s almost soup and that seems to be helping a lot! Thank you for the reassurance on all of this.

Plumeria Plumeria I didn’t know that was an option. Would’ve never thought of that. Thank you!
She's SO lovely! and I'm hoping she enjoys her walks with you.
Cat behaviorist extraordinaire, "Cat Daddy" Jackson Galaxy says cats can be tree-dwellers, bush-dwellers, and ground dwellers (I forget his name for this last CATegory, but they are the cats who don't climb much if at all). Of course, cats can be more than one of these, and they can also change as they feel comfortable and explore more. Having the vertical cat furniture gives Patches that option.
And oh yes, you can learn how to give fluid therapy! I did. Think of it as being her nurse. If she is a candidate for it, it will likely help her a lot, and all the more so if you don't have to subject her to the stress of travel and vet visits every time she needs it. With my beloved angel Moti, we started out on twice a day, then progressed to once a day and finally to a couple of times weekly. She was very patient, and I'm sure she knew I was doing this to help her feel better.
 
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sarsoon

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Margot Lane Margot Lane Yep, didn’t take long for me to fall hard for her either!

tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 I’m happy you could do all of that for Moti. Without a doubt, she knew it was an act of love
 
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