Kitten at death's door from some infection/ ongoing issues and updates

Sarthur2

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It’s nothing to worry about. They are normal freckles that orange cats develop as they mature. It’s genetic. I have an orange cat who had none as a baby. He was born in my house. Over time, he’s developed tons of freckles and dark spots. He’s nearly 8 years old now and fine. It’s just a hormonal change thing. No worries!
 

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View attachment 442723View attachment 442724

Thank you, S silent meowlook and mani.
But Terry's spots are above his nose, on the bridge, could it still be lentigo?
They do look like human freckles, but idk.

Here are some links to similar images I found.
They suggest it could be either cat acne or lentigo or allergies or mosquito hypersensitivity, etc.
The original posters don't seem to have updated though.
I didn't take it seriously before as the vet dismissed it, but I'm concerned now.

Terry is orange.
We use clean metal bowls, not plastic. And Shanky (also orange and most probably same dad) does not have this, only Terry.
We have been trying few different new foods. Nothing is sticking though.
And we do have lots of mosquitoes, but we've always had lots of mosquitoes, nothing new.
It could be he's putting his face in places, coz it has come up right after he started being active and playing. But the spots gradually increased.

What do you think it could be and what shall I do?
Wow Terry is gorgeous😻 I am not sure what those are, maybe freckles. Some look like little cuts/ irritations to me, not freckles. My Merlin is a ginger tuxedo too and he has freckles in his lips and inside his mouth area but not his nose. His face is all orange. Here is an article about freckles in cats, they happen alot in red cats like red headed people, but they are not affected by the sun etc.

This article says they only happen on mucus membrane areas such as the lips/ mouth, nose pads, paw pads, inside the ears etc. But maybe they can also happen on furry areas.
Cat Freckles: Why Kitties Get Them And What It Means

Here is another bunch of good articles… I think Zena, a bw tuxedo may have this on his roof of the mouth and Sybil a calico had it there too… or it could have been just from their white and black fur which can cause pink and black tones in their mucus areas.

LINGUAL LENTIGO IN TWO CATS | Semantic Scholar
 
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Meowmee

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Meowmee Meowmee and S silent meowlook
How are you doing, pals?
Thank you very much for responding so quickly with such concern. I love you both.

I guess Terry wanted to go for a jog for 3 hours. He probably had some cat friends to visit outside, I don't know. He showed back at the door wanting to be let in.

Both the kitties are doing well. They've both put on some weight and Terry's blood test yesterday showed improvement in everything except the platelets which were 70k (required is 150k). He's still not completely normal, but he's healthy enough to play with Shanky and do mischief.

Terry's nose got some spots. It increasingly spread over 5 days. It's not dirt (does not go with wiping)and it's not moving, I wonder what it could be. It's above his nose and below his eyes. I asked the vet but didn't get a proper answer, he just dismissed it. What do you think? I'll post a pic later, been struggling to get one with decent resolution lol. They're tiny dots.

Hope you and your cats are all doing splendidly. Hope you folks have a great February! You deserve the best!
Ty doing ok with five here now 🙀 lol. I am glad Terry and Shanky are doing better. That is great he came home, he knows you are his home now etc. which is a big step.

Maybe try to escape proof your house etc. They have these door gate things now you can put in front of the front door but they are really very expensive- the ready-made ones.
Here is a cheaper one I just found. There are metal ones that are a lot more expensive.

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/richell-cat-safety-gate-extension-07-l-x-07-w-x-70-h-3747548?cm_mmc=PSH|GGL|SPP|SBU04|SH6|0|wr2sbmuFJRsqT2K4mrvF8j|58700007475444223|PRODUCT_GROUP|0|0|pla-1457263894725|129806910140|15085859917&gclid=CjwKCAiAuOieBhAIEiwAgjCvckpHxA9_9PjcnGUIcqdjKaYdfBAWCpSwpu03oCObYbop2i1y4RQ0bxoCa4EQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


aww ❤ You too, head butts to all 🐾😀
 
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Nilo

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I know, I know, I'm 3 days late to reply. Sorry, people. Got a cold and used it as a self excuse to procrastinate. Hope you're all doing great.

Terry and Shanky are doing fine.
Terry has started jumping heights just 2 days ago. He's feeling stronger and is playing energetically.
But we had a scare today.

I live on the 2nd floor. We have a balcony.
Shanky walks on it everyday birdwatching, but she's extremely careful and I trust her on it.

Terry becoming able to jump, he got onto the balcony for the first time yesterday. Today, he decided to make a sharp turn when my family member called him inside. And his hindlimb ataxia acted at that moment making him lose control of his hind legs, and he slipped out beyond the wall. He managed to catch onto the wall ledge with his front paws and lifted himself like doing a pull-up. He's safe. But I'm very scared he'll be careless again.

I've seen many cats stay far away from the edge of high platforms. Shanky's like that, very cautious. But Terry, before his infections, Terry was an extremely confident wall walker of great heights. I've seen him do lots of dumb moves in extremely thin railings floors high. So I'm worried he'll return to that state of overconfidence and make an avoidable mistake.

Ofcourse, the obvious solution is to close off the balcony right, except it's not possible.
You folks have any other ideas?

Will the smell of citrus or something like that discourage him from climbing the balcony wall?
Or should I trust that Terry will remember his experience from today? I don't know how he feels about it, but he hasn't gone near the balcony since.

Also, what's most likely to happen if a cat like Terry falls from the 2nd floor? They'll mostly be alright, right?

It’s nothing to worry about. They are normal freckles that orange cats develop as they mature. It’s genetic. I have an orange cat who had none as a baby. He was born in my house. Over time, he’s developed tons of freckles and dark spots. He’s nearly 8 years old now and fine. It’s just a hormonal change thing. No worries!
Yeah, that could be it.
Thank you for the assurance.
But I thought about it and I'm not sure for the following reasons.
  • I'm in one of the hottest regions in India too, and freckles are super rare here. I've never seen a person with freckles in my life afai can remember.
  • Terry's mom, his suspected dad, his siblings from a different litter, none of them have freckles.
  • The location iof the spots is different and apparently freckles usually appear in older cats at least over a year old.
  • And they spread fast in a matter of less than a week. Is that normal for that many freckles!? I read they take a while to sprout.
  • Also he does not have any colored spots in his mouth, as far as I could see, which apparently cats with lentigo do.
What do you think?
Idk anything about freckles apart from a few articles, so please feel free to correct me.
Hope you and your cats are doing great.

Wow Terry is gorgeous😻 I am not sure what those are, maybe freckles. Some look like little cuts/ irritations to me, not freckles. My Merlin is a ginger tuxedo too and he has freckles in his lips and inside his mouth area but not his nose. His face is all orange. Here is an article about freckles in cats, they happen alot in red cats like red headed people, but they are not affected by the sun etc.

This article says they only happen on mucus membrane areas such as the lips/ mouth, nose pads, paw pads, inside the ears etc. But maybe they can also happen on furry areas.
Cat Freckles: Why Kitties Get Them And What It Means

Here is another bunch of good articles… I think Zena, a bw tuxedo may have this on his roof of the mouth and Sybil a calico had it there too… or it could have been just from their white and black fur which can cause pink and black tones in their mucus areas.

LINGUAL LENTIGO IN TWO CATS | Semantic Scholar
Haha, yeah, he really is.
Yes, they started off as dots, but now they look thicker. But no other symptoms to pin it down.
Thank you for the links.

Wow, thank you, that's a very nice suggestion.
Unfortunately, we don't have any extra space for a pen inside our house.

We live on the 2nd floor. So, the main door is the only point of safe exit. We did consider using a mesh door outside our main door, but again there's no space where we can stand while closing one door to open the other door.
 

Meowmee

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I know, I know, I'm 3 days late to reply. Sorry, people. Got a cold and used it as a self excuse to procrastinate. Hope you're all doing great.

Terry and Shanky are doing fine.
Terry has started jumping heights just 2 days ago. He's feeling stronger and is playing energetically.
But we had a scare today.

I live on the 2nd floor. We have a balcony.
Shanky walks on it everyday birdwatching, but she's extremely careful and I trust her on it.

Terry becoming able to jump, he got onto the balcony for the first time yesterday. Today, he decided to make a sharp turn when my family member called him inside. And his hindlimb ataxia acted at that moment making him lose control of his hind legs, and he slipped out beyond the wall. He managed to catch onto the wall ledge with his front paws and lifted himself like doing a pull-up. He's safe. But I'm very scared he'll be careless again.

I've seen many cats stay far away from the edge of high platforms. Shanky's like that, very cautious. But Terry, before his infections, Terry was an extremely confident wall walker of great heights. I've seen him do lots of dumb moves in extremely thin railings floors high. So I'm worried he'll return to that state of overconfidence and make an avoidable mistake.

Ofcourse, the obvious solution is to close off the balcony right, except it's not possible.
You folks have any other ideas?

Will the smell of citrus or something like that discourage him from climbing the balcony wall?
Or should I trust that Terry will remember his experience from today? I don't know how he feels about it, but he hasn't gone near the balcony since.

Also, what's most likely to happen if a cat like Terry falls from the 2nd floor? They'll mostly be alright, right?



Yeah, that could be it.
Thank you for the assurance.
But I thought about it and I'm not sure for the following reasons.
  • I'm in one of the hottest regions in India too, and freckles are super rare here. I've never seen a person with freckles in my life afai can remember.
  • Terry's mom, his suspected dad, his siblings from a different litter, none of them have freckles.
  • The location iof the spots is different and apparently freckles usually appear in older cats at least over a year old.
  • And they spread fast in a matter of less than a week. Is that normal for that many freckles!? I read they take a while to sprout.
  • Also he does not have any colored spots in his mouth, as far as I could see, which apparently cats with lentigo do.
What do you think?
Idk anything about freckles apart from a few articles, so please feel free to correct me.
Hope you and your cats are doing great.



Haha, yeah, he really is.
Yes, they started off as dots, but now they look thicker. But no other symptoms to pin it down.
Thank you for the links.

Wow, thank you, that's a very nice suggestion.
Unfortunately, we don't have any extra space for a pen inside our house.

We live on the 2nd floor. So, the main door is the only point of safe exit. We did consider using a mesh door outside our main door, but again there's no space where we can stand while closing one door to open the other door.
That is great they are doing well, sorry about your cold. 🤗

I think for the balcony situation you’re going to either have to stop him from getting to it at all or somehow block off the areas where he can get himself in trouble. I think that he could be severely injured and die if he fell off of there so that’s something you really need to figure out a solution for.

Some cats just do not learn about things like this or they learn the hard way. Quinn is kind of stubborn about certain things too, fortunately we don’t have any balconies or anything like that. I had to train him when he was young not to go on the stove top when it’s hot…he also used to try to climb into the oven when I would broil things when he was a kitten. Fortunately he grew out of that. What do I do for the stove top is as soon as I heat something on it I put another pan with some cold water on top of the burner until it cools down. Just in case he forgets and jumps up there.

re storm door, we have one on the outside of our front door so it acts as a barrier to him and possibly trying to sneak out. He really never does that anymore he did that once as a kitten but I got him back right away. That was from the garage when I opened the door not realizing he had snucK in there. I guess it may not be feasible in your situation. The one that I showed you was actually the price for just an extension lol not the whole door the whole door cost about $400.

However I don’t think we could have that in our house either really. I was thinking of using it to keep cinnamon in the bathroom but allow them to visit with him but I just ended up using the screen I have for the storm door that I never use and I just taped it in place which was free.
 
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Nilo

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That is great they are doing well, sorry about your cold. 🤗

I think for the balcony situation you’re going to either have to stop him from getting to it at all or somehow block off the areas where he can get himself in trouble. I think that he could be severely injured and die if he fell off of there so that’s something you really need to figure out a solution for.

Some cats just do not learn about things like this or they learn the hard way. Quinn is kind of stubborn about certain things too, fortunately we don’t have any balconies or anything like that. I had to train him when he was young not to go on the stove top when it’s hot…he also used to try to climb into the oven when I would broil things when he was a kitten. Fortunately he grew out of that. What do I do for the stove top is as soon as I heat something on it I put another pan with some cold water on top of the burner until it cools down. Just in case he forgets and jumps up there.

re storm door, we have one on the outside of our front door so it acts as a barrier to him and possibly trying to sneak out. He really never does that anymore he did that once as a kitten but I got him back right away. That was from the garage when I opened the door not realizing he had snucK in there. I guess it may not be feasible in your situation. The one that I showed you was actually the price for just an extension lol not the whole door the whole door cost about $400.

However I don’t think we could have that in our house either really. I was thinking of using it to keep cinnamon in the bathroom but allow them to visit with him but I just ended up using the screen I have for the storm door that I never use and I just taped it in place which was free.
Thank you!

Yeah, the balcony situation is problematic. Every idea we can think of costs too much or is impractical. I don't know what we're going to do.
Also I just remembered US people call the ground floor itself as 1st floor, so by those standards, we're on the 3rd floor.
Yeah, it is a long distance down compared to their tiny bodies, but I read a research article saying 90% of cats survived falling from 2 to 32 stories. Although they sustained injuries. But the research was apparently published in 1987. Sad that we're still using data 35 years old, and there's not much new research being done.

Wow, cats jumping on stoves is a new fear to me, never thought about it. None of the cats I've had inside were allowed on the kitchen counter, and all of them have abided by the rules fortunately. I hope Terry learns the balcony rule too, that would make things a lot simpler.

Yeah, that product was only available for the US. I was happy to learn that such products exist and what name to google to search for them, didn't focus on the price listed as it would be different here anyways.

Thank you. Hugs 🤗
Have a great day!
 

Kflowers

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If you have a gas stove, pull the knobs off the front any time you are leaving the house. That way if the cats do jump on the stove, they can't accidentally kick the units on. And, yes, they can manage the little push in before the turn that some stoves require. It's hard to remember at first, but within a week removing the knobs will be second nature for you.

May have missed it, but is there a balcony above yours forming a roof/ceiling to yours? If so, could you buy heavy netting at the hardware store and fasten it to the above balcony and your balcony's floor, basically making a net catio? This may well be impossible, but I mention it in case it isn't, or that the thought leads to a more useful one.

We used chicken wire on the windows ours could reach to keep them from ripping through ordinary screens and going onto the roof.
 
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Nilo

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If you have a gas stove, pull the knobs off the front any time you are leaving the house. That way if the cats do jump on the stove, they can't accidentally kick the units on. And, yes, they can manage the little push in before the turn that some stoves require. It's hard to remember at first, but within a week removing the knobs will be second nature for you.

May have missed it, but is there a balcony above yours forming a roof/ceiling to yours? If so, could you buy heavy netting at the hardware store and fasten it to the above balcony and your balcony's floor, basically making a net catio? This may well be impossible, but I mention it in case it isn't, or that the thought leads to a more useful one.

We used chicken wire on the windows ours could reach to keep them from ripping through ordinary screens and going onto the roof.
Yes, thank you, I've ordered a bird net mesh yesterday just like you've suggested. It's arriving this weekend. And Terry has not climbed the balcony wall since then.

Just googling for meshes showed me some expensive meshes. So I had dropped the idea at first. But when I delved deeper, I found that bird net meshes are available for less than 1/10th the price of tight knitted meshes.
So we're doing it.
 

Meowmee

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Thank you!

Yeah, the balcony situation is problematic. Every idea we can think of costs too much or is impractical. I don't know what we're going to do.
Also I just remembered US people call the ground floor itself as 1st floor, so by those standards, we're on the 3rd floor.
Yeah, it is a long distance down compared to their tiny bodies, but I read a research article saying 90% of cats survived falling from 2 to 32 stories. Although they sustained injuries. But the research was apparently published in 1987. Sad that we're still using data 35 years old, and there's not much new research being done.

Wow, cats jumping on stoves is a new fear to me, never thought about it. None of the cats I've had inside were allowed on the kitchen counter, and all of them have abided by the rules fortunately. I hope Terry learns the balcony rule too, that would make things a lot simpler.

Yeah, that product was only available for the US. I was happy to learn that such products exist and what name to google to search for them, didn't focus on the price listed as it would be different here anyways.

Thank you. Hugs 🤗
Have a great day!
There are a lot of articles I found. Just because they survive does not mean they come away with no injuries, and apparently falling from lower heights, like five floors up I think, they have worse injuries which would require emergency treatment and they can still die. It’s definitely not something you want to risk so I’m glad you have found some screen to block it off. Also they can appear to be OK after any fall and not be so, if a cat falls even if they don’t appear to be injured it’s a good idea to take to DVM.

Quinn is not a cat who follows very many if any rules, lol. Being a dominant pb meezer he is the one who makes the rules most of the time. Fortunately he did figure out that it’s not a good idea to climb into a hot oven though. Etc. 😹
My cats have always jumped to the counters but I think Quinn is the only one who tends to sometimes reak havoc. I feed him and I used to feed my other cats on the kitchen table because it’s easier for me- I don’t have to bend down all the time to pick dishes up.

But Merlin and Zena eat on the floor mostly on raised dishes.

Zena tried to jump on the stove top….he knocked over something, and I got upset- since then he has never tried again, the same thing happened with Merlin. Just today though Merlin figured out by watching Quinn that when I put Fred and cinnamons food on the dresser by a cat shelf window he can also jump up there and eat it lol. Merlin is getting sneakier by the day. I really need to try to train Merlin more to do things that I want him to do because he’s very food motivated.

What is the maximum height a cat can fall from and survive? | BBC Science Focus Magazine
 
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silent meowlook

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We honestly do not want them doing anymore studies on high rise syndrome on cats. Let’s just leave it with the1987 study.

3 level height is enough that a cast will be hurt. Not to mention if he runs away after.

I had to reinforce my screens with chicken wire. It is inexpensive and seems to work.
 

r-kins

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If you have a gas stove, pull the knobs off the front any time you are leaving the house. That way if the cats do jump on the stove, they can't accidentally kick the units on. And, yes, they can manage the little push in before the turn that some stoves require. It's hard to remember at first, but within a week removing the knobs will be second nature for you.

May have missed it, but is there a balcony above yours forming a roof/ceiling to yours? If so, could you buy heavy netting at the hardware store and fasten it to the above balcony and your balcony's floor, basically making a net catio? This may well be impossible, but I mention it in case it isn't, or that the thought leads to a more useful one.

We used chicken wire on the windows ours could reach to keep them from ripping through ordinary screens and going onto the roof.
I bought those childproof stove knob covers which seem to be working well so far.
 

r-kins

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For the balcony...agreed that if you can make a wire enclosure around the balcony, that would be ideal.

Another suggestion: could you get a large dog crate and just put him in that on the balcony? As long as he can't squeeze through the bars, he'd be able to look and get the full experience. There are also cat crates with perches at different heights that I've seen.

A final suggestion: putting him in a harness and anchoring the leash to something so he can just get over to look through the bars but not any further. It's not ideal but could work. I would still not leave him unattended.
 
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Terry and Shanky are doing fine.
They've both been going on food strikes though, for a few days now, after I stopped giving them pure gravy recovery food (they don't need it anymore, it's very expensive).
I'll be getting them some newer gravy products to try later today. Had to wait till today for the payday. Hope they like it and start eating better.

There are a lot of articles I found. Just because they survive does not mean they come away with no injuries, and apparently falling from lower heights, like five floors up I think, they have worse injuries which would require emergency treatment and they can still die. It’s definitely not something you want to risk so I’m glad you have found some screen to block it off. Also they can appear to be OK after any fall and not be so, if a cat falls even if they don’t appear to be injured it’s a good idea to take to DVM.

Quinn is not a cat who follows very many if any rules, lol. Being a dominant pb meezer he is the one who makes the rules most of the time. Fortunately he did figure out that it’s not a good idea to climb into a hot oven though. Etc. 😹
My cats have always jumped to the counters but I think Quinn is the only one who tends to sometimes reak havoc. I feed him and I used to feed my other cats on the kitchen table because it’s easier for me- I don’t have to bend down all the time to pick dishes up.

But Merlin and Zena eat on the floor mostly on raised dishes.

Zena tried to jump on the stove top….he knocked over something, and I got upset- since then he has never tried again, the same thing happened with Merlin. Just today though Merlin figured out by watching Quinn that when I put Fred and cinnamons food on the dresser by a cat shelf window he can also jump up there and eat it lol. Merlin is getting sneakier by the day. I really need to try to train Merlin more to do things that I want him to do because he’s very food motivated.

What is the maximum height a cat can fall from and survive? | BBC Science Focus Magazine
Ofc, yes, I read about the high rise syndrome and cats appearing fine then dying hours or days later due to internal issues too. And cats commonly breaking their jaws from the fall and not being able to eat. Had to inform myself to have a difficult conversation (difficult because I had to mention gruesome things) with my family convincing them why it was important we cover the balcony. They initially didn't want me to as it makes things a bit inconvenient for us.

Yeah, similar to Zena's case, one of my family members throws a complete fit if any animals ever get on the kitchen counter. That usually freaks out the cats enough to never go near there during the daytime. They usually check out the place once at night (when new to home) cause curiosity. Then become bored and ignore the place. They probably don't like the smells, we're vegetarian and use lots of spices. We have a manual ignition stove they can't turn on.
Haha, yeah, food motivated cats are predictable and so easy to deal with, relatively, right?

Wow, you've got that many cats at the same time? Sounds like a dream. Do they all run around the house like the wind playing and playfighting?
Btw your cats have cool names.

We honestly do not want them doing anymore studies on high rise syndrome on cats. Let’s just leave it with the1987 study.

3 level height is enough that a cast will be hurt. Not to mention if he runs away after.

I had to reinforce my screens with chicken wire. It is inexpensive and seems to work.
How are you doing?
That's fair. I just meant if cats were falling anyways, they might as well compile and analyse the data.
Wow, I totally forgot to consider if Terry fell, he might even run away after, jeez that's even more scary.
Yeah, we've got to cover like 400 sq ft, so I was concerned with the cost earlier. Cheaper than I expected, good cause it's necessary.

For the balcony...agreed that if you can make a wire enclosure around the balcony, that would be ideal.

Another suggestion: could you get a large dog crate and just put him in that on the balcony? As long as he can't squeeze through the bars, he'd be able to look and get the full experience. There are also cat crates with perches at different heights that I've seen.

A final suggestion: putting him in a harness and anchoring the leash to something so he can just get over to look through the bars but not any further. It's not ideal but could work. I would still not leave him unattended.
Hi! Creative suggestions indeed, thank you.
There's no effective balcony door, so the cats have access to the balcony 24x7. So, I'll have to go with the mesh. I've ordered it cause it was cheaper online, yet to arrive.
I had not thought about this. I will remember your suggestion and place some homemade raised platform for them to lie on and watch outside, after enclosing the balcony. I'm sure Terry would be super glad. He used to be a street cat until recently, and I know he misses going outside.
Thank you!
 

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One advantage to cats getting on counters, is when you need to pill them you can do it on the counter rather than chasing them down and kneeling on the floor. Okay, you still have to chase them down, but you aren't kneeling on the floor. More, it's easier to grab the pill when it's spit out on the counter than when it's spit under a piece of furniture. Or maybe that's just me.
 
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Nilo

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One advantage to cats getting on counters, is when you need to pill them you can do it on the counter rather than chasing them down and kneeling on the floor. Okay, you still have to chase them down, but you aren't kneeling on the floor. More, it's easier to grab the pill when it's spit out on the counter than when it's spit under a piece of furniture. Or maybe that's just me.
Yeah, floor's near impossible for me, I use a study table and chair for pill feeding.
 

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Terry and Shanky are doing fine.
They've both been going on food strikes though, for a few days now, after I stopped giving them pure gravy recovery food (they don't need it anymore, it's very expensive).
I'll be getting them some newer gravy products to try later today. Had to wait till today for the payday. Hope they like it and start eating better.


Ofc, yes, I read about the high rise syndrome and cats appearing fine then dying hours or days later due to internal issues too. And cats commonly breaking their jaws from the fall and not being able to eat. Had to inform myself to have a difficult conversation (difficult because I had to mention gruesome things) with my family convincing them why it was important we cover the balcony. They initially didn't want me to as it makes things a bit inconvenient for us.

Yeah, similar to Zena's case, one of my family members throws a complete fit if any animals ever get on the kitchen counter. That usually freaks out the cats enough to never go near there during the daytime. They usually check out the place once at night (when new to home) cause curiosity. Then become bored and ignore the place. They probably don't like the smells, we're vegetarian and use lots of spices. We have a manual ignition stove they can't turn on.
Haha, yeah, food motivated cats are predictable and so easy to deal with, relatively, right?

Wow, you've got that many cats at the same time? Sounds like a dream. Do they all run around the house like the wind playing and playfighting?
Btw your cats have cool names.


How are you doing?
That's fair. I just meant if cats were falling anyways, they might as well compile and analyse the data.
Wow, I totally forgot to consider if Terry fell, he might even run away after, jeez that's even more scary.
Yeah, we've got to cover like 400 sq ft, so I was concerned with the cost earlier. Cheaper than I expected, good cause it's necessary.


Hi! Creative suggestions indeed, thank you.
There's no effective balcony door, so the cats have access to the balcony 24x7. So, I'll have to go with the mesh. I've ordered it cause it was cheaper online, yet to arrive.
I had not thought about this. I will remember your suggestion and place some homemade raised platform for them to lie on and watch outside, after enclosing the balcony. I'm sure Terry would be super glad. He used to be a street cat until recently, and I know he misses going outside.
Thank you!
That is great your family is helping out. I don’t know how I came up with my cats names- I named them according to whatever was going on at the time. Usually in the past my family has given people names for our cats. Was wondering how your name is your cat Shanky, and what that means.

I thought Zena was a girl but he was a boy and I didn’t want to change his name lol. He was so floofy so I thought of zena the warrior princess 😹

Merlin was named because my Wizard had left me and I thought he would take over for him. I named Merlin’s brother Marlon after Marlon Brando but he disappeared. Because I thought Merlin and Marlon sounded cute together. They were almost identical twins.

Quinn and I named looking up the meanings of the names, it means love and intelligent in gaelic.

Fred I have no clue how I picked that name- I just thought he looks like a Fred. And cinnamon I named because he looks kind of like cinnamon although he’s a lighter color really

That is great that you eat the vegetarian food with spices, my brother cooks a very good curry with broccoli and cauliflower every couple of weeks or so. It’s too hot for me so I put sour cream on it. But I am not a vegetarian.

Fred and Cinn are in a larger bedroom together. They are too scared to come out although Fred comes out sometimes if I leave the door open but if he sees me he runs back behind the bed. So they’re not all running around. My other three guys go wherever they want to basically except they only go in the bedroom with Fred and cinnamon if I let them in there. I remember reading a story about Enya, that she has a lot of cats and she lives in a castle in Ireland…and sleeps with all of her cats outside, and inside- sounds great to me lol 😻
 
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Nilo

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Hey folks, how are you all?
Terry and Shanky are doing okay.

Update:
  • Three of us worked together and covered the entire balcony today. So that's done.
  • Terry's spots above his nose are fading. Still no idea what they are, but his body seems to be working on it.
  • All of Terry's old skin (before the skin infection) have finally peeled off, new skin is in the process of being formed. Some areas are finished, one large patch remains. Compared to your cats, he seems to be healing slower, it's been over a month now. But he's being quite active, so I suppose he's not in much pain.
  • Both Terry and Shanky are having diarrhea on and off for a week. They both got off their hunger strikes 3 days ago, I thought it would have stopped by now.
  • Terry's on a high these days. Playing harder than he's ever done before in his life. Being excited and obsessing over every item around making each his toy. Probably because he was finally taken off his antibiotics completely, and he's feeling that high that comes after.
My next concern:
Shanky is a 7.5 month old girl, Terry is approx 6.5 month old boy. They're both unsterilized.
We're waiting for the CBC to normalize for Shanky (may take 2-3 weeks, not sure) and will wait a bit longer for Terry. For sterilization surgeries, I mean.
It is almost time for Shanky's next heat cycle. My concern is what if Terry impregnates Shanky?
It was fine till now because Terry hadn't hit puberty before he was sick and when he was sick, he was in no condition to move about. I'm not completely sure if he's capable of impregnation now, is there any way I can find out? I did see his penis poking out of his sheath though. Not sure if that's a cat erection. Anyways, he's old enough, I guess.

I know even pregnant cats can be spayed, but the risk of bleeding and complications is higher.
How can I prevent them mating?
How can I know if mating has occurred in my absence? Are there any symptoms I can check for on either of them?
Could they have already done it?
Will 2 cats start mating the moment the female cat enters heat and signals the male? Could all this happen while we're asleep? Or does she yell for a few hours, since it takes a while for her heat to stop even if impregnated?
I have no practical idea about cat mating. I have only read a few articles.

What should I do? Any info, tips or guidance is appreciated.

It's quite difficult and very inconvenient to isolate one of them for 1-2 weeks at this point. But it's not impossible. If it is the last resort, I'll do it.
There's absolutely no way I'm raising any more kittens.
I'd still like to know the exact details and if there are any workarounds.


More on Shanky:
Shanky hit a low 3 days ago. She's usually hyperactive. She's been a bit lethargic.
It could be due to gastric distress, but she's had gastric distress for almost a week, this low is newer.
Food status: She hardly ate for 4-5 days, then she's eaten decently (for her standards, as a poor eater) for the past 2.5 days.
She's also been a bit distant from all of us.

The current vet doesn't consider Shanky's diarrhea, lethargy and smelly anus (she also has a brown circle around her anus) as serious enough symptoms.
Just want to add here - please don't base your opinions purely based off what I'm saying my vet reacted. I'm still quite concerned.

I already have high anxiety regarding the surgery.
Doctors here have relatively much lower experience with sterilization surgeries.
- It is India. We're predicted to become the most populated country in the world this year. So, you can imagine cats here are similar, not a lot of cat owners sterilize here.
- I've previously called up 12 vets in the state months earlier, and only one of them had ever heard of pediatric sterilization, the rest chastised me that it's impossible to operate on a kitten younger than 6 months old even when I told them I've read online about it being performed. That's the extent of awareness even among vets.
So, complications are quite common. I've even heard of spayed cats becoming pregnant, more often than I'd like.

Thread heading:
Also, the thread heading doesn't match the situation anymore, what should I do?

That is great your family is helping out. I don’t know how I came up with my cats names- I named them according to whatever was going on at the time. Usually in the past my family has given people names for our cats. Was wondering how your name is your cat Shanky, and what that means.

I thought Zena was a girl but he was a boy and I didn’t want to change his name lol. He was so floofy so I thought of zena the warrior princess 😹

Merlin was named because my Wizard had left me and I thought he would take over for him. I named Merlin’s brother Marlon after Marlon Brando but he disappeared. Because I thought Merlin and Marlon sounded cute together. They were almost identical twins.

Quinn and I named looking up the meanings of the names, it means love and intelligent in gaelic.

Fred I have no clue how I picked that name- I just thought he looks like a Fred. And cinnamon I named because he looks kind of like cinnamon although he’s a lighter color really

That is great that you eat the vegetarian food with spices, my brother cooks a very good curry with broccoli and cauliflower every couple of weeks or so. It’s too hot for me so I put sour cream on it. But I am not a vegetarian.

Fred and Cinn are in a larger bedroom together. They are too scared to come out although Fred comes out sometimes if I leave the door open but if he sees me he runs back behind the bed. So they’re not all running around. My other three guys go wherever they want to basically except they only go in the bedroom with Fred and cinnamon if I let them in there. I remember reading a story about Enya, that she has a lot of cats and she lives in a castle in Ireland…and sleeps with all of her cats outside, and inside- sounds great to me lol 😻
Yeah, my family is a unit. They mostly got my back. I'm quite fortunate.
Haha, that's interesting.
Very sorry about Wizard and Marlon.
Well, I just looked at her and I felt she's Shanky. The name has no meaning, nothing in my language either.
Terry though was named so because he was always 'terry-fied' of humans.
Fitting name for Quinn eh.
Your brother is cool, and so are you :redheartpump:
Oh, how long have Fred and Cinn been there? They're still scared?
 

Kflowers

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Good work on the balcony.

Keep the cats separated starting slightly before you expect her to go into heat and continuing for awhile after you think she isn't in heat any more. Some cats can be rather sneaky about being heat, silent, no little dances, particularly if there is a willing male at her side. Like you might want to separate them now any time you aren't watching them. Boy cat will try right in front of you, but you usually get a chance to grab him. I expect it might startle him, so wear gloves.

Best wishes for everything.
 

Meowmee

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Hey folks, how are you all?
Terry and Shanky are doing okay.

Update:
  • Three of us worked together and covered the entire balcony today. So that's done.
  • Terry's spots above his nose are fading. Still no idea what they are, but his body seems to be working on it.
  • All of Terry's old skin (before the skin infection) have finally peeled off, new skin is in the process of being formed. Some areas are finished, one large patch remains. Compared to your cats, he seems to be healing slower, it's been over a month now. But he's being quite active, so I suppose he's not in much pain.
  • Both Terry and Shanky are having diarrhea on and off for a week. They both got off their hunger strikes 3 days ago, I thought it would have stopped by now.
  • Terry's on a high these days. Playing harder than he's ever done before in his life. Being excited and obsessing over every item around making each his toy. Probably because he was finally taken off his antibiotics completely, and he's feeling that high that comes after.
My next concern:
Shanky is a 7.5 month old girl, Terry is approx 6.5 month old boy. They're both unsterilized.
We're waiting for the CBC to normalize for Shanky (may take 2-3 weeks, not sure) and will wait a bit longer for Terry. For sterilization surgeries, I mean.
It is almost time for Shanky's next heat cycle. My concern is what if Terry impregnates Shanky?
It was fine till now because Terry hadn't hit puberty before he was sick and when he was sick, he was in no condition to move about. I'm not completely sure if he's capable of impregnation now, is there any way I can find out? I did see his penis poking out of his sheath though. Not sure if that's a cat erection. Anyways, he's old enough, I guess.

I know even pregnant cats can be spayed, but the risk of bleeding and complications is higher.
How can I prevent them mating?
How can I know if mating has occurred in my absence? Are there any symptoms I can check for on either of them?
Could they have already done it?
Will 2 cats start mating the moment the female cat enters heat and signals the male? Could all this happen while we're asleep? Or does she yell for a few hours, since it takes a while for her heat to stop even if impregnated?
I have no practical idea about cat mating. I have only read a few articles.

What should I do? Any info, tips or guidance is appreciated.

It's quite difficult and very inconvenient to isolate one of them for 1-2 weeks at this point. But it's not impossible. If it is the last resort, I'll do it.
There's absolutely no way I'm raising any more kittens.
I'd still like to know the exact details and if there are any workarounds.


More on Shanky:
Shanky hit a low 3 days ago. She's usually hyperactive. She's been a bit lethargic.
It could be due to gastric distress, but she's had gastric distress for almost a week, this low is newer.
Food status: She hardly ate for 4-5 days, then she's eaten decently (for her standards, as a poor eater) for the past 2.5 days.
She's also been a bit distant from all of us.

The current vet doesn't consider Shanky's diarrhea, lethargy and smelly anus (she also has a brown circle around her anus) as serious enough symptoms.
Just want to add here - please don't base your opinions purely based off what I'm saying my vet reacted. I'm still quite concerned.

I already have high anxiety regarding the surgery.
Doctors here have relatively much lower experience with sterilization surgeries.
- It is India. We're predicted to become the most populated country in the world this year. So, you can imagine cats here are similar, not a lot of cat owners sterilize here.
- I've previously called up 12 vets in the state months earlier, and only one of them had ever heard of pediatric sterilization, the rest chastised me that it's impossible to operate on a kitten younger than 6 months old even when I told them I've read online about it being performed. That's the extent of awareness even among vets.
So, complications are quite common. I've even heard of spayed cats becoming pregnant, more often than I'd like.

Thread heading:
Also, the thread heading doesn't match the situation anymore, what should I do?


Yeah, my family is a unit. They mostly got my back. I'm quite fortunate.
Haha, that's interesting.
Very sorry about Wizard and Marlon.
Well, I just looked at her and I felt she's Shanky. The name has no meaning, nothing in my language either.
Terry though was named so because he was always 'terry-fied' of humans.
Fitting name for Quinn eh.
Your brother is cool, and so are you :redheartpump:
Oh, how long have Fred and Cinn been there? They're still scared?
aww ty 😻
That is good news… sounds like it is all progress except for the runs and Shanky feeling low. I’m not sure what could be going on with the diarrhea or her bum issues etc. I think you said they were tested for parasites right? I remember you said they had another condition related to having parvovirus I’m sorry I forgot in the name of it now and they were treated for that I think. Maybe they are having a reaction to being on the antibiotics especially Terri for so long. And they may need to take a probiotic for a while if they aren’t.

I definitely think you need to keep them separated because you don’t want to end up with her having a pregnancy etc. as far as the spay surgery I have never heard of a cat getting pregnant after they had spay surgery because they remove the uterus and ovaries for that as far as I know. It is always a scary thing but it has to be done, and I guess you have no other choice.

I love the way you named Terry, because that reminded me of how I named Wizard. He was named that because when he first came in he wasn’t neutered, and he smelled very bad…I had to spray a whole can of wizard air freshener, lol. But the name suited him very well for its typical meaning because he was a siamese like all black cat, he was definitely a Wizard, as well as my soulmate.

Fred has been inside since last June, and Cinnamon has been inside since December. So it is a long time for Fred, and although he has made some baby steps is not anywhere near to the point where he would let me touch him. And Cinn does not come out from behind the bed at all. Which is strange because when he would come to eat at the sliding door he would come right up to the screen, and sniff and play Patsys with Quinn etc., and meow at me and them. He really seemed like he wanted to come inside, and he was so lonely by himself out there. But I guess none of that is enough yet for them to overcome their fear of me, and people in general etc.

re the thread title. I don’t think you have to change it at this point anyway. I have made a new thread sometimes for issues with the same cat, and they just throw it back to the one that I started. And you are still discussing issues with his health that would not have been there except for him having parvovirus etc.
 
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Nilo

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I have a few more questions.
  1. I read it's recommended for cats to wait a month after their heat cycle to spay them. Due to their blood vessels becoming enlarged. But, Shanky usually starts her next cycle in less than a month. So how's that even possible? It's always hot here throughout the year, no particular breeding season afaik, so it's not applicable here, right? Should 2 weeks from end of heat cycle be safe? That itself seems to be cutting close to me.
  2. What are the tests to be done before spaying? CBC and what else?

Isolation of Terry when he was sick was easy, he never even moved from his position to even pee or poop. But I've never isolated an active cat. I don't know how I'm going to do it.
When I leave them in a room at night, they scream their butts off if they need the door opened. And they always try to run through the gap whenever we open and close doors, they think it's a fun game. If we're carrying something in my hands, they get more ready. We don't have any extra rooms, so one of them would just have to stay in my room.

Good work on the balcony.

Keep the cats separated starting slightly before you expect her to go into heat and continuing for awhile after you think she isn't in heat any more. Some cats can be rather sneaky about being heat, silent, no little dances, particularly if there is a willing male at her side. Like you might want to separate them now any time you aren't watching them. Boy cat will try right in front of you, but you usually get a chance to grab him. I expect it might startle him, so wear gloves.

Best wishes for everything.
Oh wow, the fact they might mate in secret is definitely scary. Thank you for letting me know.

aww ty 😻
That is good news… sounds like it is all progress except for the runs and Shanky feeling low. I’m not sure what could be going on with the diarrhea or her bum issues etc. I think you said they were tested for parasites right? I remember you said they had another condition related to having parvovirus I’m sorry I forgot in the name of it now and they were treated for that I think. Maybe they are having a reaction to being on the antibiotics especially Terri for so long. And they may need to take a probiotic for a while if they aren’t.

I definitely think you need to keep them separated because you don’t want to end up with her having a pregnancy etc. as far as the spay surgery I have never heard of a cat getting pregnant after they had spay surgery because they remove the uterus and ovaries for that as far as I know. It is always a scary thing but it has to be done, and I guess you have no other choice.

I love the way you named Terry, because that reminded me of how I named Wizard. He was named that because when he first came in he wasn’t neutered, and he smelled very bad…I had to spray a whole can of wizard air freshener, lol. But the name suited him very well for its typical meaning because he was a siamese like all black cat, he was definitely a Wizard, as well as my soulmate.

Fred has been inside since last June, and Cinnamon has been inside since December. So it is a long time for Fred, and although he has made some baby steps is not anywhere near to the point where he would let me touch him. And Cinn does not come out from behind the bed at all. Which is strange because when he would come to eat at the sliding door he would come right up to the screen, and sniff and play Patsys with Quinn etc., and meow at me and them. He really seemed like he wanted to come inside, and he was so lonely by himself out there. But I guess none of that is enough yet for them to overcome their fear of me, and people in general etc.

re the thread title. I don’t think you have to change it at this point anyway. I have made a new thread sometimes for issues with the same cat, and they just throw it back to the one that I started. And you are still discussing issues with his health that would not have been there except for him having parvovirus etc.
Well, I know multiple cats that have gotten surgery, owners having paid for the surgery and recovery, the cats having an incision in the right place, then the cats getting pregnant.
It's not because the spay surgery technique is an issue. It's because the doctors here are that pathetic. It must be hard for you to imagine, but this is common here.
And no, the doctors never get sued. Common people can't sue anyone here. All we can do is leave a bad review online.
That's what I meant by being anxious regarding the surgery. Not the process of spaying, but praying for no complications.

No, they weren't particularly tested. Just physically examined for external parasites. Shanky has been dewormed about a couple months ago, Terry has never been. They had mycoplasma hemofelis.

I tried pumpkin gravy for the diarrhea for 3 days. Didn't notice any changes though. I'll ask the vet specifically for any probiotics.

I'll reply to the rest a bit later.
Thank you!
 
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