Greasy Kitten

danteshuman said:

About your bottle baby being people shy. I would suggest patience. Invite the same couple of people over every week or two (one visitor at a time) and be calm. Toss her her favorite treats every time someone comes over. Do that for 2-6 months or however long it takes for her make some progress and be less afraid. Then slowly get her used to being in the same room as the guests while you pet her. Then the guest throw treats to her. Then both you and your guest pet her at the same time. (Besid

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I agree about the whole patience thing. Is it just me or are cat people way more patient than the average person? Cats have definitely taught me to be patient. A hard and fast, aggressive approach rarely works with cats.
The only people that visit us are my parents every other week for only a few minutes. They take me grocery shopping, help me bring my stuff in and leave. But, I like your suggested method to get Salem more comfortable with other people. I live in a large apartment complex and there are quite a few older ladies here who are cat lovers. My neighbor a crossed the hall has a kitty and loves cats. She is here all day every day just like me. I don't know her very well but I do stop to chat when we cross paths. So, my thinking is maybe she would be a better person to start Salem off with. She has met Salem when she was a tiny kitten. I guess that is something to consider and see if my neighbor is willing to pop in a couple times a week to say hi to Salem and give her treat. Salem will have a much better quality of life if she is not petrified of people.
Thank you for your advice!

danteshuman said:

Lack of grooming can also be a sign of depression or stress.

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Salem is still grooming like normal. But, that thought has crossed my mind. I don't think she is any more stressed than usual. Though I still have been closely watching her for any behavior changes.

In all fairness it took Dante months longer to warm up to my mom versus my other roommates. My mom kept giving him the stink eye for bullying her baby girl when she was alive. The first time he let her pet him I wanted to do a happy dance. (I included the victory picture.)
I think if your neighbor just ignores her and you toss her a treat it will help to slowly (very slowly) get her there. Plus finding a high value treat. My punk jr Jackie only gets (pieces of) the salmon or tuna Sheba meaty stick when the kids come by, he is out on a walk,or he meets someone. So it is an extra special bonus treat.
I have heard of people spraying their shirt with feliway spray 10 minutes or so before meeting a nervous cat. It couldn’t hurt to try that either

Furballsmom said:

My boy has cottony belly fur that mats, at a certain length, if I look at it wrong, so I also have to keep a sharp lookout for those which might be the same situation for you with the oiliness that's going on.

The only other thing I could think of would be to try a food change and see if that makes a difference in her coat

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When you mentioned diet, it got me thinking. Salem is 14 months and only recently had her second hairball. She had only thrown up once when she ate part of a subway plastic bag. That changed recently. She has been vomiting 2 or 3 times a week for the last month or so. I did not put it together until you mentioned diet, but that is about the same time her coat got greasy. Salem has been on the same brand of food since she was weaned, Crave grain free chicken, first kitten formula then adult. I tried a few other, maybe higher quality brands, but Salem avoided them like we would avoid rotten eggs.
Anyways, between the coat issues and the tummy troubles, I have decided to switch her to Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomachs Chicken and Rice formula. I just ordered a bag and will start transitioning her as soon as it gets here. It is not grain free, but it seems the tides of opinion are changing on the value of grain free anyways. It is however corn, soy and wheat free with no by products. Salem is sensitive to corn and I am starting to suspect maybe chicken as well. How long should I give the blue buffalo a chance before throwing in the towel and looking for a chicken free food? I assume her digestive issues would resolve before her coat would, time wise. I would go straight to poultry - free, limited ingredient except it is way more expensive and I don't want put Salem on a restricted diet for the rest of her life if I don't need to. I do have a couple poultry - free dry foods picked out that are on the very outer edge of my budget ready to order if need be.
I want to apologize for the length of my replies. I tend to get long winded trying to give as much information as possible. Sorry.

No worries at all about the length of your posts

I'm not sure, you could see a difference right away, but on the other hand, if I remember correctly for a frame of reference for time, elimination diets need to be in place for as long as 13 weeks due to it taking that long for allergens to leave the body.

Although I realize you aren't really trying for a hard and fast food trial, this might come in handy if you do, in case you aren't already familiar;
11 Key Facts About Food Allergies In Cats

When my boy was allergic to poultry (RIP.) I fed him salmon & trout taste of the Wild dry food because the salmon dry food was to rich for my other cat. Now there is a blue buffalo salmon dry food to. Taste of the Wild and other brands sell venison dry food but I didn’t try it after my cat’s turned up their noses to venison wet food.

I’m going to be trying duck blue buffalo wilderness this month, to see if I can get my mom’s(& my) fish addicted cats to eat a poultry dry food.

Good luck, there are lot more choices now.

Update: Salem's coat is a little better. I ended up going with Burt's Bees For Cats Natural Dander Reducing Wipes | Kitten and Cat Wipes For Grooming instead of the Earthbath brand wipes. There were just too many bad reviews for Earthbath unscented cat wipes. I ordered a JW Pet Company GripSoft Cat Slicker Brush as well. I think I could have made a new kitten with the amount of hair I brushed off Salem. Of course, Salem was not happy about it and fought me every brush stroke. But, a few minutes later she was coming up to me for cuddles. So, maybe she felt better or at least forgave me?
I have also started the transition from the Crave Chicken Adult Formula to the Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Formula with more great news. Salem actually likes it! Considering the number of brands I tried before Crave, I am impressed! Hopefully, she will feel the same way as I wean her off the Crave. My plan is to give the Blue Buffalo at least 3 months before deciding whether it has helped with Salem's tummy / coat issues or not. If not, I might try doing a more formal food allergen trial or switching to a limited ingredient diet. But, for now, all I can do is cross my fingers and wait.
Thank you to everyone for your advice and suggestions!

Good for you!!

Hope it works!

I have seen pictures of artwork on the internet made by turning cat hair into mini cat figures they were actually cute!