couple questions about my little feral.

[fastnoc]

I got my feral to start trusting me, and holy crud did I open the love gates up. She sat in my lap for 3 hours today, TWICE. I took my laptop outside because there's a big stray dog that keeps scaring her and I figured if I sat out there she'd feel safer.

But there are two things that I'm concerned about. This cat has the absolute stinkiest breath I have ever smelled on a human or animal. it's SO bad, and smells like rotting flesh. like a dead animal. There are no outside sores I can see, and she eats very well (she's eating 3 cans of wet food per day).

Also, she's fine normally, but when  I pick her up to cuddle she also drools more than any cat I've ever seen. To the point I have to change my shirt and wash my arms off every time she does it.

After a while it will subside but it won't stop. She has long lines of drool hanging off her mouth.

She can't be more than 3 months old, and I'm a little concerned. I put a heated cat house out the other day, and she's completely moved in. she doesn't even leave my patio that much anymore.

I just wonder if this drooling and TERRIBLE breath is a sign of danger. a 3 month old kitten should not smell like that. the thing that scares me is the first thing to pop in my mind is liver or kidney trouble.

 

[StefanZ]

I suppose she wasnt vet check up yet?  As this is what is the normal recommendation here.

Has she been dewormed?  If not, she has surely worms, and worms may add to this smell. Terrible tench isnt the most typical symptoms of worms, but they can surely give an unpleasant smell...

So my guess nr 1 is, worms - which she does surely has, if not dewormed. 2. Some problem with teeth.  A third may be the anal glands gone infected. Them are washing themselves, and thus, cats with infected anal glands do have terrible smell.  

Her eating of 3 cans wet food is normally a strong indicium for worms, but not necessarily here   as she is a kitten.

Do you have any plans for taking her inside?  Esp now when she finally gots socialized?   If yes,

begin immediately with this vet check up.  The following quarantine inside depends on, among others, if you do have residents, and the situation with them).

If you cant take her inside, she should do OK as outside kitty. But as she is young and on good way to be completely socialized, please try to find a good adoption home for her.

Whatever you do, she should also be neutered - ESPECIELLY if you want her as your outside kitty.

Good luck!

 

[fastnoc]

Actually I've been a member here for 4 years

She's not my cat, I just tend to the ferals around here to help them through the day. This one is a kitten so I have taken special extra care to make sure she gets a chance to live.

No vet visits, But I think at this point it has to be done. it won't be a problem getting her into a carrier, she doesn't even leave the patio much now that I put the heated cat house out.

She eats more than i'd expect for sure.

As for the stench, I actually first thought it might be because she's a feral and has probably survived by eating garbage. But it's too strong, I mean she can be laying in my lap, and I can still smell it to the point it makes me a little nauseaus.

I'm going to get her to the vet next week.

My biggest concern is that she's becoming socialized, meaning she'll be less fearful of all people I assume. that scares me. and how clingy she is surprised me. So i think we're past me just helping her, I need to get her adopted out.

Here's a picture I got of the little angel.

014.jpg

• fastnoc
• Nov 2, 2012

 

[StefanZ]

Actually I've been a member here for 4 years

Yeah, I did saw it at second glance.  Not at the first glance, perhaps because my eye sigh has become uneven in the last month.  Some moments I see like earlier, even better at distances, but some moments worse, giving me difficulty to read small sizes..  

So we do agree on your plans here.

1. Vet check up.

2. Try to find her adoption home.    



Good luck!

 

[fastnoc]

yeah i'll figure a way to get her adopted. For now I'll get her to the vet early next week and get her all fixed up. Even if it takes a little work/meds I'll get her healthy

 

[fastnoc]

I just got back from the vet.

my mom has an old junker 2000 neon that's been sitting for 4 years in the driveway (I live in next complex over of duplexes). i told her to sell it for 100 bucks and get rid of it but she doesn't want to. so from time to time I get in it and drive around to keep the juicing flowing. Figured this vet trip, since it's only 4 miles away was a good idea.

Had to go to the vet first and get a carrier. Mine is buried in storage. Drove up and back, no prob. got back, figured it'd be a few hours before the cat came back, but she came back right as I got here. So i caught her, put her in the carrier, and started back. about 1.5 miles away, the entire car stunk from her breath. then the car started getting warm. turned off the a/c, didn't help. had to go up a steep hill at 45 mph. car gets hot. I got to the top, and over, and it got really hot. so i had to pull over. got this cat screaming in a carrier, i'm in a sanford and son car with steam coming out of the hood... AWESOME

waited 30 minutes, and was only a short ways from the vet so i went on.

Vet's office A/C is out, so it's roughly 300 degrees in the office. Of course since it's Monday, there are people everywhere. I waited... and waited... and waited..... 2.5 hours later I get in the office.

She's meowing, so i take her out of the carrier and hold her close to calm her down. i sit down and she's ok now, purring and head butting me. She sits on my lap, looks up at me as if to say "watch this" and lets go, peeing all over me, my lap the chair and the floor. I feel warm pee running down into my nether regions. AWESOME!

20 min waiting, the vet comes in.

Now for the good news. She's not deathly ill. She has either stomatis or lymphocytic/plasmacytic gingivitis stomatitis. Basically the gums around her teeth look like hamburger meat. open sores. that's what is causing the drooling and horrid breath.

I get her a shot of steroids, an alergy shot, rabies shot, and worm stuff. Then i left her there to get spayed and I'll pick her up tomorrow.

So far it's only 145.00 and the vet is nice, since it's a feral cat she's only charging me 45 for the spay.

Whew....

the only downside is, the illness is lifelong, and will always need steroid shots.. Every two weeks. if it's REAL bad, it could be every day, at which point I'd just put her down. but I can handle every couple weeks.

Now the strange part. they weighed her. 6.5 pounds. like I said, she's tiny. The vet guessed that she's 4 or 5 YEARS old though. I thought she was a kitten.

Whatever the case, I feel so much better and my new little friend is going to start feeling better after 7 to 10 days.

 

[callista]

I'm glad the vet found out what was wrong! Poor baby, that can't be comfortable. She's such a beautiful little cat.

Re. those steroid shots--I know you're worried that she won't have quality of life if you have to drag her to the vet every day, but daily vet visits really wouldn't be needed. Many people with cats who have manageable chronic illnesses actually learn to give the cat their shot at home. It's simple to learn. So, even if it did come to that, I'm pretty sure there are solutions.

Now that you know she has special needs, will you be adopting her, or still trying to find her another home?

 

[fastnoc]

ugh that's the dilema. I don't know if anyone would adopt her with the illness. but I simply can't take her in. it's not a question of if i want to, it just wouldn't work.

If I have to give her shots everyday that would be ok. I wouldn't mind. but taking her to the vet everyday might not work.

She has a home here as long as she wants on the patio. it's covered, I have a heated cat house out that she loves and sleeps in all the time, and I feed her as much as she'll eat. So even if it's outside she won't have a bad life. if and when i move I'll get a place big enough for another cat.

oh and she has fleas so i got her medicine for that too.

 

[callista]

She's been a stray, so she probably would be okay outside. The porch is covered, like you said, so no problem with rain. Put out some lawn chairs so you can hang out there with her, and bring some toys out for her to play with. You could make her a little shelter like they do for ferals--insulated, out of the wind--and she'd be fine. I guess if the winters get really cold, you could take her inside on those days, or bring  a space heater out if that's safe (fire hazard-wise). It might seem like a small place for a cat to live in, but do remember that cats are quite small animals. An apartment to a cat is the size of a barn; and if a human can live happily in an apartment, I'm sure a cat can live happily on a covered porch. Some vertical space might be nice for her, maybe some shelves or a cat tree to climb on. And if/when you do find her a human, you'll have a little cat environment for your next rescue! Because, believe me, there will be a next one. Cats in trouble can smell a cat person from miles away.

 

[fastnoc]

I'm sure she'll be fine outside. I go out and sit with her a couple times a day and hold her until she gets tired of it and hops down. usually about an hour each time. I take my laptop out and watch a movie and pet her. she's so sweet.

I did mention that I've already got a heated cat house for her. it plugs in. The nice thing is, I work 18 hours a day at my desk here. I have security cameras front and back. So I can see when she's moving around. the motion triggers it to record, and plays a sound on my pc.

Here's a pic from a couple days ago. you can see her at the right rear tire. then if you look at the old car in the background, the other feral i care for is eating over there. I separate the food so they don't have to compete over it.

Anyway, you can see the heated cat house right next to the table. it's got entrances front and back so there's no 'trapping' in it.

She'll be ok, I'll do whatever I need to for her safety.

bw2kX.jpg

• fastnoc
• Nov 5, 2012

 

[fastnoc]

thought I'd post a follow up.

She's doing MUCH better. I bought a couple toys at walmart for her and put them next to the cat house. today i went outside to play with her, and they were both inside her house against the wall. So sweet.

I also caught her on video playing with leaves, jumping around and getting excited.

Her breath is completely normal now, and I can tell by the sound of her meows that her mouth feels better so the shots worked.

one thing I dind't mention before, when the vet opened her mouth, she found a little piece of wood in the back of her throat and removed it.

so all around things are much better for my little friend, and she's happy. She has chosen this as her home, and sits around here almost all the time. i'd say she's here 85 to 90% of the day, and sleep in her house day and night.

I'm so happy for her!
 

 

[cattilac]

So happy she found you to give her the care she needs. We just got a new boarder too. Our little feral had her surgery yesterday and is doing quite well today. With being spayed and three different shots, so far only about $75.00. The last stray cost me $200.00 to get him started. My three cats keep me broke but they are worth me going without something new to make them happy. There is only one cat that is full time house and that is my 7 year old stray that is declawed. These last two are Ferals so they insist upon running loose in the field all night to hunt mice and come in to visit. My 7 year old will not have anything to do with the last two. I have to keep her separated which can be stressful.]The two outdoor cats have their own pet door to a miniature barn with two heated beds and a red infra heat light going all winter. Oh and did I say that I keep the radio going with music playing all night for their pleasure?