First Trap, Afraid Of Doing Wrong Thing

[Shane Kent]

I just checked in on her and she ate both the wet and dry food. No litter box use. Can't tell if she drank water.

She looks more alert.

I'm happy about that of course. But what's trampling on that is that both my boy cat and girl cat sneezed. I am really nervous right now. If you have any advice what you would do please let me know. I don't want to be too careful.

You can never be too careful. I would imagine your original cats have their noses going full blast seeing there is the scent of a new cat in the house. Keep an eye on them though. They can catch a cold like we do and will get a runny nose just like a person. It is highly unlikely they will catch anything from the new cat as it is isolated from them. They probably just have their noses working overtime.

Anything, no matter how big or small, post it back here. You can never be too careful when it comes to the things you love. There are some extremely knowledgeable people that visit these forums and I have gotten plenty of advice and support.

 

[surya]

It sounds like she is far enough away from your cats. Her poor little nose looks so sore. Thanks you for helping this little kitty. For girl cats getting fixed is major surgery so it is good you are giving her time to recover.

 

[msaimee]

You can give her Miralax, a quarter of a teaspoon once or twice daily. Mix it in with a little wet food. It is safe for cats. One of my ferals had a very difficult recovery after her spay surgery and needed daily Miralax for a few months before she became regular. It is very good news your kitty is eating. Some cats can have a bad reaction to the anesthesia and have a longer recovery period. Also, some cats don't want to use the litter box if it's too close to the food bowl. Try mixing some dirt from outside into the litter. Is there a safe room in your house that she could have for herself for a while? Remove curtains and blinds from windows. If you could provide her with a cat tree where she could climb and hide in the cubby holes, she would love that (cheapest on Amazon or ebay). She will feel better having more space. My experience is that female ferals are much more likely to adjust to indoor life than males. Feral cats also tend to bond with other cats more easily than with their human, so it's very likely she will become friends with your other cats before feeling comfortable with you. Begin to take your other cats into her room one at a time for a few minutes a day and hold and pet and love them in front of her, from a non threatening distance. She will see you interact with them and will learn that you are safe. This is how I've tamed my ferals, and I have 3 of them living indoors with 2 non ferals. You are doing a wonderful thing for this kitty!

 

[GinaN]

You can never be too careful. I would imagine your original cats have their noses going full blast seeing there is the scent of a new cat in the house. Keep an eye on them though. They can catch a cold like we do and will get a runny nose just like a person. It is highly unlikely they will catch anything from the new cat as it is isolated from them. They probably just have their noses working overtime.

Anything, no matter how big or small, post it back here. You can never be too careful when it comes to the things you love. There are some extremely knowledgeable people that visit these forums and I have gotten plenty of advice and support.

Thank you Shane. It's comforting to know I can post here no matter how insignificant something may seem.

I haven't heard either of my kitties sneeze again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

As far as the little girl, I caught her eating when I went in there a few hours ago, so that's encouraging. She darted back in as soon as she saw me though.

She is not urinating or defecating yet. So that's the next "breakthrough" I'm hoping to see.

Thanks for your support.

 

[GinaN]

It sounds like she is far enough away from your cats. Her poor little nose looks so sore. Thanks you for helping this little kitty. For girl cats getting fixed is major surgery so it is good you are giving her time to recover.

She is behind two doors and I put a towel underneath each door. Not very scientific but it makes me feel better.

Yes, her nose looked terrible. I couldn't get close enough to really really see it but almost looked like dissolved. It's already looking better though. I just hope whatever medicine she got is all she needs. Contemplating taking her to a regular vet. I just want her to get some rest / relax.

I am so glad she gets to lay there and doesn't have to worry about trying to find food, or run from anything. And yet so many ferals get released the day after surgery.

 

[GinaN]

Give her a dish of dry food, and a separate dish of wet cat food.

The meds she received were good. I wish they had given you a couple more doses of metacam for pain.

I think leaving the carrier in the big crate as her safe space is good for now.

Things need to remain constant for her now. She also needs time to heal.

Her poor nose! It will get better though. She was clearly attacked. I feel so sorry for her.

She looks very sweet. She just needs time.

You'll easily be able to tell if she has eaten or used the litter by tomorrow.

I did as you said as far as the 2 separate bowls, I forgot to mention it (she ate both overnight last night).

I feel like she's starting to feel better, I see it in her eyes.

I wish they had given me more instructions as far as her nose and her tail. BUT she was supposed to just be released, so I guess that's why they didn't.

For those of you who take care of ferals on a regular basis, what do you do when they need short-term or long-term medication? I mean if you can't touch them or go near them, it's impossible to administer anything topical. And even pills, you'd have to make sure it's only in the particular cat's food. Must be so tough.

No litter use yet.

 

[msaimee]

I don't know if you got a chance to read my last post yet, but Miralax will help with her constipation and is very safe for cats. You can buy it in a drugstore, it is in powder form. You can mix a little in with the wet food. There are different ways to get medication into a cat that you cannot yet handle. If there is a favorite food she enjoys, you can put the medication in there. Tuna fish usually works well. Crush the pill and mix it in. There are also pill pocket treats some cats will eat, you can purchase those at a PetSmart or similar store. Later on if you are able to get near her, with the assistance of another person, you can either use a pill "gun" if it is in pill form, or a dropper syringe if it is in liquid form, and just squirt it into her mouth. One person holds her from behind while wearing thick gloves or using a towel, and the other maneuvers the medication. I can give better specifics if I know if it is pill or liquid medication you would be giving.. Did the vet gave her an antibiotic shot while she was there? If so, that is long lasting for a few weeks.

 

[GinaN]

You can give her Miramax, a quarter of a teaspoon once or twice daily. Mix it in with a little wet food. It is safe for cats. One of my ferals had a very difficult recovery after her spay surgery and needed daily Miralax for a few months before she became regular. It is very good news your kitty is eating. Some cats can have a bad reaction to the anesthesia and have a longer recovery period. Also, some cats don't want to use the litter box if it's too close to the food bowl. Try mixing some dirt from outside into the litter. Is there a safe room in your house that she could have for herself for a while? Remove curtains and blinds from windows. If you could provide her with a cat tree where she could climb and hide in the cubby holes, she would love that (cheapest on Amazon or ebay). She will feel better having more space. My experience is that female ferals are much more likely to adjust to indoor life than males. Feral cats also tend to bond with other cats more easily than with their human, so it's very likely she will become friends with your other cats before feeling comfortable with you. Begin to take your other cats into her room one at a time for a few minutes a day and hold and pet and love them in front of her, from a non threatening distance. She will see you interact with them and will learn that you are safe. This is how I've tamed my ferals, and I have 3 of them living indoors with 2 non ferals. You are doing a wonderful thing for this kitty!

I think I have some Miramax here.

I'll wait to see if she uses the litter overnight. Before I go to bed I'll put a little dirt in there.

I don't have a room that she could have to herself. That bathroom is the best I can do for a few weeks. I know, it's so small.

What is the reason behind the suggestion to remove curtains and blinds? I knew about that for kittens (choking) but didn't think about it for an adult cat. Or is it more a feral cat thing.

If not a full on cat tree can you give me other ideas? Maybe that I could fit in the bathroom. A scratcher would be nice, actually. But I couldn't fit inside the cage. This would have to wait until we're at the point she's actually lose in there.

I like the idea of having her see me interact with my cats. That could be down the line a little bit.

Are your ferals male or female? And do you notice some patterns / differences between their behavior and your "regular" kitties?

And thank you - I am glad to be helping her. I am glad she's safe.

 

[msaimee]

I meant Miralax, not Miramax, yikes!

 

[GinaN]

I don't know if you got a chance to read my last post yet, but Miralax will help with her constipation and is very safe for cats. You can buy it in a drugstore, it is in powder form. You can mix a little in with the wet food. There are different ways to get medication into a cat that you cannot yet handle. If there is a favorite food she enjoys, you can put the medication in there. Tuna fish usually works well. Crush the pill and mix it in. There are also pill pocket treats some cats will eat, you can purchase those at a PetSmart or similar store. Later on if you are able to get near her, with the assistance of another person, you can either use a pill "gun" if it is in pill form, or a dropper syringe if it is in liquid form, and just squirt it into her mouth. One person holds her from behind while wearing thick gloves or using a towel, and the other maneuvers the medication. I can give better specifics if I know if it is pill or liquid medication you would be giving.. Did the vet gave her an antibiotic shot while she was there? If so, that is long lasting for a few weeks.

We must've been posting at the same time msaimee .

This is all the stuff she got. Glad to hear it will be good for a few weeks. Because her nose and tail looked pretty messed up (BTW they said it had to with mosquito sensitivity).

Ket/Ace .4 mls
MetaCam .16 mls
Convenia and Depo Medrol injections (base of tail and nose)
Rabies
RCP
Ivermectin
Frontline
Cleaned base of tail with Chlorhex solution

 

[GinaN]

I meant Miralax, not Miramax, yikes!

hahahaahah and I responded that I have some here! I didn't even notice. I knew what you were talking about. It's the white bottle with the purple name I'm pretty sure.

 

[msaimee]

Some feral cats may try to scale the curtains and the blinds to try to get out of a room via the windows. Actually I only had one do that, an adult male who I released back outside. But female ferals seem to adjust to the good life more readily than males. The bathroom is a good starting point. Full sized cat trees can be pricey even on eBay, but you could get something smaller with a cubby hole she could climb into.

Two of my ferals are females, one is male, and I have another male who wasn't feral but was rather wild from being outdoors and neglected. My 5th is a geriatric cat who has been domesticated his entire life. They all behave pretty much the same
( spoiled rotten lol) The one female feral has arthritis from an old leg injury. She walks with a limp and is the most skittish and fearful and stays upstairs all of the time. So her behavior is different from the rest. But she is very very content to be cared forl and live indoors with me. Cats do usually learn how to co-exist peacefully. The last cat I took in, a five month old female feral Kitty, bonded almost immediately with one of my male ferals. They both had the same papa from different litters and seemed to understand they were related. He was her protector for those first few months and then later on she was able to bond fully with me. Cats understand each other.

The convenia is a long-lasting antibiotic shot to protect from infection. Her body has been through a lot with the surgery, anesthesia, and shots. It sounds like she is on the mend though which is great news

 

[silverpersian]

When should a cat in her circumstances be expected to urinate and/or defecate? To phrase it differently, how long before the lack of elimination becomes a serious concern?

 

[Sarthur2]

Has she peed, in the litter box or out of it?

 

[silverpersian]

As I understand it, no.

 

[Sarthur2]

If you think the cat is not eliminating, she needs a vet visit.

 

[silverpersian]

Right away, or can it wait until tomorrow? The vet is not available today.

The ASPCA seems to advise that no elimination for up to 72 hours after surgery is normal.
https://www.aspca.org/sites/default...aring-for-your-cat-or-dog-after-surgery-1.pdf

 

[Sarthur2]

How long has it been?

 

[silverpersian]

I believe she was spayed on
Wednesday and taken home on Thursday.

 

[Sarthur2]

She needs to see a vet today.