Found stray cat in parking lot

tarasgirl06

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Its funny u say that bc I have seriously been living off of PBJ sandwiches lately lol! Pretty sure I spend more on cat food than my own but its worth it, for sure.
And it has been pleasantly surprising how easy going it is having him in the house. This week will have me so broke though. Maxine has a vet appointment tomorrow morning to get a ct scan on her skull for possible polyp. I'm so worried. I know its not a big thing probably but she is such a happy and playful cat and I don't want anything to ever ruin that. Hopefully all goes well and there is nothing very serious causing her never ending ear infection. Its just the idea of dropping her off and not getting her back until later in the day has me feeling crazy anxious. I did that with scout when she had dental surgery and my panic attack was so bad I thought I was dying. I worry too much, I think. Lol.
I spend more on cat food and supplies than on me, too, and I wouldn't have it any other way. They give me far more than I could ever give them!
*Prayers* for Maxine's health and wellbeing, and for Flint's health and adoption. Hopefully by you.
 

fionasmom

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Not to get off the subject of that gorgeous little boy Flint, but is Maxine's polyp internal or external? Certainly hoping that she gets good news. He is settling in so beautifully. I always wonder what goes through their minds, and the memories they have of their awful previous life, that makes them think about how something so great could have happened to them.
 

tarasgirl06

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Not to get off the subject of that gorgeous little boy Flint, but is Maxine's polyp internal or external? Certainly hoping that she gets good news. He is settling in so beautifully. I always wonder what goes through their minds, and the memories they have of their awful previous life, that makes them think about how something so great could have happened to them.
Sometimes when cats dream, some of them will make motions or vocalize in a way that makes me think they're having bad dreams, or recollections. We'll never know, but I always try to gently wake them up and give them lots of strokes and love when that happens.
 
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scoutandmaxine

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Not to get off the subject of that gorgeous little boy Flint, but is Maxine's polyp internal or external? Certainly hoping that she gets good news. He is settling in so beautifully. I always wonder what goes through their minds, and the memories they have of their awful previous life, that makes them think about how something so great could have happened to them.
I am not sure if she has a polyp or not. The vet seems to think so bc her ear infection will not resolve with meds. And she didn't see anything just by looking into the ear but recommended the ct scan. So I will find out tomorrow and they said if they see a polyp, they will go ahead and remove it, if possible, while she's sedated. I'm very nervous. But I hope it'll at least get me some answers bc her ear is constantly producing so much wax and smells awful. They also prescribed atopica bc she has allergies but I want to hold off until after her scan tomorrow and also am waiting on her toxoplasmosis test results to make sure it'll be safe to give her. So yeah, lots going on with Maxine and its been costing so much. I just hope it can finally be resolved soon.
 
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scoutandmaxine

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Great news. He tested negative for any viruses and the humane society said he seemed like he was in good health. So I am going to schedule him to get neutered at a low cost spay & neuter clinic nearby. And slowly start getting him introduced to the rest of the house. I especially would like him trained to use the litter boxes in the basement like the girls do so my hallway doesn't stink so bad when he poops anymore lol. I have 4 litter boxes. Should I get another just in case? Scout fills them up quickly bc of her peeing (kidney disease). And unfortunately this last poop he had was very loose, even though last night's was very normal. Maybe he got so scared from the humane society visit that he pooped a nasty one just to get back at me lol. Anyway, I know its gonna take some time and patience to get him all sorted. I'm going to need to give Maxine special attention because of her jealousy issues. I don't want her feeling replaced.
Will keep updating about his progress. I'm so happy to be able to be here for him, even if I have to struggle a bit. Its worth it to see him so content and calm.
 

tarasgirl06

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Great news. He tested negative for any viruses and the humane society said he seemed like he was in good health. So I am going to schedule him to get neutered at a low cost spay & neuter clinic nearby. And slowly start getting him introduced to the rest of the house. I especially would like him trained to use the litter boxes in the basement like the girls do so my hallway doesn't stink so bad when he poops anymore lol. I have 4 litter boxes. Should I get another just in case? Scout fills them up quickly bc of her peeing (kidney disease). And unfortunately this last poop he had was very loose, even though last night's was very normal. Maybe he got so scared from the humane society visit that he pooped a nasty one just to get back at me lol. Anyway, I know its gonna take some time and patience to get him all sorted. I'm going to need to give Maxine special attention because of her jealousy issues. I don't want her feeling replaced.
Will keep updating about his progress. I'm so happy to be able to be here for him, even if I have to struggle a bit. Its worth it to see him so content and calm.
"Experts" including Jackson Galaxy recommend one box for each cat, plus one extra. It varies, though. We moved down here with 9 cats. I had 7 boxes for them. Two are very large and deep. The others were standard size; two were hooded, even though most cats don't like these, and the others were not.
There are now 2 cats and 5 boxes including the two large, deep ones, one hooded one, and two unhooded standard ones. Why? Because they're here. And because they offer options. Basically, only 3 of them get used at all.
Very good about test results! There are "kitten paks" with the basic innoculations that save money. You can ask about those.
 

dustydiamond1

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Sometimes when cats dream, some of them will make motions or vocalize in a way that makes me think they're having bad dreams, or recollections. We'll never know, but I always try to gently wake them up and give them lots of strokes and love when that happens.
That's what I do for Gypsy :catlove:
 
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scoutandmaxine

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I am worried about Flint. He threw up at 3am earlier this week. It was food. A couple nights later, he did it again. Same time, 3 am. And again this morning, he has thrown up foam with a tiny bit of food. He has lost his appetite and is only nibbling on the dry kitten chow. I've tried several different wet canned foods and he's refusing them. He will eat plenty of treats though. This is pretty sudden and his vet appointment is not until Tuesday. Its odd to me that its the same time every night/morning. Since his appetite is down, I'm thinking he is not getting enough food. Before, he was eating without issue. He seems like he really wants to eat but just won't. Since he was living on the street, I want to get him dewormed. I haven't seen any but is okay to do that as a precaution? I'm thinking of calling the vet to see if they'll give me a broad spectrum dewormer. But idk if they will without seeing him first. And I don't want to have to wait for them to do a fecal test, I'm worried his issues will only get worse over the weekend. He is also constantly meowing to go outside. His neuter appointment is not until the 28th. I'm not sure what to do here. I'm losing a lot of sleep!
 

Talien

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I am worried about Flint. He threw up at 3am earlier this week. It was food. A couple nights later, he did it again. Same time, 3 am. And again this morning, he has thrown up foam with a tiny bit of food. He has lost his appetite and is only nibbling on the dry kitten chow. I've tried several different wet canned foods and he's refusing them. He will eat plenty of treats though. This is pretty sudden and his vet appointment is not until Tuesday. Its odd to me that its the same time every night/morning. Since his appetite is down, I'm thinking he is not getting enough food. Before, he was eating without issue. He seems like he really wants to eat but just won't. Since he was living on the street, I want to get him dewormed. I haven't seen any but is okay to do that as a precaution? I'm thinking of calling the vet to see if they'll give me a broad spectrum dewormer. But idk if they will without seeing him first. And I don't want to have to wait for them to do a fecal test, I'm worried his issues will only get worse over the weekend. He is also constantly meowing to go outside. His neuter appointment is not until the 28th. I'm not sure what to do here. I'm losing a lot of sleep!
Vomiting can be caused by a lot of things so it's hard to diagnose without a vet visit. You could try calling your vet and seeing if they have any ideas, but they probably won't be able to tell you much either without actually seeing him.

Deworming is pretty standard for Cats that have been living outside because they will almost always have worms of some kind. It's recommended to treat them again after 2 weeks to kill off any newly hatched worms since the medication doesn't destroy the eggs too.
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

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I have had cats vomit for over a day and return to normal in no time. Constipation could definitely be a factor. As already mentioned you can try baby food (very limited ingredients just broth and meat) or you can try very soft cat food, but do not give him any dry food at the time. I had one cat that would eat dry like it was going out of style, get badly constipated, and started vomiting for a day or so. If Flint's vomiting is accompanied by diarrhea then put some regular Pedialyt in his water to rebalance his electrolytes. You can look up how much is to be given online (based on weight).

Here is a thorough article on the causes of vomiting, the types of vomiting and what it may indicate, and treatment. I hope you find it helpful. 🙂
Cat Vomiting: Types, Causes and Treatments
 
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scoutandmaxine

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Yes! as suggested, call the vet and please keep us posted. Maybe he is allergic to something, Gypsy sometimes urps after eating certain foods
At first I thought it could be the food. But its
I have had cats vomit for over a day and return to normal in no time. Constipation could definitely be a factor. As already mentioned you can try baby food (very limited ingredients just broth and meat) or you can try very soft cat food, but do not give him any dry food at the time. I had one cat that would eat dry like it was going out of style, get badly constipated, and started vomiting for a day or so. If Flint's vomiting is accompanied by diarrhea then put some regular Pedialyt in his water to rebalance his electrolytes. You can look up how much is to be given online (based on weight).

Here is a thorough article on the causes of vomiting, the types of vomiting and what it may indicate, and treatment. I hope you find it helpful. 🙂
Cat Vomiting: Types, Causes and Treatments
Thank you! Very informative. He does seem to be eating dry food more often lately. Don't know what brought that on bc before he definitely preferred the wet. I just leave dry food out overnight. He was able to eat more wet food today. About a half can. And then some gravy from the delectable treat. I haven't seen him use the litter box. Perhaps constipation is the issue. But I feel bad taking away the dry food bc its the only thing he'll actually want to eat at the moment. And I don't want him going without enough food. He also loves the temptation treats. I've been giving him a lot of them out of desperation to get him to eat more. But I hope I'm not doing more harm than good. I guess we'll see if he wakes me up again tonight between 3 or 4.
 

tabbytom

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He threw up at 3am earlier this week. It was food. A couple nights later, he did it again. Same time, 3 am. And again this morning, he has thrown up foam with a tiny bit of food.
As you mentioned, throwing up can be due to several factors as some poster mentioned.

This is my experiences with my boy that I always monitor. One is if he eats too fast, that can cause vomiting as by eating fast, they take in a lot of air. Two, it could be due to hairball. Puking hairball does not have to just puke hairball by itself. Sometimes because of hairball, they vomit right after or a short while after their food. Take close look at the vomit and see if there are strands of hair in it. They will look very fine in the vomit but it'll be clearer if it's a dark colored hair cat. Three, you mentioned he threw foam with a tiny bit of food, this could mean that he was pretty hungry and have no food or taken any food for a long period of time.
Or he could be just having an tummy upset. If it's not a daily occurrence, maybe just a one off or two, I think you just monitor the situation and don't panic first.

Record all these and snap a photo and let the vet know the symptoms when you bring Flint in and since he has not been vaccinated, it could be the normal ailments outdoor cats get. So I hope Flint pass his medical and any current symptoms be cured before he gets neutered.
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

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I forgot to mention you can try Laxtone (you can find that in petstores) for constipation and hair ball issues. Just apply to Flint's paw and he will lick it off.

I hope that the cause of his vomiting is discovered. If you recently changed his food to another brand that can also cause vomiting due to intolerance. When introducing new food, you need to do it slowly and carefully.

Regarding dry food, it can become problematic. If the cat is not drinking adequate water, he can easily become constipated. Also, it is not advisable to feed cats strictly dry food. I had to rush my then 5 year old male to the vet because he was throwing up and he never was sick before. He was misdiagnosed with FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract disease). I had to take him to the vet hospital where he had to stay overnight and undergo a battery of tests. It was determined that he didn't have FLUTD, but a bad urinary infection. Thankfully, he was treated and was god back to his old self in no time. Please make sure that Flint is going to the bathroom properly. Signs to look for is constant litter box visits with little to no pee, straining, crying in pain, and litter box avoidance. This can also be the signs of a bad UTI, but get it checked out asap. *FLUTD is life threatening and immediate vet care is crucial.* It is caused by crystals that form in your cats urinary tract, that ends up causing a blockage. It is believed that commercial dry food may be the cause. FLUTD Kitties needs to be on a special diet . Any dry food given needs to be one approved for keeping healthy urinary PH levels.

I thought I mention this to keep you informed about this condition. If Flint is urinating okay then he doesn't have it. It usually effects middle aged to older cats. A bad Urinary Tract Infection can also cause vomiting. Well, I hope Flint's vet visit show nothing serious. Besides the cat just mentioned, I have dealt with a few other cats that vomitted at times. The causes was either hair balls, constipation, or food intolerance. Those are very common. Keep us updated about Flint. I like to know what is the root cause of his vomiting. Well, I hope you found this helpful. 🙂
 
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scoutandmaxine

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I did find a hairball in my room and since then he has not puked. So im very relieved about that. Ive also been leaving a bowl of dry food in my room overnight in case he gets hungry before breakfast and he has been eating better too. Still preferring the dry food. But I get him to eat at least one can a day so that'll have to do for now. He is also constantly begging to go outside. He's gotten out a couple times during the day but I've managed to lure him back in with treats. And one time he came back all on his own. Hopefully once he gets neutered, he'll feel less inclined to be outside as I am not at all comfortable with allowing him to roam around on his own especially at this time of year. I'm thinking of maybe leash training him like I did with Maxine. So he can get some outside time while being supervised at least. I still can't figure out his age. He seems so much older based on his personality but his teeth look to be in good condition so maybe not that old? He has never tried to bother the girls and he has never sprayed (thankfully). Idk if he's still scared and thats why he doesn't do much other than sleep or hide. Only coming out to eat. I'm sure it'll take a lot of time to get him to feel more comfortable and safe but he's a sweet boy who deserves my patience.
Thank you everyone for the wonderful advice!
 
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