Hello From Venezuela

[dogs&cats]

Hello everybody!

I am proud mom of 4 dogs & 1 Cat. My cat´s name is Dona, My BF and I rescued her from the freeway. I was planning to find a home for her, but the truth is I had never owned a cat before and well...I just couldn´t let her go In my country there are a lot of people dumping dogs & cats already, plus being her a black cat, finding a home for her wouldn´t had been that easy.

That´s my official pack. But 2 - 3 months ago I rescued three black kittens at a school I teach. About 4 cats were poisoned, only 1 cat survived this awful event. That cat was pregnant and 3 kittens were born... The days passed by, while I was looking for foster homes for them, the mom of the kittens got killed by a car & I just couldn´t leave them alone

Thankfully 3 weeks ago I found a lovely home to one of the kittens! I am fostering now 2 of the three kittens & one of them is having bladder stones & that´s the reason I am joining the forum. Hopefully soon I will be able to post in the correct section to receive some insight from people who have gone through this.

 

[tabbytom]

Hello dogs&cats , on behalf of The Catsite community, I warmly welcome you to TCS

I'm tabbytom and I'm a Mentor here in Catsite. Feel free to ask questions if you have any in regards to getting around the site. I'm here to help


Thank you for saving the kitties and fostering them. It's so sad to hear that the momma cat got killed and also glad that one has found a good home.

Hope the one with bladder stones is getting better and you can post questions about it in The Cat Care Forums under Cat Health.


Here are some articles to read to help you get started with the site.

New Here? I Have A Few Suggestions For You!
Forum Rules
Community Guidelines & Practices - Frequently Asked Questions
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

Do check out the informative forum threads and also the many good reads in the Articles section too.

Do post photos of your kitty for us to see and here's a thread for both cats and dogs Cats and Other Animals

 

[margd]

It seems you have become a cat person quite by accident - that's how it often starts! It's lovely that you rescued two of them from dreadful fates and then kept the kittens of the one. As a fellow black cat lover, it is always a pleasure to welcome another person who appreciates how beautiful black cats really are! We'd love to see photos of yours when you get the chance.

There is so much information available on the site, I hope you take a good look around to see what a great resource it is. When it comes time for you to post about your poor kitty with the stones, you should get a lot of good advice. Urinary tract problems are not uncommon in cats, unfortunately.

I see from your user name and your adorable avatar that you are also a dog lover. Many of us here are as well, so feel free to include your dog when you're ready to post photos!

 

[abyeb]

Welcome to TCS! I'm sure everyone would love to see pictures of your furbabies!

 

[Norachan]

Welcome to The Cat Site.

Thank you for trying to help all those cats. What sad stories some of them have. They're lucky that you were there to save them.

We'd love to see some pictures of your cats and dogs.

 

[margecat]

Welcome to TCS! And thank you for helping the cats. You are such a kind person!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Welcome to TCS! I'm so glad you found us. You are doing such a wonderful thing with those poor kittens. Thank you.

 

[Margret]

Yes, I've noticed myself that taking on a cat "temporarily" while you try to find a furever home for it is a good way to become that cat's furever human. That's how we got Floppy, 16 or 17 years ago; we lost her just 5 years ago.

I'm glad you've noticed how hard life can be for black cats; people seem to be totally irrational when it comes to stupid and cruel superstitions. You're a good person to fight back at that superstition. We're very glad to have a loving person like you joining our community, and I hope you'll be able to find the answers you need here. This site is the best resource I know of when you need to deal with chronic illness in a cat.

We hope that you and your furry family stick with us for many years to come.

Welcome to The Cat Site.

Margret

 

[catsknowme]

Welcome to TCS! You are such a blessing for all those kitties! It was good for that poor mother cat to know that even though it was her time to leave this world, her babies would be in your good care. Prayers for the little guy with the urinary problems

 

[dogs&cats]

Thank you everybody for your kind welcome. Work & personal issues distracted me from posting on this site. On this past tuesday I had to neuter my 7YO German Shepherd (this thanks to a prostatic cyst) and he has kept me really busy, as well as the the treatment of the little kitten with bladder issues.

View attachment 185550 It seems you have become a cat person quite by accident - that's how it often starts! It's lovely that you rescued two of them from dreadful fates and then kept the kittens of the one. As a fellow black cat lover, it is always a pleasure to welcome another person who appreciates how beautiful black cats really are! We'd love to see photos of yours when you get the chance.

There is so much information available on the site, I hope you take a good look around to see what a great resource it is. When it comes time for you to post about your poor kitty with the stones, you should get a lot of good advice. Urinary tract problems are not uncommon in cats, unfortunately.

I see from your user name and your adorable avatar that you are also a dog lover. Many of us here are as well, so feel free to include your dog when you're ready to post photos!

View attachment 185552

It's exactly as you said hehehe I become a cat person by accident! When I fall in love with Dona, I told my mom that I had to keep her because finding a home for her wouldn't be that easier, plus I was afraid she would end up in the wrong hands! Black cats are really beautifuls & exotic too I will post soon pictures!

When I found out the little kitten had urinary tract problems and that his pronostic was reserved because he could end up having a blockage I was heart broken, I have never had a cat before except Dona so I was not really familiar with the disease. Then I started researching and researching and found out it was not uncommon in cats just like you said....

Thank you for your warm welcome, I will soon post pictures of my pack.

Yes, I've noticed myself that taking on a cat "temporarily" while you try to find a furever home for it is a good way to become that cat's furever human. That's how we got Floppy, 16 or 17 years ago; we lost her just 5 years ago.

I'm glad you've noticed how hard life can be for black cats; people seem to be totally irrational when it comes to stupid and cruel superstitions. You're a good person to fight back at that superstition. We're very glad to have a loving person like you joining our community, and I hope you'll be able to find the answers you need here. This site is the best resource I know of when you need to deal with chronic illness in a cat.

We hope that you and your furry family stick with us for many years to come.

Welcome to The Cat Site.

Margret

Thank you for your warm welcome. Sadly superstitions are still part of a lot people

I was so lucky I found a lovely home for one of the kittens, it was the only girl of the pack. The two boys are still with me! Just like you said, taking on a cat temporarily is so hard.

I wanted to keep one of the kittens, the boy called Zeus, he's a very affectionate kitten... But then I found out about the bladder issues on Choby, the other kitten & I just don't know what to do I cannot keep them all.

My heart wants to stay with Zeus, but my mind is telling me I should keep Choby because being already a small kitten with bladder issues this young is not good. It means he needs a very responsible family & right now in my country we are going through a lot of problems... A lot of people can't even buy their food because how expensive it is...Imagine finding a home for a kitten with special cares -raw food, etc-

My pack is already big! 2 german shepherds, 1 yorkshire, 1 small rescued doggy .... My black cat Dona, and now these two boys! :c I don't know if it's fair for them. My house is big & I have to rotate the two GSD's & the cats. Cats live upstair & dogs downstair.

My dogs aren't familiar with kittens, I tried to work with them, but it just didn't work. I still kept Dona, I mean, she sleeps with me in my room, I rotate the dogs, it means that I take the dogs out to the garage so Dona can come downstair & so on. This routine has worked very well during this last year. I even posted on the GSD forum because I thought I was crazy for trying this...I researched if it was a nightmare for a cat to live in a room ... & well here is Dona with me! She's a very happy cat although the rotation that has to be done in the house lol

My BF *we have been together for 6 yo+* wants me to keep the two kitten. I told him if he has thought about the fact that if we move in together in the future, it would mean that all three cats would come with us lol.

Welcome to TCS! You are such a blessing for all those kitties! It was good for that poor mother cat to know that even though it was her time to leave this world, her babies would be in your good care. Prayers for the little guy with the urinary problems

Thank you for your prayers. Choby, the little guy with bladder issues, is better. He's peeing a lot more now, not like his brother Zeus, but at least he's peeing way more than before with the treatment he's receiving.

 

[catsknowme]

I would vote for keeping both kittens. My friend has used herbs for her kitty with urinary issues - you could try consulting with a holistic vet if your vet is unsure, although it sounds like Choby's treatment plan is working. Too bad your GSDs arent in love with the cats - I was raised with GSDs and they were so protective of our cats, kept them safe from coyotes and mountain lions and hawks, owls and raccoons. I admire your dedication in switching the pets around

 

[dogs&cats]

@Margret @Norachan @abyeb @margd here are the pictures of my pack

Picture #1
This is my superb Dona! I rescued her from the freeway when she was a kitten a year ago.



Picture #2 This is the little guy Choby, the one with bladder issues, this pic was taken a month and a half ago.




Picture #3 Choby and Zeus sleeping together. Picture taken the last week.



Picture #4 Choby and Zeus sleeping ON me while working from home.




Picture #5 Otto on the left, 6 YO yorkshire, and Mia on the right, a 3 YO Gsd.



Picture #6, Mia, the 3yo GSD.



Picture #7, She's Boni, she was rescued in a town located about 40 minutes away from my city. She was just a puppy, starving to death, my mom saw her and called me so I could give her my lunch that I was eating at the car...Long story short, I couldn't leave her alone there. I brought her home, she received treatment and well...She got so well with BOTH gsds that she ended staying home. She roughplays with both of them acting like she's another gsd. She was rescued in september, 2016.



Picture # 8 He's the king of the house, his name is Helios, he's 7YO, he's the one I had to neuter for the prostatic cyst.



Picture #9, these are the three little kittens. Just a few weeks after I rescued them.



Picture #10, This is the little guy Zeus! He's the most affecctionate cat of all three lol

 

[dogs&cats]

I would vote for keeping both kittens. My friend has used herbs for her kitty with urinary issues - you could try consulting with a holistic vet if your vet is unsure, although it sounds like Choby's treatment plan is working. Too bad your GSDs arent in love with the cats - I was raised with GSDs and they were so protective of our cats, kept them safe from coyotes and mountain lions and hawks, owls and raccoons. I admire your dedication in switching the pets around

Thank you for your advice. I was afraid someone would say to keep both kittens :c do you think they would be all fine spending most of the time in a bedroom? it's a big room, they have space to run and they have a big window with views to the outside.

Dona spends almost all the night just standing there... I have woken up at 3 am to find her just standing at the window staring at the night.

Regarding the herbs, in fact, choby is taking herbs for the stones. An antibiotic made of herb because he's little and another herb to help him with the stones.

PD: I uploaded a few pictures & they are waiting for approval from an admin

 

[catsknowme]

Yes, cats are easy to adapt to room living. They need stimulation via play and learning tricks, etc. You can make fun play areas - I like to put a large cardboard box upside down, poke holes in the roof and attach dangle-toys such as fake mice and jingle bells (i use short threads and I wrap them on sticks to keep the kitties from pulling the toys off ) and cut out doorways and little windows. Also, think vertical space - use shelves for extra play areas and observation posts.

 

[dogs&cats]

Yes, cats are easy to adapt to room living. They need stimulation via play and learning tricks, etc. You can make fun play areas - I like to put a large cardboard box upside down, poke holes in the roof and attach dangle-toys such as fake mice and jingle bells (i use short threads and I wrap them on sticks to keep the kitties from pulling the toys off ) and cut out doorways and little windows. Also, think vertical space - use shelves for extra play areas and observation posts.

Could you please, when you have time, post a picture of your play area? I mean the large cardboard box with the holes in the roof. So that I can see it, It would be easier for me to do.

 

[Margret]

When we got Jasmine, I had house guests who had been living with us for nearly a year. (Long story, which I can tell you in detail later, if you like.) They had already turned my 13 YO indoor-only cat Floppy into an indoor-outdoor cat, with the result that Floppy simply didn't come home one day, and, frankly, they terrified me. (With reason, as it turns out. After a year in our house one of them actually physically abused me. That's when even my husband got fed up and we evicted them.)

Anyway, when we got Jasmine, my husband and I were living in the spare bedroom (much too small for both of us), with rare excursions out into the rest of the house, so Jasmine had to be a bedroom kitty; there was no way I was letting her anywhere near the monsters who had gotten Floppy killed. If you look at this picture

you can see me and my husband and Jasmine. We took the picture as a way to introduce Jasmine to family members who live in other parts of the country. We did it with the webcam on my laptop in the living room (where the lighting is better) when the house guests were out. What you can't see because of her luxurious fur is that Jasmine was wearing a harness on which I had a firm hold, because Jasmine was struggling to get away the entire time. She knew that, for some reason, I was afraid of the living room, and she wanted to go back to the bedroom.

Since the house guests have left the spare bedroom has been turned into a sewing room, so Jasmine is banned from it for fear of needles and pins and such. It's one of the great frustrations of her life that she can no longer get into the wonderful (incredibly cramped) bedroom where her life with us began.

All of which is to say that, as long as they have adequate attention and play, cats do just fine in a single room. It's statements like "Cats need space and freedom!" that got my Floppy killed. Pardon me if I sound bitter. On that subject, I am.

Margret

 

[catsknowme]

The box that I had got crushed but I will make another one and send pics. The kittens will love a new toy!