Wow, what a great update! Thanks so much, and you-all are doing a terrific job with them !
Hi,Hi all, just an update! Things are going better before and believe or not, Maze has been the trouble maker as of late. She is tiny and extremely quick. She has figured out the time window to escape when we open the door to see her and then go to the other room. We are thinking of permanently putting the gate there to slow her down when we open the door. However with that being said. She has escaped and approached Monty several times. Yesterday Monty was sitting on a chair when Maze approached and just looked at her with no hiss! We decided to have an impromptu play time to wear Maze out and show Monty that she is not a threat. We fed Monty treats and let Maze play by her and fed Maze treats as well and then we ended the session with no incidents! Maze escaped again today while Monty was on the floor and was met with (a not very aggressive) hiss. Maze slowly approached Monty and the sniffed each other and then Monty quietly hissed a few more times and Maze walked away. Again with no real incidents. I assume its more of a “dont mess with me” hiss than an aggressive attack sort of stance. We have been scent swapping and have been using socks for that. I think we are comfortable to move to the gate feeding phase but will keep the door shut after feeding to prevent anymore escapes from Maze.
I'm wondering if a food change might help.she has always had soft stools
Can you try hiding it in cheese, small bits of Buddig ham, unseasoned baby food or some other treat, or even one of those medicine pill pockets?They also gave us medicine that we tried to give Monty with her food and she refused to eat!
Purina proplan has alot of crap in it that I wouldnt recommend (lots of fillers that isn't good for sensitive stomachs). Are you feeding only or dry or wet food to? I find wet food can be easier on stomachs as long as it doesnt have carageenan in it. Rawz is a great brand, koha, hounds and gatos. Basically you want a novel protein diet that is easy to digest. A novel protein is whatever flavors she has never had like rabbit, kangaroo etc.Yes, we switched her to purina proplan sensitive stomach to see how she does with that
The diarrhea could be stress or as others have mentioned parasites, proteins, other ingredients, etc. Glad you are getting a test to rule out parasites etc.It has been since I have updated everyone! Nothing has really changed in terms of the cats relationship. We were getting no hissing from scent and hearing eqch other under the door so we finally moved on to the vision factor in which Monty is still hissing and swatting at Maze from behind the gate. Luckily I believe it is purely defensive and not an attack which is good( fortunately Maze obeys her as well which hopefully eventually Monty will realize she is not a threat. Unfortunate news for Monty though. She has been having diarrhea for weeks and tracking it. We locked her up in the bathroom at night (when she usually poops) to isolate any poop being tracked around the apartment which has worked for us. We took to the vet and they are currently testing her feces for parasites. They also gave us medicine that we tried to give Monty with her food and she refused to eat! She lashed out at us shortly after and cut my entire hand when we put her away. She has also been hiding often (which isn’t exactly new as she has always been an extremely shy cat. Vet believes diarrhea could be caused by stress and anxiety especially based on Monty’s behavior. From my understanding she has always had soft stools (info from my fiancee). I personally am not sure the two cats will get along if this is an anxiety related issue. Monty never got along with the previous cat she lived with but they sorted out their differences and at least coexisted. Any tips?
Ok, that is really good (no thickness).No thick intestines were mentioned. It sounded like the vet wanted to rule out parasites before we love towards other conclusions. We are still waiting to hear back from the vet. She goes about 2-3 times a day. She is also dehydrated is my guess because her coat has to s of dandruff- we have tried to encourage her to drink water and it happens on rare occasions. My fiancee said this is has been an issue for awhile but the move I think aggravated the problem as you said because that is when the major diarrhea began. Thanks again!
Jennifer,I haven't seen an update on this in a while, so I hope things have gotten better.
The physical issues Monty is having could be stress related, but I wanted to toss a couple more ideas out, simply because I went through a rough patch with my kitty a year and a half ago.
Not only did he develop diarrhea, but he also lost a huge patch of fur on the back right side. He started vomiting regularly, too.
There was definitely stress in his world because we lost his other half, so he was mourning that loss. Then, I tried to get him a new friend a couple months later. She tried to harm him a couple times. She eventually went back to the shelter.
Duncan also tested positive for Giardia, which the local shelter claimed they'd never had before. Pfft. Yeah, right. My vet also treated Duncan for parasites.
In addition, we did other tests over a period of months that eventually ruled out several illnesses. My vet was finally confident in her diagnosis of pancreatitis. He's been on meds over a year and a half, and it's all under control. He's doing great!
All this to say that my kitty's issue could've been solely the pancreatitis, or it could've been a combination of these things. I just wanted to give some other suggestions in case testing for other conditions didn't pan out. I think it was related to stress, but...
How is the situation between Maze and Monty now? I brought a new 1-year-old home yesterday. So far, my 12 year old walks by door and hisses, makes funny noises under his breath with no hissing, or he avoids the area altogether. I'm hoping the situation in your home is better now, so it will give me some hope.
Jennifer
Thanks, Calico!Jennifer,
If you need help intro'ing your new 1 yr old with your 12 yr old please let us know. The formal introduction process is really important to speed up a successful intro.
It is really important to build trust going through the steps. Think of it as dating or taking in a new roommate. It takes time to build trust.
It is important to build positive associations (using food an scent only at first) and trying to make every encounter as positive as possible trying to minimize any negativity. It is all about building trust.
Happy to help anytime. Just ask. Send me a message if I don't see your post if you put one up.
I don't think she would mind (about the thread).Thanks, Calico!
I don't want to hijack this thread, but it doesn't seem like it's been updated in a while. I'll give it a shot.
I will start by saying that I tried to bring a 2 year old torbie into our lives a couple months after my other kitty (Admiral) died. It did NOT go well. Duncan was curious, even seemed willing to give it a shot. He did hiss and growl when he saw her, but I figured that was to be expected. In general, he was mostly, as I said, curious. She, however, was high strung (had her 5 weeks, and she never settled down, even with me), and she attacked him a couple times, one time launching herself from a high perch on a cat tree. The final straw was when I saw Duncan paralyzed with fear in the kitchen. I noticed it was because she had somehow managed to climb to the top of the 3rd stacked baby gate, and she was staring him down from above.
Naturally, I've been quite apprehensive about giving this another shot, but it's been just shy of 2 years since Addy died. Duncan has become more demanding of my attention. It's super adorable, and I love the bond we've created, but I also think it's because he's bored and wants a friend. I've been working from home during all of this COVID stuff, and all day long, he taps me on my arm, walks in front of the computer, brings me presents (toys I'd hidden for him) over and over...like I said, super adorable, but I think he's desperate for another buddy.
Enter Indy. I brought him home yesterday. This kitty is so chill. He had been fostered, and from what I was told, this is him all the time. He LOVES other kitties and he doesn't understand personal space.
I setup a "loft studio" in my bedroom for him. I have a fluffy blanket and a comfy carrier in the tub, he's got a litter box, toy box, food, water, scratch post, and a window that looks over the backyard. He has it made. He's doing well in there. He loves every bit of attention I give him, and he screams once I leave the room. He only does that for a couple minutes and then he settles right in. When I go in there, he's usually lounging in the tub with a toy.
Duncan (dun dun dun!): natually, he's wary of the stranger. Shortly after I brought Indy home last night, Duncan started planting himself outside the door. There was no hissing, just curiosity. They haven't seen each other, unless Duncan managed to peer into the bathroom when I was trying to scoot in. So that was last night. I have been giving the majority of my attention to this kitty, and I spend time with the other when Duncan is sleeping.
Today: Duncan has been avoiding the bathroom, spending most of his time in the sun room, which is his room anyway - 2 cat trees, 6 large windows, etc. At one point, I picked him up and carried him to the backdoor because I wanted to see what he'd do when we passed the bathroom. Mind you, we didn't pass directly in front of it, but it's probably 5-10 feet from where we walked. He hissed a little, got agitated, did some funny little noises (he always does this - happy, sad, scared, etc). I held him by the backdoor where he could look outside, but he tried to get down the majority of the time. I put him down, and then I sat on the ground. I looked outside, acting nonchalantly. He started circling around me, coming over for head scratches. Occasionally, he would head over to the bathroom door (now maybe 15 feet), and he hissed. He did this a couple of times, and he'd always come right back to me. I didn't react at all when he did that. After that, when he walked over near the door, he would do the funny little noises and then he'd walk away, no hissing. He did that several times. Every time, when he'd walk away without the sass, I would praise him, scratch his head, etc. After maybe 15 minutes of this, he headed back to the sun room, so I followed him. (This is where my desk is.) He's now sleeping peacefully in one of the cat tree boxes. I went in to check on Indy, and now I'm back out here with Duncan.
I know this is getting extremely long, but I was hoping to give you as much information as possible in order to get the best plan together. I know it will take some time, but I'm most definitely hoping this won't take as long. I had the last one for 5 weeks. At the end of that time, that's when she was on top of the baby gates. In addition, when I put her in a different room (say, my bedroom), she would instantly hide and then stay like that for hours. I would also put Duncan in my bedroom and let her roam the house. The last time for was 8 solid hours, and she hid under the couch the entire time. No progress whatsoever, and I followed the Jackson Galaxy tips, or really tried to follow them. I got a LOT of guff from the Humane Society woman who said I didn't try hard enough. When my own mental health is on the line from that stress, sorry...that cat had to go back.
So yeah - scared to death to do this again. I think it'll be different because Indy is so laid back. He has scratches on his head that he got right before I adopted him. The woman said he got them from one of her kitties...so he's not afraid to try, get knocked down, and try again. I'm hopeful.
I took Indy to the vet this morning, and so I left the bathroom door open. I have no idea if Duncan explored, but we were gone for 2 hours.
Again - sorry for the novel. If you're still awake, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we should move forward, given how it all went down last time. The foster mom said that, depending on how Duncan is doing, she thinks Indy would be ready to go in a couple days. lol HE might be, but I doubt Duncan is!
Thanks ahead of time for your help!
Jennifer
Well, this reply is slow. Afternoons and evenings are more difficult for me since I take care of a feral colony and as age takes hold I get more tired nowadays.Thank you for responding so quickly!
Yes - the "loft studio" is my bathroom, so doors & walls. As for how much he was in the bedroom and/or bathroom - all the time. Because cats have a natural fascination with people using the toilet or showering, he would always follow me in there and stay for the duration. I will also find him just sitting on the bathroom scale sometimes when I'm not even in there. Must be because he's all of 9 lbs because you wouldn't find me just hanging out on the scale!
As for the bedroom - again, all the time. He sleeps with me probably 75% of the time. He's also in there when I'm getting ready and tidying up.
I don't think he's managed to see Indy, really. I did buy some treats tonight (temptations - his one and only.) I can only give them very sparingly because of the pancreatitis. He's on a super strict diet, but I asked the vet today about using it for this introduction period. My plan is to only use these once we get to the part where he's outside the bathroom and not pitching a fit. I also picked up the Feliway plug in as well as the spray tonight. I've got the plug in, in, and I've sprayed his cat trees, and I'm thinking about spraying outside the bathroom door.
I did just get home from the store, so I was putting the groceries away. To my surprise, he walked right out to the kitchen, and walked over to the bathroom door a couple of times, NO HISSING! After he stood over there for a few seconds the second time, I walked away out to the sun room. I knew he'd follow, and I didn't want to push my luck. I'm not sure if Indy was making any noise or not, but Duncan is, of course, aware he's in there. I kept telling him he was a good boy, and I pet his head a few times.
As for playing with Duncan, at night, we have been playing on my bed with his laser light, which he loves. He's not big on toys outside of that. I was thinking that I'd try on the kitchen floor tonight...he'd be in the vicinity but distracted by the light? Is that a good idea?
Regarding how adjusted Indy is with me - it's as if I've always had him. He is one of the coolest, calmest kitties I've ever met. Every time I go in there, he immediately runs up to me, crawls in my lap and starts flip flopping and laying like a baby in my arms. Then, he'll look out the window (while on my lap) and then return his attention to me. He LOVES attention, and we bonded instantly. No worries there. This kitty is NOT lacking confidence! Ha!
" At one point, I picked him up and carried him to the backdoor because I wanted to see what he'd do when we passed the bathroom." - "The bathroom to the Indy's room? " Correct.
(As I'm typing, he just wandered over to the bathroom door, sniffed around and walked away - no drama at all. I did put the plug in near there, but I'm sure it's way too soon for that to work.)
I'm definitely not trying to get too far ahead of the game and thinking that not hissing (at this stage) means everything is OK, but I'll take the little victories where I can get them.
"I went in to check on Indy, and now I'm back out here with Duncan." - "great. Indy was doing well? " Yep! I don't think (I hope, anyway) anything can rile Indy up.
As far as feeding goes, I have tried to put Duncan on a schedule before, but it didn't go well. He would vomit up white foam. He has always been free fed, and what he does is he eats a few bites, walks away, and comes back periodically to get more. The old vet (even though she only dealt with cats, I don't think she knew a thing about them. That's a whole other story) told me to do scheduled feedings, but the new vet feels like the free feeding is working well, especially with his condition. But I will definitely step up the play, if he'll let me. After he sniffed the bathroom a few minutes ago, he wandered around. When I called him and dangled my hand, he came trotting over as always. He's really quite calm right now. He just crawled back in his carrier (he sleeps in there all the time).
Now, what I CAN do with the food is - I have to pick it up anywhere from 30-45 minutes before he gets his medicine, and then I have to keep it up for another 30-45 minutes after the medicine, or he'll vomit. I can start doing the same with Indy. It's kind of scheduled but not totally? Sorry - I'm not trying to be difficult, but the pancreatitis kind of changes the food situation. And like I said - the same goes for treats, which is a bummer. My cats (Duncan and Admiral) were completely hooked on those things, so it was a sad day when I had to stop. But I've been given the green light to give little bits at a time once things start progressing.
Thanks again!
(Since Duncan is catnapping, I'm going to check on my little nugget in the other room.