Just Rescued 2 Ferals... Questions

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KrisinOhio

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I can't even believe this! I think Tortellini has the beginnings of a UTI!!! :( Yesterday she was running to her litterbox, acting like she was going to pee, but there was nothing! Her appetite is good, she is playing normally. I called the vet and have an appointment for this evening. Now i have to get this cat into a carrier! I have no idea how I am going to do this.
 

shadowsrescue

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Just breathe.... It does sound like a UTI. Good thing you caught it soon. You may need to get a towel to put over her so you can grab her. If worse comes to worse can you use a mobile vet? Not sure where you are in Ohio. I used to live in the Columbus area. I used a mobile vet with my 3 feral boys last year. They were wonderful.
 
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KrisinOhio

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I'm trying!! My nerves are about shot though!! I live near Akron, i will look up mobile vets. i really like my current vet, just got to put my big girl pants on and put Tortellini in the carrier!! Thanks for the support!!
 
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KrisinOhio

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Sorry, shadowsrescue shadowsrescue , i meant to ask about the towel. Do you cover their whole body with it and then pick them up or swaddle them after??
 

shadowsrescue

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I just put the towel over them so to disorient the cat and then scooped the cat and towel and placed into carrier. I stood the carrier up so the opening was facing the ceiling. It was easier to get the cat inside that way.

Since doing that a few years ago, I have bought larger cat carriers. It is much harder to shove a cat into a carrier with such a small opening. I now have 4 medium size dog crates that I use when I have to take any of them to the vet.

Another option is to see about getting some gabapentin. Once the cat takes the gabapentin, it takes about 3-4 hours for the cat to settle. It's the only way I can get my feral boys to the vet.
 
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KrisinOhio

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Thanks!! I have a pretty big carrier with a big opening. I dont have time to get the gabapentin for today, but im going to ask about it for future visits. I think i might try to scruff her and have the hubby ready with the carrier and a towel.
She's only 5 lbs, (mostly teeth and claws) so hopefully i can get her in there with a minimum of trauma for the both of us. Hopefully if it is a UTI it can be resolved quickly.
 

shadowsrescue

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I could never wear gloves when I needed to catch one of them. I just couldn't get a good grip. Scruffing should work. Glad your DH can help.

You can ask for a Convenia injection if it is a UTI. One of my feral boys had one in May. There was no way I could pill him every day and wasn't sure if he would eat the liquid clavamox mixed into his food. The injection was easiest. It did make him kind of sleepy for a few days and his appetite was lowered. Both side effects. Yet it's something to think about if you are worried about getting a pill down her.
 

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I am sorry to hear about little Tortellini's UTI. I'd say good luck, but you probably have already gone to the vets. I hope you were able to get her there without too much trauma. Good advice from shadowsrescue about the gabapentin and the antibiotic injection. So much easier than pills and I have not had a cat get a bad reaction so it is definitely a good option if your vet agrees. Let us know how it went!
 
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KrisinOhio

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We are back! I was able to scruff her, hubs was waiting with the towel and carrier. We got her in relatively easily. i got a small scratch and only Tortellini's ego was bruised. The vet took a urine sample, I'll get the results tomorrow. She gave her the covenia injection in case. Also got the claws trimmed. The best part is that she came home and after 30 minutes of hiding came out and played!! She doesnt seem traumatized (so far). Just gave them their nighttime snack.

Thanks to you all for your care and support! I hope all is well with you and have a great night!!
 

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Just getting ready to put away my laptop and I saw your message! YAY! Sounds like things went very well. Good work! And a great idea to get the nails trimmed while you were there!
 
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KrisinOhio

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So.... the vet called. The urinalysis was completely normal. She said maybe we caught the UTI really early, before it would show up in a test. Tortellini got a shot of covenia last night. This morning she seemed great, ate well, played. I did see her on "cat cam" from work doing the same thing in the lb. Looks like she is trying to go, several times in a row, but no result. If it was the start of a UTI how soon before the she starts to improve??
 

shadowsrescue

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It can take 48 hours or so to see improvement. It took my guy 48 hours to reduce his number of trips in half and then in 72 hours he was back to near normal. Keep an eye on her. Good thing you have the camera!
 
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KrisinOhio

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Thanks! I think i watch the cat cam more than tv these days!!
 

shadowsrescue

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Thanks! I think i watch the cat cam more than tv these days!!
Ha! When my 3 were living outside, I had 4 cameras out there to watch them. Now that they are inside, I still have cameras to keep an eye on them.
I don't know what I would do without them!

I just ordered a new camera to place outside. We have tons of wildlife now and I love seeing what it out there.
 
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KrisinOhio

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Ha! When my 3 were living outside, I had 4 cameras out there to watch them. Now that they are inside, I still have cameras to keep an eye on them.
I don't know what I would do without them!

I just ordered a new camera to place outside. We have tons of wildlife now and I love seeing what it out there.
That sounds awesome! When our girls were still outside my husband installed a motion light on the patio where they ate so if they came when it was dark I would see the light and go feed them! The camera has been so helpful, I love being able to check on them at any time.
 
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KrisinOhio

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A azpops Thanks!! They were both still at the same time for once! Tortellini is doing much better, thanks for asking!
 

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Hi, I just rescued a stray/feral female and her kitten 4 days ago. I have been feeding them outside for several months and have been able to pet and play with the mother. Now they are contained to a cat room with with toys, seats, furniture, etc. Feeding and socialization has been going well. But my husband pointed out to me yesterday that these cats are used to a lot of exercise, wandering the neighborhood and now they are in a 12 x 8 room. How do I provide enough exercise and interest for them until they can roam the house? They don't seem to care for toys. There are scratch posts, window sill seats in the room. Any advice would be appreciated!!
Hi Kristen, hope you don't mind my question: how did you catch the kitties?
I kept asking the members since last year for advice on how to catch the kitty I've been caring for 9 years. We had a few unsuccessful attempts to catch her last year and she became very suspicious. Thank you in advance, best of luck with the kitties!
 
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KrisinOhio

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Hi ParkBaby ParkBaby !!

I think our situation was kind of unusual. Since May 2018 we had been feeding Miss Kitty on our back patio, which has sliders to our family room. She became friendly very quickly so while it was warm we began inching the food bowl inside farther, with the door open so she could walk in and out (the bugs!!)

At that point i could pet her. Then in September she started bringing the baby, and we did the same thing with her. Tortellini was much wilder, and still is!!

After a couple more weeks we got the cat room ready which is just off the family room. Then on "Go day" we opened the door, put the best food and treats we had as far in the room as we could. When they came in to eat my husband closed the door behind them. The freaked at first, ran into the slider a few times (it was awful). Then we lured them into their room. They seemed to get used to the indoors fairly quickly, it was the vet trips that were horrible, but both got over it.

Does this sound like it could work for you?? Probably not in the winter... I'm in ohio. How friendly is your cat?? Hopefully she's as food oriented as mine!! How did you try to catch her before? Good luck and keep me in the loop!
 
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