Need Advice on Dumped Kitty

[pearjas]

Hi everyone,
On Saturday, I found a cat that had been dumped at a local gas station. Someone was going to drive her to a local area and release her but I did not want that, so I took her home. She is a very affectionate kitty and it took her about 24 hours to take over my house. I highly doubt she is chipped, but I was hoping to check for that. I took her to the vet yesterday because she is not drinking any water (maybe some cats are like that) and she is ALWAYS HUNGRY. She will eat continuously...I've been feeding her canned food and adding a lot of water and she eats it all..and if not, she hides the can underneath something, such as a shirt, a piece of paper, etc... haha. It's very cute but I wonder if she's been short of food in the past. She appeared to be well taken care of, didn't have any fleas, etc...but it seems whomever owned her did not want her. Her stomach has been upset off and on since she's gotten here, and she uses the bathroom (#2) many, many times a day... I'm guessing she's around a year old.

I took her to the vet yesterday and in my foolishness, I was in a hurry because I had to get back to work afterwards. Apparently it's not standard for a vet to check for a chip or to indicate whether they are male or female.. she got her vaccinations and I was told to not feed her as much. She seems happy, healthy...but her backside smells and she is still using the litter box a lot (I guess I should be thankful?). They also prescribed a de-wormer just in case which I am to give to her orally. Are these traits somewhat normal, or should I try to cat this cat to ANOTHER vet on Saturday? I've never had a cat not drink water and always want to eat!!!

 

[maggie101]

It is routine for a vet to check for a micro chip. Assuming you plan to keep her and can't find the owner she may need some testing. Especially if she's been like this since saturday

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[FeebysOwner]

Hi. If you didn't ask the vet to check for a chip, or at least explain the situation, they may not have felt the need to look for one. It is highly likely that the invoice you received for their services may note the gender of the kitty - if not on your invoice, call the vet's office and ask if they recorded it in their notes/the kitty's file. The records might also reflect what they think the kitty's age is as well.

The kitty could have worms causing the hungriness. Does it have loose stools when going to the litter box? If so, that can also be a sign of worms. Did the vet take a sample of its stool to check for worms/bacteria? If they did not, make sure they gave you a broad spectrum wormer. And, did they do any testing for viruses before giving the vaccinations?

The food could also cause issues with loose stools, as it is highly likely you are not feeding it whatever it was eating before. Food changes can cause issues with the digestive tract. As far as not drinking any water, some cats just don't do a lot of drinking, especially when they are being fed wet food. Make sure you set out multiple water dishes in case it would prefer one over another.

Whether or not you need to take it to another vet sort of depends on how much information you shared with the vet before the check up. If you really didn't explain much, you can't really blame them for not discussing with you what other tests they may have wanted to perform. Most vets won't do much if they don't have the chance to discuss with you what they would prefer to do in order to get your approval. I would call the vet's office and find out what is in their records related to this check up, and if there has just been a miscommunication because you needed to get back to work and didn't have time to fully discuss everything before/during/after the check up. You should also be able to take the kitty back to the vet - without an appointment - to have it scanned for a chip. A vet tech can do that for you.

 

[verna davies]

Lots of cats that eat mainly wet food don't drink water, neither of mine do, wet food has a very high level of moisture. The more she eats the more she will defecate but try to feed her the recommended amount daily to avoid weight problems in the future. Feed her smaller amounts if she eats often. As maggie101 stated above, it is normal for vets to check for a microchip.

 

[pearjas]

Lots of cats that eat mainly wet food don't drink water, neither of mine do, wet food has a very high level of moisture. The more she eats the more she will defecate but try to feed her the recommended amount daily to avoid weight problems in the future. Feed her smaller amounts if she eats often. As maggie101 stated above, it is normal for vets to check for a microchip.

I sure hope they did! And I did, unfortunately, explain everything to the vet. Multiple people in fact. The problem is at least around here, you have to drive up, wait outside, they come and get the pet, then take it in to the doctor who looks, etc.. just a lot of different people involved in the process and I cannot go in with the cat to ask any questions during the process. I asked if her kidneys were okay and was willing to do a test, but they said they did not feel it was necessary.

They stated lower amounts of food, give the de-wormer, and if I have any other issues to follow up.

 

[verna davies]

Same process with my vets. I usually write questions on paper and hand them over with my cats. Dont be afraid to email any follow up questions.

 

[maggie101]

I switched vets and found one 2 minutes away that would let me walk in. He ran tests after I explained her problem. My other vet would not do anything and I wrote everything down

 

[Willowy]

Any vet's office will scan for a microchip if you ask. If your usual vet isn't the closest to your house, just call the closest one and ask when you can swing by. It takes just a second to scan and anybody can do it; they don't have to wait for the vet.

If you think your vet might have scanned her but just didn't say anything, you can call them first to ask about it.

As for the kitty's sex, post a picture of their booty here and we'll see if we can figure it out. We love kitty booty pics . But usually the vet will put the sex on the vaccination certificates, so take a look at all the papers they gave you.

 

[pearjas]

I did look at the papers and there is one paper that says female, so I am happy with that. I called them and they did not make note of looking for a chip but I'm just going to have to assume they did. Called another vet yesterday to see about taking her in and they indicated it wasn't necessary.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

I’m very glad you took this kitty in and are giving her a good home. If she was truly dumped she is so very lucky Her condition seems to point to being abandoned But she could have also been lost and on her own for a while. The only way you have of checking to see if there is someone looking for her is if she has a chip IMO the vets office that said it’s not necessary was way out of line

 

[maggie101]

I’m very glad you took this kitty in and are giving her a good home. If she was truly dumped she is so very lucky Her condition seems to point to being abandoned But she could have also been lost and on her own for a while. The only way you have of checking to see if there is someone looking for her is if she has a chip IMO the vets office that said it’s not necessary was way out of line

Agree with that!

 

[pearjas]

Well, they basically said the vet would be idiots if they didn't check and she can't imagine the vet not checking. Which I can agree to that.... they knew enough to give her her vaccinations, and a de-wormer... I don't know why they wouldn't know to check for a chip... but apparently the vet doesn't keep any records.

 

[moxiewild]

Yeah, that’s weird.

I bring random street cats to all sorts of vets all the time. They always check for a chip in a socialized cat like yours, although sometimes they don’t if the cat is feral.

They also check the sex and usually tell you. For a male cat, they tell you if it’s neutered. For a female, they’ll tell you if they did or did not find a spay scar or tattoo. Even with curbside. Maybe they were just overwhelmed that day? You may want to switch vets if things like this happen again.

The wormer is good. She’ll need another dose in 2-3 weeks. I would do a PCR test on her stool about 2-3 weeks after the second dose.

That is, unless her BMs are persistently problematic - then you may want to get a PCR sooner.

Did they explain why they want you to feed her less?

As others mentioned, it’s not totally abnormal for a cat being fed exclusively wet food to not drink. I would add a little water to each meal just to ensure she’s staying hydrated enough, though.

Have you consistently fed her the same thing since you’ve had her? Or are you just feeding her a variety of brands and such?

I have no clue why that other vet would tell you it’s not necessary that they see her, that is completely bizarre. If you want your new cat off the streets who is experiencing symptoms to be evaluated for second opinion and checked for a chip, then it’s clearly necessary to you. Don’t go to that vet either, find someone else (it’s normally not this annoying g to find a halfway decent vet, I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this!).

If you can afford to, I would have her tested for FIV and FeLV. If you have other cats in the house, then consider this necessary.

Make sure you check lost pet pages on Facebook and posts on Nextdoor. You might want to make a found post on those sites as well, just in case. I always cover my bases with socialized cats because you never know.

Thank you for taking her in. It’s clear you are trying your very best to do right by her, and she is so lucky that you found her

 

[pearjas]

Well, with the paranoid curbside thing, it's so much harder to get the service than it used to be. There is one vet in the area that allows you to come in and ask questions, and that's the vet I called for the second opinion. The vet said she was likely getting sick because of the food I was feeding her - which is what someone else said above. I ultimately don't think the vet I took her to did a very thorough job, and given they have no records about what they did, it was just a big waste of time. Unfortunately, I am the only one living her and I have a job that I have to make up the time if I miss... which is why I was in a hurry to begin with.

That being said, that's why I reached out to the other vet as they are open on Saturdays. I'll never understand vets that are open from 8-4 weekdays only. That blows my mind... Anyway, if I take her back, that means more time off of work and more dealing with my bosses doing the same thing I did before. They did check her for FIV, and it came out negative. They checked her for FIV, gave her a de-wormer, and gave her vaccinations. They said her stomach was upset because I was feeding her wet food and that I would need to lessen the amount of food I am feeding her.

I've never had a cat that didn't drink water and insisted on wet food though. Kind of a new area to me. With her appetite, I am a bit concerned she's perhaps pregnant as I am sure the vet would not have noticed that.

I will figure it out...but everyone seems to have a different opinion on what's needed. Ultimately, I'd like to try to get her into the only vet in the area that is open on Saturdays tomorrow.

 

[maggie101]

I was also thinking pregnant but didnt want to mention it unless someone else did. Hope things work out

 

[pearjas]

Thanks. Hopefully not! The vet was booked today... So this will go into next week but I am sure I will figure something out.

 

[catlover73]

I am sorry you had issues with the vet visit. The vet I use is also very busy and is not allowing people in the building either. However even with being very busy the vet calls us on the phone to talk to us during the appointment. When Apollo went to the vet recently for urinary issues the vet called us during the exam to let us know she wanted to analyze his urine even though we had already requested it when he was handed over to go into the building. She also called us with the results, let us know what antibiotic he would be on and the dosing schedule. She told us he was well-behaved during the exam but very vocal. He is a vocal cat at home too but she wanted to make sure this was normal for him. During the 2nd appointment with the same vet the same procedure was follwed. During the follow-up appointment his infection was gone so the inflamation is being treated. The vet also called us on the phone to follow-up after both appointments. We were given paper copies of test results, diagnosis and what was done during the exam. My friend and cat sitter uses the same vet for her cats and often goes on Saturdays when they are even busier. Her appointments are handled the same way ours have been during the week. It kind of scares me that the vet did not take the time to speak to you on the phone during the appointment. I am not sure what type of area you live in but the vet practice we use is in a large suburb surrounding by many other large suburbs. This practice is extremely busy and still finds the time to talk to people on the phone during the appointment and for follow-up.

 

[pearjas]

Well, good news - she was looked at by a mobile vet last week. She is not microchipped but appears healthy, and not pregnant or anything like that!

 

[Talien]

A Cat that was on the street is very likely to pick up the habit of eating everything they can when they can, because when they were on their own the never knew when their next meal would be. A Cat can pick up this habit after only a few days, and it often takes a very long time to get over it after being in a home even when they are regularly fed, and some never get over it. The best thing you can do is feed her at the same times every day and set out the same amount of food, this will get her into a routine and hopefully help break her of the "must eat everything now" habit. Don't feed her every time she begs for food or she will get fat.

As far as not drinking water, as others have said that is not something Cats that eat canned or raw food normaly do. Cats in the wild get moisture from their prey and canned/raw food also have a lot of moisture content to provide the necessary intake, so drinking water is actually not normal for Cats. It's still good to keep a bowl of water set out though, because if you see a Cat that's on a canned or raw diet drinking a lot of water it may be a sign of health issues, namely Kidney problems.

 

[GreyLady]

A Cat that was on the street is very likely to pick up the habit of eating everything they can when they can, because when they were on their own the never knew when their next meal would be. A Cat can pick up this habit after only a few days, and it often takes a very long time to get over it after being in a home even when they are regularly fed, and some never get over it. The best thing you can do is feed her at the same times every day and set out the same amount of food, this will get her into a routine and hopefully help break her of the "must eat everything now" habit. Don't feed her every time she begs for food or she will get fat.

As far as not drinking water, as others have said that is not something Cats that eat canned or raw food normaly do. Cats in the wild get moisture from their prey and canned/raw food also have a lot of moisture content to provide the necessary intake, so drinking water is actually not normal for Cats. It's still good to keep a bowl of water set out though, because if you see a Cat that's on a canned or raw diet drinking a lot of water it may be a sign of health issues, namely Kidney problems.

Yes. My MIL's cat will eat until she throws up if allowed even years after being off the streets.