Newly Adopted - Whats his age?!

Tgips

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Dear The Cat Site,

On Valentines Day, our little family grew four legs larger. We adopted a kitten from a shelter, or we thought. The shelter’s website included the description of the cat as a kitten, but little did we know. When we visited him we deemed a vet visit was the first order of business. We set an appointment right after we got him from the shelter. As I was examining the records the birthdate on each of the documents was different one saying 11 months, 8 months, and one saying barely over a year. I asked the vet on his opinion of the age. They determined his age being 4-6 years old. I was surprised after they told me that. The vet stated the cat has tarter built up and grooves that an older cat would only acquire with age. So after the conclusion of the vet which included his weight of 6 pounds, ear mites, upper respiratory infection, and diarrhea. We decided to contact the shelter to obtain the correct records for the cat, so we could care appropriately, but they stated the cat was born last year in the shelter. They swore up and down it was the correct records and cat. We’ve noticed the cat try suckling on our fingers and arms. He seems very young in the face and in attitude. We are seeking thoughts and opinions on the matter in regard to the best course of action to proceed. See pictures of Finley attached. Any help is much appreciated!

-Tgips
 

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susanm9006

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I would go with your vet’s assessment based on his teeth but whether one or four he is still a young cat. I am glad you are giving him a good home and a chance for a good life. He is most definitely underweight but with some groceries and love he is going to do wonderfully.
 
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FeebysOwner

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Hi. Wow - that is one heck of a different evaluation on age! Finley looks so sweet! But, I would have to agree with susanm9006 susanm9006 about going with your vet's assessment, for now anyway. He is kind of small, and yes his face does look very young for cat at 4-6 years of age - so maybe with your tender loving care he will blossom a bit and you might see some differences in him as a bit of time passes. His teeth could be an indicator of his previous health - or, genetics - so, from that aspect, you might ask the vet if that could 'skew' is actual age.
 
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Tgips

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I would go with your vet’s assessment based on his teeth but whether one or four he is still a young cat. I am glad you are giving him a good home and a chance for a good life. He is most definitely underweight but with some groceries and love he is gong to do wonderfully.
Thank you for your response! Yes, we decided to get our other two boys another brother. We’re hoping he begins to be himself, soon after the meds really get going. We are planning to act like he is older, but sometimes we’ve caught ourselves second guessing. Thanks again!
 
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Tgips

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Hi. Wow - that is one heck of a different evaluation on age! Finley looks so sweet! But, I would have to agree with susanm9006 susanm9006 about going with your vet's assessment, for now anyway. He is kind of small, and yes his face does look very young for cat at 4-6 years of age - so maybe with your tender loving care he will blossom a bit and you might see some differences in him as a bit of time passes. His teeth could be an indicator of his previous health - or, genetics - so, from that aspect, you might ask the vet if that could 'skew' is actual age.
Yes, we’re praying for healthy blossom! Thank you for your input, much appreciated. We were curious about his prior health or genetics as well. But the vet did not seem to allude or going into any thought about that. The shelter mentioned they noticed his teeth a few months, but no actions were taken. Anyway, no matter what we’re very excited to watch his progress!
 

cataholic07

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Honestly, I'm shocked the shelter adopted out a sick cat.. that in itself is so wrong. Does the shelter have a facebook page that posts pictures of adoptable animals? Sometimes you can go on their Facebook page and if he was born in their care they should have pictures of him as a tiny kitten. If he had a horrible diet, and bad genes or FeLV/ FIV it can give kittens horrible teeth.
 
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Tgips

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Honestly, I'm shocked the shelter adopted out a sick cat.. that in itself is so wrong. Does the shelter have a facebook page that posts pictures of adoptable animals? Sometimes you can go on their Facebook page and if he was born in their care they should have pictures of him as a tiny kitten. If he had a horrible diet, and bad genes or FeLV/ FIV it can give kittens horrible teeth.
Yes, when we visited him all the other cats seemed sick. Like they all had a respiratory infection. The shelter was not in a good condition. It did make us want to adopt him more. We just scoured their Facebook page, but unsuccessfully found anything of relevance. A single picture from August (Attached) per their records he’d be a day shy of 6 months. We’re getting a callback from the vet tomorrow and raise the concerns with genes and FIV. His records show negative for FeLV. Soon to be found out! Appreciate your response!
 

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Sylvia Jones

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What a lucky boy that you found him and brought him to a safe home to get well! A question for those with more knowledge on shelters Is there any agency that checks on and regulates shelters? This one does not seem to be up to par.
 
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Tgips

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What a lucky boy that you found him and brought him to a safe home to get well! A question for those with more knowledge on shelters Is there any agency that checks on and regulates shelters? This one does not seem to be up to par.
Appreciate the comment! Also curious if there is a said agency. Great idea!
 
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Tgips

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2 Week update - Finley still has an upper respiratory infection hasn’t gotten better at all. New medicine has came in the mail, so we hope it works. The vet also found blood on his paw, they believe it’s due to how poor his teeth are and the bleeding by his gums. (Future dental) his snot also contains blood and his diarrhea came back. We left the vet another voice mail, probably sick of us, Ha! In a positive stand point, he gets along pretty well with our other cats. Specifically with blue (See pic). Blue also has come to acquire diarrhea. Wish us luck! Will update in two weeks.
9A08795D-B779-4C2C-9ED7-2FAD962FF87E.jpeg
 
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