Hello! My wife and I are first time cat owners. We adopted a six month micro-panther (OK, he's really just a black DSH) from the local Home for Wayward Cats. He is very well behaved, loving, and we love him but we have some concerns.
Absinthe and his litter mates were abandoned when the owners of his mother sold their house. They took their cat with them and left the kittens to fend for themselves. The new home owner took the kittens to the local shelter. When we visited the shelter we met him (his sister was in a foster home at the time) and he was so affectionate. He won us over. (My wife prefers black cats, and after learning that they are the least likely to be adopted I then wanted to get one.) He was already de-sexed and has some of his vaccinations.
We took Absinthe to the vet on the way home where he got the rest of his vaccinations, a health check, and some drops in his ears for wax. He weighed in at 5lbs exactly.
Over the following two - three days he was scared and preferred to hide in his carrier, and when he became more bold, under our piano. He did eat his food, drink water, and use his litter box (his stool was solid). However, he would itch his ears quite a bit to the point of falling over. He refuses to jump. Instead, he crawls or climbs up to where he wants to be. If it is too high for him he will do this meer cat like pose indicating he wants to be picked up. We made little steps for him to get into our bed, as he sleeps with us every night. He also has trouble on our floors (hardwood, tile) when it comes to running. He also struggles with going down the stairs (also hard wood) and doesn't care to play. He loves affection and purrs like a diesel tractor.
After two weeks, and one particularly bad afternoon where he skipped dinner and got prickly when we picked him up, we took him back to the vet. The vet said his itching is likely dry skin. (We did take his collar off to see if that would help. He is also fascinated with our air vents.) Our vet said his ears looked healthy and he couldn't find any fleas. He suggested adding some fish or olive oil to his food. We do feed him wet food, BFF brand, changing up the flavour every day and leaving him just under 1/4 cup of Orijen dried food since my wife and I work long hours.
Our vet weighed him again and he gained 4 oz over the two weeks. The vet said the cat's eyes don't seem as bright as they should be, but when the vet produced some cotton balls to toss around to check Absinthe's vision, he perked up and attacked the cotton balls. We then had to take them away before he ate them! The vet also took his temperature, which was 102.3 degrees. As a precaution the vet gave us a round of antibiotics. The vet also feels the mother cat could have had a virus that affected his motor skills, or that the cat is either a late bloomer or even just weird. The vet doesn't think it is FIP but won't rule it out 100%.
It has been three days since he started his round of antibiotics and we have noticed a difference. He's more curious, more interested in play, brighter eyed, and even though he was always a clean cat he seems more concerned about his appearance (but nothing unusual for a cat). He will be rechecked by the vet tomorrow or soon there after.
My wife and I have been thinking of going back and adopting his sister, but we're worried. He is the centre of our attention and has the run of the house. We worry that his sister might dominate him, make him feel less loved, or she might feel less loved. But, he is an indoor cat and we fear he might be a bit lonely. Suggestions?
Absinthe and his litter mates were abandoned when the owners of his mother sold their house. They took their cat with them and left the kittens to fend for themselves. The new home owner took the kittens to the local shelter. When we visited the shelter we met him (his sister was in a foster home at the time) and he was so affectionate. He won us over. (My wife prefers black cats, and after learning that they are the least likely to be adopted I then wanted to get one.) He was already de-sexed and has some of his vaccinations.
We took Absinthe to the vet on the way home where he got the rest of his vaccinations, a health check, and some drops in his ears for wax. He weighed in at 5lbs exactly.
Over the following two - three days he was scared and preferred to hide in his carrier, and when he became more bold, under our piano. He did eat his food, drink water, and use his litter box (his stool was solid). However, he would itch his ears quite a bit to the point of falling over. He refuses to jump. Instead, he crawls or climbs up to where he wants to be. If it is too high for him he will do this meer cat like pose indicating he wants to be picked up. We made little steps for him to get into our bed, as he sleeps with us every night. He also has trouble on our floors (hardwood, tile) when it comes to running. He also struggles with going down the stairs (also hard wood) and doesn't care to play. He loves affection and purrs like a diesel tractor.
After two weeks, and one particularly bad afternoon where he skipped dinner and got prickly when we picked him up, we took him back to the vet. The vet said his itching is likely dry skin. (We did take his collar off to see if that would help. He is also fascinated with our air vents.) Our vet said his ears looked healthy and he couldn't find any fleas. He suggested adding some fish or olive oil to his food. We do feed him wet food, BFF brand, changing up the flavour every day and leaving him just under 1/4 cup of Orijen dried food since my wife and I work long hours.
Our vet weighed him again and he gained 4 oz over the two weeks. The vet said the cat's eyes don't seem as bright as they should be, but when the vet produced some cotton balls to toss around to check Absinthe's vision, he perked up and attacked the cotton balls. We then had to take them away before he ate them! The vet also took his temperature, which was 102.3 degrees. As a precaution the vet gave us a round of antibiotics. The vet also feels the mother cat could have had a virus that affected his motor skills, or that the cat is either a late bloomer or even just weird. The vet doesn't think it is FIP but won't rule it out 100%.
It has been three days since he started his round of antibiotics and we have noticed a difference. He's more curious, more interested in play, brighter eyed, and even though he was always a clean cat he seems more concerned about his appearance (but nothing unusual for a cat). He will be rechecked by the vet tomorrow or soon there after.
My wife and I have been thinking of going back and adopting his sister, but we're worried. He is the centre of our attention and has the run of the house. We worry that his sister might dominate him, make him feel less loved, or she might feel less loved. But, he is an indoor cat and we fear he might be a bit lonely. Suggestions?