On Sunday the 12th we took in a sweet, 17 y/o senior lady whose owner died. She's deaf (does not react to footsteps or loud noises at all), and has barely any teeth left with some signs of gingivitis.
Naturally we expected her to be confused/anxious/depressed, and so far she's spending her days in "her" room (the spare bathroom) behind the toilet. She comes out once in a while to roam, acting like she's looking for something/someone and upon not finding it, goes back to her sanctuary. Every day we see some social improvement as she has become incredibly loving in just a couple days, purring and loving pets and brushings and even belly rubs. But she still always returns to the toilet.
The biggest problem is that she isn't eating much at all. Just a few ounces of food over the course of 4 days. (We've tried various foods/treats, including the water from a tuna can).
We just had her checked out by the vet, who took blood, gave her some fluids, and gave her antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection (her lungs are clear but she's sneezing and has eye and nose discharge, was like that when she came to us). She also has an outer ear infection which we're treating. We'll see what her blood tells us soon. Urine will be checked once I can get a sample.
Today she let me give her a sponge bath and I was even able to wash most of the old crusties from her eyes and nose.
The vet gave me a can of Hill's urgent care canned food, which she ate straight after coming home from the vet, but only about a teaspoon's worth. She ate a tiny bit later that evening, and a few licks this morning. Her stuffy nose was no match for this stinky food, but she is still barely eating any (which it's made for as it's high calorie).
This morning I found some fresh poop and pee in the litter box, much less than when she first arrived but I was still happy to see it.
Her water intake is low but she drinks from the running tap so I've ordered her a fountain which will arrive tomorrow.
Is there anything I haven't done?
How much longer can I give her until we consult the vet again? I know rehoming adjustments can take weeks, but she doesn't have that kind of time if she isn't eating.
Should I retrain her to AVOID this bathroom sanctuary? We have a second litter box set up in the downstairs powder room, so technically we could keep her out of this bathroom.... I only think of this because the downstairs powder room is adjacent to the kitchen where we would have easier access to her food. And there is a lovely living room where she could lounge and window to nature watch. Also she keeps trying to drink from the shower drain (thankfully I've cleaned it).
Naturally we expected her to be confused/anxious/depressed, and so far she's spending her days in "her" room (the spare bathroom) behind the toilet. She comes out once in a while to roam, acting like she's looking for something/someone and upon not finding it, goes back to her sanctuary. Every day we see some social improvement as she has become incredibly loving in just a couple days, purring and loving pets and brushings and even belly rubs. But she still always returns to the toilet.
The biggest problem is that she isn't eating much at all. Just a few ounces of food over the course of 4 days. (We've tried various foods/treats, including the water from a tuna can).
We just had her checked out by the vet, who took blood, gave her some fluids, and gave her antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection (her lungs are clear but she's sneezing and has eye and nose discharge, was like that when she came to us). She also has an outer ear infection which we're treating. We'll see what her blood tells us soon. Urine will be checked once I can get a sample.
Today she let me give her a sponge bath and I was even able to wash most of the old crusties from her eyes and nose.
The vet gave me a can of Hill's urgent care canned food, which she ate straight after coming home from the vet, but only about a teaspoon's worth. She ate a tiny bit later that evening, and a few licks this morning. Her stuffy nose was no match for this stinky food, but she is still barely eating any (which it's made for as it's high calorie).
This morning I found some fresh poop and pee in the litter box, much less than when she first arrived but I was still happy to see it.
Her water intake is low but she drinks from the running tap so I've ordered her a fountain which will arrive tomorrow.
Is there anything I haven't done?
How much longer can I give her until we consult the vet again? I know rehoming adjustments can take weeks, but she doesn't have that kind of time if she isn't eating.
Should I retrain her to AVOID this bathroom sanctuary? We have a second litter box set up in the downstairs powder room, so technically we could keep her out of this bathroom.... I only think of this because the downstairs powder room is adjacent to the kitchen where we would have easier access to her food. And there is a lovely living room where she could lounge and window to nature watch. Also she keeps trying to drink from the shower drain (thankfully I've cleaned it).
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