Skittish cat ran away while moving. Do they ever relax enough to be found?

[tarasgirl06]

Thanks, Furballsmom ! KUSC.org is calming to us all in this household, and besides, it's beautiful music without any mind-numbing, intelligence-insulting ads.
I would also try playing with Kira with an interactive wand toy for 10-15 minutes when he gets worked up, followed by a few treats. Showing him more, rather than less, attention and affection is what he's after, I feel.*He is gorgeous!* Also, does he like brushing? He should be brushed daily, with his flowing coat; and many cats love brushing because it's contact with their loved ones and it calms them down.

 

[Furballsmom]

*He is gorgeous!* Also, does he like brushing? He should be brushed daily, with his flowing coat; and many cats love brushing because it's contact with their loved ones and it calms them down.

He really is beautfule! Also, it will help to get rid of the general odor from that place, and if he still has the pee smell it will help with that too.

Additionally, if you have access to a ticking clock, muffle it with a towel and put it near to where he's hanging out. This is often used for orphan kittens to mimic the sound of a heartbeat, but it's useful for stressed-beyond-their-limits adult cats as well

 

[tarasgirl06]

He really is beautfule! Also, it will help to get rid of the general odor from that place, and if he still has the pee smell it will help with that too.

Additionally, if you have access to a ticking clock, muffle it with a towel and put it near to where he's hanging out. This is often used for orphan kittens to mimic the sound of a heartbeat, but it's useful for stressed-beyond-their-limits adult cats as well

Excellent suggestion about the clock, Furballsmom ! I'd never heard that one before.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

The trick these days is finding a clock that actually ticks! But they are out there. It's a VERY old trick! I remember my dad putting a water bottle wrapped in towels and a clock in a towel into puppy and kitten beds when I was little. That would have been in the 50s!

IF the snotty nose doesn't clear soon, you can help by turning the shower on full hot, letting the bathroom get nice and steamy, and sitting in there with him for about 10-15 minutes. Works well on humans, too!

 

[EveAndHerThieves]

Super late reply again. Life has been insane. Kira is settling okay, buuuuuuutttt.... You know that watery eyes? It never fully cleared up. It's now pinkish around the edges, watery, and he's blowing nose bubbles. I'm NOT happy. Furious, even. I spent my very last dollar on cat food the other day. Heck, I'm living off oatmeal for a few days to make sure they're fed. (thanks, Covid and layoffs!) There's NO WAY to get him to a vet. I've asked everyone I can think of, looked for care credit.... When it rains it pours, ugh. I can't even find the herbal stuff I use when a cold runs through the herd.

Luckily he's settling in now. He's had a few short trips outside for fresh air which seems to perk him up. Socks is coping by not coping, as usual. She's willing him out of existence and spending all her time outside. When I drag her in for the night she spends all night stuck in my blinds pawing at the window. Kira still paces a lot, but honestly that's normal. He's back trying to bury his water dish again! I'm surprised at how well he's taking everything. Aside from his infected eye he's being a real champ. I thought it would take a LOT longer for him to settle.

He also spends a lot of time passed out on me. This annoys Socks further as this is HER human and not his. He can go away. I'm not kidding when I say she spent 20 minutes in the corner of the yard snarling at the fence while I was outside with Kira today. She has a temper, and holds grudges.

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't know but there might be something here;

(apologies for any broken links);
Financial Assistance – Day By Day Caregiver Support Inc.

Financial Aid for Pets

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

About Waggle | Vet Financial Assistance | Financial Aid For Pets

5 Ways to Pay for Vet Costs

Have you tried any cat music - youtube has selections, or the classical radio I mentioned above, or a ticking clock to help him?

 

[EveAndHerThieves]

Thanks! I'll try tracking those down tomorrow. I did find out that *some* eye meds can be bought without perscription. I could possibly get my sister to buy one, but I'm hesitant to try anything without a vet. I also have some L-Lysine *somewhere* that might help. I did find my cat probiotics at least. He loves the flavor. Whether they work or not, they make a great treat.

I tried classical, but that didn't seem to do much for him. Weirdly what DID help was my podcasts and me yelling at my PS4... I forgot his favorite sleeping place was in the gaming room where I played every night. Whenever I pulled out the game he would settle right down beside me and sleep soundly. I'd put the game away to work on my PC and he'd get nervous and hide. I began playing podcasts while I did computer work and he would come out a bit again. So I spent far too long goofing off in Just Cause for him to relax. Who knew the sound of exploding cars was soothing. He now sleeps soundly in several places in the room as long as I'm around. If I'm goofing off he will happily explore and even try to get me to go outside with him. Whether it's because I'm relaxed, it's a sense of normal, or time just passing, I don't know. At least I have a good reason to tie a cow to a jet plane, I suppose.

Socks has no interest in music. As soon as I play it she's out the door to sulk more. Spoon is cool with it all now.

 

[Furballsmom]

Who knew the sound of exploding cars was soothing.

At least I have a good reason to tie a cow to a jet plane, I suppose.

Seriously, though, whatever works - bless that cat's heart, and you sound better as well, I'm glad

 

[EveAndHerThieves]

Seriously, though, whatever works - bless that cat's heart, and you sound better as well, I'm glad

Thanks! It's been a horrible year, but I still have a roof over my head and my pets for the time being. I just realized my husband's life insurance should be coming through soon. I'll follow up on that tomorrow. Maybe it'll be here soon enough to get Kira to the vet. It's been nearly two months now when they said two weeks!

 

[Talien]

At least he's not still freaking out, I guess you have to take your wins where you can get them for now.

At least I have a good reason to tie a cow to a jet plane, I suppose.

I like attaching lifter balloons to vehicles, followed by rocket motors. I've wasted many hours in JC4 sitting by a highway making passing cars fly away and explode. For some reason that's even more fun than calling in the zombpocalypse on a crowded street in Saint's Row 3.

 

[EveAndHerThieves]

At least he's not still freaking out, I guess you have to take your wins where you can get them for now.



I like attaching lifter balloons to vehicles, followed by rocket motors. I've wasted many hours in JC4 sitting by a highway making passing cars fly away and explode. For some reason that's even more fun than calling in the zombpocalypse on a crowded street in Saint's Row 3.

I'm totally going to do that now. I *love* sandbox type games. So does Kira it seems. It also seems to be helping Socks feel more normal. We're almost back to normal! Except Spoon, who's very sick still. (liver failure)

I can't decide, does his eye look like it's still really infected? He has a tiny bit of pus vs the hug gobs. His eye is fully open and alert. No tears so far. Still a slightly runny nose though. I'm on the fence about selling some of my favorite statues to get him into the vet or not... I think it looks like he's recovering. Wouldn't my other cats be at risk of catching it? I can't decide if it's infected enough to rush him to the vet still.

(The eye on the left side of the picture)

Also, we had a moment!! Gaming has been working. Demon Kitten/Socks will now ignore him if there's a blanket between them. Huge successful moment! He still vaguely smells of cat pee, but nevermind.

I caught her in the middle of preening resulting in this amazing picture. After five years and thousands of photos, it's only the second derpy photo I've ever caught of her. First clear picture. I'm very pleased with myself. (She's very photogenic)

 

[Talien]

I'm totally going to do that now. I *love* sandbox type games. So does Kira it seems. It also seems to be helping Socks feel more normal. We're almost back to normal! Except Spoon, who's very sick still. (liver failure)

I can't decide, does his eye look like it's still really infected? He has a tiny bit of pus vs the hug gobs. His eye is fully open and alert. No tears so far. Still a slightly runny nose though. I'm on the fence about selling some of my favorite statues to get him into the vet or not... I think it looks like he's recovering. Wouldn't my other cats be at risk of catching it? I can't decide if it's infected enough to rush him to the vet still.

(The eye on the left side of the picture)

View attachment 347465
View attachment 347466


Also, we had a moment!! Gaming has been working. Demon Kitten/Socks will now ignore him if there's a blanket between them. Huge successful moment! He still vaguely smells of cat pee, but nevermind.

I caught her in the middle of preening resulting in this amazing picture. After five years and thousands of photos, it's only the second derpy photo I've ever caught of her. First clear picture. I'm very pleased with myself. (She's very photogenic)

View attachment 347467

I'm not a vet so I can't say for sure, but if he was stuck in a tiny cage with nothing but a litterbox and food/water, and came back smelling strongly of his own urine, it's possible the ammonia from urine irritated his eyes and nose. Especially if there was a blanket thrown over the cage keeping the fumes from dispersing. I'd say give it a couple more days and see what he looks like then, if anything it sounds like your Cat with liver problems might need the "emergency money" more.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I can't advise you about taking him in to the vet, but keep his eye(s) wiped clean with sterile cloths - multiple times a day. Is there a chance your vet would suggest something OTC if you sent them a pic of the seepage?

 

[EveAndHerThieves]

I'm not a vet so I can't say for sure, but if he was stuck in a tiny cage with nothing but a litterbox and food/water, and came back smelling strongly of his own urine, it's possible the ammonia from urine irritated his eyes and nose. Especially if there was a blanket thrown over the cage keeping the fumes from dispersing. I'd say give it a couple more days and see what he looks like then, if anything it sounds like your Cat with liver problems might need the "emergency money" more.

Spoon is taken care of luckily! She's stabilized on liver meds that are super cheap. I actually ended up with a surplus of her meds somehow. She still has two months left. I used to be very annoyed about it because storage was a pain. Now I'm thrilled.

I can't advise you about taking him in to the vet, but keep his eye(s) wiped clean with sterile cloths - multiple times a day. Is there a chance your vet would suggest something OTC if you sent them a pic of the seepage?

I left a message with them earlier. Fingers crossed.


I guess I'm just trying to decide how worried I should be about the guy. Last thing I want is him in pain. I totally realize nobody can say for sure. It's more for my piece of mind than anything. Now I'm trying to decide if it's his eye or breath that stinks.

I hadn't thought of wiping it more. I figured if it was an infection it wouldn't help. My eye knowledge ends at allergies. I have eye wipes and such I can use, so that'll be next. His nose still runs now and then.


At least he seems completely settled already! He's figured out how to go in and out the door. He's been sitting on the steps enjoying the weather. He's always been the easiest going cat. I guess he was feeling ignored and had to get all the attention.

 

[Willowy]

You can get terramycin OTC. Chewy or Amazon. . .I think some local pharmacies may carry it but you have to ask. It's around $20 for a tiny tube but if you don't put it directly on his eye (put some on your finger and wipe it on his eye instead) it should remain uncontaminated so it'll last quite a while and be useful through several eye infections/irritations. I use it often.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Spoon is taken care of luckily! She's stabilized on liver meds that are super cheap. I actually ended up with a surplus of her meds somehow. She still has two months left. I used to be very annoyed about it because storage was a pain. Now I'm thrilled.



I left a message with them earlier. Fingers crossed.


I guess I'm just trying to decide how worried I should be about the guy. Last thing I want is him in pain. I totally realize nobody can say for sure. It's more for my piece of mind than anything. Now I'm trying to decide if it's his eye or breath that stinks.

I hadn't thought of wiping it more. I figured if it was an infection it wouldn't help. My eye knowledge ends at allergies. I have eye wipes and such I can use, so that'll be next. His nose still runs now and then.


At least he seems completely settled already! He's figured out how to go in and out the door. He's been sitting on the steps enjoying the weather. He's always been the easiest going cat. I guess he was feeling ignored and had to get all the attention.

I won't go into my latest personal loss because you can find it on the Bridge thread if you want. But that said, I hope that somehow you are able to get the funds to go to vet very soon. I am in a similar financial situation, so I empathize.

 

[EveAndHerThieves]

Now Socks is missing!! I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon. She's ALWAYS around. I've no idea where she could have gotten to.

 

[EveAndHerThieves]

Socks came back! She's a bit dirty, and missing her collar, but unharmed. I always wake up about 6 or 7 every morning for no reason. I can't remember if I got up or not, but I looked over towards the door and there she was! Sitting in the middle of the room preening herself. She spent a while trying to hide in small areas frantically, then glued herself to the cat tree. She's now on my bed snoozing.

She's back hating Kira again. She won't tolerate him anywhere in the room with her. She's even begun growling at him. I'm wondering if she decided she didn't like him and took off? There was also a neighborhood cat in the backyard at least once. I hope she didn't get ticked off and left. I spent all day walking the neighborhood calling until my voice was gone.


Good news is Kira's eye is clearing up! He's almost back to normal. Socks seems to have picked up a bit of the eye watering as well. I got my sister to buy me some OTC medication just in case.


All cats are home, all seem to be healing, and non of them are allowed out until I figure out what kind of GPS collar/tag they're getting. Gives me a chance to brush out the dozens of mats Spoon somehow squired on her belly in the last two weeks.


I think my drama is done! No sick kitties, no missing kitties, and medication to go around. I haven't slept in a week due to worrying, but who really needs sleep anyway? Thank you all SO MUCH for the help and support! I'll figure out how to get Socks and Kira playing nice again somehow. I swear if she ran away in a tantrum I'm going to glare firmly at her for weeks.

 

[Furballsmom]

I think my drama is done! No sick kitties, no missing kitties, and medication to go around.

Hallelujah!!

I'll figure out how to get Socks and Kira playing nice again somehow.

Try some music for them if you haven't been already

 

[EveAndHerThieves]

Yes! I found some piano music I like to play. I hate classical that doesn't sound like it has a melody and is all technique. One side of the room where she is has soothing music. The other side has a murder podcast playing so I can work.

The way my place works is that there's four or five stone steps down to my door. Then there's large stones making two small retaining walls back up to ground level. My door is basically underneath the deck. There's about a two foot space from the ground to the deck. Perfect for cats to hide in a "cave" all day. Which is what Spoon wants to do. My "apartment" is really just a basement room big enough for a sectional couch and a small bed. Plus a bathroom, but they have access to a large storage room to poop/eat.

They used to live in a huge 5 bedroom house with very large yard. The grass was healthy and thick and there were lots of bushes/tall grass I left for them to hide in. They also had easy access to my neighbor's yards. One side had tall decorative grass they hid in, the other lots of hiding places and bugs.

I'm thinking what happened is Socks has never been in what's basically a small studio apartment. She's used to lots of roaming room. The lack of space, change, and "strange" cats upset her. Then me coaxing Kira back into being a cat and not a coward made her madder. (She HATES when I pay attention to the other animals.) I think she got ticked off and threw a temper tantrum and left. Probably got stuck and had to find her way home.

Spoon is NOT happy about them all suddenly being indoor cats. She wants to live under the deck. I'm worried if I let her out SHE will take off. She hates having her mats brushed out. (How on earth does she get SO MANY?!?) I expect lots of cat stress and tussling while they figure it all out.

Like I said, nobody is going out until I figure out what's a good GPS collar. If I have to save up every penny I get forever I'll do it to keep them safe. My brother also has two cats who like to roam who are now going to get it. This is the last time I'm going to lose a cat. It's so hard emotionally! I've literally lost everything the last two months - husband, income, extended family, the support of my own family, my home - I refuse to lose my felines as well. Even if they hate me for it. Monsters.



Socks has no idea Kira is on the bed with her. He doesn't understand that other cats don't want to snuggle. (He used to SIT on fiddle if she was in his spot) I'm hoping that will help her adjust to his scent a little bit. He should now smell like Spoon. Not sure why she still hates him if he smells right. Socks has always been Special. If she wasn't a nightmare she wouldn't be her and I wouldn't have adopted her. I WAS going to adopt her brother. He was so freaking sweet!! I didn't even know she was there until I saw her eyes under a trailer just as I was getting ready to say yes to her brother. One look at her eyes and I knew she was trouble. Within half a second I knew that was the one I wanted, not her brother. Took us three hours to catch her! All her litter mates tried crawling into the car. She's been nothing but trouble since. I love her. (and when I called back for her brother the next morning he'd been adopted already by a loving newly wed couple)