Took In Two 1 Yr Old Ferals

Furballsmom

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Hi!
Covid has made everything so much more challenging, it's completely crazy.

I'm sure you are as you're very aware of your cats, but love on Panda as much as you possibly can.
 

calicosrspecial

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Sandy's change toward me is absolutely mind blowing. I never imagined she would suddenly become so trusting toward me and envisioned her as a cat that would mainly allow me to feed her and be near her but not touch her. All of her fear toward me just vanished. I can pet her with almost no restraints and she pretty much barrages me whenever I come in and seems like she was never a feral. She is less fearful of my parents as well. She is also becoming less hostile to my other cats. Shes like a completely different cat.

I've been running into other issues however. Marshmallow incurred a gum disease. Marshmallow has a history of tooth resorption and in the past he has had 2 extractions. Last week he was in pain and hid, became more aggressive with the other cats. I touched his face and he pulled away from my hand and then I saw his gums were swelled and yellow. I ended up having to take him to the vet too. They did a dental cleaning and gave me antibiotics and pain medication and he is doing better than he was right now. Just hoping that will last.

I've been running into problems at the grocery store. I tend to make my own cat food as to feed 6 cats in bulk, it's the most quality way I can do it affordably. Well, several meat processing plants have closed within our vicinity due to Covid-19 outbreaks and it's almost impossible to find chicken heart, chicken liver, and gizzards. Because of which I've been having to substitute for Beef heart and so forth. Rabbit tasted the new food and immediately vomited...everywhere. I went to the store to buy Pumpkin puree and would you believe they are out of stock? I went to several grocery stores (about 5) until I finally found one that had significant stock so I bought quite a few. I had to dilute his food pretty well before he ate it.

Sandy and Panda seem to be growing more distant. Panda still wants be near or run against Sandy. Sandy however will respond by aggressively swatting and 'warning bite' Panda in return . I'm unsure why she isnt taking to him anymore. What is even sadder is Panda will stare at me when I'm petting her and he looks pretty hurt.
:) I am not at all surprised with Sandy. As I have said a lot, you have a way with cats. The fact you truly love them comes across to build that trust. I had a sense she was ready a while ago but you had some apprehension that might have caused her to wonder if the time was right. I think once you started to trust her more it gave the green light. However it happened it is absolutely wonderful!!! You should be really proud of both yourself and Sandy.

:( Poor Marshmallow. I am so glad you found the problem and resolved it with a vet visit. Fingers crossed that resolved the issue. When it rains it pours. :( Let us know but I should think the problem is resolved. Let's hope.

Yes, the pandemic is causing a lot of issues. You may want to post on the "Nutrition" section and see if others have ideas on sourcing or substitutions.

It can happen where cats move apart a bit. Just try to make positive associations (using food or love if you can safely) and try to have them near each other for positive encounters. Reassure them, make them just be around each other without negativity and doing something they enjoy. So when Panda stares at you just reassure him, tell him you love him, if you can safely ask him to come over and give him some love. We can't force them being together but we can make it as positive as possible and hope it improves. But what you are seeing happens more often than you think. And remember, cats take on our emotions so stay as calm and confident and loving around them as possible. We'll work through it and try some different things. I am not too worried at this point.

Hang in there, I know it is stressful but just hang in there. Things will get better.
 
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MikeAW2010

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I came home today to find Sandy is limping on her forward right leg. I don’t know what happened. She and Panda were in my room door closed and there isn’t anything she could have jumped from but she seems in pain. She still is letting me touch her, I felt around her and couldn’t feel anything abnormal. She is laying beside me in bed staring at me right now. I’m hoping it’s something that will pass or unfortunately it’s another trip to the vet :(
 
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She’s limping pretty bad and collapsing on that side when she tries to get up. Something is wrong with her :( ... I have to go back to the vet.
 
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I took her in this morning. They got back to me very quickly. So it turns out while Sandy was still feral and outdoors, she got shot by a pellet gun and the pellet is still inside of her. The doctor doesn't recommend removing it and tells me that its been in there for awhile and likely not causing her any pain. From what he could see regarding today, he didnt see anything broken or fractured and most likely she just pulled a ligament or muscle. He's injecting her with a muscle relaxer. I guess now I see why Sandy had a hard time building trust with people.
 

calicosrspecial

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I took her in this morning. They got back to me very quickly. So it turns out while Sandy was still feral and outdoors, she got shot by a pellet gun and the pellet is still inside of her. The doctor doesn't recommend removing it and tells me that its been in there for awhile and likely not causing her any pain. From what he could see regarding today, he didnt see anything broken or fractured and most likely she just pulled a ligament or muscle. He's injecting her with a muscle relaxer. I guess now I see why Sandy had a hard time building trust with people.
Oh my goodness. :( The cruelty in this world........................... The only good thing is the love from other people. THANK YOU for saving Sandy and Panda!!!

It is good news the vet doesn't seem too worried. Fingers crossed.

Cats can pull things jumping, playing etc. Hopefully that is "all" it is.

I am so sorry. I know all these things happening is tough let alone with everything going on.

Hang in there.

And THANK YOU for all you are doing for all the cats. I truly believe good wins over evil eventually. Hopefully all the good you are doing is helping build joy in your heart with even greater rewards in the future.

Sandy and Panda and all your cats are very lucky to have found you!!
 
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MikeAW2010

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Sandy is amazing now. I really cant believe its the same cat, she barrages me and lets me pet her and is very calm around me and seems to love me. She's acting more friendly toward me than even Panda does. Sandy is now walking almost normally again and seems to be okay, however; The vet fairy seems to have strucken me

Marshmallow became lethargic again and will not eat, hides, and is in pain. His gums are still deeply inflamed even after the cleaning, antibiotics, and pain meds. After the pain meds were depleted he became recluse again and stopped eating. Now Rabbit is also now having problems. When I got Rabbit, he was recovering from an intestinal virus of which caused him digestion issues. That was all handled by Austin Keep Pets Alive (where I got Rabbit from). They mainly said it was cured, which was true, the virus was.. ..but his digestion issues remained. He is very finicky about what he can / can't eat and I've on several accounts had to put pumpkin puree in his food in order for him to hold it down. He's seen vets in the past who put him on probiotics which usually helped. Now though he isn't holding anything down not even pumpkin puree he immediately vomits everything back out within 3 minutes of eating. He spilled it all over my carpet too (can anyone recommend anything I can remove cat puke stains with?)

Both Rabbit and Marshmallow are at the vet again.

They're doing blood work on Marshmallow and if everything clears they will send me home on a steroid.

With Rabbit however, they are finding a bubble in his stomach that hasn't passed and he hasn't ate since yesterday. They are going to watch him for a day to see if it passes or not. If it doesn't, Rabbit may need surgery :(
 

calicosrspecial

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Sandy is amazing now. I really cant believe its the same cat, she barrages me and lets me pet her and is very calm around me and seems to love me. She's acting more friendly toward me than even Panda does. Sandy is now walking almost normally again and seems to be okay, however; The vet fairy seems to have strucken me

Marshmallow became lethargic again and will not eat, hides, and is in pain. His gums are still deeply inflamed even after the cleaning, antibiotics, and pain meds. After the pain meds were depleted he became recluse again and stopped eating. Now Rabbit is also now having problems. When I got Rabbit, he was recovering from an intestinal virus of which caused him digestion issues. That was all handled by Austin Keep Pets Alive (where I got Rabbit from). They mainly said it was cured, which was true, the virus was.. ..but his digestion issues remained. He is very finicky about what he can / can't eat and I've on several accounts had to put pumpkin puree in his food in order for him to hold it down. He's seen vets in the past who put him on probiotics which usually helped. Now though he isn't holding anything down not even pumpkin puree he immediately vomits everything back out within 3 minutes of eating. He spilled it all over my carpet too (can anyone recommend anything I can remove cat puke stains with?)

Both Rabbit and Marshmallow are at the vet again.

They're doing blood work on Marshmallow and if everything clears they will send me home on a steroid.

With Rabbit however, they are finding a bubble in his stomach that hasn't passed and he hasn't ate since yesterday. They are going to watch him for a day to see if it passes or not. If it doesn't, Rabbit may need surgery :(
I am so happy Sandy is doing so well. She loves. Really awesome!!! And I am glad she is walking normal again. GREAT news!!

I know it doesn't help but I am so sorry.

Poor Rabbit and Marshmallow.

Let's hope the vet gets an anti-biotic that knocks out the infection for Marshmallow.

Poor Rabbit. That happens sometimes where the issue is cured but there is some lingering effect/issue. Hopefully the vet has some ideas. You may also want to post on the Health section and see what other people have done. I am so sorry.

Oh my, poor Rabbit. Let's hope it passes.

Hang in there, I am so sorry to hear this. Keep the faith. Please let us know how they are doing. I will pray for them.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi! Natures Miracle is an enzymatic cleaner that works fairly well - I sometimes get a little frustrated with it because although it gets the puke odor and stain out, it is a bit challenging to then get its own residue out, although I'm probably not using carpet manufacturers recommendations of squishing and pressing the stain and cleaner from all sides of the stain, towards the center of the stain because this way you keep it from spreading out, and are wicking it up into the cloth or sponge.

Another one is Vetoquinal "The Equalizer" which doesn't require soaking/saturation - I'm definitely going to be looking for this one when I use up my current bottle of NM.

Hang in there with all this - I'm sending tons of good thoughts for all of you!!
 
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MikeAW2010

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I'm home with both of them. Marshmallow ate about 1/4th a bowl of food.He's still lethargic. I gave him his pain meds (they gave me more). I also have prednisone for him but they want me to hold off on that until they clear his blood work, they just gave me the prescription early.

Rabbit on the other hand, they found a bubble in his stomach they are concerned about because it isn't passing. They want to wait till tomorrow morning and check again but I cannot feed him during this duration. He is becoming troublesome right now. Rabbit goes wild when not fed. He becomes extremely aggressive to other cats and very demanding so to speak. He recently started a fight with Panda and I came out to find Panda's fur standing and he is hissing. I had to put Rabbit in a Kennel. He is ceaselessly yowling right now. This is going to be a long night :(
 

calicosrspecial

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I'm home with both of them. Marshmallow ate about 1/4th a bowl of food.He's still lethargic. I gave him his pain meds (they gave me more). I also have prednisone for him but they want me to hold off on that until they clear his blood work, they just gave me the prescription early.

Rabbit on the other hand, they found a bubble in his stomach they are concerned about because it isn't passing. They want to wait till tomorrow morning and check again but I cannot feed him during this duration. He is becoming troublesome right now. Rabbit goes wild when not fed. He becomes extremely aggressive to other cats and very demanding so to speak. He recently started a fight with Panda and I came out to find Panda's fur standing and he is hissing. I had to put Rabbit in a Kennel. He is ceaselessly yowling right now. This is going to be a long night :(
No anti-biotics for Marashmallow? Did they say what they think is going on?

Poor Rabbit. Yes, that can cause issues. Do they think the bubble is cancerous? Poor Rabbit. That does cause issues when cats can't eat. :(

Hang in there. Let us know how Rabbit is doing today. Fingers crossed.

And let's hope Marshmallow feels better. Good news he ate a little . He has been through a lot so I am not surprised he is lethargic.

Hang in there. Good vibes to you all.
 

Furballsmom

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I wish I'd seen your post earlier, there are earplugs made by Mack's that are good, plus a sound machine or even just a fan for white noise (with the air flow directed away from the cats.

Hopefully there's not a next time but maybe this will help if so.
 
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MikeAW2010

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I fed Marshmallow an appetite stimulant and the vet okay'd me to give him the Prednisone. They were concerned about his Kidney's, they told me there was a high normal on one of his readings related to his Kidneys (I forgot which) and they want to wait a week and test him again. Meanwhile after an hour or so, Marshmallow ate, then vomited. I gave him some Pumpkin Puree and the second go round he managed to hold it down.

I took Rabbit back in for additional X-Rays of the stomach and they told me the bubble did pass. They prescribed him prednisone, an behavioral pill to calm him down(Rabbit gets super anxiety) and Royal Canon Easy Digest Wet Food.

My counter has more prescriptions sitting on it than I've personally needed over the last two years.

I fed Rabbit the easy digest food and he seems to be doing okay. Rabbit is asleep now. Hopefully he holds everything down.

Meanwhile Sandy is confidently coming out of my bedroom more and more and seems a bit more calm around my other cats.
 

calicosrspecial

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I fed Marshmallow an appetite stimulant and the vet okay'd me to give him the Prednisone. They were concerned about his Kidney's, they told me there was a high normal on one of his readings related to his Kidneys (I forgot which) and they want to wait a week and test him again. Meanwhile after an hour or so, Marshmallow ate, then vomited. I gave him some Pumpkin Puree and the second go round he managed to hold it down.

I took Rabbit back in for additional X-Rays of the stomach and they told me the bubble did pass. They prescribed him prednisone, an behavioral pill to calm him down(Rabbit gets super anxiety) and Royal Canon Easy Digest Wet Food.

My counter has more prescriptions sitting on it than I've personally needed over the last two years.

I fed Rabbit the easy digest food and he seems to be doing okay. Rabbit is asleep now. Hopefully he holds everything down.

Meanwhile Sandy is confidently coming out of my bedroom more and more and seems a bit more calm around my other cats.
I never got an update notice on this. :( I was wondering what was happening.

This is a MUCH BETTER update. Whew. Fingers crossed all continues to improve.

I am glad Marshmallow could hold the food down the second time.

I am SO GLAD Rabbit passed the bubble. Whew. That should help. Also, try to hang out with Rabbit (if you can safely) and help him calm down, feel safer, more confident, etc. Love can go a long way.

:( I know. Hopefully the prescriptions can go away soon.

WOW!! Sandy!!! Just monitor her and the other cats. Try to make sure the encounters are as positive as possible. Sandy coming out could cause the other cats stress and her stress and there could be behavioral issues that could make the health issues worse. For now, I personally would suggest trying to keep Sandy in her room/territory as much as possible. We can work on intro'ing them when everyone is feeling better.

I am hoping that Marshmallow and Rabbit are doing better still. I wish I would have checked the thread, I was anxious about what was going on. I do feel much better now getting this update. It may not be perfect but much better than it could have been.

Keep up the great work and hang in there!!
 
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MikeAW2010

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Things are pretty rough right now. Job search is yielding nothing but failures on every end. Fortunately the Unemployment was extended but I'm pretty worried now. I had 2 interviews that got shot down on the literal day of the interview, the first one got shot down because they had last minute funding concerns. the second one got shot down because they hired someone else without letting anyone know before canceling the interview. There were countless more interviews that also lead to nowhere or no feedback after the interview and I'm applying nationwide now. I have been applying relentlessly since April and I'm in IT. There was only one other period of time in my life I've had this hard of a time getting a job and that was when I lived in Seattle right after finish College. I had a potential job interview today but was confronted with a Psychometric Test where they asked me to complete 50 questions accurately in 15 minutes, which I failed. In the mean time I'm just using my idle / spare time to study alot, trying to get more certs and learn more in my field. Ansible, Python, Juniper, CCNP, ect. Not getting alot of free time due to it but its the only thing that keeps me motivated now. Im very worried about the state of this country and where everything is going and the aspect that even if I succeed in obtaining more education and skills that it might not matter before long.

My cats are doing well though..

69D0706B-8726-4898-816E-1CE4FD8986B9.jpeg


Sandy has unbelievably taken well to me. She follows me everywhere and practically begs to be pet much more so than Panda and even more than my domestic cats. I love her, I feel bad for her for what she has had to endure and the fear she must have had to endure as apart of her daily life before she was rescued. Sometimes while petting her she will swat if my hand is somewhere she doesn’t like such as on the ground in front of her. I can pet from above no problem but can’t present my hand directly in front level with her face to her.

Sandy will dart out of my room when I open the door and begs to go out into the living room with the other cats. She and Rabbit still don’t get along too well but usually ignore each other. Other problem is other cats (especially Marshmallow) want to come near me when I’m in their presence to be petted too and Sandy won’t allow them. When they get close or she comes near them she’ll swat at them. When she does I end the petting session but it’s getting harder keeping them separate.
 

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