Weird Behavior

MissClouseau

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My cat acts this way when she gets in a special hunting mode. This could be something like a small fly too the other day it was a moth. If she can’t catch it or suspects there might be more “invaders” she hides and waits. Hiding is also hunting behavior you know.

Rarely if she got scared over something outside. Once it was an aggressive stray cat she has never seen before. The cat didn’t interact with her but she saw him chasing another cat.
 
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FeebysOwner

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I've only been giving the stock for two days but it's already making such a huge difference with Krista that I cannot help but think other cats could benefit from this too!

If Feeby has an injury to heal, I can't think of anything better than a chicken or turkey stock to give her the raw materials to do so.
Thanks! I don't buy anything with bones in it, so nothing on hand at the moment. I will give this some consideration, but am a little hesitant to introduce anything 'new' into her diet just yet. Trying to stay status quo so as not to possibly confuse her issues further.

Hopefully you will continue to see more improvement with it for Krista!

My cat acts this way when she gets in a special hunting mode.
Thanks! This is certainly not a hunt mode issue, but I can see how a few of her actions that I have described could be construed that way. However, those actions, in combination with the other behaviors, seem to suggest something else.
 
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7/19/2019 1:30pm / Feeby's saga continues

As is her usual now, she spent much of yesterday in the window perch, but did come into a nearby bathroom in the afternoon while I was repairing the toilet in there.

She was outside on the patio in early evening, thanks to my husband carrying her out there.

And, thanks to him again, she sat on a footstool beside my recliner in the living room area where she waited for a bite of our fish dinner. She didn't eat much of it, but I don't blame her - I didn't much care for it either (solely my cooking inadequacies at play!).

She then crawled up on my lap - this what was she started doing for a week or so prior to last week's issues.

And, then it was back to her hiding/sleeping spot for the night.

This morning, she was in her window perch before I got up - after having used the litterbox.

A couple of hours ago, she looked as if she was going to jump straight down from the window perch (almost 3 feet high - she didn't even try that years ago), instead of using her steps. I picked her up before she could jump, and she went to the litterbox again. Not sure what the attempted jump was about?

Then, she went back into that bathroom I was in yesterday and sat for a minute or two. Next thing I know, she came back to the room with her window perch - announced her arrival - and took the steps to the window.

She seems to be more restless today. And, more vocal within the past two hours. She has randomly squawked 4-5 times, as far as I can tell, at nothing. I don't take any of this as a good sign, and sure have no idea what is driving it.

Back down to the litter box again - she seems to be changing her pattern - one trip for pee, a separate trip for poop. Totally not like her - not before her issues started or anytime after until now, for that matter.
 
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walli

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How long till she is off antibiotics?
maybe wait for that to end and see how she does.
Praying for the best for her!!
 

walli

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Just reread everything, I pray for you this weekend, Try not to worry!
enjoy her company, just love her where she is at. I know it's hard, you're worried.
she may sense that as someone else said.
Your a good mom!
 

Hellenww

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Rereading this thread I wondered if something outside scared, surprised, or disoriented her and stress brought on some physical issues.

Then I read this:
A couple of hours ago, she looked as if she was going to jump straight down from the window perch (almost 3 feet high - she didn't even try that years ago), instead of using her steps. I picked her up before she could jump, and she went to the litterbox again. Not sure what the attempted jump was about?
Is it possible that she jumped before and hurt something? Do you have an arm chair to put next to her perch in case she "forgets" about the steps again?
 
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FeebysOwner

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How long till she is off antibiotics?
Thanks for your well wishes! I screwed up the dosage (too little) the first 2 nights. So, if I don't count those she's had 6 out of the desired "at least 10". Tonight will be the 7th.

Try not to worry!
enjoy her company, just love her where she is at. I know it's hard, you're worried. she may sense that as someone else said.
Thanks! She probably thinks I am acting as weird as I think she is!! I try not to change my demeanor, but you know how that goes...

Is it possible that she jumped before and hurt something? Do you have an arm chair to put next to her perch in case she "forgets" about the steps again?
Thanks for re-reading, it's a long drawn out post, I know!! She has a 4-step set up to get up to and down from this window perch. She normally uses it, so I don't know why today she wanted to bypass it. The only thing I can think of is that to jump down from where she was thinking about is closer to her litter box than going down the steps and then onto the litter box. She was trying to short-cut the process apparently!

She has steps all over the house to help transition from floor to furniture/windows/etc.. So, if she did jump and hurt herself it would have been around her makeshift steps (like she tried today). Don't know how to stop that one!!
 
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FeebysOwner

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7/20/2019 3:30pm

Mostly a repeat of yesterday with 2 exceptions.

Twice now today, Feeby contemplated bypassing her steps from the window perch to the litterbox (yes, she did try once yesterday - and, as I said then, she has never tried this even years ago). I am sure she would have jumped had I not been there to intervene. I don't know if this is a sign of her feeling better, losing her mind, or another attempt to make her efforts more efficient, since the litter box is on the opposite side of the perch than the location of the steps.

If she would jump, she could avoid going to the other side of the perch to use the steps and then have to walk back the same distance on the floor to get to the litter box?? I guess I had better find a way to reconfigure the location of the steps and litterbox??? :eek2:

And, for the first time since all of this started, she went out on the patio all by herself - after a brief hesitation, that is!!! Then, she promptly went to a footstool that sits in front of the patio screen door and jumped up on it to look out. This has always been her all time favorite place to watch the squirrels and birds in the back yard.

She may have only stayed for 10 minutes or so, but at least she went there on her own! Feeling better, losing her mind, or finally getting sick and tired of being in her window perch nearly all the time?!? :headscratch:
 

1 bruce 1

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If she were losing her mind, I think you'd see other behavior patterns that only get worse. She might be feeling better and being brave enough to think about trying new things.
I'm glad she likes her patio and footstool.
Gotta count on those baby steps. I don't bounce back from injuries or illnesses like I did when I was a kid ;) And keep in mind when they don't feel well, they sleep but I don't think they sleep as well so she still might be pretty tired.
About 5 years ago I got socked in the shoulder and a good nights sleep was only a memory for a few weeks. I'd fall asleep, shift in my sleep wrong and immediately wake up. Then it'd take forever to fall back asleep, and the same thing would happen, etc.
 
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7/22/2019 12pm

Still sleeping in her hiding spot and spending a lot of time in her window perch.

Yesterday, she did venture out on the patio very early in the morning - not sure how long she was out there as I was still sleeping. And, then in early evening, my husband took her out there for a while to sit with him.

Then, he took her to the living area around dinner time, and she stayed most of the evening - either on my lap or on her footstool that sits beside my recliner. And, of course she got a bite of our fish dinner. She left my lap and ventured off to what has now become her sleeping spot in the side bedroom.

This morning, she didn't get up until after I did, but then came out onto the patio and sat on her footstool by the patio screen door looking out into the backyard - for maybe 20 minutes. Drank from her patio water dish, went inside for a bite or two from her food bowl in the kitchen, and then off she went to her window perch.

So, being a bit more active at least.
 
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7/23/2019 1:30pm

Again, another comparable day as the previous ones, but with a big twist. Feeby slept with me last night - although not exactly of her own doing!!

After dinner time, she had gone back to her hiding/sleeping spot. So, after a bit, I went in and picked her up (endured a half-hearted squawk protest) and placed her on my lap on the recliner. She stayed there for a while, and then stepped over onto the footstool next to my recliner where she spent the rest of the evening.

Several hours later, I just picked up the footstool with her on it and placed it next to my side of the bed. Within a minute or two, she moved herself from the footstool and laid down beside me in bed. Not exactly the same location that she used to occupy, but oh well.

She didn't get out of bed this morning until I did. She bypassed her food/water bowls in the kitchen and went directly to her back up bowls in the hiding/sleeping spot - likely with a litter box detour first. Maybe an hour later, she decided it was time for her all-day hang out in her window perch.

She is still there as I type...

Last night was her 10th complete dose of antibiotics, but I have still have some left so I will continue to give it to her until it is gone. The vet said at least 10 days, but he has prescribed 14 days for her in the past, so I going with that.
 

Kflowers

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One vet told me they always prescribe an extra pill or two for cats because people tend to lose a couple of them before getting the rest down the cat. That maybe why the number of pills and the number of days aren't equal.
 
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It is liquid, and part was left over from a previous time. I checked with the vet about using the 'old' (expiration date a few days ago) as well as the new bottle, and he said he would with his own cat. When I asked him about how long he said: "At least 10 days". He knows it generally takes more than one bottle to get through 10 days.
 

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That more than one bottle would be for the cat aided spillage. At least it would be for me.
 
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FeebysOwner

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That more than one bottle would be for the cat aided spillage. At least it would be for me.
Not to mention, the stuff is sticky and there is always a tad bit left in the bottom of the syringe that has to be cleaned out. So, I always add a smidge more to account for that, or I draw up tuna water in the syringe to get that last little bit out!!
 

Kflowers

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Let us know if the tuna water works to get the sticky medicine off the walls when Feeby is through with it. There was a sticky pink medicine that slap stained the walls. The good thing is something in the medicine seems to make it repulsive to bugs.
 
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7/24/2019 3:00pm - Day 18 of Feeby's saga

I think other than a few minor improvements in the past few days, we are really still at Square One.

Much the same as previous days, with Monday night being the only night she hasn't slept in her 'new' hiding/sleeping spot.

Today, it started to rain early (no thunder), and it seemed to trigger some anxiousness in her I don't typically see just because of some light rain. She also kept trying to get into small places in the room that she never usually bothers with - repeatedly squawking with each attempt. I set a paper bag down on the floor, and she crawled into it and quietly sat - but only for a couple of minutes.

She was moving about the room, but would frequently stop to lick/clean - mostly her back legs/hip area. This behavior has been intermittently going on for months now, but seemed more pronounced today.

And, after recapping these past weeks with my husband - in addition to discussing the past year's worth of events related to Feeby, there is another aspect about her that I probably have not focused on as much as I should.

For what seems like longer than a year, she licks/cleans her front legs and chest whenever she is petted or brushed in the area around her hips and back legs. I thought this might be an increase in what I think is a mild form of hyperesthesia, possibly related to aging. She has always seemed kind of sensitive to being touched in that area for as long as I can remember.

Just recently, that progressed to her squawking when being touched in those areas - and after the vet visit, I quit bothering her until just a few days ago. Now, it seems I can pet and brush her there without the squawks, but the licking/cleaning continues.

I can pet/brush her head, chin, and neck without the incessant licking/cleaning.

So - it's all about the back legs/hip area obviously. I kind of feel like I am in a 'duh' moment, taking these things for granted as part of aging.

So, that is why I feel it is back to Square One. Having to see another vet with Feeby's last visit, trying to give some history to the vet, and total frustration setting in with the visit - I can't even recall how much of this I explained to her.

The antibiotics may be treating an infection but all of the rest of this can't possibly be tied to an infection. So, we are back to more than one issue going on with Feeby at the same time.

I will express this to the vet when I make an appointment for her follow up visit related to the infection. And I guess as I have known all along, there are likely to be many more tests in Feeby's future, starting with an x-ray, I presume.
 

walli

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My Patchy use to lick when being brushed, I thought it was because she liked it.
Did not know it could mean something else.
 
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FeebysOwner

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My Patchy use to lick when being brushed, I thought it was because she liked it.
Did not know it could mean something else.
It can mean that as well. But, it can be a sign of something else. Given Feeby's other behaviors - and the incessant manner in which she licks/cleans - I am not sure I am willing to assume that for her it is a sign of nothing but pleasure. At a minimum, it could be a sign of over-excitement/over-stimulation, but I don't consider these reactions necessarily a good thing.

You kind of have to look at the overall behavior of a cat and see other signs that 'don't seem right'. If you don't see those, perhaps that is what Patchy was telling you - that she liked it.
 
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