Crazy dog lady needs cat help--seriously...

[Tundra_Queen]

Hazel, he might eat when he destresses a bit more. You said he was in good shape didn't u, like not skinny?

Maybe he got out of the house and doesn't know how to get back. That happened to a friend's neighbour's cat. He was gone all summer, indoor cat, and he was only a couple of streets away living in someone's garage. He just didn't know how to get back home.

Maybe u should put up flyers? he sure is a pretty boy and I hope he will be ok.

Debbie

[hazelrunpack]

I can feel his ribs, but not excessively so...not a lot of meat on him, but he's not been starved.

I'm going to make a poster tomorrow morning and put it up at the tavern down by the lake. It's really the only place where people gather around here. I doubt anyone will claim him, but I'll post it anyway, and let them know the shelter has him.

Our nearest neighbor is at least a quarter mile away on the other side of a 20 acre wetland...not sure if he would have come that far through the woods or not if he'd gotten out accidently. Any idea how far they're likely to roam?

[Dracko]

I think you should give it a try and see what the dogs would do. He seems like he might have the tempermant to be able to deal with that many dogs. He sounds like my Smitty. Smitty is so lovable and loves everyone. You have to admit it would be pretty cool to ad a cat to your pack. Make for nice pictures for all of us anyway.

[hazelrunpack]

Originally Posted by Dracko

I think you should give it a try and see what the dogs would do. He seems like he might have the tempermant to be able to deal with that many dogs. He sounds like my Smitty. Smitty is so lovable and loves everyone. You have to admit it would be pretty cool to ad a cat to your pack. Make for nice pictures for all of us anyway.

One-on-one I think he might be able to hold his own. But with the Pack, I'd be very very afraid for his life!

I'm amazed at how calm he is when they make noise, though. Doesn't even wake him up when all 8 are barking next to the shed! I have to believe that he's met dogs before. In fact, I sort of wonder if he came into the yard cuz he saw the dogs and was lonely for companionship. I'm just glad he's a fast climber!

[hazelrunpack]

Kitteh still hasn't eaten but looked brighter this morning. I didn't have to nudge him to wake him up. But he's sneezing a lot and then he sort of hunkered down and was either coughing or trying to hark up a hair ball I couldn't really tell which it was.

He's still friendly as ever and looks like he's in the mood to explore. He went into the carrier, for instance. I have this feeling he's going to use it for a litter box. But that's okay...I'd be happy to find evidence of potty and/or poopy.

Gotta feed the dogs and then go get me my kitteh-cuddles for the morning. I'll try to get some more pics, too. I want to get a good one for the poster I'm going to make. And a couple of dozen or so for my memory book.

[Longblades]

I'm just tuning in but it is a lovely looking cat and likely a strayed or dumped pet if it is so friendly. Those flat, paddle looking things at the back end might be testes that are not quite dried up and gone yet, post neuter. The most exact way to check is look for a penis.

Yes, cats can get Lyme Disease. I think there is a sticky here on this board somewhere.

It is very dangerous for cats to not eat. Sounds like it's only been one day but, unlike dogs, when cats don't eat their bodies begin to store fat and they can get fatty liver disease. One day is not a big concern but it can't go on for too long, the not eating. They need water too of course.

A large part of a cat's attraction to food is smell. If the cat is sneeezing he may not be able to smell the food very well and thus find it not attractive. Warming up the food a bit may help enhance the smell of it.

To entice him to eat, are you offering only tiny wee bits of food? The canned tuna is great as it will also get some moisture into him. But only offer a tiny bit. A quarter of a teaspoon. Have you ever had the flu yourself? A whole big plate of food is nauseating but tiny bits to nibble on you can usually tolerate. Sick animals are the same. At this point I would say it doesn't matter what the food is as long as he will eat a bit of something. Cheese, peanut butter, canned whole meat baby food is good. I once kept a cat alive by feeding her what probably was less that an eighth of a teaspoon at a time ( many times) and she would only lick it off my finger.

Your cat wants to explore, a sign he can't be feeling too badly, so that's encouraging.

Hope you find his home. Or a home. Maybe with visiting rights for you?

[krdahmer]

Hazel and the pack have saved a kitty!!! Man did he pick the right tree or what?

I hope he finds a great home after he's nursed back to health at the shelter! And great job Hazel! He is adorable!

[badger]

The coughing kind of worries me, might mean a URI and not just rhino, in which case would the shelter take him (they would need to isolate)? If you can get Clavamox or something similar from the vet, might be a good idea.
He's gorgeous! I love the greys. And the blacks. And the torties. And the...

[hazelrunpack]

I've tried offering small bits of tuna, Longblades...he won't even sniff. :sad: Makes sense, though, what you said about the smell. Are there any good smell enhancer/appetite stimulants for cats?

Kitteh did get a good drink this morning!

I also found a full-blown tick on him...so he's been out for probably at least a week. He has one more tick under his chin that I can't remove--he's so busy cuddling with his head in my chest that I can't get a good grip on the tick.

The coughing is worrisome. :sad: If the shelter won't take him, I'll bring him back...but the vet won't be available then till Monday. Would that be soon enough for him if he has a URI? Thank Dawg he didn't have to spend last night outside

I love the grays, too, badger...and the blacks and the torties and the calicos.... But right now, the grays are my favorites.

[hazelrunpack]

Thanks, kr! He's not even mine and I'm already worrying about whether his new people will be good to him. madame hazel is such a worrier

[Longblades]

We've had to force feed a couple of sick cats. Mix up a slurry of wettish food, load up a syringe and squirt it down their gullets. Tricky because you sure don't want to squirt it down the windpipe. I've never done it without the Vet telling me to. It is positively amazing how a cat near death's door can fight when it sees you coming the second time around with that syringe. Not fun.

But YAY for the drinking.

There's no telling what he has and how soon you need to see the Vet until you see the Vet. Unfortunately. The symptoms you describe could be any number of things. Hope the shelter takes him.

[Love4himies]

Sardines may be a better bet than tuna, the oil mixed with the meat will have much more calories than tuna, and if the cat has an URI, they usually tend to eat sardines before tuna.
I also find they like wild game before domesticated, if you have any in your freezer and can nip a piece off you may want to warm it up slightly and try kitty with that.

Cats can be affected by lyme's disease, but it normally very mild, not nearly what you see in a dog or human. Deer ticks are running rampant here and Lyme disease right along with them . Jasper has had dozens of ticks taken off him and the vet doesn't worry about it.

The cough is of concern and the kitty may need antibiotics, poor thing :sad:

An un-neutered male cat is very, very noticable , hazelnut size, versus peanut size for un-neutered.

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by Longblades

We've had to force feed a couple of sick cats. Mix up a slurry of wettish food, load up a syringe and squirt it down their gullets. Tricky because you sure don't want to squirt it down the windpipe. I've never done it without the Vet telling me to. It is positively amazing how a cat near death's door can fight when it sees you coming the second time around with that syringe. Not fun.

But YAY for the drinking.

There's no telling what he has and how soon you need to see the Vet until you see the Vet. Unfortunately. The symptoms you describe could be any number of things. Hope the shelter takes him.

I have done this with EVERY sick kitten and I find they are pretty accepting of the food. I use 50% water. All lumps have to be taken out of the food or they get stuck in the skinny part of the syringe. When a piece gets stuck, I use a pin to pull the small chunk out.

[14+kitties]

Well? Has kitty been accepted at the shelter or is he back home with you? I hope he gets the medical attention he needs. He probably didn't eat because he couldn't smell the food and/or he had a full tummy from hunting. Although that doesn't stop my piggy Stormy. And not feeling well could do it too. Let's hope he doesn't have anything serious and recovers quickly!!
Hazel......you are an

[MommaKat]

Maybe if you begged and pleaded with the pack, they will let you keep him? Maybe ask Gracie to talk to the others for you?

Good job for saving the kitty ! If he goes to the shelter, I hope he finds a home quickly

[hazelrunpack]

Luckily, I didn't need to force feed him. The last time I checked on him before we took him to the shelter, he had abandoned his chair to sleep in the carrier and eaten 2/3 of half the can of tuna.

Originally Posted by 14+kitties

Well? Has kitty been accepted at the shelter or is he back home with you? I hope he gets the medical attention he needs. He probably didn't eat because he couldn't smell the food and/or he had a full tummy from hunting. Although that doesn't stop my piggy Stormy. And not feeling well could do it too. Let's hope he doesn't have anything serious and recovers quickly!!
Hazel......you are an

Yep, he's there. :sad: I cried. The director of the shelter came in to meet Kitty and asked if I was the town supervisor who had called. Yep...tears coming down. Real authoritative!

Not a problem with care--he'll get his blood tested, vaccinations, and something for his URI this afternoon sometime. They had no problem with taking him in even though he was sick.

Originally Posted by MommaKat

Maybe if you begged and pleaded with the pack, they will let you keep him? Maybe ask Gracie to talk to the others for you?

Good job for saving the kitty ! If he goes to the shelter, I hope he finds a home quickly

I so wish I could just drive back and get him. :sad: They told me I could get an update on Monday--they should have the results back by then.

What broke my heart was that when the take-in lady took him from me, he stopped purring. It was the only time I'd ever seen him awake when he wasn't purring...

This is how we spent most of our time together...notice the silly smile on hazel's face

[hazelrunpack]

Just two more.

Reading together last night:


Kitty quarters. He spent most of the night on that chair snuggled in towels, then curled up in the carrier later this morning.


Jeez. I feel like someone just died... I don't know how you fosters can do it. :sad:

[Love4himies]

Awww, Hazel, you did a wonderful rescue . Kitty is in good hands and will get the vet care he needs.

Now the hard part is to make the pack understand where kitty went when they ask about him.

[hazelrunpack]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

Now the hard part is to make the pack understand where kitty went when they ask about him.

The first thing the little s did this morning when they were finally let back into the Big Yard (where the kennel bldg/kitty quarters were) was run over to the tree in the corner to check for more kitties! Always on the prowl, those s!

[dogcatharmony]

funny how they can win your heart over so fast, eh??

you did a wonderful thing, kitty is in good hands now.

[badger]

Oh those snuggling pictures...so sweet, I can see how you had a hard time letting him go. But, you know, he's probably not gonna be adopted right away, so you have time to think about it

[Chris21711]

Aww Hazel what a pity you could not have kept him. My Herbie is just like him only lots bigger. The first cat we got, we brought into a 5 dog household, think about it. No I know you already did, you took lovely care of him and I know you will be checking on him and keeping an eye.

[ancientgirl]

Hazel, he's so handsome. I'm sure he'll find a wonderful home soon. It's great that the shelter will take him in and treat him.

[Love4himies]

He is very lovable, he won't last too long at the shelter once he is put up for adoption.

[clm]

Awe Hazel, I'm sure it was hard to part with him, but I'm sure he'll get good home soon. He'll get the vet care he needs and will be right as rain.
I hope they have good news for you on his health on Monday.

Cindy

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

Yep, he's there. :sad: I cried.

Hazel !

I think he's going to get adopted real fast , look how cute and affectionate he is.

But he does look good in your arms

[hazelrunpack]

for all the help and support. Couldn't have done it without all your help. A group effort.

But hazel is still crying. We told her not to, but she's not listening...

Grace came up to hazel a little while ago and laid her head in hazel's lap. Then I heard her whisper..."It's okay, Mom, we'll find you another one." Ah, well...it's the thought that counts.

Chris...how did you manage an introduction of a cat into a 5-dog household?

dogcatharmony, hazel was doomed after the first 20 seconds... Gotta get animals away from her quick or they stick.

[hazelrunpack]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

But he does look good in your arms

Doesn't he, though?

[growler~GateKeeper]

Such sweet snuggly pics Hazel

Wonderful job on the rescue HRM

[hazelrunpack]

Thanks, growler. We're not crying so much anymore.

It's going to get very cold tonight--low 20s! I'm so glad he's somewhere warm!