Crazy dog lady needs help with kitten...yep, go figure....

[hazelrunpack]

I heard an odd noise last night and thought it was baby birds, but lo and behold, a kitten (maybe 5 to 6 mos old) squeezed under both gates, crying the whole time, and ran up to me, begging to be picked up. Sweet little thing--one blue eye, one gold; white with a few orange spots; very social--loves people and doesn't even mind the dogs (who, in fact, are a little taken aback by kitty's presence).

I called the local no-kill shelter, but they don't have an open spot and we might have to keep kitty for a couple of weeks. We're doomed--by then we'll be way too attached to give him up.

To make matters worse, we've already named him J.D.--he's such a singer that we named him after John Denver.

At any rate, we've never had a cat before, and we do have 5 English setters, so this is going to be a complicated introduction period. He's going to the vet today for his initial checkup and needles (if they can do them--he has a bit of a URI), and on the way, hubby will pick up cat food (dry and wet, since he seems to have been raised on kibble), litter, litter scoop and a scratching post.

Any suggestions as to brand names for food, types of litter, toys, etc?

Anything else we might need? Any tips on raising/feeding a kitten? Especially--any tips on introducing a cat into a 5-dog household?

[Barkingdog]

I would love to see a pic of your new kitty !

[hazelrunpack]

Here ya go:

[hazelrunpack]

As expected, he has a UTI and ear mites. He'll be on antibiotics for 2 wks, with a change in meds if he's not better after a week. Blood work will be back in a few days.

JD was a very good boy. He hopped from the exam table to the counter and into the sink to leave the vet a stool sample. Those results will be back soon, too.

He and hubby are on their way home from the vet now.

[Barkingdog]

What a pretty kitty ! And a lucky kitty too that you found him .

[lindapalm]

I love the two different colored eyes. Some of my cats hate canned food, and some won't eat dry, so I guess you'll just have to experiment. Just be careful, if he starts excessive scratching and licking, make sure you don't wait to switch foods, he might be allergic. Get clumping litter, its easier to clean the litter box if you do. Has any of your dogs ever come in contact with a cat? If so, I would start with him, or choose one that you think will get along the best, and just start with a one dog introduction. If you do five at once, you might never get JD off the counter top, or top of the curtains.

JD definitely knew which house to pick, he's a lucky boy.

[Longblades]

No chip? I hate to say it but if he's that friendly someone is probably missing him. Or he was dumped. We have one similar, who must definitely have lived in a house and with a dog before, he loves our dog.

I would introduce to the dogs one at a time. Supervise carefully outside. In my experience if the dogs won't chase the cat won't run and vice versa, a real catch 22, and they will all get along just fine.

WE have gates in our house, built first to protect and confine puppy but still used as one cat has special food. The gates have cat sized holes in them.

A training tip from one of our trainers really changed puppy and dog interactions in our house. The trainer said if puppy is too slow or goofing around when training, say, SIT, then treat the other dog. Only one dog here so I used a cat. Not only did puppy's little black backside hit the floor so quickly next time that it smacked it also seemed to instill a respect for the cat. It seemed to teach both that good things happened when the other was around. Your dogs are trained but you could try this, one at a time. Or even just treat in each other's company, maybe a gate between at first.

Have fun. In my experience kittens just LOVE dogs.

[hazelrunpack]

No chip. My guess is that he was dumped. Typically, those are the only cats we see around here. Only 45 permanent households in our double township (so 12 miles x 6 miles) and no one owns cats. We do see cats that have been brought to the county campground and dumped, though--but they normally don't survive long enough to make it the mile or so to our house. This is only the second kitty to make it here in 12 years. The rest die--mostly eaten by coyotes, wolves, bobcats, eagles or hawks, or killed by people protecting their chickens. So this guy is soooo lucky! I'm going to talk to the humane association about how to list him as found so if someone is looking for him, they'll find him if they check with the shelter. I'll probably put posters up down at the bars, too.

He's now met all the dogs singly while in my arms and on the ground, and with all 5 dogs together while JD is in my arms. So far so good. This morning he tried to rub on Cass's chest and she just backed away and sat down. Grace won't approach him unless I'm holding him, but she seems to like the way he smells when he's close. When JD approaches Brier, Brier backs away like he's seen a demon. Ember and Ridge are tolerant but not friendly, yet--and I can live with that. JD is going to work hard to gain their affections, though--he is the friendliest little guy I've met in a long time and he's not at all put off by dogs! (I can't believe someone was heartless enough to dump him. )

We're trying to figure out a solution to the litter box problem--how to keep it in the open without giving the dogs access. We might have solved it by sacrificing an old fairly open dog kennel--cut a hole in the door so JD can get into it to use the litter box, but small enough that the dogs can't get to the litter. The second box will have to be hidden, though--I think we can rig a prop/hook mechanism for the second bathroom door that allows JD enough room to get in but keeps the dogs out.

Longblades--do you have any links to articles on the optimal time to neuter cats? I tried to do some research on line this morning but we have very slow internet and I could barely load up the search results, much less open links. Do cats have the same health issues as dogs when they're castrated too early?

[Longblades]

Sorry, I answered yesterday but I am having internet troubles myself and I see it didn't go. Nearly all my cats have come to me as at least near adults or definitely adult and I have not researched this as I have in dogs. The kittens I found were neutered by the people I homed them to, except the two I still have who I had done at 9 months. The only article I have that even mentions cats is the Kustritz one.

Sorry, I can't get it up to put the link in. It's by Margaret Kustritz. The word Gonadectomy is in the title, I think. If I can get this darn internet working I'll find it and put the link in. Heck, even this might not go.

[hazelrunpack]

I feel your pain! We have 3 Mbsp DSL but the two taverns around the lake put in WiFi and now we're lucky if we have dial-up speeds! LOL I'll do a search on Margaret Kustritz and Gonadectomy next time I have some speed and see if I can find it! Thanks, Longblades.

[Lynne&Co.]

Awe Hazel, he's a beauty! Congratulations on your new addition

It sounds like your dogs are coping well with the arrival of J.D. I've always had a resident cat and brought in new dogs so the reverse of your situation. Try to keep J.D.'s nails clipped if you can to minimize injury should he take a swipe at the dogs. My cats have always aimed for the eyes when lashing out

I keep Tiggers litterbox in the basement and installed a cat flap on the door. We just moved so it took about a week before we could move it down there. First day located box near front door, second day moved it down the hall, third day in front of basement door then finally into the basement. Cats are pretty smart so they figure it out quickly what you're doing.

Tigger's food and water I keep up high at counter level. I've always free fed dry kibble. As for the brand, Costco's Kirkland Maintenance cat food, which may or may not agree with J.D. I tried to switch Tigger to a higher quality food but it gave him severe digestive issues even though I did the proper gradual transitioning. After speaking with my vet I learned that higher quality may be great for some cats but was not ok for my Tigger. He's 12 now and doing great on his inexpensive Costco food . Every morning and sometimes evening too I give Tigger and our dog a fresh meat treat. Either a half slice of deli meat, teaspoon of tuna, diced up piece of steak, whatever we have on hand. It's just an extra but gets both kitty and dog sitting together sharing a treat which I though helped in the socialization. Truth be told it's really fun time for me as they get along fine after five years together

[Longblades]

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/pdf...ma.231.11.1665
Determining the optimal age for gonadectomy of dogs and cats,
Margaret V. Root Kustritz, dvm, phd, dact

Called my ISP and there was a wrong setting in my router. My ISP is really good at helping with problems that are, strictly speaking, not theirs, but impact their service to me. I did not buy the router from them but they help me with it anyway.

Now I get a max of 4.67 download and 0.68 upload and that's enough for me to do the things I do. Neighbours this week are talking about upgrading to fibre otpics and speeds of 50 but they must be downloading movies and gamed to need that much speed.

Most of us are using Bell Canada phone lines here, no matter who our ISP is, and they are supposed to be dedicated to each phone line. Unless someone nearby knows your router password you should not be sharing with anyone. There is no cable here in our rural area and wireless internet providers are really expensive. I am still affected by weather though as apparently our lines are old and in wind or rain, sometime snow, they falter. Not usually enough to put the phones out but enough to cut the internet off, which I don't understand, but there it is.

[hazelrunpack]

Thanks for the article, Longblades! Very informative! Had no idea that sexually intact male cats could be dangerous! I suppose, considering how feral toms fight, that shouldn't have surprised me. So, once JD is healthy, I guess it's time...

Our max download is listed as 3.0, and we used to get about 2.92 download and .5 upload, but everyone shares the same line out here--we've got a very small market here of about 45 homes and the two bars. No cell signal, so anyone using a smart phone has to get close enough to the taverns to use the WiFi. And when we get the weekend crowds down at the campground, well, the signal gets spread pretty thin. Bah. We've all been calling and complaining but all they can offer is a $5/month rebate for a year, so a one-time credit of $60. Not sure if they'll renew that after the year is up or not--but they have no plans to upgrade out here for at least that first year.

[hazelrunpack]

Originally Posted by Lynne&Co.

It sounds like your dogs are coping well with the arrival of J.D. I've always had a resident cat and brought in new dogs so the reverse of your situation. Try to keep J.D.'s nails clipped if you can to minimize injury should he take a swipe at the dogs. My cats have always aimed for the eyes when lashing out

We're fortunate in that JD seems totally dog proof! And 4 of the dogs seem Even with Cass and Brier barking at him while he was in his kennel eating dinner (and they were close enough so the breath of their barks was ruffling JD's fur ), he didn't bat an eyelash. He seems to trust them implicitly, which isn't necessarily a good thing--I would like for him to defend himself if Brier gets reactive (Brier seems to appreciate a show of force and will) but I worry that he'd be dead before he recognized the need to use the claws. Yesterday, Brier redirected at Cass, pinned her and started 'savaging' her scruff. It looked vicious, but she didn't squeal and he left no marks, and broke off when I touched him, so he pulled his punches--but it's that reactivity that worries us. If he should ever redirect at JD, JD would be dead.

Originally Posted by Lynne&Co.

I keep Tiggers litterbox in the basement and installed a cat flap on the door. We just moved so it took about a week before we could move it down there. First day located box near front door, second day moved it down the hall, third day in front of basement door then finally into the basement. Cats are pretty smart so they figure it out quickly what you're doing.

We're busy thinking of ways to prop doors open, hold them closed, cut holes in them, cut them in half into dutch doors... heheh I like to hear about solutions that work. Except that we have hollow doors, I liked the dutch door idea. But I suspect we'll probably end up going with cat flap arrangements!

Originally Posted by Lynne&Co.

Tigger's food and water I keep up high at counter level. I've always free fed dry kibble. ... Every morning and sometimes evening too I give Tigger and our dog a fresh meat treat. Either a half slice of deli meat, teaspoon of tuna, diced up piece of steak, whatever we have on hand. It's just an extra but gets both kitty and dog sitting together sharing a treat which I though helped in the socialization. Truth be told it's really fun time for me as they get along fine after five years together

I've been putting JD's food up on the back bathroom counter for his upstairs visits. Mostly, though, he's still recovering in the basement (it's an exposed basement so lots of light and a door to the outside so we don't have to come down through the house and risk him getting up amongst the dogs). He's got a terrible URI and although his nose looks better, his eyes are still incredibly gooby and his breaths are labored and snotty sounding. Poor guy... So basically he's living out of a wire dog kennel down there with litter pan, food, water and a cozy bed. Fine for convalescence but we're hoping as he gets better, we can let him out more.

Today's intro session went better than yesterday's. Brier still tried to get reactive with the other dogs while we were doing the meet-and-greet, but I was able to very easily distract him with treats and get him to settle. So no fracas and no take-down today! At one point, JD was on the floor with the other 4 dogs and there was only curiosity on both sides. Someday we're hoping Brier will be able to join the group!

[Longblades]

I have had no fear of danger from any intact male cat. We never used to spay or neuter dogs or cats. They fought with each other, the males, if they didn't know each other. But they were not fighting us. A big 'ol Tomcat is one of the most loving, cuddly things you can imagine. Several of the adult cats we took in here were intact and I was not worried they would claw or bite me one little bit. If they are social, in my experience, they are fine. Your pretty boy you found seems remarkably social.

[hazelrunpack]

Yes, social he is! It's a relief to hear he isn't necessarily going to turn into the cat version of Cujo if we wait a bit to neuter him!

Do you have much trouble with spraying?

This morning Grace (our smallest at 35 lbs) wanted to go see him, so she came with me when I changed his bedding, food, water and cleaned the litter box. I think the two of them might become fast friends. The only time she was a little put off was when JD was getting into her personal space to rub on her face--then she got a little wall-eyed and made a low rumble, so I made JD back off a bit. She was fine the rest of the time, though--because it's apparently OK for Grace to put her face near JD's, just not vice versa!

[Longblades]

I've never had a male cat spray in the house, neutered or not. Till recently all our cats were inside/outside but the live trapped feral male kittens were kept inside till they were bigger and homed and they never did either.

Ironically the only cat we've had spray in the house was a spayed female. We had live trapped her but it was immediately apparent she had probably been dumped and had been a pet. She got inside some quite new luggage and sprayed inside it and we had to throw it out. She sprayed outside too but never again in the house, just that luggage. Must have been something funny about that luggage, maybe she did us a favour.

[hazelrunpack]

That's good to hear about the spraying. So as long as we keep him away from the funky luggage, maybe we'll be okay!

Thanks, Longblades!

[hazelrunpack]

omd, J.D. must be feeling better. He's turning into a wild child! He loves crumpled balls of wax paper and was off exploring the finished basement this morning. He also started trying mouth my fingers and hand but didn't bite down. Not sure how to discourage him from that other than to just remove temptation and distract him with his wax papers...but so far that's working.

He was also dumping his water every time I turned around today. heheh What a brat! I'll have to see about a non-tip water bowl next time I'm in town--and get him one of those feather on a wand toys--I think he'd like that.

[hazelrunpack]

Okay, after a good start to the day, JD was tuckered out and slept most of the afternoon. I woke him up when I gave him his supper and he had a huge sneezy fit and suddenly was blowing bloody snot out of his nose again (that symptom had disappeared 4 to 5 days ago).

Is that normal in a URI, that symptoms recur? Should we not have indulged his desire to play today?

We'll be touching bases with the vet again tomorrow since the only physical symptom that had cleared up has just recurred. Still, JD is feeling playful and is starting to groom again, so maybe all is progressing normally?

[Winston]

OMG am I seeing things....you have a kitty Woo hoo for JD he certainly picked the right family. Although JD must not have figured out that there was an adoption process to go through...he he he...glad he found you!!!

So typical of a stray I would say except the blood re occuring, maybe just a little too rough play until he fully recovers. URI can be a pain in the but!

So many ways to entertain them, waxed paper, foil paper is also good. You can also discourage certain behaviours with tin foil since the dont like the sound of it (unless its crumpled)...if you stretch some out in a long piece and palce it somewhere JD likely wont walk on it.

If you have some old yarm around and you can manage a few crotchets then just crochet a string of yarm and sort of curl it. tie the end and JD will like to throw it or run around with it.

How about a box, have you tried that for entertainment.. Cats love boxes, we used to put one down on the floor and they would be entertained for a while.

Hazel you can pretty much put the litter anywhere you feel comfortable with especially with the dogs. The rule of thumb is if you move it you just pick up JD and walk over to the new spot and put him in it. He will likely jump out but thats your way of telling him here it is.

Damn water bowls, they are demons them bowls sounds pretty typical. You may find he likes tap water, just a fine drip or the dog water bowls.

IF DH is handy maybe he could swing building some type of cat tree...they can be pricey to buy but if you google cat trees there are some pretty amazing things out there.

You may want to pick up some lysene when your out again. If will help him build up some of his immune system:

Here is a quick blurb on lysene

What Is Cat Lysine?
Cat Lysine or L-Lysine for cats is used to treat upper respiratory problems or feline herpes. Not only can it improve their upper respiratory infection (URI) symptoms, but also inflammation of the eyes and conjunctivitis (eye discharge) caused by feline herpes.
Does Your Cat Need Lysine?
L-Lysine is an important dietary supplement for cats because not only does it treat feline herpes but it also helps to prevent the symptoms. Feline herpes is highly contagious amongst cats causing upper respiratory infections and a painful eye discharge called conjunctivitis that can lead to blindness. Feline herpes spreads within cats and cannot spread from cats to humans. Most cats are infected with the feline herpes virus and the infection is lifelong.
Keep in mind, a cat's immune system is able to suppress feline herpes up to a certain point. A cat's life can be filled with stress, illness, fleas, poor diet, extreme temperatures or anything else which can negatively affect their immune system. Thus causing the feline virus symptoms to re-emerge. Since there is no cure for feline herpes, continued Cat L-Lysine supplementation can help fight against the virus and is available without a prescription.
Lysine Can Help & Prevent The Following:
Feline herpes symptoms
Cold sores
Fever blisters
Upper respiratory infections (URI) symptoms
Conjunctivitis (eye discharge, swollen, irritated, red, itchy, dry, cloudy)
Squinting
Sneezing
Sinus congestion or discharge
Throat and mouth sores
Difficulty breathing
Lethargy
Panting


How about some new pics of your new addition....

Hazel did they check JD for FIV, this would be very important to know especially as it is contagious to other cats and it is an issue with the immune system...

How is the rest of the pack doing.


P.S I used a fold up table the was higher than dogs nose height for feeding the kittys and also a litter box at the other end. This way the dogs could eat the cat food and get into the litter box. If this hasnt happened yet then please expect it as they find a way always .......
Cindy

[hazelrunpack]

Hi, Cindy! Thanks for all the good advice! I forgot about the L-Lysine...will have to get some. Would that be available at PetSmart or PetCo, do you know? I have to update the vet again tomorrow, and maybe they'll have more advice. Aren't URIs usually viral? I was surprised that JD got antibiotics--my understanding is that antibiotics don't work on viruses. Maybe the antibiotics are to prevent it from developing into bacterial pneumonia?

JD was negative for FIV and FeLV. Also for parasites and heartworm. He didn't even have any ticks on him! My feeling is that he was very recently dumped --probably not more than 2 days before he found us.

I'll have to crochet up a toy for him! That's a great idea!

He's taken to mouthing my hand lately. I'm hoping that's a sign of affection and not the hidden lion coming out!

The rest of the Pack is doing well. Brier is still being an ass around JD--but he's always been reactive with new things. We're still hoping he'll come around. Cass was a surprise--her mother was a cat chaser/killer I've heard, but Cass is a cat-motherer. She tries to lick JD's face clean whenever she's with him! It's very sweet!

And as for pics....well, your wish is my command!

Enjoying a sunbeam:


Sitting in the window:

[Longblades]

I will comment on the mouthing. Some cats will give you love bites and some will give you a gentle warning if you are touching them in a way they don't like. It can be hard to tell the difference as they can escalate in their love and bite a bit too hard. On the other hand if you persist in touching them a way they don't like (a cat new to you might be leery of having tummy and feet touched) they might also bite a little harder next time. Can you remember what you have been doing each time?

[hazelrunpack]

Sometimes I've been petting his sides or back. Most of the time he's just been lying in my arms. This morning I think it was both--he was in my arms and I was either petting his back or rubbing his hip lightly with my thumb. Generally if he starts, I stop doing whatever I'm doing and see if it stops. Usually it does. If it doesn't, I distract him with his toys. So far, it hasn't escalated. And so far, he hasn't broken the skin with a tooth or even scraped me with a nail. I'm hoping that part of it continues!

[Lynne&Co.]

Oh JD is stunning! Love the sunbeam side shot
My Tigger will mouth when he's had enough or sometimes just cuz Cats are so very different than dogs and can have a naughty sense of humour
Tigger will rub up against me purring and I pet and cuddle him and he loves the attention however once in a while he'll suddenly turn and nip. No warning just an occasional nip to keep me in line I guess

[growler~GateKeeper]

JD is adorable he certainly picked the right house

[hazelrunpack]

We're pretty happy he picked us, g~GK!

Lynne, I bought over $100 of cat supplies yesterday, most of which were cat toys. Also, this morning I gave him the freedom of the finished basement even if no one was around (prior to this, he had to be in his kennel if unattended). So today he was pretty tuckered by the afternoon and seemed much more content! Not so much mouthing--so maybe he was just bored before?

Today he got his first needle--the 3-in-1 combo. I hope it doesn't make him too cranky! I was going to attempt to clip his nails tonight, but decided to let the vet do it one more time before taking the plunge!

[hazelrunpack]

JD really likes to watch the birds...so he fits right in here:


When he's not watching birds, he likes to torment the dogs:


"Wuh?! No, honest, Ma! We ain't doin' nuttin'!"

[Barkingdog]

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals...unication.html


this tell how to read cat's body language .

I love the photos of your dogs watching JD !

[hazelrunpack]

Thanks for the link, Barkingdog!

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

Today he got his first needle--the 3-in-1 combo. I hope it doesn't make him too cranky!

I think all the excitement and meds made him sick. He was okay when he first got home--happy to see the dogs and play with his toys, peed, pooped, drank water, ate. But just about an hour ago he threw up a bunch of food, then sat in his litter box and cried like it hurt to go or like he couldn't go and then he went over to his paper bag and peed on it. Made me sad. After that he settled pretty well in my lap and went to sleep while I was waiting for a call-back from the vet (yes, I called them right away to see if that was a by-product of the shots and excitement or something more serious...cuz I'm a nervous mom and a first-time cat owner, don't ya know ).

Vet says it's probably just the shot kicking in and all the excitement and we should watch him over night If he gets worse or if he's not better in the morning, we're to call back. *sigh* A whole new set of ailments to learn about!