Recently adopted a stray cat...

[DeesBalls]

so few days ago i adotped a stray cat that got dropped off from some one. i took it in (well, it stayes outside since my fiance is highly allergic to cats, and i live with inlaws, so its not my house)

any way it seems to have some sort of cold, or respitory infection... i thought it was distemper, but he doesnt have all the symptons, one being increased appitite..

any adive would be great, if i can it back to good health it will be my outside kitty...

thanks!

[NennaMeerkat]

Cats are notorious for getting URI (upper respiratory infection) and they aren't always easy to get rid of. In fact I have lose two cats when I was younger because of it even though they were eating and drinking normally. Since it is a stray and you don't know its history I would suggest going to a local vet to get it checked out. When a cat start showing signs of sickness it usually means it is pretty bad. Most cats will not show illness at the drop of a hat like most animals might.

[DeesBalls]

that what I was thinking. I'll see if I can get it in... if it is sick, and does pass on me, least if was fed and warm during his last days....

[NennaMeerkat]

It is a brave thing to rescue a stray, especially a cat. We had a momma stray that we took in to make sure she had a safe place for her babies. Then about 3 weeks after the kittens were born we took the whole lot to a humane shelter. Ended up the whole lot were sick and we had to decontaminate the shed we were housing her in.

BTW not sure if cats can get distemper but I want to say that is a canine illness only.

[DeesBalls]

yea, i know, its acutally called pnulukemia(sp).

here is the link i was reading...http://http://www.cat-illnesses.com/feline-distemper/

there has been no vomiting or diarehea, shes been eating a lil bit and drinking alot of wate...

like i said, shes staying outside away from dogs and snakes (although you cant spread from feline to canine)

we will see what happends!

[NennaMeerkat]

Usually if a cat drinks a lot of water it does mean something is wrong. Especially if she is drinking more than eating. Please keep me posted would like to hear what happens, positive or negative.

[DeesBalls]

That what I'm sacred of, will keep you all updated.

[DeesBalls]

UPDATE:

so it has been going on 2 months since ive adopted this lil kitten, named... kitters by my fiancee.

we go him to live in the garage with blankets/sheets cat box, food and water... i also have an old 10 gal tank out there with aspen bedding and i turned it on its side, and he lays in there alot!!

so far i think he is healthy, i hear a few sneezes and a cough, but i think that is just due to the weather, if he had what i thought was distemper i would imagine he would of passed by now.

he has been eating fine, and drinking fine.. peeing and poooping fine and is very lovable.

my fiance and i are moving in a month into our own house, but she is dealthy alergic to cats... so if he goes with me, he will be an outside cat, i will get him fixed, but not declawed... i may build a lil cat house tooo for the winter, or maybe move him into the basement for the winter...

well heres the update, now for pics...
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy336/DGilliland22/IMAG0695.jpg
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy336/DGilliland22/IMAG0694.jpg
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy336/DGilliland22/IMAG0692.jpg


Thank you all for looking, and any comments/questions please ask, i am not a cat expert... just dogs lol. im still a novice with snakes as well..

[NennaMeerkat]

can I ask if there is any discharge of any color coming from his eyes...and if so what color? And though this is disgusting you might check to see if his stools are loose or solid. If he is eating dry food they should be solid, if a mix of dry and wet should be somewhat soft but not liquid...

Also male cats have a tendency to roam far a wide. Moving to a new territory for him will either mean that he sticks really close to you or he will disappear. It all depends on the other cats in the area. Getting him fixed will help, but no guarantee. Just want you to be aware of this because I have lost more than one male to the same exact thing. It is one reason why I get girl cats and try and keep them indoors.

[DeesBalls]

can I ask if there is any discharge of any color coming from his eyes...and if so what color? And though this is disgusting you might check to see if his stools are loose or solid. If he is eating dry food they should be solid, if a mix of dry and wet should be somewhat soft but not liquid...

Also male cats have a tendency to roam far a wide. Moving to a new territory for him will either mean that he sticks really close to you or he will disappear. It all depends on the other cats in the area. Getting him fixed will help, but no guarantee. Just want you to be aware of this because I have lost more than one male to the same exact thing. It is one reason why I get girl cats and try and keep them indoors.


yes, there is discharge, and i believe it is clear. the last i noticed it it was back when it was really cold. today when i fed him, ididnt notice any dis charge.

hes eating dry and wet food, his poop is mostly hard, but soft ( normal poop... lol )

also not 100% if it is a female or not, im just saying a male, i looked but it was hard to tell for me for some reason...

[NennaMeerkat]

Seems pretty normal. My cat Gucci has clear to a light brown discharge and usually springs up when her allergies act up. And yay for normal poop. Only thing to watch for now is weight gain. Internal parasites will keep a cat from gaining weight even if they eat a lot. Hope everything continues to go well. He/she is a gorgeous cat.

And if you want to tell for sure if it is a male or female just gonna have to get crude and look for teats or male parts. Most cats don't like the intrusion, but hey if you really really want to know...

[Lankyrob]

Just wanted to pick up onc a comment you made, about declawing?? Are you allowed to declaw cats in the States?? Am pretty sure unless it was a severe medical reason it would be classed as abuse over here.

[DeesBalls]

Yea we can de claw, unless something has changed in the part two months... my mom just got her 2 cats de clawed..

I will see the sex tonight...

I am trying to adopt her/him out, but he may have an internal parasite.. eats a lot, but weight gain is slow..

[Lankyrob]

Is there any benefit to declawing?? We have had cats for the last thirty years and never declawed one yet?

[NennaMeerkat]

It is easy to get a cat dewormed at a vet. Some country vets will give you the meds to do yourself. Usually have to give 2-3 times to really flush the system out.

As for benefits to declawing...only people who have overly destructive cats who refuse to stop tearing up furniture, carpet, or the owners should really get them taken off. Other than that it is laziness to buy what the cat needs to stop the bad behaviors. Not to mention just learning how to trim the claws so they aren't sharp...kinda like you do for a dog.

Want more info? DECLAWING: What You Need to Know (http://www.declawing.com/) is a great place

When you declaw a cat you basically take off the first digit of the paws digit. Really painful and deforms the foot.

[DeesBalls]

Is there any benefit to declawing?? We have had cats for the last thirty years and never declawed one yet?

as stated there isnt, my mom just dont want the to tear up her leather couches.. they have all the scratch posts ans stuff, but better safe than sorry i suppose.

[NennaMeerkat]

They make these rubber caps that go over the cats claws...you glue them in. It is safe for the cat and the furniture.

http://www.pawdigs.com/buzz/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/p-8038-39905-cat.jpg
» Soft Claws – nail caps for dog and cats (http://www.pawdigs.com/buzz/training-obedience/soft-claws-nail-caps-for-dog-and-cats/)

[DeesBalls]

They make these rubber caps that go over the cats claws...you glue them in. It is safe for the cat and the furniture.

http://www.pawdigs.com/buzz/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/p-8038-39905-cat.jpg
» Soft Claws – nail caps for dog and cats (http://www.pawdigs.com/buzz/training-obedience/soft-claws-nail-caps-for-dog-and-cats/)

those are nice! too bad she already got them de clawed...

[Sapphyr]

Nenna is absolutely right. On top of what she said, it can have other life long effects such as back issues, walking changes, etc. My mother has this friend with a declawed cat. Sad thing will sit on its hind legs when idle to avoid the pain of its declawed paws. I'm imagining whoever did it did a sloppy job of it for the pain to last long term. Either that or it has sensitive paws.

Always recommend claw caps instead of declawing. To declaw is just cruel.

[Lankyrob]

To deworm a cat is dead easy - take it as far from the house as possible and feed it some raw pigs liver, my grandad used to do it for all his domestic animals (we dont anymore!!). The cats LOVE liver and wolf it down but ummmm lets say it doesnt stop in their system long!!

[DeesBalls]

Nenna is absolutely right. On top of what she said, it can have other life long effects such as back issues, walking changes, etc. My mother has this friend with a declawed cat. Sad thing will sit on its hind legs when idle to avoid the pain of its declawed paws. I'm imagining whoever did it did a sloppy job of it for the pain to last long term. Either that or it has sensitive paws.

Always recommend claw caps instead of declawing. To declaw is just cruel.

i want to stress that i dont want to argue about this:

but my parents have always declawed their cats, and we never had any problems?? im just saying we havnt experianced it...

but i am against it, just doesnt seem right to take away their defense...

[Lankyrob]

Sorry if questioning brought up the argument! :) Just something i have never heard of happening. Our cats have access to woodland and open fields and the wildlife that goes with that (foxes, badgers etc) i wouldnt want them to be defenceless either and because they have that opportunity to run their claws wear well and they dont tend to be destructive.

[DeesBalls]

Sorry if questioning brought up the argument! :) Just something i have never heard of happening. Our cats have access to woodland and open fields and the wildlife that goes with that (foxes, badgers etc) i wouldnt want them to be defenceless either and because they have that opportunity to run their claws wear well and they dont tend to be destructive.

i dont think it will be like other threads lol. i was just saying i never seen/heard of it being bad and in my experiances never noticed it.

[Sapphyr]

I'm not saying it happens with everyone, but it can have negative effects in some cats, and, sometimes, the effects aren't really noticeable, either.

At any rate, it's not just taking away defenses, but it's essentially cutting off their toes, as well. I just think it's cruel, personally.

[infernalis]

I have had many cats, and I would never declaw one. Personal preference, but nonetheless, not for my pets.

[DeesBalls]

I'm not saying it happens with everyone, but it can have negative effects in some cats, and, sometimes, the effects aren't really noticeable, either.

At any rate, it's not just taking away defenses, but it's essentially cutting off their toes, as well. I just think it's cruel, personally.

I understand what you are saying. That is a good point. Like I said, not my animals, view are my moms, I wouldn't get them de clawed either...

Any way, my kitten seems to be making a coughing sound sometimes. Any idea what that could be?

[marvelfreak]

I need to have my cat de clawed. Then maybe i stop finding dead rabbits and squirrels in my yard. He murder on my black squirrel population.

[Lankyrob]

We get regular supply of dead mice, rabbits, slow worms, birds etc etc etc left either on our bed or on the bedroom floor. Its great to wake up with a dead pigeon on the bed!!