Feral Cat Behavior

It hasn’t been the best time for the Miller Kitties. I had to rush Twirl to the vet today because she developed, virtually overnight, a huge mass under her left ear. With the previous diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, I had a sinking feeling the cancer has returned.

The vet feels I am right, so Twirl has stayed over and will undergo a biopsy tomorrow morning, We will know by Thursday if this is a cancerous tumor or not.

If it is, I see no other choice but to let her go. I can’t see putting her through any discomfort for a cancer that is so aggressive as squamous cell. We rescued her almost a year ago next week. I don’t know if she will make her arrival anniversary date or not. Time will tell

Charlie has rebounded yet again! He is feeling so much better and has his appetite back. The other cats are leaving him alone, it’s as if they know he doesn’t feel well. Tarzan is snuggled against him glad that his buddy is back from his quarantine time upstairs.

No one can tell me what he had- all I know is I am thankful he is still a bright spot of orange in my day.

Charlie spent 24 hours in an oxygen box because his fever did indeed break- but then it also started going sub-normal and he began to have problems breathing.

He is home now and he isn’t much interested in life at the moment. I just gave him my last-shot effort a shot of dex to see if that might jump-start this orange spark-plug. If it doesn’t, then I am out of ideas.

I have been asked to prepare for letting him go. I won’t allow him to suffer- although it is hard to figure out if he is, because he hides pain so well. I have been packing him around in my special sling and he is content to lie in the bottom snuggled close to my heart. He is a bit heavier than the normal newborn kitty that usually occupies the sling, but hey, I need to lose weight anyway. He isn’t eating but he is drinking. I have yet to see him use the litter pan since all this started.

I’m really bummed and don’t know what to do next. My special vet said he is an enigma to be sure, because when he does get sick, he crashes in a major way. I spent most of the night reading the sick journals and tracking his illnesses. It appears he has strong 3 months of no sickness, then inexplicably he crashes.

I can see that he is losing color in his vibrant coat and his mouth is still thick with strings of mucous. He is gurgling, lurching his throat to swallow and there is confirmed fluid in his lungs. Poor Charlie- if the shot doesn’t kick-start him in 24 hours, I will sadly just let him go. It will be the hardest of all decisions to make, but I can’t expect him to deal with this mystery illness just because I love him so much. If he tells me or shows me he wants to give up, I will let him go in peace.

Last night when I got off work, when I walked into the house, I noticed that Charlie was sleeping in an odd way on the couch. He was all balled up in a kitty fetal position and his breathing was off (rapid and shallow.) I could hear him gurgling even though his head was buried in his paws.

I ran over to scoop him up, and I almost dropped him because he was so hot. I grabbed up the rubbing alcohol and some cotton pads and we went upstairs to be alone.

His temperature was 105.2! I started giving him alcohol rubs- rubbing the solution on his ear flaps and footpads. He wouldn’t drink or eat and he was so dehydrated too. I gave him sub-q’s but unfortunately, I kept turning him into a sprinkler because the needle kept poking through.

I was up all night with him giving him lukewarm baths and rubs. His temperature went to 104.2 at 2:00 a.m. and we both slept uneasily through to morning. He was so hot on my chest that it wasn’t necessary to use blankets to keep warm!

In the morning, I called Dr. Vickie and now Charlie has had a shot of dexamethasone, he has been started on zithromax and I am giving him Buspar for pain.

He was eating a little bit this morning, but nothing since then. Not even baby food tempts him. His temperature as of 20 minutes ago was 103.2- he is lethargic and except for one exciting moment when he decided to drink out of the pet fountain, he is getting sub-q’s to keep him hydrated (twice a day.)

Hailey, bless her heart came over and showed me how to give fluids without turning him into a sprinkler, and for her trouble, Charlie almost bit her! Not like him at all.

He has heavy thick discharge coming out of his mouth, brown gunk in his nose and red gunk in his eyes. Because he is an active carrier of felineherpes and calici virus, I am loath to take him to the vet as stress will cause him to get worse.

It is going to be a long night- better go and start the coffee

Tonight, when I was out feeding in the enclosure, Dash allowed me to get close to her and pet her. I felt all the mats on her back, neck and shoulder and knew that I couldn’t put it off any longer. Not able to afford the proper type of clippers to clip off mats- the one I have now gets hot to fast and sputters. I decided to remove the mats from Dash the old-fashioned way; seam ripper, bandage scissors and comb and brush.

Mike isn’t able to hold the cats for me any longer, so I knew I needed help. I placed a call to Hailey and bless her heart, she came over about 7:00 p.m. I had already captured Dash and worked on her mats a bit, but it was difficult to scruff her and de-mat her without getting attacked in the process. Hailey was kind enough to help me, and we alternated between one of us holding Dash as secure as we could, while the other one worked on the huge mats she had.

It wasn’t easy and after an hour, Dash decided she had enough and she bolted all growl and hiss and snarl and leaped for freedom, only to find the chicken wire door in her way. There were a few tense moments where she was clinging to the wire, screaming, growling, snarling and hissing and Dobby who was on the other side decided it would be great fun to climb up and challenge her! They were nose-to-nose and fighting between the wire, when I managed to grab Dash with a towel and get her down after a few moments of struggle.

It took us three hours to remove the mats and I am so ashamed of myself for letting her get to this state. She was so stressed that she pooped on herself, so after all she had endured, she also had to endure a clean-up on her rear. I told Hailey that it would be at least 3 days before Dash would allow me close enough to her again, but that I would make it a point to touch her daily and brush her so that she wouldn’t mat up like this again.

Bless you Hailey for dropping everything and helping me with this feral kitty. Without your help, I would have been hard pressed to get the mats out of her and stay safe at the same time.

Poor Dash, I truly didn’t mean to scare you girl. I was only trying to help you and I know you feel better now than you did this morning.

A starling has made a nest in the knife shop. The area she chose isn’t a low-traffic area. She picked a shelf by the main door behind a tool box. The babies are gone now, fled the nest, flew the coop on to a better more safer place is the hope. There were five to them.

I pulled the chest out this morning to remove the nest as I know that empty bird nests are attractive to the barn cats. I was amazed to find besides feathers, dog hair, & horse hair she also used plastic and a leather and metal post that Mike uses to dry his knives on.

I wish the babies the best of luck in their new life and hope that next year momma decides to go for a more private area of our land to raise her babies.

A hissing cat can be a daunting, formidable creature. When a cat hisses, she draws herself into a crouch low to the ground. Her eyes are riveted on you, wide open as she needs to see what your intentions are going to be.

If her ears are flat, and her tail tucked protectively between her legs, she means business and you best back-off. Your best bet in this situation is to walk away and try again later to make some sort of contact with her. You will know when she is relaxed if you observe her grooming herself (but if she is over-grooming herself, including pulling out clumps of fur) get her to the vet as she is over-stressed or in great pain.

Dash arrived at our home along with four other tuxedo kitties. Found in an abandoned campground in Oregon, the kittens were malnourished and in pretty poor shape. Most worrisome was their refusal to eat any type of canned or dry cat food. Even cat treats were snubbed by these feline friends.

After two days of frustration trying to get them to eat, using every brand known to man on the market today, I hit a wall. I didn’t want to rush them to the vet and risk stressing them out further. But if I didn’t make a dent in the kitty hunger strike, they would all end up with health issues I couldn’t address.

Finally, out of desperation, I decided to serve up a campground meal. Set before the kitties was a campfire buffet fit for any girl scout; raw and cooked hot dog pieces, sliced and cooked potatoes covered in chicken stock, cubed cream cheese, fried chicken, all laid out on a baking sheet before them. One sniff and they inhaled the entire fare! For a few weeks, this became their typical meal, food they were used to finding in waste bins, were now prepared for them unspoiled and untainted. Eventually, I began to mix in wet and dry cat food until the four kitties were eating only cat food with occasional treats thrown into the mix.

They began to gain weight and muscle mass and Dash, at first thought by the vet to be part of the kitten brigade, shot up well ahead of the other three. At the end of a few months it was clear, this kitten was actually an older female, quite possibly the mom-cat. Another vet visit confirmed- Dash was actually a 6 year old female, while the kittens were 7 months old.

Because she arrived here so late in her life, her trust meter when it came to humans was set on low. She trusts no one, even to this day. One of the reasons we call her Dash is because when we come into a room where she is hiding, she dashes out. That coupled with the fact that she has a white dash of color above her mouth, earned her this name. It was a full 8 months before she would allow me to even touch her. It was then I learned that she must have Persian in her, as her coat was matted and thick. It mats every time I even look at her.

When it comes to flea treatment, grooming and medications, Dash and I play the Cat Wrangling Game. I shut down the tunnels to the cat enclosure after making sure she has dashed up the tunnels and is hiding in the house. Then it is a matter of herding her gently into a corner, ignoring her formidable hissing and scooping her up to administer her needs.

Initially, her hiss alarmed me. Making me back-off, letting her have her way no matter how matted she was, or what meds had to be administered. It was through this constant interaction, that I began to understand the hiss- the force field that she used to keep herself safe from me (the predator.) But, I couldn’t let it stop me from helping her.

One afternoon, she was crouched on a low shelf. She was so clearly matted, I knew if I didn’t get the brush and seam ripper (what I use to take out large mats) on her, she was going to become ill quickly. She was in full defensive posture, crouched low, ears flat, tail wasn’t tucked though and her hiss seemed endless.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I shut my eyes slowly and then reached out in her direction with my eyes still shut. With my eyes closed, I lowered the threat of attack she was sure was coming. I touched her silken fur and tried not to tense. I’ve been bit and scratched before by wild kitties and I am still alive, so I kept going.

She allowed me to pet her that day. I was able to gather her in my arms although she was hissing the entire time. I removed several large mats from her beautiful fur and in the end, she lay crouched and trembling in my arms, but she did not attack me!

Today, I am able to approach her and although she stays on guard, she won’t flee- her first indication to me that she understands my touch won’t “hurt” her. The defensive posturing and hissing continues to this day, but now the two of us understand each other. It is the first step towards many of bridging a gap existing because someone (some uncaring fool) hurt her long ago and she won’t forget. She can’t forget.

Cats never remember the good things we do for them. But, if you hurt them either intentionally or unintentionally, they will never forget. They are long to forgive humans too once they have been so traumatized and any human who approaches them, are subject to their fears. The hiss stands as a force field between them and those who might harm them in the future.

Felix is now Tarzan because he currently is the King of the Jungle over here. I had to take him to the vet today as his tummy was so bloated and red. He was red from the middle of his belly to his rear legs and when I stimulated him, he would fuss and cry and kick. He was still eating and pooping and peeing, but he certainly was also telling me something was wrong.

Granted he is young, but I suspected he had tapes. I had to go and make another payment on my sky-high vet bill, so I tucked Tarzan into my jacket and off we went.

Ben was skeptical when I asked him for Droncit. I told him that when Tarzan arrived, he was riddled with fleas and was frantically trying to groom himself. So, Ben did give Tarzan a shot of Droncit. He also said that he felt Tarzan’s digestive system wasn’t working right, so he gave me a tube of BeneBac

By the time we arrived home, Tarzan had pooped and there was a pile of tapes in the middle of it all. Poor Kitty! He is looking so much better. The redness isn’t so pronounced now and only on his rear legs (which could also be urine scald.) His belly that was as hard as a basketball this morning now has more give in it when pressed.

Hopefully, it will be smooth sailing from here on in. I have the word out that he is available for adoption in 5 months- so there is hope he will find a good home in the future.

Tomorrow Eddie is bringing over someone wanting to adopt Shimmer, and I got a promising phone call from someone in North Albany interested in Madison! She is bringing her husband on Saturday to meet Maddie

Pretty well known at the local grocery stores around here, after all, who can ignore a lady who comes into the store every two weeks to buy multiple cans for cat food?

While buying cat food this morning an employee tugged at my sleeve. She wanted to show me what they had found just hours earlier. Someone had left him inside the store, had they done otherwise and left him outside, I doubt he would have survived. It has been bitter cold here.

His name for now is Felix, by all intents and purposes he should be a bottle baby, however circumstances seem to have made him hungry for anything. He is eating every 3 hours a mixture of canned cat food and kmr out of a jar lid warmed up.

Mike has promised he will take over nurse duty when I work, but I think I can take him to work as long as I can get my bosses permission. Forgive the blurry photograph, the dog had licked the camera prior to the shot.

Recently, I had oral surgery, never fun to have a tooth extracted. But afterward, I developed a bad infection at the extraction site, so the dentist prescribed Tramadol. I was told by the pharmacist only two things: take with a lot of water, take with food.

My mouth was so swollen, I couldn’t open it very wide, so I halved the pills and were taking them 2 every 6 hours this way. By the second day, when I woke up, I couldn’t breathe. At first I thought Oliver (my 18 pound cat) was sitting on my chest, but when I tried to sit up, I had pain radiating down my right arm. I fell back thinking “is this it? Am I having a heart attack?” Although the pain remained steady, it didn’t get worse and finally I got up. Oliver was nowhere in sight.

All through the day I was struggling to breathe. I got the hiccups and thought I would die. It was so strange. I finally got off of work and came home and talked to Mike about how I was feeling. He was ready to whisk me off to Urgent Care- but I gave up believing in that place a long time ago.

Instead, I went on Drugs.com and read up on the medication that I was taking. Shame on me- I should have done that FIRST. The side effects of this little white pill are horrendous; shallow breathing, serious breathing problems, rashes with blisters, heart palpatations, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, blurry vision, coma, death. One thing you don’t do is crush or halve the pills because it puts to much of the drug in your system and can cause “serious breathing disorders.” So, how do you stop this from occurring? Believe it or not, I found out from a health professionals, I have to go BACK on the drug, take it correctly and wean myself off it slowly. Baloney!

It has been three days now, and I can sit upright finally without pain. I went off all food and started flushing my system with water. Not sipping it but chugging it like I used to do with beer at beer parties long ago. I still have the pain a bit, but it isn’t as intense and I think I am getting better daily.

The cats have been a comfort and except for Charlie, they seem to accept that for now my chest is no longer a sleeping spot for them. Charlie is Charlie and he is stubborn. He will repeatedly jump on my chest, I am just thankful that he is the smallest kitty of the bunch.

I think in a few days, I will be good to go. I had people at work praying for me. One woman told me the first day I worked after the extraction that i looked so pale she thought I was Casper! She grabbed me the minute I walked in the door, led me to the back room, wrapped her arms around my neck and prayed for me I looked that bad! Kathi even sent me home early because I could barely walk much less bend over.

You know we trust these professionals to do right by us. They give us pills with no consequence to the problems they might create for us. Sometimes pills appear on the market as the “end-all be all” for the problem only to be yanked later as causing major health issues. I wonder why the pharmacist didn’t warn me about ALL the side-effects? Are they that busy in their day that they don’t understand some people need to know about this? The only way I found out about the 48 side effects was by using the Internet. God help me, next time I get a pill from a health professionals, the first thing I am going to do is research the darn thing on drugs.com!