Ash is a kitten, about 3 months old. He lives with us, now. He's a dilute gray classic (whorls, not stripes) Tabby. Technically, he's a neutered male, but we don't talk about that around him. He weighs all of 2ΒΌ lbs. and can't make up his mind about whether he's a long-hair, or a short-hair, because he has both.
We went to Petsmart on Saturday. With the economy around here in a state of disrepair perhaps worse than the roads', there were dozens of "rescue" animals there. We didn't plan to obtain another cat so soon. But he was there and, for various reasons, it's not a bad time. So we brought him home. I wanted to call him "Poopyfoot" because his back leg was coated from a mis-step in his litterbox. Nicole said "No." I suggested "Malodorous." Nicole suggested I think along different lines, although we both seriously considered "Mal." With a nod to Joss Whedon's Serenity.
Unfortunately, he's not well. He wasn't eating much, and left a very watery (with bubbles!), bloody stool in his litterbox this morning. He's been to the Vet. I was afraid he had a runaway gut-bacteria problem (try googling for "campylobactor"). Dr. Morgan thinks it's unlikely because (take note, future kitten-people), "all kittens come with parasites." There are two likely candidates, but we need a stool sample to determine which. He also probably brought fleas into the house, although we found only flea-dirt, no actual fleas, on him. Regardless, every cat gets dosed with Frontline. In any case, either condition is unlikely to persist, and both are easily treated.
We're gradually introducing Ash to the other animals. We placed him in a crate, and allowed Tabby & Ember to wander freely around. We offered all 3 food, so that they'd associate each other with something positive. Tabby ignored him. Ember hissed and stalked around outside the crate, but nothing serious. Ash returned the hissing, but appeared more anxious to join her than to engage in conflict. Not surprising, given that he just left his litter, and the only adult cat he's encountered was his mother. When we bathed him ("Mr. Poopyfoot" needed it), he really didn't like it. Ember came running to investigate. Far from being aggressive toward the diminutive interloper, she appeared genuinely concerned that he was OK. She didn't interfere, though. When we repeated the crate operation tonight, Ember stayed in the next room. Perhaps because India was allowed in. Ash is much less patient with India than is Ember. Whenever the dog got too close, Ash took a swipe at her.
Tabby's declining to eat, again. Tabby had 2 courses of Zeniquin, then urinalysis. The urine sample returned negative -- no evidence of infection. Dr. Morgan decided, and I completely concur, that her kidneys have degraded to the point where her urine is simply insufficiently acid to prevent bacterial infection. We believe, therefore, that her current state is confirmatory evidence of recurrent urinary-tract-infection. She's started another course of Zeniquin, and will be receiving it daily for the remainder of her life. The plan is to keep her comfortable for as long as possible, and make "as long as possible" last as long as possible.
We went to Petsmart on Saturday. With the economy around here in a state of disrepair perhaps worse than the roads', there were dozens of "rescue" animals there. We didn't plan to obtain another cat so soon. But he was there and, for various reasons, it's not a bad time. So we brought him home. I wanted to call him "Poopyfoot" because his back leg was coated from a mis-step in his litterbox. Nicole said "No." I suggested "Malodorous." Nicole suggested I think along different lines, although we both seriously considered "Mal." With a nod to Joss Whedon's Serenity.
Unfortunately, he's not well. He wasn't eating much, and left a very watery (with bubbles!), bloody stool in his litterbox this morning. He's been to the Vet. I was afraid he had a runaway gut-bacteria problem (try googling for "campylobactor"). Dr. Morgan thinks it's unlikely because (take note, future kitten-people), "all kittens come with parasites." There are two likely candidates, but we need a stool sample to determine which. He also probably brought fleas into the house, although we found only flea-dirt, no actual fleas, on him. Regardless, every cat gets dosed with Frontline. In any case, either condition is unlikely to persist, and both are easily treated.
We're gradually introducing Ash to the other animals. We placed him in a crate, and allowed Tabby & Ember to wander freely around. We offered all 3 food, so that they'd associate each other with something positive. Tabby ignored him. Ember hissed and stalked around outside the crate, but nothing serious. Ash returned the hissing, but appeared more anxious to join her than to engage in conflict. Not surprising, given that he just left his litter, and the only adult cat he's encountered was his mother. When we bathed him ("Mr. Poopyfoot" needed it), he really didn't like it. Ember came running to investigate. Far from being aggressive toward the diminutive interloper, she appeared genuinely concerned that he was OK. She didn't interfere, though. When we repeated the crate operation tonight, Ember stayed in the next room. Perhaps because India was allowed in. Ash is much less patient with India than is Ember. Whenever the dog got too close, Ash took a swipe at her.
Tabby's declining to eat, again. Tabby had 2 courses of Zeniquin, then urinalysis. The urine sample returned negative -- no evidence of infection. Dr. Morgan decided, and I completely concur, that her kidneys have degraded to the point where her urine is simply insufficiently acid to prevent bacterial infection. We believe, therefore, that her current state is confirmatory evidence of recurrent urinary-tract-infection. She's started another course of Zeniquin, and will be receiving it daily for the remainder of her life. The plan is to keep her comfortable for as long as possible, and make "as long as possible" last as long as possible.
