Cat experts! Help needed (update on abandoned cat)

[bmccasland]

Nancielle,
Hope your new kitty is settling in. I wound up buying Dr. Esley's Cat Attract kitty litter for one of my litter finicky kitties. Now I use "precious cat" (also a Dr. Esley product) - both of which were recommended on some other thread here on TE. There's also a bottle of the attract herb stuff you can sprinkle on your existing litter.

Maybe as things settle down, your new friend will feel more at home, nice and secure. It didn't take very long for the semi-feral kitty that I adopted to figure out that meals were served regularily, my only problem was that he liked it better outside, and wanted me to join him out there, no matter what the weather.

[nancielle]

Thanks again for all your comments & suggestions.

I think the fact that despite taking in Brat Cat (aka Hunter aka Widget), who was a known entity to me prior to my taking him in, I'm still pretty cat illiterate. The TNR program who helped me with Shadow had noted that he didn't use the litter box when he stayed at a volunteer's place the night before surgery (Thursday), nor when he got back to the volunteer's place after surgery (Friday night). He had peed on her floors Friday night and Saturday morning. He peed in his carrier on the way back to me (and soiled it on our way home GAK! ) Then peed in the room I set him up in (Thank goodness for Nature's Miracle. If only it were available in handy vat sizes ).

He's set up in my front room. The bathroom has been Hunter's refuge since he moved in so I didn't want to disrupt that and possibly get him spraying again in protest (took months to break that behavior.) Shadow has his litterbox, food and water in there. My computer is also there so I can be online and there are enough "safe spaces" in there where Chloe (dog) can't reach him.

Shadow's picture doesn't really show how skinny he is. If he were to brush up against you or you were to look down at him you can see his spine and ribs. Hunter was underweight when I took him in but not like this. I've got an appointment to bring him to my vet. I will say this, for the small donation they requested of me, the vet that the TNR group used for the neutering did a lot for him (neutering, worming, Feline Leukemia test, FIV test, rabies vac, and a few other things). But I know they brough in a bunch of ferals to be spayed/neutered and there's only so much that can be asked of them.

He's had several stressful days on top of being on the street for so long. I will hang back and let him breathe and sort out his new surroundings. I'm off this week so I can keep an eye on him for any trouble and help him to acclimate. He's asleep in the window behind my computer right now.

Thanks again for all your comments and suggestions. I really appreciate the time you took to respond.

[badger]

did the vet mention how old he/she thought Shadow was? I would ask for a blood panel done when you go see the vet to make sure his kidneys, liver, and thyroid are hunky dory.

Anyways, hopefully he's just skinny from not eating and he's got tons of healthy life ahead of him!

[jessmarimba]

I ended up with a stray through craigslist that someone else had taken in but couldn't keep. She was bone-thin and never gained any weight - and it wasn't for lack of eating (even though she was blind she would push my other cat out of the food bowls, and the other cat just sat and took it). Hopefully Shadow will start eating again soon, but he may just have a weird metabolism from being in the wild for awhile.

[alexis_the_tiny]

There's an old trick of using soiled cat litter in a litter box to let the cat know what exactly the box is for. Of course, you'd want to use his own pee and poop to soil the litter in the box. Its a bit disgusting but you can try it out and see whether it works. Maybe he's just not sure what the litter box is for.

[Owlie]

He's a lovely looking cat, and I'm not really a cat person. Hopefully he and your other cat start getting along and he settles in.

[moonfroggy]

i have a cat who won't use a box that is totally clean. took him to the vet once and he refused to use the litter box they had or to go anyplace else and held it in for 36 hours! poor guy! i guess it is good that he doesn't go other places but i have needed to collect a clean specimen of his pee for testing a few times and it was tricky.

anyhow hope your shadow turns out to just be skinny from being outside so long. worms can cause that and is easy to treat and that he gets used to using the box. such a pretty cat.

[badger]

ha, I actually had that exact problem 3 weeks ago when I needed my cat's urine sample to check that his kidneys are ok.

They gave me those non-absorbing pellets, and I had to lock him up in the bathroom as I have another cat. Came home from work: nothing. Back up plan was to take him to the spca with me that night as I was going there already to volunteer, but the vet couldn't get a sample via syringe as he's *ahem* a little on the fat side. Came home and locked him up again for a few hours: nothing. Long and short, he did eventually pee, but he held it in for well over 24 hours.

[Biciclista]

my vet gave my cat a mild sedative to get her urine. can't hold your bladder when you're doped up.

[lisathew8lifter]

Thanks again for all your comments & suggestions.
Shadow's picture doesn't really show how skinny he is. If he were to brush up against you or you were to look down at him you can see his spine and ribs. Hunter was underweight when I took him in but not like this. I've got an appointment to bring him to my vet. I will say this, for the small donation they requested of me, the vet that the TNR group used for the neutering did a lot for him (neutering, worming, Feline Leukemia test, FIV test, rabies vac, and a few other things). But I know they brough in a bunch of ferals to be spayed/neutered and there's only so much that can be asked of them.

hi nancielle, how did your appt go with shadow? i'm hoping well. you got a lot of good feedback here and i am hoping he's just under nourished and its not kidneys or diabetes. IF it is, i have a feeling that Shadow is the luckiest guy on earth that he found such a caring home. You definitely seem like the type of person that takes care of their pets. I love fellow pet people!

[nancielle]

hi nancielle, how did your appt go with shadow? i'm hoping well. you got a lot of good feedback here and i am hoping he's just under nourished and its not kidneys or diabetes. IF it is, i have a feeling that Shadow is the luckiest guy on earth that he found such a caring home. You definitely seem like the type of person that takes care of their pets. I love fellow pet people!

No underlying issues (kidneys or diabetes), he just hasn't had regular feedings. He snagged a piece of chicken I had prepared for me (no bones) and just went to town on it. He's been eating and drinking (much less drinking than when he came home, thankfully) and appears to be getting the hang of the litter box after some accidents.

He's still very skinny but as long as he's eating regularly I think he should be ok.

He got out of the apartment yesterday when some people came over. Couldn't find him anywhere (where could he get to so quickly?!) When I went to take Chloe out for her before dinner walk there he was, sitting by the back door, waiting to be let in.

Here he is during one of his trips out of "his" room taking a snooze in one of the bathroom windows.

[lisathew8lifter]

wow he is a pretty kitty. hard to believe no one is missing him! i know i would! again, i will say he's one lucky guy to have come to your door. i have four but it would be hard to resist a walk up like Shadow!

[marni]

well of course he was sitting outside the door. He knows where the chicken lives now.

glad he is safe and doing well.

marni

[smilingcat]

Gorgeous cat!!

He knows where home is.

[bcipam]

One of the recent issues of Cat Fancy discussed problems with litter boxes. I have been lucky but apparently there are a million reasons cats won't use a box. It is a cat's natural instinct to bury pee and poo so if a source is offered, they should figure it out. CF recommended a large litter box (so the cat is not cramped) - like a sweater storage container, lots of litter to dig in and someplace where the cat feels safe. If the cat feels it can be cornered, it may not use the box. I actually have a cover on my litter box but I've turned the entrace away from sight from people and the cat can look out the sliding glass door but no where can get behind him when he digs. Of course there is the issue of having clean fresh litter (which most cats prefer) and litter that is not irritating. Also make sure to properly clean up spillage with Nature's Remedy or something like that. If the cat smells the pee on the floor he may continue to use that spot.

Thanks for taking him in - it's a good thing you do!