What can I do for my troubled cat?

Post Reply New Topic

First, I found this online:

My wife and I have an 8-year-old female tiger cat left in our care while she was still a kitten. She had been lost or abandoned at birth and was found in a pile of sawdust under a large table saw at the end of a work day where my son-in-law works. This cat was completely silent for at least her first year, and we all speculated she might have been deafened by the extreme noise of that saw. Her name? My wife and I just call her “Cat” or “Kitty” or “Little Kitty”. She has never been outdoors and has never spent any great amount of time around any other cats.

Until just recently, she would occasionally seek attention, especially from me, but spent most of her time alone. She has always seemed to be afraid of just about everything, and I have made a concerted effort over a long period of time to let her know she is safe with me ... and now it seems there is no way to give her enough attention to satisfy her requests/demands/need for same. When I go outside to smoke, she often comes to the door and waits for me or even cries a bit and scratches at the door until I come back inside ... and then she will cry for attention – her dishes are full – and even lay down and block my path to try to get some.

She and I play together often by “boxing” a bit or gently slapping paws/hands. She will occasionally come and jump into my lap when I call her to do so, and I can occasionally pick her up and place her there. However, she will not stay for long before jumping out and running off, and sometimes she will hiss and even snap (bite) at me before running away.

She has recently picked up an infestation of small bugs, possibly fleas, here in Louisiana, and there is no way we could possibly keep her still to apply anything to kill them. She could really benefit from an overall grooming, but she would have to be sedated for anything like that. My wife and I are planning to talk with a veterinarian today to see what someone might be able and willing to do for her ...

Any suggestions here?

There are fast and easy flea treatments. With Frontline, I think you just draw a little stripe with a small squeezy tube between her scapulae.

I thank you for that info! My wife has gone to talk with a veterinarian, and it looks like Frontline should be available there ... and I will check further into that if she comes back empty-handed.

Edit: The Frontline site shows four recommended places for getting help right here in this town where I live.

It worked very well when I had outdoor cats. My two current kitties only stay indoors, so there isn't much need for that.
I hope that your cat can be comfortable again soon

She's a naughty cat with a bad habit, bad habit for drugs.

Naw, just a little infestation. Gosh, you get a few fleas and the world thinks you are a junkie.

Well, in another day-and-a-half she is going to be loopy. My wife came back from the vet's office with a price, then after we talked a bit she called them and made an appointment. Our old "Little Kitty" I sometimes also call "Wide-Bodied Cat" will be sedated so she can be washed and have her hair clipped along with everything being examined and treated as necessary, and we will go help her safely float back home in the afternoon on that same day.

My male cat Noodles has a nasty case of feline ocular herpes. It's a nightmare putting in three eyedrops three times a day. He is the son of a "feral" cat, and has some wild tendencies..

oh woww
how did your cat get herpes in his eyes though ?

anyway, my answer is catnip

I can very easily believe that. If this cat sees anything whatsoever in either of my hands she will keep her distance and even hiss and swat if I reach for her. So, now someone can finally get a collar on her while she is sedated!

We bought those safety collars for our cats but they are too clever. They rub up against lamps and stuff until the collars click open and fall off.

Yeah, we decided to just continue keeping her inside ... but now I need any additional insight of advice anyone here might have to offer.

We took her to the vet where she was sedated and washed and her hair was cut short (and her teeth were cleaned), and all of that got rid of the fleas. It then took her two days to get over the sedation and begin eating again ... and all seemed well until yesterday ...

She has in the past occasionally come running madly out and away from her litter box while dropping chunks on the floor along her way through the house, and we have never been able to figure out what might have spooked her into doing that. There have been other times when she has just not used the litter box at all, but we know that was because it needed cleaning. So ...

Yesterday she was laying quietly in my lap when she suddenly jumped away and began one of her mad dashes through the house while occasionally stopping to squat and eventually ending up hiding under our bed with a chunk somehow still stuck to the hair on her rump. Then on top of that erratic behaviour, she has now scratched a raw spot in the middle of her back and we cannot keep a bandage on it so it can heal.

My wife and I cannot afford to take this cat back to the vet or for therapy, and I think her age is behind her behaviour that is only going to get worse and that means it is time to put her down. I know some people will say I am horrible for even considering that, but what else can we do with or for a troubled feral cat?

She may be having an allergic reaction of some kind.
It will not be horrible if you put her down. Sometimes, as hard as it is, it is something that must be done occasionally. You obviously can not live with the behavior problems for the next 4 to 8 years.

She'll likely need a worm tablet in her food too.

Fleas can kill a cat, an outside stray cared for by my neighbour died recently from fleas....

spent long hours volunteering in animal shelters, so trust me. kittens not handled by humans will 99.9% of the time turn feral. feral is the correct term. 'cats' are still close to their ancestors and quick to have instinct overtake them. not like dogs as dogs are essentially 'created by man', although dogs left to themselves will sometime be taken over by the 'wolf' that inhabits all dogs.

could be having an adverse reaction to frontline. frontline is first choice for longterm control of fleas/ticks. other meds available from your vet, cost equal or more than frontline. treatments available in over-the-counter stores, like wal mart, are generally useless and sometimes dangerous. absolute no. 1 reason for cats not using litter-box is urinary tract infection. treatment available from your vet. litter box must be kept clean-no excuse. you could try a different kind of litter. sometimes fine (beach) sand works great.

if expense is too great, you must do what is difficult for you. 8 is young for an indoor only adult cat. 20-25 year old cats are not uncommon. please do not drop her off in the boonies or something. any animal shelter you might leave her at ,kill or no-kill, will almost certainly put her down immediately. i have put down many cats, mostly mangled by cars, tortured by kids and what i fear, some people on this site (visit peta sucks-- news and current events). etc. it can be done peacefully, quickly, and without pain. keep in mind that the average life span of feral cats is 3 to 4 years. about 2-3 million cats were put down in u.s.a. shelters last year. good luck and thanks for loving this cat.

This helped me when my cat wouldn't cooperate.