Withdrawn older cat
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| Mon, 06-13-2005 - 10:45am |
I rescued an older feline back this past December. It appeared as though she had been abandoned or possibly just put out. I knew from the way she acted that she was not use to being outdoors. I brought her into our home at that time do to the cold temps. I already had 3 other rescue cats. I took her to the vet and had her checked out and had her shots. She was already fixed. We have now had her (Inky) 7 months. In those 7 months I have seen very little improvement from when we first got her. She does sleep in her own bed now in my daughters old room, which is an improvement over sleeping under the bed for months. She does tend to go back under the bed from time to time when she gets startled. She just doesn't socialize with the family like the others do. At times if I'm sitting in the living room she will come out and sit down on the floor next to me. She doesn't get around much either. My husband thinks perhaps she has arthritis. She sleeps alot and when she is up she will walk to the food bowls and then right after that lie back down either on the floor or go back to her room. My concern is not just the fact that she doesn't seem to be happy but also she has started defecating outside the litter boxes. I am fanatical when it comes to their boxes being clean so I know its not that they are dirty. I had thought that perhaps it was one of the other cats startling her while she is in the box. Yes, I'm sure that its this one because when she was first brought in the house we had her isolated till she was vet checked. She had a couple of accidents then. But they are becoming more frequent. I just don't know what to do. She just seems so withdrawn most of the time. My other 4 are playful and very social. And one of those is 8 years old. He still runs the house sometimes like a kitten. I've worked in animal rescue and also a no kill shelter so any thoughts I have of putting Inky to sleep brings me a lot of guilt. I would appreciate any advice.
Kat

Hi Kat,
First of all, it sounds like you had the defecation problem checked out by the vet but if I misread that and you didn't have that particular problem looked at then I'd recommend another vet visit.
Assuming you did, how many litterboxes do you
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Thanks Rena. No I didn't have that problem checked with the vet because when I took her in she had not been inside with us for just a few days. In that time there were no potty problems. Even now she doesn't do it all the time. I have 3 large covered boxes, and yes they are close together. This morning before I posted and got your reply I put another open box in the room. I never thought about them being too close together and her not having her own territory, since I've not had this problem with my others. Definitely could be the problem. I use to have the box in the room she is in, but I didn't really want to keep it in there because that is our "guest" room, though at the moment Inky is the only guest. ;o) I just felt if the room had to be used in the future for company I wanted her to get use to having her potty in another room. But I will take the open box and move it away from the others. I'll see if that helps. Having worked around feral cats in the shelter she doesn't appear to be feral. I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing she was either put out, or left behind. There are ferals in our neighborhood and they won't even come near me. Inky was not like that after a short period of time (when she was still outside) she warmed right up to me and even would sit in my lap for short periods of time. Unfortunately she seems to have been "someone's" cat that wasn't given a whole lot of attention, perhaps they worked all day. Hard to tell.
I'm going to give the litter box idea a try and see how that works. I appreciate both quick responses. If changing the boxes doesn't help then the vet will be next.
Can they be depressed? I feel so sorry for her. I wonder so often what her life was like before we took her. Was she really attached to a family that moved and just left her or what. Working in the shelter (felines only) I saw what they go through after being in a family and then uprooted and left at a shelter. I'm not sure of your background in this area but it will tear your heart out to see what these animals go through. That is how I ended up with 5. My latest was a kitten of 3 weeks old left in our boat on Mothers Day.
This is my limit though. I have a girlfriend who has been in rescue work for 20+ years and as she tells me, "You can't save them all." It's hard though.
I better stop now, I could go on and on with this passion.
Thanks again,
Kat
Welcome to the board Slim_trp7kat.
It was so nice of you to give Inky a good home. And it does sound like she was being affectionate to you, sitting on your lap sometimes. I totally agree with the advice Rena and Cat gave you about having a vet check her in terms of her inappropriate elimination and lethargy. It very well could be medical, and hopefully easily resolved. I also agree about the litter boxes in different locations, with escape routes. Beyond that, I would recommend doing a little bit of daily interactive play with Inky, with a toy like a feather attached to a fishing pole or the cat dancer toy. Even a few minutes a day of interactive play will really help to build a closer rappor between you and Inky and help her build confidence in the household.
Cynthia
Thanks Cat & Cynthia. Wow its so nice to get such quick responses. Cynthia, I have tried many times to get her to play with just the type of toys you mentioned and she isn't the least bit interested. I wonder if the poor girl ever played with toys. One thing she does, when she gets off the futon in our guest room (her bed is on it) she will come out into the living room and if there is a stuffed kitty toy on the floor she goes and lies next to it. Yesterday I bought her a soft teddybear to put in her bed with her. I will get her into the vet as well. Unfortunately it will have to wait till at least next month. I have Sierra who is due for her shots. Rescued her 2 years ago. A lady in our neighborhood moved out and left her on her porch with a bag of food and litter box. She was around 4 months old. Nice neighborhood huh? I have to stagger the vet visits so it doesn't hit me all at one time. Another reason that 5 has to be my limit. No more than I can afford to take care of. Our latest, Spanky, who was around 3 weeks old when his momma decided I needed a Mothers Day gift, which makes him around 2 months now. How old do they have to be to get there first shots?
My kid-ty family consists of:
Zorro, 8 years old. Daughter brought him home. He started the feline love affair.
Sierra, 2 years old. Abandoned in our neighborhood.
Heart, 3 years old. Rescued her from the shelter I worked at.
Inky, 9+ years old. Not sure how she became homeless.
Spanky, 2 months old. His mother left him in our boat on Mothers Day.
Wow! I can't believe I have 5 furry children. LOL Working in a shelter changes the way you look at these animals.
Hi Kat.
Thank you Leslie for the welcome.
Where do you ladies get your beautiful....are they called Siggies? Anyway the pretty pictures with your name.
I also feed 4 ferals, or as I affectionately refer to them, "my orphans".
Kat
You're welcome.
Kat, I take care of ferals as well.
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