Cats, cats, cats
Comments
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We adopted a special needs cat. She is about 4 and has been shuffled from pillar to post. She suffers from anxiety disorder and chews her fur off then scratches herself raw. So here we are, Billie chewing and scratching and me biting my nails :-) Fellow travellers? She is settling in quite nicely and the raw neck she had is cleared up. She still scratches like mad on her e-collar, but each day gets better. We want her fur to grow back a bit before we take it off to offer some protection should she start up again. She has turned into a total snuggle bug at night.
I found her in the bathroom sink the other day!
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Elderberry, you might want to consider a very low dose of gabapentin for her anxiety. It is prescribed by a vet. I was shocked when I hear of prescribing gabapentin for cats and dogs but it helps very much. Bless you for adopting a special needs kitty - it is so kind of you.
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cowgirl13: yes, we have some gabapentin but her anxiety level is way down now and doesn't need to be dosed . She is quite relaxed most of the time, sleeps really deeply. Maybe the best sleeps she has had in years. We play with one of those feathered things on a string on wand toys ever day. Now it seems to be more irritated skin as the rawness heals over, perhaps she may also have an allergy that was never addressed. She has an appointment with a pet dermatologist next month.
We thought our dear Aelfric would be our last cat but after 6 months our house just didn't feel like a home without a cat.
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@elderberry I am going to through this thought out for you. We got a foster dog last fall and around the same time science diet came out with a new variety of food made with fish. I have always fed my cats science diet chicken. I decided to switch to fish. My two girl tabbies. A few months later started licking and losing fur. We had no explanation for it until my daughter suggest I stop the fish. Both of them have stopped itching and their fur is coming back. I have also been told chicken can do the same thing in some cats. My one cat is feral and refuses to be handled. Kept her to nurse her babies after trapping her to be neutered and she refuses to leave. I showed the vet a picture and told him if removing fish didn't work he said he could give me a prescription for gabapentin. It helps with itching in cats.
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brutersmom: The dermatologist will likely do a "patch test" for environmental allergens, like dust mites. Then it will be seeing if there is a food that triggers it and do an elimination diet. Years ago we had a cat who had hot spots. For a few years she lived on lamb and brown rice and then was able to go back to regular food.
Billie has been with us about a month and a bit. The first weeks she totally hid behind and under the couch and only came out to eat after we went to bed. She is making great strides in sitting with us on the couch, sleeping with us, playing. Food? She likes Purina ONE kibble, and turkey pates. She is a grazer which means wet food sits out and gets all yucky. So we give her little scoops over the course of a day. Not fond of fish. Right now it is just wishing we had a quick fix
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Bless you for adopting a special needs cat and providing probably the first safe environment it has known.
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@elderberry hope you figure it out soon. Poor kitty. I am glad she is settling. I have a 14.5 year old foster dog with kidney stones, bladder stones, testicular cancer, rotted teeth andhis fur was short and thin. When he came back to us after 6 or 7 years we didn't think he would live long. We have him on arthritis and pain meds. Started giving him a high quality food. He loves lamb and beef. His hair is now long and curly. He runs around. Plays with my cats. His previous owner was an elderly lady who started having medical issues and I think he was neglected. Poor baby. He is a happy little guy.
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Has anyone else experienced this with one of their cats. My girls Grace and Princess like to lay on our bed to get a rest from their doggie brother Nugget. Hubby and I got a new bed recently and it was delivered on Saturday because our old bed we bought before we got married, so it was 20 years old and falling apart. Grace flatly refused to go anywhere near the new bed until yesterday when I took a few treats for her and Princess and put them on the new bed. Princess was laying on the bed and when I put Grace down and gave them their treats I stayed there and began soothing Grace while she ate her treats. Last night when I went to get ready for bed, I found Grace laying on hubby’s pjs and sleeping. Today I put Grace on the bed again and she stayed there for two hours along with Princess. Tonight hubby and I went to do a couple errands and we came home to find Grace on the bed, sleeping under the area where I folded my quilt down.
Is she getting used to the new bed in her own way or was it because I put her on the bed with her having access to our clothing with our scent that that is helping her adjust.0 -
elderberry, Midnight Louie has an allergy to flea prevention drops and gets bald spots. He is a sweet boy, but shy and hides when strangers are in the house.
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petite1, do you get fleas in your area? I do not use flea prevention on my dog or cats because we really don't have them where I currently live. The only time one of the dogs got fleas was from a vet visit and we tried one of the flea preventions (vet tech insisted I needed it) but the dog had a very bad skin and nervous system reaction so I never applied it again. I feel for Midnight Louie.
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Betrayal, This is Florida we have lots of bugs. Fleas are very active this time of year. Even for a house cat.
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i’ll second fleas year-round here in Florida. I had to have both dogs and the cat on flea medicine and we have all sorts of other bugs too. Why not keep the cat busy! unfortunately, if you are walking out inyour yard, you can bring them in on your feet or your legs and then they get on your animals
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Gonna be putting my kiddos (dog and kitties) on the flea meds soon.
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I think the old boy that jumped in my car two years ago is quited comfortable here.
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And where do you get to sleep? Love the photo especially the one between the pillows. Thanks for the laugh.
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Love the photo!
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