return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
International Reptile Conservation Foundation  
click here for Rodent Pro
Mice, Rats, Rabbits, Chicks, Quail
Available Now at RodentPro.com!
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: False Coral Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Bearded Dragon . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - Apr 02, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - Apr 04, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - Apr 06, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Hamburg Reptile Show - Apr. 13, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - Apr 14, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  San Diego Herp Society Meeting - Apr 16, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  DFW Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - Apr 21, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . 
Join USARK - Fight for your rights!
full banner - advertise here .50¢/1000 views
click here for Rodent Pro
pool banner - $50 year

Intro, and questions, A bit long.

[ Login ] [ User Prefs ] [ Search Forums ] [ Back to Main Page ] [ Back to Cat Discussions ] [ Reply To This Message ]
[ Register to Post ]

Posted by: FireDrake at Thu Oct 19 14:21:44 2006  [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by FireDrake ]  
   

I am a veterinary technician, and am pretty good with doggy behavioral problems, but I must admit, I am a bit lost with cats.

I currently have had two adult cats, both rescues from the hospital where I work, for about two years. They are what I think of as almost perfect cats. I say almost, because if they would stop getting on the counters and stop eating things, they would be perfect.

Loki ate an ear plug at 6 weeks old, and almost starved to death for the next three weeks because his former owner failed to realize that vomiting and losing weight for three weeks was a bad thing. The kitten was a lesson in skeletal anatomy when he was brought into my clinic. I adopted the cat when the owner wanted to put him to sleep. Over the last two years I have pulled many a thing out of his mouth, but mostly he is over that. Recently he has been tentatively diagnosed with feline asthma and is now on medication. But I still think he is close to perfect. He is sweet and gentle and loves attention. He is also the brains behind the operation.

Bartelby is a big loving dummy, and loves to eat plants, which has caused some problems including eating morning glories which are slightly poisionous. But he is probably the nicest cat I have ever met, he really is like a golden retriever. He has 4 pounds on Loki but routinely gets his butt kicked when they play.

So this is really what I have to go by.

Recently I have rescued another kitten, he was 5 weeks old and came into my clinic in a coma. The owner claims the kitten was playing with her 5 year old son, the son "kissed" the kitten and it suddenly spun around and fell over. He had his head thrown back and front leggs outstretched in front, very stiff all over and pretty much non-responsive. This little boy has a distrubing history of being violent and my boss would bet her life this kitten was hit in the head very very hard, causing brain damage. Anyways, the kitten was given to us, and I took him home. He made it throught the first night, and the first week was touch and go. But he has recovered amazingly and continues to improve every single day and is a little joy. He is still wobbly and falls over sometimes, and may be so the rest of his life, but he can make it into the litter box, and can feed himself. We have named him Reboot because his little brain needed to reboot like a computer.

My problem with Reboot is he will guard special food or toy. He doesnt do it with his crunchies, just soemthing real good. He will have the item in his mouth and growl and snarl very loud and even starts to spit sometimes, with all his hair standing up. He does it mostly when the other two cats or a person are nearby, but I have seen him do it when he was completely alone, across the room from anyone. He has not attacked anything, but I fear he may start too. I have been taking the item out of his mouth and not letting him have it at all. I only give him a treat when he takes it nicely without growling. This is how I would treat a puppy with the same problem.

I dont know if this is part of his brain damage or not, and honestly, do not really know how to go about fixing this problem.
I half wonder if he needs to be pushed around a bit by Bart and Loki to show who's boss, but both of the big kitties are so nice and bewildered by the growling, that they back down. Otherwise they all play together so nicely.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Sarah


   

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]


>> Next Message:  RE: Intro, and questions, A bit long. - kittyromeo, Thu Oct 19 19:28:47 2006
>> Next Message:  RE: Intro, and questions, A bit long. - PHKitkat, Fri Oct 20 17:49:50 2006