Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => For FIV & FELV babes => Topic started by: Canterbury_cats (Sharon) on January 25, 2007, 17:19:38 PM
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Hello all
We have in our care a old bruiser of a puss I have named Isaac, he has been living under a car for 3 months before anyone told us about him. He looks in a dreadful state and as soon as I took him to the vets this morning i thought he had FIV. Well he does but he has good quality of life so was neutered and vac. Isaac is not a happy puss, he hisses at you and i have no doubt he will scratch big time. He is now in a pen after we decided to at least give him a chance. He is a big black and white fellow, his white fur covered in muck and he was fed dog food for many weeks as well.
What can we do to help Isaac adjust, there may be a puss in there somewhere we can rehome? He is all spit and nervous and terrified of people. We hope to keep him in a pen for week or so to adjust then see how he gets on with an indoor fosterer. I dont like to give up on such cats, because we have sometimes made them like that. But any help and advise much appreciated.
Is there hope for Isaac?
Sorry i dont know how old he is? But not young or old I suspect, maybe older before his time.
Thanks
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i am sure one of the experts will come on and give you loads of advice but i think that if he has been living like that for 3 months then it will take a while before he starts to trust anyone. is he domesticated? i mean rather than a feral.
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So hard to say, he doesnt freak out in the pen though, but equally he puts his ears back and hisses big time. I have no doubt he will swipe. How can I tell if he is either? I suppose we will see if he uses a litter tray.
Horrible to see them in such a state. I dearly hope we can bring him back from the brink.!
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Sounds like he has had a hard life, poor lad. I'm sure with plenty of 1 on 1 time and lots of patience he will come round and learn to trust again. He would probably be better in a foster home with someone who can give him lots of special attention.
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Try sending Teresa an IM cos she would tell you how to know, she has ferals and domestics at Paws Inn and I am sure she wont mind giving you a bit of advice.
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Aww, I am sure you can make a good puss out of him, good luck. It might take a lot of time and patience, but I think I would see about him being in a pen indoors with a fosterer asap really.
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Some TLC will do him wonders. :)
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Isaac is sleeping most of the time, he feeds well but has a real bad upset tummy. He is full of worms. We have just spoken to him softly at the moment, no attempt to touch or get near him. He flashes his eyelashes at you but not much else.I can imagine he is abit relieved to have a cosy bed. His fur is still a mess, and at the moment he isnt really cleaning himself well. We are just leaving him in peace.
Can anyone recommend a good food that perhaps we can get him? He is been fed felix at the moment, with chicken, and biscutis that he eats with gusto.
He is a dreadfully said sight, probably the worse case we have had in in 3 yrs. Hopefully after a week we are going to move him onto a indoor fosterer where he will stay until how long it takes. Poor fella.
When we rang the man who told us about him (although it took him 3 months to do so) about his FIV condition and to tell his neighbours to get cats tested, he didnt really seem interested. All too much bother and glad the cat now gone! We reckon Isaac is no more then 2yrs old, and under all that fur he is literally skin and bones.
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Sounds to me that Issac is not feral at all but what I call a garden cat and that is one that was once domesticated but badly let down by society and had to live on his hits to survive. Usually these cats tame down very well given time and patience.
Isaac is sleeping most of the time, he feeds well but has a real bad upset tummy. He is full of worms.
Did the vet flea and worm Issac or have you given some panacur? I appreciate that it does not cover the flea related tapeworm but at least his food will be feeding him and not the little bu--ers. Hopefully you will soon be able to apply Droncit spot on for the flea related tapeworm.
Bit of a catch 22 really you are not supposed to worm a sick cat yet it could be the worms that are making his tummy upset.
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Isaac was wormed and flead while being neutered. So yep! The whole surbang!
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Aww, I do hope he calms down soon when he realises you aren't nasty. ARe you going to be getting the FIV test confirmed through Glasgow?
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Abit of good new Isaac has started grooming himself, a good sign I feel. He is eating chicken and kitten biscuits soaked in water. But abit of an improvement I feel.
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Posted a comment on your other thread.
Any chance of any pics of this special boy?
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It`s so good to hear that you are trying so hard with him. Sometimes on the face of it things can seem impossible. Hang on in there because i`m sure things will continue to improve.
Some of you may remember the story i posted on Cat Chat of Nell, a cat i fostered for a long time and sometimes i did wonder if she would ever find a new home. She had been hit by a car and was previously a semi feral barn cat that was not used to living indoors. The accident had left her blind and i found out through a blood test that she was FIV positive. She was recovering from the accident in the vets that i worked at the time and i decided to bring her home to try and get her used to a home environment. I kept her in my spare room and put all the things in there that she would need. I cannot imagine how scared she must have been, having to get used to such a different lifestyle and not being able to see. I would go in, put her food down and leave her to have her own space. Eventually she started to make her way around the room and so as her confidence grew i would sit in the room with her for short periods. A few months on she had really progressed and had turned into such a friendly cat that loved to be stroked and played with. Thanks to Cat Chat she found a perfect new home and now has a lovely life. I still keep in contact with her new owners.
So long as you take it at his pace and don`t rush things then everything should work out for the best. Good luck with him, he sounds lovely.
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Hi all
Will try and get photos this week.
Since being on sensitive diet sachets for a week his tummy has vastly improved. He doesnt seem bothered to be in a pen, but we have yet to touch him. He does have a radio now in his pen though. After a major shift around and pulling lots of strings he will have his second vac jabs in anotehr week or so then move onto one of our fosterers who has a quiet room to see how he does. However, i am still appealing for someone will uddles of time and patience to take him in eventually.
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Thats wonderful, you and your fosterers are doing a great job ;D
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Fingers crossed.
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Isaac!
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He looks like a wise old lion!
Is he going to Foal Farm with Sawyer?
I hope he gets a loving home soon :ahh:
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Hi Mark
Yep! Indeed he is going to Foal, taking a few hours out and driving up there. Foal are must more geared up to giving him time and patience, but he has the ability to turn round and may in time even be a lap cat. He is just so nervous but not aggressive at all.
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They sound like a good bunch of people. :catluv:
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Well blow me away! But over the weekend we managed to rehome Sawyer to a lady in Faversham who was not fazed at all by FIV, went to see him and rehomed him yesterday after HC.
I am glad we rehomed locally, but its still a first for us. However, Isaac still needs lots of TLC and work and we still think FOAL is the right place for him.
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Well done Sharon, he's a lovely ball of fluff and deserves a good home - I have to admit, it upsets me seeing them go into pens but he's probably forgotten it all and in front of the fire, enjoying a nice steak! :catluv:
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What great news .... well done Sawyer. Fingers crossed Issac won't be waiting long for his forever home.
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Excellent news.
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Any news on Isaac?
My cat Tatty started out hissy, growly, and would bite and scratch big time too, but has turned into an old softy (almost).
Sending purrs to Isaac from Tatty, and Best Wishes from Sylvia
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Isaac is now at Foal farm in Kent. I rang last week to find out how he is doing but havnt this as I dont want to keep bothering them. But he seemed to be fine and getting settled.
I think about him lots and hope that we did the right thing by him.