Grooming & Coat

[babykitty]

I have a new kitten that I just rescued from "outside". I brought him to the SPCA/Animal Control, because I thought at first he might of been lost. Turns out he wasn't, and he was just a stray kitty. I adopted him soon after. They gave him a deflea treatment, ear mites treatment and a de-worming & first needles. I brought him home again, only to find him really dirty and disgusting (I'm guessing because of the treatment).

I gave him a bath with kitty shampoo. He seemed fine, not too tramatic or anything. I also have another kitty too (3 yrs). I let them smell each other under the door for a few days (they had already smelled each other for a few days 2 weeks prior to this).

They are great together, but I noticed the kitty doesn't groom himself at ALL. He does the 'ocassional' lick, but nothing out of the ordinary. He also has really bad dandruff around his ears and his face area.

Any suggestions? Also, his urine and stools are really smelly and VERY soft. The girl at the SPCA warned me that he might have diarreah, which he does, but it's really gotten to be terrible because he doesn't clean himself, and then he goes to sit on the couch or on my bed afterwards, and he'll get it all dirty.

[Traci]

Depending on the flea treatment and how it was applied, it's possible that it left the fur in not-so-great shape, and he probably didn't like the smell of the application, therefore won't groom.

Please only use safe cat shampoos on your kitten/cats. Never use anything with citrus, essential oils, tee-tree-oils, etc, as these are potentially toxic to cats. Use only a shampoo that your vet recommends. Bathing a cat is rarely necessary, unless of course the cat has gotten into something.

A new high quality diet would probably help improve his coat condition, as well as help get the diarrhea under control. I would suggest Iams kitten food (dry). However, if the diarrhea persists past a week, you will want to get a stool sample checked for various parasites and bacterials in order to treat most effectively (also need to keep an eye on his hydration status, since diarrhea depletes electrolytes). Don't rely on the SPCA, have your new kitten seen and examined by your own primary vet.

[Paulette]

Based upon my experiences with strays and of other people I know who have adopted from shelters, it usually takes a little while to get kitty on the right track. Very often these poor little guys need some help and time to become normal, healthy loving pets. Diarrea is a very common complaint. My vet recommends a tiny bit of Immodium and I have found that this does help very often. But of course you might want to check with your own vet. Can you keep him out of the bedroom until it clears up?

Also cats are very observant, smart animals, and when he sees how your other cat behaves, he will probably pick things up from her, such as grooming. You might try gently brushing him to help with the dandruff problem.

Best of luck with you new little addition to your family. All will be well with lots of love and patience!!

[Traci]

Caution on the immodium, if it contains subsalicylates, these are toxic to cats. There are safer methods vets can recommend for owners, but ideally, a stool sample is a prudent approach in which to determine the source and treat most effectively.

[babykitty]

Thank you for the tips everyone. I have made an appointment to see a vet in a few days. I'm hoping everything will be ok!

Also: off topic - I just noticed that my older cat (3 yrs) has been biting the kitten. Now is this play biting or is it "Hey I'm the one in charge" biting? It seems like he's biting hard, not sure if it's because he's a massive cat and doesn't know it, but he likes to bite around the belly area...

[Ash]

Does the kitten scream when he bites it?

[babykitty]

He doesn't scream, he just sits there and then after awhile he starts meowing and then he runs away.

[Ash]

They have to get adjusted to each other and settle between themselves who's the Alpha cat. As long as the older cat isn't hurting the kitten (it would yell if he were) I would leave them to it. Also I wouldn't allow paw fights as they can cause eye injuries.