Help For Cat I Rescued -- PLEASE!!

[Tortoise Shell]

I just rescued a Persian cat, approximately 2-3 years old from a Rescue organization. She had been abandoned on their doorstep and was emaciated, full of fleas, ear mites, matted and very frightened. The vets treated her and gave her a clean bill of health. She is front declawed and the vet said she had a scar from being spayed.

Well, the poor thing hid in the closet for almost two weeks. She'd only come out at night to eat and use the litter box. We tried talking gently to her but she'd always run away. She's eaten quite a bit and I can't feel her bones anymore.

Now she spends ALL her time walking around from room to room meowing and crying! She's looking up and down like she's looking for something. She'll come right up to us and look at us with sad eyes just crying and crying. If we pick her up she doesn't purr, just jumps out of our arms. We've got various food (dry and moist) in two rooms, and change her litter box twice a day.

Another strange thing she does is she backs up into things and flutters her tail! Like she'll walk up to a wall or the front door or chairs, tail up, and fans her big plume tail out and flutters it. She always does this when she paces from room to room crying.

We don't know what to do and wonder if she just doesn't like us and if we should surrender her! This is her third week with us and she's been doing the pacing and crying for a full weekn now. Oh, no other kids or pets in the home, just two quiet adults.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!!!

[anneryan]

Hi Tortoise Shell,

Bless you for rescuing this poor kitty. I really don't think that she doesn't like you--she's just been through a lot in the past month with being abandoned, then the shelter, and now a new home. It takes some cats quite a while to adjust and feel secure in their new environment.

At least she's making slow progress by now coming out of the closet and venturing out more. It sounds like you are doing everything right--I think she just needs more time and patience to feel secure with you and her new home. The fact that she's eating and venturing out are both positive signs.

We adopted a kitten from a shelter in January and it took quite a while of me letting her out into more and more of the house before she relaxed and bonded with us. She, too, had been in a foster home, then the shelter and then our home. It was a slow process of starting with her in one small room, then that room and our bedroom, and then more of the house. She was nervous each time we expanded her "territory", but we gave her a week or two to explore and get used to it and then let her out to explore more of the house. It seemed to help when I would go in and sit on the floor in whatever room she was in. I would read or talk softly to her. Eventually, she would come over to me and started to become more affectionate. Now, 8 months later, she has the run of the house and is a delightful and loving pet.

As far as the tail fluttering, I'm sure that Traci or someone will know more than I do, but it sounds like she's "marking" her territory. Maybe she'll stop that once she feels more secure in her environment. Hopefully someone else can shed more light on that for you.

Good luck and don't give up on her--I'm sure that your love and patience will be rewarded!

[Ash]

A couple of weeks isn't a long time. Cats need a lot of time to adjust to new surroundings and in your case new people too. It's a good sign she finally left her hiding place and came out to explore - which is what she's doing now. Also, she seems to be bored.

Did she use to be an outdoor cat? In that case she will need time to adjust to being indoors, and most importantly she needs your help to do that. Do you play with her, or at least try to play? Some grown cats don't simply start playing they slowly 'invent' games - often together with their owners! So it's important that you again and again stimulate her with toys and playful 'attack' games etc.

Have you had a cat in the past? Is she your first cat? In which case it needs learning on both sides! You will have to learn how to entertain your indoor cat. She needs to live her instincts, hunting, catching, 'killing' etc and you have to imitate that as best as you can.

The best entertainment for an indoor cat is a second cat btw.

[Traci]

Was your kitty treated by your own vet, or a shelter vet? If the latter, were you present during the exam and treatment? I ask because shelter vets often do not take the time to give a full, thorough exam, much less extended treatment. I wouldn't risk this, get her back to your own vet for another exam to make sure nothing has been missed. Since she had mites, fleas and was emaciated, you can't risk a hidden health issue having been missed that may be worsening....also get a urinalysis to rule out a possible urinary tract infection.

Was the vet absolutely certain of the spay scar? The "marking" behavior and the vocalizing could be indicative of a heat cycle, so ask your own vet to look and make sure it is indeed a spay scar and that she's been spayed. In rare cases, sometimes ovarian remnants are missed during a spay that will still produce hormones and heat cycle behavior, so it's imperative your vet rules this out (and again, rule out urinary tract infection).

What are you feeding her?

Don't give up on her, it could be she needs more time to adjust to her new environment, you have to make her environment stimulating, secure for her. But, vet check first, promptly.

[Tortoise Shell]

Thanks to everyone for responding. In answer to some questions -- no, she was not examined by my vet. I have the paperwork and it's a reputable private veterinary office. They're the ones who had her "dropped on their doorstep" and after treating her turned her over to the rescue organization. From there she was in a foster home that had many, many dogs and cats. I'm planning on taking her to my vet some time later this week. I'll have him check for the spaying scar, but I was told it's definitely there. Since she's declawed, don't they usually do that all at the same time?

Yes, we've had cats in the past, but not at this location (I was worried she smelled other cats). Our daughter took her cat with her when she got married.

We've tried playing with her with peacock feathers, balls, etc., but she's not yet interested. One interesting thing....I didn't notice that I talk to her in a high-pitched voice. But when our 3-month old granddaughter comes to visit and I talk to her in that voice, the cat comes running out all excited!

As for what we're feeding her -- well since she was so underweight the foster mom told me to give her canned food. She's really fussy about what she eats and has rejected many brands of canned food. I also put out some dry Meow Mix and she devours that like crazy -- an entire bowl a day. She rejected the IAM's canned, the 9 Lives canned, and Special Kitty. Any suggestions on what else to try? Our last two cats totally rejected Science Diet dry and only ate IAM's dry.

We WON'T give up on her!! They said she had either been terribly neglected, or had been wandering around for a very long time. Those first days she just shook/trembled and was so terrified. I wouldn't want to see her go through anything bad again. We're committed to doing what's necessary for her.

The rescue group said they can't figure out why a pure white, blue-eyed, declawed flat-faced Persian would be abandoned like that. Horrible.

Thanks to everyone!!

[Traci]

Never rely on someone else's vet to determine the true health status of your newly adopted. Newly adopted cats should always be examined by your own vet so that you know the immediate health status of the cat, and whether extended treatment may be necessary for something.

Was she dewormed? Your own vet will probably do this, since you probably don't know if or with what treatment she was dewormed. Since she seems to have a voracious appetite, this may be indicative of worms (do not deworm her yourself, let your vet use the appropriate/safe dewormer).

While rare, some vets do actually mistake scars for spay scars but they may not always be the case. Some vets also miss spay scars entirely. This is yet another reason your own vet should examine her.

The stress of being in the other environment (with several other pets) may have induced a hidden health problem. Extreme stress can ilicit any number of health issues, and they need to be ruled out by your own vet.

Is there any possibility she may be deaf? Some pure white/blue-eyed cats are indeed deaf, so your vet can perform simple tests to see if this may be the case. Deaf cats tend to vocalize frequently, (and loudly), sometimes seem disoriented or scared, and some tend to be uncomfortable in their environment, particularly if there are changes to the environment, or they are not fully adjusted to a routine, physical surroundings, etc.

You don't have to restrict her to a canned diet only. Most cats fair well on a dry food, and if she prefers canned, give her the option of both. Leave out dry and feed her the canned as a treat, or like once in the morning, once at night. Try dry Iams adult, or Science Diet adult, or Eukanuba. MeowMix, Special Kitty and 9-lives are pretty generic foods and you should realy get her on a higher quality diet. Your vet can help you determine what is most beneficial for her present health and for maintenance.

After the vet exam, and pending on what your vet's assessment on her health, then you can concentrate on her environment. Given her background and the stress she has had to endure, it's probably going to take alittle more time for her to adjust and feel completely safe in her new environment. Try getting on the floor with her at her level and letting her come to you at her will, she probably has the need to feel you out, and learn to trust you, you have to earn that trust. Go slow, be patient, cater to her every whim (within reason), and be sure to provide a safe and secure environment for her. Spend lots of time in a quiet environment with her, yet encourage her to play with toys, bond with her, slowly introduce her to touching and petting, but do not force the issue if she does not want to be held, etc. Let her do this at her own pace and comfort level. Do provide her special toys and playtime sessions with her (on a consistent basis), provide her a scratching post or a kitty tree, a special kitty bed in an area she is most comfortable and feels safe in, a safe window to watch out of, etc.

[KB]

You may want your vet to also check her hearing. You said she responds to a higher pitch voice. It is not uncommon for blue-eyed white persians to be or have some loss of hearing.