Stray brought into house attacks house cat

[wren]

We have a 12 year old cat, and just lost our 18 year old cat. The day after we lost our 18 year old cat a stray appeared in our yard. After a couple of weeks we brought her into the house. Days later, she had 3 kittens. One morning she snuck out of the room we kept her and her kittens in and violently attacked our 12 year old (timid) cat. The 12 year old, Guido, has deep bite marks in his neck and is now scared of his own shadow.

I've tried introducing the scent of each cat to the other cat, but Guide is so scared that he growls and hides in the basement.

Any suggestions for helping these two get along? Do they have a chance? I'd like to be able to keep the mother, but certainly do not want to traumatize Guido any further.

Help!

Thanks,
Wren

[Traci]

The 12 year old, Guido, has deep bite marks in his neck

Has he been seen by your vet??? Abcesses form quickly and can enter the bloodstream, causing very serious infections. If you haven't had him examined by your vet, do so TODAY.

The female is probably acting by instinct, meaning she is protective of herself and her kittens (how old are they now?)...most nursing queens are agressive toward male cats, it is their protective instinct.

Is your male current on his vaccinations?

Have the queen/her kittens been fully examined by your vet? Has the queen been tested for FELV/FIV? These things need to be done before introducing her to your resident male cat. If you don't know the queen's health history or vaccination history, you're putting your male at risk for communicable feline diseases. Get the queen tested immediately. Then talk to your vet about her vaccinations, and scheduling a spay appointment.

In the meantime, keep the queen and your male seperated, and do not adopt out the kittens until they are at least 12 weeks of age, tested for FELV/FIV and have recieved their first vaccination boosters (providing they are in excellent health).

Only when the queen has been tested negative, and recieved vaccinations, should you introduce her to the male. The kittens also need to be older and strong enough to defend themselves.

[wren]

The earliest I could get the vet to visit is on Wednesday (cat-only vet that I've been going to for 12+ years, and the only vet I trust in the area). She's coming to the house to check out the situation.

The vet is going to check Violet (queen) out and will schedule her to be spayed if all other tests come out ok. She's checking for the standard diseases and worms, etc. She has not had her shots yet. I'm guessing she's about 7-8 months old.

She's also going to check out Guido's wounds. I've been keeping an eye on the wounds, and they "appear" to be healing ok. I've been putting proxide on the wounds in an attempt to keep them clean. Guide is up-to-date with all of his vaccinations.

And, of course, I'll have her take a look at my three new additions. They were born Sept 1 2006.

If you think it is a more urgent nature, I'll put Guido in the car and drive him to the vet. I'm sure I can get an appointment sooner than next Wednesday. The reason I opted for the house call is because Guido doesn't handle car rides well, and hasn't been in one for more than 8 years. Given that he was just tramautized by the attack, I was fearful that it would put him over the top.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you for your time.

[Traci]

Next Wednesday is too long, get him seen promptly. You must understand that some cat scratches are in fact, deep puncture wounds, and these can fast lead to serious infections....you in fact noted that there are "deep bite marks in his neck", they could already be infected. Also, some puncture wounds are hidden by fur, and owners cannot easily detect them, making them more susceptible to infection.

Do NOT use hydrogen peroxide on any wounds, ever. Hydrogen peroxide delays healing and is not appropriate for sensitive skin tissues. The best thing to do is use simple luke-warm water to gently cleanse the wound, but oral antibiotics prescribed by your vet is the most appropriate treatment. The vet will also look closely at any wounds and cleanse them properly.

Hiding and lethargy, etc could indicate infection or fever as a result of an infection. So, don't wait on this, get him seen promptly, better safe than sorry.

[wren]

OK. I'll call the vet back, and will bring him to her office pronto.

Would hair loss, and decreased appetite be other symptoms of infection? He seems to be shedding more fur than normal.

Oh, yeah, does it make sense to bring Violet (queen) to the vet pronto too so we can see if she has any diseases? Of course, I would do this as two trips to the vet.

Thanks again for your help.

[Traci]

What is the extent of the hair loss? Abcesses indeed can cause fur loss at the infected area. However, in a 12-year-old cat, fur loss can also be indicative of other health concerns. All cats over the age of 7 should have yearly or twice-yearly exams plus full bloodwork done to detect possible health problems and treat early on. A urinalysis and thyroid function testing should also be included.

Decreased appetite can of course be a sign of ill health....whether it is related to an abcess (infection and fever activity of course leads to inappetance), or something else entirely, only your vet can determine with a proper thorough exam and bloodwork. Anytime there is sudden anorexia or decreased appetite, demands an immediate veterinary visit....anorexia left undiagnosed/untreated can lead to many serious disease processes, mainly liver failure, in a short amount of time (usually only days).

Yes, it would be wise to get the queen checked, as I stated above. She should be tested for FELV/FIV promptly. Anytime you bring in an outdoor cat or stray, they should always recieve a full exam and testing before allowing them into your home with a resident cat. No contact between the cats until the vet has thoroughly examined and tested the new cat.

Her kittens can be tested between 10-12 weeks of age. Vaccinations for the queen and kitten will be determined upon age and health status. Talk to your vet for more information.

[wren]

Hair loss is not near the bite, more along his back. It may be a simple as it's rubbing off since he's hiding under the bed a lot. It's not excessive, but is more than normal.

Guido has been getting regular check-ups since he was a little kitten. So I think we're safe on that front, but I'll find out this evening when I bring him to the vet.

His appetite is low, but he is eating. Just much more finicky (some dry food and plenty of tuna), but he used to eat moist cat food too.

And, though is seems perfectly logical now that you mentioned that the queen should have been tested FIRST, I think we were reacting to her pregnant state and wanted to provide a good home for an obviously neglected cat. In hindsight, very stupid! Hopefully, all of the cats and kittens are in good health. I will find out next week during the scheduled house-call visit on Wednesday, but in the meantime, I'll heed your advice and will keep queen and kittens away from Guido.

Again, thank you for your time and your insight on my delimma. It's much appreciated.

[Traci]

Regular checkups need to include bloodwork, for any cat over the age of 7. Exams only won't detect many disease processes, you need bloodwork to detect them.

Don't feed tuna in excessive amounts, it should only be fed sparingly, if at all. It can lead to yellow fat disease (pansteatitis), and can result in both nutritional excesses and deficiencies.

The fur loss may be related to a health problem, make note of this to your vet when you get him examined/and bloodwork done.

[wren]

The vet does bloodwork, has for years (on all of my cats).

On a positive note...apparently, I jumped the gun. The queen did NOT bite Guido in the throat (though it sure looked like she did)...but the queen did bring in fleas, and apparently Guide is very allergic to fleas. The vet gave the old boy a shot, and has him on two courses of medicine.

She's still scheduled to come in to take care of the queen and her kittens on Wednesday. In the meantime, I will not let any contact occur between Guido and Violet (and of course her kittens).

Thanks again for the advise. I'm so glad I brought him. It would have been horrible to have him suffer all week.

[Traci]

The vet gave the old boy a shot, and has him on two courses of medicine.

What was the "shot", and what are the two courses of medicine?

If the queen has fleas, and if she is still nursing, you cannot treat her with anything at this point, so you should use a flea comb for both her and her kittens. Get a flea comb, dip it in a bowl of warm water and a drop or two of Dawn dishsoap (regular blue type only), comb through fur, rinse comb, repeat, until all evidence of fleas are gone. Each kitten should be combed with this process as well, making sure that they are not soaked, cold, etc. They should be kept warm and dry.

If there are fleas in the home, and depending on the age of the kittens (how old are they?), they could be at risk for serious flea anemia. My advice is to get mother and babies to a vet immediately for proper flea medication...(again, depending on their ages, if old enough, your vet can treat them and mother safely). Do NOT use any over-the-counter flea products on pets, ever. These are too dangerous and sometimes fatal.

Vaccum your home on a daily basis to rid fleas and larvae. Pay particular attention to clothes, bedding and pet bedding.