We've got a family! Also Vet experience with cats

Nick-H

Today's cat-count is three.

All the youngsters are around, but I'm afraid the age of innocence seems to be over, and we have three rather suspicious independent cats somewhere in the vicinity.

It's a shame not to have three kittens playing in the house, but, hey ho, these things happen. I'm sure they will become friendly again, at least until we take the girls to be neutered in June.

No sign of mum, though. I am sad about that.

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Nick-H

A few days later...

Still no sign of the mother cat, about which I am very sad. My first Indian cat lasted three days, my second it seems has lasted four months. I can hope that she simply decided to move out, but, frankly, I'm not optimistic. It'll be a week tomorrow since I last saw her.

The kittens are developing in different ways. They no longer run and play around the house, spending most of their time outside, and even out of our garden. They never seem to be too far away at meal times, though!

The smallest cat, who has always been nervy, tended to be by herself (known as lone-cat, adventure-cat) and quick to vocalise her displeasure (this is the one who fell ten feet down a drain pipe and became trapped for a few hours when about a month old) is just plain bloody furious still! She is not quite so intent on aggression towards her brother, but lashes out when she feels it necessary. She is acquiring the name Moski --- due to the strip pattern on her tale reminding me of a mosquito, and it seems to suit her nature too. Sometimes she growls and complains about nothing in particular and to no-one in particular. Not a cat to keep quiet! But sometimes she comes and sits near me, needing some sort of reassurance.

The middle cat, is usually calm and collected, and not too bothered by stuff. She is acquiring the name Yogesh[wari]. She is now content to snuggle up with her brother sometimes, at least for a few minutes. She also doesn't mind being stroked and cuddled for a short time.

The boy cat (name yet to come) misses the play and the games, misses his mother, and has become a soppy thing, demanding love and cuddles. He still has one blue eye; he's a white cat, with a grey-tabby patch on his head, and traces of grey fur in his tale that make it look dirty. He has very long legs and a very long tail. The vet said it was more like the proportions of a leopard's tail.

Dad still drops in occasionally, and asks if any food is going.

Hmmm... They are all due back at the vets. The boy just for innoculations, about which I don't think he's going to care too much, but the girls have to be neutered, and that means keeping them in at least overnight, stitches, bandages, getting them back for stitch removal.

Sheesh... this I am not looking forward to. The vet wants to do them both together, but there is no way I can cope with the two post-op cats together.

bearable

We have learned the hard way that diet is extremely important for cats. Cat owners may want to check out these links:

http://www.catnutrition.org/index.php
http://www.catinfo.org/

Sama

must be genetics with males of all species....

sorry about mama cat, nick.... what can you do, eh? she is a feral cat and unless you wanted to keep her locked up....as for mine, they were all strays that never saw the outside again once I took them in and they lost all signs of their feralness years ago. actually I'm surprised she took off -- you'd think she would stick close for the steady food supply at least.

jack has perked up -- he started breathing heavy and coughing horribly two days ago, I thought "this is it." ran him to the vet -- he has a sinus infection! he's 16 and the vet said his heart and lungs sound good! one shot of an antibiotic (and I have to give them daily for 2 weeks) and he was rarin' to go, no more coughs!

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birds

Today I read an article that claims that the purring of cats is within the frequency range that helps to heal bones, swellings and other physical ailments (see: http://news.in.msn.com/columns/artic...mentid=1396710)

In the article they say they cats not only purr when they are happy but also when they are in pain and that they probably do this to promote healing.

Just wondering whether you noticed something along these lines when your boy-cat got sterilized?

By the way, my cat friend says it is easier to deal with two cats which are sicks/recovering at the same time rather than when one is post-operation while the other is playing/messing around. According to her it also helps the cats to go through the same experience at the same time.

Nick-H

Purring cats is certainly a very soothing sound

I'm also aware of the fact that sometimes they purr when they are not happy.

I think in this case, where we no longer have two cats that would play together much, but rather have one that will be screaming and shouting, both in anger and to be let out, one at a time will be as much as I can stand.

Of course we'll have to go through the smell-based "what are doing here, I don't know you, get out of my house" routine again .

Actually, most adult cat siblings I've known in recent years are not close in later life, some very much un-close. I guess its experiences like this that tend to disrupt the family and disturb it. Cats are individual, rather than pack animals, although a certain social interaction seems to go on.

capt_mahajan

Yep, specially when they are in your lap and getting scratched. IRT.

The tail wag is supposed to be the sign. Works for mine who sometimes wags and simultaneously attacks my hand with four legs and all teeth when I stop scratching him. Like David Copperfield, he wants more.



Nick, good luck with mama cat. And Sama, with Jack.

brishti

for all you cat people... purrrrr!

cat man do! [ hope this aint a repeat ]
if it is, please dont mind it - see again



:brishti

theyyamdancer

Classic cat behaviour. Our (badly-named) Galini does this. Her name means "tranquility"... ha, ha. She also tries to distract me from the computer keyboard by attempting to spill coffee on me.

Nick-H

Yes; I used to have a cat like that that stopped only just short of the baseball bat. She would paw my face gently, at first, followed by just one claw and if that didn't work, I faced waking to an onslaught of violence.

My three orphans, by the way, are enjoying each other's company again, developing as three very different individuals, and also being very affectionate.

Apparently there was a dead rat this morning, so they are not being entirely useless either.

I hope it didn't have a familly ...

theyyamdancer

Hey, how are the kittens, Nick? We have adopted a new kitten this week, whom we have called "Chi Chi" (because we were listening to Chi Chi Peralta at the time he showed up). Rather I should say the kitten adopted us. Anyhow, he has been accepted by the rest of the gang, which is quite remarkable. He must be only about 2 months old and almost all white in colour with a greyish smudge on the head. That brings the feline count up to six!

Nick-H

The two girls were spayed (neutered, sterilised, whatever) a couple of days back.

They responded a great deal more peacefully than their late-lamented mum did, not minding too much being kept in for a couple of days. This time we let them stay at the vet's overnight, so we did not have the initial coming-round problems to deal with. I stayed up with them for their first night back at home, though it was more for being worried about what they might damage, than worry about them.

However, the more bad tempered one spent the night doing a great impersonation of that character from the BBC Fast Show whose response to everything in the world is, "bugger.... bloody bugger... bloody... bloody.. bloody bugger...". She is a very expressive, very vocal cat, with a very wide range of growls and meeows. I'm ashamed to say (cats hate not being taken seriously) that I spent much of the night watching her and laughing.

The boy cat (unimaginatively called Boy Cat) is twice the size of the girls, and is a soppy, floppy thing that loves to be chased around the room.

Moski (mosqui-cat rather than mosqui-to) is stocky, demanding and, as I said, vocal about everything. She is friendly, but only when she wants to be. Still living up to her early name of Lone Cat, she is more likely to be found in her particular woodpile, away from everybody else.

Yogi (Yogeshwary) is a quiet, peaceful, easy-going sort of cat --- but we often find her in the garden watching birds, and occasionally try to put her off the habbit with the hosepipe!

Dad (we call him Big Boss Cat) still comes for food. He is in a rough old state, and, since his last injury has only half an ear on one side, but he will not let us touch him, and I would be afraid to try too hard, it would risk serious injury, infection, whatever.

Out kittens are chubby and healthy. The downside of this is that they are probably vey appetising to the tribal people who catch and eat any small mamal. Yes... it happens; cats have more than cars and flu to worry about here.

birds

Tribals in Chennai??!

Nick-H

Yep. Itinerant persons reach all over, I guess.

I know nothing about the many different tribes from different parts of India, but I do know that there are those who travel to sell handicrafts, and at particular festival times there will be quite a number in the city.

Who eats cats, I don't know. I don't even know the names of these groups. But it is true that there are people who do, and that they are found here.

Nick-H

Well, our cat count these days is two: one boy and one girl from the kittens. The girl, who was always tiny, is getting big, and the boy is huge.

The mum (I probably updated on this before) is back in her old house. We have not seen her, but have positive news of this. It seems they want to keep her. I suspect they must have kept her in for a long time to stop her coming back to us, even to visit --- but I am not going to start any wars over this.

Sadly we are one kitten down. She was an in-patient at the vet when she escaped. I think the vet has still not given up hope of capturing her, but I have given up hope of being able to integrate her back into the family now.

The old father is still just about holding his own with the young toms. but now has only about 25% left of one ear, and, although he will not let me touch him, comes regularly to ask for food.

Sadly, news from the fish market today is our fish lady is sad and angry, as she suspects that 'her' cat, which adopted her a few months ago has been taken by tribal boys.

It seems that, if they are to marry, they have to catch so many cats for a family meal, to prove themselves, or they don't get the girl.

Sod respect for people's traditions. What kind of crap tradition is that?