We found this very loving, very beautiful black cat or rather kitten. She is quite large, larger than my fully grown clan, but she exibits all the characteristics of a juvenile feline.

Problem is I already have 3 other felines and they don't seem to be very accepting of their new roomate. Especially the orange one, she is really the antagonizer.

Is their hope that they will eventually tolerate one and other or was it not a good idea to take on a fourth feline?

Also How can I tell if she really is homeless? She always shows up hungry, she enters our house as if she has never seen the inside of a house before and always gravitates to being outside. And seems uncared about in so many ways.

I would like to spend the money on her to get her immunized and spayed, but I just need to be sure she does not belong to anyone. No collar, no tags, no ID of any kind.

I need some advice

Thanx

Jim

 

Contact all the local shelters and vets to find out if anyone is missing this cat. Also bring her into a vet to be scanned for a microchip and spay scars. Keep an eye out for lost kitty posters. If no one seems to claim her - congrats on the new addition!

It can take awhile for other kitties to warm up to a new friend. Heck I think it took six months before our orange cat quit beating up the new dog. But you may not want to start a hard core integration plan until you are sure she has joined the clan.

 

Thanx for the info cook. I agree that it is best to be sure she is homeless, otherwise we will end up brokenhearted and it just plain wouldn't be right to hijak someone elses kitty. I had that happen to me once.

My girlfreind is just a little worried that she won't get along with the other kitties ever, but I know in time everything will work out.

Thanx again

Jim

 

Jim,

Previous suggestions are good ones to be sure she isn't actually owned by someone...my comments are mainly focused at the acceptance issue brought up.

I have had cats that have been terribly territorial, and aggressive to the point I was seriously concerned for the new comer's safety. Let me add to that I also at present have 7 cats, of whom only 1 is not a rescue. Out of the 7 fur kids, 5 are feral rescues, and 2 previously owned rescues.

It can be a very big challenge with bringing an additional cat into an established household. My usual method is to keep the newcomer in one room, usually a bedroom for a week or so, before allowing actually *mixing* with the established cats. This gives the prior household members the chance to get the smells and sounds of the newcomer. After a week or so, I will open the door of the room, and watch carefully, to see how they start with the interactions.

One thing I use almost extensively in my house, as a training tool for felines, is a professional type spray bottle, filled with plain old water, and set on *JET* spray. One swift spray in the face, sets most cats on retreat. The key here is to make sure you do not jump the gun, and let the cats meet and greet without interference unless totally necessary.

I will allow some hissing and such, but if they get into an actualy altercation, that is when I spray. The reason behind spending the extra money spent on a pro style bottle is the lack of priming needed adn the fact that most of them can easily spray 20 feet across a room with reasonable force. Cheap spray bottles have to be primed, whereas the pro style ones stay primed. I want to be able to pick one up, squeeze and hit my target.

I will give a bit of warning here...with one stubborn cat, it used to take about 6-8 weeks before the hissing and howling stopped, whenever we brought a new cat into the household. But even as stubborn as he was, it eventually settled down, when we let him know we would not tolerate him attacking the newcomer.

Hope this helps and bless you for caring enough to try to help the newcomer. Let me know if there is anything else I might be able to help with.

 

Thank you so much rhainyC.

I will certainly keep you posted and let you know how it's going.

Jim

 

The squirt bottles are GREAT. Whenever Sir Edmund starts acting out now all we have to do is pick up a squirt bottle and point it at him or shake it - he runs. (But I swear we unleashed gallons of water on that cat when he was young!)

 

Guess what?

The new addition, she automatically assumed position of alpha cat. Whenever she comes into our house, she just struts on by the other cats and the two most dominant ones back off and give all the room she wants.
In fact the alpha cat that was in power just goes and hides.

Like I said, she is big and apparently fearless.

I don't know if this is good or not?

Any advice??

Jim

 

Jim,

For now, in all honesty, I would simply let things develope naturally. Be sure you are giving your original cats all the attention they are used to, and also give attention to the new fur kid as well.

Cats tend to slowly come to terms with each other, if they have been in a multi-cat household. It sounds like at present, your new feline may simply be playing the bold interloper...

They will probably all sort themselves into an appropriate pecking order, with a few tussles and as long as major fighting isn't going on, I would advise to let them tussle. It sounds like you have had cats a while and will understand/know when it crosses the line between pecking order tussles, and dangerous fighting.

I am glad I could be of help, never hesitate to ask if you have questions.

DO keep us posted as I love to hear about other rescues doing well...

 

That was my thought as well. Just things take their natural course.

I does break my heart to pet the newcomer and to have the others just sit and look on with confusion all over their faces.
So I go out of my way to give each one their special one on one daddy/kitty time. Just to let them know that my love for them has not changed, just because their is a newcomer that needs attention.

Thanx for all your help rhainy and logcabin.

I'll keep you posted.

Jim

 

Well, we seemed to be coping with the problem of them not mingling well. Just some under the breath growling, and occasional hissing when the newcomer walks by.

My next challenge is one that I really need some guidance on:

I will refer to her as shadow from now on.

She constantly wants to be outside and when she does come around it's like pulling teeth to try to get her to stay inside without whining.
Although she did sleep with us all night a few nights back, it seems now maybe she had her fill of that as well and sometimes is a little suspicious of even coming into the house at all.
She seems to love us as well, but wants to spend that time outdoors, not in.
My theory is this: The 3 rescues I have now were rescued when they were just infants when we brought them into our home and know nothing else, but home.
I believe maybe shadow was born in the wild and knows nothing else but that.
But then wouldn't she be a little more shy of people??

My big question is: How do you give an animal a home that doesn't want one?? Our hearts are breaking over this issue
We certainly don't want the local animal control to get their hands on her.
And I don't want her to be out in the freezing cold in the winter and possibly having babies too.

BTW...We are almost 100% sure she is homeless, after talking to some of our neighbors.

Thanx

Jim

 

Jim,

And there you have one of the biggest challenges to adopting feral/homeless felines...

In honesty, I personally would keep her indoors, regardless of the ruckus she raised, but in my area, we have large owls, raptors and also coyotes and 'coons that would have her literally for supper.

I suggest limiting her into one or possibly two rooms if possible. Keep a litter box there and fresh food and water. Spend some quality time with her, but do not let her out, regardless of the whining etc. Also, take her in to get her fixed and vaccinated ASAP. That in itself will probably settle her down into more of a house feline.

Hope this helps...and do keep us posted.

 

If you are concerned that animal control will take her if she gets out, have her ear clipped when she's spayed. That will indicate to them she's a cared for feral. You might also consider having a microchip and/or putting on a collar. Here's some helpful tips for taming ferals.
http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/...ialization.pdf

Newt

 

I'm with Rhainy, but we also live in an area where not only birds of prey, but fox, coyote, mtn lions, bobcats, and the not so illusive SUV might get any outdoor pet within range. Around here any loose small domestic animal might be nicknamed "Lunch" "Dinner" or "Kibble". I've even heard of coyotes working together to try to separate two standard poodles with full intent of making a meal of one of them - and standard poodles are big dogs.

Good luck with the domestication!

 

Things seem to be going well with her staying indoors. The other cats, with the exception of the former alpha cat, pay her no mind, and she doesn't whine half as much as she used to.
My main concern with letting her out is that she will make more kitties. And noone needs that.

It seemed to happen the day I put a flea collar on her, all the sudden she didn't whine much indoors, didn't mind staying in and sleeping all day and didn't go far when she did go out.

She certainly does sleep a lot and is eating us out of house and home.

Another peculiar thing I noticed is she does not shed at all. And it's summer time. I guess because she is still young? All my other felines are shedding like crazy right now.

Well next step is to get her shots and spayed.

Thanx for all the advice people, and I will keep you posted.

Jim

 

Jim, great to hear that things are going better. Outdoor cats tend to shed less so you may see more shedding as she stays indoors more. If not it could be a sign of a health problem. You might find this helpful.
http://www.cozycatfurniture.com/cat_...sletter13.html

Thanks for the update.
Newt

 

OK, well here's a new developement. Not good.

We put the collar on the cat and all was well for a few days. Then all of the sudden one evening I go out to bring her in and I find her collar with the tag attached hanging on my doorknob .

So I marched over to a neighbors house to ask about the cat and, there she was. The little girl said it was her cat, I also learned that those people are not allowed to have a cat, because they are renting the house.

I also learned that Shadow is apparently pregnant. That's why she is so heavy and I noticed she is a little clumsy for a cat...because of the extra weight.

Well the people over there told me they cannot afford to get her shots or spayed after the litter. And my assumption would be they certainly cannot care for a litter of kittens..and with the cold weather coming up the mother and her young would surely suffer.

I also don't believe her story 100% about how they came into possesion of the animal. Let me just say to make a long story short a lot of it just doesn't make sense, plus every adult I talked to agreed that she was a stray. I mean the cat shows up at our house ravaged with hunger.
I don't think they even feed her

I don't know where to go from here or how I should deal with this issue. I surely don't want to break the little girls heart, but I don't want the animal and her young to suffer either. Bottom line is I can afford the cat a place to live and all of her immunizations and spaying after the litter.

Please, please any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx

Jim

 

Hi Jim,

This is certainly a turn of events. I understand how you feel about the little girl's feelings, but I think the main consideration should be the welfare of the cat and her unborn kittens.

Did you ever take the cat to the vet? Was it scanned for a microchip? Did you pay for shots? Did the vet say the cat appeared neglected and or underfed? Any idea of her age? This could be a first litter and she might only be about 9 or 10 months old.

If all your answers to this are 'no' then you can't prove any type of responsible ownership if it comes to that. If it were my situation I would talk with the parents of the girl, explain the condition of the cat when it started coming to your home and the fact that you are willing to pay for, or have already paid for vet care in the event there is a problem with the pregnancy or the birth and for shots to be given after the birth. The kittens should have a visit to the vet and may need worming meds. They will need good homes and mom will need to be spayed. All of this can become expensive. Also bring up the fact that you know that they aren't allowed to have pets, but you would be willing to 'share' ownership with the little girl by allowing her visitation. Of course a parent would have to be present for your own protection. Maybe she could select a kitten and it could become hers after you have it spayed/neutered or they have a permission letter from the landlord. At least that way it won't continue the cycle of feral cats. You might be able to have the girl accept that your other cats miss her company and she has 'friends' at your house.

If that doesn't work I would confine the cat to my house permanently so they don't have access to it. After all, the cat's welfare is what is most important here.

Maybe others will have more ideas.
Newt

 

Thanx for the input newt.

I did not take her to get spayed or anything yet, because we weren't sure about her ownership. We did not want to shell out all that money and then find out someone else has ownership of her. But then again if we truly love her that shouldn't be an issue. What is best for the animal and her unborn is the main issue, regardless. But then again why spend all that money if she is going to be abused or neglected anyway?

I do like your ideas though about giving her a kitten when they are born, and telling her that she is happier at our place, because she has other feline friends.

I tried to reason with the little girl, but she just turned away and cried. I also talked to the mother and through broken english I did not come to a clear resolution.
I think she told her daughter that it would be OK to have kitty as long as kitty does not come inside the house.

So that puts us back at square one.

We are so torn between what what is right and wrong.

Oh ,and yes, when we first started feeding her, she was all skin and bones (except for her tummy).

I will talk to my girlfreind in the AM and see how she feels about everything.

In the meantime thanx SOOOOOO much for all your advice.

Jim

 

Jim, you are very welcome! You don't say how old the little girl is, but if you really want to take this all the way, maybe a book from the library, geared to her age level, about caring for animals would be helpful. Be sure the mother understands it has to be returned, but maybe you could read it to her with her mother present. You could ask at the help desk if they have anything that could explain about caring for cats, or even pets in general, and that would be geared towards keeping cats indoors. Something that will explain how indoor cats live longer due to illness, fighting with other cats, dog and/or predator attacks and run in's with cars and trucks.

I would suspect that they would leave behind any animal when they move. You might explain that a cat would be very unhappy if it has to live outdoors without shelter and if they move, it might not be able to make new friends like people do. You don't want to scare the girl into thinking she won't be able to make new friends.

Btw, what language does the mother speak? My son is fluent in Spanish and maybe I could have him put together some simple sentences for you to help the mother to explain to the girl or for you to explain to the mother that keeping the kitten outdoors is unsafe and unhealthy for the kitten and not fair to it. I've traveled enough to know that different cultures view pets very differently. In parts of South America they almost never pet their dogs! They just don't show affection to animals the way we do.

Newt

 

hey everybody...thanx so much for all your help and advice...i am sharon, jim's girlfriend...i'm typing with one hand right now cuz shadow (the new stray) is sleeping, draped in my lap and across my arm. with such a heavy dead weight...she is the most loving and affectionate kitty i have ever known and i have had quite a few in my life...i met her because she just curled up in my lap as i pulled up in my car one evening, i guess about 2 weeks back at this point, and stayed there for more than 30 minutes...she absolutely loves to cuddle, and that is the only time that she does not whine, for the most part...i know that jimmy has told you all a lot already, but i guess what i just want to add is that my heart bleeds with her whining, and i wish i knew exactly what she was trying to say with it...is it that she needs the outdoors, is it that she doesn't really love us and misses the little 12 year old girl, is it that she prefers the space and the freedom, is it just that she has to pee and hasn't started using the litter (which we made a special, very low box for her that she just lays on sometimes as if she were at the beach)...she is still with me contented and can lie on you for a really long time, but i know as soon as i move or just have to lift her off me cuz i have things to do or i am just uncomfortable already, she wiil probably walk around, try the doors and windows and cry...otherwise, she is the kitty of my dreams...i have always prided myself in making loving lap cats of my kitties with tons of love and attention, but she is amazing! the other thing is that we have a one bedroom place, and quite honestly, having another cat was nowhere on the radar screen for us, and even though there seems to be relative peace between most of the girls (all girl cats, fixed, but her), my heart bleeds for them as well...and i try to make sure that they get tons of ample mommy/sasha or mommy/shanna time etc. regardless, this is still so hard, as the absolutely only reason we are even considering this is because how completely special a little soul she is...but this is hard.
please h e l p...more words of wisdom in any way you can...thanks so much! (ooohh, she's down from my lap, at the window, but seems ok for now...wish us luck tonight...we are trying to keep her in for the few days)

 

Sorry I am late in responding...but I have to agree with Newt and I personally would be pretty hard pressed to let her go back to the situation you described with the family who *claimed* her. I do understnad the concern for the child's feelings, however, you are correct in stating the cat and her babes are more important at this point. I believe a child of 12 can and will understand the situation, if the adults involved will be honest with her.

I suggest allowing visits and I would actually also advise on keeping her indoors totally, she will eventually stop whining to go out, especially with the kits on the way. She needs to be kept in and cared for with winter fast approaching.

I say bravo for you helping with the wee little Shadow, and her upcoming litter. Do check with your local humane/rescue groups for assistance in spay/neutering of the younglings and Shadow after they arrive.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Thank you everyone for all your good advice.

Little shadow seems to be getting used to staying inside all the time now.
She even learned to use the litter box already and made her first BM in it last night.
I did let her outside last night, supervised of course, and she didn't go far, but when I brought her back in she whinned and cried.

My girlfreind is just a little concerned that we have "broken" her. I asked her what would be better: Let her stay out in the cold with her young? or...take her in and provide for her and her kittens?

Has shadow become "broken", "complacent" or just plain comfortable?

Another of my questions is:
1) how can you tell if the cat is indeed pregnant?

2) are so are there any ways to make a best guess as to her age?

I know she has to be at least 8mos. old if she is pregnant.

Thanx again

Jim

 

Jim, you can assure your girlfriend that you haven't 'broken' Shadow. I would suggest that you don't let her out again. She's just going to whine and meow when you bring her back in and she needs to get used to being indoors.

There are several signs if she's pregnant. It's probably better to look at the signs here.
http://cats.about.com/od/reproductio...nant_signs.htm

The vet can look at her teeth and give you an estimate of her age. It appears that you are going to keep her, so a visit to the vet now would be a good idea. She's probably going to need extra nutrition.

Newt

 

Jim,

I definitely agree with Newt here...keep Shadow indoors. If you continue to let her out, you may end up to hunt for her its when they come. I would also advise a trip to the vet to make sure she is healthy overall. The vet can tell pretty surely, if she is pregnant and give an approximate age.

If as Newt and I suspect, she is under a year old, she will definitely need quality nutrition and possibly even supplements during her pregnancy. Quite often you cats, such as she, are not fully done growing and being pregnant on top of her own body needing good nutrition, can be a strain. Talk with your vet about supplementing and proper feeding for a pregnante molly.

Do keep us posted and also assure your SO, that you have not broken Shadow, simply are educating her on being an indoor only cat.

 

Well Shadow is going in for a check-up this Thurs.
Then we will know, for sure, all the answers to our questions.
I starting to have doubts as wether she is really pregnant or not, but she's not going into heat or anything and I'm sure she is old enough.
I'm just so anxious to find out her age and wether or not she will be having kittens.

I'll keep you all posted.

Thanx

Jim

 

Jim, hope all went well at the vet. I was just thinking about your doubts of her pregnancy. If none of the signs from the site I gave you are there, she may have worms. Those would cause her abdomen to swell. I'd love to know what the vet says. Did they tell you how old they think she is?

Newt

 

Thanx for your concern newt, however things did not go well with the vet today
Shadow had an abcess just below her right ear, I thought it to be an ear infection. Well, one day it was oozing, but not out of her ear, out of a cut at the bottom of the abcess. The abcess shrank and went away and the cut healed and scabbed over and all was fine.
When we went to the vet today we asked him to just check it to be sure it was ok.
He said "hmmmm stray cat, unknown cause of wound, no record of immunizations, hmmmm rabies"
Well by law when these two or three criteria are met he has to notify the health department. That means 6 mos. quarrantine for shadow.
We cannot touch her or anything for 6 mos.
The health department will most likely contact us tomorrow to make arrangements to come to our house to be sure that we can meet the requirements for quarrantine. And if we don't comply or can't then they take her and put her down, because they just don't have the resources to observe every animal in question for 6 mos.
It is not me I am worried about, it's shadow. We have been watching her usually cheerful, freindly self fade away because we have been keeping her indoors so much.
Now she is going to have to be possibly caged. What will she be like in 6 mos.!!!???
We have her in the bedroom at the moment and we're hoping they will allow us to keep these arrangements, but the vet told us that animal control is just too unpredictable to be able to tell us what they will do. She is in the bedroom all alone and I visit her every now and then and she just seems sooo depressed.
And what about our other cats?? Are they going to make us quarrantine them also, because they haven't had their rabies boosters recently??

on a more cheerful note, shadow is healthy and has a very good disposition. The vet told us that there is slim chance that she is pregnant.
And she is probably around 9 mos. old. She also tested neg. for feline luekemia. They also scanned her for a chip and found nothing.


Will she be ok in 6 months?? Some input and words of encouragement would really help right about now.

Thaanx for listening.

Jim

 

Jim,

I am so terribly sorry to hear your state is such a PITA about the rabies thing, and hopefully animal control will be fine with your ability to quarantine her.

Shadowe, being as young as she is, will be just fine as long as you and your SO take time to spend time with her, and give her attention. We had to cage one of our feral rescues for several months, due to her injuries and attitude. Believe it or not, she is one of the most lovable and cuddly cats we have now. In the beginning she actually bit hubby badly enough we nearly went to the ER.

Some tips for helping Shadow...get a LARGE *show* type crate, that is big enough for her to move around in, and add a couple of shelves up near the top, for her comfort. A smallish litter box, under one of the shelves and a small double food type dish as well. Hang some toys in the cage and be sure to spend quality time with her each day...as much as possible.

This is something like what I am suggesting:
http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store....bc7fad0d9be096

Although you can make your own much cheaper, with an oversized Dog Show Crate and some wood scraps.

Please keep us posted and let us know what animal control has to say.

 

Thanx so much for this lifeline.
We live in Central Jersey and according to the vet last night, rabies is at epidemic proportions in our area, however the health dept. has not contacted us yet and it's already 1pm here.
So who knows? The vet told us he was going to call the them 1st thing in the am. Maybe they are not so dilligent after all.
It's just all the anxiety of not knowing when or even if they are going to call at this point. I took the day the off of work today and had to reschedule all my clients, so I hope we can straighten this out today. I don't want to have to do the same thing Monday also . Thank God I deal with a lot of people that work out of their homes.

Thank you rhainy for all your suggestions. I will certainly do everything in my power to make her 6 mos. sentence as pleasant as possible. She was actually purring for the first time in a while just before when I visited with her.
I hope they will allow us to keep the bedroom as her room, because I would like to make it into a sort of play room for her. Hanging toys, stuff to climb on, etc.

My SO is just so worried that we cannot even touch her and soothe her when she wimpers and whines. It's just such a big issue for her.
Would we be able to at least touch her with gloves on??
After all I do have to touch her to give her antibiotics for her wound.

I will let you know as soon as I hear from the board of health.

Thank you

Jim

 

Hi Jim,

Sorry I couldn't respond sooner. I was saddened to hear about Shadow's situation. I don't have anything to add to Rhainy's advice except to reaffirm what he has said and to remind you that cats tend to sleep up to 18 hours a day, so she won't be as lonely as you fear. Please keep us posted as to what is happening.

Hugs to Shadow,
Newt

 

Oh, thanx sooo much newt. I will do anything for her, she is so worth it.
I will give her a hug for you.

The health dept. never contacted us today . So I guess we're back to sq. one Monday.

I'll keep you posted.

Thanx

Jim

 

Jim, glad that was helpful! Expect to hear from the health dept. when you least expect to.

Newt

 

hi to everybody...

thanks for all your help and encouragement...it helps a lot to realize that she will be sleeping so much, but i still wake each morning with anxiety over her situation...

since we have not heard from the health dept yet, and as was mentioned, may hear from them anytime, especially when we are least expecting it, i am concerned over her need to be petted and comforted...

as jim already said, she is segregated in our bedroom, where we go in and out to spend some time with her, feed her and give her antibiotics, but the vet mentioned not even petting her...does anybody have any information about that issue?

can we pet her with rubber gloves on? what if we wash our hands after each petting with clorox antiseptic cleanser? she seems to want to crawl into our laps on occassion or have at least a little moment of touching...how dangerous is this really?

all your communications have been such a lifeline to us..this is jim's s.o., sharon, saying thanks!!

 

Hi Sharon,

The rabies virus is transmitted by saliva so you don't want to get any saliva on you. Wearing gloves would be a great idea but they should be the kind that don't allow for any liquid or teeth to penetrate. There are special gloves that you can purchase that have a sleeve that covers you past your elbow. I use these during rescue and have had many feral cats bite my hands and scratch my arms and nothing penetrates. There are different types and thicknesses. They are not cheap, but you could keep your receipt and donate them to a cat or wildlife rescue group when you are finished using them. If memory serves me I paid about $80 for them. Here's some helpful info about these types of gloves.
http://ebmhost24.ebm.bestsoftwarehos...20%20%20%20%20

I am a woman and have a small hand. I wear a size 7 1/2 glove and these are the ones that I use. I purchased a size small. I even use them for pruning climbing roses.
http://ebmhost24.ebm.bestsoftwarehos...20%20%20%20%20

Here's the main site.
http://ebmhost24.ebm.bestsoftwarehos...ducts?comp=ace

I think you will find this info about rabies most informative.
http://www.delmars.com/kitcats/rabiefaq.htm

Consider keeping a stuffed toy in her crate for her to cuddle up with if she chooses. If you are going to allow her to crawl on your lap you should have a thick blanket or the like to protect your legs from a puncture from her claws.

There are also preventative rabies shots that I got before I went to New Orleans. It's a series of three shots. Scroll down here to vaccines.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...30/ai_18906034

I got my shots through an organization called Passport Health.

Newt

 

thank you so much! so much wonderful information. bless you!

yes, i did bring her home a few stuffed animals just today from my mom's house and we have bought some toys and cat nip things and treats and such...

i have used rubber gloves and winter gloves so far, but i will look into purchasing the proper kind asap...

she never bites, not even to play, she is the sweetest, dearest thing...so until such time as she (or if ever)exhibits symptoms, i am not so concerned about that...(we actually don't believe that she has anything, but we know that we must comply and be diligent no matter)...

and although the health dept has yet to contact us, we want to show as much good faith as possible so that perhaps they will show us some sympathy and be inclined to work with us as best they can...

right now, jim and i are gonna knock on some doors of people who we know had kept for some time, as we have recently discovered information about a first owner that seems promising...the first owner gave the cat to the second owner (who then let it stray) when she moved away, and it seems that she used to wear a collar then, so we are hoping that maybe that 1st owner also got her shots...and if we can get in touch with them thru others still here, then maybe we can get some paperwork to put all this to rest...it's a long, long shot...but we will try...

and we were actually also wondering if there is any blood test to see if she had any trace of a rabies vaccine in her blood...the vet took blood for the luekemia test and we were wondering if he could go back and check for the rabies vaccine...jim doesn't think so as he said if they could, they would have...but again, i'm just trying anything and reaching for straws so we don't have to put her (and us) thru all this...any knowledge about something like this???

anyway...you are the best!!! your posts are such a blessing...thank you for just being there!

sharon & jim

 

That's part of the problem. By the time symptoms show you may have no warning. You may see her salavating, but then again you may not. She may just suddenly display symptoms when you least expect it. For example, you could enter the room and she charges you and bites your leg or jumps you. You will have to let the health department know how 'educated' you are so they are assured you can take the proper precautions. She probably is fine, but you still have no way of knowing, at least not at this time. You might want to discuss with your vet how old the wound might be and talk about taking that time off the quarantine time.

It would be wonderful if you could find out when she might have had a rabies shot. There are shots that last one year and some that last for either 3 or 5 years. I can't remember now how long. If I remember, young kittens are usually given the one year shot the first time, so if she's about 9 months old you still have time if she was given her first shot.

There is a rabies titer but I'm not sure if it's just for humans or animals. You might find this an interesting read.
http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/apr06/060401b.asp

I'm glad we are able to help!
Newt

 

Point well taken. Thank you for reminding us that if it is going to happen, it could be at anytime within these next 6 months. We do know that we must be careful, but it is so hard to see it in her...but we must remember to never become complacent and to always be careful. Jim thinks that the wound was most likely an inflicted scratch by one of our kitties in their initial moments of integration, but we have no real way to prove that...except for the fact that we had not been letting her out for the last while before taking her to the vet, except for short, highly supervised moments every few days just to allow her a little 'treat'...but who's gonna believe that??

Anyway, it seems a little odd to us also, that if she had NOT had a wound, the vet would have probably just sent us home on our merry way, telling us to make a next appointment to have her fixed. But what was to say that she had not been bitten (hypothetically) a month or two ago, or more, and healed. Nobody has ever said to us that the typical protocol for accepting ANY stray into your home is to segregate/cage them for 6 months as standard procedure. How could you be sure about ANY stray for that matter, and in that case, for at least the first 6 months. I know strays are always being adopted...does everybody always have to go thru this (??) since the wound doesn't really matter as a stray could have had one at any time within a few months prior to adoption?

Anyway, we just can't wait till this is all over because I have been in a constant state of fear and anxiety and can think of slmost nothing else. And going in there to visit just makes me weep.

So sorry for all my whining...I'm probably as bad as the kitty! Have a good night, wherever you are...and thanks again for all the help.

 

I don't think you are whining, just concerned and frustrated. I understand that you would be. This has been very stressful for you.

That's a really good question. It's best to segregate a stray for a while before introducing it into the household, but I though this kitty had been around your cats already and was really not a stray but an abandoned kitten from the neighborhood. There's loads of info out there. Try a google with terms like:
segregate stray cat
segregate new cat
introduce new cat

It will help when it's time to let Shadow out of her room.

Newt

 

Thanx so much newt, for all your support, my SO sharon is really stressed out over this whole thing.
I'm glad there is someone she can talk to. She loves the little Shadow so much that it breaks her heart to see her confined like this. And now she is thinking OMG I touched the cat since the wound occurred and now she is worried about rabies herself, so she has mixed feelings about even going in and spending time with her.
I scoured the web and did not find anything about quarrantining a stray cat for 6 mos.
Oh, and BTW we still did not get a call from dept. of health yet. The vet assured us if they did not call Fri. than they would surely call Mon.
Well it's 7:25 PM here and nothing!! So I guess they are not as diligent as the vet made them out to be.
I also read on the web that there was 37 known cases of rabies in humans from '90 to '05 and not one of them was caused by a cat!!
I tend to think we're all just worried over nothing.
And also to the best of my knowledge the wound was caused by one of our cats which obviously does not have rabies.
Anyway Shadow's spirits seem to be lifted lately (not so depressed being cooped up). She actually started purring againg just out of nowhere, like she used to do, which she wasn't doing a whole lot of lately.
Also she is getting quite big these past couple of days (she was all skin and bones before). She is finally starting to grow into her long legs and tail (and I mean long tail).
She could actually stand up on her hind legs and reach the doorknob when she wanted to go out. And jump!! This cat can jump!!

Thank you all for all your great advice, we'll keep you posted. Peace out.

Jim and Sharon

 

It's Wednesday 9:50 PM and still nothing from the board of health.
Anyone have any ideas??

Jim