Sendhelp Posted March 2017
Caregiver's cats behaving badly.
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Does your Cat (or any pet) misbehave since caregiving your loved one?
Have you been required to take care of your loved one's pet after they have passed? Does your pet have cute antics that entertain your loved one?
And finally, has the cat or dog transferred their loyalty to your Mother?
Both of my cats will chew on plastic bags I line the trash cans with, sometimes they swallow a little bit. I think that could be what the blockage was.
Now, he's "asking" for food again and eating. I'm still taking him to vet, both of them.
Ah, the ups and downs of cat mom life.
It’s fascinating, isn’t it? Our animals do communicate with us. We may have to figure out their language but they are speaking to us.
My friend and I were standing in her backyard. She has a stray cat that she started feeding. He stays outside.
The cat was rubbing on my leg and I thought that he was friendly and that I could pet him.
My friend said, “Don’t pet him. He is a stray that I feed and he isn’t trusting of people.
Well, being the cat lover that I am I decided to take my chances since he was rubbing himself on my legs. I should have listened to my friend. He hissed loudly at me and attempted to scratch me. Haha, my friend said, “I tried to tell you not to pet him.” I told her that I was wrong to try and pet him and that I should have listened to her warning.
I never figured that out. Why would he come by and rub all over my legs but not let me pet him? I get that he is afraid of humans but why did he weave in and out of my legs?
When we took our Rosie [15] in because she stopped eating, the Vet did blood work first and everything came back normal for her age. But something was really wrong with her. Got a second opinion couple days later with another Vet from the practice, had x-rays done and that told us the true story.
We also had 2 very elderly cats that had dementia. They would always get lost "in the hallway" and start crying. That, or either the antique library table in the hall was haunted. One cat would forget where her litter boxes were, so the house had a lot of blue sheets on the floor... interesting that cat only peed on the east side of the inside of the house.
My current cat, a Ginger, has a very strong sense of smell. He will avoid me right after I brush my teeth, or wash my hands. Even doesn't like the smell of Tums. Forget perfume or body lotion. Guess if I roll in the dirt, he'd be ok with that :P
My cat died about 30 years ago but we never forget them. She lived to be 16 years old.
I don’t think I could ever be a vet. I would be crying all of the time when they became sick or had an issue.
My cat was an indoor and outdoor cat. She always slept inside though.
She had some sort of accident and she could no longer swing her tail around her body.
In fact, she couldn’t even pick up her tail. It was stretched out and she had to drag it along behind her.
So I took her to the vet. He said possibly a car ran over her tail.
He said that she was not in pain and unless she started trying to chew her tail off that we should let it be.
If she started to chew on it he would amputate it. She never tried to chew on it.
She didn’t seem bothered by her tail dragging behind her at all. Look at the dogs with three legs. They get around pretty well.
My greyhound at age 13 struggled getting up and down. My mom used to say, “Poor baby has as much trouble as I do getting up and down with my Parkinson’s disease.” She loved him and he loved her.
I've had cats with hyperthyroid disease, kidney disease, my two kitties I have now both have had mast cell tumors the last couple of years. My hubs and I have spent a ton of money that we couldn't really afford but did anyway. I know that's not possible for a lot of people but I would probably cut off my arm if it meant helping my cats. But I understand perfectly if not everyone can or is willing to do this so I'm not trying to make you feel bad.
Good luck to you and your kitty!
The vet can tell you if the cat has diabetes.
My friend who cared for all the cats went so far as to inject insulin for years to keep her cat well.
Only you and your vet can decide how far and for how long cat care goes on. These choices are so difficult for the pet owner.
There were two puddles a month ago that showed up in the middle sitting room a few nights apart. They didn't smell like urine but there's also no way -- no ceiling drips, no rain or anything -- for it to be anything but cat urine, and the oldest would be the culprit. He drinks a lot of water and outputs a lot of urine, always been like this since I've had him, but peeing outside the box is very unusual for him. And he peed on the litter-trapper rug outside his box twice, too. All in the past 45 days, and previously never.
And he is acting extra "senile" lately. Yesterday when I came home, he avoided me and was peeking at me around the trunk that serves as my coffee table. I've never seen him do this shy behavior. And still no eating.
So something is going on with him, and I will monitor him closely for the next few days.
Thanks for giving me a place to talk this out. I think he's declining but as you all know, could be fast, could be very slow pace.
You are very wise. As long as he is in decent spirits you will monitor him.
I hope he is okay.
I have seen some really elderly cats (18) and (16) go around the house meowing, like sundowners, and as if they were lost. When I was visiting, I would pick them up and put them on their favorite places, which was where they would normally go in the evenings. They would immediately be comforted and quiet. They may have had cat-heimers or something old.
They too had that greasy-look to their hair, and they were just left that way.
Still, they lived a long time like that. I would sit and throw a kibble treat their way, and they would retrieve it. I don't think anyone in the home was monitoring if the cats (many) ate or not. All the pets were well cared for, vet-wise and food, and the home was so filled with elderly rescues, it seemed like an assisted living home for cats and dogs.
You are a good cat mommy, and will know when the time comes.
One of the other cats is very jealous of this, so I bought him a tub of dental treats so that he can have a "treat" as well.
He jumped up on the kitchen counter and grabbed the tub of treats; fortunately, he didn't figure out how to open them.
Otherwise, he seems ok, not in pain but acting more quiet and timid, which is unusual for him.
I think it may be the start of his decline. And as long as he's ok and in decent spirits, I'll just monitor the situation.
I just scheduled a mobile grooming bath for both cats next Wednesday. The bill is outrageous but what's a cat-mom to do..?
I wonder if I can do some kind of bath at home for him every other month. Just plop him in a basin of soapy water and massage it in..? I can try, but I'm not looking forward to it.
Once she recovered from the stroke, which was pretty quick, she was able to walk into the bathroom to get a wipe down. I thought that was pretty smart of her :)
So he's a dirty kitty. He can't seem to, or doesn't want to, keep himself clean. His fur gets oily and matted if I don't brush him, and lots of dandruff and dander and all that.
I wasn't able to get him a bath this year due to covid restrictions but kept trying and finally got appointment and took him back to PetSmart today, where they've bathed him before.
They wouldn't do it today! I took him in, waited 35 minutes past appointment time before he was even seen, and then they decided they wouldn't do the bath because of his age.
I was so looking forward to having a clean kitty, but I accept their decision. Now I'm searching for another groomer. I asked the vet and got a referral to someone who does housecall grooming for 4x the price, but that's ok since it's such a necessary thing for him and it's only once a year.
I can't wait to have a clean cat. :-) He hates the baths but he will be more comfortable when it's done, not scratching himself as much.
You know the character Pigpen from Charlie Brown comics, how he always has dirt and fleas coming off of him..? Kind of like my cat, who has bits of hair and floof dangling off him as he walks around the house, despite my weekly brushings.
I tried dry shampoo, didn't seem to help, made it worse actually. And I can't imagine how much he'd hate me and seek revenge if I tried to bathe him in the tub myself.
Dirty, DIRTY kitty... he's a character. He did ok with the car ride today, I was surprised. Last year he yowled non stop from start to finish.
👍
Tweety sounds pretty smart! We all want that. Give Tweety a thumbs up 👍 from me!
I am taking down a picture of my loved one who died,
and his cat, that died just 40 days later. I will not forget them.
It may seem heartless to some, but I am putting up pictures of people who are alive today, and who do not bring up any more sad memories. It will remind me to pray for my grandchildren daily.
There has already been too much sadness in the year 2020.
My personal losses were recent, and I am sad today.
Tweety has been getting on my finger more, so he can be lifted up higher to see his bird videos up close. Then he walked up my hand, arm, to my shoulder. This happens only once in awhile.
So cute!
Youtube has been acting up, and no longer works on the T.V. Roku.
So I have to share my chromebook with Tweety more. He is becoming addicted! And demanding a bit.....squawks if I don't get his video right away. 🐦
You've got Gershun, and so many are praying for a good outcome!
I know how much you love him,just like I love mine too and it hurts us when they hurt.
I'll sure be thinking of you on Friday,Take good care in the meantime Gershun~
I know this is supposed to be a fun thread but prayers are always welcome.