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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2005Help! I need to save a cat
We have a cat at the shelter, a 1-2 year old calico named Blossom, who was adopted a few months ago and returned for not being very friendly. I met her before and she just has that "calico" personality. She's not wild about other cats, does things on her own terms. The people that adopted her also had her declawed (a.sholes!). The cats has been back with us for 3 days, and has bitten two volunteers in this time. She is really not happy about being in the shelter and does not like having the other cats around. I don't know the exact circumstances of what the volunteers were doing when they got bit, but they are both pretty cat savvy, I don't think they were doing anything stupid. One volunteer is in the hospital from the bite. All this does not bode well for Blossom. We have to keep her for the next 10 days for a bite hold. She is out in the animal control kennel for now. Right now, it is looking like she will be put down at the end of the 10 days. Our shelter is not no-kill, but we do everything to avoid it. The person in charge of the cat program does not euthanize lightly, but is getting pressure to not have ill-tempered cats in the system (they are dangerous to the volunteers, etc). I have 10 days to save Blossom. I really don't know what to do. Because she is declawed, she cannot go to a barn placement. Our last bitey cat was almost put down, but a mouser position opened up for him and he was spared. I am supposed to be keeping my stess level at a minimum. If my blood pressure goes up, I could wind up in the hospital. I really don't want to deal with this, but I feel like it's my duty to do something. OTOH, I am getting really burned out by sheltering and am almost ready to be one of those people who just donates money and doesn't deal with it on a day-to-day basis. I really can't take Blossom into my house for a long period of time. I have way too much going on right now and 7 cats of my own. I know someone's going to scream at me to get the cat out and keep her. I have no where to put her except the bathroom. Any ideas? Anyone at a no-kill shelter with a possible opening? Anyone looking for a calico with an attitude?  Signature-Kelly >Anyone >looking for a calico with an attitude? An attitude is one thing, biting seriously enough to hospitalize is quite another. Sometimes, there is only one choice. Millions of animals have no homes. Resources are limited everywhere and are best used to try to find homes for the ones who DON'T bite people. If an individual has a way to save an animal, that's great, but there just aren't enough homes for biting, peeing, etc cats or dogs. Breaks my heart ever day, but the safety of people is always a concern as well. SignatureJanet B www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfriendsobedience/album I don't think it takes too much of a cat bite to put someone in the hospital. They are blessed with so much bacteria in their mouths that one tooth puncture is sometimes all it takes. I know a vet tech that was hospitalized with a bite from the vet's own cat! It got infected pretty quickly. This calico case makes me mad. If she was aloof before, declawing her probably pushed her over the edge. Nothing like losing the claws to become a biter. I hope someone comes up with a solution for this one. Rhonda > An attitude is one thing, biting seriously enough to hospitalize is > quite another. Sometimes, there is only one choice. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > dogs. Breaks my heart ever day, but the safety of people is always a > concern as well. > The cats has been back with us for 3 days, and has bitten two volunteers in > this time. She is really not happy about being in the shelter and does not > like having the other cats around. I don't know the exact circumstances of > what the volunteers were doing when they got bit, but they are both pretty > cat savvy, I don't think they were doing anything stupid. One volunteer is > in the hospital from the bite. All this does not bode well for Blossom. It doesn't bode well for anyone who might adopt her, either. And since you know she bites, it opens up the shelter to a lawsuit. How would you feel if she was adopted out to someone and ended up biting a child in the face? Since she bit cat-saavy people, how might the ordinary person get on with her? I'm afraid there's a reason why most shelters (even "no-kill") euthanize a cat that bites anyone under any circumstances. It is irresponsible to rehome her to any average person or family. She's unpredictable and could be a tragedy waiting to happen. Which leaves only the truly experienced people, who are often already overloaded with rescues. I wish you the best of luck with Blossom, but try to not blame yourself or feel guilty if she ends up PTS. It's always sad, especially for those of us who love cats, even if they do bite (I have a little torbie b!tch, myself). But sometimes it's for the best. Signature-- ~kaeli~ Cthulhu saves our souls and redeems them for valuable coupons later. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace > It doesn't bode well for anyone who might adopt her, either. > And since you know she bites, it opens up the shelter to a lawsuit. > How would you feel if she was adopted out to someone and ended up biting a > child in the face? Since she bit cat-saavy people, how might the ordinary > person get on with her? I would not adopt her to a family with small kids. I believe she bit because she was under stress. She had been hissing and growling when she sees other cats. I'm trying to find out exactly what happened when the volunteers were bit. > I'm afraid there's a reason why most shelters (even "no-kill") euthanize a > cat that bites anyone under any circumstances. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > myself). > But sometimes it's for the best. I just don't feel the behavior over the past couple days is truly Blossom's personality. She was not like this when she was at the shelter before the adoption. I would like to see how she does in a home situation before making a final judgment on her behavior. Signature-Kelly > I just don't feel the behavior over the past couple days is truly Blossom's > personality. She was not like this when she was at the shelter before the > adoption. I would like to see how she does in a home situation before > making a final judgment on her behavior. In the event it is decided she will not make a good house cat, I wish you had a southern contact that could arrange for cats like her to be barn cats. It is, I assume, too cold where you are to have a regular barn cat program? One of the local shelters I support here routinely rehomes neutered ferals to local farms where they are fed, vetted, and sheltered in the barns and other outbuildings. > In the event it is decided she will not make a good house cat, I wish you > had a southern contact that could arrange for cats like her to be barn [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > farms where they are fed, vetted, and sheltered in the barns and other > outbuildings. She's declawed. The a.sholes that adopted her did this. So, a barn placement is out of the question unless it's some type of indoor-only situation. We do have a small barn program. The weather becomes a factor when it's cold out. We can't place a cat coming from an indoor home into a barn because it hasn't had a chance to grow a winter coat. So, really we only place barn cats in the summer/early fall. Signature-Kelly > > In the event it is decided she will not make a good house cat, I wish you > > had a southern contact that could arrange for cats like her to be barn [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > She's declawed. The a.sholes that adopted her did this. That is so horrible. To do it at ALL is horrible enough, but then to not keep the cat one has rendered mutilated. >So, a barn > placement is out of the question unless it's some type of indoor-only > situation. Hmm. Now this is an idea as there are large horse operations that need vermin control. However, making sure that Blossom never got out would be impossible. How very sad. > We do have a small barn program. The weather becomes a factor when it's > cold out. We can't place a cat coming from an indoor home into a barn > because it hasn't had a chance to grow a winter coat. So, really we only > place barn cats in the summer/early fall. I see. I imagine barns in all areas are warm enough for cats, since other animals live there. I wish I had an idea for you, to help blossom. > > It doesn't bode well for anyone who might adopt her, either. > > And since you know she bites, it opens up the shelter to a lawsuit. [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > adoption. I would like to see how she does in a home situation before > making a final judgment on her behavior. She didn't bite before she was adopted and declawed. I wonder how much THAT has to do with it. It's a shame people can't be forced to live with the problems they create without the cat suffering too. W > She didn't bite before she was adopted and declawed. I wonder how much THAT > has to do with it. It's a shame people can't be forced to live with the > problems they create without the cat suffering too. > > W I just don't understand people, who ever thought that up? declawing. It makes me *shiver* to think of it. My mind does not work like that, I can't understand how someone would consider this a solution. > > She didn't bite before she was adopted and declawed. I wonder how > much THAT [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > My mind does not work like that, I can't understand how someone would > consider this a solution. I did it when I was in my late teens, and I can tell you the main reason why. I thought it was like clipping claws. I had no idea it was major surgery and mutilation. My cat Gnarly was a crazy and beautiful cat. I was clueless about training her and very busy, young and stupid. She bit just for fun and to the bone, and clawed everything including me. She was volatile and unpredticable--had been a pregnant stray when I adopted her and I think people had abused her. When I saw what the vet had done to her beautiful front feet I cannot describe how I felt--except, like a Nazi. It was the worst thing I have ever done in my life, and I would never do it again. I did at least keep her her whole life and keep her inside and safe--no consolation for the mutilation, though. Vets in some places just make it seem like no big deal. I really had no idea, and I thought it was a common practice. > > > She didn't bite before she was adopted and declawed. I wonder how > > much THAT [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > Vets in some places just make it seem like no big deal. I really had no > idea, and I thought it was a common practice. There are many people who know exactly what they are doing to the cat and do it anyway. And then when they ask where is the CHEAPEST place to get it done I'm about to go ballistic. > > > > She didn't bite before she was adopted and declawed. I wonder how > > > much THAT [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > it anyway. And then when they ask where is the CHEAPEST place to get it done > I'm about to go ballistic. I know. Carl, the guy who came in here and announced that he had his three beautiful kittens all declawed and spayed at the same time, knew exactly what he was doing, and why: for the sake of the upholstered walls he had just put in his house. And to make his wife happy. And demanded not to hear anything negative about what he had done. I could not comply. > There are many people who know exactly what they are doing to the cat and > do > it anyway. And then when they ask where is the CHEAPEST place to get it > done > I'm about to go ballistic. That is what happened to my beautiful Amber (RB). She was two years old when I adopted her, and *all four paws* had been declawed. She was truly a little angel -- one of the sweetest, gentlest cats I have ever seen. These same people permitted their 13-month-old toddler to haul her around by the tail (it's a marvel that she never lashed out and bit him), and they couldn't understand why she was so frightened of people. They were expecting a second child and had decided that it would now be impossible to live in their mobile home with a cat and two children -- so they either had to find someone to adopt the cat (at that time named "Puffy") or they were going to put her outdoors, even with no claws. I adopted her, changed her name to Amber, and she soon became my little sweetheart. She lost all fear of other people. Just as described by Wendy, these people had selected the cheapest vet to do the dirty work. Her poor little paws were mutilated. She compensated very well for the loss of her claws, but she never did have the same type of balance and agility that all my other cats have had. She did not develop the behavioral problems that often accompanies the loss of claws, but she did develop arthritis in her paws and that led to urinating outside the litter box, starting at age 13 -- not behavioral in her case, I think, but a simple matter that it was painful to move litter around. I bought the softest litter I could find, and that helped for awhile; but she eventually urinated outside the litter box at least as often as within it. For awhile, I tried to cover the areas she was using, but I finally decided that it would be better just to let her use one spot and clean it as best I could. I'm happy I did that (despite the obvious unpleasant nature of it) because she was simply trying to avoid the discomfort that her original "owners" caused. She lived to be age 16, and I believe she was happy for at least 14 of those years (the years we had together). MaryL > I would not adopt her to a family with small kids. I believe she bit > because she was under stress. She had been hissing and growling when she > sees other cats. I'm trying to find out exactly what happened when the > volunteers were bit. Could the previous family have been harsh with her and made her more wary of people? Cats are stressed frequently, depending on personality. Vet visits, grooming, teeth brushing, pilling when necessary, nail clipping, and so on. If the cat bites any time she's stressed, she isn't safe for any family, kids or not. But I do agree that sometimes the cat's personality is totally different in a home where they feel safe than in a shelter where they feel stressed ALL the time. You seem to know this cat, so I'll trust your judgement. > I just don't feel the behavior over the past couple days is truly Blossom's > personality. She was not like this when she was at the shelter before the > adoption. I would like to see how she does in a home situation before > making a final judgment on her behavior. Are there any rescues in your area that do fostering? Maybe they could help. Signature-- ~kaeli~ When you choke a smurf, what color does it turn? http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace > > The cats has been back with us for 3 days, and has bitten two volunteers in > > this time. She is really not happy about being in the shelter and does not > -- > ~kaeli~ I wish I could take her, once established, cats like her make good pets. You never know, maybe someone will step in, I hope so. > > In article <ReadnXrHQ5HX0RffRVn-sQ@comcast.com>, > Kelly@farringtonsNOSPAM.net [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > You never know, maybe someone will step in, I hope so. Your climate is okay for barn cats. I wish I had more contacts in the farming/horse circles, so I could hook up the rescuers from the colder states with contacts with folks down here who want barn cats. Of course, it would be hard to monitor the cats once they were placed. > Your climate is okay for barn cats. I wish I had more contacts in the > farming/horse circles, so I could hook up the rescuers from the colder > states with contacts with folks down here who want barn cats. Of course, > it would be hard to monitor the cats once they were placed. Where's a collector when you need one -- I never thought of that, what an eggsellent idea :* I guess it would take a few phone calls; but seems like an offer no-one could refuse. I mean, can you really have too many cats on the farm. > > Your climate is okay for barn cats. I wish I had more contacts in the > > farming/horse circles, so I could hook up the rescuers from the [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > I never thought of that, what an eggsellent idea :* you know Im talking about a barn placement right...hehe > > > Your climate is okay for barn cats. I wish I had more contacts in > the [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > you know Im talking about a barn placement right...hehe I did. I miss a lot but I catch some too, lol! Actually, sometimes you can get too many... if you start getting a large population of farm cats (especially ones that are not very tame so you cannot catch them to vaccinate) they tend to get sick. I don't know what the correlation is, but on our farm we always did well with 6 or so, but if it got past 10, they would start getting eye disease and other problems and start dieing off. Maybe we just had bad luck though, I don't know. Right now I know my family has about 5... one of them is best friends with our English Shepard and they play/sleep together. Very cute!! > > Your climate is okay for barn cats. I wish I had more contacts in the > > farming/horse circles, so I could hook up the rescuers from the [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > I guess it would take a few phone calls; but seems like an offer no-one > could refuse. I mean, can you really have too many cats on the farm. > Actually, sometimes you can get too many... if you start getting a large > population of farm cats (especially ones that are not very tame so you [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > now I know my family has about 5... one of them is best friends with our > English Shepard and they play/sleep together. Very cute!! Good vet care is essential. And of course most barn cats traditionally have not been neutered and that is a very bad idea. > > Your climate is okay for barn cats. I wish I had more contacts in the > > farming/horse circles, so I could hook up the rescuers from the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Where's a collector when you need one > -- Barry, the cat is DECLAWED. How can you be so IGNORANT? (kidding ....) > I never thought of that, what an eggsellent idea :* > > I guess it would take a few phone calls; but seems like an offer no-one > could refuse. I mean, can you really have too many cats on the farm. Yep, as long as they are fixed. I could use some barn cats (or at least indoor/outdoor) if I did not live on a busy street. I have tons of mice and voles that mess with the gardens. > It doesn't bode well for anyone who might adopt her, either. > And since you know she bites, it opens up the shelter to a lawsuit. > How would you feel if she was adopted out to someone and ended up biting a > child in the face? If a child gets bitten by an animal, it is the fault of the parents, period. I just hate the "blame the animal" mentality. Children should never be left unsupervised with an animal, ever. -L. > > It doesn't bode well for anyone who might adopt her, either. > > And since you know she bites, it opens up the shelter to a lawsuit. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > -L. get in the bed > > > It doesn't bode well for anyone who might adopt her, either. > > > And since you know she bites, it opens up the shelter to a lawsuit. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > get in the bed It was only 11:30 where she lives. All the other humorless harridans were still up watching taped soaps. >I have 10 days to save Blossom. I really don't know what to do. Because >she is declawed, she cannot go to a barn placement. Our last bitey cat was >almost put down, but a mouser position opened up for him and he was spared. >I am supposed to be keeping my stess level at a minimum. If my blood >pressure goes up, I could wind up in the hospital. Good Lord. It's not your responsibility to save a vicious animal no one wants. What part of the country are you in? Charlie > Good Lord. It's not your responsibility to save a vicious animal no > one wants. I really don't think she's vicious. She was not like this before. > What part of the country are you in? New England, MA/NH border. Signature-Kelly > >I have 10 days to save Blossom. I really don't know what to do. Because > >she is declawed, she cannot go to a barn placement. Our last bitey cat was [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > What part of the country are you in? Hey, what if we could raise funds to ship her up there it you? Don't you have ferals you feed? marys@catlover.com wrote: >Hey, what if we could raise funds to ship >her up there it you? Don't you have ferals >you feed? Ignorance and stupidity are definitely your strong suits. The cat is declawed. Maybe you should actually *read* the post before you respond. Putting this poor cat outside to fend for itself in a feral colony, and one where there are obviously predators (lynx for one) is the ultimate cruelty. Megan Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray > marys@catlover.com wrote: > >Hey, what if we could raise funds to ship [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Ignorance and stupidity are definitely your strong suits. The cat is > declawed. Well I missed that, Megan you ignorant slut. :) > It's not your responsibility to save a vicious animal no > one wants. I saved one, and he's turned into a pretty decent cat (with some remaining moments, but oh, well). Signaturehttp://www.slywy.com/ > >I have 10 days to save Blossom. I really don't know what to do. Because > >she is declawed, she cannot go to a barn placement. Our last bitey cat was [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Good Lord. It's not your responsibility to save a vicious animal no > one wants. See, that's the debatable part. Seems she isn't vicious, just really wary and scared. And to make matters worse, the a.sholes declawed her, so she can't go to barn or an outdoor home. My Rowan would be the same way if she were suddenly thrown into a shelter. She bites when she's scared or pissed. She doesn't bite ME hard (she loves me, she really loves me LOL), but she sure does bite other people. She thinks the vet tastes grrrrrreat! And she's my favorite cat, even if she is a bitch sometimes. *heh* Signature-- ~kaeli~ A man's home is his castle..., in a manor of speaking. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace I can think of many reasons why the kitty would have bitten someone -- being scared or overstimulated from the shelter being one; stress from having been recently declawed being another possibility. I've volunteered at the local humane society shelter and it is very, very stressful for some of the animals, especially if a lot of people come through looking at them. We've had shelter workers who also got bit by an animal that got overstimmed. Also, cat bites are known for being easily infected because of the type of bacteria in their mouths and the type of wound their bites produce, i.e., deep punctures, so I'm not surprised that the person may in the hospital. I know this because I worked with (and successfully rehabilitated) a feral who was scared, bit me and I got an infection that needed strong meds and several urgent care visits, too. But I luckily received help from someone experienced in socializing ferals; learned how to work with him, and he's now a sweet housecat. Kelly, have you talked to any other rescue groups yet? Maybe you could see if someone would be willing to foster her if you could help (if this is at all possible) pay for her to stay with them for awhile. Or see if a vet would be willing to let you board her at a reduced rate while you try to work out some solution; that at least could buy you some time. I think the key here would be to find someone who is willing to temporarily foster her so that Blossom can get socialized so then she could be placed in a better situation. Maybe others can help out with more ideas. Purrs from us for your kind and caring heart. Christine and Omar, Oreo, Midnight, Robin & Tucker > We have a cat at the shelter, a 1-2 year old calico named Blossom, who was > adopted a few months ago and returned for not being very friendly. I met [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > Any ideas? Anyone at a no-kill shelter with a possible opening? Anyone > looking for a calico with an attitude? >I can think of many reasons why the kitty would have bitten someone -- >being [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > experienced in socializing ferals; learned how to work with him, and he's > now a sweet housecat. Thank you, I'm glad you understand. A cat bite doesn't necessarily have to be vicious in order for someone to end up in the hospital. Could be that she didn't get it washed out right away, where the bite wound happened, etc. I really think Blossom bit because she was stressed and possibly redirected agression due to the other cats. > Kelly, have you talked to any other rescue groups yet? Maybe you could > see [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > in > a better situation. I'm talking to a couple other volunteers right now to see what we can do, if anyone can foster her. I do think a foster home would be the best scenario. Signature-Kelly > Thank you, I'm glad you understand. A cat bite doesn't necessarily have to > be vicious in order for someone to end up in the hospital. Could be that > she didn't get it washed out right away, where the bite wound happened, etc. > I really think Blossom bit because she was stressed and possibly redirected > agression due to the other cats. Yeah, when you get bitten by a cat (believe me, I know about this - Bandit is a biter), you have to do things that are sort of counter-intuitive to what you would normally do to take care of a wound. When Bandit was getting her stitiches out she bit me on my finger directly into the first knuckle joint. Having had lots of experience in this I knew to "bleed" the wound for as long as I could rather than trying to stop the bleeding. I also called the doctor as soon as I got home and got a course of antibiotics before the wound could get a chance to get infected (it was a dangerous spot, bing deep into the knuckle). Then I went the next day and got a tetanus shot since it had been 10 years since my last one. Having done all that, I avoided any serious complications, but most people wouldn't know to do all that. > I'm talking to a couple other volunteers right now to see what we can do, if > anyone can foster her. I do think a foster home would be the best scenario. I hope she finds a home, but working at a rescue you must know that even cats with no problems don't always make it through the system alive - don't stress yourself out over this, remember that you and the babies you're carrying must come first in your concerns. Hugs, CatNipped I found out that Blossom did bite in the home, twice, post-declaw. One was without warning on the leg. As for the bites in the shelter, one occurred when other cats were in the room and a loud noise startled her. The other happened when she was rubbing up against the cage, looking for attention, and the volunteer pet her. No other cats around and no warning. That instance is not good for her future. Signature-Kelly >As for the bites in the shelter, one >occurred when other cats were in the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >and the volunteer pet her. No other cats >around and no warning. I wouldn't base any decisions on these two incidents. Even the rubbing and seemingly nice behavior does not mean that the reaction wasn't stress related. The biting that happened in its previous home could also very well be pain related. I think this cat has been severely traumatized and needs some time. We also don't know how the bastards that declawed her reacted when she bit. They may have hurt her in retaliation and as a result she has more stress and trust issues on top of everything else. It might be worthwhile to try some pain meds for a little while to see if that makes a difference. As with any amputee, it is possible that cats can also experience phantom pain and this could be another aspect of this problem. I don't think this is hopeless by any means, but I think this poor kitty needs to get out of the shelter, into a quiet home, and given some time before any decisions are made. I hope you can find a compassionate volunteer that will help her get through this. Megan Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray > I wouldn't base any decisions on these two incidents. Even the rubbing > and seemingly nice behavior does not mean that the reaction wasn't [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > you can find a compassionate volunteer that will help her get through > this. I'm working on it. The emails are flying tonight. I'll keep you posted. Signature-Kelly You go, girl! Rhonda > I'm working on it. The emails are flying tonight. I'll keep you posted. > I found out that Blossom did bite in the home, twice, post-declaw. One was > without warning on the leg. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > -- > -Kelly Coukld the volunteer bite have been overstimulation? Let us know what happens. -L. > I found out that Blossom did bite in the home, twice, post-declaw. One was > without warning on the leg. > As for the bites in the shelter, one occurred when other cats were in the > room and a loud noise startled her. The other happened when she was rubbing > up against the cage, looking for attention, and the volunteer pet her. No > other cats around and no warning. That instance is not good for her future. Oh, I didn't see this before I posted my other replies. FWIW, it seems she became a biter post-declaw. I saw posts asking about possible pain -- I agree with that. Pain meds and an x-ray on her feet to rule out botched surgery might be a good idea. All it takes it one misstep during the declaw to cause pain for life if it isn't taken care of. And I agree that she quite possibly now has trust issues with people. All it takes is one traumatic event for an animal to develop serious trust issues. A declaw followed by someone not being nice to her would do it. I do hope for the best for Blossom. My inner cynic fears the worst, but I hope it is proven wrong again. Signature-- ~kaeli~ A man's home is his castle..., in a manor of speaking. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace > I really can't take Blossom into my house for a long period of > time. I have way too much going on right now and 7 cats of my > own. I know someone's going to scream at me to get the cat out > and keep her. I have no where to put her except the bathroom. > Any ideas? Anyone at a no-kill shelter with a possible opening? > Anyone looking for a calico with an attitude? Kelly, I feel for you, and Blossom. She's had it rough lately, and who knows what before this? As for the biting, I read the circumstances of it in a later post in this thread, but even the most experienced get bitten and wind up in the hospital. Cat bites are deadly! Shamrock's dermatologist told me that she wound up in the hospital from a cat bite. I wouldn't normally say to drug the kitty, but sometimes its the only way to settle them down until behavior modification can take place. Little Shamrock is on Clomicalm for nearly 2 months now and the change in him is just amazing. At first he seemed out of it. He had to get used to the drug, and I had to tweak the dose prescribed, and now that we've found a dose that's effective yet doesn't make him seem comatose, he is still the same kitty, but calmer. He still has moments where he chases Bonnie or attacks me, but it's so much less intense now. Bonnie no longer hides under my bed for hours with him in sentry. I wish I knew what to tell you. I just hope that a fosterer can step up and give Blossom the life she deserves. You're so great to do what you do, and yes, the stress isn't good for you right now. Please take care of yourself. SignatureCheryl "The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." - W.C. Fields > Kelly, I feel for you, and Blossom. She's had it rough lately, and > who knows what before this? As for the biting, I read the > circumstances of it in a later post in this thread, but even the > most experienced get bitten and wind up in the hospital. Cat bites > are deadly! Shamrock's dermatologist told me that she wound up in > the hospital from a cat bite. I know, it just looks bad. Someone arguing for putting her down will say "but the cat put <name> in the hospital!" > I wouldn't normally say to drug the kitty, but sometimes its the > only way to settle them down until behavior modification can take [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > but it's so much less intense now. Bonnie no longer hides under my > bed for hours with him in sentry. I have brought up drugs as a possibility. I think it might help her readjust to being around people and being touched. > I wish I knew what to tell you. I just hope that a fosterer can > step up and give Blossom the life she deserves. You're so great to > do what you do, and yes, the stress isn't good for you right now. > Please take care of yourself. I am working with a couple people in the shelter to help find an alternative. I'll let you know how it goes. Signature-Kelly > I am working with a couple people in the shelter to help find an > alternative. I'll let you know how it goes. I wish you so much luck and love. SignatureCheryl "The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." - W.C. Fields |
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