mjamie12
03-11-05, 06:58 PM 03-11-05
I was at the local animal shelter yesterday looking at dogs with my brother. Being a cat person, I ended up adopting a sweet little kitty that had been there for a while. (I "forgot" to ask my husband first, but that's a different story). Anyway, this little fella has a tail issue. It looks as though most of it was removed via surgery, (I hope). It could have been a birth defect or an inbreeding issue. He's going to the vet on Monday to get checked out. The real problem that may require immediate attention, though, is that he may be deaf. He does not respond to loud noises. I tried the paper tearing and jingling keys behind his head. His ears did not even budge. Has anyone with a deaf kitty tried anything else to check for hearing impairments? He's only six months old and we are the fourth family that he has been with. His other families may not have ever checked for deafness and just gave up on him. So, knowing that he may be inbred, (in that his tail curls and is only about three inches long), he's white, part Siamese, and three other families did not want him, I am beginning to think that deafness may be very likely. I'm certainly not going to give up on him. I just wanted to know A.S.A.P. if we have a special needs kitty in the family now.
My second issue is that we have another cat who is not terribly friendly. (We actually have two cats from the same litter. With the new kitty, we are up to three). Anyway, the less friendly cat is very stressed about the new kitty. I figured that she would be since she does not get along well with her brother, even after three years. I know that introductions usually take a while, but she is very stressed out about the new cat. When she first saw him, she hissed and then started vomiting. She only stopped when I scooped her up and put her in another room. She was fine then. She only loses her lunch when she sees the new cat. I'm not sure what to do. I do not want to lock the new kitty in a room all by himself knowing that he may have special needs. He starts crying out for us when we are not in his line of sight. So, I have a new kitty who may be deaf and an older kitty who may be losing her mind. Any suggestions? I already dropped $100 at the pet store today to make sure all of the cats have new beds and toys so that smell will not be an issue. I've also spent a lot of time with the angry cat so that she knows that she is still very much loved. (I pet her for about three hours straight today). I was hoping to find a better way to help acclimate her to the new cat since just giving her lots of love and attention does not seem to be working. Thanks for reading.
My second issue is that we have another cat who is not terribly friendly. (We actually have two cats from the same litter. With the new kitty, we are up to three). Anyway, the less friendly cat is very stressed about the new kitty. I figured that she would be since she does not get along well with her brother, even after three years. I know that introductions usually take a while, but she is very stressed out about the new cat. When she first saw him, she hissed and then started vomiting. She only stopped when I scooped her up and put her in another room. She was fine then. She only loses her lunch when she sees the new cat. I'm not sure what to do. I do not want to lock the new kitty in a room all by himself knowing that he may have special needs. He starts crying out for us when we are not in his line of sight. So, I have a new kitty who may be deaf and an older kitty who may be losing her mind. Any suggestions? I already dropped $100 at the pet store today to make sure all of the cats have new beds and toys so that smell will not be an issue. I've also spent a lot of time with the angry cat so that she knows that she is still very much loved. (I pet her for about three hours straight today). I was hoping to find a better way to help acclimate her to the new cat since just giving her lots of love and attention does not seem to be working. Thanks for reading.