Cat Stories

This story is about my new cat, Paxon, and his health problems since the adoption. I'm writing this post thinking maybe it will help other cat owners.

We adopted Paxon at the beginning of April 2015. I decided to adopt him as soon as I saw him walking in with his previous owner to the ASPCA. Paxon had to spent two days at the shelter before we could pick him up. At the beginning he was doing okay (mostly hiding in his litter box), but a few days after the adoption his diarrhea started. Other than that he got used to his new house and he was doing fine: playing, eating, drinking and sleeping.

The pudding-like stool was very smelly and he was straining to get it out. I quickly learned to recognize the times he needed to go for number 2 as he would restlessly run around the house. Also, he choose not to do his business in the litter box and went to the bathroom instead. As a result I placed another litter box for him to use in the bathroom.

I knew that a vet saw Paxon before we adopted him, I also knew that he got wormer tablets so I wasn't worried about parasites. After doing a little research I came to a conclusion that the diarrhea situation is because of the change in food, so I bought him the same food they gave him in the shelter. That didn't help. I removed all of his food for 16 hours and afterwards gave him boiled chicken breasts and white rice for a few days. It helped a little but then the diarrhea came back and I saw blood in his stool and some live tapeworms. I rushed him to the ASPCA hospital. They were extremely efficient and kind and also, since I only adopted him less then a month ago, they took care of all the fees. After a technician took his vitals we went to see the vet who gave him wormer tablets.

The stool sample I brought to the pharmacy a few days later came out negative for parasites so I removed one of the litter boxes. Things got better for a few days, but soon enough we were back to square one. I took him to the hospital (again they covered all the fees) and we got a prescription for Metronidazole (cat antibiotic) and for Hills i/d dry food diet. I needed to give Paxon his pills twice a day, so I bought him pill pockets (special treats for hiding the pills and outsmarting your cat). The pill pockets worked great the first time and on the second time he ate the pocket but didn't swallow the pill. Later on he refused to eat the pockets even if there were no pills in them. Therefore, I started giving him the pills the old fashioned way (by sticking them down his throat) but I still covered them with the pill pockets, so he wouldn't taste the pills and start drooling. Things got significantly better, but after taking the pills for 2.5 days he completely lost his appetite.

I talked to the vet over the phone and she said I should try to find something that Paxon will agree to eat, like cooked chicken breast or tuna. She also said that if he still refuses to eat I should bring him back to the hospital. I mixed some of Paxon's regular food with his new food and he ate some of it. Hopefully, he will agree to eat that for the remaining 5.5 days without getting his diarrhea back. I'll keep you posted.

Update: Paxon gain back his appetite on the third day of taking the Metronidazole. Therefor, since then, he was getting only the Hills i/d dry food and the pill pockets. After finishing the Metronidazole he still had some diarrhea and also blood in his stool so I took him back to the hospital. He is now treated with Panacur C Canine dewormer powder. I need to apply it on his food, so I mixed it with standard wet food which made things even worse. As for the moment I set up for him another litter box because he avoids peeing in his usual one. Since the dewormer doesn't seems to help, I'm going to try switching his food again to a special hypoallergenic food.

Update II: The hypoallergenic food didn't work. I took Paxon for a biopsy and we run some blood tests. After getting the results back, it looks like Paxon has inflammatory bowel disease. He is now treated with Prednisolone (which is a steroid), 10 mg per day. I use the pill pockets to give him his medicine and he loves it. It has been over a month on steroids and he feels much better, all of his symptoms are gone. I still however need to monitor his condition as his latest blood tests didn't come back as good as we hoped.  

Paxon & Morena

This Monday, just one day after Louie left, I went to the ASPCA to pick up Morena. Morena is an 8 years old, mixed Shih-Tzu with diabetes which made her almost completely blind. When I first saw Morena, I wasn't impressed by her looks and she doesn't seem to care to much about me. We both set together and waited for her medical instructions and equipment. That was the moment I first saw Paxon. Actually, I saw only his yellow eyes as he was hiding inside his carrier. A couple brought him to the ASPCA with a door-less carrier. I was intrigued.
The women was crying and the man explained to me that this cat came all the way from Russia. They adopted him from his original owners two weeks prior but it turned out that the man is allergic to cats. We were talking to each other and out of the blue, and I couldn't believe this was happening, I heard myself saying that I'll adopt him. The stuff of the ASPCA were very surprised, almost as much as I was, since only recently I brought back my beloved foster cat, Matthew. Nonetheless, they played along and told me that Paxon first needs to go through behavioral examination and neutering and that they can put him on hold for me. It was estimated that Paxon will be ready for adoption in two days. Although I didn't actually see Paxon, there was no doubt in my mind that I'll be able to adopt him and foster Morena at the same time. Later that day, I came back with my husband to meet Paxon in person and we decided we are going forward with the adoption.

I still had two days to think, nothing was final. When I left the ASPCA with Morena she was super excited to get into the cab and she quietly set in my lap the whole way home. It seems that Morena's main goal in life is to please her owner. She is one of the nicest and happiest dogs I have ever met, when we go out for a walk, even dogs that are described by their owners as "very unsocial", want to play with Morena. Also, I never need to worry that she might bite someone or even bark, but I do need to guide her through the streets and protect her from the chaotic city as her poor sight doesn't allow her to respond quickly enough to rapid changes (like approaching lampposts).

As for the diabetic part of Morena, it was pretty easy once I got the hang of it. She needs to get her insulin injections twice a day, but only after she finishes at least half of her food portion. At first, it went very smoothly, as each time I fed her she immediately fished all her food in less then 5 minutes. The tricky and most nerve-raking part was when I brought Paxon home.

Two days after I first saw him, I got an email from the ASPCA stating that Paxon passed his dog test (meaning that he will have no problems living with dogs) and that he is ready for adoption. Within a few hours we went to the ASPCA to adopt Paxon. On our way in we saw Matthew. I felt sorry leaving Matthew behind and adopting a cat I don't really know instead. I do love Matthew and I miss him but I feel like I can't completely trust him (generally, the book title "How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you" pretty much summarized our interaction).
The adoption process at the ASPCA was very efficient and professional. We met the behaviorist who examined Paxon, she said he is very shy but easy going. When she brought the dog in for the test, she had to literally wake Paxon up in order for him to notice the dog, he didn't mind about the dog and went back to sleep. After filling up `your dream cat questionnaire` and a bunch of forms we received a cat in a box. I saw two yellow eyes looking at me and I knew this was our cat.

We came home to Morena with the new cat and a few toys for her. She was extremely happy to get the toys so we took her to the hallway to play and released the cat in the house. He was not nearly as curios as Matthew. He sniffed for a bit and placed himself on the kitchen counter. After the cat choose his spot, we let Morena in and she was thrilled to find out about her new friend. The cat however, was significantly less excited about his new roommate. At night, we closed an area for the dog near our bed and let the cat roam free in the house. In the middle of the night, I woke up and saw him trying to snuggle underneath my blanket.

Next morning, the cat started stressing about all the noises coming from the dog so he decided to hide in his litter box. He refused to leave his litter box, therefore, I arranged another litter box for the cat and transform the existing one into a hiding place. I closed the area with a sofa in order to keep the dog out. I took the cat out of his box (he is the nicest cat, he was purring when I picked him up), replaced the litter with a blanket and put all litter in a different box. After I finished, and although the dog was out of sight, the cat immediately went back to his hiding place and wouldn't go out again until late that night.
I left everything as is, and by now, a few days later, the cat has no problem sitting next to the dog. He is completely confident moving around the house and sharing his space with Morena. It was pure joy for me to wake up with them this weekend. They were both very playful and cooperative. Morena and Paxon chased their toys and Paxon didn't stop purring while I cuddled him. Although Paxon still refuses to play with Morena, he tolerates her presence and while I'm writing these lines, Morena is sleeping in her bed under the desk and Paxon is laying on the desk behind the computer monitor.

Matthew is Looking for a Loving Home

I moved to New York about a year ago. I left everything I had back in Israel and I also left my two dogs with my family. This was a very big change for me and leaving the dogs behind was devastating. Adopting a new pet in the city wasn't an option as my husband and I have a very small apartment and also because we spend most of our time traveling. So instead of adopting I became a foster parent for the ASPCA and I got Yago and Ysmine, two adorable, underweight kittens. When it was time to take the kittens back to the ASPCA there was no doubt in my mind that they will find a loving home. A month later, in December 2014, I got an email  saying: "Matthew  needs a vacation... Matthew is an approximately 4 year old boy in need of holiday vacation from shelter life! He will need a quite home with no other cats and no small children.... He had been surrendered to us by his owner in January 2014...".

Immediately I send back an email stating that I'll be happy to take care of Matthew for a few months. After a few back and forward emails I went to the ASPCA to meet Matthew. I was not happy the first time I saw him; he was a huge, grumpy, mean looking cat. The behaviorist consultant took him out of his cage and he just set on the floor and tried to hit her with his huge paws whenever she tried to approach him. His paws were enormous and I quickly found out that Matthew is a polydactyl cat (also known as Hemingway cat). He has a total of 24 toes (normal cats have 18), with 7 toes on each front paw and 5 tows on each hind paw. After seeing his frown look and aggressive behavior I was wounding if it was a good decision to take him inside my small studio and I thought to myself: "no wounder nobody adopted him".

Nonetheless, I took him and brought him home. At first I didn't attempt any contact with him and I just let him explore the studio. He was very curios and he inspected everything! Every time I opened a door he would sneak in and sniff around. It took him less than a few hours to get comfortable and to start showing affection toward me. By now he is with us for almost a month and he is the sweetest kitty; very talkative, playful and affectionate. Sometimes he still plays rough and he tries to bite or hit with his paws but he is doing it very gently, without really hurting anyone. 

When I get back home he will run to me and like a dog, he will stand on his two hind legs and place his front legs on me. He loves his scratching board and occasionally he will start running and jumping in the house which is always funny to watch. Matthew will stay with me until the end of February 2015 and I hope I can find him a loving home prior to that date. If you are looking for a funny, loving, joyful cat, look no further! Matthew is a very easy going cat and he is much less destructive than the average kitten. Among his hobbies: laying in front of the keyboard and trying to hit my fingers while I'm typing :-)
If you think you can help Matthew in finding a loving home, please contact me or the ASPCA....

Update: Today, March 19, 2015, I have returned Matthew to the ASPCA. I really hope he will get adopted soon.

If you are thinking about adopting Matthew here are a few helpful tips:

1. Matthew doesn't like to eat his wet food so if you want him to eat that you should mix it with his dry food.

2. Matthew is a very cleaver cat. He quickly learned to use his new "cleaver cat litter box". Also, he is not picky about his litter. He was fine with shavings, crystal and the ultra premium clumping cat litter.

3. Matthew is a very curious cat. He will go through any door to examine the new space. He really enjoyed walking in our hallway, so everyday we took him for a stroll outside the apartment. He also enjoyed sniffing our neighbors' dogs from behind the door and make them go crazy knowing he is on the other side. 

4. If he want's to play with you he will approach you and gently touch you with his paws.

5. 1. Matthew loves his scratching board. He really enjoys scratching and he got more nails than the average cat. You should defend your couch by covering it.

6. Matthew doesn't like the vacuum cleaner. He will hide on a high bench whenever he sees it. 

7. If you hold a toy in your hand and want to play with Matthew make sure you remember that he will aim for your hand and not for the toy. 

8. Matthew loves to play with simple hair bands, he is usually most active and playful during midnight.   

9. If Matthew wants to get some food or get out for a stroll he will, respectively, direct you to his food bowl or the door and meow at your general direction.

10. When you walk back home after been away for a while that is when he will be the nicest to you.  

11. Often, Matthew will try to hunt you down. He will do it by stalking you and surprisingly jumping on your legs. A simple loud "NO" will immediately stop him. Having said that, I wouldn't trust him around small children.