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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

2915.0. "HELP NEEDED FOR SENILE CAT!" by NEEPS::ELLIOTT () Thu Oct 05 1989 10:16

  Hello from a wet and damp Aberdeen,I have been following Feline for
    the last year but have not had the time to join in the notes.
    Excuse myself for any mistakes etc. I have a serious problem
    with my cat Kelly.
    
    I recently moved house taking Kelly along later approx 7weeks  
    due to the amount of work that had to be done on the house also
    we went on holiday  and my wife"s granny & grandad were looking
    after the house.
    They are 65/67 years of age so we felt that we could not leave Kelly
    with them  in case she wandered away as the would not be able to
    look for her.
    
     Kelly settled in great picking her spot in front of the fire and
    at the back door rushing to meet whoever pulled up in the drive.
    Then I let her out last Monday night 25/9/ she either comes back
    in later or stays out all night.
     Next morning I shouted on her no sign strange  she never appeared
    all day or Wed,Thurs,Fri.
    I went to Police,vets,cat protection society,no sign of her checked
    the neighbourhood not a sausage
    
    Then on Monday 2/10 on my way back from the papershop what do I
    see Kelly sitting in drive across from my house I went up to her
    calling her name she came to me ,however she seemed vacant I then
    put her in the house she wandered about as if she had never been
    there before she did not want any food.
    I left her locked in the garage with basket,food,milk etc on returning
    at night she had escaped!
        Looked for her Tuesday night no-sign ,Weds morning shouted on
    her she came running ,stopped she seems to know her name but is
    unsure of us and the house.
    The differences in her are she has lots of grey hairs on her face
    her eyes instead of yellow are an orange colour she has a V shape
    of grey hairs on her belly and like my wife says she honestly seems
    senile wanders around the house unsure of where she is.
     I got her back in this morning thurs 5/10 it is the wife"s  day
    off so I kept her in the house,I intend taking her to the vet .
    
      In the meantime can you help me what is wrong with her it is
    distressing to see her wandering around  she is also not as
    affectionate  no meowing,no rubbing against your legs etc
     Thank you if you managed to read this far without turning off
    
      Neil Elliott 
    
    you cat owners 
    
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
2915.1I'd get her checked out.CRUISE::NDCNancy Diettrich-Cunniff-I wanted it allThu Oct 05 1989 11:0014
    I suggest you take her to the vet.  I had two thoughts reading your
    note.  1. She's confused about the new home.  How far did you move?
    Could she possibly be trying to find her old home?  I've heard
    stories about cats traveling great distances to get home.  Also,
    possibly she gets out and then gets confused and can't find her
    way home.
    2.  She was injured somehow.  Perhaps even an injury to her head.
    Or she ate something she shouldn't have.  
      I would get her checked out at the vet's and then keep her in
    for a while until you're sure that she knows where home is and
    can find her way back and also until you're sure she's ok.
      Good luck.
       Nancy DC
    
2915.2A man's home is his CAT'S castleMSBIS1::SADLERThu Oct 05 1989 14:2513
    Neil,
    
    Cats are very territorial animals.  Your cat is probably just very
    confused about the move to a new home.  New sounds, smells, sights,
    etc.  Try to keep the cat confined to the house for a week or so,
    just to get her familiar with the new environment.  That way, when
    she does go outside, she will have somewhere familiar, "her own
    territory" to return to.
    
    Best of luck,
    
    Cathy Sadler
    
2915.3WR2FOR::CORDESBRO_JOset home/cat_max=infinityThu Oct 05 1989 15:0217
    Also, she was without you and your wife for seven weeks.  That is
    a long time.  She needs time to adjust to being with the two of
    you, and to adjust to the new house.  
    
    I had a cat go back to our old house once.  It took her several
    weeks to get there, but she did it twice!!  And she was an indoor
    only cat.  She would dart out the door, between our legs and be
    off running.
    
    I suggest keeping her inside for a minimum of several weeks.  When
    you do start taking her outside, do it only for short periods, and
    stay with her so that she doesn't wander off and get lost again.
    Once she is used to the place, she will probably be fine.  
    
    You didn't mention her age, is she an old cat?
    
    Jo
2915.4CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren/Sweetie/Holly/Little Bit Ca.Thu Oct 05 1989 16:275
    Are you certain that the cat that you have is Kelly?  Also, I wasn't able
    to tell from your note, but how long did you keep her inside after
    she arrived at your new place?  Usually two weeks is recommended,
    so it may take that long for her to get reoriented.
    
2915.5NEEPS::ELLIOTTFri Oct 06 1989 07:0227
         RE:1,2,3,4
    Thank you for the prompt replies!
    
    I forgot to put in some basic info .
    
    Kelly is four years old, female and has been spayed she is all black
    this is why the grey hairs are so prominant.
    We had been at the new house for over 4 weeks before she disappeared
    during this time she never strayed .
     We tried to keep her in yesterday however when i got home my wife
    had let her out because
     Kelly was continually prowling from front to back door,whilst howling
    she also started to claw the the furniture & the carpets, then decided
    it was time to piddle luckily she was caught before she could start.
    Now kelly is house trained this is completely out of character.
    
    If kelly had recieved a severe scare would this cause her to act
    this way,also when she came in this morning she did not even look
    at her meat.
    Her eyes are back to yellow a little bloodshot I cannot find any
    sore bits on her body ie when you press her
    
    I will try and take her to vet,once again thank you for your help.
    
     Neil
    
2915.6AIMHI::OFFENThu Oct 12 1989 13:3820
    I once had a dog that had been hit by a car.  After laying in the road
    for a minute or two, she got up and ran away.  After looking for her, I
    went home and there she was, under the table, shivering like a leaf.  A
    few days later, she left and never came back.  We did see her some time
    later but she never recognized us.  Now, this dog totally adored my
    aunt and had been with us for 8 years.  I know she wouldn't just
    "forget" my aunt.  From what a vet told me,  the dog was probably
    suffering from ammnesia.  She had found a new home and was happy there,
    so we decided to leave her with her new owners.
    
    Is there a possibility that your cat was hit slightly by a car and is
    suffering from ammnesia??  Are you absolutely positive that the *new*
    cat is yours??  Reading the base note gave me the feeling that these
    might be two kittys.
    
    Please keep us informed as to the outcome of this dilemma.
    
    Sandi & THUNDER, LIGHTNING, STORM & DEJAVU too