Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Steve1977 on January 27, 2008, 00:36:59 AM
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Its been about 3 weeks now since we had our cats 'done' and after it, our Male cat(Moss) seemed fine, was constantly hyper and in the mood to play with our female cat(Saffi) who at the time had one of those cone things round her head.
Since we removed the cone she has got back to her old self and is constantly running around and out of two, she appears to be the most dominant which in turn has appeared to put our Moss back into his shell but this past week he has gone into his shell even more.
For the past few days we have noticed him walking up to the fire and licking the decorative stones (obviously the fire hasnt been on) but he seems to enjoy licking it. Not sure what he's getting from this or maybe he just likes the texture of the fake stone against his tongue (it has a rough surface).
But he's eating well and drinking except he just sits down and has no interest in doing anything else. On Friday he was sitting right behind my g/f who was washing up and she accidently stepped on him and so since then he's taken to sitting in the corner of the room. He has no qualms about being handeled (he wont run off) but compared to the live wire that is Saffi, he appears to be very sullen and feels sorry for himself.
I heard that when you have the neutered, Cats can change personality and I have no qualms about him being a quiet, introverted cat who just wants to sleep all day - If thats what he wants to do then thats fine with us. But Im mentioning it incase others have experienced this and there could be some other thing wrong.
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Aw, bless him! Neutering doesn't usually change a cat's personality except by making him calmer, more home loving and gentle. It may just be that he's a bit intimidated by Saffi and they've not properly worked out their relationship yet, and your gf accidentally stepping on him won't have helped, but I would take him back to the vet to get him checked over.
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It seems a very drastic change for a ypung cat.........I assume he is young.......and I think I would just get the vet to check him.
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and when you do go to the vet you should definitely mention him licking the fake stones, he may be taking in a toxin while he is doing that.
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Good thinking bc, and he may also be searching for something deficint in his body.
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My Tigger (RIP) took to licking the fake coals as well. Our Jumpy does it from time to time. Tigger died from CRF and Jumpy has a cardiomyopathy. I'd discuss a blood test with your vet. As Gill says, it could be that he's searching to redress an imbalance in minerals. :sneaky:
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Cheers for the replies guys - much much appreciated. We'v actually removed the stones now and if he hasnt improved in the morning we'r going to book him in to the vets.
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I would def suggest the vets and maybe mentioned how he has been. MY wee man was licking strange things before he got ill and became much more quiet and it was anemia. Better to get it checked out - especially as it is out of character!
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Well we took him today and it turns out he has Anemia and possibly a heart murmur :(
We took him back home and after sitting in one place for a while he tried to take a walk and then his legs basically buckeled underneath him and he let out a loud meow. To be honest I thought he was having a heart attack. So we have now took him back to the vets where they are going to potentially give him a blood transfusion either tonight or tommorow.
Thing that Im worried about also is the fact that because I was half soaked in getting the Direct Debit forms filled in at Axa Im hoping I have no problems with the claim. Basically the insurance has been activated from October and I had a letter saying the DD mandate has still not been returned. So I sent it off today and rang them and the guy said that they will take out all the monies owed so far (from when it started in October) and then continue to take out the £5 a month or whatever it is.
He said it will be activated for today but my mind is going around in circles at the moment because it will look suss if we pay them and then on the same day make a claim. :( Then again we did activate this from October and at that time he was fine and dandy. Plus they will be taking a wad of money out of our account to make up for the months where we havent paid. Also the guy said he would put a note on the account that we dont want to cancel. Blimey, although he said it was going to be ok i cant help but worrying im going to have a bill for 10k! Moss means everything to us and we desperately want him to get better plus we have given our consent...cant believe how stupid I have been with not getting this mandate sent off :( Anyone else ever took a while to get it sent out and then everything has turned out fine?
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Can't help you on the insurance thing Steve, but i did once get a phonecall from my neighbour telling me my smoke alarm was going off while I was at work, and realised I had not renewed my house insurance ....... :Crazy:
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I cant tell you but if they take out the back money its gonna cause a big row if they dont pay isnt it ;D
All I can say is that I changed to AXA in October and they did not set up the mandate until december and 3 months money then went out.
I dont know what you said to him but if there becomes a query, hopefully not, then you could say that you were ringing up to find why all this hadnt been activated and then found out that they hadnt recieved the mandate!!
I dont think your claim will be for the same day and it will not go in until what ever treatment is completed.
I think AXA are so incredibly busy at the moment that they may not make the connection on dates but its all a matter of luck and hope you have a credit card just in case.
I think that it will work out fine and your vet should give you an estimate of the costs and I hope they can get Moss sorted out :hug: :hug:
I made a claim from AXA in Dec before they had taken the money , although it was them and not me that caused the delay. MOney was paid in January ;D
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I don't know about your insurer but Tesco allows me up to three months to make a claim - which I still haven't did for the treatment in December come to think of it!!
I really hope your wee cat gets well soon, it sounds so like my wee man and they get sick so quickly. :(
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Ahhh sorry to hear your boy is poorly but hopefully your quick action of getting him to the vet will mean he will make a good recovery. I wouldn't worry too much about the heart murmur ... alot of young cats have murmurs and go on to live long happy healthy active lives. Hopefully after the blood transfusion the aneamia should also be sorted.
Big hugs to you and lots of gentle head rubs to Moss :hug: :hug:
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Cheers for the replies guys and also for dampening my fears with regards to the insurance.
Regarding the transfusion though...how does the cat get new blood? I know humans give blood but what about animals? Do they breed cats specifcally for this purpose? and how long is the recovery time usually?
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Many cats and dogs are registered on the pet blood bank http://www.petbloodbankuk.org/ so your vet should be able to find a local "donor" to provide a transfusion. There is also this service for cats www.catblooddonors.com
I'm not sure how long the recovery is but I'm sure some of the vet nurses on the site will be able to answer that when they see this thread.
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Steve
I'm really sorry to hear about poor Moss, but just to reassure you this heart murmur thing is what my Jumpy has and he still drives me bananas! :evillaugh: A lot of cats have heart murmurs and live very full lives with the help of meds. Although Moss may not have reached the stage where he needs regular medication yet. Heart murmurs can have lots of causes, including viruses. So keep an eye on your other cats too. :sneaky:
Do let us know how things go with the transfusion. :)
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I will guys, thanks again. Iv just contacted Axa and they see no problems whatsoever in making the claim (this has now been confirmed for a 3rd time by them!). We'v been asked to ring the vets about 10AM to see how he is.
We havent had any phone calls yet either so I would imagine he has is still going. What a mad and very stressful Monday! Here's hoping Tuesday goes better.
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Lots of people have heart murmurs too and are totally unaware of it. Their doc may not tell them as it is considered so insignificant.
Would be wise to find out why your cat is aneamic. I'm assuming he eats well, so there may be an underlying cause. With people it's usually poor diet, heavy periods, or serious illness (leukeamia, cancer, etc); so worth having this looked into. He may be losing blood somehow, perhaps as a result of the neuter - just a thought.
Maybe more of our cats should be blood donors!
Hope all goes well. :hug:
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Yes I agree the issue is the anemia - my cat also had a heart murmur which the vet said was common.
It was explained to me that Anemia in cats is nearly always a sypton of something and your vet will no doubt be doing a series of test to find out what the something else is - so keep us posted! :shy:
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Hope you have now heard from the vets or have contacted them and that Moss is OK :hug:
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Any update on Moss? Fingers crossed everything is OK.
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Hope Moss will be OK, I would be worried more about the anaemia than the heart murmur, one of my cats had a heart murmur, and it never caused him any probs.
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Bad news im afraid guys :( bad bad bad news :(
Moss passed away on 29th January about 12pm or thereabouts :(
On Monday evening we had him back from the vets and he seemed the same, (tired, withdrawn) yet he now seemed incredibly weak. No doubt the excursions of going to the vet took a lot out of him. He walked out his carrier and then lay on the floor but he looked a state and could only seemingly lie on his front. The vet said he was in a terrible amount of pain (yet only on Sunday, although he wasnt walking much, he was walking to have water and curled up when sleeping on us). They gave him a blood test and we were to bring him in on the Tuesday at 5pm to see what the results of the test were.
Anyways, on the Monday night we had tablets, some liquid to help him go to the toilet and this different food which helps with healing (high in calories). We had food constantly close to him in the event that he couldnt walk, but walk he did and it was strange. He looked at the dry food bowel, he looked at the wet food bowel, he looked at the water. We had changed them around to make the water closer, but he seemed to look at everyone about 2 times and then he walked back into the living room and when he did, he basically collapsed, his legs buckeled underneath him and he let out a meow. A meow that just screamed he was in pain.
So we rang the emegency vets and they took him in. The next day we rang and he was fine, they still hadnt received the results of the test but would have more info later, at which point they were almost definetly going to give him a blood transfusion. Due to not having my mobile on me my g/f took a phone call about lunch time with the bad news and she broke down in tears in the middle of Birmingham City Center. She went back to work and they took her home, saying they realised how she felt (such a nice thing to do).
The vet said his blood was very low but they cannot understand where it was going to. There was certainly no blood in his faeces and no blood around the house. Could it have been internal bleeding? Possibly. They also mentioned other technical stuff but i cannot remember. I justwish that when he developed the bizzare behaviour I took him to the vets straight away.
With myself I was pissed off more than anything, I sorta thought this might happen and then comforted my g/f and went back to work. However once work ended I asked where Saffi was (our female cat) and went upto her, hugged her and couldnt stop crying. We went to the vets and when we saw Moss one lost time and stroked him, we were both in tears. It such a sad day and the weather seemed to epitomise this because it was bucketing it down.
On way to work this morning I was crying a little and on the way home too. Sometimes it feels weird because its not an actual human but a cat - however, then you think...this cat was a member of our family! This cat was meant to live with us for years and this cat was meant to see us have our first child and then probably become pissed off when he/she pulls its tail etc.
Im also sad for Saffi. She's a very sociable cat and when I went downstairs in the night it was dark and she forced the door open whilst meowing. I can only imagine that she's wondering where he is (so we left all doors open so she could see for herself that he isnt in here). But she always looks under bed for him. Honestly guys, we are so upset about this :(
The crying tonight helped again and in a weird way, although Moss has died he will always be with us. We'v thought about getting another cat to keep Saffi company and for it to also have a great life it might not otherwise have but not yet...we dont want to cheapen Moss's memory, dont want it to seem like a conveyor belt etc. This was a member of our family, a family we have only just started since purchasing our house - and it hurts deeply.
Moss was a great cat, he was the yin to Saffi's yang. Whereas she's hyper, he's more docile and he had such a sad face all the time. But when you picked him he absolutely loved it and would seemingly start to smile. We brought them both some treats at xmas time and he loved using the 'cheesy balls' as footballs hehe. Same with dice...he loved playing with them! Above all though, these two cats truly loved each other and they would love to sleep together etc. Im getting choked up again writing this so I'm going to stop now...I just wish he was still around. :thanks: to everyone who helped.
We'v booked Saffi in for Friday to have a blood test. Thankfully she's energetic, raring to go but she's from the same clan and the vet said we should get her blood checked out.
Rest in Peace Moss, you were a fantastic cat and we bloody loved you mate.
Day we brought Moss and Saffi to home for the first time.
(http://www.meglomaniac.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/moss1edit.jpg)
Moss as a kitten relaxed.
(http://www.meglomaniac.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/moss5edit.jpg)
Moss sleeping with Saffi
(http://www.meglomaniac.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/moss3edit.jpg)
Moss hiding last xmas whilst playing with Saffi
(http://www.meglomaniac.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/moss2edit.jpg)
Moss and Saff as if they are getting it on hehe
(http://www.meglomaniac.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/moss4edit.jpg)
Just typing all this and seeing him on the pictures is really upsetting :( Just wish he was still alive.
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I'm so sorry Steve :hug: He sounds like a smashing little boy, you've got me all teary thinking about him and what you must be going through :hug:
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Steve
I am so very, very sorry to hear your sad news. :'(
I think you are right to screen Saffi against anything contagious such as FeLV.
Thinking of you and your partner at this awful time. :hug: :hug:
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Cant imagine what you must be going through, thinking of you all, so sorry to read this :'(
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Sorry to hear of your sad news Steve..... :hug: :hug: :hug:
RIP Moss....xx
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Steve, I have just read this and am sooooo sad to hear your news, you must be gutted. If it was internal bleeding then it is unlikely they could have helped him, depending on where it was, so don't blame yourself - we all would have been looking and observing for a while to decide what was going on, it is not your fault at all.
My thoughts are with you and your family. Keep well. :hug:
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OMG Steve I am really sorry to hear the tragic news about Moss. Please accept my sincere condolences and try not to blame yourself you did your best for Moss and took him to the vet but sometimes our best is not enough.
Give Saffi lots of love and cuddles and maybe the following link will be of help: http://www.fabcats.org/owners/euthanasia/bereavement.html
RIP Moss little man .... play hard at the bridge sweetheart until it's time to meet your Daddy, Mummy and little sister again. :Luv2:
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I am so very sorry to hear this, I had hoped for a positive outcome. Good luck for Saffi's tests, but if she is fine, please dont like you are cheapening his memory by adopting another cat, you aren't. You are honouring his memory by helping another needy cat to have a home, and to give them the love you have, and it can help tremendously with the healing process. I Think this sums things up very well
MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
I too, would make a Will if I could write
To some poor, wistful, lonely stray
I leave my happy home
My dish, my cosy bed, my cushioned chair, my toy.
The well loved lap, the gentle stroking hand, the loving voice
The place I made on someone's heart.
the love that at the last
Could help me to a peaceful, painless end, held in loving arms.
If I should die
Oh, do not say
"No more a cat I'll have to grieve me by it's loss"
Seek out a lonely, unloved cat and give my place to him.
This is my legacy.
The love I leave behind.
T'is all I have to give.
Margaret Trowton
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Oh Steve I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I was worried for Moss because his behaviour sounded so similar to my Bertie's who was PTS in December after a similarly speedy demise. It is heartbreaking, I know that only too well and the 'what ifs' you are feeling are also normal and what we all go through. In time it does get easier - but I can still break down in tears at the thought of him and when I read threads like this that remind me - but just remember how happy he was with you all and take comfort in that.
Desley's poem is perfect - made me blub - but so true. I lost my wee man 6 weeks ago and only now do I feel ready to take on another fur baby - you in time will feel the same. :hug:
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Reading your post has broken my heart and know what you must be going through, poor little Moss. You did all you could for him and I am sure he knew that :hug: :hug:
Lots of cuddles for Sophie and hope that her tests come out OK.
RIP Moss, you handsome little man, taken too young.
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Hi sorry to hear of your loss and condolences to you and your partner. Although of not much use now I can give you some information on LFE'S (Live fuel effect gas fires) I work within the gas industry myself so I am well aware of the hazards of these coals, and after touching them I always wash my hands. They are made out of RCFs (refractory ceramic fibres) which can with excessive exposure lead to irritation to eye's, skin and the respiratory tract. So cats / pets licking these coals is not a good idea. All of these type coals are made this way as this is what makes them fire resistant otherwise they would need to use materials like asbestos which is a big no no. Besides it's always a good idea to have a guard in front to prevent any accidents. My cat Teejay was constantly running up the chimney, sitting there for 10Min's then diving back out again, fortunately there was no fire fitted at the time because of this, when I fitted the fire I fitted one with a glass front to stop her. I hope this has been of help and not to boring, once again sorry to hear of your loss.
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so sorry to hear this Steve but don't think getting another cat cheapens the memory - it is a tribute to Moss that you want to take care of another cat - hugs to you and your partner
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Many thanks for the replies guys and thank you Barney for your advice about the coals.
After I finished writing this post I started to cry - then my g/f came in and I started to cry again. We'r both absolutely devestated. Here I am...a 30 year old man who used to hate cats and im inconsolable.
Today I feel a lot better if im honest, it was helped by having Saffi with us in our bedroom - we normally take them both downstairs due to her climbing the curtains but last night we toucked them over the curtain rail and she lay on the bottom of the bed and slept until 6am...then she kept on brushing her whiskas past us to wake us up...better than any alarm clock! (if i wanted to get up at 6am that is!)
We have decided we are going to get another cat, but not yet. When we looked into getting these I think we were told that March to September is the period where lots of kittens come in.
When Moss passed away we said we would look after Saffi for him and so when we get a kitten she will be a big sister. But thats something for the future.
Thankfully now I can remember the good times without getting tearful, although Im sure this will happen from time to time.
Saffi has now been insured and iv paid in full and so its a blood test for her on Friday. Hopefully everything will be ok and then its onto constantly playing with her and for her to be the center of attention but we will never ever forget Moss and thankfully we have the pictures and the stories that we can tell our children about. In our own little family, the little fella will be legendary! :)
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Steve I can sympathise with you on this, I personally never had any interest in cats whatsoever, they just never appealed to me. Me being a bit of a male chauvinist pig at times always went with the opinion dogs are for men and cats are for the girlie's ;D. That is until 5 years ago when I was asked to look after Teejay by a friend, I agreed to do so on the understanding that if she crapped or peed anywhere other than the litter tray, I was within my rights to zap her in the microwave ;D Well within 24hrs she chucked up a nice steaming hairball for me to pick up, not to pleased with this I went to the litter tray only to find pooh on the carpet, I took one look at her wagging her tail and that was it for me she just changed my thoughts about cats altogether, she did the craziest things imaginable, would never drink water from a bowl, it had to be the hand basin, she loved whiskas temptations and would nick the whole tub go to the highest point in the flat and drop them knowing that this would open them up :evillaugh: she was one hell of a cool cat and everyone who met her loved her. I bought this house for her so she could have a garden to explore in and everything was just perfect then over the next couple of years I took on other cats one to keep her company and another who decided to arrive in my garden with a broken leg who went on to have kittens.
Then just as everything was getting to normality, my world fell apart in 30 seconds I ran over her and killed her >:( I cannot tell you how much crying I did over the following six weeks, it would happen when I least expected it to happen, I run my own business, I'd be on the telephone to clients and I'd be crying my eyes out to them, fortunately most were understanding others were of the opinion "er well it's just a cat" and at the end of the day thats what it is, but it's your cat and only your cat and it's that cats personality, charm, and behaviour that only you know and understand that makes it different from being just any old cat. I never ever thought that by losing a cat it would have the effect it did on me, but it did and it got me real bad and I'm still thinking of her half a dozen times a day but gradually the pain fades but I miss her terribly, my biggest regret was not bring her home from the vets to bathe her before she was cremated, but i now have her ashes in a casket and they stay in a cupboard where she use to sleep.
As for getting another cat, well I can only go by recent experience I didn't want one but my neighbours thought it a great idea to get me one. I could not get out of excepting her as I live in a road with 10 houses so it would have left a lot of bad feeling in the road if I told them to stuff it where the sun don't shine ;D As it happens it hasn't worked out to bad, the house has more or less now settled down with the other cats and a new pecking order has been formed and I've made it clear to all that I am top cat here :evillaugh: It also by having a new cat in the house stopped me from being down and forced me into looking after a cat that needed care and looking after, this cat hasn't replaced Teejay no other cat can or will be able to replace my Teejay. So my advice would be to do what is right for you and your partner and keep your chin up.
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So sorry to hear about Moss, its terrible when you loose them so young :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Thats so sad Barney and a nightmare of many I think :hug: :hug:
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So sorry to hear about Moss, Steve. It's tragic when a young cat dies. To me, they are like children, never "just a cat" and you can't help loving them.
I hope you will get a companion for Safi when you're ready. Perhaps consider one of her own age, rather than a kitten.
Think of Moss snuggled in Bastet's tummy, or playing on the bridge.
:candle:
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So sorry. :hug:
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Sorry to hear about Moss :hug: