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Tummy Trouble Times Two

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When Bram first came to live with us, we noticed that he had a litterbox issue during his quarantine from the rest of the fur family. His stools were soft and bloody, which we thought might be from worms or some kind of parasite, since he was a stray. We had a similar experience with Barnabas when he came home, and his problem was the result of a parasite, which quickly resolved with medication. When Bram’s condition failed to improve on its own, we brought him to the vet. A special veterinary dry food diet of hydrolyzed protein was prescribed. We’ve been following this protocol since it was recommended, and it works well for him. Because he is the only cat in the house who eats this food, we are careful that he never gets into the other cats’ food, and treats are given sparingly. To date there have been no recurrences of his tummy trouble.

Capone has been to the vet for his own digestive issues. One day we noticed that his stool was similar to Bram’s when he was ill, and he was refusing food. His apparent rapid weight loss was concerning, as he has aways been thinner than his brother Cosmo. Our vet felt he was suffering from a bout of HGE (hemorragatic gastroenteritis). It was something I never experienced with neither Moose nor Red, and I had never heard of this condition.

We spent a couple days going back and forth to the vet. Capone was hooked up to IVs, as keeping him hydrated was important when fighting HGE. The vet was able to get him interested in food and eating again. Capone recovered from HGE, but I believe it’s something that could recur. Unlike Moose and Red, Capone and Cosmo do not eat table food, and I am particular about the treats that I give them, more so now than ever. It’s a shame that I am unable to indulge Capone with whipped cream from the coffee shop or special treats from places we visit. That was something I enjoyed doing for my previous boys, who had no food sensitivities. However, because we don’t know what triggered Capone’s tummy trouble, I’m careful not to trigger it again. His diet may be boring, but so far we have had no HGE recurrences. Perhaps he will be allowed special treats on occasion in the future. As for Cosmo, he seems to have no issues with his stomach at all. Fortunately, he is able to eat the same food as his brother to make mealtimes easier, and that has worked out well. The boys eat a formula for sensitive stomachs and skin that can be found at any pet supply store, while feline brother Bram is the only critter in the house on a prescription diet.

The tummy trouble for both Bram and Capone was caught early. Bram’s condition requires lifelong maintenance, while Capone’s requires lifelong monitoring. Hopefully they aren’t aware of all the goodies they miss out on due to their conditions. As for me, I’m just happy that there are diets that can maintain their digestive health and keep further flareups at bay.

The Integration

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Since his first vet appointment, Bram has been microchipped and registered, and an appointment has been made for his neuter. The office has been turned into a makeshift room for Bram. He’s been in seclusion from the other pets until his two week quarantine following his initial vet visit is over. Don’t feel too sorry for him, he’s in a climate-controlled environment and has all the feline necessities including a bed, scratching post, and litterbox. He even has a new flatscreen!

We have been keeping him company in his room and occupied with a variety of toys. He is friendly but has too much interest in playing with human hands. That is something we’ll need to address. The resident cats have patrolled the hallway outside of his door a few times. They know he is in the room, but at least no one is incessantly hanging out by the door. They all know the drill, whatever is in the room will come out eventually. Bram has seen Tiger twice. The first time was when we carried Bram into the room by way of cat carrier. Bram hissed at Tiger from behind the metal door, but that was it. They also saw each other briefly when the office door was opened.

After the isolation period, it was time to start the integration process. This can take a while considering the number of critters residing in the house. As long as this process takes all the time it needs, and isn’t rushed, things tend to work out. Before we added any animals to the mix, we let Bram have the run of the house solo so he could get the lay of the land before meeting his housemates. He was able to locate the bowls, litterboxes, and scratching posts.

From there we continued integration in stages, from the easiest pet to the most difficult. We decided to let Bram out only when the dogs were out. Once he was acclimated to them, we introduced him to Vlad and Barnabas, and then finally the oldest cats Tiger and Tiki. It took a few weeks, but it seems to be going well.

When Moose and Red were younger and prone to chasing, we crated them when introducing new cats. In Bram’s case, we left him out when the dogs were sleeping on the couch. He jumped on the couch with the boys and sniffed them. No problems there. On another occasion, we let Bram out with the boys when they were awake. They were walking around, and Red was barking. Bram wasn’t bothered by them. The dogs don’t see well, but I’m sure Bram has a different scent from the other cats.

After a couple weeks we added Vlad and Barnes. Barnes hissed and wasn’t the welcoming brother I expected him to be. Vlad wanted to play with Bram, but he was unsure at first. I’m happy that both seem to get along with him now.

Finally, we added the two older cats. Tiger took to him right away, which surprised me because he was the one I was most worried about. Tiki isn’t thrilled but tolerates him as long as he doesn’t get too close. She is like that with the others anyway, so it’s good to see she treats her new brother like the others.

Bram is now out of his room full time. He’s happy to have the run of the house, and I am happy to have my office back. Training cats to stay away from doors is an ongoing process when you have one that has previously been outside. So far Bram has shown little interest in being a door darter. Everyone gets along reasonably well. There is no hissing or chasing, which are all signs that the integration is heading in the right direction. We’re happy we decided to take a chance with the little guy.

I’m pleased to report that since the above was written, Bram has been neutered and there is household harmony among the fur kids. (Human hands are safe, too).

The Patter of New Paws

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I’m embarrassed to admit that I have been away from my blog for so long. I created content for the site since my last post, but I just never published it. Several events transpired during my break, some good, then bad, then good again. I will bring this site current, but it may take a while to catch up with past pet anecdotes. Let’s start with something good that’s happened.

We were quite content with four cats. That was a number that seemed to work for us. The loss of Annie and Ozzy reduced our number to two for about a year, but missing the chaos that multiples can sometimes bring, we adopted two more cats a couple weeks apart (Barnabas and Vlad).

So much for even numbers. A family member found a friendly stray, did we want it? No room at the inn was our usual response, but for some reason we caved. I think it was in part because of the melancholy surrounding Moose’s kidney failure diagnosis. My husband and I needed something positive, an exciting hello when a tragic goodbye drew near.

Having agreed, I asked for a photo of the kitty, which showed it drinking water outside. A brown tabby with white feet. I’ve had two in the past; both Puff and Annie were brown tabbies. I hated to think of it outside in the summer heat with no permanent place to call home.

The cat rescuer traveled to where it was usually seen, and it voluntarily went into the cat carrier. The kitty arrived at our house on July 9, 2021. We never released it from the carrier, instead we went right to the pet urgent care down the street to check for a microchip. There was no sense in falling in love with someone else’s pet. A scan failed to find a chip. Kitty wasn’t part of a colony, as neither ear was tipped. I secretly hoped kitty would be a female I could name Lizzie. We only have one female; the others are males. No such luck. Kitty was an unneutered male with claws. They weren’t able to do any vetting of the kitty, but our normal vet was able to squeeze us in that night.

Kitty was named Bram on the way to the vet, in keeping with the vampire-themed names of two of our other cats. He was very good at the vet’s office. Bram was swept again for the presence of a microchip and still none was found. It turned out that he was a young man of 10-11 months, or a teenage kitten.

Bram had little flea dirt on him, but he did have ear mites, so I was given a topical to treat them along with any other parasite or worm he could have. (I think he may have been expelling something in the days that followed, so it was good that he had the medicine). He tested negative for feline AIDS and leukemia, so he was safe to bring home and keep. Bram will have to be kept isolated from the rest of the menagerie for two weeks, and if there are no signs of anything upper respiratory or otherwise unusual going on, he can begin the integration process. He also received a rabies shot during his visit. Welcome to your new life Bram!