I'd love to see somebody try this on a cat that wasn't unconscious. The tattoo artist would end up with more “permanent marks” than the cat! Shedding is normal, and will happen year round. Cats do shed hair more when stressed. When my two brother cats go for a little “sibling rivalry” for real, they both end up puffed out like a fur ball, (their tails triple in size!) and the hair ends up taking the blunt of the trauma. It sort of acts like ablative armor (armor that evaporates) used on tanks. Low levels of stress have the same effect. Get a Slicker Brush and be sure to always pet with the angle of the hair. Be aggressive enough to scratch its back a bit, but don’t over do it and be careful not to knick the ears or any other parts that are sensitive. As a general rule cats really love to be brushed in the places that they have difficulty reaching, or for which they lack the fine dexterity to scratch gently. My cats dig under the chin to the chest, especially if you get around the windpipe where they end up choking themselves if they scratch too hard, and down the back of the head to below the shoulder blades. Most cats are a bit more sensitive about letting you rub their bellies, and an old half-feral cat that I used to have would bite me if I didn’t scratch in the correct places! They treat brushing and rubbing like the licking that they do to each other for a sense of bonding, so it’s good on many levels. After you do this for awhile the cat may very lightly nibble at your hand and then lick it. This isn’t some sort of mixed message. When they groom they will bite into their hair to ruffle it up and tussle any “stuff” out and then, using the little barbs on their tongues , they then comb their hair back into position. You just don’t have any hair on your body to ruffle, so they don’t know what to do. I have an old boar’s hair bristle brush that I used to use which on myseslf which my cat’s love, but the fur gets all tangled up in the brush. The accumulated fur will slide right out of the brush slicker to be easily disposed of once you are done with it. Lack of proper litter etiquette is a sign that the poor kitten didn’t get enough time with its mother in the real world. The urge to bury their excrements is ingrained, as it is a way to hide their presence from foxes and coyotes who would like to eat them. They sell fox and coyote extract as a way to keep cats out of your yard! It’s genetically ingrained in them, but there’s also a learning component from the mother. My 1st “street kitty” that I took in & discovered had 5 kittens on the way (I kept 3) taught all of her “litter box eccentricities” to her kittens. (She scratches wildly on the plastic sides of the box and the floor outside around it.) I currently have a feral street kitty that I kidnapped when I moved and so couldn’t otherwise feed anymore, living in my closet. She won’t make direct eye contact, she hisses when I get too close and she’s hiding on a shelf 9 feet up, but she knew exactly what the litter box was for. It was the only way I could tell that she’d come down. One of my cats, however, loses bladder control whenever I take her to the vet, so it could be a related phenomenon, but a cat’s litter hygiene doesn’t necessarily translate beyond the “hide from predators” act. The will lick their butts and then lick you, or do the same after mashing up a bug for fun, and they’ll lick their toe jam after getting out of the litter box. Once they get the liquid fecal mater on their fur, they’ll gladly rub it all over you; they just won’t usually get it on their fur.
Thanks all for the replies. I think I might have over-reacted ... since he seems to be doing great now. I think he wasn't exactly sure that he had gone to the b-room. I wiped him, and he cozied up in my lap again. A few minutes later he went to explore the place and went and got comfy with the litter. About 20 mins later, he went in, did his thing, came out and rushed towards the carpet ... totally freaking me out ... but it kind rolled into a ball and started licking itself for a good 5 minutes then climbed back up. No stains or anything, so I guess he cleaned up pretty well. Sheddng is still unreal, but I guess he might be in shock, plus it's getting really hot, change in weather over here. It was about 124 yesterday, and it hit 111 this afternoon. (I'm in Riyadh) I think I agree with most of you that the diet needs to change, because it is not enjoying the 'Whiskas' chicken thingie ... it'll eat, but VERY sparingly and then it's hardly drinking the water ... it looks at it, takes a lap, then looks at me and starts meowing and then leaves?!? Should I try dry foods instead? And someone mentioned milk isn't a good idea?!? And the place I got it is a vet shop, so I have the papers, etc that he was checked up and taken care of about 5-6 weeks ago. Again, thanks for all the help!
Keep in mind a couple things... 1. Cats shed. It is just what they do. Get a slicker brush as was recommended and brush the cat every few days. It will cut down on all the shedding and he'll love it. 2. Cats get nervous easily and it will effect their health. If he has some diahrrea problems, it is likely related to the change in environment. If he has those problems in the future, see a vet as cats can get dehydrated fairly quickly. 3. ANY and I mean ANY change in diet will often result in diahrrea or vomitting. This is totally normal. Once you have him on a diet routine, try to keep him on it. If you want to give him treats, that's fine. Just don't overdo it. Cats do better when their routines are stable when it comes to eating.
Milk can give cats diarrhea. Dry foods are also better if you need to... ummm, get their stools firmer. (sorry, can't think of any other way to say it) Hope your kitty gets better and doesn't have anything serious... By the way, some cats don't have to have their food changed gradually. Mine welcomes it and usually eats a lot more enthusiastically when you change it. Well, you would probably get sick of eating the same thing every day too.
Buy Iams Hairball formula catfood. You think occasional hair lying around is hard to clean up. Try cleaning up a juicy hairball. Also buy some Incredible at Randall's grocery. It's the best stuff for cleaning carpet stains.
Just to be clear, the effects are exactly those of the effects of lactose intolerance in people, it's just that 100% of the cats in the world become totally lactose intolerant when they finish growing, while only a percentage of humans have the problem and those that do suffer from it to varying degrees. I'm fairly sure that humans are the only mammal that doesn’t become lactose intolerant after childhood. Also, I've seen it said that cats would rather change the people in their home than the environment they live in. I don't know if true, but it might help you understand how stressful this is. Generally, in the future, I'd suggest avoiding pet shops. The animals are generally treated more as a commodity early on and are thus more likely to develop illness. I'd suggest buying directly from a breeder in the future if you want a purebred. Another thing you need to think about is a scratching pad. Cats need to sharpen their claws and shed old claw layers, and they will do it on your couch or priceless Persian rug if you don't give them a healthy alternative. --- As long as this thread exists, let me ask if anybody here has ever taken in a 100% feral cat before? I'm having issues and would appreciate some help from somebody who's done it before. I understand the process can be painfully long, but I've made no progress whatsoever with this animal since the end of November! I know I saved its life by taking it in (it was close to starving to death when I took it to the vet and I'd already been feeding it 2x daily for 2 weeks!), but I feel guilty every time the poor thing acts so terrified when I'm near.
My Australian Shepherd has a tat. When the Humane Society spays dogs young, they tattoo a female symbol so that another vet doesn't try to spay an already fixed dog. That is partly how she got her name: Harley, the tattooed rebel dog.
I did this in '01, but when I took them in they were 4-5 weeks old. They took to the house like they were born there and took to my 65 lb. German Shepherd/Pit Bull/Lab mutt like she was their mother (and she took to them the same way). Only advice I have is don't give up. It may take quite some time but the kitty should come around eventually. Socialize with it as much as possible even if it does act terrified. It may never take to any human but you, but eventually it will be very, very attached to you once it has gotten over its feral roots.
