Surya - 2 photos now

[Lizzie]

I thought you might appreciate a photo of Surya (was Beans) in his new home, at long last. He isn't easy to photograph when he's moving around and when he looks at the camera, it always ends up showing him as having glowing greenish irises although they are actually a dark gold. I need to work on taking a movie of him. He loves his folded over comforters on the floor with just a flannel pillowcase over them. I bought him some big and fluffy pet beds but he prefers something harder and flatter.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i306/Zephryn_2006/IMG_0136.jpg

We are still going through a settling-in process. He seems to be doing well on his new diet of venison and field peas, dry, but we have to wait some weeks to see if it really is working. After dealing with piles of poop and pools of pee in the kitchen, hall and living room, I ripped out the carpet in my hall closet and installed litter boxes so he wouldn't have to go far in any direction for a litter box. That worked for one day, and then back to random pooping and peeing. Now I've cut back his free-roaming area to three bedrooms, all with their own litter box areas (no living room, kitchen, etc.) and that's worked for the past day or so. The only problem is that some of the cats don't like having to jump over the gate to get from one area to another. I have to develop an easy method for them that Surya can't navigate. He also seems calmer in a smaller environment. Although he loved being in the larger area, he was more nervous and more aggresive to the other cats - biting them on the back when they were sitting quietly for instance (though only the black cats!)

[doolittleky]

Thanks Lizzie for posting a picture of him. I hope that the litterbox issues get settled. That can be a pain to always have to clean up. Please let me know how the new diet goes too.
Melissa

[kt_luvs_kitties]

He looks wonderful. I also hope the pooping and peeing all over stops. It can be a hassle, but I think he is worth it ;)
He looks great Lizzie!

[kimlovescats]

I can't see the pics! waaaaaaaah!!!!

I'm glad to hear he is settling in some ... sorry about the random poop / pee pee problems. I have an older fella who does that too! :rolleyes:

[catmandu]

All We Get Is A Red X Too.

[Anikaca77]

I couldn't see it either...




I can't see the pics! waaaaaaaah!!!!

I'm glad to hear he is settling in some ... sorry about the random poop / pee pee problems. I have an older fella who does that too! :rolleyes:

[QueenScoopalot]

He looks really strange! A white box with a red X in the middle of it, an we're supposed to believe that's Surya/ Beans? :eek: :confused: :D I'd get him to the vets fast if he keeps looking like that! Now where's the picture? *grin* :confused:

[Lizzie]

Why, oh why, am I able to see it when so many people cannot? Cute comment Queen S., no he hasn't become a little red x. I'll reload it into Photobucket and see what happens.

By the way, the barrier I put up and thought was working, didn't stop him getting into the living room and going after Raven. I'd put heavy boxes either side of a counter top on its side so the other cats could move between areas. After just a day of Surya rearing up and looking very frustrated, he jumped on the box and jumped over. So, now I've removed the box on his side and only the kittens can leap over. I don't know why he's going after Raven, the sweetest and gentlest cat. If he can't find Raven, he goes up to one of the other black cats and bites them instead. It sounds kind of funny, but it's not to the gently snoozing cats who are being bitten. Nor me. I tried to stop him going after Raven this morning and he jumped right at me and bit my socked foot. Then he came after me and I had to use a big pillow as I moved backward away from him. Hilarious, isn't it, a grown woman fending off a disabled cat! Let me tell you, when Surya is after something, he jumps forward, or back, very fast and he's got quite the temper.

Right now, he's in the same place as shown in the photo, sleeping away and looking defenceless and innocent.

[kimlovescats]

Now I can see the picture! Awww, he's such a pretty boy! ;)

[QueenScoopalot]

I can see his pic now too! Handsome..but being a defensive little butt head huh? :eek: Kirby, and my R.B Willy, and Thumbelina were the most passive cats! Kirby is a radial aplasia case like yours, but stays in my bedroom and is happy in the room. Maybe Surya is a bit overwhelmed by too much area, and having to deal with others. Try keeping him in one room..it won't kill him. My RB Willy (the love of my life :( ) preferred to stay in my bedroom. He felt safe and secure in a smaller zone. He was petrified trying to survive with all the others! :eek:

[Freedom]

He looks SO cuddly I just want to put my face in all the orange fur!!

[rg_girlca]

He is a handsome boy, but I am very concerned about him attacking the other cats and now attacking you. Would it be better to contain him in a room by himself. He sounds like he has some major issues.

I'm sorry, but it isn't funny, especially if he gets to sink his teeth into you. I would defend myself also if a cat went to attack me.

Good luck with him Lizzie.

Have you ever had to deal a cat like that before who would attack for what seems like no reason?

[Lizzie]

I can see his pic now too! Handsome..but being a defensive little butt head huh? :eek: Kirby, and my R.B Willy, and Thumbelina were the most passive cats! Kirby is a radial aplasia case like yours, but stays in my bedroom and is happy in the room. Maybe Surya is a bit overwhelmed by too much area, and having to deal with others. Try keeping him in one room..it won't kill him. My RB Willy (the love of my life :( ) preferred to stay in my bedroom. He felt safe and secure in a smaller zone. He was petrified trying to survive with all the others! :eek:

Well, I expected a cat that I needed to protect also. I made sure before he came that the upstairs only had cats that were elderly, gentle, soft-natured, etc. He was defensive at first, hissing and growling a lot, and that was very understandable. He's always had "his own room" to go to but he wants out, fights me when I scoop him up and put him in there. Far from staying in the area where his room is, and the other two bedroom/sitting rooms where I am mostly, he scurries right out into the big open area of living room/kitchen/dining/hall. He hates being confined. He loves being in the middle of things. That's why he got mad about the counter blocking him and why he jumped over it. He wanted to be in the big space and he immediately goes on the hunt for Raven. When Raven eludes him, Surya goes after whichever other black cat happens to be around at the time. He's even bitten big Dagda (when he had his back turned). He loves the kittens, doesn't mind the other colour cats, but has a real issue with black cats.

I do keep him in isolation for parts of each day, but it's to protect the others. I don't know what's going on. Melissa said that he preferred to stay in her bedroom although she also said that he liked to be in the middle of things. And she said that he chased after the other cats and bit them in the bum. I hope she sees this so she can tell me if he singled out the black cats in her entourage.

I've realized that my assumptions about Surya were very wrong. I thought his disability would make him very vulnerable and shy around other cats. But, really, Surya is a restless and aggresive cat that would probably try to be an alpha male in other circumstances, and his handicap has intensified those aspects instead of subduing them.

[Catty1]

Lizzie...For entirely different reasons, I have a regular nylon cat collar on Oscar, and twice a day, he gets a squirt of Feliway right on the collar. I squirt it slowly, I don't spray.

Might be an idea to try with Surya. It may calm him, and even help with his pee and poop issues - they might be behavioural, him trying to mark all of his scent EVERYWHERE.

He's a beautiful cat...so I hope something like this helps. Does he have his own water bowl? If so, Rescue Remedy might be another idea.

HUGS

[Lizzie]

I tried to take a photo which would show the way he walks and this is the best I could do as he walked toward me, with me walking backward.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i306/Zephryn_2006/IMG_0148.jpg

Catty1 - I tried Feliway years ago with poor results. It made no difference to the cats' behavior but made it hard for me to breathe. He has his own water bowl in his room so I could try the rescue remedy in it. He's been very sweet in this room with us, Raven on the other side of the barrier, and didn't mind the kittens climbing all over him and taking his food.

[Catty1]

I wonder what it is about the black cats??? Maybe put big coloured collars on them and see if that fools Surya? I don't know...

[catmandu]

Awww! Now we see the Big Orangie and waht a brave Handsome Cat Surya is.
We are praying that hes adapted well and that his life is full and happy.
We know that hes so lucky in his Furr Ever Home and will thrive there.
Micheal and Miquelito send a SPECIAL ORANGE MEEEEEEOOOOW TO SURYA!!!!!!

[aki]

awwwwwwwww in that pic he almost looks like a kangaroo! :D

sounds like you have your hands full chica. is he play biting and attacking or being a meanie?

right now, no one's feet are safe from sig. whether you're sitting, sleeping, standing or walking, you're gonna get it. LOL!

~Aki :D

[cassiesmom]

He's beautiful. I hope he settles down, behavior-wise.