Princess comes in injured

[wayne0214]

My faovrite tortie, Princess, the one who keeps being ran off by the other cats, had been gone for several days. This morning she came in, hiding under my truck, and obviously terrified, not only of my other furkids, but also because something attacked her. Her left hind leg is weak, not moving well and she is limping on it. I have been feeding her mixed dry and canned food because her weight was also down, hoping that she will rebound and become as frisky as she was before she left. She has a habit of leaving, whether she is attacked or not. But I believe this behavior is because of not being accepted by some of my other furkids. One of the few cats that doesn't make her afraid is Tiger. I have never seen such a hopeless look in a cat's eyes as I did this morning, If a cat can grieve, that was Princess. She came to me as though it were a last resort, in a way, not fearing what the others would do to her. I must keep her indoors and nurse her back to health before making any decisions concerning her.

I love my little Princess, but I'm beginning to think that she would be better off in a new and loving home. She would be best taken in as an only pet, because she easily becomes scared (terrified) at other animals and especially aggressive cats. She is a good lap cat, and is very affectionate and I suspect that under the right loving conditions, she would also make a good indoor-only pet. Do you think that attempting to re-home her is a correct decision, or does any out there believe that I should keep her and get Princess and my menagerie spayed and neutered first. (BTW, there will be an update on Snow Cat).:( :)


......wayne

[maxx's mom]

Oh, the poor thing! I know it would break your heart to let her go, but it sounds like she may be a one-cat household kinda kitty. Is there any way you can find someone in your area that would take her, so you could visit her now and then?

[lizbud]

Hi Wayne,,

Poor Princess :( , my opinion would be to get the whole
menagerie spayed and neutered and let things settle
down (hormone wise), and then watch & see if Princess
and the other kittys act any different. Maybe the vet or
a community spay/nueter service would give some discount
for more than 1 or 2 cats. I'm sure others may have more
helpful advice too. Best of luck to you wayne, & bless you
for caring for all of them. Liz.

[Lachesis]

Oh poor baby! I hope she feels better soon

[yorkster]

poor Princess! That makes me sad.
Maybe it would be for the best to re-home her. Especailly if you find the home for her yourself, and not take her to a shelter. Not that I think you would, but I know if it was me, I would want to know where she was going AND who she was going with. :)

Is there possibly a way that you could have her be an indoor cat only? Maybe that would work........?
I know it would be difficult to give her up!

Poor little girl. Let us know what happens.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Poor Princess.:( I feel so sorry for her. I think you should have all of your cats spayed and neutered first. You should also keep her inside until she recovers. If the other cats still keep picking on her after that then you should consider putting her in another home. Hopefully you'd be able to find one that would be close by so you could visit her and see how she is doing.

[wayne0214]

An update on Princess

Thanks for all of your replies. I have tried to keep her in the house before, and keep the attackers outside. This works, as long as I can keep her confined. The problem is when she is feeling frisky, she will want to go outside again and I won't see her for several days in a row. She, like Tiger, will bolt out the door, when I open it for some reason. Tiger has been bugging me to let her outside, but I'm insisting, NO!, and she understands. I hope I can teach Princess the same.

Now that Fluffy's three kittens are becoming old enough to take care of themselves and play outside in the day time, there is no need for Fluffy to be in the house, because she is one of the main attackers on Princess. Yet Fluffy is a very affectionate cat herself. (What to do?). Now Princess is still sleeping on the towel on my bed and was there all night. She appears to be gaining strength. When she came in yesterday , her fur was messed up and she appeared in not too good shape, probably trying to escape the (dog-?) attacker. Also, that it was cold that night, colder than usual for this time of year, 35 deg. F (1 deg. C) according to my outside thermometer. I'm supposing now that she is beginning to appreciate a warm, safe place to sleep and eat in, considering what she went through. I will probably have her spayed soon, as all of my furkids are my responsibility and it will cost a few $ to get everything taken care of, but they are worth the effort. And then I will see what happens concerning all of their behavior. In the mean time, I will seek another home for Princess -but not just any home.

..............wayne

[Pam]

Chuck (Spencer The Lion) was able to re-home his Mr. Socks to a retirement home. Since Princess is affectionate she sounds like she could be just what the doctor ordered for some senior citizens who might enjoy a kitty on their laps. I am sure she would be loved and spoiled in no time! Maybe you could check out something like that. Here's the thread about Mr. Socks....
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5922

I think you are making the right decission Wayne !!!

Getting all your kitties spayed sounds perfect ; after a while they will settle down again , and they will be much less agressive !!
As to your poor Princess , I know it will hurt like hell , but you are right : she would be much happier as an only indoor-cat !! Be sure to find her a good home with people who are prepared to love Princess with all their hart and cuddle her as much as they can ..! I wish you very much success with your search !!:)

Let us know how it goes !!:)

[lynnestankard]

Wayne - reading both your posts very carefully I get the feeling YOU would be a lot happier if Princess was rehomed. I think it's the way to go. She sounds an absolutley wonderful cat and I'm sure as a one cat family - with the right person, she'd blossom and come into her own.
Poor baby must feel so bad, with constant attacks.
I have read that often more than two females don't get along with others. My Bagel is quite happy to rub along with Ketchum and Dan - but let another female wander within her boundaries and she's like a mad thing and goes for them fur and claws!!!
Jst think of Princess and how happy she would be - without the fear of attacks. Keeping fingers crossed here xxx

Lynne

[wayne0214]

Lynn, you are most definitely correct about the fur and claws. I have seldom witnessed such vicious cat fights by two females for no other reason than not liking each other. The only other time I saw a more vicious fight was when Midnight (my outdoor dominant male) was fighting away a neighbor's brown tabby, named "Babe". I could actually feel the ground shake with a "thud" when Midnight took on Babe, after a brief stalk, grabbing him with his claws and both flipped into the ground . The only thing that saved Babe, is that his legs are much longer than Midnight's In fact, Babe is built more like a miniature cheetah, with equal running abilities. Not thinking like a cat, it doesn't make sense how two cats can fight when one female does not like another one, for no other apparent reason.

Princess has been eating a lot of food, which is a good sign. She looked starved when she came in yesterday. BTW Princess is sleeping again next to me by the keyboard. I suspect that she will stay inside of her own accord, at least until she is better. I would prefer to keep her as a special pet rather than re-home her. But if this fighting and attacking doesn't stop with all of them being spayed, then I can see little alternative.


...........wayne

[yorkster]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by lynnestankard
[B].

I have read that often more than two females don't get along with others. Lynne



This is true from what I have heard, and spaying would help a great deal.
AND.......Kittens? This exagerates the situation even more. A female cat with babies is naturally going to be even more difficult because of the instinct to protect her 'childeren'.

[wayne0214]

An up-date on Princess. She was sleeping most of the day yesterday on my bed with a large towel that I have set aside for my feline use. Last night she began to lick her injured leg (hip) , and now she is up and around a bit more. I suspect that her leg will take some time to heal, because it was an internal injury, but also I know that cats have amazing healing abilities. Wherever I am there she is also, whether I am sleeping, or on the keyboard, she is a very loyal kitty. Mama cat had the exact same injury last summer after being attacked by coyotes. It took her about 2 weeks to fully recover.

Whenever Princess wants to tell me something she will automatically place her butt in front of me and and then swish her tail across my nose and face. Although I have been treated like this before by her, it just now crossed my mind that this is her manner to let me know that she wants something -usually cuddling, or something to eat.:D

.............wayne

[krazyaboutkatz]

Wayne, I'm so glad that Princess is doing better. :D

[wayne0214]

Now I have Princess in the house with 5 other females, so far there has been no trouble with her. Now that she is keeping herself as an inside cat, I'm beginning to notice some close bonding habits between her and me. Today, I came in absolutely exhausted, and immediately laid down after shower. Guess who came in and laid down next to me? And now Princess is beginning to extend her paw to me as a token of affection (?). In fact, she is doing it again while I'm writing this from the keyboard. Whatever I am doing in the house, she is there as a companion. Frankly folks I couldnt get rid of and re-home her seeing the close tie she is making with me. Health wise, she is nearly back to normal except for a bare spot on her hip, where her leg was injured

Uh-oh! I believe that tiger is a bit jealous. She is meowing fairly loud, which she seldom does, and wants special attention! Every day is something new with these furkids.

..........wayne

[yorkster]

That's great news Wayne! :)
Yes, I think when they extend their paw and touch you, it's affection. My cats will do this when the are laying/sitting close to me (especially at night when going to sleep). They often times are purring when they do it. :) :cool:

Cats will always suprise you, just ONE of the reasons they are so special! :D :rolleyes:

[lynnestankard]

Oh Wayne I'm so pleased - is this the upturn you were hoping for I think it may be.:) :)
Good luck and long may it continue.
Aint that the truth - with furkids every day is different:) :D :D

Lynne

[Gio]

I'm so pleased that everything is going smoothly! :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

That's great news Wayne. I hope everything works out and you can keep her.:D

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I'm so glad Princess is bonding with you this way, for her sake and for yours. :) Hopefully if she continues like this, she will be want less and less to go outside and will remain safe inside by her new found adorer. She really sounds like a sweatheart and I can see how it would break your heart to have to get rid of her after all those little signs of affection. Here's hoping the spaying does the trick and the others leave her alone so she's able to stay with you! :)

[wayne0214]

When I got up early this morning and opened the front door, Princess darted out. I thought to myself, "well, maybe you see her in about a week". Not so, for she had just ran by Fluffy, and then she began to be chased by Midnight. Princess then ran up a 20 ft. walnut tree and stayed up there for about a half-hour. I had to go there and make sure it was her. So, I got out our 20 ft. fruit-picker's ladder and went up into the top of the tree to get her out. She was a bit afraid at first (and so was I, considering the wobbly nature of these types of ladders), but then she half-way trusted me. Then, I picked her up by placing my hand under her tummy, and placed her against my shirt , getting her out of the tree. I put her back in the house and now she hasn't made any further attempts at getting out.:D BTW, tomorrow early in the morning, she goes in for spaying along with Tiger, and Fluffy.

............wayne

[AmberLee]

Fingers and paws crossed here that Princess, Fluffy, and Tiger zip through their operation with flying colors and are back on their paws in no time. If you are like me, Wayne, tomorrow will be tougher on your nerves than on any of the cat's bodies! Does your vet keep them over night or send them home to recuperate?

[wayne0214]

Amberlee, The vet has us come and pick them up between 3 and 4 pm. They charge extra to keep them overnight. When I left Snow Cat in their care last week, I reluctantly left him alone, if you know what I mean. Now I have 3 kitties and perhaps the anxiety over thier welfare won't be as bad since the successful nature of the last visit. It has really changed Snow Cat's behavior.

..............wayne

[wayne0214]

Princess appear back to normal, and she hasn't attempted to go outside any longer. She has given way to Amy cat for a while, becuase Amy is so territorial and actively fights to get her space back. Princess will growl, but will not attempt to fight. Princess stays close by me by sleeping in her window box above the computer monitor, while Amy stays at my right side on a pillow next to the keyboard. Since Princess has been spayed she is not as fussy about getting outside as she used to be. In fact all of my spayed and neutered furkids are more content to stay in the house.:)

.........wayne

HURRAY FOR DEAR PRINCESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

[LoudLou]

Originally posted by wayne0214
.... In fact all of my spayed and neutered furkids are more content to stay in the house.:)

.........wayne

Yippy for Princess. Glad she's ok. Glad to hear everyone is content indoors now.:D

[gini]

Wayne, what good news! Let's hope you aren't up on any ladders any time soon again!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by wayne0214
Princess stays close by me by sleeping in her window box above the computer monitor, while Amy stays at my right side on a pillow next to the keyboard.
LOL
One day you wake up with 6 cats on your bed, and now you have Princess above the monitor and Amy at your side, and probably others very near by when you are on the computer. Sounds like you are always completely surrounded with loving little furballs. :D

[wayne0214]

I want to express my appreciation to everyone who offered emotional support, while I attempt to sort things out with all of my furkids.

Princess is apparently content to stay inside, as even if I open the door, she doesn't attempt to even be interested in what is going on outside. The same goes for Amy cat -what a little sweetheart!. Very loyal and affectionate. I can't imagine anyone willfully giving her up, especially to roam the streets. Their loss, my gain!

It is not unusual for me to be surrounded by 5 or 6 furkids every morning when I get out of bed. The only one who avoids the bunch is Princess. I am trying to train her to feel accepted and to sleep on the bed with the others. Amy is the most reliable and usually the first on the covers. The others follow suit later in the night. Although she does not appreciate others being too close, she is becoming more tolerant with their presence, without her loud "scrowel". She even allowed Princess' tail to be on her pillow near the keyboard without a protest, while I was administering "scritchies" to Princess the other day. Progress is slow with Amy because she was an only household pet. :D

Now I found out the Ophelia is under attack from Mama cat. I don't know where she is now, but next time she comes in, she will definitely be made to stay inside, considering her spay appointment is due Wednesday.


............wayne

[Gio]

I'm pleased things are sorting themselves out. With all the furkids there must never be a dull moment at your house! :)