Will be updating with this thread....
Printable View
Will be updating with this thread....
Jenn- what happened with Allie? Did you manage to find her a temp home?
Lizzie - I think Ally is going to a nearby shelter. Jenn has also been trying to connect with Best Friends PA, but her computer has been really fussy!
The Best Friends folks in Utah (the main sanctuary) have a spot for pets that will never be adoptable for one reason or another - on the other hand, they have worked with 'impossible' cases and accomplished amazing things!
Jenn has done TONS for Ally. Thing is, she has other cats, and like many of us, has this thing called a job! :) Best Friends has staff that can work with the animals much more intensively than any of us are able to, because of our schedules.
Hey, Jenn - send them a resume! You never know! ;)
Ally is still here. I have the one room totally cleaned out and my friend has stuff that's he's already unloaded waiting for me to scrub down the floors and the walls. We want to paint it yet (the people who were here before painted it pink, and it's ugly). He's also looking for a carpet remnant. I've had the HEPA filter going in there 24/7, and it feels more breathable to me. I'm hoping to get a few more days so that I can get Ally to the best possible place. For some reason, I cannot access Best Friends from here at home, it just keeps spinning and the page doesn't load. I can get to their store, or the Guardian Angel pages, but not the main page. Figures. Will try more at school today. Am up early anyway, and can't sleep so I figured I'd get there early while it was quiet and get things done.
Will keep you posted.
Jenn - I PM'd you an email address for BF in Utah. Hope you can get through on the links today at work.
Hi Jenn, I've been reading all of the posts in this thread and though I am not able to take in another cat at this time, I'm hoping an idea I have might help. I'm wondering if you think some Clomicalm might help Ally? I have two bottles of 5mg Clomicalm (60tabs) per bottle that were prescribed for my cat Paddy in mid October for aggression. Things have settled down here without needing the meds and I'm not sure if it's something I'll need to try with Paddy in the future but for now, the bottles are just sitting here gathering dust. One bottle has never been opened and the other is only missing one tablet. I know that it may not be ethical giving meds that were prescribed for one cat to another cat but in this case maybe it would be okay because Ally's options are so limited. I would be more than happy to mail them to you and who knows, maybe it will soften her personality enough to at least make her temporary situation with you more tolerable and her potential future living arrangements, wherever that may be, more comfortable for her. It sounds like she is dealing with issues that stem from once being feral and maybe she is angry for being 'abandoned' and this might not be an answer but it might take the edge off and make things easier.
Anyway, if you would like to give it a try, just let me know and I will send them in the mail tomorrow. I wish I could do more to help. Hope things get better for both you and Ally.
Another possibility: Heaven's Gift Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. More in this post in Other/General:
Another possible place for Ally?
I am sorry you are having problems with Ally. If I could help I would get back my own cats.
Wishing you the best of luck.
Hi Jenn, got home late today and just got your message. I'll send them off tomorrow. Hope it helps. :)
I just emailed Julie and asked for a bio of Ally to give the people at Best Friends of her history from when she got her.... hopefully that will give them some insight and get her some help.
Her biography as such appears on her Cat of the Day page!
Yes, Ally was Cat of the Day. back in 2003:
http://catoftheday.com/archive/2003/August/14.html
After reading Ally's 'Cat of the Day' bio it makes the situation all the more sad. Sounds like she was quite a different cat at one time. Here's hoping the 'old' Ally will find herself again through various measures (i.e. continued care, possible new location, meds and maybe one day a new family). Prayers going out for Jenn and Ally. Hang in there.
I looked up past posts, and sent the relevant bits to Jenn.
Ally was fine til they got Connor.
And Julie's husband, Warren, is the one person she has never bitten.
I posted some of this in General.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Karen
Thanks for the link Karen. If Julie found & brought her inside at 4 weeks,
I would hardly call her a feral cat. My two boys, Red & Mikey were brought
into my house at 12 weeks & they became tame & super friendly.(They were
born outside to a feral cat Momma Kitty )
I do hope something can be worked out for Ally.
Catty1, good detective work! Maybe down the road a home with a male owner and no other cats might be just what Ally needs to become happy and less aggressive again. :)
My bet is she just don't understand what happened, where her humans went, why they deserted her and why she was left alone. She is probably like Boo and is just MAD! MAD! MAD! Depressed too I bet. The last thing she needs is to be moved again but I can understand your delima. Poor girl, I hope things settle down for her and she adjusts to whatever life holds for her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laura's Babies
You are probably more right than you know, and scared too. I wonder when was the last time Ally had a medical checkup?
She has been away from her mom at 4 weeks- and I think we all know that this is a bad start for a tiny kitten. Ally and Julie were around a lot when I first came to PT and Ally never showed aggression issues before Connor came- at least I never heard about them before but the fact that they didn't get along came in after he became adopted.Quote:
Originally Posted by Laura's Babies
I also see Ally as very lonely, mad and I suppose she would be happier as an only kit. I hope so much she can be happy again.
Well, my friend upstairs is using earplugs, which will do for now, but Ally is quite the screamer of a cat when she wants attention and KNOWS that someone is right in the next room! She bit Greg already, but he was prepared and just shook her to the floor (he said) and closed her door. He's not being very friendly any longer.
I've been giving her the Clomicalm once a day since Emeraldgreen sent it to me. She seems more subdued during the daytime (I've been home sick for the past week), but come night time, she is down at the bottom of the stairs (when I open the door to her room to let her run up and down the stairs for exercise), and she is wailing.
I've been wrapping her in a blanket, walking around with her, talking to her. She is still NOT happy with this. Her pupils are totally dilated most of the time, even before the clomicalm, and she just seems to be very agitated. She's not the most fun cat to pill either.
Sometimes she seems a little more calm, but then Fluff will walk around and meow and want to see her, and she totally FLIPS out. He's just so nosey and never wants to go away! She hates seeing any other cats, and so I basically have to baricade myself in a room where I'm pilling her to get her to semi-calm. I hate keeping her upstairs all the time, and figured being downstairs in a room by herself, at least for a bit, would give her some variety. I dunno. She puzzles me.
I did email Nancy Efrusy again. She has 4-5 in front of me, but said it will be a couple weeks. It's not like she's going anywhere at this point. I can't put her on a farm now. It's freezing cold, she'd die of exposure if she decided to run out of the barn. She's a warm climate kitty... it just wouldn't be fair. So, for now, she's in her room, Greg's in his room (with HEPA filter and ear plugs) and we're trying the clomicalm.
Will update more if and when it become available, lol.
this situation totally sucks for the both of you I'm so sorry. But thank you for doing what you are doing with her. I can't imagine trying to hold her carrying her after what she is known for. THANK YOU for not giving up on her!
*heart*
Jenn - this guy posted in Marketplace a while back; a pet psychologist in Austria.
First inquiry there is no charge - but if is a serious issue (aggression) then he uses a questionnaire and draws up a therapy plan. That he does have to charge for.
Here's the link...and his website is there too (click on his doggie Tina!). He seems kind and the type who would let a person know up front what the costs would be...and I would do my best to contribute a bit.
Heck - it can't hurt to ask, might help. :)
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...t=psychologist
(BTW - I think he's cute! ;) )
He was on here before, I emailed and PMd him before. I got no response. I'm not wasting my time typing out more stuff if he's not going to respond. I send a long letter, and got nothing in return, but the PM said it was read.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catty1
So much for him being helpful.
My heart goes out to you, what a terrible situation to be in, everyone here knows you have Ally's best interest at heart and you are trying to do what is best for her, she is indeed fortunate to have a such a caring person looking after her,i sincerely hope you can find a solution, this must be extremely stressful for you,i do think Julie has a big responsibility here too,although not quite sure what she can do now,maybe some financial assistance with getting some help for Alley could be on the cards, a cat whisperer if there is such a thing over there, and i am sure there is.
You are in my thoughts, and all i can say is http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...eAmazing01.gif
Take care and all the best.
Sorry, Jenn - I didn't know you had tried to reach him.
Guess he was expecting a flood of inquiries when he posted here - and left a tad disappointed.
HUGS!
I hope Nancy can do for you and Alley what she did for me and Boo... even half of what she did would be a big improvement, although Boo did deeply bite me twice and I had to get shots and antibotics. The turn around has been amazing! (she will still bite at me to let me know I have met her limit of petting).
Ally has (to me) was terriably tramatized when she was (in her mind) abandoned and that is probably her problem, like I said angry, angry, angry! I hope Nancy can help make her into the happy cat that Boo is now.
We Are Praying That You Can Calm Ally Down, But Some Cats Are So Traumatized By The Past That They Are Always Going To Be Scraed, And Its Fear That Makes Ally Act Like That. I Have Had Cats Who Were Afraid Of Me, But They Loved The Other Found Cats.
We Are Praying That Somehow You Can Let Her Know That She Has Nothing To Fear Anymore.
My prayers for you and Ally and a workable solution to all this.
God bless you, Jen.
Pat
I would say angry would be an understatement. The scariest thing about her is when her eyes turn completely black, and she just shrieks. This happens daily, and it happens in an alarmingly quick amount of time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Laura's Babies
I'm hoping the Clomicalm will kick in....
Could you give her another dose in the evening? Maybe that would get her through the night. Still keeping good thoughts and prayers for you.Quote:
Originally Posted by jenn_librarian
I don't know what this has to do with anything..........but I was thinking about Annie and Emma.
Both (sisters) were born outdoors next door. Their Mama was barely a kitten herself. They lived outdoors for the first nine months of their lives. They would come into my yard all of the time.
They have now been with me a little over five years. It has taken ALL of this time for me to get Emma calmed down and comfortable. She has destroyed lamps, chairs, furniture - the underside of my box springs......you name it. She has never (nor has Annie) ever lifted a paw or bitten me.
She used to be scared to death of my feet - so someone obviously used to kick her.
But it has taken FIVE years to get her to be loving and trusting. She still doesn't like strangers. For the past year or so she now snuggles with me at night. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when that happened.
That is just her background - now compare hers to Ally's - and it just breaks your heart.
I have said this before and I will keep saying it - Jenn, you must be a saint!
Jenn, to echo Craftlady - try a dose in the evening as well.
I don't know if it would conflict with the Clomicalm...but if with two doses a day gets Ally to where you MIGHT be able to slip an elastic collar onto her with a tiny 'sleeve' of cloth on it, you could also try a tiny shot of Feliway into the 'sleeve'. That way she gets the 4 hour exposure.
Praying that Nancy can reach her this time.
HUGS
Will have to try that... maybe splitting the dose in half, and half in the AM and half in the PM. Not sure. I'd like to feel safe handling her. I don't. She's very unpredictable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catty1
So - the dose she is getting now is for the whole DAY?
I wonder what dose Medusa uses...
Still praying for you and dear Ally...
I know the Clomicalm was sent by another PT'er, and I've offered to send my chache also. However, it is a serious drug that can cause heart rate increase and other problems. The dose for my cat, who is about 14#, was 10mg per day and I don't know if a vet would recommend giving half that dose twice a day. Unfortunately, it does take 6-8 weeks, even longer in some cats, to show full effect. Has Ally seen a vet recently, or even since she came to you?
I couldn't believe you were holding her and cuddling her, I'm sure I wouldn't be capable of doing that with a cat like Ally.
Jenn, I'm so sorry to hear that you're still having behavioral issues with Ally.:(
When Storm was on clomicalm he was on the compounded liquid form because his doesage was higher due to his weight of 14lbs. He only received it at night time and it made him sleep through the night but he was still very groggy and lethargic in the morning which I didn't like at all.
Over time he became less groggy and lethargic but he still wasn't the same Storm that I know and love. He also didn't run and play any more. I told my vet that I wanted to take him off of it and even though he hadn't been on it for very long (I think it was for no longer than 1- 11/2 months) my vet said that I had to wean him off of it or else he could have a bad reaction and behavioral problems which is something to think about if you have to stop giving this to Ally or if you run out of the medicine.
I sure hope that something will be able to Ally calm down and relax. I also hope that Nancy will be able to help you this time. Please continue to keep us updated about her. You are an angel for putting up with everything that Ally has done. I'll keep Ally in my thoughts and prayers.
Ok, the tablets are 5mg. tabs. I could try to do 2.5 twice a day to see if it has a better effect. She's only been on it a few days, so it's really not a true test to see how it will totally affect her.
When I say "holding and cuddling" don't get all warm and fuzzy. :p It's me having Ally wrapped in a blanket for her protection, as well as mine, so that I can carry her about on my 2nd floor where the other cats are. When she sees and hears the other cats she's not very happy, but I want to be able to pill her in the bathroom next to the soap and water and betadine just because of past experiences. I'm not sure that she likes to be held in that way. I just need to keep her mouth and those darn long claws she has away from me. I wouldn't be surprised if she locked on to me with her claws and launched herself at my head or something with her teeth. She's aggressive. Highly aggressive. Maybe it's a survival thing. I really don't know. I do not think the flight over here was the cause of her becoming like this. She was like this. She was aggressive. Whether it was due to Connor being introduced or not, I really don't know. I know on some of her pics she looks sweet as pie, and I'd LOVE to know that side of Ally.
To be quite honest, part of me wonders about schizophrenia in cats. If you could just see her eye go PURE BLACK.... it's one heck of a sight, and you are really wondering where to go to and what is going on in that head of hers.
Vet... ugh. Haven't taken her back yet. I'm kinda scared of getting her into the carrier. I wonder if they could run a bunch of tests to see if anything comes up strange. There's money left for it, and I can always chip in or see if I can make payments. I'd just hate to have any of the vet staff attacked by her before she was totally vetted there.
Jenn, I had a semi-feral cat named Cirrus before you had joined PT. I couldn't even pick him up and I never tried because I was afraid that he'd bite me. The few times that I did take him to the vet, I had to put the carrier in the bathroom next to the toilet and then I'd get a broom and just chase him in the carrier. He'd hiss and growl and act like a wild cat.:eek:
He became blocked and since he was very hard to take back and forth to the vet, I decided to have PU surgery done. This is wear they make the opening larger on a male so they pee like a female. I warned the vet that he would probably bite but he didn't listen very well and Cirrus got out of his e-collar when he was trying to give him medicine and he bit him in the crotch area.:eek: After that he basically didn't want anything more to do with Cirrus and he warned all of his vet techs to not touch him. He had to be gased a few times to secure his e-collar better and when his stitches were removed.
I eventually had to rehome him because he and Storm would have daily battles and Cirrus was trying to take over as Alpha Cat. He also started lashing out at Sky. Sunny was his only buddy. I learned my lesson in that I'm just not cut out to have a feral or even a semi-feral cat. Now he's in a much better home and he even has a cat run and tables to sun himself on outside.:)
There are vets that know how to handle feral cats. Maybe you should try to look into this. Hopefully there are some in your area and they won't cost too much. Good luck.:)
I would not be over concerned about the vets, they handle cats like Ally all the time, especially ferals,long as you give them plenty of warning, i think that it would be fine.
Poor you and poor ally, she must be in such a state to act as she does,you are indeed a saint, again i wish you all the luck in the world, by the sounds of it you are going to need it.
No, don't do that. It's best to give only the recommended dosage once a day. I was instructed to give Clomicalm at night before bed and that's it, unless your vet says otherwise. I'll admit to not having read the entire thread so forgive me if this has been suggested already: try kitty Prozac. I hear it works wonders for behavioral issues. Ten mg. of Clomicalm a day is a lot! I give 5 mg. at night, regardless of the weight of the cat. Mine vary in weight from 7 lb. to 11 lb. and they all get the same dosage. When I asked if I could increase the dosage or give it during the day as well, I was emphatically told "NO". Please check w/your vet first before you increase the dosage or the frequency. I think I've been fortunate because I haven't played w/the dosage and it started working immediately. Some vets say it takes 6 - 8 weeks to begin working but that hasn't been the case here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Craftlady
How scary! :( This girl's soul must be so very traumatized!! I'm feeling so bad for both of you!Quote:
I would say angry would be an understatement. The scariest thing about her is when her eyes turn completely black, and she just shrieks. This happens daily, and it happens in an alarmingly quick amount of time.
Kirsten