'C'ats 'A're 'T'ruly 'S'pecial

[chickendreams24]

My finger looks okay it's pretty inflamed but it was a deep bite that just didn't want to stop bleeding. Now it's so swollen and bruised I can barely bend it and it's kinda tingly hopefully that resolves itself. Poor baby has been very apologetic since it happened

 

[GitaBooks]

My finger looks okay it's pretty inflamed but it was a deep bite that just didn't want to stop bleeding. Now it's so swollen and bruised I can barely bend it and it's kinda tingly hopefully that resolves itself. Poor baby has been very apologetic since it happened

Cat bites have a lot of dangerous bacteria in them, so to prevent an infection that needs medical attention you might want to try soaking the bite in hot water a couple times a day. Watch for signs of the swelling spreading as this can be a sign you'll need to go on antibiotics. I know how bad cat scratches and bites can be because when our poor kitties got in fights they nearly died a few times (one had to go to the doctor, the others had to go on antibiotics multiple times and one needed to go in the basement because he could barely walk). To stop the infection they actually had to lick the wound until it was like three times the size it originally was. It was kind of gross, but shows they are thinking through what they are doing.

Cat bites are actually so dangerous to birds that a bird can die with-in two dies from just a small wound.

 

[chickendreams24]

Yeah thank you Gita I've seen what they can do too. DW I'll be careful. Think it's just swollen from bruising right now. It looked pretty decent LM ast night except for the bruises and punctures. There is only one spot that feels a little warm to the touch but not hot. I'll monitor it and keep an eye out for infection. Soaking in hot/warm water is a great way to draw out infection it's true.

 

[dragonmomma]

Ok so. My local animal shelter has a barn buddies program where they fix feral cats that are non agrssive just very people shy. They adopt them out right after being fixed for outdoor barn living. I am adopting one next week. My barn is filled with voles and mice yay. Anyways. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on getting her to stay. The told me I should keep her in an enclosed part of the barn for a couple of weeks before I let her outside. I got a cat food for her that the first ingredient is chicken. (Not chcicken by product. Mu mom suggested I put raw egg on her food. The shelter suggested canned food. Does anyone have any experience with this. And if so what would your advice be for keeping her from roaming. Im picking her up Tuesday. She is getting spayed monday . Should I even try to keep her in an empty unused bathroom in the housr at first or is that a terrible idea. Ty for any advice in advance.

 

[Nunie]

Ok so. My local animal shelter has a barn buddies program where they fix feral cats that are non agrssive just very people shy. They adopt them out right after being fixed for outdoor barn living. I am adopting one next week. My barn is filled with voles and mice yay. Anyways. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on getting her to stay. The told me I should keep her in an enclosed part of the barn for a couple of weeks before I let her outside. I got a cat food for her that the first ingredient is chicken. (Not chcicken by product. Mu mom suggested I put raw egg on her food. The shelter suggested canned food. Does anyone have any experience with this. And if so what would your advice be for keeping her from roaming. Im picking her up Tuesday. She is getting spayed monday . Should I even try to keep her in an empty unused bathroom in the housr at first or is that a terrible idea. Ty for any advice in advance.

Raw egg yolk is good for cats, but the white can not be given raw, it inhibits their ability to absorb b vitamins! Scrambled egg whites are fine though.

As for keeping her from leaving, in my experience female cats outside tend to stray less than males. We had a colony of cats that started out "feral" but then became more like a bunch of semi-friendly outdoor cats. The older cats were more stand-offish, but we could pet them while they ate. They stayed almost exclusively in the security of our backyard, all the females stayed put and some of the less dominant males stayed around as well. There were a couple "toms" that would show up every couple days or so, they roamed a lot more. Usually, cats will stay where they are getting food. But she will obviously need to learn that she's getting food from you before she decides to stay!

Hopefully someone will have some suggestions for you!

As for feeding - feline nutritionists generally agree Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) is best, a quality moist food is second best, and only feeding dry food is the worst for cats (because of the high amount of grains/corn and other crap that felines are not equipped to digest). Choose what works best for you, if she does catch and chew on small animals then just supplementing her with moist food should be fine. If you can only feed dry, try to get a better quality food without too much corn/grains/veggies in the ingredients! Chewing on mice should help clean her teeth if she is a good hunter! Dry food is the worst for cat's teeth.

 

[GitaBooks]

Ok so. My local animal shelter has a barn buddies program where they fix feral cats that are non agrssive just very people shy. They adopt them out right after being fixed for outdoor barn living. I am adopting one next week. My barn is filled with voles and mice yay. Anyways. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on getting her to stay. The told me I should keep her in an enclosed part of the barn for a couple of weeks before I let her outside. I got a cat food for her that the first ingredient is chicken. (Not chcicken by product. Mu mom suggested I put raw egg on her food. The shelter suggested canned food. Does anyone have any experience with this. And if so what would your advice be for keeping her from roaming. Im picking her up Tuesday. She is getting spayed monday . Should I even try to keep her in an empty unused bathroom in the housr at first or is that a terrible idea. Ty for any advice in advance.

Congrats on the new cat!

Barn cats are awesome, they love to play out-doors and often they will begin to tame down to people with time and kindness. I know how fearful out-door cats can be, so the most important thing is to not stare right at them, not walk towards them in a straight line, don't grab for them, don't move fast. Do everything slow and with gentle talking, take a loop around them when walking by so they have their space. Sit down and offer some food near-by and then just sit and watch without touching them so they learn to trust you. With time they should begin to allow you nearer and nearer, though they may always be jumpy and skittish.

Keeping them in an enclosed area for a few weeks is VERY SMART. If you don't, they will try to return to their old territory and you likely will never find them again> I have heard this happen too many times. Keep that cat locked up for at least a few days before letting it out and it should realize tat its home is a place of warmth, safety and food. The more hiding places offered the safer it will feel and more likely it will be to want to stay. Keeping her in the bathroom would imprint her to indoors instead of to the barn, so if she was let out after that period of being indoors she might still run off because she wouldn't be sure where to go.

We feed our outdoor cats mainly dry food (because its less expensive), but they LOVE wet food too. You can also poor some chicken broth over the food to flavor it, offer pieces of meat, ect. We have never actually given our cats raw eggs or egg yolk, though I know our dogs enjoy having eggs as treats. I'm glad you're going with the better brand. I know its more expensive, but cats will live far longer, healthier lives if they aren't fed something where the main ingredient is corn (like most of the foods offered around here are). Corn is just a filler and is not a natural food for any carnivore. It is hard to digest with little nutritional value. Many animals also have allergies to soy, so real meat is the best source of protein.

Lastly, just wanted to say, if you have chickens, bee careful with a new cat. Cats that haven't been raised around chickens may hunt them. We had this happen with a stray tomcat we adopted. He would hunt the young birds and leave the older ones alone so for a while we didn't know it was him. It stopped as soon as he left though, and all the chickens reacted with fear towards him and not towards the other cats.

Best of luck with your new cat!

 

[haimlazy]

I found my cat Darwin as a kitten with a hernia. We instantly took him in and he was an angel. Soon, he started vomiting so we immediately took him the vet. Turned out that something got tangled up inside of him. He underwent a successful surgery and came back with a cone. Now he is a couch killing purr machine!

 

[GitaBooks]

I found my cat Darwin as a kitten with a hernia. We instantly took him in and he was an angel. Soon, he started vomiting so we immediately took him the vet. Turned out that something got tangled up inside of him. He underwent a successful surgery and came back with a cone. Now he is a couch killing purr machine!

He's so cute!

Darwin is lucky to have had you guys there to help him.

 

[Chickenchick11]

I got a bite from a stray cat a few years back, it was deep and really painful. I had to go to the ER and if it would've been any worse I would've needed stitches. It got infected and I had to go on a course of antibiotics. It was also really swollen and I couldn't move it for a few weeks. Let's just say it's an experience I don't want to repeat.

 

[Chickenchick11]

I found my cat Darwin as a kitten with a hernia. We instantly took him in and he was an angel. Soon, he started vomiting so we immediately took him the vet. Turned out that something got tangled up inside of him. He underwent a successful surgery and came back with a cone. Now he is a couch killing purr machine! [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR]

Awwwwww!