Lost cat came home...

[SunAngel]

9 years! Wow!

I was about to give up hope after 3 weeks!

I was thinking I should probably get her some deworming meds too. Hard to tell where she's been.

 

[ILoveJoe]

Poor Kitty. You should take her to a vet if she is that emaciated.

It sounds like this is going to keep happening to her. If she were my kitty I would try to find a home for her without any other cats that would pick on her.

 

[MagsC]

I have heard about feeding dogs scrambled eggs when they are thin from lack of food to help them gain weight without putting undue stress on their bodies....I dont see why it would hurt to try it with a cat....
And as was also mentioned, small amounts often.

 

[Dodgegal79]

I've lost a lot of cats here to coyotes, so when one goes missing we assume thats where it went. My DH favorite went missing, so we were very upset but it happens. This happened 6 weeks ago. My brothers GF was here last week and went for a walk in the bush behind us and found the cat there, very alive and well. She was hiding from a neutered male my brother has here and he bugs my girls. She has since moved with me to my new place and loves it there.

 

[SunAngel]

This is my husbands cat also. He lost his favorite cat after 12 yrs and this cat was the replacement for her. My daughter got her as a kitten from a friend and gave her to her dad as a gift. So I don't want to give her away or lose her. I hate seeing her picked on inside, but we can't bring ourselves to get rid of our 5 other cats either.

Honestly the cat looks healthy. All except for being super thin. I haven't a clue what she lived off of for the last 3 weeks. I am keeping her separated for a week, just to make sure nothing looks wrong with her and then maybe I will try integrating her back into the household again.

Our three vets charge $45 for just walking in the door 'office visit' and then it just skyrockets from there. I had the one I usually go to put my dog to sleep last October and it cost me $135 (for him to look at my dog and give two small shots- I even took the dog home to bury it). So unless she seems to be in pain or sick, I really can't afford to run her in there.

The cat (Allie) seems to be eating well and purrs up a storm. She ate about half a can of tuna and a little dry food. I will get some canned food and wormer for her today. Thanks for all the advice

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I'm glad she is home safe!

If she seems fine, I would just give her more frequent, smaller meals of cat food for a few days. That way, she'll get a balanced diet and her system won't get over loaded. It usually doesn't take animals that long to put on weight. I think I'd give her at least a couple of days to stabilize and get a little stronger, before I wormed her. Starvation is hard on a body and I'd want her rehydrated and her internal organs working well, before using a poison on her.

I think the suggestion to give her a room to herself is a good one. If she's living outside all the time, she's not getting as much attention from you, either, so probably wouldn't mind a room of her own. It would be a lot safer for her.

 

[SunAngel]

Thank you for the advice.

I haven't had a chance to pick up the wormer yet. I will do that tomorrow, but maybe I will hold off a few days before using it. What you say makes a lot of sense. I definitely don't want to cause any damage to her system.

I am still tossing around ideas about what to do with her after her quarantine period. I'm sure we can come up with something.

 

[Katy]

One thing I keep on hand for sick/weak cats and kittens is human baby food....the chicken. It's easy for them to digest and a lot of times they'll eat it for me when they won't anything else. I'd ask the vet for the wormer for her. My daughter had a bad experiance with the over the counter stuff from Walmart. I would hold off tho until she's eating good and a little more recovered.