Change in cat behaviour

Question

Curry, before kittens   QUESTION: Hi Shanti,

Early this January 2010, we found the sweetest tabby outside, on a very cold winter's afternoon.  She was very friendly and came right up to us and we brought her home.  She had a collar but no tag.  After some efforts to find her owners, we decided to keep her (rather, she adopted us!).  We have always been cat lovers and had lost our two boys (cats)  last year, 6 months apart.  I was overjoyed to have this sprightly, energetic, sweet and curious cat (we named her Curry) who we guessed was about 6 months old.  Now, during this time, we happened to be cat sitting a cat for a friend (for 5 months) who was due to leave in two weeks time, and this cat happened to be a skittish and traumatized cat.  Not knowing anything about how to introduce a cat to the home, we just brought Curry home and she immediately made it her own and tried very hard to become friends with Naiobi, the skittish cat.  The two weeks that Naiobi had left did see some progress in their relationship, as Curry is very gentle.  The day that Naiobi left was very hard for me (long story) but Curry was there, giving Naobi comfort for her long journey to her new home.
Shortly after this, it seemed to me that Curry was very bored.  A vet came to the home right before Naiobi left to prepare her for travel and insisted on giving Curry a rabies shot, which was against my wishes but is the law here in CT.  Anyway, as I was saying, Curry seemed restless and bored after Naiobi left, and I knew getting her a friend would be ideal.  We waited (too long, I think) because we did not know if she had been tested for FIV/FLV, and the vet who had come to our home had a very hard time restraining Curry.  We also found out she had not been spayed so we figured that once we spayed her, we would find out about her FIV/FLV and then get her a friend.  I lost patience as I had a hard time seeing her mope about, so I took the risk and took her into a vet and Curry was fine, she tested negative and two days later, went to look for rescues at a foster cattery.  We fell in love with two youngsters, a brother and sister and brought them home.  In hindsight, I think it would have been better to have brought in a slightly older male, closer to a year or more old, but we brought the brother and sister home (RUmio and China Doll) and this time, I tried to follow the protocol outlined in Anitra Frazier's book, The Natural Cat.  It did not really go as planned and Curry, even though she had only been with us about a month, did her displaying and hissing and such, so we left the kittens in the bathroom overnight for two nights, and then after that let them have free reign.  It was tough as we have a tiny 850 square food place with no room really to sequester, and now it has been several weeks.
Ok, long story but I want to give you as much detail as possible.
A couple of days after bringing the kittens home, everyone started getting sick.  I felt like I was running a vet hospital.  I am now working with a homeopathic vet and things are much better, but during this time Curry went into a mild first heat, and two days after that she got quite ill and wouldn't eat.  We took her to the vet and she was diagnosed with possible calicivirus and oral ulcerations.  Up until then she was actively playing with both cats, although she would hiss at them occasionally, especially the little girl, China Doll.  I have to feed them separately as the kittens will run from bowl to bowl and Curry just gets annoyed and backs off and then stops eating.  So Curry got sick and everyone was sick and then she improved a fair bit and went into her second heat (we were told to wait for surgery until she got stronger).  She was very sweet during these heats and just chirps more, she does not meow),  A couple of days after this second heat, she seemed to get sicker and very low in energy, not the playful fun girl I knew.  Also, she stopped playing with the kittens and if I am doing interactive play, I have to take Curry into our bedroom and play with her by herself or she won't participate at all.  The kittens are no holds barred and are always trying to play with her, and she had been up until getting sick.  She is also hissing more.  Anyway, after another dosing of homeopathy she is getting back to her old energy (slowly) but her personality seems quite different, like she is more irritable, finicky and not so friendly with the kittens.  Curry is such a gentle and sweet kitty and so has never been rough with them or gotten into a fight (although they have play fought) but she has done some mild swatting and hissing from time to time.  
Anyway, I know I am all over the place but I want to know if I have any hope of everyone being good friends and of Curry getting back to her old self.  Maybe once she gets spayed things will calm down (I pray they do not get worse).  I just want harmony and I want above all for Curry to be happy.  Do you think she may feel left out by the close bond of the kittens?  Also, since all this went down, Curry's sleeping style has changed.  She used to sleep in the cutest positions, belly exposed and completely open.  Now she curls up in a ball or she will sit around in a crouched position.  Not always, but often.  Please help!  I wonder if some flower essences could help her?
Thank you!
Amanda

ANSWER: Hi Amanda,

What a great photo!!
Thank you for the details, and great to hear you are working with a homeopath!!
Yes, it is sometimes troublesome for an adult cat to have kittens around. Many adult cats do find it annoying and it takes time to adjust. Some cats come around quickly, others take months. Some cats only develop a tolerance to other cats. This is something yet to be determined.
The kittens have each other so give her extra special care separate from them. Feed her on a table or raised area so the kittens cant access her food.

There are new strains of calici and it the risk with bringing new cats home is bringing home a virus. It is too painful for the kitty to eat as their mouths and nose are completely ulcerated. They need daily subcutanous fluids and assist feeding with baby food in syringe (no flavoring and no toxic onions) chicken, turkey and water only.
If she has a fever that will knock the energy out of her. Temperature should be monitored and dont let it get above 105. There is no  way she would want to feel like playing but will want to hide.
I am not clear how long the kittens have been there and if Curry is still ill?
Cats hiss for many reasons, one is that they dont feel well. she could be hissing because she is ill.
Is someone checking her hydration daily?
They feel lousy with calici so we need to empathize with this.
The mild swatting of the kittens is normal as compared to a disciplinary boundary, Not harmful, just letting kittens know her boundaries.
You did give me a lot of information but not the time frame and if she is still currently sick??
Yes, when they are ill they wont roll over when sleeping.
She needs time.
I firstly, would get her health in order. Vit C, antioxidants, collostrum, glycoproteins. A good healthy natural diet. She needs to be eating and healthy before we can address the issues with the kittens. If she is ill, i would keep her separate from the kittens.
If she is dehydrated then she will feel lousy. The sweetest of kitties could hiss if they have health issues be it anemia or dehydration or many many other things.

At this point, I am not sure what to recommend since i am not sure if she is ill still and/or have the kittens been there 2 weeks? 2 months? 5 months?
How long has this change in behavior been going on?
I do sense patience is an issue here, and vitally important for you in how you are treating her and allowing her to unfold at her own pace and support her process gingerly giving her extra special tlc.

And yes, changes in behavior could be from vaccines esp rabies. I am sure your homeopathic vet has addressed this? Did she prescribe Thuja?

Lets get her in optimal health,lets make sure she is no longer symtpomatic from calici, then work on the kitten issues, make her feel extra special. If she is ill, she might not want to be fussed with a bunch, just like people. The body needs to heal and turn inwards.
Then maybe look up essences like Beech, Clematis, Elm, Gentian, Hornbeam, Water Violet.
www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm  is a good site to help you.

Shanti

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Follow up re: Curry
Hi Shanti,

I realize I did not give dates regarding the kittens and Curry.  We found Curry in early January of this year.   It was guessed that she was 6 months or older.  She is a fairly small cat but we thought she was younger due to her high energy.  She immediately took to a raw meat (balanced) diet.  
We got the kittens on Feb 11, about a month after Curry coming to us.  I did not think it was long enough to establish such territory, but I guess it was. and we also did not follow proper intro techniques and never separated them except for at night.
Curry is about 90% better.  She has no more ulcerations and when I took her to the vet last week, she was only showing slight signs of dehydration and even the vet could not get subq fluids into her.  I have been adding extra water to her food and her appetite is back to normal.  For awhile she was barely eating although would eat out of my hand.  She has gotten more finicky and prefers her venison patty with duck sprinkles, or certain high quality canned mixed with the raw venison.  I made the kittens food that I wish she would eat but so far she smells it and walks away (I feed them either chicken or bison, but Rumio loves the venison, too).
So Curry is almost 100%, her energy is very good but she is still kind of ignoring the kittens and if China Doll gets too close to her, she will hiss and growl under her throat.  The first couple of weeks we had the kittens and Curry was not sick yet, they were all chasing each other and playing and Curry seemed fine, although she would occasionally hiss.
I know I need to be patient, it just worries me when I see such a change in behavior which seems to have been heightened since her 2nd heat, which was about three weeks ago, I think.
I have been questioning my decision to get the kittens (and two to boot) and I now wish I had gotten her an older cat (would this be a good idea once she is better - which would mean 4 cats!  Yikes!)
Another change that has happened since we found her in January is that she was using the litter box perfectly, but then my husband changed into a litter box that looks like a toilet (we have several) in order to train them to use the toilet eventually.  She does not seem crazy about it and usually uses it, but once in a while will poop and pee on the floor next to the box, which she has NEVER done in the past.  She was the perfect kitty when we found her and all changed when we got the kittens, the box and then she got sick, got a bit better, and then got sicker.  I am so confused!

I will try some of your suggestions and if you have any other suggestions, I would appreciate it.

Blessings,
Amanda

Answer
Hi Amanda,

You have introduced a new issue here, and all this couldnt properly be addressed in one email
in order to properly address this you would need to access my website from internet explorer-www.thenatureofthebeast.org (there a small fee for consultation). I will do my best to address this in an email but it is unjustly inadequate to your kitty to address all issues in one email. But stress, too many changes to fast, and ill health sound like the root of the issues.

It seems as if its all way too much too fast for an ill kitty.
You didnt answer is she was treated homeopathically for rabies vaccine as this contributes to behavior
changes.

I am not sure why the vet couldn't five sub-q fluids, this is maybe one the easiest things to do with a cat and most necessary when they are ill. Perhaps, find new vet or vet tech to come to the home.

I would be careful of impulses, now your impulse is leading you to adopt another cat. she is going through way to much in a very short time. The kittens were an impulse which you originally wanted one cat for her. She is a young girl and will be fine with them over time if she was fine for the for the first two weeks. My bet is she is ill and or something needs to be addressed in her health if she has such a different behavior from the first two weeks that the kittens were there. If she was fine and playing and now such a radical change then this is a health issue or rabies vaccine reaction.

Cats will not eat with calici virus, it is EXTREMELY PAINFUL, and i definitely do not recommend raw when they are sick. I know there are many thoughts out there in the holistic world on this.
There is very dangerous bacteria that are lethal in raw meats. Our domestic cat has come a long way and we have forced a lot of changes on them. To cohabitate with humans i believe in balanced cooked meat. Unless it is given exactly as ingested outdoors with is with blood and all. I can offer recipes if you contact me. I know there are many different philosophies and each animal's individual constitution should be addressed before deciding raw or cooked. I have seen a few dogs die from raw meat, but this is rare.

It seems in your original email they all got sick two days after the kittens showed up, but she played for two weeks with them?
Yes, the kittens caught the virus at the shelter and brought it home even if it showed up two days later. The getting sick but still playing doesnt sound like a serious strain of calici. I am confused. The latest strains of calici stick around for a while.

For three cats you need three litter boxes, scooped daily sometimes twice daily. Like people cats dont like an unflushed toiled that someone else used.
Now she is being introduced to a whole new level of toilet training.
A BIG reason Cats will not use the box when there is too much change, stress and uncertainty which causes anxiety. Sounds like she is her with the new box. She is clearly showing limitations but she is being pushed beyond her boundaries and as humans this is hard for us to understand.
You have introduced several issues that cant all be addressed in one email. You are overwhelming her with all the changes, and new litterbox training so quickly, go back to the litter box she was originally using. None of this should be done when an animal is ill. Cats need a certain stability to thrive and it sounds like since January this kitty is going through a ton of changes, new home, a rabies vaccine, losing a buddy, a serious strain of calici, new kittens, and now teaching her to us a new litter box. All in three months!

I have two sections at allexperts one is feline behavior, one is alternative medicine for animals.
Please read:
         Cat Litter Box Problem,
         My Male Cat is Spraying Things,
         and Inappropriate Bathroom Behavior under those two section on how to solve litterbox issues.

To expect a cat this is  not 100% to change because of our needs to fix things and not going at her pace in 6weeks is way to quick.
It seems you are tracing her behavior to the 2nd heat. She was probably always in heat but got sick and didnt show signs. There are easy ways to get her out of heat until she is spayed and i am not sure why your vet is dealing with this. I really feel very confused as to why the vet couldnt give subq fluids when this clearly will effect energy and behavior levels.
Like a person who is ill we need to get them healthy before we have them make a ton of changes.

Please hold off on adopting another animal for now. This is a sensitive kitty. she may be fine with it eventually, but right now she is communicating in many ways with you and what she is saying is slow down, give her time to adjust. Get her healthy absolutely get her hydration 100%.
Again nothing can be ascertained until health is addressed. An ill cat that is stressed will prolong healing process and an ill cat will not play, and will hiss. When she is 100% healthy and grounded with stable environment is when interventions should be introduced. An ill cat with esp things like calici has a fever component.I am not sure if you have ever had a fever but it is often hard to get out of bed. I know you said she is almost 90% better. So lets get her health in order.
It sounds as if your vet may not be holistic? Only addressing physical health with homeopathy? But i am not clear on this. A holistic vet would take overall picture and treat that way.
Good luck! It will all work out if you treat her gingerly, patiently, empathize with her position, and continue giving her all the loving care you have already, and please feel free to contact via website contact submission form.

Also the spay surgery will be a new change (of course, dont let her out until afterward) but definitely wait a couple of weeks until she is healthy before scheduling surgery.

Shanti