Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Feline Foibles...

My cat posts appear to be quite popular, so I shall continue with the occasional update...

Miaowrini really likes the great outdoors. More specifically, she likes going out and coming back in... and then going back out again. I haven't been able to work out whether she's busy playing tag with some of the neighbouring cats or if she's being chicken... Either way, the catflap is clattering almost constantly.

I occasionally call her in, just to see if she's ok, and she'll shoot in at high speed, possibly acknowledge my existence, check to see if there's anything new going on (such as food) and then depart at equally high speed. I occasionally hear a bit of a thump and some scrabbling which indicates that Miaowrini hasn't quite managed to jump up as cleanly as she'd like - she really is the clumsiest kitten I've ever encountered.

Furretti, on the other hand, is much more laid back. She doesn't go back and forth quite as much as Miaowrini. The sound of me opening the front door to go out usually results in her returning through the flap - almost as if she's only comfortable exploring if she knows I'm around. She does go out on her own (she was out when I came home yesterday afternoon) but she also likes to snooze inside. Preferably on top of any paperwork I'm trying to do.

I had a bit of a panic this morning. Furretti had used the litter-tray and had a bit of stuff sticking to her fur. I grabbed some paper to clean her up, and found traces of blood on the paper. She was lively enough - purring and happy to be given the extra attention, and then not so happy when I attempted to wash her bottom, she'd been eating well (but not excessively) and didn't appear to be in any discomfort, but...

I phoned the vet. It seems that it might be the change in diet (I had to switch to a different brand of cat biscuits because the brand I usually use was out of stock), or it could be worms. I have to get some worming stuff. Fortunately for my fingers there's a type in drop form that can be squeezed onto the back of the cat's neck. And I have to keep Furretti under observation.

Fingers crossed it's nothing serious...

7 comments:

  1. Yes Mac, keep these posts coming. Hope there's no real problem. As for the going in and out more frequently, perhaps she isn't as confident as the other kitten that the cat flap is totally reliable, and so keeps checking that she can still get back in.

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  2. Has Furretti been spayed yet? Queens in heat do bleed slightly.

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  3. Yes, Sue, both cats were spayed before Christmas.

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  4. Hmm. Might be worthwhile checking:

    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_a_cat_still_go_into_heat_after_being_spayed

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  5. It's possible that a tom has had his wicked way and Furretti is no longer intacta.

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  6. Actually queens in heat don't usually bleed; their indications of heat are behavioral (it's dogs that bleed in heat, or rather, just before heat). And female cats don't have hymens the way humans or cattle do, so breeding for the first time probably wouldn't cause bleeding.
    I second the vet's opinion that it's probably either the new diet or worms.
    -- just a vet nurse's 2 cents.

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  7. Oooh, Heather... if you're a vet nurse, you are definitely welcome to give your opinions on all things feline on my blog!

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