Fingers crossed for Rufus

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John

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Fingers crossed for Rufus
« on: November 26, 2015, 00:36 »
When Cara (my daughter) moved over here she had a couple of semi feral cats that we took on. Martha and Rufus. The idea was they'd live in the cow shed 'and be no bother'

Sadly Martha vanished but Rufus got on well with our house cats and after a few months I woke up to find him asleep at the foot of the bed. Gradually we went from him running away and hiding when he realised we'd seen him to sleeping on the sofa by me and even allowing me to stroke him when he was eating.

Yesterday he was not too well, took up residence in the veg rack and hardly came out all day. Decided to take him to the vets today but catching him is no easy task and son-in-law Gary offered to help. Anyway, Rufus was up and about this morning looking fine so I thought I'd phone Gary and say not to bother. Just as I picked up the phone Rufus had a fit.

Over on his back, paws going as if he was fighting and spraying wee.  It was over in 10 seconds but scary. Realised from a couple of puddles he must have had one or two in the night as well. We managed to catch him and got him over to the vets who had to sedate him to examine him and take bloods. Net result, slightly high temperature and elevated white cell count. May be an infection or something like a tumour.

They gave him a couple of jabs, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory but it's just guess and hope. If he continues fitting then we'll have to call it a day as giving him pills just isn't an option and with the other cats medicating food isn't feasible either.

Paid the (are you sitting down?) £144.00 bill and brought him back home. He jumped out of the basket, hissed at me and vanished out of the cat flap like a flash. He's snuck in to eat but he's out there with another of our cats probably saying how evil I am. It's quite warm here tonight, about 10 C I'm just hoping he hasn't got epilepsy and we can get some trust back. If it is epilepsy then it is the end of the road.

It's pretty grim at the vets, with the others I can calm them down and stroke them - stroking Rufus at the vets just scares him more. He's no cuddly lap cat, basically we're just a hotel but I'm so hoping he's alright.
Rufus.jpg
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John

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2015, 01:49 »
Just a quick update - he's come back in now and is looking his normal self, purring as he tucks into a second bowl of cat food. He's quite nervous of me though.

I can go to bed now  :)

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cadalot

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2015, 07:29 »
Glad to hear he is back, and hopefully on the mend 

My old Westie would make so much noise from the moment he saw we were at the vets and wanted to get away, and the vet would say "I've not even touched you yet boy" then I would remind him how they take temperatures etc. and ask him "if you were a cat or a dog would you be happy to see you"

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John

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2015, 09:18 »
He's looking well this morning, demolished his breakfast before heading outside. No signs of fits in the night (small wet patches) which is the best thing. I'm on his ASBO list - very untrusting of me. Still, that's just a matter of time.

I had one cat that actually liked the vets. Get the basket out and he'd climb in. He just liked being fussed.

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Norfolkgrey

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2015, 10:32 »
Glad to hear he has improved it is horriblr seeing pets ill as it is so hard to know what to do for the best. By the sounds of it I am sure Rufus sees you as more than just a hotel, he just likes being his own cat  :)

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John

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2015, 10:54 »
... By the sounds of it I am sure Rufus sees you as more than just a hotel, he just likes being his own cat  :)
The thing is that semi-feral cats are very different to cats that have been handled as a young kitten. You can, sometimes, gain their trust but it takes years. And you need to consider the distress caused by treating them. One visit to the vets is traumatic but frequent trips and trying to give him a pill twice a day would make his life a misery. He'd probably vanish if we tried. The tame cats don't like pills etc but it's an annoyance not a total trauma.

Whatever he thinks of us, we committed to do our best for him.

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madcat

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2015, 16:31 »
Antibiotics do give cats a real boost - I wish human ones worked as well!

You just have to give it a few days and see how he is once the immediate impact of the jabs wears off.
All we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about (Charles Kingsley)

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John

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #7 on: November 26, 2015, 17:29 »
So far, touch wood, he's doing really well. Alert and eating, no signs of further fitting. He did try and jump onto the cooker top earlier (which was hot) so I shouted no - he's now refusing to come in from the cow shed. Expect that will change when it's tea-time :)

The fact he's not fitting seems to fit with an infection. Hope that was it. I'm trying not to be negative but at the same time not getting my hopes up. The number of times I've had to take a cat to the vet for the last time but it doesn't get any easier.

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mumofstig

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #8 on: November 26, 2015, 19:28 »
Fingers crossed for him John, I know what you mean about semi-feral cats, though.

Molly the rescue cat is still not exactly friendly, although she has decided she'd rather stay indoors, but hide under the spare bed most of the day  :nowink: 

After Christmas she will need her jabs - I've no idea how I'm going to get her to the vet  :ohmy:

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John

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2015, 20:20 »
It's a bit far to send Gary  :D

My sister in law had a semi-feral who, in his latter years, became a soppy lap cat. Main thing is patience, grasshopper. When you can stroke the cat, it's time to leave the monastery.

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mumofstig

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #10 on: November 26, 2015, 21:07 »
 :lol: Love it!

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grinling

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #11 on: November 26, 2015, 21:58 »
Hopefully it was just the infection causing a higher temp causing the fits. It is a pity vets charge so much, but people here pay, whereas other countries people won't. OH's friends dog ate muffins with the silicon tray and the op cost £80 in France.

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mumofstig

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #12 on: November 26, 2015, 22:20 »
That's true, when I lived in Greece my cat stayed on a drip at the vets, over the weekend, and then 4 more visits for an injection each time.
He charged me only 120 Euros (£85 apx) - can you imagine the cost if it had happened in the UK  :ohmy:

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John

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #13 on: November 26, 2015, 23:47 »
The vets here are expensive for pets. I think most of the practices concentrate on cattle and possibly sheep - sadly many farmers seem to prefer to let sheep suffer and either recover or not as there is so little profit per animal.

Cara paid a lot less for a good vet in Yorkshire but she had a lot more choice.

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snowdrops

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Re: Fingers crossed for Rufus
« Reply #14 on: November 27, 2015, 11:45 »
The vets here are expensive for pets. I think most of the practices concentrate on cattle and possibly sheep - sadly many farmers seem to prefer to let sheep suffer and either recover or not as there is so little profit per animal.

Cara paid a lot less for a good vet in Yorkshire but she had a lot more choice.

You might be right about the sheep John, as we were travelling back home from Wales yesterday we passed a butchers advertising half a lamb £35, I paid £70 3 weeks ago for a half from a local farmer😟. Funny though I used to buy the same lamb from another farmer for a lit less,who rented his fields out to this farmer for her sheep😣. Not sure how that worked.
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