We just rescued an F4 Bengal and need some advice…this is a 'general' cat question really!?
Discount Medical Scrubs
First, i am sorry this is so long! I say rescued because the poor thing is in need of medical attention and her living conditions were not the best. Her previous owner was down on her luck and so far the best thing she did was let us adopt her. The previous owner wouldn't give us any papers on her (not that we want or need any) because she is not spayed and she didn't want her used for breeding. We plan to have her spayed immediately, but she needs medical attention first which she will get this week. I do not know a whole lot about Bengals, never even seen one up close until Cami. She is the tiniest thing and very slender. You can tell she is of small build but very skinny even for her build. I would say she is the size of a domestic 6 month old kitten but 1 year old and she is half the size of our 3yr old DSH Tiger male. After hearing her yelp when trying to eat, I examined her teeth and poor thing has severe gingivitis and only about 3 teeth in the very front on the top where she should have a full row on top and bottom! My main concern is getting her to eat...she has soft food but it is in chunks...she only laps the gravy because even the soft chunks hurt her mouth. WHAT CAN I FEED HER AND HOW?! She also is not UTD on shots which we are taking care of this week. She is very timid and scared but none the less wants to explore. She cries because we have to keep her in the bathroom and she just wants to curl up with you or find a good hiding spot. Her previous owner had her in a bathroom probably about 4X4 not including the tub...litter box overflowing and litter everywhere. I have brought her out but I hold her as i do not want her to come in contact with our 3 yr old male or our 8 yr old dog yet until she is protected and certified to not have any diseases or anything our animals can catch. After she gets her shots...is it ok for her to mingle right away or should she wait it out? Also is it ok for our cat to go into her area to investigate while we hold her or does that need to be scrubbed down before he goes in there? We bathed her last night...very dirty. She has diarhea and i think it is safe to say that is because she has been eating 9 lives cat food or anything the owner could get at the dollar store....so her diet was constantly switched from crappy food to crappy food. Then again who knows though. She was always an indoor cat according to the previous owner and I do believe it because she is so scared of every little thing or movement. Such a precious little girl...so sad she has lived this way but so happy that we have her now and that she will be taken care of and loved the way she should be. Any advice you could offer is greatly appreciated!
Tags: animals, bengals, cami, chunks, discount medical scrubs, Diseases, dsh, gingivitis, gravy, kitten, litter box, medical attention, old dog, soft food, teeth, tiger, top and bottom, whole lot, yelp
March 18th, 2011 at 2:55 am
For the food situation. Rich soft food could make her ill so I would suggest boiling chicken then putting it through a blender and adding water to make a thin slurry for her to eat/drink. Not too thin just thin enough that shes able to get it down. It will be bland and easy to eat until you can get advice from a vet.
Keep her away from your other animals until the vet has seen her since you dont know if shes sick at all, being in the same room cant pass some sicknesses so better safe than sorry.
March 18th, 2011 at 2:55 am
See link.
March 18th, 2011 at 2:55 am
Meat baby food mixed with warm water till you can get some cans of A/D from the vet. Then mix water with that to make a slurry. She can still drink, this will keep her going.
I’m shocked a Bengal would be that tiny, her nutrition while growing was awful.
If she’s not got ringworm, worms, fleas or anything other apparent, and if she’s ok with being around other animals, then she can be let out, but a few days in a quiet environment at this point is probably best. Or let her have some time ‘out’ in the house with the other animals contained elsewhere. It’d contain the diarhea too. (Do NOT feed milk, that would make it worse). Go with soft foods watered down a bit so there’s no need to chew.
March 18th, 2011 at 2:55 am
For the food get a loaf or pate form and mash it up with water to form a glop. That should do it. Favorites among the fosters are Felidae and Chicken Soup, or if you have a Petsmart nearby they like the Authority brand too. Plain yogurt often helps with diarrhea if there are no parasite issues. You can mash some of that into the food too for a few days and see if you notice any difference. I wouldn’t let them mingle until the new kitty is cleared of parasites and tested for FIV/feline leukemia. Good luck!