Help for a cat with pica

N

new_dad

New Member
For 2 years, I have owned a pair of cats that are in general well behaved. A year ago, our black and white medium hair cat got sick. When we took him to the vet, x-rays showed 4 hair bands with the metal connection pieces. They opened him for surgery and discovered what the x-rays didn't show. His tummy was full and he was diagnosed with Pica. Since then we have had to keep a close eye on him to make sure he hasn't gotten ahold of anything that can hurt him.

Recently our situation changed. My wife and I had our first child on veteran's day and we can't keep up with this cat's needs. We don't want to see him put down, but we can't put him anywhere near our baby or the millions of chewable objects associated with him. He has to go because it isn't fair for him to be locked away like that. Does anyone know of any rescue groups or a person that would be interested in giving him a better life? We are at our wits end.
 
J

jp2854

Guest
well this is just sad you had the cats before you had the kid and now you just want to dump the cat because you got a new baby in the house. You need to learn how to take care of the baby and cats.

I got a puppy this year and she takes a lot of time from me I didn't get rid of my cats because we got the puppy. I think you both can handle taking care of both. It doesn't take that much extra time to care for a cat as far as I know. all you need to do is make sure things stay picked up and you will have no issues.
 
Tilted

Tilted

..
It sounds like this is a special needs cat. It may just be impractical for them to keep it and provide it with an acceptable quality of life.

I agree, in general, that people shouldn't just duck out on the responsibility they have to the animals they've chosen to befriend; but, it doesn't sound like this is a case of selfishness on new dad's part. Seems more likely that a sincere concern for the well-being and happiness of their cat is motivating them to give him up. I'm sure it is not without angst that they will do so.

Best of luck, new dad, in finding a better home for him. I don't know where to tell you to look. Perhaps, now that this thread has been bumped, some of the people on here that work with rescues will respond.
 
greyhound

greyhound

New Member
I was waiting to see who was going to jump on this guy first.

He said....It's not fair to the cat. He's right, he's doing the right thing. Sometimes we have to make these kinds of decisions and the poster is trying to go about it the right way.

Now...give him some info that will help!
 
cattitude

cattitude

My Sweetest Boy
If any of you have ever dealt with Pica, then you know how exhausting it can be to try to contain a the pet and keep it safe from itself. Don't judge this fellow unless you've actually been in his shoes.
 
AnnieC

AnnieC

New Member
cattitude said:
If any of you have ever dealt with Pica, then you know how exhausting it can be to try to contain a the pet and keep it safe from itself. Don't judge this fellow unless you've actually been in his shoes.
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You saying you have been in his shoes?
What did you do with the cat?
 
cattitude

cattitude

My Sweetest Boy
AnnieC said:
You saying you have been in his shoes?
What did you do with the cat?
Click to expand...

My daughter has..it was a dog. The dog went to a home where the new owners were in a better position to care for the dog. He's doing very well.

Sometimes there are valid reasons for needing to rehome a beloved pet.
 
AnnieC

AnnieC

New Member
cattitude said:
My daughter has..it was a dog. The dog went to a home where the new owners were in a better position to care for the dog. He's doing very well.

Sometimes there are valid reasons for needing to rehome a beloved pet.
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You dont know then..as it was your kid and her pet...not you and your cat.
 
hvp05

hvp05

Methodically disorganized
new_dad said:
When we took him to the vet... he was diagnosed with Pica.
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Did the vet attempt to treat it or simply tell you to keep small objects out of access? It appears the exact causes are unknown, but anemia is believed to result in this condition; I'd be curious if there was a physical cause or if it truly was a mental issue.


cattitude said:
If any of you have ever dealt with Pica, then you know how exhausting it can be to try to contain a the pet and keep it safe from itself. Don't judge this fellow unless you've actually been in his shoes.
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He seems to be holding the cat in a separate room, without any small objects. What house wouldn't have stuff laying around? I mean, wherever the cat ends up, won't that person do much the same as his current owner is doing? I'm not trying to judge the guy, but wondering what would be a "good" solution for the animal. :shrug:
 
cattitude

cattitude

My Sweetest Boy
AnnieC said:
You dont know then..as it was your kid and her pet...not you and your cat.
Click to expand...

Give up...you have no clue. And I know who you are and don't want to argue with you but there are reasons for rehoming animals. I've done it..it's not easy.
 
cattitude

cattitude

My Sweetest Boy
hvp05 said:
He seems to be holding the cat in a separate room, without any small objects. What house wouldn't have stuff laying around? I mean, wherever the cat ends up, won't that person do much the same as his current owner is doing? I'm not trying to judge the guy, but wondering what would be a "good" solution for the animal. :shrug:
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I know..I can't imagine having a cat like that. What kind of life for a cat having to be contained constantly. At least with a dog you can keep an on eye on them because most of the time they're with you...you have to walk them, they can't be allowed out in a yard alone...or unattended in any way. Cats tend to wander around the house, etc. Keeping it in a cage or room sure doesn't seem to be much of a life for the cat.
 
hvp05

hvp05

Methodically disorganized
cattitude said:
Keeping it in a cage or room sure doesn't seem to be much of a life for the cat.
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This may sound stupid... but is there any kind of muzzle that might allow the cat to lick and drink water while preventing it from eating unwanted stuff?
 
greyhound

greyhound

New Member
hvp05 said:
This may sound stupid... but is there any kind of muzzle that might allow the cat to lick and drink water while preventing it from eating unwanted stuff?
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This is the reason the guy wanted information about rescues. he doesn't want to muzzle the cat or keep it caged or locked in a room. He has a new baby to look after. A person or family without children is the best solution.
 
hvp05

hvp05

Methodically disorganized
greyhound said:
This is the reason the guy wanted information about rescues. he doesn't want to muzzle the cat or keep it caged or locked in a room. He has a new baby to look after. A person or family without children is the best solution.
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And that is why I asked the questions I did in post 15; because virtually any home is bound to have stuff laying around that may be ingested, even if the owner is diligent. Given that, I'd do everything I could to keep the cat myself - but I say that with the grain of salt of never having dealt with this sort of thing.
 
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