Miss Ivy - A Precious Rescue Cat With Special Needs

Ivy has not changed very much in regards to appearance.  But, there have been many changes in regard to behavior, specifically her comfort zone in regards to all related behavior in  "just being a cat" .  

 

This little six year old Siamese Mix was afraid of everything!!!  I think she might even have been "afraid of HERSELF". The only interaction she had was to hiss and bite and hide in a little ball trying to make herself as small as possible.  It was so sad!  If you put your finger up to her cage she would try to grab it with her claws.  The Veterinarian at the Purebred Rescue was not even able to do much of an exam on her.  Being the optimist that I am, I thought I could nurture her into a Happy Little Girl.  

The first four months she showed very little interest in much of anything and would find a place to hide in the house other than surfacing to eat when she got hungry or using the litter box.

Now, four years later she has become a loving cat with trust in me to take good loving care of her.  It surprises me that she still continues to show more and more progress in her trust.  I believe that she was physically abused the first six years of her life.  She still shies away from my hand if I pet her head.  But, then lets me pet her as much as I want to.  She has never learned to play with toys and still shows no interest. She had developed such a defense mechanism against the outside world that for months I thought she was deaf . Her Vet thought it was a possibility because she showed no response to voice or loud noises for months!  Another slight anomaly is that she doesn't regularly purr.  And I miss that, and if she does purr it is very soft.  Also, she is not a cat that wraps herself around your ankles to let you know she loves you!

These days she likes to be close to me and frequently jumps up so she is touching me when she sleeps.  She seldom goes in the other rooms to sleep.  And, she seems to know if I am having more pain on certain days.  Our pets (animals) can be so attentive and sensitive.  Aren't they wonderful !!!

Kitty paws are so special!  I love it when she curls her paw around her nose. That seems to be a favorite position for cats.  Do you think that they think they are hiding?

When Ivy came to live with me she had two medical issues that need continual attention.  She routinely sees her Vet for monitoring.   It appears that she does not have functioning tear ducts and she is continually tearing!  So, that means that I have to clean her eyes throughout the day as needed. Since she has learned to trust me she no longer fights me when I have to clean her eyes.  She is amazingly patient when I  pick her up to clean her eyes.  Now, it is just part of our routine.  And, she knows I love her.

The other issue is that she frequently regurgitated/vomited.  The Vet performed a CAT scan and did not see anything noteworthy.  In time past I started elevating her food and water dish so that her mouth was higher than her neck because I had read that a cats esophagus was horizontal!  And that helped.  She does not have issues with fur balls very often.  

After a lot of research I have determined that she may have Megaesophagus which is a dilating of the esophagus (the tube that carries food and liquid between her mouth and her stomach).  When esophageal motility is decreased the food and liquid accumulate in the esophagus and have difficulty getting into the stomach.  The cat can also have pain in the abdominal area.

And, the only area on her body that she resists touch sometimes is around her digestive area. I am so glad to know it may be related to possible Megaesophagus and not something else.

Megaesophagus can occur in dogs like German Shepherds, Newfoundlands, Great Danes, Irish Setters and Sharpeis as well as Siamese Cats.  Interesting that the only cat that was mentioned is Siamese.

And, I now feed her premium canned cat food and some dried cat food in small portions on an elevated platform.  And, she is doing very well.

Apparently, dogs have this issue so much that there now is a Baily Chair available so dogs can sit to eat!  Who would believe it !!

This is a Bailey Chair, which is specially designed to support the pet in the correct position.    I had to stop myself from laughing!!

Oh, how we love our pets !

It looks like this may be a LARGE CAT that needs the extra height and support!

I recently read about the Bailey Chair on the Nextdoor.com website.  Someone was looking for one for their ailing dog that was loosing weight.  And, I was very curious and started doing some looking around for more information .

There is always more to learn!   I hoped you enjoyed learning something you might need to know someday - - - maybe on Jeopardy !!!!

Mary

P.S.   How do I know, Maybe she/he is sitting in a - "Multipurpose" - Bailey Chair!

Sorry - I could not help myself and had to share !     Mary