Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   I only have a minute to stop by, but I have great news!

   Violet has been found!!! She is currently holed up in a spare bedroom, currently used for storage, at the top of my basement stairs. She was secreted away in a spot I didn't think was large enough for her, and I would never have found her without my big, trusty flashlight.

   I woke up at 4 am and heard a cat faintly crying, but it didn't quite sound like it was outside. It took some time for me to track her down, though, because every time I'd call for her, she'd stop meowing. I kept wondering if I was going to have to tear out drywall, floorboards, or ductwork.

   The good news is that she ate about a tablespoon of wet food and took in an ounce or so of fluid. The bad news is that she's reverted almost completely to feral behavior. I'm not surprised; she doesn't feel so good, due to lack of food and water.

   But now the room is blocked off, there's food, water & a litter box in the room. My mission this morning is to get the items currently stored in that room down to the basement, so it will be easier to either coax her out or trap her. I'm thinking nice, stinky tuna or sardines might help.

   I'm worried about her condition. I know she's dehydrated; that's not good. The thing I'm most worried about is that, as far as I can tell, she's not exhibiting serious hunger/thirst. She's been left alone for several hours in the room, and she's barely touched the food and water. She can still run, but I'm sure she feels stiff and very tired.

   I hope her body systems aren't shutting down; that's my biggest concern. Even if she recovers, she could become prone to overeating or possible hepatic lipidosis or other complications in the future. The good news is that she wasn't more than a pound overweight to begin with, so perhaps she'll manage to escape hepatic lipidosis, for now.

   Gotta go move stuff, guys! I'll update later. Thank you all for all the positive thoughts! I know it's been a while since I posted about her, but that's because I was convinced she'd escaped outdoors and was a goner. I'm so relieved to be wrong, wrong, WRONG!!

   P.S. Buttercup, regarding the discussion last night... if this doesn't strengthen my resolve to de-clutter and organize, organize, organize... I don't know what would!

   Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #

2. 

   Sorry, that P.S. is for Sandi, not Buttercup. I've completely lost my mind!

   Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #

3. 

   YAY!!!! Oh what great news, Anncetera! I hope she comes out soon.

   (((Violet))) Now come out like a good girl, kitty.

   Posted 3 years ago by Kilroy #

4. 

   Wow I'm so glad that you found little Violet,prayers that she does well.
   I'm glad you clarified that re discussion,I was thinking that I was glad that you decided something positive from it but for the life of me couldn't remember it. LOL,it happens to all of us.
   Best of luck with Violet.

   Posted 3 years ago by Buttercup #

5. 

   ((Violet)) I hope she does better and gets back to normal soon.
   So glad she is home.

   Posted 3 years ago by cricketsmama #

6. 

   What wonderful news! We all know how worried and distressed you were over Violet's disappearance. Love these happy endings!

   Posted 3 years ago by WillowandWindismom #

7. 

   Yay Violet!

   Posted 3 years ago by sullis #

8. 

   Hooray that you've found Violet! That's 2 kitties now that have been hiding away somewhere in the house! I hope you can coax her into drinking and having some food. Poor baby!

   Posted 3 years ago by Rubia in CA, 4/28 #

9. 

   When I moved the first of last month, I waited until I had everything in the new place before I took the kitties over. My brother went with me to get them, but when we got there, we could only find Molly. I had left a comforter that they slept on, food, water and litter box in the bedroom. She was curled up in the comforter, but no Max! There was absolutely nothing in the apartment he could hide in or under, but we couldn't find him. We looked in every corner, closets, cabinets, cupboards, even the refrigerator!!!! No Max. Maybe he had gotten out when the movers were there? I went outside and walked around the apartment building, calling for him--No Max. Fortunately, my brother is about 6'2" or so, and he happened to look way up in the corner of the kitchen on top of the cupboards--and there was Max. I'm sure you all know how quiet and very small cats can make themselves when they want to hide.
   But he wouldn't budge--Steve had to get one of my golf clubs and nudge him out of the corner so I could catch him. Anyway, he has adjusted and now that we seem to have taken care of his health problems, he's doing very well. Molly could adjust anywhere, as long as there's a soft place to sleep!!

   Posted 3 years ago by MaxandCali'sMom #

10. 

    Yay for Violet! How exciting that you found her in time to work on getting her back to health. *doing happy dance*

    Posted 3 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #

11. 

    Yay Violet! You naughty girl, don't you worry peeps like that! {{{Violet}}}

    Posted 3 years ago by miu #

12. 

    So glad this worked out well. Violet you must remember to behave!!

    Posted 3 years ago by SoxsMom #

13. 

    I'm glad you found Violet. YAY And I hope your resolve to declutter isn't because I'm such a bad example. LOL Speaking of which I've got my work cut out for me today so I'll soon be at it.

    Posted 3 years ago by Cat talk rules #

14. 

    Yea that you found Violet, now lets hope that she is drawn to the really 'stinky' food so she can be cared for. {{{hugs for Violet & Anncetera}}}

    Posted 3 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

15. 

    Aw, little Violet, poor wee thing, calm down and let your mama take care of you. I'm so glad you're found, little prodigal kitty...

    Posted 3 years ago by jcat #

16. 

    Okay, finally... an update.

    After her early morning meowing, Violet had shown every sign of reverting to feral behavior. Therefore, in the interests of preserving my blood supply, I was disinclined to try and scruff her. She seemed frightened and distressed enough already, that I didn't want to stress her further.

    So I waited until she started meowing this evening, around 9:00 pm. I responded each time she meowed her distress. She'd had access to food and water all day, but I don't know that she ate or drank anything. The litterbox I provided her had no results, but after several weeks of minimal food & water, that's what I would expect. It'll take a little while for her body to resume normal metabolism.

    So, after a day of moving things, throwing things out, cleaning, and blocking access to the basement from the spare (storage) bedroom, I was finally in a good position. She was huddled under the long dresser, only 6 feet or so from the doorway, but there were still two items sitting in front of the dresser that gave her a corner cubbyhole.

    I gently and quietly removed the last of the items that she was cornered behind, under the dresser. She kept meowing, and I laid down on the floor and kept replying, trying to encourage her to come out from under the dresser. Finally, I had to take my 6 foot long, closed-cell foam funoodle and ease it toward her, along the back of the wall. In this way, I gently persuaded her to slowly crawl out from under the dresser and slink toward the door.

    Her eyes appear a little sunken, and she was licking her lips several times when she meowed. I could tell she was thirsty. Once she left the room, of her own accord and at her own pace, I shooed all the other cats out of the room and closed the basement door behind me. Whew! Remind me NOT to have a repeat adventure any time soon!

    I'd already made sure there was dry food, wet food, and fresh water in the kitchen for the cats. I'd refilled the pet fountain waterer, too, to make an additional water source that was extra enticing. So while Violet was regaining her bearings in that direction, I headed to the living room and sat down with a celebratory root beer.

    Sure enough, as soon as her head popped around the corner, I called her. She cautiously came over, licking her chops from having a sip of water, but her eyes were still big as saucers. She halfway invited me to pet her, and I gently reached over and stroked her back. She's thinner and dehydrated, but not dangerously so.

    So I got to pet her a couple of times, before she continued re-acquainting herself with her more familiar surroundings. I think Violet's life is rapidly returning to normal - much to her relief, and to mine!

    Thank you all again for your good thoughts and prayers for her safe return; they sure helped! This was definitely a wake-up call for me to get my clutter under control. I filled 3 large garbage bags with stuff to throw out today, and 1 smaller bag to donate to the thrift store. Yay!!!

    Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #

17. 

    hey

    Posted 3 years ago by neelaANDcharlie #

18. 

    Sounds like a happy ending for an ordeal. I hadn't read your previous thread about her being lost, but I'm glad everything worked out ok.
    AND you got some needed cleanup done, too.
    Hooray!!!

    Posted 3 years ago by artistabobbi TX 1/17 #

19. 

    Well, it wasn't quite how I'd planned to spend my day, but I'm just so relieved that Violet is all right. And cleanup is good... I just need to be much more intolerant of clutter, that's all.

    Oh, and I made curried butternut squash soup today, too; yummy!

    Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #

20. 

    Sounds like a good day for the both of you, Ann, I'm so glad! {{{Ann & Violet}}}

    Posted 3 years ago by jcat #

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