What Happens when a Cat Rescue Goes Wrong

He was a really cute little cat that I estimated to be around three to four years old. He had an unusual tiger pattern with a black stripe down his back. He appeared at our front door to eat, along with half a dozen feral cats, around Christmas. Since our isolation room was in use for months, this cat had to wait until May to be rescued. Little did we know that he would become a rescue gone wrong.

The Cat

It was quickly obvious to us as cat rescuers that this cat was domesticated. Given the nature of our townhouse neighborhood, we assumed he had been dumped. He acted like a neutered male and was quick to approach whenever food dishes came out morning and evening. He also liked to rub against our legs. We named him Pepper. Our goal for him was adoption.

Before bringing in Pepper, we talked at length with our vet. We didn't want a repeat performance of what had happened in January when we tried to bring in a feral for potential adoption. That cat--which fortunately remained isolated from ours--was diagnosed with roundworms (typical), giardia, toxoplasmosis and feline leukemia. The last condition meant he had to be euthanized. My husband and I underwent multiple tests for toxo.

The Rescue

On May 19, I was able to pick up Pepper at feeding time and transport him to the waiting vet. He received his initial immunizations, a worming and a test for parasites. He got a clean bill of health and boosters three weeks later.

We put the cat in isolation for five days to adjust. The newest technique kills any worms within three days, so cats no longer have to be isolated for three weeks until a second worming.

Pepper quickly adjusted. He kneaded the bed in the isolation room, me and a sheepskin pad on the bed. Kneading is a sign of claiming something or someone as the cat's own. He was an adorable cat.

Adoption

Although we had a list of several people looking for cats, none wanted one when we asked. Local rescues were full. The most any would do was agree to put the cat's photo and a description on a web site. We would also have to display him at adoption events several times a month.

Since kittens are often the only cats adopted at these events, it didn't seem likely that Pepper had great prospects. As we had already learned, whenever we rescued a cat and brought it inside our home, we were setting ourselves up for adding another cat to the household if no adoptive home appeared.

Problems

The first sign of problems with our five inside cats--all former ferals--came within a week. This puzzled us because this had never happened as new cats entered the household.

At least three of our cats did not like Pepper and treated him like a pariah. Hissing turned into growling. That turned on aggression on his part, and he began to stalk our biggest cat. Cats International has a very helpful article on social aggression, which is different from territorial aggression, in multi-cat households.

Eventually, the situation got so bad that most of the cats would not use the litter boxes upstairs. We had to put a sixth one on the first floor. Unfortunately, all six of them started to use it and only it. Our biggest cat lived under a highboy in the family room. Only two of our cats would even venture upstairs, considered Pepper's domain.

Around two weeks after he arrived, Pepper began vomiting, sometimes several times a day. He also wheezed. Sometimes hairballs were the culprit. At other times, the cause was unknown.

One particularly trying episode resulted in an emergency vet visit and an overnight stay in the hospital. X-rays, exam and lab work failed to reveal a problem. The vet on duty said she thought he might also suffer from "pillow paw," an autoimmune condition affecting the pads of the cat's feet and his teeth. He also had an ear infection.

The probability of adoption further dimmed. We tried everything possible as far as medicating for hairballs. The cat continued to vomit.

The next step is taking such a cat to a special vet facility to perform an endoscopic exam and take biopsies of various parts of the digestive system. This typically costs between $2,500 to $3,000. Because the local vet gave us a substantial discount for rescues, we had already spent between $600 and $700 instead of about $1,200.

Resolution

The biggest issue was not cost. If the procedure revealed a condition such as inflammatory bowel disease, which one of our cats has, that meant continual treatment. And to get it, Pepper needed an owner. This became a practical dilemma.

In the end, we did not have time to consider medical alternatives. The aggression among the cats became so severe that we were afraid to leave them unattended.

Nearly two months to the day he entered the household, Pepper was allowed to go outside when he asked to do so. He cannot return due to the danger of bringing diseases prevalent in the neighborhood ferals into our household. We continue to feed him and provide flea preventive medication. Hopefully, we'll still be able to handle him when it's time for yearly immunizations.

Counteracting social aggression can take a long time and involve a desensitization process or even medication. Sometimes it doesn't work.

Sadly, even innocent cats like Pepper, who just wanted to make friends with our cats, are the victims when a rescue goes wrong.

Sources:

http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/aggression_to_cats/sharing_a_house.html

Personal experience as a rescuer