To all whove fostered or adopted bottle-fed, orphan kittens, especially singletons or sole survivors: Ive been wondering whether my foster, Henry, aka Hank the Hunk, was once a bottle baby. He is totally human-focused. Only wants love and attention from people. He looks right through my DSH, Norman, and my Persian, Viola Rose, both of whom are sweet, well-adjusted and playful cats, with excellent cat manners. (Thank you, Persians Plus Rescue and Pet Adoption Network!) Henry is totally disinterested in playing, not just with the kittens. He doesnt want to play at all. Not with the laser pointer, not with fishing rod string toys, not with kicker toys, not with wand toys or balls. I even ran the fishing line and bait under a towel, usually a surefire way to get a cat to wind up the butt wiggle and pounce, but not Henry! He was a stray and totally unable to fend for himself outside, since he appears to have no prey instinct. He actually gained weight while still living outside because he found a nice lady in the neighborhood, who fell in love with him and started feeding him, twice a day. She wanted to support him, but shes leaving the US for the Ukraine soon. No place for a fuzzball. Mama cats teach their babies to hunt, and they also learn to play and hunt with litter mates. Behaviorally, there is a strong connection between playing and hunting. Henry seems to have missed that portion of his life. He is sweet, settled here. Eats well. Per vets orders, Im feeding him grain-free, canned food with extra water to help him lose weight. He uses the litter box perfectly, so long as its high-sided. He doesnt squat in the box. He is about 8 years old. American short hair, silver tabby. Overweight at 15 pounds. Should be closer to 12 or 13. He is a big boned boy. Hes not lethargic...just lazy? Id like to get him playing because it will help him lose weight and be happier when he has to stay alone in the foster room. Has anyone else had a cat that is totally disinterested in playing? Thank you for your input and sorry so long. Just wanted to provide as much detail as possible. Any similar experiences or insights would be very much appreciated. Henry and I thank you!
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 19:38:24 +0000