Ruth B wrote: ↑Sat May 04, 2019 9:32 am
What you say about his siblings does make me wonder if there was a genetic disorder in the family which lead to all the problems, Hendrix was so lucky to find you and thank you for working so hard to get to the bottom of the problem (no pun intended) and give him the life he deserves.
Impossible to tell really
What we do no for sure is that there was absolutely nothing right and it is quite remarkable that he has survived and turned into a very athletic large healthy kitten.
1. Hendrix's owner was in a very bad place themselves and was simply not in a position to care for the cats that lived with him. Alcohol dependent he could not look after himself properly - let alone ensure that his cats were being adequately carded for.
2. Although not proved, one of the kittens from the previously litter was probably Hendrix's father so there was probably a degree of inbreeding
3. Hendrix's mum was constantly getting pregnant and - coupled with a poor level of care - was most likely weak and simply could not produce healthy kittens
4. Hendrix was the smallest an most feeble of the litter and was rejected by his mum to give the stronger ones a better chance - simply maternal instinct I guess
5. from 3 weeks old Hendrix was fed on wheetabix and cows milk - absolutely noting right that whatsoever.
6. Hendrix was put on solids at a very early age and denied the best food for him - mother's milk or formula
7. Was he premature - we siply do not have a clue as his mum never saw a vet - well until she was picked up off the road and wrapped in a towel
It was only when the owner treated to drown him that someone thankfully stepped in and got him cleaned up and brought him to us 2 weeks later.
He was tiny and clearly having difficulty with his digestive system. He had only been with a matter of minutes when he went into the litter tray and simply screamed. He was clearly finding it painful and what he was producing was very hard and tiny pellets.
In many respects it was him that told us what he needed as he would instantly go to Mia's grain free food rather than a main brand kitten food.
His health certainly improved very quick when we was moved onto grain free wet kitten food but we continued with the main brand dry food which he loved and snacked on at night - that turned out to be a mistake and has had a significant impact on Mia too.
Within 2 weeks of arriving with us we were raising concerns about his manic behavior. It wasn't until he was 7 months old that a different vet suggested changing his dry food. We have not looked back. He is so much calmer now and his physical development has gone from strength to strength.
While Hendrix has grown to the peak of physical fitness we are still convinced that he has not matured as a cat and missed the social development as a direct result of being separated from his Mum and siblings at such an early age. This is one of the reasons why Jasper is coming to live with us and having watched Jasper's development from the day he was born we are even more convinced now that Hendrix's has a lot more to learn.
When Jasper was 5 weeks old, he was washing himself and cleaning his bum! Hendrix was 12 weeks old before he even started washing himself and that was down to Mia.
