Hi Matthew,
Please don't beat yourself up so badly. It's not common for cats to eat these things. Dogs yes, but cats no. You clearly love Albus with all of your heart and would never do anything to put him in harm's way.
Hang in there - loads of positive vibes being sent your way for Albus.
Coral
I agree with Coral, don't feel guilty! This could have happened to anyone! I don't see how you could have imagined Albus ate all those weird things. I am glad your cat will be home soon and I am sur you will find solutions to cope with his habit, or even to cure it. Good luck, and keep us updated!
I just read through everything and am glad Albus is on his way to being healthy again. I am really sorry he had to have surgery. The only thing I can really think of to help him leave those items alone is to teach him to stay away from them, like a teaching a dog the leave it command. It is possible to trains cats!
Have the hair ties out, when Albus looks at them say NO or LEAVE IT or rattle a noise can or something to startle him. Then reward for him not going near it with a treat and lots of pats and love. Repeating this several times a day should teach him that you are much happier when he doesn't go near those items.... in addition to not leaving those things out, and maybe confining Albus to a safe kitten proof room when unsupervised should prevent this from happening again.
Wishing Albus a speedy recovery
(12-04-2009 08:00 PM)Coral Wrote: [ -> ]Hi Matthew,
I'm so sorry about Albus' surgery. If there's a positive, it's that he's young and has a good chance of recovering quickly. The other positive of course is that he's well loved and cared for.
It sounds like Albus has a condition called pica, which tends to be more common in Siamese cats. Pica is where cats consume non-food items - wool, leather goods, cords, etc. From what I remember, it's something in their psychological makeup. There are treatments for it, but one of the important things (obviously) is keeping as much of those items out of reach. On the flip side, it can help to ensure Albus has lots of healthy activities to keep him occupied when he's awake, especially when he's recovered and back to his usual self. You may want to look into finding a cat behaviourist who can help you manage Albus' penchant for non-food items. I know Vicky Halls covers it in her books (she's a UK-based cat behaviourist).
If this is any comfort, a good friend of mine has a cat who did something similar as a kitten. He is alive and well - it happened about eight years ago. Lots of positive vibes being sent your way for Albus.
Take care,
Coral
Sorry, for some reason I didn't read this! Thank you, I've read the site you gave me and have researched more myself (it's Albus to a t) and have a plan of attack going
And yes, to know your friend had a cat that did something like this as a kitten and is now eight years old is a great comfort! I'm so afraid that he isn't going to live long. Even as we left the vets this morning the lady said "see you soon Albus" and I'm sure she will
but lets hope this is a one time thing!
(12-05-2009 03:35 PM)Solo Wrote: [ -> ]I just read through everything and am glad Albus is on his way to being healthy again. I am really sorry he had to have surgery. The only thing I can really think of to help him leave those items alone is to teach him to stay away from them, like a teaching a dog the leave it command. It is possible to trains cats!
Have the hair ties out, when Albus looks at them say NO or LEAVE IT or rattle a noise can or something to startle him. Then reward for him not going near it with a treat and lots of pats and love. Repeating this several times a day should teach him that you are much happier when he doesn't go near those items.... in addition to not leaving those things out, and maybe confining Albus to a safe kitten proof room when unsupervised should prevent this from happening again.
Wishing Albus a speedy recovery
That's a really good idea! Albus already sits for treats so I'm sure he can learn this too! Thank you!!!!!!
Thanks Coral and Keiko- I know I shouldn't but it's hard not to in a situation like this. I've just got to move on a make damn sure it doesn't happen again!