Help!

[ilovemykitty]

I need some advice about my kitty.

Maynard is almost a year old now (May 15th!!). My sister adopted his brother, Jasper, who got FIP and had to be put down at 6 months. Maynard has a lot of the mannerisms that Jasper did, and I think he is mentally retarded. He acts out in the same ways as a mentally retarded person, and is much slower than any other cat I've ever had. He still does things that kittens are supossed to have grown out of by now, and he acts like he's still 4 months old. Is there any way to get him checked for these things? I don't think he has FIP, but I want to be sure, because I love my baby and don't want anything bad to happen to him. Also, is there anything they can do if he is mentally retarded? Should I just tell his vet all about this when he goes in for his annual exam? And is there anything I can do to help him now? He is the sweetest cat, I love him sssoooo much and I want to do anything I can to help him out.

Thanks!
-Erin

[Chessmind]

Hi. I'm sorry for your loss of your other kitty. I would just go to the vet and have a full exam on him. I'm not sure why you think he is mental challenged though. A lot of adult cats still have kitten mannerisms now and again. That's pretty normal. Just mention to your vet your concerns and they will offer you more insight into his overall mental capacity/health. Do you have any pics of him? Let us know what you find out.

[ilovemykitty]

Thank you for your post!!

I can't even explain what he's like, but if you met him, you'd know. He doesnt just have the mannerisms now and then, its all the time. He acts like he's 3 or 4 months old still, and he's just...LOL, i really can't even describe it. He just....acts like a mentally challenegd person would act, you know? I love him, and he's such a sweetheart. I really just am nervous about anything serious happening to him after what happened to Jasper.

Thanks again. I'll definitely have the vet give him a full check up, and i'll let you know what happens. I'll get the pictures from my brother's computer. My kitty's so cute! He's a little chub tuxedo cat. HOw do I put pictures on here?

[nern]

I would just mention it at his next exam. Even if he is I don't think there is anything the vet can do about it.
I have a 4yr old cat named Bean and I've often wondered if he might be somewhat slow....he just does'nt seem to be as bright as your average cat. He is happy and healthy so I've never been too concerned about it.

[Chessmind]

I look forward to seeing pics of your kitty.

Go to www.photoisland.com

Choose the sign-up free and fill out the membership form. Go to Upload Pictures and use the BROWSE button to browse to where you have the pictures saved on your computer. Choose UPLOAD. On the left side of the screen choose MY ALBUM LIST: Personal (or whatever you named your album) This will display your pictures. click on one. Now on the left choose LINK FOR AUCTION. Copy the URL FOR YOUR PHOTO.

Now come back to Auspet. In your post click on "[img]" (it's located above where you type in your message, next to 'List' and 'URL.' It's one of the grey boxes on the upper right). Then paste the URL FOR YOUR PHOTO then click "[/img]" again (after your URL link). Then click 'Submit.' Good luck.

[Mary_NH]

my neighbor has a "slow" cat...suffered from (disease comes from a mosquito bite.....can't remember what it is but it affects the neurological system) - I'll remember probably around 3am.

As a kitten this cat staggered horribly. The staggering isn't quite so bad now that the kitten is a cat but I hard a hard time accepting they let this poor kitty outside. No way it could escape any wildlife or dogs.

Still thinking of what that disease is - so it's possible.

We call our Zeus a "sped" - special ed kitty. He has his rather uncatlike moments. He's nearly 2 and can act very kittenish - like announcing to the world he's headed to the litterbox

[Mary_NH]

I'd like to say I remembered but I'd be lying - I did a search

encephalitis is what their cat contracted as a kitten. They aren't sure if this was in invitro thing or after the kitten was born - but their daughter adopted one of the litter also and that one is fine.

Sorry this is off your subjected but when I remember something I have to relay it cause I might lose it just as quickly as i got it

[moose]

hi there. you should definitely have your cat checked for the coronavirus -- this virus causes a lot of things, one of the most serious being FIP. even if your cat tests positive for this virus, it doesn't necessarily mean he has FIP, though there is no test specifically for FIP.

if he tests positive for the coronavirus, your vet will check other symptoms to determine if he has FIP -- a pot belly is one sign. he can also run other tests to help narrow things down a bit.

FIP is very contagious and lethal, and your cat needs to be kept away from other cats if he is diagnosed with it.

all you've really said about the "mental retardation" is that your cat acts like a kitten a lot. that's totally normal with a 1 year old cat. or just some cats in general. if it doesn't seem to be affecting his overall health, i wouldn't worry about it. if you really must know though, and have the money to afford it, i'm sure you could find a vet to perform a CAT scan on him to check brain activity.

btw, my youngest cat will be 1 year old on may 15 also!

[ilovemykitty]

Yeah, coronavirus is what my sister's cat (Jasper) had, got FIP from that, and had to be put down at 6 months. Her cat and my cat (Maynard) are from the same litter. I'm always paranoid about stuff like that now, but Maynard has none of the symptoms Jasper had, or any others indicating he might have either coronavirus or FIP. But I WILL get him checked out for everything, I'm making an appointment for him right after I get paid again (in two weeks) and find out when I can take a day off. And I'll keep you guys posted on what I find out. Oh, and I'll be posting the pics soon

[Samsintentions]

a friend of mine had a kitten that was born a bit "slow". They had some C-scans on it and did all kinds of tests on it. They just determined he was born mentally challenged. There are horses with this problem too. SO I'm sure its not just a human problem.