Hector's World: Adventures and Mayhem at Mountain View Poultry (or Sequel to The Evolution of Atlas

speckledhen

Intentional Solitude
Premium Feather Member
15 Years
Feb 3, 2007
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Blue Ridge Mtns. of North Georgia
Hector's legs are getting worse. I often find him sitting on his haunches, anywhere he finds he can't stay upright, and today, he couldn't walk all the way up the incline to the barn when I called him to come in. At first, I thought he was being stubborn, but when I went out to get him, he had collapsed under one of the Carolina Cypress trees. That explained why Zara was also being hesitant to come inside-she was staying with him. He hates to be picked up or I'd gladly have carried him back to his pen, but as soon as I reach for him, he's up and toddling along, shakily. He will walk until he drops for those hens. I thought I had a picture of him on this computer doing it, but it's on my laptop, will have to come back and add it when I get to the other computer.
 

h2oratt

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7 Years
May 3, 2015
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Morada, california
Hector's legs are getting worse. I often find him sitting on his haunches, anywhere he finds he can't stay upright, and today, he couldn't walk all the way up the incline to the barn when I called him to come in. At first, I thought he was being stubborn, but when I went out to get him, he had collapsed under one of the Carolina Cypress trees. That explained why Zara was also being hesitant to come inside-she was staying with him. He hates to be picked up or I'd gladly have carried him back to his pen, but as soon as I reach for him, he's up and toddling along, shakily. He will walk until he drops for those hens. I thought I had a picture of him on this computer doing it, but it's on my laptop, will have to come back and add it when I get to the other computer.
Poor guy, it’s hell getting old.
 

speckledhen

Intentional Solitude
Premium Feather Member
15 Years
Feb 3, 2007
79,516
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Blue Ridge Mtns. of North Georgia
Found the picture of Hector, was on this computer in a different file that got moved somehow. He often collapses like this. Today, it was just worse. Poor guy. I think maybe free ranging is out for his group for awhile. I can try turmeric and aspirin, but I don't think it will help much at this stage. My husband wondered if his heart was failing, but I don't see any strange color in his comb, just weakness in his legs.
IMG_0004.JPG
 

1muttsfan

Up Northerner
11 Years
Mar 26, 2011
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Upper Peninsula Michigan
IT could be that he hurt himself somehow and made his arthritis more sore, so it may be worth trying the aspirin and turmeric. But if he does not respond that would not be a good sign.

I'm terribly sad right now, my 7 month old cat disappeared on 4th of July. He was with us outside midday, but did not come in at night as usual, and has not been seen since. Breaks my heart, he is such a sweet thing, but impossibly to keep inside - tore right through the screens. None of my not very numerous neighbors have seen him. I have heard that there are coyotes around but in the middle of the day? I can't stand to think about what may have happened to him. And my other cat is just beside himself missing his friend.
 

speckledhen

Intentional Solitude
Premium Feather Member
15 Years
Feb 3, 2007
79,516
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Blue Ridge Mtns. of North Georgia
I did try aspirin for Hector on and off for the past year, but it's never seemed to do much good and I'm not sure how long I can continue giving it to him. I make him something he'll eat, sprinkle crushed aspirin on it and he will get the first bites for himself-that boy doesn't take any guff from those hens, LOL. He gets what he wants before they do. I don't like seeing him like this, though. He turned out to be such a good boy in the end. Generally, all I have to do to get him home from free ranging is call him and tell him to bring the girls home and he does. Now, it just takes him awhile to get back. I think this started when he was in a different pen and insisted on sitting on top of the nest box, which meant he jumped down from too high of a distance. I believe he hurt himself back then, but he never recovered.
Mary, I'm so sorry about your cat. Our Finn is around 10 years old now, has a cataract in one eye and the other is red and swollen. We've been to the vet twice about it, got drops, didn't really work for long, but I watched him walk into something on the cataract side when the irritated one was almost closed. He showed up at around a year and a half old in Nov 2014, stayed and we neutered him, but like you said, Finn won't stay inside. He yowls and walks on Tom's head, won't leave him alone during the night if he gets the urge to go outside; he has a litterbox he can use and does if he gets desperate and we won't open the door for him. If he ends up blind because we can't figure this out, I have no idea what we'll do. He's a very wily cat, but he used to have great eyesight. I'm always afraid he won't come home. My husband will be heartbroken. Finn latched onto him like a leech eight years ago and won't let go. If he doesn't come home before dark, Tom is out in the car looking for him. He has a girlfriend across from us and I saw another cat that I guess is female or he'd be fighting it. We just want him to stay in the house when the lighting is poor because of his eyesight being so bad. He's avoided coyotes and foxes and neighborhood dogs all these years, but his number could come up one day.
 

speckledhen

Intentional Solitude
Premium Feather Member
15 Years
Feb 3, 2007
79,516
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Blue Ridge Mtns. of North Georgia
I remember when Finn showed up. I'm so sorry to hear that he is suffering. Did they tell you what they thought was wrong with his eye?
The first time we took him, the vet thought it might be a virus since both eyes were red, like very bloodshot. He gave us eye drops and we used them all. Seemed to help a bit for awhile, but the redness came back. I began using the Vetericyn Opthalmic wash that was safe for cats, but it never really helped much. Finally, Tom took him back in because he was really squinting. The vet in partnership with the main guy found a cataract on one eye, gave us drops that were made for glaucoma, which we used, but again, we are to the point where the eye that doesn't have the cataract is almost closed and I can see swelling in the socket below the eye. He also told us that we could have surgery to remove the cataract, but it could cost upwards of $10K. Not feasible. Doesn't sound like they really know what is wrong with his eyes. And it's so hard to put eyedrops in a cat's eyes when he struggles, hating every time we have to do it. Dogs are just easier.
 

1muttsfan

Up Northerner
11 Years
Mar 26, 2011
22,438
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Upper Peninsula Michigan
If it's a viral infection then the two things that might help are a lysine supplement and an eye ointment called Terramycin. If you get a lysine supplement I would highly recommend Viralyse - it comes in a gel form and it's not difficult to give. Not all lysine supplements are very good quality but that one is.
 

speckledhen

Intentional Solitude
Premium Feather Member
15 Years
Feb 3, 2007
79,516
14,808
1,256
Blue Ridge Mtns. of North Georgia
If it's a viral infection then the two things that might help are a lysine supplement and an eye ointment called Terramycin. If you get a lysine supplement I would highly recommend Viralyse - it comes in a gel form and it's not difficult to give. Not all lysine supplements are very good quality but that one is.
Yes, I completely forgot to say that we did just buy more Terramycin ointment. Our tube we used for the chickens was almost empty and old anyway and we've been using it in his red eye every day for the past week when we can hold him down. It's only once a day and I think it should be more than once, probably, but you know, cats are not easy, ugh. I'll have to get the lysine supplement, thank you!! I just put it in my Walmart order and it will be here in a few days. Can't thank you enough for your help, as always!
Maybe a picture of my most recent cuteness will help lift your spirits a little, it has mine a little bit. Bantam Speckled Sussex hatched yesterday by my good little SS hen from eggs shipped from Florida

View attachment 3177630
OMGosh they are adorable! I used to wonder why folks wanted bantams, but I really am loving my bantam Cochins.

I gave Hector some food he likes doctored up with turmeric and crushed aspirin. I can always count on him to try to eat what he wants first, but it can't hurt Zara and Athena, either, because they apparently inherited the tendency toward arthritic joints from daddy Atlas.
 
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