Feline crisis, what is going on?

[Midnight12]

There are two dogs and two cats in the house.
The dogs have never been an issue as they leave the felines alone and at worst its curious sniffing, oh hey you look angry i"ll go away now or go back outside.

The feline - Chaos - that was here before I moved in had free roam of the house and tormented the canines at her leisure of which they retaliated when outside in playful nipping. None have ever been hurt.
Two years ago I slowly integrated my cat, Fluffy into the house. First starting with the bedroom, then slowly expanding her range room by room until at least she figured out hey its ok. Chaos eventually stopped having issue with this, however once in a while they get in a chase each other mode.

Now, Fluffy sits in the highest windowsill above the canine's kennels regardless if they are there within the kennels or not. She does not come down if there is anyone in the room but she does eat and drink and use the litterbox. However a few times this week and three times today she has fallen from her perch in the window sill. I watched her before approaching and calling out she would lay for a minute stunned get up shake it off and get back up there.

What is going on?

Factiods to know

- Fluffy is a runt and has yet to ever grow past the size of in between kitten and adult sized.
- Even though she is small she can fight well
- Took a while to adjust to this climate and her fur has become shorter as she was much fluffier before moving
Has her own litter box that unless I keep away from Chaos I am not sure its hers alone as Chaos seems to have taken it.
- Has her own food dish and all that also get ransacked however each animal is now being put up and her food and water bowls have been moved

Do i need to have her taken to the vet due to the falling or move her back to one side of the house so the others stop eating her food and using her box?

And for the record I went to visit family to return to her food and litter box being moved without asking me first so by the time I returned the change had been made and she had already adjusted. No excuse I could have moved it back, but until now there has not been issue.

[Sapphire Silk]

How wide is the ledge she is on? Is this a usual spot for her?

I'm concerned about a neurological problem. If it is a narrow ledge, she might just be falling alseep. But if it is wider, and this is new, she may have another problem that should be checked out.

Cats tend to fixate on favorite places, and she probably likes above the dogs because Chaos avoids that area (assuming she does). So that's OK as long as she's safe.

Does she interact with you or come sit by you when you are in the room or in the house? She might need some play/affection time.

[MaggieTheCat]

Is she showing any other strange signs or behaviors? Like Panacea said, it could be neurological...it could also be some kind of inner ear balance problem. Our cats like to sit in high, tiny places and I've seen them drift off before but they've never actually fallen. If she's showing any other strange signs, I'd probably take her in to be looked at.

Edit to add: Do you have a regular vet who you go to for yearly checkups and the like? If you do, call them up, describe her symptoms and tell them of your concerns. They may be able to give you some info over the phone. They probably know what other symptoms to look for if she does have a neurological or balance issue, that you can then look for. My vet is awesome and if I have a concern about one of my cats, I have called them in the past and told them, and they will either say, "sounds like it could be a problem, I'd recommend bringing them in" or "give it a little while, it doesn't sound life threatening, so if it passes in a few days they should be fine."

[Midnight12]

How wide is the ledge she is on? Is this a usual spot for her?

I'm concerned about a neurological problem. If it is a narrow ledge, she might just be falling alseep. But if it is wider, and this is new, she may have another problem that should be checked out.

Does she interact with you or come sit by you when you are in the room or in the house? She might need some play/affection time.

Fluffy has not come to me at all since friday of last week although I have made myself available and kept daughter away from her. I continue to make sure she has water food and offer loves or let her come to me but she has not.
The window ledge is thin, but wooden. the house was built back when wooden frames were used more than metal. this one is prominent enough that she can sit on it, kind of turn herself to face the other way using the curtains. I have no idea where she sleeps she may be falling asleep there and falling off. still going to make a vet appointment however

Is she showing any other strange signs or behaviors? Like Panacea said, it could be neurological...it could also be some kind of inner ear balance problem. .... If she's showing any other strange signs, I'd probably take her in to be looked at.

Edit to add: Do you have a regular vet who you go to for yearly checkups and the like? If you do, call them up, describe her symptoms and tell them of your concerns. They may be able to give you some info over the phone.

as mentioned by MaggieTheCat
I DID have a regular vet but the receptionists/nurses/assistants were so rude I changed vets. They fubared her records too and still fighting to get those as the person that did it just combined names so i have to rely on the print outs i have up until then...suck
Will call the current vet for advice in the morning.

Biggest concern is she fell hard enough she is in major pain. Judging by how fast she gets back up she doesn't seem to be yet if she is mad at me i honestly don't know what for.

[MoonCat]

I don't think she's mad at you. Some cats don't want much human interaction when they're not feeling well, and some do. She may be one that doesn't. Definitely take her to the vet. It could be a simple thing like an inner ear infection, but whatever it is, you want to know. Good luck. I hope she'll be better soon!

[Squeaksmyalias]

I agree with everyone else, there might be something a little off like an ear infection, or it could possibly be neurological, it could even just be allergies, you know how if your sinuses are screwed up you can have balance issues, it's the same with animals. I had a dog that had awful allergies so bad that her nose would dry out and she would get awful bloody noses, never fun when she would panic and run around the house, on top of her being a pure white dog. I would say there is a good possibility there is something wrong since she has changed her behavior, good news is since it has been a short time, you caught it early on.

Make sure when you to write down the things you've noticed with her the behavior change in the past week and how much food and water you think she has been eating. Of course it won't be exact but it will give the vet an idea of whats going on. Like going to any doctor writing it down helps since if you are anything like me, you are too busy being nervous or distracted by something else to remember all the details.

Try not to worry too much and just keep an eye on her behavior and make sure she has plenty of fresh water out for her. Let us know what the vet thinks too I'd like to hear an update on how she is doing.

[Midnight12]

Thank you squeaks. Writting it all down now. I do worry because she is one out of a litter of four. Two male two female. the females were small and runts the males were ok. I made sure that the mom and dad cat were given to better homes because after seeing the liter size and where they were I knew it was time to go to a better place for them. Also had the other kittens given to good homes.

I worry because I had a feeling that due to her size Fluffy may not have a full life span and that as much as it would hurt, I would deal with it. The problem is after my first cat, it took me almost 8 years to finally be ok to get another cat. i was fine with other people's cats and would treat them very well but having my own...you get the point

[Seshat]

My ElderlyCat is also very small, and she's fifteen and not looking like crossing the Rainbow Bridge any time soon.

[Aethian]

One of my cats had a ledge problem, constantly slipping off when asleep. We finally put up one of those window sill beds and had a happy cat. Only thing was we had to move it every season so she got more of the sun.

[Squeaksmyalias]

LexiaFira don't worry yourself too much. *hugs tightly*
She doesn't sound mad at you from what you've told us. I think she is just sick, which once again don't worry yourself about since that is going to be taken care of by the vet. I've never really had a problem with runts after their first few months, that is typically when you and the vet will spot future issues. I really don't think it was something you did to her. It's a vet problem, BUT like I said it could be something simple, and it's been caught early on so get her to the vet and try not to worry. Ok? Don't start beating yourself up over anything, you are a good kitty mommy.
Btw do you know what breeds her parents were? It could be just that she is related to a smaller breed or it's just genetic, males do for the most part end up being bigger then the girls. Even if she is a runt I've seen many live a long happy life, sometimes longer then their bigger siblings. It's normally in those first few weeks to months (1-3 at most) when it's the issue and that typically is just making sure they get enough to eat from their Moms and since it was such a small litter size that shouldn't have been the a problem at all. Small litter sizes are fine so don't worry about that it's the giant ones that tend to cause trouble.


Aethian- I knew at cat like that and before she got her fuzzy ledge thingie I used to have to hold my hand under her to keep her from falling. She would be so happy she was being petted that she would forget where she was and fall off the ledge.

[Midnight12]

Squeaks
her mom was a black and white, or calico, and her dad was a grey/light grey tabby
and fluffy is four years old. even if she is a runt I love her just the same.
just with every vet she has been too they ask if she is a kitten and i say no she was born october 2008 and has grown to the size she is now and has been since.

I try not to worry, its just how i am. I know she takes serious jealousy issues with daughter as the first year daughter got more attention than her.

[Squeaksmyalias]

I try not to worry, its just how i am.

I'm a worrier too, I understand.
I would say don't worry about her being tiny since the vet haven't been concerned. Some cats don't grow that big.

[Midnight12]

sorry for not updating
FINALLY got fluffy in vet. she is fine besides wounded pride.
problem is that she perches on the window to escape our other cat. and was dosing off and falling or just not enough room.

Getting ready to separate the two in the household and put aluminum foil on the ledge and floor around it to keep her from getting back up there again for a while as that was her safe place. She was starting to fall enough that there are now scratch marks all over the place and all the way down and that even if she was fine and got back up i know it was starting to hurt.

dad - not knowing and not a cat person - suggested we put both in a kennel. i said no. Unless its a huge play area kennel, its not happening and you can't really keep them both in as now that they are used to having the whole house it would be punishment for something they do that is in their nature. Ie territorial battles.
Only difference was that they do this while we sleep...trick-sy kitties

[Squeaksmyalias]

Thanks for the update I was actually thinking of PM-ing you this morning to see how the kitty was doing. I'm glad it wasn't her health.

[Midnight12]

aww thanks.
she does seem sore from falling so often past that trying to figure where to move her in the house that won't make it worse for fluffy. daughter has gotten to the age or point in development where she sees a cat she thinks: hey cat tail, must pull!

her and fluffy don't get along well and fluffy avoids her period because i think fluffy is jealous. she was my baby first, how dare daughter come along. but she has never hurt daughter just run away