Pocholo's stress

All animals have defined territories; it is important to them that their space is not invaded by others of their species or by their closest natural rivals. Cats are no exception, even those raised in houses and apartments; they see all those square meters as theirs. In fact, they believe it is theirs and that they allow us to live with them.

Two weeks ago, I rescued a kitten that was alone on the street. My intention is to find her a home, but naturally, when I brought her home, my cats went into alert mode and their stress levels increased as they tried to avoid this little one, who has proven to be quite a character and not easily intimidated.

Although I know that they have all been stressed, the one who has been most affected this time has been Pocholo. At first, I thought his lack of appetite was due to a flare-up of his gingivitis and the recent loss of one of his upper fangs, specifically the left one.

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Pocholo has always been known for his appetite, so it's easy to tell when he's not feeling well because he stops eating. A few days ago, I noticed that he had lost his appetite, but at first I attributed it to the fact that he might be in pain from his gums due to the loss of his fang, so I gave him something for the pain.

But when I saw that the situation persisted, I became alarmed, thinking that it could be due to gingivitis, because when his gums hurt, he stops eating. I thought about applying the treatment protocol that is normally prescribed, but my husband wisely suggested that we take him to the vet to be sure of what was happening.

So, last Thursday we took him to the vet, and my Pocholo is in perfect health. They checked him all over, and the only strange thing about him was that he had some gas, but the vet asked me if there had been any recent changes at home, so I told him about the arrival of the kitten and a recent change in his food.

Another thing I had noticed, but didn't think would have affected my Pocholo so much, was that his sisters Rusa and Kirara were using his bed to stay out of reach of the new tenant, and Pocholo is especially jealous of his space.

He loves to sleep in a white plastic basket that is in the living room window. There are actually three, two larger ones and that one, but she loves that one in particular, so she gets uncomfortable when someone else uses it. In fact, on more than one occasion, if one of her siblings uses her bed, she comes to me and, like a good Siamese, informs me of what is happening with insistent meows so that I can do her the favor of removing the intruder from her space.

This experience has reminded me, first, how territorial cats are and, second, that they are creatures of habit in everything, including places, and that any change in their routine stresses them to the extreme. But I am reassured to know that he is in good health and that with a few adjustments, both he and the rest of the pack will return to normal.

Todos los animales tienen territorios definidos, es algo importante para ellos que su espacio no sea invadido por otros de su raza o por sus rivales naturales más cercanos. Los gatos no son la excepción, hasta los criados en casas y apartamentos, ellos ven todos esos metros como suyos. De hecho, creen que es suyo y que nos permiten a nosotros vivir con ellos.

Hace ya dos semanas rescaté una gatita que estaba sola en la calle, mi intención es buscarle un hogar, pero lógicamente al traerla a casa, mis gatos se pusieron en modo alerta y el estrés en ellos aumento al querer evitar a esta pequeña que ha demostrado ser todo un personaje nada fácil de intimidar.

Aunque sé que todos han estado estresados, el que se vio más afectado en esta oportunidad ha sido Pocholo. En un principio creí que su inapetencia se debía a una crisis con su gingivitis y la pérdida reciente de uno de sus colmillos superiores, específicamente el izquierdo.

Pocholo siempre se ha caracterizado por su apetito, así que descubrir que se siente mal es algo fácil, pues deja de comer, hace unos días note que estaba inapetente, pero primero se lo atribuí a que tal vez tenía algo de dolor en la encía, por la pérdida de su colmillo, por lo que le di algo para el dolor.

Pero al ver que la situación persistía, me alarmé pensando que podía deberse a gingivitis, pues al dolerle las encías deja de comer, pensé en aplicar el protocolo de tratamiento que normalmente le recetan, pero mi esposo sabiamente me sugirió llevarlo al veterinario para estar seguros de que ocurría.

Así este jueves pasado lo llevamos a consulta y mi Pocholo está en perfecto estado de salud, le revisaron por todos lados y lo único extraño en él, era que tenía algo de gases, pero el veterinario me pregunto si hubo cambios recientes en casa, así que le comente de la llegada de la gatita y de un cambio reciente en las croquetas.

Otra cosa que había notado, pero que no creí que le hubiera afectado tanto a mi Pocholo, es que su camita la estaban usando sus hermanas Rusa y Kirara para quedar fuera del alcance de la nueva inquilina, y Pocholo es especialmente celoso con sus espacios.

El ama dormir en una cesta plástica blanca que está en la ventana de la sala, en realidad hay tres, dos más grandes y esa, pero el ama es esa en particular, así que se incomoda cuando alguien más la ocupa, de hecho, en más de una ocasión si alguno de sus hermanos le ocupa su camita me busca y con maullidos insistentes, como buen siamés, me informa de lo que está pasando para que así le haga el favor de sacar al intruso en cuestión de su espacio.

Esta experiencia me ha recordado primero lo territoriales que son los gatos y segundo que son de hábitos para todo, incluso de lugares, y que cualquier cambio en su rutina los estresa al extremo. Pero estoy tranquila de saber que está bien de salud y que con algunos ajustes tanto él como el resto de la manada volverán a la normalidad.