Romeo & I are newbies..

[Romeos Love]

Hi all! I adopted Romeo yesterday from my local SPCA. Apparently his previous owner was sick and passed away at home. It was about a week before someone found Romeo and his owner. The only things the SPCA could tell me was that he was about 4 years old (calculated by looking at his teeth) and had been declawed (by the owner). They had no previous vet records. They nuetered him on 3/1, did all the bloodwork (which they said was negative), and said that everything else checked out within normal limits. They did say that his teeth are very dirty, with tartar. Said that this could pose some problems. They said that his ears were pretty dirty and that he may have some eye issues. I was able to check out his teeth and yes they are horrible looking. He was eating hard and wet food at the SPCA but I opted for wet at home, he seems to like that more and I'm hoping its not hard or hurting those teeth. He looks like a reddish cream color, and has green eyes. He is still wearing the sweater the SPCA put on him. He doesnt seem to mind it and I always feel chilly in my house so I opted to leave it on him. I absolutly LOVE HIM! I have never been owned by a Sphynx before..I know I've had him a day but I couldnt imagine not having him. When I come back thru the door he is the first thing I look for lol. He is very skiddish and shy and is afraid of loud noises and quick movements. He has spent most of the time sleeping...in my daughters room, on her bed curled up under the blankets. I took him to the vet today and he was 7 pounds, they said he needs his teeth cleaned and that he has a moderate heart murmur....

I could keep going but I figure this is my introduction...and we're glad to be here lol

 

[TanyaT]

Welcome and congrats on your new baby! Sphynx rock!! I am glad you found him and I am sure he will get more comfortable with you! Cant wait to see more pics!

 

[ultra_stella]

Welcome to the Lair! Glad you were able to take him in. I look forward to seeing more pictures. I am owned by one. There are several on here who are owned by several! We can all agree that Sphynx are the best.

 

[Sam lewis]

Hi and welcome! I love the name Romeo for a sphynx and he looks very cute. Thats really sad about his first owner dying and that no one found them for all that time. I'm just so glad that you found him aand have given him a new home where he will be loved and well cared for. Enjoy being owned by a sphynx! Sounds like you are buzzing already!

 

[admin]

Hi Romeos love and welcome to Sphynxlair! Glad to see you found a special little creature and hope he gives you many years of joy! Thanks for finding us, cant wait for pics!:Laugh:

 

[Romeos Love]

Oh I am! I'm so excited about him. I just hope that he adjusts to us and starts to come out of the room. Im also worried that something will go wrong health wise. I do need some tips on bathing him though. I cant submerge him for at least two weeks due to his surgery so I know I need to sponge bathe him but Im just nervous!

 

[wright878]

Welcome to being owned by one of these little monkeys! There is nothing like them!

 

[PitRottMommy]

he has a moderate heart murmur

First, welcome and congrats!

Second, this breed is highly prone to very bad heart problems. I would recommend having an echocardiogram performed on Romeo before sedating him for any dental work. If his heart is bad enough, and no one is aware, you may lose him under sedation.

On our search bar please look up HCM or Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy through google and learn as much as you can. It's a huge problem for this breed and I'm fearful that Mr. Romeo may have been diagnosed with his first symptom.

 

[admin]

Im glad your excited, he will eventually get used to his new surroundings and it may take up to a week, so be patient. As far as bathing him, maybe you should wait a little bit for him to settle in unless he lets you sponge him a bit without a fuss. Use a warm damp cloth with baby shampoo then wipe down with a warm damp cloth to remove the soap, then dry really well.

 

[lemmysmommy]

Hello and Welcome!! Romeo is a cutie pie!!

 

[gizmo6370]

Welcome!

 

[Nofuratu]

Congratulations on becoming another person owned by a sphynx! The story of his last owner is very sad. I hate to think of how Romeo was feeling during that long week before he and his owner were discovered! Thank goodness he was found in time!

I love Romeo's name and he looks very cute in the photo! Try not to worry too much and just enjoy him. Get his heart checked out before putting him under anesthetic for a dental cleaning though after he's had time to settle in. Once his teeth have been cleaned you can start preventative care such as brushing etc. There's lots of great advice on this forum for everything Sphynx.

My sphynx Nofuratu has his own blog where he travels and does reviews from a cats point of view. You and Romeo may enjoy it! Adventures of a Naked Cat www.nofuratu.blogspot.com

 

[tessblack]

First, welcome and congrats!

Second, this breed is highly prone to very bad heart problems. I would recommend having an echocardiogram performed on Romeo before sedating him for any dental work. If his heart is bad enough, and no one is aware, you may lose him under sedation.

On our search bar please look up HCM or Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy through google and learn as much as you can. It's a huge problem for this breed and I'm fearful that Mr. Romeo may have been diagnosed with his first symptom.

Congrats on your new baby. I just got mine in september and they are the most incredible creatures I have ever had!! You also got some great advice here, hope all works out and we need more pics of him.

 

[Jinxlover]

Welcome!!!!!
This place is great.

 

[ckutkuhn7]

Welcome to the Lair! I'm so glad he was finally found. Sad story for him. I hope his murmur checks out to be just that. Goodluck with Romeo. Love his name!!

 

[susi794]

Welcome to Sphynx Lair. It's a kind and loving place filled with a lot of information, love and kindess. I'm so glad that you and Romeo found each other and I hope his heart murmur turns out to be nothing serious. These are a great bunch of people who adore their cats and each other--glad you have joined us!

 

[heather]

Welcome! Romeo is very handsome and I love his name! That is great that you rescued him- very sad that he was left for a week. I'm sure he will become accustomed to his new home.

 

[Lulu Bird]

Hello! So glad to hear this little guy has made it to a safe home... being in the shelter can be such a stressful and traumatic experience! I recently adopted my first Sphynx as well and I absolutely adore her!

If you are worried about getting his teeth cleaned you should try Petzlife dental spray it works wonders (there is a gel too). You could use it until you know he is ok to be under anesthesia, and keep using it after they get cleaned to keep them looking great!

http://www.petzlife.com/category/OralCareProducts

 

[Mews2much]

Welcome to Sphynx Lair.
I agree with Sami he needs to be HCM tested.

 

[Marnasobsession]

So happy you found each other! Poor Romeo has really been through it. He was probably not used to people other than his owner for most of his life. Just give him some time to get his bearings and feel safe again. It is amazing how fast you become their slaves.LOL So glad you found us. We are are all nuts for our cats here!

 

[Mug-ys mumma]

Welcome to you both and congrats on becoming a Sphynx slave!!

I rescued my first sphynx in August and he completely stole my heart!!! He took a while to settle but is comin along fine. I'm sure with love and patience Romeo will too.

Congrats again, he's a beautiful boy.

X

 

[Brooke]

Welcome to the forum!

I have 4 rescue sphynx, and although most sphynx are very friendly to everyone, my girl Mandy was very skittish at first. It was almost 3 weeks before she would let me approach her. From day one she would sleep with me, but I had to let her come to me in her own time. Now she's quite comfortable with me and starting to gain confidence with strangers, too. I'm sure he had some trauma that will take time and patience but I have no doubt he'll turn out to be an amazing companion for you!

I, too, was concerned when I read that he's been diagnosed with a heart murmur. I would highly recommend scheduling Romeo for an echocardiogram to rule out HCM and search this forum and educate yourself about it, as it is a major problem among this breed. I lost my first sphynx to the disease. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Romeo is negative for HCM.

Best of luck, and lets see more photos!

 

[Romeos Love]

Thank you all so much for the welcome! I did google HCM and as soon as I can will be taking Romeo to he doctor. I figured too that it would be best to have him checked for this before any type of sedation with the teeth. I've been so worried all day with reading the HCM info, I got myself all worked up. Romeo was awake this morning before we were and he was just sitting in his house watching us...guess he is studying us lol. He greated me while I was in the bathroom this morning, let me love on him a bit but then he went right back into my daughters room under the covers. He doesnt meow...at all. He has been asleep all day, under the covers. He came out to eat and I brought him out to sit with me for awhile and then he went right back to her room. He has eaten today, not when I first fed him but when he felt like eating he did. Today though, I notice he has diarehea....

 

[PitRottMommy]

If you're not feeding the same food that he's recently been eating, the diarrhea is likely from the food. If it's the same food, it's likely from stress.

Try adding 2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) to his food twice daily. The diarrhea should clear within 12 hours after doing so.

Good luck, keep us posted on him

 

[Sara074]

To understand my message the translator uses. It touches the English banderita who is above completely of this page

Hola, hace 2 meses llego a mi casa un sphynx de 3 años resfriado, orejas sucias y diarrea.

La diarrea es estres, no conoce a nadie y tampoco conoce la casa. Los gatos no les gusta los cambios y sufren nervios que provocan diarrea y tambien hay un cambio de comida que tambien provoca diarrea.

Si su diarrea es como una papilla de bebé tranquila que es por lo dicho. Los machos suelen hacer blando.

Si sus cacas es liquido (agua) es mas preocupante.

Yo le daba para comer pienso Hill's I/D durante 25 días para regularle el estomago.

El gato para que se adapte a ti, a tus costumbres, a la casa, a la comida, tardara 1 mes, asi que paciencia.

A mi el veterinario me dio Epi-Otic para las orejas. Cuando lo bañes, para tranquilizarlo habla con él dulcemente, llena una safa de agua para no utilizar el grifo y no asustarlo con el ruido. Utiliza el baño para limpiarle las orejas. Pon un poco de Epi-Otic en la oreja, hazle un masaje, deja que sacude la cabeza y luego pasale un algodon, en los sitios que no llegues utiliza bastoncillos para limpiar orejas de bebé. Orejas Limpias. Hazlo cuando lo bañes porque lo negro de la oreja se hace blando y asi es mucho mas facil.

Duerme mucho porque es adulto es mas mayor y estan mas quietos, no os conoce y esta estresado. Dale tiempo (1 mes minimo)

Ojos llorosos. Eso me preocupa. ¿Esta resfriado? si esta resfriado/costipado en unos antibioticos se ira, pero si no esta resfriado mala señal. No me gusta.

Para los baños utiliza gel de bebé y luego utiliza crema hidratante de bebé o crema aloe vera. Yo utilizo crema hidratante de bebé "Mutela".

Los dientes negros, seran sobretodo los colmillos ¿verdad? los sphynx hacen una grasa en la piel que cuando se limpian se quedan restos en los dientes. Cuando los tenga limpios, dale pienso que sea gordo para obligar a que mastique y quitar el sarro. Compra una pasta de dientes para gatos y le cepillas los dientes una vez a la semana. Intenta no darle patés.

Habla con voz suave y con muchos mimos. El periodo de adaptacion sera de aproximadamente 1 mes porque es adulto.

Animo.