When do you decide a cat is a stray/lost?
Anyways this cat has been seen in the area in the last couple days, the first time I saw her I left her alone. But last night I decided to try and find her owners. Did I make the right decision? I looked in the local papers, no Lost ads. She has no collar and of course no tags. I will take her to the vet and see if she has a micro-chip (perhaps came from the spca originally, I will also find out her age and if she was spayed). So far she has been friendly but has taken up scratching the furniture. I need to trim her front nails. I'd hate to turn her into the pound...I would rather foster her. My cats are aware of her presence, but I haven't let them meet. |
|
|
| UPDATE: This kitten, is holding her ground, my two cats are keeping a distance. She will growl and hiss, and they back off.
Another thing I noticed I think she might be deaf, or partially deaf. I will try some tests and see if she is hearing or feeling vibrations. |
| I would be very careful letting this cat meet your cats. We had a cat that contracted something (my mother says that she remembers it being feline leukemia but I highly doubt that was it) through a window screen. A stray cat came up and hissed at her, face to face in the window. A few days later the stray was found dead a few houses away, emaciated and very gross looking. Our cat started losing weight rapidly and died shortly thereafter despite the vet's best efforts.
Hate to be the downer but I would definitely have the stray vet checked and given it's shots before anymore introductions. I tend to overreact with things like this because of that experience but I'd hate to see anyone else go through it. |
| Thanks for the concern, but she looks healthy aside from her size. She is perky, eyes are clear, she eats fine, and has a nice coat. They've been keeping their distance, and haven't contacted each other...I'm very watchful.
I'm taking her in today to see ifshe has a micro-chip, and they can give her a quick look over. If I can't find her home/owners then she will most likely go to a shelter...I don't think my hubby will let me keep her. He is not the animal lover I am. |
| Hi Daisie,
Be very careful letting the cat around your other cats. Even the fact that she looks and eats healthy, wouldn't mean that she doesn't have something. Even if you separate them inside of your home, a lot of cat diseases are airborne, meaning that your central heat and air will carry it to all the other rooms. I, commend you for bringing in this little baby, and caring for her. If you are having a problem with scratching furniture, you can trim the nails short, but of course not hit the quick. You can put tin foil on the parts they are "enjoying" the most to detour them. If you are there constantly, you can use a spray bottle. You can use orange peels to detour them with smell. There is also a new product called, Soft Paws, it is a rubber overlay that you glue onto the cats claws, it is a safe alternative to declawing. I believe they last a month, before you glue more on. The best thing is to re-train onto a surface that you want them to scratch on. Having posts with cat nip rubbed on them and taking them off the furniture when caught clawing and moved to the post or cardboard, where they should be. If she is on the thin side, try giving her kitten food, instead of adult, and if you can afford it, KMR, is rich with nutrients to help her put on a few pounds. If your husband will let you, try working on the behavior problems before you drop her off at the shelter. It might give her a better chance at adoption. I have a friend with a purebred odd eye cat, it is very neat to see, they bred him and he now has a daughter with the odd eyes. Ok, now I am rambling, and I have to much to do, to ramble....LOL Thank you for taking this girl in, and caring for her. Stormi PS, I did this pretty quick and didn't spell or grammar check, so go easy on me.  |
| Thanks, I have scratching posts etc already for our 2 cats. They use them. Now I don't intend on keeping this cat, just a safe warm place while I try and find the owners.
I had her checked for a micro-chip..has none, nor was she spayed. I was given an estimate of approx 9mths of age. The assisstant thought she was okay for size...not emanciated. She was concerned she had ear mites, so I will treat that, so my cats don't get them. I can buy kitten food, so far she eats fine. I don't want to spend buckets of money on a cat that may be returned anyday....but I can let them know to take better care. But also here is a beautiful kitten, deaf, no tags or collar, past the time of normal spay's, with ear mites, and thin....it is possible she got dumped. I have trimmed her front nails, that was the first thing I did. IF we end up keeping her, I will most likely declaw and spay...if she can't hear the corection we will never catch her in the act. With our two, we usually made a loud noise (shaker can) to interupt and scare them off the furniture, as well as deterent spray. Then cat nip on the post. But seeing she is too scared of my cats and the dogs she is mostly hiding under furniture it's very hard to correct. Not impossible, just harder. Also I've only had her in here for a couple days...she is learning trust. |
| Daisie, keep us updated on the adventures. I'd love to hear things came together and either the owners care enough to find her or she ends up being friends with your current animals. |
| So far no one is looking for her. I've put up signs at the nearby pet stores, and the elementary school. I'm putting a Found ad in the paper today, get the weekend rush.
Part of me keeps hoping my hubby will give in and we keep her. I just don't think she will fair well at a shelter, being deaf will hinder her. She will need constant watching, and never let outside. I feel it will be giving her a death sentence to put her in there, esp as overcrowded as they are. The other no kill shelter is not taking anymore until the ones they have go. I'm going to ask if they'd be willing to take her and I will foster her until they find an adoptive family appropiate. I'll miss her, she's been nice to have around. She is even getting more comfortable and less scared of the cats and dogs. She on the window sill instead of under the couch now. I got another litter box so that she can in private, and not cross paths with the other two. Now that I have kitten food, she is eating more and seems to love the soft food. My two HATE soft cat food. The kids want to call her Marshmallow. |
| Hi Daisie,
What a wonderful thing you have done! I know it's difficult to get the hubby on your side...helps that the kids have wanted to name it. I'm not below begging myself...PULeeeese let us keep it>  Have you thought of getting rid of the hubby? (Slaps self for bad humor).
I always figured cats have a secret network amongst themselves and tell which places are good to drop by and get free meals and where they may be a good home. I think it's meant to be. Keep us posted as to what happens with Marshmellow and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Marianne |
| If they net work, it works with dogs too...last year I took in a wounded border collie cross, I had to coax him into the yard...being careful of my self....he was so scared tho, but in no time he started to trust and ate and drank. I managed to pet him and then the next day he went to the pound. Turns out he had a micro-chip and the people who owned him said he jumped out if the back of their truck and I guess they never noticed and when they realized he was already gone. It was quite the distance for him to travel to make it to my house. He was limping and very very hungry....I'll never forget his look of desperation, and he was afraid at the same time.
They were looking for him, and were very happy to have him back, I just hope they learned from their mistake and tied him down next time. I have almost started to beg, I am holding out for the real owners to claim her...hoping that they are just giving her time to find her way home..before they advertise. She is currently curled up with my daughter and sleeping. My other two don't sleep with the kids...sure they will on their beds but not with them. She has come along way in the past 3 days, and is making herself at home. |
Hmmmmm, you have named her, she's sleeping with the kids,............. My guess is she is there to stay 
Good Luck!! |
| Should you decide not to keep her, check with the local Community and Senior Centers. I was able to place 2 adorable mixed pups that way. I volunteered there and posted a sign. Since I knew a lot of the regulars coming in and out, I felt confident they got good homes.
Having 6 OES targeted me as the "drive-by dump" for dogs and pups. The ones that couldn't catch us away from home in order to dump them, would place them on my husband's path to and from work, then he'd find them and bring them home. Always saying, "Well, what was I suppose to do, just leave it there. You know it wouldn't have made it through the night with the fox, etc...." I know....................... 
Good luck, hope you keep her. I have a deaf dog and its not too hard to train these animals if you watch them for signs, and then apply that to their training. It's just a bit more involved. |
| I REALLY REALLY want to keep her, and so do the kids. I'm sure even in time Jake and Amy (cats) would like ther to stay...the tense encounters are almost gone. She seems very comfortable with the dogs.
She's getting anxiuos to be back outside, but otherwise having her gets better every day. Hubby just said again this morning, you better find her owners soon. I can't do much more except let the pound take over and post her picture. I don't want to see her go through the stress of a cage. What's a few more days I say  |
| UPDATE:
One week has now passed, I've almost got her ears cleaned out, I'm seeing the end of the tunnel...so to speak
No owners have posted any Lost signs, and no one is calling for my Found ads. Hubby still waiting for me to let her go, I decided I will only let her go to a no kill shelter that can place her. I will be the foster home if they need me to be. I of course want her to stay. The cats are totally okay with her around now...somewhat sharing things now. Even the dogs are not an issue to her. I picked up some kitten toys, and the kids enjoy playing with her....they've never had a kitten. She's so quiet, and you don't even notice she's around...she is not is your face, but does enjoy sleeping with you at night. She has put some weight back on and feels so much better now. |
| Daisie wrote: Quote: Hubby still waiting for me to let her go, I decided I will only let her go to a no kill shelter that can place her. I will be the foster home if they need me to be. That is wonderful news!!! Thank you for helping her, getting her fed and back on her feet. Thank you for placing her in a no kill shelter and fostering until they find her a PURRRmanent home.....LOLWe had a beautiful stray around us, he resembled a Norweigan Forest, he had a flea collar on, but it was so tight around his neck that is was rubbing the hair off. My husband cut the collar off, and we called our vet to see if there was any way to bring him inside and care for him, but because we have cats and kittens, we would be putting ourselves at risk without a separate air filtration system. So, we fed him on our back covered patio and bought him a covered bed. Once we got his weight to normal, we took him to our vet. Our cat vet is also the same one who does the low cost speuters for the ASPCA, so the only cost was $30 to us for him to be neutered. We had to put him back outside, but at least he is still eating our food, has shelter, and isn't bringing anymore kittens into the world. We haven't seen him in about a week though, I hope his owners (if he had one, has decided to keep him inside). He also might have dissapeared as new Tom cat, has positioned himself outside our back door and will cry to our females. LOL All 5 girls will position themselves in a row, looking out the back patio doors at this boy, as if to say, take your pick....LOL The new boy, looks well fed, so I am going to wait about a month before taking him for his neutering. I have my hands full right now....LOL Again, thank you for your kitty kindness, and hopefully the kitty won't tell all the other stray's that you are a sucker for a stray cat.....LOL Hugs, Stormi and co.[/quote] |
| Thanks Stormi,
Yup "Big sucker for stray's" should be in place of the welcome mat...but I wouldn't be me if I ignored it. As soon as I can get a place in the country, my home/yard will be designed to home foster dogs and cats. Hubby knew this about me before he married me...we got our cats and guniea pigs from the shelter. I convinced him to give the owners a little more time, some people just think their cats will come back....give it a week then start to post signs. So I want to wait it out, and hoping he'll see another cat isn't more expense...but more love and kisses. She hasn't attacked the furniture in a couple days, I got fresh catnip to attract her to the posts. I can't believe how quiet she is. I'll post her picture, and you can see why I am so in love with her. |
That's great Daisie! You're an angel for keeping her and getting her healthy. 
But don't count on them keeping the news to themselves! I know from experience they do network. I can no longer count how many I've rehomed. But, it's always worth it. You know what they say...."There's no such thing as 'just a cat'". They're all special!! |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|