Please dont ignore strays

Not sure if this is in teh right place, please feel free to move if not.

As some of you know, Ginger died today. Gingers story before me was quite a sad one, him and his brother were rehomed to a couple, who split up and the cats got split up, although they got to stay in the same neighbourhood. Ginger was the unlucky one, the people who took him on also split up after a while, and while he stayed with the man, he didnt really care for him, and he was rarely allowed in the house. Luckily, due to Gingers nature, he managed to win people round in regards to food and affection, and despite living outside for around 3 years, he never turned feral, and was well known and well loved. BUT, no one would give him more than food and affection, no one would contact a rescue to help or take him in, so he lived on the streets. I had seen him around and fussed him, but never realised he was a stray, partly due to the fact he was on the chubby side. When I got my second cat, my mum told me that he didnt have a home, so after a few days of deliberating, I picked him up - he was so affectionate that all i had to do was call his name, give him a quick fuss, and pop him in the carrier (that bit was the hardest part actually). When he got here, it was obvious that he needed a dental, as he couldnt eat properly. So, I truly wonder how much longer he would have had if he had stayed outside, esp as he was estimated at 11 (which works out wiht his brothers age). He had 4 years and a month here which he may never have had if he had been left on teh streets, so please dont ignore strays and think they will be fine, especially not at this time of year.

I am always on the look out, but living in the middle of the city i havent come accross to any strays!

Ginger was incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to share his life with you!

It really is a good reminder that strays do need help and a home!

I'm sooo sorry for your loss.. I'm sure Ginger brought you a world of joy, and I'm sure,, she's having so much fun over the bridge.

I don't ignore strays either.. I have two little strays at home right now,, I've had them for a month now.. Trying to find them a home is difficult.. But i'm still trying... They are really precious though,, and they were soo skinny and gangly.. They are now becoming the fat little things they should be... The world needs more people to care and to enjoy all of the creatures.. Animals have feelings and brains and they need our help,, we are there only means to responsible and protective life..

Again i'm sorry about Ginger,, but you have to know how good of a person you are to keep her...... Especially since their are so many babies in this world without homes..

i think I was the lucky one Sarah, he truly was a special cat. Even when he got a home, he still couldnt get out of the habit of approaching other people, there are 6 other houses that he had been found either sleeping or eating in!!! But the main thing is he was happy, and most people knew where he lived!!

I think you were both lucky! I'm so honoured that I was able to meet your special boy, he really was a lovely kind soul!

I am so sorry for your loss..... I can't imagine how heart broken you must be.... and I am so thankful that you gave him 4 years of peace, where he didn't have to worry about where his next meal would be, and he didn't have to fear the cold, or predators.... you are a kind soul...

We found our LuckyGirl, she was semi-feral, but used to begging for food from people....she was a skeleton, it was so sad to look at her with no tail, and all her bones poking out....we didn't want a cat, but we knew we had to at least take her home & get her healthy, to a vet, and if we could not keep her, then give her in to a no-kill shelter.... she was skiddish, and hesitant, but she formed a bond with my hubby like nothing I've ever seen. She trusts him & knows he will protect her, she feels safe with him, and she is in love with him. As her Meowmy, I could cry every time I think of her living in the wild....I could cry when I think of her birth defect, and how the Momma cat probably neglected her, as most momma cats do to the one that's "sickly"....I could cry, when I think of how scared she was at every sound, how her eyes were as big as gum drops when she saw the taco bell I gave her the 1st night....we are so lucky to have our LuckyGirl....she has really made our house a "home" and she makes is something worth coming home to!

All of our cats are strays or children of strays that adopted us.

for you during this rough time.

So sorry for your loss! At least Ginger was fortunate enough to have found you and spent 4 happy years with you! My heart goes out to you! We don't get any strays around where I am, but I know I wouldn't be able to turn one away!

My hairdresser and his neighbor have been feeding a stray momma and her kits this summer. The momma cat is pregnant again so his neighbor is going to bring her inside and keep her and adopt out the kittens when old enough-he has 3 cats and can't take any more curently but I have a feeling when he sees the babies he might change his mind!! I usually start feeding the two strays more this time of year but we have possums hanging around too so I have to be careful (*note to self-buy more food for strays*).

I'm sure Ginger appreciated the love and care you gave him. Our Daisy
was fished out of a river by our daughter, as she was just about to go over a weir. She hunted all around but didn't find any others, just this tiny ginger kitten.

I'm so sorry for your loss, I am sure Ginger was loved!

Carl was in the same situation as Ginger before he was surrendered to a rescue by a kind neighbor (who recognised that he was not feral and was quite the indoor house cat). We would have never found Carl at the rescue if the person who surrendered him hadn't taken the time to love him and bring him to Animal Aid.

We actually got a call from the person who surrendered him the other day--he wanted to make sure Carl got a good home. He had told the rescue that if they ever where in the situation that Carl had to go to the pound or a kill-shelter, that he would come get Carl (even though he was allergic to cats). Since Carl is an adult (3) he had worried that he would have trouble finding a home.

I am going to send him some pictures of Carl sacked out on the couch as soon as I get them off the camera, and I am so glad someone took the time to get Carl to the rescue! He is the puuurrrrfect cat for us!

Aww, what lovely tales. I wanted to add that Ginger was one of the lucky ones, thanks to my mum telling me I was stupid for taking in a cat from a rescue when he was a stray, he had 4 wonderful years in a home, which was one more than he had on the streets. Not all strays are that lucky, and the ones that really break my heart are the ones where they finally get that chance of a home, and they only have days/weeks as it is sadly too late.

I stopped off at my hairdresser's house-he had just left but I got his SO and gave him a bag of unopened kitten food as the neighborhood stray did have her kittens and the lady keeping them wasn't home when I stopped in.

I am so sorry for your loss..............please know that what you did for this little guy is the most wonderful thing you could have done...........

3 of the 4 of our kits are strays.............

I am so sorry for your loss, you gave a home full of love and devotion to your furbaby and I'm sure Ginger was one happy kitty because of you.

My story is on SOS, and after reading that you have made my sadness subside a little...thank you for sharing and as I always think, one day we will all be together with those we have loved and lost once again.

I am so sorry for your loss. But how fortunate Ginger had that time with you, knew that someone would care.

I know that we saw Frankie around our yards for almost a year, fed her for a while when she seemed to need it, and then she disappeared. Thank god she came back and then let me finally catch her as she was on her last legs..no one was caring for her

Ashleigh, I am truly glad that something positive has come out of this post. I never intended this to be about my loss, more to make this Ginger's legacy, as I have learnt important things from every one of the cats I have had, and in some cases, done things like this to help another cat from teh same fate, and this is really what this is about. I can't say to stop his death being in vain like the last time, but it if only makes one person think about helping that stray rather than walking by and hope that someone else will, I Will be very happy.
Angel kitty - I overlooked your post earlier, sorry about that. When I got Ginger, I wasnt involved in cat rescue, so I just picked him up (even in the flesh he was mistaken for a girl quite a lot!!) and took him home, I didn't think of doing anythign different.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Ginger had four good years because of you.

All my seven cats are strays. Six were born in or near my yard and raised in the area. (three litters- I finally spayed and released the mom after litter #4). I brought them in when the mom weaned them. I found the seventh kitty outside my workplace as I was leaving one day. She approached a group of us and I took her home as I was the only one with cat experience.