What to do???

There are a few low cost clinics around here...but the closest one is about 40 miles away and now that we're down to one car it's next to impossible to get there.

Oh well, I guess I'll talk to Hubby when he gets home and see what he thinks about bringing Kidd in now.
When I called the Vet to cancel the appointment I asked them and they told me not to bring him in...but sometimes I think they just tell you things so that you'll bring the cat in and they can make some money

Just wanted to update everyone on Kidd.
My Vet called me a while ago and said he knew just how much I wanted to bring Kidd in and he knew how disappointed I was that I couldn't get him tested and neutered when we'd planned because of my Husbands engine blowing up...well not HIS engine, he's jeeps engine!!

Anyway he told me that if I could have Kidd there at 1PM Wednesday that he would test, give him a rabies shot and neuter him for $65
Thank God, because I HAVE to bring him in, it breaks my heart to see him outside.
I'll keep everyone updated on how things go, thanks to all of you for your help.

That's wonderful news! What a lovely vet you have. Can't wait to see pictures of Kidd.

I agree, he sure is wonderful

My family has had a long relationship with him and his Father.
My parents always took the cat we had when I was a child to his Father.
He took over the practice when his Father retired and I took my Maggie there all of her almost 19 years, and Gracie, Lizzie and Annabelle have always gone there.
So he knows just how much we love cats in this family and how upset I was about not being able to bring Kidd in when I wanted to.

I promise to post pictures...I'll probably be taking some pictures of Gracie, Lizzie and Annabelle over the weekend and then I'll take pictures of Kidd..who I think maybe renamed Patrick... once I get him home on Wednesday.

Speaking of renaming, has anyone ever done that?
He does answer to Kidd so I don't know if I should even think about changing his name at this point.

Yet another update

Kidd has offically become an indoor cat...the Vet called me this morning and he said that the more he thought about it the more he thought it would be a good idea to bring him in now because if we caught him in the carrier on Tuesday afternoon and then I tried to get him back in the carrier less than 24 hours later to get to the Vet on Wednesday that I would probably have a hard time.

He was on the neighbors back porch eating about 5 so I took over the carrier and on the second attempt we got him in...BUT we shut his tail in the door
poor baby was NOT happy.
He SCREAMED the whole way across the street and then for about 5 minutes after I got him in the bathroom...not a peep out of him since.
He's laying on the blanket I put in there for him sound asleep and purring up a storm.
He walked in the litter box, but hasn't used it yet he drank some of his cat milk but since he's already eaten tonight he hasn't touched the food I have in there for him.
I put a ball in there and tied a ribbon to the door knob..LOVES the ribbon hisses at the ball
He's let me look through his coat for fleas and I don't see any, he let me look in his ears and they are as clean and pink as can be...he even licked my hand...of course that might be because of the hand lotion I had on them
He even let me look at his teeth..they are so nice and white which is a good thing.
The only thing I noticed and I know this is because he was outside for the first 18 months of his life, but the pads on his little feet aren't nice and soft like Gracie, Lizzie and Annabelles are, they're kind of hard...but like I said I'm sure that's because he's been outside all of his life.

I opened the bathroom door and he and Annabelle meowed at each other but Gracie and Lizzie are under the bed and show no signs of coming out

I have a night light on in there for him so it's not pitch black but he still has some light and I turned the radio on for him...I figured he's been used to hearing outside noises when he's sleeping so thought maybe the radio would make him feel more at home.

I can't tell you how glad I am that he's indoors tonight...we've only lived in our new home a short time, but from the second I saw him I was in love and everytime I'd hear a car go by...I'd think "Please God, don't let Kidd run out in front of it"
I'll sleep so much better tonight knowing that from now until the end of his time here on earth that a million cars can pass my house and I won't have to worry that Kidd will run out in front of one of them.

I'm just reading this thread for the first time, and what a wonderful story!!!!

I'm so glad you brought him in! Just make sure you wash your hands before you leave the bathroom. And you may want to leave your shoes outside the door and have flip-flops or something ready to slip into in the bathroom. That will really help minimize the potential spread of anything he may have (though it sure seems like he's healthy!).

Keeping him separated from the other kitties is best for the intros anyway! You can take a couple of wash cloths or old rags, and wipe your kitties with one of them. Put that under his food dish. Take the other, wipe him with it, and put it under your kitties food dish. This will help them learn to associate each others' smells with good things. It is a little expensive, and I know money's tight right now, but if you can, a spray bottle of Feliway may help too. It should help Kidd be more at ease, and it always helped us with kitty introductions.

The most important thing is too keep your existing kitties happy and healthy. Kidd should be kept in a sepapate room for a while - let everyone get used to the idea that there's another cat to share the territory with. When they meet, they'll hiss and swat - that's normal. Just keep an eye on them, and wait as long as you need to before actually letting him out of whatever room you keep him in.

As to a name change.... Call him "Kidd XXXXXX" and then eventually drop the "Kidd."

How wonderful of you to take him in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just expect him to be scared of the new place and the new confinement. Let him get used to everything at his own pace. And spend as much time in whatever room with him doing stuff that doesn't involve him - this helps build his trust that you're not always "after" him for something.

Do be careful with string and ribbons. Ferals (and strays that have reverted to feral) behavior LOVE strings and ribbons and.... anything that reminds them of a mouse tail. They do tend to eat them, which can result in requiring surgery. Wand toys are GREAT for helping ferals learn what play is - but don't ever leave them out anywhere they can gain access to them.

Well yet ANOTHER update!

He's as happy as a clam in that bathroom, he jumped up on the windowsill and was looking outside...probably thinking about all the fun he used to have running up and down in that ally

Last night I woke up and I smelled something HORRIBLE.
My first thought was "oh no, he's sprayed in the bathroom"...so I opened that door and it smelled even worse in there..but he hadn't sprayed he peed and pooped in the litter box...so I told him what a good boy he was...once I scooped the pee out of the box the smell was gone.
Again I've never dealt with male cats, but from what I've been told the smell will go away once he netured...PLEASE tell me that's true!!!!!!!
He has the runs something fearce though...BUT I think part of that could be because my Husband gave him REAL milk, not cat milk.

He's used the box twice more and still has the runs, but I'll ask the Vet about that when I take him in on Wednesday...I didn't see any worms or anything in the box, but I think...correct me if I'm wrong...that there are some types of worms that don't come out without medication.

The Neighbor and her Daughter just left and he was very happy to see them.
I can't believe how well he's adapted to being inside...but I'm so glad that he's happy.

Thank all of you for the great advice...I'll let you know how he does on Wednesday.

Oh one last thing, I do wash my hands and put on different shoes when I go into the bathroom...and he's decided that he doesn't like the ribbon anymore so I took it down...now he's rolling the ball all over the bathroom!

He must have been somebody's cat at some point, lol! What a sweetie he sounds like!

I've never had an unneutered male (other than outdoors in colonies), so I have no idea. I just know that 3 of our six are males, and their urine smells no different than the females - unless somebody's sick.

He has the runs from real milk. Most adult cats are lactose intolerant - thus the invention of "cat milk," which has no lactose.

If he didn't have to eat garbage or mice outdoors (which it sounds like he didn't), he may not have parasites. Round worm and/or tape worm is very common with rescues, however, so don't be surprised. Make SURE the vet does a fecal smear though (and if you can bring a sample of his poop with you, even better).

The smelly urine and diarrhea could also be a function of a changing diet. If he was getting other food somewhere else, who knows what he ate? Cats actually have pretty sensitive stomachs, and if he's now eating only one thing, even that could do it. It is something that should take a few days - but if you change whatever they're eating in the future, it's best to "phase in" a new food by mixing it with the old one, gradually increasing the amount of new food vs. old food and taking like a week to go from all old to all new. But this is definitely the milk, if not other adjustments.

If you want to feed him milk, but not cat milk, go for canned goat's milk.

He may also really enjoy one of those furry mice.... Our ferals LOVE them - especially if they're the ones that have little beans or something inside so they rattle.

And as to the intros... your girls may actually be more accepting of Kidd because he's a male. Males tend to be more social to begin with - females often bond with one person moreso than another. They also (tend) to get jealous more easily. (So make sure they get lots of extra love, treats and attention!).

Our girls are all terrible at new intros. One of our girls takes six months to accept another girl - and about six weeks to accept a new male. The boys are all good with whatever cats are around within a few days.

I honestly don't know if he was someone cat or not...so if he was an indoor cat at one time, it wasonly for a short time and over a year ago and whoever lost him, never looked for him
That just burns me, I KNOW that there has to be a special place in hell for people who treat animals badly!

They say when he showed up he was no more than a couple of months old..of course the little girl across the street babied him to death, so maybe that's why he's such a little sweetheart.

He's eating the same canned food, but a different dry food....the neighbor took in the pregnant female so she's eating kitten food and Kidd was too...I just may have to get some kitten food and mix it with the adult food for a little while.

As for my girls...Annabelle would go in the bathroom right now if I'd let her...Lizzie has sniffed at the door and Gracie WILL not come out from under that bed unless I get her out...which I just did a few minutes ago.
I held her and talked to her and right back under the bed she went.

When we brought Annabelle in, it took Gracie a long time to except her too.
Gracie is my little baby and I'm sure she thinks that all Mommy's attention will fall on the new baby...but it won't, I'll make sure of that...I love them all to bits, but Gracie is always going to be special to me.

I'll have to pick up one of those mice for Kidd and see how he likes it.
I should try and find a stuffed bird. or lightening bug..they seemed to be his favorite things to chase..but he never caught one!

Originally Posted by Graciecat

I'll have to pick up one of those mice for Kidd and see how he likes it. I should try and find a stuffed bird. or lightening bug..they seemed to be his favorite things to chase..but he never caught one!

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If he liked chasing birds and flying bugs, he'll love wand toys! Get one with a feather on the end (or make one! Dowl rods, duct tape, and those long leather shoe laces for boots with just about anything tied to the end work great! We tie the mice onto the ends by their tails (or by wrapping the leather part around the middle of the mouse), and then they have furry mice to chase as we wiggle them and make them dart around - they go nuts, lol!)

And... bet he loves the "red dot!" Those laser toys drive our cats INSANE. A lot of people don't like to use them because there's nothing to catch. But I've never seen ANY of our cats actually catch a moth.... but if the "not catching" anything bothers you, put a couple of cat treats under a throw rug, and at the very end of the game, make the dot disappear under the rug, right where the treats are....

We talk to our kitties too. I'm convinced they understand. I always tell them what's up. Of course, loves and reassurances are wonderful too!

My son has one of the lazer pointer things somewhere.
The girls used to love to chase it, but they could care less about it now.

He does love shoelaces...my daughter tied one to a rule last night and she played with him for the longest time...he loved it.

Off topic a little...my Sister called me about an hour ago so I told her we brought Kidd in.
She said "You're nuts, you guys are turning into one of those crazy families you see on TV, where they go in and take 50 cats out of the house."
First of all, there's a big difference between 4 cats and 50 cats and most importantly we take care of our cats, unlike the 'crazy families' you see on TV.
Oh well, she's a dog person she just doesn't understand!!

Originally Posted by Graciecat

...Oh well, she's a dog person she just doesn't understand!!

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Cats rule and dogs drool!

Of course, I love dogs too. We were going to stop at 2 cats... but....

And you are SO right. Hoarding is a disease. Quite a few people on this site care for between 10 and 20 indoor cats. I never understood how that could be managed. Four years into it and six cats later, I do understand. It's a passion, and it's love.

It's not something I think just anyone should do, but the difference is in the ability to stop when you get to the point that you cannot effectively care for all of them anymore, and that number is different for everyone.

Exactly, we know four is the limit for us...of course Mason thought two should have been the limit, but I soon told him otherwise
We have four kids and four cats and that's where it's going to stop..on both kinds of babies!!!

Of course I'll still help my neighbor feed the remaining strays that hang around, but I know we can't bring anymore inside.
She has five herself or she would have taken Kidd in when he first came.

And I just found out from the little girl across the street why she called my new baby Kidd.
She said it's because of his yellow eyes...she said it made her think of the sun and that led to her thinking of the Sundance Kid...which led to her calling him Kidd.

Of course I'll still help my neighbor feed the remaining strays that hang around, but I know we can't bring anymore inside.
She has five herself or she would have taken Kidd in when he first came.

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Along with assisting with feeding...could you find a way to get these cats spayed/neutered?? That is the single best way to stabilize a feral or stray population and avoid additional pregnancies.

Katie

i'm just reading this for the first time and oh my goodness what a wonderful
story and i am so glad you brought him inside.
when i was reading the beginning i was thinking that i don't think that just
because males spray outside that once they are fixed or even if they are
not that they would necessarily spray inside. so i am so glad you brought
him inside !!!! what an angel you and your husband and the vet is !!

a few things..... ask the vet about testing his poop for worms and
parasites and until you are sure he has NO worms and No parasites you
should Not let him come in contact with your other cats. and you must
make sure you wash your hands every single time you touch him or anything
in the room he is staying in. treating one cat for worms and/or parasites
can be a pain in the butt but treating four cats .... well..... lets just say
you want to avoid that LOL !!

congrats on your new addition and thank you so much for saving him !!
can't wait to see pictures of all your furbabies !!

Originally Posted by TNR1

Along with assisting with feeding...could you find a way to get these cats spayed/neutered?? That is the single best way to stabilize a feral or stray population and avoid additional pregnancies.

Katie

Click to expand...

The only ones left are three males and a female...the males are all neutered.
They belonged to the people who used to live in the neighbors house...when they moved they left their cats...real nice people
The female was spayed very recently...her belly is still pretty much hairless and you can see the scar fairly well.
We put up posters, called the radio station...small town so they do lost and found announcements at least 5 times a day, we also put an ad in the paper, but nobody seems to want to claim her.
One of the other neighbors keeps saying she's going to take her in, but so far she hasn't.
A pregnant female showed up recently...she's now living in another neighbors basement and will be spayed as soon as she has the babies and they are weaned.
It just breaks my heart that these people have thrown these babies away like they were garbage.

Originally Posted by Prettyboy

i'm just reading this for the first time and oh my goodness what a wonderful
story and i am so glad you brought him inside.
when i was reading the beginning i was thinking that i don't think that just
because males spray outside that once they are fixed or even if they are
not that they would necessarily spray inside. so i am so glad you brought
him inside !!!! what an angel you and your husband and the vet is !!

a few things..... ask the vet about testing his poop for worms and
parasites and until you are sure he has NO worms and No parasites you
should Not let him come in contact with your other cats. and you must
make sure you wash your hands every single time you touch him or anything
in the room he is staying in. treating one cat for worms and/or parasites
can be a pain in the butt but treating four cats .... well..... lets just say
you want to avoid that LOL !!

congrats on your new addition and thank you so much for saving him !!
can't wait to see pictures of all your furbabies !!

Click to expand...

I was in love with Kidd from the second I layed eyes on him.
He makes me think so much of my sweet little Maggie.
My Husband kept telling me that he wasn't Maggie...I know that and I know this is going to sound "Out there" but it was almost like we were supposed to buy this house so that I could see him as if Maggie sent us here to find him...I know I sound like a wacko!

The Vet is going to check for worms and parasites...I'm going to make sure of that, but I think he probably would have anyway but I'm not taking any chances so I'm going to remind him.

I make sure I was my hands in VERY hot water after I'm done playing with him...I even change clothes and shoes!

I knew we had to take him in, I didn't feel like there was any other choice he's so sweet and really still a baby I just felt like the longer he was outside the more chance there was that something would happen to him and if it had I couldn't have lived with myself.

I was going to take pictures of the girls and Kidd yesterday, but Gracie isn't very happy right now...she's still under the bed, I just went in and laid down on the floor and talked to her..all I got in return was hissed and spit at
So as soon as Gracie is done with her hissy fit I'll be posting pictures of all four....knowing Gracie that could take awhile!!

well i have all fingers and paws crossed for no worms or parasites and
negative on all feline tests (the aids and luk tests) and that your kittys
then accept him quickly.

all 3 of my cats are from outside. the last one is still part in a dog cage/pen
and part in the bathroom and part in the apt on a leash and sometimes
not on a leash if i have the laser light out to distract him. my other two
are NOT happy he is here especially my other male cat. both are acting
very aggressive towards each other to say the least and so it has definately
been trying on my nerves to the point of my low times where i think i am
going to have to find him another home. but i am not giving up. its only
been 3 1/2 months. but for you i will say extra kitty prayers for a faster
acceptance than that LOL !!!

good luck and please keep us updated !

Originally Posted by Prettyboy

its only
been 3 1/2 months. but for you i will say extra kitty prayers for a faster
acceptance than that LOL !!!

good luck and please keep us updated !

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Thank you.
Gracie has decided to come out from under the bed, I woke up in the middle of the night with her laying on my chest and her face about a millimeter from mine!

I just cleaned Kidds litter box again and his poop still isn't solid and he drank the milk Sunday night and a little yesterday morning.
When I go out today I'm going to pick up some kitten food, since that's what he was eating.
I hope it gets solid soon, not only is it yucky to clean out of the box, but my youngest has taken to calling Kidd "Mr. Poopypants"...I hope that name doesn't stick

Originally Posted by Graciecat

I hope it gets solid soon, not only is it yucky to clean out of the box, but my youngest has taken to calling Kidd "Mr. Poopypants"...I hope that name doesn't stick

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Poor Kidd! I assume you stopped giving him milk? That is most likely what's causing it.

And I totally don't think you're whacko for thinking what you do about Maggie! I so believe everything happens for a reason!