Figgered out why Brady is peeing funny...

2dogmom

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also why he can't stop "loving on" his stuffed toy.
And why he yowls in the wee hours of the morning.
And why his urine smells SO bad.


See where I am going with this??

On the advice of some TCSers about him having unusual litter box habits, I took him to the vet this morning for a urinalysis. The last time he had been seen was October, after I had trapped him.

Well I just about fell over when the vet tech said, "I see what the problem is, he isn't neutered!".

Before you fall off your chair, please realize that I do not know that much about cat parts, a DOG'S are easy for me to recognize.

So here's the thing. The paperwork I got from the Humane Society (loose organization of foster homes, no building) said he had been neutered and had shots/tests. However, the way things work there is no association of a name with an animal. The clinic (which is the same one I go to) kind of does it in "batch". I cannot believe there would be a mix-up like this.

This makes me wonder, did I trap the wrong cat? Here are his petfinder pics next to newer pics:

Left Petfinder, right recent

Here is the cat I trapped in September


And here is are pics from the side, petfinder on top and recent on the bottom



I am honestly not sure. I know dogs can change color and markings as the grow up, but cats? Obviously these are pictures of a tabby-and-white male cat, but is it the SAME cat?!?

Needless to say, Brady (or whoever he is) is going to come home a few ounces lighter today. But I feel awful thinking I may have trapped the wrong cat!!
 

jennyr

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Those pix show two different cats, for sure. Look at his nose and at his left side - the markings are quite different! The colour is also different, even allowing for photos. His 'M' markings seem different to me too. But the one you have is the one you trapped. Never mind, he is a lovely cat, the one you have. And when he is neutered, he will be fine.
 

sibohan2005

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Originally Posted by 2dogmom


Left Petfinder, right recent
These don't really look like the same cat but then again it could be the lighting. Although the markings on the front right shoulder do look almost the same. Have you taked to the place you got him from to ask them about his nutering records?
 
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2dogmom

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When I picked him up, I was handed an envelope with all the shots/neutering/medical records. Like I said, it was the same clinic. I suppose I could ask the foster mom to take a look at him and give her opinion.

If this is not the cat I adopted, this means that the real "Brady" may still be out there. DH said he saw a cat in our driveway not too long ago. But cripes, we have two barns within a mile of us, and I know cats like to hang out in the spot where I trapped Brady twice.
 

clairebear

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I agree I think those pics show two differen't cats. That's probably why there was a mixup, they gave you the paperwork for the other cat. I guess there's not much you can do know, other than get him neutered.
 

epona

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What a bizarre tale! I am sorry to say that I think those photos are of 2 different cats. Partly the markings are different, in my opinion too different to be the result of markings changing as the cat ages (the adult coat comes in at different ages depending on cat type, shorthairs usually by 6-8 months, longhairs up to 2-3 years for the full coat to develop). But I also think the facial shape is quite different.

Whatever the case, you have a beautiful cat and you love him. Maybe the original Brady will still turn up. And getting the current Brady fixed will help with a lot of the behaviour issues you have mentioned.

I admit I had to stifle a laugh when I read the OP, I wasn't laughing at you, but just at the situation and the way you phrased it which I found amusing - I hope that doesn't make me a bad person.
 

gingersmom

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Oh my gosh, what confusion! You poor thing!

Well, Brady is your very handsome boy regardless, no question about that, but they are two different looking cats!

I'd be looking for a FREE neuter visit from the folks you got him from!


But that does totally explain why he loves his humpies so much!
 

katiemae1277

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yeah, those are definitely 2 different cats


and I am laughing too, not at you 2dogmom, just the whole situation

do you still have the trap? maybe you could try to trap the original Brady? boy did new Brady luck out
 
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2dogmom

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Well one thing about the face (maybe) that is relevant is that the petfinder pics were taken of a cat less than one year old (no idea when the petfinder pics were taken) and fearful (he is crouching in the shed of the lady who fed him before the Humane Society stepped in). The "neutered" tabby-and-white weighed 8 lbs, but of course this was just after he was trapped. "My" Brady has been indoors and eating regularly and so now is up to 11 lbs, which could explain part of the difference in face.

I have a feeling I messed up and trapped the wrong cat, the real "Brady" is still out there. The snip will be my nickel (which is totally fine). I suppose the only bright spot is that I did manage to get an intact male out of the loop here....
 

jennyr

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I don't think you trapped the wrong cat - I just think the Petfinder people got the paperwork muddled. You trapped a cat. You have the same cat. So the beginning and end are the same. He may have 'borrowed' another cat's name while on the Petfinder site. And that cat may have been neutered instead of him. Another mystery that will never be solved!
 

white cat lover

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Well, you have an excellent point in the fact that there will be one less intact male out there!! If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't have told the difference between an intact male & a neutered male cat until like 6 months ago.
 
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2dogmom

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It's official. The gal from the Humane Society called me. She was at the clinic and my cat is not the Brady in the petfinder.
Not sure who I got here now. A feral? Someone else's cat?? The second time I had to trap this boy I caught some black cat first. I know there are barn cats around here because my stepdaughter said she saw a momma cat carrying her kittens around last summer. Drats. I don't dare set traps because it is too blessed cold for a cat to be stuck in a trap for any length of time.
The Humane Society gal reassured me that the real Brady had lived on his own in the outdoors up here so if there is any cat whose survival skills are pretty good it has got to be him.
 

white cat lover

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So, do you mind filling me in on why you wanted to trap "the real Brady" in the first place? I'm not familiar with the story, so I'm kinda lost!
 

white cat lover

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OK, so Brady was your cat who escaped, so you tried to trap him again, correct? Finally trapped Brady & it turns out this isn't the "real Brady"?
 

white cat lover

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Originally Posted by 2dogmom

That is what happened, yes. I got a lot of coaching from TCS about trapping too.
I must've missed all of that..... Do you plan on trying to find & trap the "real Brady" now?
 
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2dogmom

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I don't think it is a good idea right now. It has been 0 degrees here lately and the place to trap the cats is over on a neighbor's property where they have a woodpile, an old trailer etc where cats like to hide. They also have a pond that is a source of drinking water to the cats when it is warm. If I were to catch a cat in a trap now there is a possiblity that he would be stuck out in the open in the trap until I got him. If the real Brady is still out there he will have found himself a warm place to hide the way he did last winter before he was trapped by the Humane Society. I think I should wait until the weather warms up.
 

jennyr

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But the cat in the trap and the cat you have now are the same. So now I am confused. You have the cat you trapped.
 
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2dogmom

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Sorry for the confusion.
I brought home a cat who had been feral (petfinder pics) who escaped almost as soon as I had him home. Call him Brady I. After he got out I fed him on the steps of our deck for about three weeks and then he stopped coming. I saw a cat wandering around our property who looked a lot like Brady. I set a trap and caught this cat (call him Brady II) assuming that he was Brady I. Never did it occur to me that there might be a tabby-and-white cat on our property that looked so much like the cat I had lost. (They DO look alike to most of you, don't they?) Having two dogs that romp on your yard and in the woods I would not have thought that it would be a place where a cat would take up residence.

So basically I trapped Brady II ("wrong" cat) because he looked enough like Brady I that did not think to consider that it might not be him. If I had gotten say, a black cat, it would have been obvious.

Does this make sense now?
 
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