Feral injured, what to do?

barbb

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My feral boy, William (TNR'd), showed up with about an inch of hair missing from one side of his tail. It looked as if he had gotten it caught somehow and had to pull it away from from something or someone to escape.

That was about 10 days ago. Since then he has licked all the fur away from the area of his tail that was hurt (the middle) and you can see that it appears lacerated. The wound has not become a scab but it is not oozing nor puss either.

He shows no sign of being ill. His appetite is good and his nose is wet and he has normal energy and behavior. I cannot touch him, but at night he and his girlfriend (Ace) will play with me and he will gently chew my fingers with his face.

In a case like this, what should I do? Do vets ever give general antibiotics "just in case", or is it best to trap him and take him to a vet who will do a full exam? Has anyone ever had anything like this?
 

ktlynn

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Over the years, my ferals have shown up with assorted bumps, cuts, abscesses, etc. Most of the wounds have been minor, but I carefully watch all for signs of infection. In general, ferals heal well from minor injuries on their own. There have been times, though, when injuries have been serious enough that I've taken them to the vet.

You're obviously watching William carefully, so continue to do that. Make sure that his tail wound shows signs of healing. If it doesn't start to heal *soon*, since it's already been 10 days, you should get him in to the vet. Most vets are very reluctant to prescribe antibiotics for a cat that hasn't been examined.

In case you do need to trap him, you may want to start putting the trap out now, unset, and just feed Willliam near it. Once cats are trapped, they usually become "trap smart" and it can be tough to get them again. Since William has already been TNR'd (yay!
) he may be wary of the trap. Feeding him by the trap will help him associate it with something good, which will give you an advantage if it turns out you do need to take him into the vet.

Just wondering, is Ace spayed? Thanks for taking such good care of these little guys. Hope William's tail heals soon. Please let us know.
 

malena

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If you know a good veterinary who would give you a recipie for antibiotics I know I would.
Wounds on the tail can be nasty. Especially if they are from a cat bite. One of my first cats had to have a decimeter of his tail amputaded after a cat bite that became infected. He increased the infection by licking it constantly.
Make sure it's a fairly tasteless antibiotic that can be given in the food.
 

momofmany

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I have also seen feral's come home with various cuts. How you treat it depends on how severe it is and your ability to separate them from the others while feeding. You can get antibiotics to slip into his food but they aren't going to do you any good if you can't get him to eat out of the bowl with those antibiotics.

If you go the antibiotics route, call your vet and explain the situation. If doesn't know you or trust you to just prescribe them to you, call a humane society that is involved with TNR and ask for a referal to one of their vets. Vets that work with ferals know that you can't always trap them and get them in for an exam.

If you decide to trap him and have the exam, ask the vet to give him a shot while there. If you can't get the drugs into his food, sometimes the shot is enough to help boost his immunity.

If it gets really bad, you might need to set him up in a cage (in your garage perhaps?) and make sure he eats the food with the medicine.

Tail injuries can be really bad or they can just be surface scratches. You are doing right by keeping a very close eye on him right now.
 
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barbb

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This is really helpful information. You all know so much and I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for all your help. I will try to get a picture of the wound. It is really hard for me to tell just by looking at it whether it is deep or surface.

I too, am worried that his licking of the wound will increase his chances of infecting it.

Yes, Ace is also spayed. William has been with me a year and 4 months when I first saw him at my door two Chicago winters ago. I met Ace with her kittens last summer when William brought her to meet me first, and then his family
. At first I thought Ace was a boy littermate which is how she got that name- DUH!

I TNR'd them both and I rescued the 3 kittens who were barely 4 weeks old. Interestingly, one kitten was completely tame and social, one was extremely timid but curious, and one was completely utterly feral, growling and hissing- which is amazing to see in such a tiny ball of fluff! I found a home for the first one. The other two I was able to get into a program where prisoners worked with them to help socialize them. From what I heard, they will never be "outgoing" but would manage in a home with an understanding parent.

Now Ace and William are a twosome, living on my back porch. They are territorial and identify with my indoor cats- they play with them through the screen door- but they will not be touched. And altho I let them inside to feed them (their food froze this winter outside) and play with them with string toys and balls (and lock my kitties upstairs) they would freak out if I shut them in.

So they are in their own world somewhere between feral and tame. That is why I take extra care of them. I really fear for them outside especially at this time of year when so many kitties are roaming and mating. I have been reading the post about the other feral who was brought inside and trying to figure out if I can do that with these guys, especially William who is a fearful soul. Ace is much more a drama queen and seems to have more street smarts, even tho she is an airhead LOL.

I will try and post William's tail pic on the site if I get a picture. I can get very close to these kitties since they think of me as mommy (or maybe just the crazy food lady LOL) but no touching.

William will eat anything and I am certain I can get him to wolf down a pill pocket. I hand feed them single treats so it should not be a problem if I can get the right meds. Also thank heavens, Ace prefers dry food so there is very little chance she will eat his stuff.

The trap thing is a good idea too. I will be they still remember it even from last September!!
 

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If William is highly wet food oriented, he might forget about the trap and go for it anyway. If you do that, with hold all special treats and canned food for a few days to get him motivated to go inside the trap.

Do you have a heated water bowl for them for the winter months? They really are great - no breaking out ice a few times a day in the winter when their water freezes.
 
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barbb

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Yes he is highly motivated for wet food LOL. He is food obsessed. He will sit at the door for hours and I have to remind myself he is not hungry. He is getting fat since his neuter, in fact
. I think he will go in the trap.

On the winter heating stuff: I am nuts over these cats! It was horrible last winter to see William so cold. So this winter we bought two heated cat houses from this site http://www.stabobspethouses.net/ and a huge solar pool cover that we put over both houses with a deck chair in between. We then secured it with bricks, so they had a warm den and cave. I also gave them outdoor cat heating pads and a heated bird bath for their water outside their den. So I am indeed a crazy cat lady


My latest crazy thing is we are putting up a small playhouse for them that will be high off the ground, so they can be somewhat safe at night. After William's tail, I know they are at risk, plus this last week a cat has been coming around their house wanting to move in or just take over. I've gotten up twice this week in the dead of night to the sound of their screeching outside, and had to go outside and shag the other kitty away.

To tell you the truth I feel bad for the new kitty too. I just don't know if it is possible for another one to join these two, being the way they are. Ace is the one who is most territorial and protective of her turf and William. If it were up to him I think he would just live and let live. But the other kitty is probably not neutered or spayed. If anyone has any experience in this area I would be so grateful for what you know.
 

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I think it is great what you are doing for these little fur souls. They may not even be alive after the winters without you. I love the play set and I can see why the other cat wants to move in.

It sounds like Ace and William have a bond and they may not be amenable to a third. Probably the new cat is not altered either. I'm not sure what the solution is. Ideally the new cat most likely needs to be altered. But then what?

Do you have a feral cat sanctuary (barn at farm etc. where some one looks after them) that the new cat could go to? It seems that would be a good solution if it exists in your area.

I'll keep thinking.
 
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barbb

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Thanks for asking after them
. So far William's tail is ok, altho it looks narrower in the injured part. I have been watching to make sure he can still lift and curl it, and he is able to use all of it.

Now that the weather is cold and his skin is exposed, I'm concerned that he keep it warm. This is the longest I've seen him go without the scabs breaking. I am just worried about whether I can recognize if he gets gangrene or anything- what does that look like, how should his tail look (the skin part) and all that.

He has no high temp tho, and seems in excellent health. I just need to know if a cat can have a serious tail injury and not be affected otherwise.
 
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barbb

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Well I thought I would update everyone on William's tail and see if you guys could help me with some advice. He did not get an infection but it did not heal. Maybe he was licking it to where it just kept bleeding little by little.

So this morning I trapped him and took him to the vet. They said it was too badly lacerated to be saved. So they amputated his tail and he is staying there overnight. I have to go get him Friday (tomorrow)morning. They are giving him a collar so he will not go after his tail. They are recommending that I keep him inside where he will be less likely to re-injure his tail. Somehow I will have to get the collar off him. Has anyone ever done this with a feral cat???


I feel as if William and I are so close and yet I cannot touch him. He will play with toys with me. He will come into my house, eat treats from my hand, and bite the side of my leg before I put his food bowl down. But he is such a scared boy and it seems to me that he doesn't even know what petting is, let alone allow it.

Last September when I did a TNR for him, he did not even vocalize, he was so feral. This time he cried the whole way to the vet, so I know he thinks of me as mommy. I hated trapping him this time. He went into the trap because I told him it was ok and I coaxed him in step by step. Even though it was necessary I felt like Judas!

I would love for him to join our kitty household but his(spayed) wife Ace is still outside. And I don't know if this is the right thing. For now, maybe it is just enough that I help him to heal physically and emotionally.

If anyone has any advice on how to make him feel comfortable, let me know. He has been inside my house, but always with a door open so he can walk out at any time. I have a room dedicated to my cats that I can convert (it was a foster cat room at one point) for his recovery. I can put a kitty condo in there. It has a closet where he can sleep in the daytime and there is no furniture for him to hide forever under. There is a bed and box springs on the floor.

I would love advice from everyone about what to expect with this boy. I just want him to be safe and get well. I will consider myself very lucky if I can just get the antibiotics into him with pill pockets, keep him from getting out of the room before he is ready, keep his outdoor wife Ace happy and safe while he is indoors, and get the collar off him when it is time. If anyone has experienced anything remotely like this with an injured feral and can suggest ways to make it all go easier, I would be forever grateful. I really need help!
 

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I am so sorry it had to come to amputation. If I were you I think I would keep him in a large dog cage untill the collar can come of. You might need to help him to learn how to eat and drink with it or even take it off and put it back to make him eat and drink. It is really important that he doesn't get the change to reach his tail untill it's healed.

He will be in quit some pain when the medication leaves him. Talk with the vet about medication to keep him calm and maybe pain releave in the beginning. They have cut off some major nerves during the amputation and he can also experience pain in the lost part of thail for quit a long time, maybe years.

It differs a lot from cat to cat but if he beleive that you are trying to help him it might be easer than you think. I've seen completely wild cats accepting being handled when they needed help but he can also react with panic.

If he panics and you have to hunt him down to help him with the collar it can distroy your fragile relationship for a long time and also really harm his healing. A big dog cage with a dark corner for hiding but palced where he can see and here you so he doesn't get lonely is my suggestion.

Keep us updated and good luck.

Malena
 

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Poor William!!! My Stumpy lost his tail as a kitten (an accident took it off) but he was so young he recovered very quickly.

First of all, Ace: I've seen feral cats grieve when their colony mates disappear and on the other hand, I've seen them actual perk up and be happier with them gone. Keep a close eye on Ace to see how she reacts to William being gone. If she stresses, your only 2 options are to put William back out once he heals or bring Ace in also.

William will feel more comfortable if he has some room to wander in (e.g. the entire room), but since the room is set up with few hidey holes (that is good btw), then get at least a box with the opening facing a wall so that he can go in and chill without being seen. He will calm down a lot when he doesn't feel that he's on display. When you are in the room with him, try to remain on the floor rather than towering over him - he will be threatened by that. Play classical music (if you can some with harp music, for some reason that really calms them down). Sit on the floor with a book and read to him. Avoid direct eye contact at all costs and if he catches you, slowly blink your eyes. You sometimes see them visably relax with a good eye blink.

For the collar: He might not allow you to handle him long enough to get it off and I'm actually surprised that the vet put one on a feral cat. The fact that he did it tells me that William didn't act all that feral at the vets, which means he's a bit more accepting of humans than your typical feral cat. You might need to have your hubby hold him while you get it off (hold him by the scruff on the floor if you can do that with the collar on). If that doesn't work, you might need to take him back to the vet to remove it. I've never tried it so can't offer any more advice than that.

All of my cats were born feral and I did socialize most of them while they were young. They will all adjust to some level over time. Some become perfectly normal cats and others will always have some level of fear to them. If you decide to keep William inside, there are entire threads here on socializing ferals. If you cross that bridge, open up a new thread and we'll all jump in.
 
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barbb

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Thanks everyone, this is excellent advice.

I opened the closet door in the kitty room and made William a really nice hiding space in there. He is now sleeping there during the day and is comfortable. I have his food and water in there too, so he feels safe.

He does love the room for wandering and yesterday I put a bedside table level with the window and anchored some cardboard scratching boards there, and last night he sat there as well as part of today, crying some of the time and just resting otherwise. I have not done the music but that is great advice and I will do it.


The last two nights I've gotten up and gone to bed in his room when I've heard him crying. The first night he climbed onto the bed, crying the whole time so I would know where he was. He did not stay on it the first night.

But last night he not only stayed on it, he curled up beside me
! Also when I rolled sideways (after I couldn't stay still one more minute!) he simply readjusted himself too.

I still cannot touch him. It is so strange because he does lay with me and wants to be close but touching is alien to him. Right now anyhow it is practically impossibly to touch his face or neck with the collar on, and given his tail amputation, there is not much I can touch on his back area without probably causing him pain. But I will try very slowly over time when he begins to show signs of feeling better.

Believe it or not, the vet did not give me ANY pain medication for him. So I am just putting the antibiotics in pill pockets. I was really wondering how they could not give him pain pills and I was thinking he was probably in pain. I really don't understand that.

On the e-collar, you are absolutely right MOM: the vet said he thought long and hard about putting it on a feral cat and told us to bring him in if we needed help getting it off. He said there was a chance we could get it off ourselves. He concurred that William is fearful but does not show it in aggression.

Ace is doing ok but not thrilled. I do believe she is grieving a little bit. William heard her crying for food and attention - and probably him- this morning when I fed her, and he started crying too. Unfortunately,(or maybe fortunately), his room is in the front of our house and their hangout is in the back. I think she is hanging on right now because of our cats and because we play with her and talk to her through the door. And in the mornings I let her in the house and leave the door open while my cats are locked up. I started doing it for them this winter when it was so cold. I think that is why William is not throwing himself against the walls right now actually.

I think Ace and William would be always fearful but ok with us indoors. I've been playing with them and all our cats (through the screen door) with toys for about a month now in the mornings and evenings.

The main reason we would socialize them is in case we move, we would need them to come with us. Also they are just a colony of 2 and neither one of them is aggressive. Plus we have raccoons, other un-neutered cats, possums, and all kinds of critters outside and these guys are such babies we worry constantly that they will succumb to an outside bully critter or person.
I'm more worried about my cats. None of them are dominant but there are 4 of them and I really worry that I may push them over the edge adding two more to the household- especially adding William to my other male cat, Toby.

Anyhow, good advice to take this up in another thread. For now I will focus on getting William well.
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by BarbB

I still cannot touch him. It is so strange because he does lay with me and wants to be close but touching is alien to him.
That can be very typical of a feral cat that has some level of socialization. My Tigger (born feral) loved to sit in my lap but the second I put a hand or arm on him, he was gone. He lived with me for 9 years (succumbed to heart disease) and I never was really able to pick him up or hold him the entire time. I was happy when he wanted to cuddle and accepted him for what he is.

And funny, my top priority when I moved last year was to catch and transport all of the remaining feral cats to the new house. Doesn't matter that they aren't lap kitties, we are their caretakers!!

Sending William healing vibes and Ace calming vibes from KC.
 
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barbb

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I think like your Tigger, William will always choose not to be approached and touched if it is up to him, except in rare cases.

One of our indoor cats, Pixie, is a lot like that too. We took her in about 16 months ago. She was from an outdoor litter that came into the kitty adoption group I work with; she was returned because she was so fearful (long story). We cannot pick her up but she loves to play with us, lay with us at night, and occasionally she will let us brush and pet her.

Today I did have a breakthrough with William. I was in William's recovery room talking on the phone to my brother, and while I was talking I picked up a brush and slowly touched his back with it. He was sitting on his cardboards and looking out the window. Altho he flinched, he did not move. So I very slowly and carefully began to brush the parts of him that were not shaved (his tail and base of his back area) and not covered by the e-collar. He did not move and after a little bit, I was able to switch from the brush to my hand, and I massaged his neck on the sides around his e-collar. He actually began to purr and pushed his body into my hand where I was rubbing his neck. I did it again tonite and he purred and wanted more.

I am not sure if I could have done this without the e-collar on him, and I do not know what will happen once the collar is off, but it gave me a lot of hope that I will not have as horrible a time as I envisioned getting the collar off when it is time to remove it.

Having said all this, William has also marked my bed in his recovery room with ample amounts of urine. I covered the box springs and mattress with plastic fitted sheets ahead of time so there is no damage, but it is hard to spend a lot of time in there now, as I used to sleep there a few hours for the first couple nights.

I am sure it is stress on his part especially because he is alone in the room unless I go and sit in there or sleep with him and he cries for company or to be let out of the room when we are not there. He is so frustrated. But I am not psyched to do a lot of laundry every day
and I'm not sure I will get the marking smell out of the sheets and blankets that are in there now. I don't think there are answers for this (stopping his stress marking and eliminating the smell) but if anyone has any advice I would much appreciate it.
 

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Barb, good for you for taking such good care of William! You are really making amazing progress in a short time frame.


As for getting the smell from the sheets/blankets, I do have a solution for that. I know this sounds strange, but it really does work. Vodka. Cheap vodka is fine, maybe even better.
Add about 1/2 cup or so to the laundry when you wash those sheets/blankets, and it gets the smell out even to them. There's something in vodka that counteracts the enzymes in cat urine/spray and eliminates the scent, and it's cheaper than the enzymatic cleaners you'll find in the store.
 

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Barb, what a wonderful thing you've done for these kitties! William, especially... he might not even be with us now if not for you. I think William may realize that, too -- clearly, you've won his trust.

Bless you for your kindness!
 

momofmany

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Yeah about William!! How is Ace doing?

One of the cats that I adopted had an e-collar on for a while when he was being fostered. It was weird, but he was very subdued for a long time after the collar was removed. Perhaps William won't be so bad after the collar is removed!

For the marking: try putting some dirt in the litter box to attract him to it. The other good product is Cat Attract litter. They sell it as a litter but they also sell a product that you add to regular litter. It has a very earthy smell and I got an outdoor cat to use the litter box with that product. Some Petsmarts sell it and I've also see the additive at my vets.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...=1175334781721

And here's a plug for the inventor of Cat Attract, Dr. Elsey: he's a cat specialist in the Denver area that cares for my best friend's cats (3 of which she adopted from me and siblings to 2 of mine). When I had a crisis with FeLV, my friend started asking questions on my behalf (she had just adopted 2 kids from my household that contained 3 FeLV cats, long story) and he told her to have me call him. He gave me a number of free consultations and helped me work thru that crisis. So, partly I owe him a big favor, but I wouldn't recommend a product that didn't work. But I ramble........
 
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barbb

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Thank you so much for the cleaning advice and the dirt and litter advice too. This is very timely since one of my own cats has started marking our stuff. I think it is b/c of William and also b/c we've been doing more socializing w/Pixie and trying to play more with Ace while William is upstairs. The pee girl is our #3 cat in the pecking order -these other 3 are behind her; also she is our only declawed kitty (came that way) so I am not surprised. Now we are making sure to give her brushing and petting time too. They are so smart and watchful, aren't they!

I'm glad you asked about Ace, MOM. She is having a bit of trouble holding her own outside.
I was able to put frontline on her two days ago when she was eating her morning food in our house (door open of course). I usually visit William first, then Ace, so I have his smell on me. The frontline was a big deal b/c now I can let her and my cats be together. She is current on everything else from when I TNR'd her in Sept.

My cats are fine with her and she is skittish around them, mostly because she is indoors. I cannot shut the screen door b/c it freaks her out, so I have to do a juggling act to keep mine from running outside and keep them all interested in toys or food at the same time.

Anyhow 2 nites ago I was in William's room (I put a blanket on the plastic sheet and laid on it that way) and my hubbie heard cat screams outside. I went out w/a flashlight but did not see anything. But this morning I noticed that Ace has a very tiny scratch right above her eye in that "thin hair" space between a kitty's eye and ear. This is not the first nite we've heard other cats, so I am pretty sure she needs her William back soon. He is a good 22 lbs to her 6lbs (even though most of it is pure fat I am sorry to say) and he looks very ominous even though he is a huge baby. I will try and link to a picture of them.

I have never worked with feral cats before these two, so I am interested to know if this is common, defending their house and heating pad
from other kitties. Also if there is anything I can do to help keep other critters away, I'd be interested to know that too.

Ace has a good appetite and is still staying in her kitty house on our porch and on her heating pad on the deck table, but she is lonely. I am keeping the back door open and screen closed so she can interact with our house and cats thru the door, which she is doing. I wish I had more time to spend with them all.

William is doing great, he let me wash his face with my damp hand in the last day. He purred and pushed into it. He still does not come to me, but he does not run when I go to him. He purrs when I brush him and he pushes into my hand when I rub his neck around the e-collar. We will be able to remove the collar tomorrow. If anyone has advice about how to do that with minimal muss and fus, I would be interested to know.

After the e-collar removal I want to watch him just one more day to make sure he doesn't attack his tail or anything. Then we will let him back out, probably. John and I talked about seeing if we can try having these kitties be indoor-outdoor, bringing them in at night b/c that is when the bad critters are out and about. I am going to start a thread to see what people think about this plan
or if anyone has done this before.
 

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Barb - first of all, what an angel you are for helping these kitties!


Isn't it wonderful to feel him push back at you? I know he doesn't come to you - but the progress you've made with these ferals is just amazing. When you rescue an older feral, it can literally take years before they don't run when you cough or sneeze or there's a funny noise.... But because of you, Ace and William are learning what love is, and they'll want more of it in their own time and way!

I hope you'll be here to share those moments with us!


Since William is in your home and Ace is interacting to some extent with your other kitties, I really don't see any reason why you can't have your indoor kitties and your indoor/outdoor kitties.

Gary and I did the same thing for a while with our very first rescue, Booger, who we figured out later was a stray that had been left behind - but she'd been on her own long enough to act like a feral for months.

The only problem I ever had with having an indoor/outdoor kitty was the constant heartache of those nights when she didn't come home. It was usually when it was raining hard - we live in a very rural area, and she had a huge territory. But it just tore our hearts to pieces every time she didn't come around when she was "supposed" to.

What about building an outdoor enclosure for the cats? I don't know if you live in a house or have a yard, but building an outdoor enclosure has been a solution for a lot of people that just can't live with the heartache of having outdoor kitties. That way all your kitties could be indoor/outdoor at their will without you having to worry about any of them.


Something to think about....

Any update on William and Ace?

for all you're doing!


Laurie
 
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