Tiny Needs Your Help!

I need advice on what to do. I have a stray cat in my house, and he needs a place to stay. I need to know how to find him one, or else reconnect him with whoever lost him.

Tiny is a year-old male tabby cat, neutered and friendly. He has been on the street for a while, ever since my neighbors' landlord said that they had too many pets, and they let him go outside.

Today some of the neighborhood girls came pounding on my door with Tiny in a carrier. One of the girls was broken-hearted about him having no home; she wants to keep him, but she is maybe eight years old and her mother is at work. We can't contact her mom.

I'm currently catless, but my own landlord (who comes by once a month) has had horrible experiences with badly trained cats and refuses to let me have one. I may be able to take care of the cat--very short term--but I work full time and have a hamster!

I live in Xenia, Ohio. I need a place for Tiny to stay. Can anyone help me?

OK, the neighbor girl's mom just said she won't take the cat.

Additionally, I'm not sure that this cat is Tiny at all--the girl who told me that was his name said that she recognized the cat; but she seems to be not completely sure... Tabby cats look very much alike.

So there's another possibility--the one I pray is true--that someone in my neighborhood is missing a tabby cat.

I'm rather angry. Why would they abandon Tiny without (apparently) even trying to give him a good home? Even if this isn't Tiny, that's just an evil thing to do.

I have only the cat and a carrier. Nothing else. No food, no litter, nothing... I have to go to work at 8 tomorrow, and it's 10 o'clock now. I've never rescued a cat before--I always worked with them afterwards, when they were in shelters. Somebody please help me!!

All right, that's it. I don't care that I'm poor; this cat's way worse off than I am, whether he's stray or abandoned.

I'm going to buy some litter and a box of food. There's no way I'm going to make him stay in the carrier all night. He'll be OK in my bathroom, I think. I'll just remove the cleaning supplies and toilet paper, close the toilet, and close the door...

Tomorrow I can start finding out where he belongs--if he belongs anywhere. If not, I need to find him a home. Before my landlord finds out, or my hamster gets eaten by a cat that's likely been subsisting on sparrows and mice.

Again: Tips needed. Badly.

EDIT: Bought some litter and food. Cat's situated in my bathroom.

I wish I had some advice for you. I am sure the experts will find this thread and give you some great advice.
I just wanted to say it is a wonderful thing you are doing helping this poor creature, and send out some good vibes and prayers that Tiny will find someone to love him forever.

Hasn't used the litter box, nor used the floor... eaten only a little dry food--maybe a teaspoon. Wouldn't eat wet food. His belly is a bit distended--worms, probably; hope it's nothing more. But he climbed willingly into my lap today... I hope it's nervousness, not illness, that's keeping him from eating. He stayed in the bathroom while I was out; found him napping on the floor when I got back. He seems alert, if quiet; and his eyes are clear and fur in good condition. He's very nervous and won't come out of the bathroom even when I open the door, though he does look out as though he wants to explore. Maybe he doesn't even remember living in a house.

I'm going to bundle him up in the carrier and talk to the neighbor who abandoned a cat meeting his description. Pray that I don't try to rip her head off, but I do need to find out whether he is, indeed, the same Tiny she abandoned; and whether he is neutered--I looked at his rear end, and I can't tell whether he's been neutered or not--testicles are small but present.

EDIT: She's not at home. Guess I get to snuggle this cat some more while I wait. He's had some food and water, finally, and is following me around like a small tabby shadow. Seems frightened to step into the litter box.

My neighbor and I went around to the neighbors today. Nobody knew anything about the cat. I would greatly appreciate advice as to a.) how to find a cat's owner, or b.) how to find a new owner for a cat.

My neighbor's mom has confirmed that it isn't the same cat as Tiny. He's too young; Tiny would be fourteen months old by now, and full grown; this cat is--at most--eight months old... which means that we either have a lost cat or a stray cat. Also, I'm pretty sure he's not neutered, now that I've gotten a better look at his rear.

Next step: Print out flyers, distribute them, and hope I get a phone call. If that doesn't work, I may have to beg you guys to take the little guy. You know you can't resist his cuteness!

Next order of business: Make up fliers at the library. I'll have to wait 'til day after tomorrow, because the library isn't open Sundays.

After that, I'll start calling animal shelters. Maybe one of them will either find a home for him, find his owner, or let me foster him while they find a home. I'm not going to leave him at the shelter if he could be euthanized, though.

Even if my landlord were to relent, I can't keep him; I can hardly pay for his neutering, much less checkups, food, litter, scratching post...

Amazingly, he really seems to trust me now. He's gotten the hang of using the litter box; I put some garden dirt in there so he'd get the idea. He's been eating and drinking, though he seems not to be eating as much as I'd expect--maybe a quarter cup of food, rather than a half cup. I've gotten some kitten food; that should be better for him than the cheapo food I got from the neighbors.

And, get this: He let me clip his nails. And he kept purring while I did it. Towards the end, he did grab my hand and gently bite it, to tell me he was displeased; but by then, I was nearly done, and he let me do the last couple of nails, sniffed the clipper, and resumed headbutting me.

This is one amazing cat. I need to find him the home he deserves... which, unfortunately, isn't with a poor college student who can't take care of him as well as he deserves.

In all reality, as sad as it is to say, he's probably been set out by someone that's not looking to get him back. That happens a lot in our neighborhood.

I have to say, though, that this is the first summer (in the 4yrs that we've lived here) that I haven't seen hardly any cats running around, but a friend of mine from the shelter said that someone in the neighborhood is trapping them and taking them to the shelter. I don't know who is doing it, but it has drastically declined the cat population around here.

I wish you the best of luck finding a good home for Tiny, whether it be his home or a new one. He's a cutie.

I know. He probably has been abandoned. But if there's a 90% chance he's abandoned, then there's a 10% chance that somebody wants him... the fliers are worth a try, at least.

I'm starting to think he's much younger than I thought before--he still has that "kitten" look about his face; he plays enthusiastically... he's got the body profile that says "teenage kitty", but he's an unneutered male and has absolutely no signs of sexual maturity...

Called all the shelters today. They're all full. I was referred to SICSA, a nearby program; and they said they were able to help me IF I fostered the kitten. I said yes; it is my only option, anyhow. He will be hidden from the landlord... Cross your fingers.

I have an appointment for a vet check on August 7 at 6:30 p.m. I still don't know how I'm going to get there; probably I'll have to pay an arm and a leg for a cab for the 20 mile ride to Kettering. (If anyone who lives near Xenia regularly commutes to the Dayton area, could I hitch a ride? If I can, I'd be willing to do some work for you in return--I'm a great house cleaner & gardener; also office work and mending of clothing. I'll help with gas, of course.)

After that, they'll make a neuter appointment, and when he's declared healthy, he spends weeks with me and weekends at SICSA looking for an owner. (I wish I could drive. If I could, I could just borrow somebody's car... as it is, I have to resort to begging, trading, or paying for car rides.)

Hopefully the kitten will find a home. I may have to keep him for two months--I so hope I don't get too attached; I can't care for a cat right now, and he would be better off elsewhere. But oh, lord, he is sooo cute...

He didn't exactly like me much today--I insisted on flea-combing him. Five of the little buggers, and a lot of flea dirt. Poor thing. Hope he feels better now. He's forgiven me already, though. Already snuggling again.

I'm trying to resist giving him a proper name (because he isn't actually Tiny), but I keep catching myself mulling over the possibilities. Maybe I could just give him a temporary name....

I've named him Vegas (because he's been trying to beat the odds). Until he finds an owner, it'll do.

He likes to play with paper balls (and my feet if I'm not careful); loves kitten chow; and follows me around wherever I go. If he were an interesting color, he'd be adopted right away; but his personality (despite his plain tiger coat) should shine through enough for someone to want him.

With daily flea-combing, his coat is becoming shinier and prettier--lots of dead hair, lots of scabs... I think he must have been on his own for a while, or else been badly cared for before that. I don't feel nearly as bad about not finding his owner now. Whoever it was probably didn't care much about him.