Stray trapped in the basement

I'm currently renting a run-down split level apartment to save money so i eventually buy a house. I went to the basement to do laundry this morning and i saw a paw creeping darting quickly in the shadows. Now again this is a rundown building next to a factory so i immediately thought "Oh My Gosh, it's a HUGE RAT.' Then I became rational and realized it was more likely a cat. I brought a crate and some food and water down from my apartment and waited. slowly the saddest most pathetic creature came crawling from the shadows. all fur and bones, so dirty I can't even give a proper description of the coloring, and she has an eye which the iris looks unnaturally discolored (although the pupil dilates properly). She must have been down there for days, maybe even a week, living off of mice and the water from leaky pipes. My inconsiderate neighbors leave their front door open all day and night so she could have easily wondered inside or down to the basement, or what I truly hope is not true, that they got her from the humane society and put her downstairs to mouse the basement and left her there. She is now in a crate in my living room so I can keep an eye on her eating and sleeping habits, making sure she isn't sick, until i can make an appointment with the vet (who is overbooked currently) to get her shots and get her fixed. Then find her a home. She is such a sweet, sweet, lovable cat. I hope to put pictures online soon.

That could be because of any of the things you mentioned, luckily you found the cat before it died of starvation. I'm sure it will need alot of medical attention especially a bath! But with good care they bounce back quickly, just a question if it will trust people again.

Originally Posted by thedivinemisst0

I'm currently renting a run-down split level apartment to save money so i eventually buy a house. I went to the basement to do laundry this morning and i saw a paw creeping darting quickly in the shadows. Now again this is a rundown building next to a factory so i immediately thought "Oh My Gosh, it's a HUGE RAT.' Then I became rational and realized it was more likely a cat. I brought a crate and some food and water down from my apartment and waited. slowly the saddest most pathetic creature came crawling from the shadows. all fur and bones, so dirty I can't even give a proper description of the coloring, and she has an eye which the iris looks unnaturally discolored (although the pupil dilates properly). She must have been down there for days, maybe even a week, living off of mice and the water from leaky pipes. My inconsiderate asshole neighbors leave their front door open all day and night so she could have easily wondered inside or down to the basement, or what I truly hope is not true, that they got her from the humane society and put her downstairs to mouse the basement and left her there.

She is now in a crate in my living room so I can keep an eye on her eating and sleeping habits, making sure she isn't sick, until i can make an appointment with the vet (who is overbooked currently) to get her shots and get her fixed. Then find her a home. She is such a sweet, sweet, lovable cat. I hope to put pictures online soon.

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It's very good of you to rescue her. Please keep us posted on her progress.

Katie

Your not kidding about the bath, she (or maybe he) currently smells like kibble, dust, and death. When I pet her I can feel her bones, it's like petting a skeleton wrapped up in a thin fur coat. It's truly frightening. As soon as I brought food down she wouldn't leave my side. It reminds me of children who have been severely abused. Some are antisocial, unable to empathize, have little or no conscience and are unable to trust or get along with others, and some are needy, clingy and overly affectionate, and will blindly open themselves up to perfect strangers. I guess it's the same with cats.

Poor sweet kitty. Thank you for taking it in. Keep us posted on how he/she is doing.

May you be many times blessed for rescuing all of your furbabies, and now, this little one who needs you so. Praying (s)he will recover and bond with you all, and have a loving, forever family there. PLEASE keep us updated on the progress, and it sounds like you are doing all the right things.

That poor little thing.
Bless you for helping her.

How is kitty today?

Bless you for helping this sweet kitty. Looking forward to hearing how she's doing when you have a chance.

Wow guys, thanks for all the support!! I guess it never occurred to me that it was such a big deal, but none-the-less, It's nice to know I have a support system in case any questions regarding his/her behavior arise. If it's not too much trouble, please read what I've written below and correct me if i am doing anything wrong. I am new at this and don't want to hurt him/her anymore then (s)he already is.

Well all night yesterday she sat quietly in her cage, which FYI is large crate intended for a small dog, outfitted with food + water bowls, a makeshift litter box, and a towel. I hate to keep her in there but until she receives her shots and gets a flea bath I don't see any other options.

This morning shopped around for cheap shots and spay/neuter facilities. Because I don't plan on keeping her long-term and I want to find the cat a home personally without going through a shelter ((s)he is not particularly young or attractive, and i honestly don't think (s)he would stand a chance in a shelter) there are surprisingly few facilities that would cut me a break in the price. I decided to go through my regular (and expensive) vet for a 'stray checkup' plus testing for feline aids and leukemia tomorrow. And on Sunday go to PECTO for her shots. The spay or neuter surgery will have to wait, plus she is so skinny i don't think they would preform the surgery.

I took her into the bathroom to let her out and run around while i cleaned out her cage and the area of the living room where her cage is resting .with hot water soap and apple cider vinager then sprayed the heck out of it with pet safe flea spray. She is sooo friendly you guys! She's chatty and will rubs her body my legs, and if she wants to be pet she will gently tap me with her paw.

While i was letting the cage dry out, I accidentally left the door slightly ajar and she got out. I freaked out, as my other two cats have spent yesterday and night stalking the cage occasionally growling or hissing. "Freedom!!!" who trotted around the living room as she sniffing The Merkin who had a 'one step closer and I'll cut you' look in her eye, and trotted in the bedroom to find Garbo. I scooped her up and placed her back in her cage, where she is scratching, throwing litter everywhere and crying these pitiful little meows that would break your heart.

I am thinking about taking her out on the deck, as she seemed to enjoy sitting on the windowsill in the bathroom. What do you guys think?
My boyfriend took the camera to Taiwan where he has been working the past month, but he should be back around Monday and I'll share some pictures with y'all.

Thanks again

edited to add: (s)he is furiously scratching at her cage, throwing her body against the metal bars and breaking her nails. So (s)he doesn't hurt herself, I slightly raised my voice and firmly told her to stop and lie down. AND SHE DID. I know it's just a coincidence and she doesn't understand what i am saying, but I get the feeling she very intelligent and intrinsicly understands humans better then most cats (and I'm speaking as a cat owner.)Who ever adopts him/her will be very very happy.

Also
I picked him/her up for the first time today. Because of her long fur, I didn't realize how skinny he/she is. All bones so much so that i thought I would break them by lifting her. If i had to guess, i would say 3 pounds at the most. And I would guess her age to be 8-12 months. Scary.

Well that's good the cat is friendly, that will make finding him/her a home easier.

Sounds like you got most of the tests done, he/she should be vaccinated against feline distemper and rabies too. And any cat should be tested for worms, and if they have any get treatment for that, the weight loss COULD be from worms or an illness, but most likely starvation.

At the vets see if they can tell you what age/gender the cat is, and if you havent done it already, get the cat a medicated flea bath and brush the cat often to prevent any more matts in the fur since you say it has long hair.

I think you got to the cat just in time, 3 pounds is WAY too low, before that cat can be fixed it definetly needs to gain weight, mabye to weigh around 8-10 pounds I would think is normal.

I'm sure the cat is nervous being confined in a large crate, but it's for it's own good and it wont have to worry about your other cats eating it's food. Scratching at the litterbox is normal, especially since this cat may have gone weeks going to the bathroom on a cold floor, i'm sure it's happy to "bury" it's waste now.

I would have a soft place in the cage for it to sleep on, and catnip toys usually cheer any cat up.

For food I would feed dry and canned food being this cat is dangerously thin and you want to make sure it's health will improve.

I dont think bringing it outside it good it may escape, but if you have a room with a screen in the window so fresh air can come in and the cat cant get out, that will be fine for now. If there's a windowsill by the window the cat can sit on that and look outside.

Good Luck and post any updates!

I am thinking about taking her out on the deck, as she seemed to enjoy sitting on the windowsill in the bathroom. What do you guys think?

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I vote no...regardless of how miserable she seems....if you let her out on the screen in porch, there is too much of an opportunity for her to get out. I've known feral cats who have popped out screens or ripped through them to get back outdoors. Most critical right now is to get her spayed.

Katie

Unfortunately, for the kitty's sake, please keep her in. KeithP has some excellent suggestions for giving her comfort. Her strong pull for the outdoors may suggest that she is coming "into season" and if she mated, in her condition, she would probably not survive delivery if she even managed pregnancy
May you be blessed many, many times over for rescuing this kitty!! What a true hero!