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Not sure what to do....

post #1 of 19
1/4/08 at 1:33pm
Thread Starter 
Well a few houses from me there is a family (whom I don't know) who had kitten about 6ish months ago, these two are the sweetest things, they come up to just about anyone and demand to be petted and picked up. This family has them as outdoor cats. Well today when I went to get the mail, one of them was limping really badly. When I picked him up (he was trying to climb up my leg) I found a large bump where his ribs are. I asked one of the kids that was near by and they told me that this cat's owners ran over him and for some reason or another gave him to the people across the street (who I also don't know and where not home.) The kids say its because the cat was eating more over there (keep in mind these kids are anywhere from 4 to 7.) So now theres this sweet friendly cat in a ton of pain outside limping around. I _want_ to take him to the vet (the kids tell me no one ever did.) However I am a college student and I hae $50 to cover my books this term. I _might_ be able to get the money to get him looked at.

My questions are 1) Do I even have the right to take someone else's cat into the vet? I dont even know these people, I have no idea when they will be home, or how they would feel about it. For that matter I don't even know which family this cat belongs to for sure. And 2) I know you have no way of knowing what is wrong with the cat, but from what I noticed, does anyone have a price range of what the vet would ask for? If I do take him in, I'm going to have to find a way to come up with the money....it would be easier to do if I had some idea what I needed.
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post #2 of 19
1/4/08 at 1:58pm
Hmmm. That's a tough situation. They're obviously neglecting this kitten. If it were me, I'd scoop him up when no one was looking and just keep him and try to find a good home. Is that wrong? At least you know he'd be taken care of.

I would do it without blinking an eye. I doubt anyone would even notice he's gone since they don't seem to care anyway. But as a cat lover, I couldn't just turn my back on this little guy and I'd have to take action into my own hands. Poor baby.

You could try talking to these people but sounds like they aren't planning on doing anything about it. If you talk to them then they do nothing, I'd call animal control.

It's a tough situation but do what's best for the kitty. Good luck!
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post #3 of 19
1/4/08 at 1:58pm
Thread Starter 
Oh. one more thing I should put in here. The kids tell me he has been limping (and someone in my household said they saw him limping) for about a week. Clearly nothing has been done so far, so am I just worrying to much here? Is it one of those "leave it be and it will heal on it own" type of things?
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post #4 of 19
1/4/08 at 2:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by TickyTat View Post
Hmmm. That's a tough situation. They're obviously neglecting this kitten. If it were me, I'd scoop him up when no one was looking and just keep him and try to find a good home. Is that wrong? At least you know he'd be taken care of.

I would do it without blinking an eye. I doubt anyone would even notice he's gone since they don't seem to care anyway. But as a cat lover, I couldn't just turn my back on this little guy and I'd have to take action into my own hands. Poor baby.

You could try talking to these people but sounds like they aren't planning on doing anything about it. If you talk to them then they do nothing, I'd call animal control.

It's a tough situation but do what's best for the kitty. Good luck!
Oh believe me, I would in a heartbeat, I fell in love with these two months ago (Though its not fair to say they are unloved, they are loved by everyone in the area, and from what I hear they eat at many different houses). But I have two cats of my own, and we have another "visiting". Now my cats aren't doing along well with the one that is visiting, we have to keep her in a different room, I hate to think what they would do this poor hurt one.

The odd thing is that this is the "brother" of the two, the "sister" was kept and seems to be doing really well.
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post #5 of 19
1/4/08 at 2:04pm
Before making a decision, I would talk to the local humane society and find out whether or not they would be able to assist. While some shelters are so overcrowded that they have to euthanize a lot of animals, some are in a position where they can spend more time and money on each animal because they have fewer of them and better funding. If your local shelter is of the second type, they may be able to help you do the best thing for this cat without getting you in trouble. You could take the cat in and explain that you found him in this condition, and the shelter might be able to help fix him up or suggest a rescue that could help. The bonus is that if the owners come looking for him, the shelter might be able to determine if they are providing proper care for the kitty (which it sounds like isn't the case).

If your shelter/humane society can't help, you may want to see if you can get the money together for a vet visit and take the cat in. The cost will vary significantly depending on where you live, and which vet you see. If you do this, make sure you report the cat as found through the papers and to the shelter in case the "owners" come looking for it. Each city or county usually has rules about how long you have to "search" for the owners before the cat can legally become yours.
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post #6 of 19
1/4/08 at 2:08pm
We always have strays outside our office, and they're loved and fed by the whole neighborhood. But I can't stand the thought of them being out all winter or pregnant (one was), or sick with no medication, so I took them to our shelter and they all have loving, warm homes. It's better for the cats than to have them roaming around, breeding and getting sick and injured.

It is a hard decision to make though. So don't let it be yours and call the Humane Society or animal control.

Good luck! And thanks for being concerned for the little guys.
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post #7 of 19
1/4/08 at 4:57pm
the question is not weather it is right or wrong an animal in need is an animal in need, the question is do you want to live with the thought that you could have done something for a fellow creature and didnt! you obviously care and have taken the time to post here perhaps a call to local shelters raise funds by printing a flyer that students could give money directly to your locl vet talk to your local vet, find out if you can make payment plan for taking care of this kitten, this isnt some kind of put down or anger mail at you the situation is a very hard one as plato said you dont judge a society by how it treats its better off but in how it treats its downtrodden and weak. doing nothing will in the end be somthing you have to live with not any of us on this site, but an example would be if the kitten were to not recover(god forbid) how would you feel damm the ownership they have given it up by default. find a vet find a shelter find someone to adopt this kitty but please do something cuase kittens are the best animals in the world and this one picked you! please continue to update the thread as to the status and maybe one of us out here in cyberspace can help out longer term. all our best
by the way we started by rescuing one kitty four years ago and we now have six cats wth only two "staff" for them. be careful doing good things for gods best creatures can become addictive!!!!!!!!!
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post #8 of 19
1/4/08 at 5:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TickyTat View Post
We always have strays outside our office, and they're loved and fed by the whole neighborhood. But I can't stand the thought of them being out all winter or pregnant (one was), or sick with no medication, so I took them to our shelter and they all have loving, warm homes. It's better for the cats than to have them roaming around, breeding and getting sick and injured.

It is a hard decision to make though. So don't let it be yours and call the Humane Society or animal control.

Good luck! And thanks for being concerned for the little guys.
you may not be aware but in many states after a very limited time or in extreme cases immediate euthanisation takes place at humane society, and almost always at animal control shelters, death is not an alternative to taking control of a situation and by choosing not to make a decision is in fact making a decision!!!!!!!!!
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post #9 of 19
1/4/08 at 5:09pm
Othie, thank you for wanting to help.

Here is a link that may be very helpful. You can search for local shelters (if you're in the US or Canada) - see if you can find a no kill shelter with an opening:

http://www.pets911.com/organizations/organizations.php

The other thing to consider, in the meantime, is that this kitty is in need and in pain (as you are aware).

I know you're on a budget - but perhaps you can find a vet that will help and let you use a payment plan. It never hurts to let your fingers do the walking, call around, and appeal to the heart strings.

In the meantime, you can also contact the Best Friends No More Homeless Pets' to see if there's anyone in the network that can help this stray cat in need. There's an e-mail address to use if you scroll down on this page: http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehom...ets/about2.cfm

Laurie
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post #10 of 19
1/4/08 at 6:07pm
first PLEASE check the legallity ... I learned this when pet sitting... My vet did see the dog since she did know I had the right to care for her... BUT LEGALLY she should not have seen me with the dog... ALL you need is a paper stating you can take the animal to the vet signed by you and the owners( adult)

If you cant PLEASE DO call the local animal athouritys and give them what you know
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post #11 of 19
1/4/08 at 6:15pm
Sharky, the problem is Othie doesn't know at this point who owns the kitty, and if it's who he/she thinks it is, the owners aren't home to get a signature for permission - and weren't doing anything for the kitty.

In a situation like this, I personally wouldn't worry about the legality of the situation. The kitty has been left outside to roam, injured and in need. Seems to me to be a situation of animal cruelty, and if I were going to contact anyone, it wouldn't be animal control, it would be the SPCA, and if I had the money, I'd treat it like a stray I didn't know who's owner it is and I'd get it the medical attention it needs. ....and I get the feeling that if Othie had the money, there wouldn't be a question about what to do.

Laurie
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post #12 of 19
1/4/08 at 6:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shelly's dad View Post
you may not be aware but in many states after a very limited time or in extreme cases immediate euthanisation takes place at humane society, and almost always at animal control shelters, death is not an alternative to taking control of a situation and by choosing not to make a decision is in fact making a decision!!!!!!!!!
I took them to the shelter where I volunteer. We're a no-kill shelter. They were all adopted into wonderful homes (I helped place them).
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post #13 of 19
1/4/08 at 6:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
Sharky, the problem is Othie doesn't know at this point who owns the kitty, and if it's who he/she thinks it is, the owners aren't home to get a signature for permission - and weren't doing anything for the kitty.

In a situation like this, I personally wouldn't worry about the legality of the situation. The kitty has been left outside to roam, injured and in need. Seems to me to be a situation of animal cruelty, and if I were going to contact anyone, it wouldn't be animal control, it would be the SPCA, and if I had the money, I'd treat it like a stray I didn't know who's owner it is and I'd get it the medical attention it needs. ....and I get the feeling that if Othie had the money, there wouldn't be a question about what to do.

Laurie
ahh in that case ... call the local animal authoritys ... note sometimes in smaller areas the police are in charge of animal control.. unless you can find the funds, i know the local er clinic gives a discount rate for strays
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post #14 of 19
1/4/08 at 8:31pm
I would take it to the vet... I would tell them that I found the kitty that way though! Treat it as a stray, say you found it wondering around in pain and try to get it the help the poor kitten needs!! Im wishing you the best of luck and sending you as many as the cat site allows!!

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post #15 of 19
1/5/08 at 8:10am
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys

I just wanted to post a update. I was pretty lucky, I found out that the vet we use is a friend of a friend and he agreed to take a look at the cat (just a look) free of cost. So When he took a look at the cat he said that he was hurt. One of his legs had been broken when he was ran over, but he had started to heal on its own, he said that the cat probably tried to jump on it (as kittens will do) and this did some damage to it. He said that I should leave it be and it would probably heal on its own (and yes, now I feel alittle silly for getting so worried if it was just something that needed to heal on its own). The bump that I felt on its rib was in fact its rib (poor thing was very hungry). I tried leaving a note on the new owner's door, but from what I can gather they are away for a few weeks. So what I have started to do is just leave a bowl of the dry food we give to our cats outside. This cat doesn't act like one that has been adused (not afraid of humans at all) in fact is one of the most friendly cats I have ever seen. So I dont know if I could call the shelter, that and the fact that I know they have to many cats and would probably put him down. The "Best Friends" program is rather close to us (about 3ish hours away, yes I live in Southern Utah, in the middle of nowhere). I can't drive there, but if things don't get better, do you think they would consider taking him in?
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post #16 of 19
1/5/08 at 9:17am
Othie, it never hurts to ask.

I'm so glad you found a vet to help! Poor baby. I was worried what you were feeling was a broken rib. But the poor thing must be skin & bones!

You can contact Best Friends to ask them through this e-mail address: animalhelp@bestfriends.org

I think I already posted this, but you can also search for other groups or shelters in your area at http://www.pets911.com/organizations/organizations.php

THANK YOU for helping this kitty!

Laurie
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post #17 of 19
1/5/08 at 10:09am
Thread Starter 
there's no need to thank me, I just did what anyone would do. But thank you. You did give me that link before, the reason I didn't use it is because this is such a sweet cat....I dont know if I could live with myself if he was put down. I wish I could take him myself, but I have a feeling my cats might never speak to me again, and there is (though its never really inforced) a rule in the area that we can only have two cats and two dogs. The reason I thought of the Best Friends is that my family almost went there to get a new dog (turns out it wasn't the right time for the family), so I know they take very good care of their animals and they don't put it down unless there is truly no other hope.
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post #18 of 19
1/5/08 at 10:14am
Oh I agree - I would simply use the link to find the list of shelters in your area. Then I'd call around to find out their policies - and if there's any chance of kitty being put down, I wouldn't consider it an option.

Laurie
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post #19 of 19
1/5/08 at 10:43am
Thread Starter 
oh I see what your saying. Thank you for the links and the help.
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