Sweet Stray

soka

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There is a cat that roams the neighborhood. He is intact and thin but very very friendly. He comes up to us all the time and hangs outside the door. A few days ago he was wearing a collar but now its gone. There is no identification and he's really thin. (starting to be able to feel individual bumps on the spine) We bought him some food since he's looking so thin. He keeps trying to get into our friend's apartment and he follows us.

My friends are moving in and they really like the cat. They want to adopt him. Ok, well we all do, but I'm afraid that he has an owner. Of course, if he is this thin and running around intact outside than the owner isn't doing a very good job. We hope to make a vet appointment and at least get him tested for feline leukemia and such and get him evaluated to see if he's healthy. He has a bad case of ear mites.

So what would you do? Would you try and find the owner, turn him into a shelter, or keep him? We want to keep him though.

Also, if we were going to keep him, what would be the best QT for him. We have a 2 bedroom so keeping him confined to one room would be fine. What kind of precautions should we take with him? What should we get him tested for?

Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas? While I'd love to do "the right thing" and try and find his owner, I don't think they are doing a very good job and I hate seeing an animal suffer just because "well he belongs to someone else and there's nothing you can do about it." If we don't end up keeping him, I might snag him and take him to get fixed at least.
 
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soka

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Anyone? We are going to see about a vet visit soon just to have his ear mites treated and check him for ticks/fleas and such. Just get an evaluation on him from the vet and see what she has to say about him.
 
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soka

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Would I be wrong in getting him neutered? Oh and my friend messaged me last night. He said they ended up bringing the cat inside because of a big storm we had. So right now the cat is in the bedroom away from the other animals in the house. We will be calling the vet today to see about an appointment. I think my friends are set on keeping him if he checks out healthy. We shall see. I'll get a picture of him if I can today or tomorrow.
 

bella713

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In a state of misery w/o my Bella
He doesn't sound like he's been taken care of properly, so personally I don't think the owner if there is one, deserves him. I would just take him as my own, may not be the supposed right thing to do, But I feel it's the right thing to do for the poor kitty
 

opilot

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Check him for a chip, JIC the owner has been looking and he
is a stray/lost pet.


Also, he could have been abandoned due to having chronic
health condition and the owners unable to care for eg. kidney
issues or thyroid issues.

How old is he? Check for Feluke/FIV test - and lastly get some
rabies and distemper aboard and some worming and you'are good
to go if you want to adopt him!!

Hugs for all you do!
 

callista

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Yeah, get him neutered. He's not purebred (or you would have mentioned it), so if he is a wanted stray and not somebody's dumped cat, chances are that his original owner wouldn't mind--would probably be glad to be spared the expense. And if he's dumped, then he needs to be neutered and released or adopted out. There's no good reason not to--even if he's a neglected outdoor cat--because let's face it, if somebody lets an intact cat roam, they aren't exactly a very good owner.

Anyway, I've probably done my share of unwitting kitnapping-and-neutering, since I'm pretty sure that some of the friendlies that hang around with our ferals are nominally-owned outdoor cats (most were dumped, but I did peel a flea collar off of one guy). Nobody ever complained when a cat came back neutered. Actually, nobody ever came forward as an owner at all, even though my neighbors on both sides know I feed strays.
 
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soka

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He goes to the vet tomorrow for a visit and some tests and we are also going to be contacting the SPCA for a free neuter. They are doing free cat spay and neuter till the end of the month. The lady I talked to said we just have to set up the appointment.


One thing though, he has a strange habit. He "nurses" from fleece blankets. We are sitting on our friend's bed right now and he laid down on top of a red fleece blanket and began "making biscuits" on the blanket, then began to "make biscuits" and suck the blanket, as if he were nursing. Wierd?

He has a name now, a litter box, and a few toys. I think my friends are set on keeping him for good. His name is Raphael. He's such a sweetie. Oh and he's stopped "nursing" from the blanket now. He did it until he fell asleep. He is now sleeping on it. Sooooo cute!
 

cc12

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Poor thing probably didn't get to nurse long enough.
I may sound harsh but anyone who left a cat out in that kind of condition is a jerk. Maybe he is lost. You will know if he is chipped and registered that someone cared about him at one time. Still, he came to you looking gaunt and hungry. Not mention intact which is irresponsible.
I would want to know if my missing cat was found but mine are chipped, collared and healthy. Oh yes and fixed.
I hope all is well at the vet.
 

formermermaid

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Originally Posted by Soka

One thing though, he has a strange habit. He "nurses" from fleece blankets. We are sitting on our friend's bed right now and he laid down on top of a red fleece blanket and began "making biscuits" on the blanket, then began to "make biscuits" and suck the blanket, as if he were nursing. Wierd?
We recently adopted a stray and he does the same thing, only he does it to my shirt when he's cuddling on my lap. He always does it on the part over the belly, so it really seems like he is trying to nurse. I end up with a big wet spot on my shirt
Last night I finally had to make him stop, he kept it up for a long time...first cat I've had that did that.
 

addiebee

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Oh, poor baby.... the kneading and suckling is a comfort thing... and yeah, he probably was taken from his mama... or lost his mama too soon.

Glad he has a home now!
 
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soka

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Oh yea, he's not going anywhere now. We are hooked. Vet appointment went well. He hates car rides and needles by the way. lol. They tested him for feline leukemia and he is negative and he has no ear mites. No fleas that they could see and they said he sounds healthy. 9lbs. (which is wierd because he looks so scrawny) He got a rabies vaccine and we are calling the SPCA tomorrow about a neuter appointment. They guess him at near a year old. We are absolutely in love with him.
 

krazy kat2

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If he is 9 lbs now, he will probably fill out to be a large cat once he has a little TLC. Thank you and your friends for caring for him and giving a good home and a happy life.
 
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