Kitten in the tornado

jamison

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So last night Saskatchewan was on Tornado alert and in the midst of a pretty awful storm, Lighting every 2 seconds and thunder that shook our place. Now as I was going to bed I heard a cat crying very badly, I thought maybe one of our cats was lost/hurt herself so I went upstairs to check it out. Both cats were just fine, slepeing away obviously not in peril. I went back downstairs but still heard the crying (over the storm!) So I threw on a shirt and opened the front door... In the middle of this storm that was throwing hail and torrential rains i found my neighbors kitten outside their door. Having been there for at least 20 minutes it looked like they were not going to be doing anything about it anytime soon so I went outside and grabbed the little fellow.

I took him down to our bathroom and dried him off, grabbed him some food/water and used an old shoebox for a makeshift litterbox for the night. He is a very very sweet little boy (can't be more than 6 months? I remember the same cat a few months ago ran out of their house and into ours very cute) He was purring and talking with us as we tried to figure out what in the world to do with him.

Our resident cats of course went on high alert hissing at the bathroom and freaking out a little, but this was a matter of saving the poor kitten so we will deal with our babies forgiving us later. But now the question is... what do we do? The cats owners obviously do not care too much about him, letting him be out in the storm and not even looking for him. He is NOT neutered which again makes me think they can't care too much as even if he was just an outside cat (who they shouldn't have in our complex as it's not really a good place for a kitty to roam outside) They still should have had him neutered so he isn't making strays.

I don't want them to have him back as I can tell this will keep happening and they just don't have what it takes to raise a cat right. I have contacted all my friends who would make a decent home for him but no word back yet. I don't want him to rot in a cage at the SPCA but it seems he would even be safer there than back in their home.... What do I do?
 

sakura

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I would first have him neutered. The humane society could help you out with that though it may take a while getting him in. If you explain your situation they might be able to get you in faster.

Then after he's recovered, go over to the neighbors' house and play dumb like you are just trying to find a home for a stray cat that you found. (If no other options work out). Probably would be better off there as an indoor/outdoor cat than in a cage at the humane society.
 

maherwoman

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Poor sweet kitty!


I'm happy you found him, though I don't have any real advice to give, other than mirroring what Sakura said. I agree to just have him neutered. I mean, would they really pitch a fit? If so, just tell them you thought he was a stray, or something along those lines.

Any chance you can foster him in a separate room in your home until you find him a place to live? Or maybe even consider adopting him yourself? (Just throwin' ideas out there...)

Hugs to you and your babies (and this sweet kitten)!

Rosie*
 

audiocat

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After you have the little one neutered you could place fliers on a few neighbors doorsteps saying how you "found" this poor kitten out in the horrible weather and just knew that it had to be a stray since you can't imagine anyone in your neighborhood being so cruel as to leave any animal out in these conditions - and perhaps they may know of someone in a nearby neighborhood who was missing a kitten.

Maybe if you do this the neighbors will be too embarrassed to say anything and won't accuse you of stealing their cat if they should see him in your home.

Other than that I don't have any advice.

I just learned from one of my neighbors that someone a few doors down from me moved and did NOT take their cat with them.
Many people are missing cats in this area right now (coyotes) and a few of us have tried to find it but can't. This was a little white cat who was outside during the day and went inside at night.

I just don't understand why some people have pets. How can you move and not take a family member with you.
 

maherwoman

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Audiocat...I think that's an EXCELLENT idea. That way, if they no longer wish to have the kitty, they won't respond, and you can go about finding him a home. And if they DO wish to have the kitty back, at least he's neutered now, and you can say that you at least figured you'd cut down on the stray population and do the right thing by neutering him.

And poor kitty! I can't believe, either, when I hear that someone's left their animal behind after moving. What horrible people!!
 

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I just went through a similar thing last October. I heard kids outside yelling and throwing stuff and when I went to investigate I had a small black kitten run up my shirt and on my shoulder. She was showing signs of kitty flu and weighed about 1 lb. I of course took her in and had to bathe her since she had something sticky all over her. I had recently had some kittens so I fed her some formula etc. and put her in a dog crate so she wasn't around my other babies. About 3 days later two little girls knocked and asked if I had her, the kids had ratted me out because I had given them all a major talking to, I admitted I did have her (my daughter was there so lying was not an option) and I knew the girls.
I was so upset because this baby was so sick I thought I might lose her a couple of times and the family that owned her had a habit of keeping their animals outside all the time. Finally I couldn't stand it and went over to their house with the intent of getting her back. Luckily the father is a resonable guy that used to work with my hubby and I explained to him about kittens. They actually had two over there but the sibling was about 3 lbs to her 1lb. They had been living in their vegetable patch and they were feeding them leftovers from the house, mostly noodles. He admitted that this kitten had already been attacked by the neighbors dog and was not getting much to eat because its sister was getting first dibs. I explained that kittens this small needed real kitten food and to be inside (oct. in nv) and that she was very sick. Her eyes were very watery and had almost sealed shut and her nose was constantly running. Long story short (I know too late lol) I agreed to take her off their hands so the kids wouldn't have to go through seeing her possibly die, and I sent him over some proper kitten food and instructions on how to take care of the other one. The bigger one was only there for another couple days as she was going to his mother's house where she would be an indoor cat, and she wasn't showing any signs of illness. He agreed to give the smaller one to me since he didn't have the extra money for the vet etc. We named her Pumpkin (after the patch) and got her well. She still cannot have any vaccines (per vet) and occasionally gets allergy type symptoms.
I guess what I am trying to tell you, is that it is a terrible spot to be in, but sometimes the only thing wrong with how people treat their animals is lack of education. In my case, the neighbors are of Mexican heritage and grew up thinking different of their animals. My neighbor (different one) has over 20 ferals she keeps because of a mexican family that lived near us and left 4 cats behind when they went back to Mexico. Although this forum is packed full of cat lovers, there are many people that see cats only as pest control. Unfortunately, many people consider them disposable pets or something to give a child that has no idea how to be a responsible caregiver. You know your neighbor best, are they the type that you can talk to and try and educate? If not then (you didn't hear this from me lol) but keep the cat, fix him and find him a new home, I can bet they won't come knocking on your door looking, especially if you just had a storm, they will just assume the storm took him.
 

zane's pal

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I would not recommend having surgery done on someone else's animal without their consent. You could get sued.
 

sport

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Originally Posted by AudioCat

Place fliers on a few neighbors doorsteps saying how you "found" this poor kitten out in the horrible weather and just knew that it had to be a stray since you can't imagine anyone in your neighborhood being so cruel as to leave any animal out in these conditions
OMG, that is the most FANTASTIC idea that I have ever heard !!!!
Make those butt-holes
feel like the peices of crap that they are. Why even have a cat
? It's not an accessory
, it's supposed to be part of your family. My God !! my little Sport is like my child
. I would just die if anything ever happened to him. The best revenge would be to have the loser neighbors get locked out of their house in a severe thunderstorm
. That would be the best karma in the world. Well enough of my rant. I just thank God that there are people out there like you,
that actually have a conscience. Best of luck to you, your cats and the little kitty.

Peace, Love and tie Dye
,
Rob & Sport
 

emmylou

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I doubt anyone would be able to sue you for neutering a stray cat. Some areas are starting to require all pets to be neutered. I also think it's unlikely that the neighbors would want to sue because of neutering; this doesn't sound like a purebred kitten.

The question I would ask about this is: Are you sure they're actually bad pet owners? Have you seen previous behavior? Because if not, it could be that this kitten got out without them knowing, and they couldn't hear it at the front door... either because of the storm, or because they were in a different part of the house, not home, etc.
 
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jamison

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Originally Posted by emmylou

I doubt anyone would be able to sue you for neutering a stray cat. Some areas are starting to require all pets to be neutered. I also think it's unlikely that the neighbors would want to sue because of neutering; this doesn't sound like a purebred kitten.

The question I would ask about this is: Are you sure they're actually bad pet owners? Have you seen previous behavior? Because if not, it could be that this kitten got out without them knowing, and they couldn't hear it at the front door... either because of the storm, or because they were in a different part of the house, not home, etc.
The kitten escaped into our house once before, this is how we know it is theirs. The people themselves give off a bad vibe, they leave broken glass, scrap wood and trash outside their door and all over a shared walkway that 4 separate home owners all have to use to get to their respective houses. We live in a row of 4 plexes so two doors on one side face two on the other, it's an enclosed space and it's really no place to raise a family their size with animals and all the rest. I once before came home to find their large dog attached by his leash to their door knob barking and howling, which went on for hours that night. They just don't seem to understand how to treat animals. It seems like a game to them.
 

shanynne

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Originally Posted by Jamison

So last night Saskatchewan was on Tornado alert and in the midst of a pretty awful storm, Lighting every 2 seconds and thunder that shook our place. Now as I was going to bed I heard a cat crying very badly, I thought maybe one of our cats was lost/hurt herself so I went upstairs to check it out. Both cats were just fine, slepeing away obviously not in peril. I went back downstairs but still heard the crying (over the storm!) So I threw on a shirt and opened the front door... In the middle of this storm that was throwing hail and torrential rains i found my neighbors kitten outside their door. Having been there for at least 20 minutes it looked like they were not going to be doing anything about it anytime soon so I went outside and grabbed the little fellow.

I took him down to our bathroom and dried him off, grabbed him some food/water and used an old shoebox for a makeshift litterbox for the night. He is a very very sweet little boy (can't be more than 6 months? I remember the same cat a few months ago ran out of their house and into ours very cute) He was purring and talking with us as we tried to figure out what in the world to do with him.

Our resident cats of course went on high alert hissing at the bathroom and freaking out a little, but this was a matter of saving the poor kitten so we will deal with our babies forgiving us later. But now the question is... what do we do? The cats owners obviously do not care too much about him, letting him be out in the storm and not even looking for him. He is NOT neutered which again makes me think they can't care too much as even if he was just an outside cat (who they shouldn't have in our complex as it's not really a good place for a kitty to roam outside) They still should have had him neutered so he isn't making strays.

I don't want them to have him back as I can tell this will keep happening and they just don't have what it takes to raise a cat right. I have contacted all my friends who would make a decent home for him but no word back yet. I don't want him to rot in a cage at the SPCA but it seems he would even be safer there than back in their home.... What do I do?
I'm rather torn over this.

You suggest that they don't care about the cat because he is not neutered. Just because he is not neutered does not mean they don't care about the cat. Myself I am against neutering a cat before six months of age, as most of the vets I spoke to recommended that 6 months is the best time for the cat's optimum health. Maybe they were planning to get him neutered at that time.

Maybe they did not hear him crying above the storm. Yes I know that you heard him, but that does not mean automatically that they should have heard him crying too. Maybe their TV was on loud. Maybe their front door is very thick heavy wood that could have blocked out the sound of the kitten crying. Maybe, they did not even realize the kitten was outside. Hey, no offense, but that has happened to the best of us. It happened to me. Rascal snuck out and I didn't even notice. If it hadn't been for the fact that I was heading out to do some grocery shopping, I wouldn't have noticed for a while. When I opened the door to leave, there he was yowling and crying *loudly*, and I hadn't heard him, and I didn't even have the TV on at the time. Our front door is a solid heavy wooden door, that must have blocked out the sound of his crying. (I know I felt *so* horrible, you have *no* idea
and yes I am getting him and Samson micro-chipped)

How do you know, for certain, they didn't look for him? Maybe they did and didn't find him. Maybe the kitten only found his way to their door much later.

Listen, I am *not* trying to defend your neighbors, but before you decide that "hey, they don't deserve this cat" go talk to them. Talk about the storm, mention how thankful you were that your cats were safely inside your house. If they don't mention the kitten at all, could it be possible he is someone else's kitten who is allowed to roam around? Maybe he happened to be in that vicinity when the storm hit and if they had occasionally fed him, he remembered and stayed crying at their door hoping for shelter. However, if they mention they think lost their cat in the storm and how upset they are, then you have an obligation to return the cat to them.

Just imagine if it had been one of your cats that had somehow snuck out and that you didn't immediately notice. Let's say that once you did notice, you went out searching for him, but did not find him. Just think how happy you would be to find out one of your neighbors found him and returned him. And what if one of your neighbors found your cat in a storm and decided you weren't fit to have a cat? I mean "how could *that person care* about their cat and let something like that happen". What a horrible cat owner. You can't just decide that your neighbors are terrible cat owners, without knowing all the details.

Yes they let the cat outside, which I am *totally* against. But some people have different views on this. One of my good friends for example, her philosophy is that it's better for a cat to live outside in the free world rather than live a long safe life kept in a "box" ie apartment/house etc. I've argued with her, "what if a neighbor steals your cat, what if it gets hit by a car?" Her response is "One can't live in fear"

Now, I don't agree with her, but that does *not* make her a bad cat owner.


Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

I would not recommend having surgery done on someone else's animal without their consent. You could get sued.
I agree. This could get you in trouble.

The last thing that I would like to mention, is that *this cat is now used to going outdoors, if you end up keeping it you are going to have a hard time keeping it indoors only. Once a cat has been going outside, it's almost impossible to keep it inside only, and chances are, eventually your neighbors will find out you have their cat.

If there were real signs of abuse and neglect, then I would certainly hesitate to return it to them, but from what you described there doesn't seem to be.

Again, I'm not trying to stick up for your neighbors but just to put myself in their shoes.

I know that if it were my cat that got lost, no matter the reason, I would be *eternally* grateful to have it returned to me.

Just think and pray on it.
 

shanynne

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Originally Posted by AudioCat

I just learned from one of my neighbors that someone a few doors down from me moved and did NOT take their cat with them.
Many people are missing cats in this area right now (coyotes) and a few of us have tried to find it but can't. This was a little white cat who was outside during the day and went inside at night.

I just don't understand why some people have pets. How can you move and not take a family member with you.
How do you know that they deliberately left the cat behind? Maybe they are frantically searching for it now.
 

audiocat

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Originally Posted by Shanynne

How do you know that they deliberately left the cat behind? Maybe they are frantically searching for it now.
No...they are not looking for it. They deliberately left it behind. They told the neighbors they left it - about a week after they moved. Their reasoning was because it liked to climb trees in the daytime and it did not want to get into the car when they called it as they were ready to drive off.

They should have taken it to a shelter...not left it outside in a heavily wooded area to fend for itself. We have a large coyote population here and a white cat that is not used to being outside at night probably does not have a good chance of survival.
 

zane's pal

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Originally Posted by AudioCat

They should have taken it to a shelter...not left it outside in a heavily wooded area to fend for itself. We have a large coyote population here and a white cat that is not used to being outside at night probably does not have a good chance of survival.
A cat who is not declawed can defend himself against a coyote. My aunt's cat regularly chases coyotes out of the yard. Also, in a wooded area, a cat has one advantage--coyotes can't climb trees.

That is not to say that it is OK to leave your cat behind when you move, however!
 

shanynne

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Originally Posted by Jamison

The kitten escaped into our house once before, this is how we know it is theirs. The people themselves give off a bad vibe, they leave broken glass, scrap wood and trash outside their door and all over a shared walkway that 4 separate home owners all have to use to get to their respective houses. We live in a row of 4 plexes so two doors on one side face two on the other, it's an enclosed space and it's really no place to raise a family their size with animals and all the rest. I once before came home to find their large dog attached by his leash to their door knob barking and howling, which went on for hours that night. They just don't seem to understand how to treat animals. It seems like a game to them.
Listen talk to them about the storm, mentioning how glad you were your cats were safe inside, etc. See what their reaction is.

Are you really 100% certain it's theirs? Could it belong to another one of your neighbors? Just because the kitten escaped into your house once before, does not automatically make it theirs.

If your heart is telling you that they abuse animals, and you honestly feel that giving them back the cat is the wrong thing to do then by all means don't. But if you don't keep it and give him away to someone else, make sure to let them know this used to be an outdoor cat.

Can you try and find proof and report them to the ASPCA authorities? Heck, you might even have enough now to get them to investigate. But you have to be careful. Yes I agree leaving one's dog out all night on a leash is not a nice thing to do, but I have seen much worse. If they did it only once...

What kind of people are they? It sounds a bit like everyone is afraid of them.

Yes the broken glass etc. on the walkway is terrible, why don't you and the other neighbors complain to them about it, since you all have to walk over it?

Please keep in mind that I'm only trying to help. One of my worst fears is losing one of my cats. Losing him to someone who would keep him instead of returning him to me. But you have to do what you feel is *best* in your heart. Only you can decide that.

Originally Posted by Jamison

He is a very very sweet little boy (can't be more than 6 months? I remember the same cat a few months ago ran out of their house and into ours very cute) He was purring and talking with us as we tried to figure out what in the world to do with him.
Heck, it almost sounds like this little cat has already picked you out to be his new owner
 
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jamison

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Originally Posted by Shanynne

Heck, it almost sounds like this little cat has already picked you out to be his new owner
I would love L-O-V-E to keep that little guy, that would make my day! But we already have 2 very territorial females and I don't think they could handle bringing the little guy in. He would need a place that he could roam around, those girls already lost their minds with him just locked in the bathroom.
 

shanynne

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Originally Posted by Jamison

I would love L-O-V-E to keep that little guy, that would make my day! But we already have 2 very territorial females and I don't think they could handle bringing the little guy in. He would need a place that he could roam around, those girls already lost their minds with him just locked in the bathroom.
So how are things going with the new guy? Have you decided to keep him finally?
 

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Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

A cat who is not declawed can defend himself against a coyote. My aunt's cat regularly chases coyotes out of the yard. Also, in a wooded area, a cat has one advantage--coyotes can't climb trees.

That is not to say that it is OK to leave your cat behind when you move, however!
Cats are killed by coyotes all the time. One on one, the cat may be able to stand it off, but when the second one shows up, it's all over. The same is true of dogs.

My guess would be you don't want me to post a link to the youtube video of a coyote carrying off a cat it has just killed, or the news report with video of a coyote that managed to pull a cat out of a tree.
 

j_f_a

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Oh no! Don't show those!!!!!
And while a cat may be able to defend itself against a cayote in theory, in reality it all depends on how well the cat can fight. While one cat may fend off 1 cayote, one won't because it really doesn't understand the danger it's in, or it's never really faught before, or any number of reasons. And if there's more than one cayote (as let's face it they're pack animals) the cat doesn't stand a good chance at all.

Back on topic, those owners don't sound particulary bad. Perhaps they didn't notice the cat had got out? It's easily done. Or perhaps they did and went looking for it and that's why they didn't hear it. I hope you don't keep it.
 

zane's pal

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Originally Posted by mrblanche

Cats are killed by coyotes all the time.
Oh yes, I know. I didn't say--or mean to imply--that it was perfectly safe to leave a cat out with coyotes around; just that it wasn't an automatic death sentence for the cat. As I said, I've seen my aunt's cat chase coyotes out of the yard.
 
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