New member with 2 new kitties...

wayside

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Hello everyone!

Lots of lovely cats you have around here. Love all the great signatures.

About a month ago I lost my dear Tita, a grand 18 year old polydactyl torti. She'd been with me since she was a kitten, when I adopted her from a humane society. They were contemplating putting her down, since she'd done nothing but sit in the back of her cage and hiss at people since she and her brothers had been brought in. Only took her about a day at home to warm up, and I never regretted my choice.

Anyhow, I wasn't planning on more kitties for a long while. She was very special, and I didn't think I'd be ready for them anytime in the near future. As is often the case, however, there were kitties with other plans for me


Sunday evening I went out to the barn where two of my horses are boarded. After putting my horse away, I stopped to chat with one of my co-boarders, and she says "Hey, I don't suppose you want a cat, do you?" Turns out that hiding in one of the outbuildings are not one, but two declawed housecats that were dumped at the farm. No idea what to do with themselves, and getting picked on by the resident barn cats, losing weight, with Wisconsin winter coming soon, their odds weren't looking too good.

So bracing myself for a less-than-thrilled husband, I scooped them up and into the car, and took them home. Husband is grumpy, but warming up to them, fortunately.

They have a vet appointment scheduled for Wednesday to get vaccinated, dewormed, checked out, and I think at least one of the kitties has ear mites.

Now for the introductions:

Alvin's severely underweight. Apparently someone knows the person who dumped him, so he's got a name. I'll have to take a before picture of the poor dear sometime when he's not curled up. Every vertebrae sticks up sharply when you pet him, and you can see his hipbones sticking out. He has a small raw spot on one of his back feet, and the insides of his ears are pretty dark and gooey. Poor thing. He's starting to perk up and wash himself now, and he's very friendly now that he's not out in the shed, petrified.

Here's Alvin:


The other kitty is much more outgoing, and although thin, appears to be in significantly better shape than Alvin. No one is really sure where she came from, but she's also front declawed, acts like she's used to being inside, and had partnered up with Alvin hiding from the other kitties. No name yet, we've just been calling her the "Big Fluffy Kitty".

Here's "Big Fluffy Kitty":


Thanks for letting me share!
 

white cat lover

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Awwww....bless you for taking them in!!


I'd have your vet guess an age on them, & maybe do a blood panel on both. Sounds insane, but many kitties come in painfully thin like Alvin at the shelter here & have health issues as a result of being malnourished. A blood panel off the bat can find any issues right away so they can be treated.
 
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wayside

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Thanks white cat lover, I'll definitely ask about blood work and and an age guesstimate while we're in. Of course I'm hoping that food and warmth will do a lot for Alvin, but I'm prepared for some issues.

Thankfully some of my co-boarders had been giving the cats a little food sporadically once they found him, so they haven't been bolting their food. Since they've been nibbling slowly, I've been leaving the food out free choice. Not a lot of choices when picking up cat food on a Sunday night, but they got IAMS with chicken as the main ingredient.

My small animal vet is great, very good at talking things through with me, and is awesome about making good recommendations. I never feel like my concerns are blown off or that they're recommending unnecessary tests or treatments. The care is outstanding and they even help me find the best deals on medications. And they have a 24-hour emergency line. So I have a lot of confidence in the care these kitties will get there.

Alvin seems to be neutered, but I'm not sure about the other kitty, so we'll have to look at that, too.

This seems like a good time to remind folks what a good deal a lot of adoption fees are
Free animals are never free
 

coolcat

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Hola y bienvenido a TCS, ...Catulina
y Milky
te saludan!!!
........

(Translate: Hi and Welcome to TCS, Catulina and Milky say hello to you!!!...
)
what a beautiful pic of your kitty!...
...

See you on the forums!
 

xocats

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Welcome to our community of caring people who love cats. Please make yourself at home.

As you learn your way around our site, if you have questions, I would be happy to help you. Feel free to contact me by clicking on my user name, then send a Private Message. I will get back to you asap. See you and your sweeties around the site.
 

Ms. Freya

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Welcome!


Your kitties are adorable.

I'm so glad you found them before the cold set in, your Alvin looks alot like my Freya did when we found her. I'm sure your husband will warm up to them...cats are masters at melting hearts.
 
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wayside

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Thanks xocats and Ms. Freya!

Alvin's getting perkier already. He's been walking around some, and even jumped up on the shelf to look out the window. And he's actually starting to feel clean when I pet him. When I first picked him up, he had a bit of a greasy unwashed feel to him, but now his coat feels like it's being maintained.

Husband definitely seems to be warming up to them. He beat me to freshening their water bowl and fussed over the heating vent in the bathroom they're living in yesterday. And he's gone in to visit with them several times.

Now, If I could just maage to convince him that "Big Fluffy Kitty" isn't a name...
 

flisssweetpea

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Hi there
we're so happy to get the chance to welcome you and furfamily to TCS. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay with us - we're one great big family and you'll find loads of friends here. If I can help at all while you're finding your way around TCS just click on my username and send me a Personal Message - I'll do what I can to answer your questions


Thank you so much for offering these two gorgeous kitties a home
 

wyatturpsmom

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WELCOME!
Your "foundlings" really are beautiful. It's amazing what people will do, but at least they are now in a safe, warm place. So glad to hear that Alvin is improving already.

Re names. Many years ago one of my brother's found a poodle out in the middle of nowhere and decided to take it in. He named him "Mad Dog." My brother left the country, my mother broke her hip, and Mad Dog went to live wth our Aunt Helen (at the time dogless). When he went to the vet, his name was Muffy. So, what's in a name?

I have Chandler Ray, The Princess Lilly-Rose, Tweety, Toby and on loan, Cally. I have a thing for y's currently.

I also had My Dog Spot (deaf) and RC for Me and My RC though we usually pronounced it Arse.
 

babygirl

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Hi and welcome to TCS!
We are so glad you have joined us!

If I can help you with any questions you have about the site, please click on my username and send me a message.
 

spatulahandle

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Awwwww, your story just made me melt! I am new here also and look forward to getting to know you and your kitties. Hope that they are doing well. Best wishes to you and your new kitties.
 

lilyluvscats

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I would love to see an update on the kitties. What did the vet say? How are they doing?
 

addiebee

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Originally Posted by Wayside

Hello everyone!

Lots of lovely cats you have around here. Love all the great signatures.

About a month ago I lost my dear Tita, a grand 18 year old polydactyl torti. She'd been with me since she was a kitten, when I adopted her from a humane society. They were contemplating putting her down, since she'd done nothing but sit in the back of her cage and hiss at people since she and her brothers had been brought in. Only took her about a day at home to warm up, and I never regretted my choice.

Anyhow, I wasn't planning on more kitties for a long while. She was very special, and I didn't think I'd be ready for them anytime in the near future. As is often the case, however, there were kitties with other plans for me


Sunday evening I went out to the barn where two of my horses are boarded. After putting my horse away, I stopped to chat with one of my co-boarders, and she says "Hey, I don't suppose you want a cat, do you?" Turns out that hiding in one of the outbuildings are not one, but two declawed housecats that were dumped at the farm. No idea what to do with themselves, and getting picked on by the resident barn cats, losing weight, with Wisconsin winter coming soon, their odds weren't looking too good.

So bracing myself for a less-than-thrilled husband, I scooped them up and into the car, and took them home. Husband is grumpy, but warming up to them, fortunately.

They have a vet appointment scheduled for Wednesday to get vaccinated, dewormed, checked out, and I think at least one of the kitties has ear mites.

Now for the introductions:

Alvin's severely underweight. Apparently someone knows the person who dumped him, so he's got a name. I'll have to take a before picture of the poor dear sometime when he's not curled up. Every vertebrae sticks up sharply when you pet him, and you can see his hipbones sticking out. He has a small raw spot on one of his back feet, and the insides of his ears are pretty dark and gooey. Poor thing. He's starting to perk up and wash himself now, and he's very friendly now that he's not out in the shed, petrified.

Here's Alvin:


The other kitty is much more outgoing, and although thin, appears to be in significantly better shape than Alvin. No one is really sure where she came from, but she's also front declawed, acts like she's used to being inside, and had partnered up with Alvin hiding from the other kitties. No name yet, we've just been calling her the "Big Fluffy Kitty".

Here's "Big Fluffy Kitty":


Thanks for letting me share!
Beautiful cats! You saved their lives. It just makes me sooo mad when people put their animals out like yesterdays' trash!
And yes, a free cat or two is never free. Thanks for the reminder about adoption fees. We get lots of people who grumble.

And welcome to TCS! This is a wonderful, helpful community.
 
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