Gah...HELP!!

She came again tonight...she came on the porch and wigged out! I tried to grab her and stop her from running off but she got away. Now I'm afraid that she wont come back.

What should I do?

Tammy

Anyone?

Tammy

Vibes she returns tonight.

If she does, though, try not to rush her. Cats have to move at their own pace. Who know what she's been through and you approaching her may just scare her. This is the one with the shaved tail, right?

Do you need to catch her soon? If so, use a humane trap. If not, give her time. She'll come around. You should probably make up your mind soon and come up with a plan, no matter what.

Personally, I'd trap her and take her to the vet just to check out that shaving business. You can bring her inside then and start the re-socializing inside.

I second this advice. When an outside kitty, feral or not, needs to see a vet, best to just use a trap to get them there.



Laurie

We are short on time...we are going away for vacation on the 10th and I wanted her settled into my spare bedroom before then. I have everything I need for her now in there. And I would have time to get her to the vet during this next week for a check up.

Maybe I should let it be and just feed her until we get back and then I will have the rest of the summer to get her into the house/vet. What I am worried about is that she will stop coming around when we are gone for 2 weeks.

I have my neighbor that can leave food out for her and she is coming over daily to check on my other cats while we are gone. But there is no guarantee that she will be the one to get the food. With me here I wait until she is done eating and bring the bowl of food back in the house so on other animals get into it. Not the most ideal situation I know for Nala. Lol..that is what I have been calling her.

So do you think that is the best/safest situation for Nala is?

Im worried because there was some jerk that beat a cat to death in the park next to my house a week ago and I dont want her to get hurt. They still havent found who did it.

Any and all suggestions will be welcome.

Tammy

Nala came back last night...she let me pet her again. Not to catch her before I go on vacation and get her checked out by the vet. Or do you think I should leave her be and catch her after we get back? We are leaving on the 10th and coming back on the 26th.

Let me know what you think...there is a more detailed explanation in my post here:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=200094

Tammy

Just FYI, the threads were merged because it's the same topic.

I really don't know what to advise, because of the 2 week vacation. Without food or water for two weeks, she may move along. And with some nut out there, I'd be worried because of that too!

On the other had, she would need to see a vet before being brought into your home, even if she were going to be separated from your other kitties. And with someone else caring for the cats, there's no guarantee she won't escape her room - and if she has litter box issues, is the person caring for your kitties willing to deal with that for two weeks? It's a really tough position.

When we rescued Billy, he had giardia. We had no way to separate him from our gang, and we could NOT risk having them get infected with the parasite. The treatment is 10 days, and we wanted fecal samples over several days to ensure it was gone (one fecal sample after completing the meds is not enough). So when we brought him to the vet, if he hadn't been neutered already (we'd already trapped him and had him neutered and then released him - why he's inside now is a long story), we would have had him neutered, and then poor thing had to stay in boarding at the vet until we were sure the Giardia was gone. He was there just shy of two weeks.

Is getting her to the vet before you leave on vacation a possibility? And do they have boarding? Would they keep her for the two weeks you're gone? It is certainly not ideal - but she could be spayed (if she's not), vaccinated, treated for worms or any other parasites or illnesses she's got by the staff - tip them generously and ask them to keep an eye on her and interact with her if she'll allow it - and then bring her home when you're back? We bought Billy a carrier and cat bed, and the vet place put it in the cage with him, so he at least had a kind of hidey place. We handed off Feliway and asked them to give the carrier a spritz every three days.

When we came home, he was SO HAPPY to be out of the vet, that he became a love pretty quickly - so the long confinement at the vet facility sometimes has its advantages when it comes to socializing.

I'm pretty sure that's what we would do in your situation. I don't know what else to recommend.



Laurie

I'd go ahead and trap her and get things moving. The longer you wait the more likely it is that she'll find somewhere else to go or far, far worse.

I agree about getting her to the vets before you go. boarding her there is also a great idea. If you go with the house sitter, then if there are two doors to the rest of the house, then it would work. Something like the master bathroom (door no. 1), and then the bedroom door (door no. 2). That way, if for some reason she got out of the bathroom, she couldn't go further then the bedroom. Also get some cat attract litter, and keep music on to keep her company. Also put a night light in the room that she is staying in. Hope that helps

Mary

Now I'm worried. She didnt come last night. This is the first time in almost 2 weeks that she has not showed on my doorstep to eat and get some lovin.

I'll be watching tonight again.

Tammy

No show again last night...

Tammy

I'm sorry she's not coming back. could be she is out with the boys and will come back in a few days. Keep looking for her, she should come back soon.

Mary

she comes back!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laurie

I hope so...time is getting short here. I dont know what to do if she doesnt come back before we leave on friday.

Funny how you can become so attached in a few weeks.

Tammy

Well...I have some good/bad news about the cat I have been feeding. She is not a stray. She belongs to an elderly man that lives around the corner from me. She is the mama cat to 5 kittens of about one year old. He has gotten them all fixed including her. She is an indoor/outdoor cat along with her babies.

I thought she was shaved but apparently she looses her hair like that every summer and it grows back in the winter. He feeds then dry and wet cat food twice a day and they all seem to love him and come when he calls them.

He did tell me that she is his favorite but if I wanted her I could take her anytime I want. He is worried about feeding them all this winter with the price of food going up and had actually talked about gettting some of the kittens put to sleep but he cant make that decision.

I told him I would talk to hubby and let him know what we decide. Hubby says she has a home and if he ever needs to rehome her then we would take her but leave her be as she seems happy. To just consider her a frequent kitty visitor and give her love and some food if she looks hungry.

Hubby also said that we could talk to the neighbor and ask him if it would help to buy him a large bag of food once a month to help out with feeding them. You could tell that he really loves them all and does not want to give any of them up at all.

So today after work I'll stop over and chat with him for a bit and see what he thinks about that. All he can do is say no right? And make the offer if he ever needs to rehome her to please let us know...boy this was much easier when I thought she didnt have a home!

Tammy

I think that's a wonderful idea. A helping hand may be all he needs. And to know there's a home for her - or the kitties - if needed - well - I think that's a wonderful thing.



Laurie

That's a great outcome.

I had a cat that I thought was my cat until one day when I left for work, forgot something and had to return. That's when I saw him, slinking off down the street to his other family. Need I add, he had a weight problem?

I stopped at his house on tuesday. He asked me if I had caught her yet I said no I havent seen her since monday when I spoke to him. He just laughed and said that she is a wiley one lol.

I told him that we were concerned about taking his kitty he told me to please take her. He is worried about her and that if she has a good home that he will feel much better. I didnt even get to offer the cat food to him to help out as I was so shocked that he still wanted us to take her. Hubby is still worried that he is only saying it to be nice and that he doesnt really want to let her go. Luckily we have awhile yet until it becomes cold. He gave me the name of his vet and his full name and told me to call them for an update on shots.

Hubby is also worried that the hair loss is from mange...that would need to be cleared up before coming with our other animals. I just got my pc back today...the hard drive died so I havent had a chance to update. Like I said it was much easier when we thought she was a lost stray kitty.

Tammy

Well...Nala has been coming and going since I last posted although it has been about 5 days since I have seen her last. I called the vet she goes to and she has has all shots but they were due in may, she is fixed and they think the hair loss is from fleas.

Of course now that I have a standing appt with the vet to bring her in when I trap her..she doesnt show

She is very sweet. Head butting me, rolling around my feet and chittering to me. She lets me pick her up and is very calm in my arms and lays her head on my shoulder and just purrs. She is so mine when I get my hands on her again!

Tammy

I'm glad everything worked out. Don't you wish you could clone that old man, though? He was so responsible - even to the point of giving up his favorite cat because he knew it was better for her.

So many times, people feed the cats but that's it. Then they're overwhelmed when the kittens arrive! I hope you keep him posted about her. He'll appreciate it for sure.

And I bet a bag or two of food left mysteriously on his doorstep wouldn't hurt his feelings, either. I've "adopted" a local caregiver who doesn't know it. It's almost like being Santa Claus because I know she needs the help and would not ask. Now she doesn't have to ration the food like she had had to in the past.

Bless you for taking this kitty. Whether its mange or fleas, she'll be a challenge to get cleaned up. But she sounds like she will be totally worth it.