A couple of questions..Need some advice!

Im no stranger to cats being as Ive had atleast 2 since I was born! However someone dropped off a beautiful grey and black tabby female on the side of the road. Thankfully she made it to the barn near my house and my dog found her bawling and her poor little heinie bones poking out. Its been appox 3 weeks since we have had her and shes adjusting very very well her weight is up and shes getting along great with the 2 other cats (both males) my question comes into her being deaf. No lie GiGi cant hear for beans BF and I have tried clapping near her head yelling shouting making weird shrieking noises and we get nothing. But if we stomp on the floor near her she looks at us and if we hum or murmur with our throats on her back or belly she purrs like crazy and acknowledges us. I cant afford to take her to a vet right now cuz Im trying to save up to get my male Hercules fixed. But does anyone have any advice on how to deal with a potentially deaf cat. This is a weird situation for myself and BF I love GiGi and wont rehome her especially since shes madly in love with BF and thats his little girl...(and hahaha he doesnt care for cats except her)
My other question is my soon (fingers crossed) to be neutered male Hercules does not spray but his pee in the litter smells horrible. I used multi cat Scoop away litter baking soda and clean all 3 boxes 2-4 times a day at the minimum and also sweep their room out every day using carpet sprinkle and glade plug ins..But when he pees it makes the whole house smell till I go running and scoop it up. Does anyone have an odor advice till I can get him fixed Im hoping to get it done for my bday next month....

I don't have experience with deaf cats, but wanted to say thank you for taking her in and caring for her. I have a feeling that it's much like dealing with a blind cat. She'll probably use one of the boys for "clues" and to help her through the world. If you're super concerned about her, you could bring her inside and make her an indoor only kitty.

Tomcats STINK. That's the way it is. Even if they don't spray, their urine is very strong-smelling. The smell will slowly dissipate after he's neutered, but it might take a couple months.

However, if she's not spayed you'll end up with kittens. Sometimes males can even impregnate females a few months after being neutered. So if it's a choice between the 2, I'd recommend having her spayed first. Raising kittens is really expensive, and if you're having trouble affording a neuter, you definitely can't afford kittens.

Have you contacted the local animal welfare groups to ask about low-cost spay/neuter? Maybe there's a program in your area. Otherwise, ask your vet if he'll let you make payments on having them both fixed at the same time. Some vets will allow that, especially to prevent kittens.

Im in contact with a vet clinic in my area and its the cheapest one around and its also the one highly recommended by everyone I know who has pets. Unfortunatly they dont accept payment plans and PA Pets takes weeks and sometimes mths for them to even get back to you about helping with the costs (my sister used them) and they only cover 50 dollars of the 130 dollar procedure. I def dont want kittens and I keep them seperated as much as possible and watch them like a hawk. GiGi seems to be only about 6-8wks old and Ive brought her inside because we are near a high traffic area where drivers speed thru and already there have been groundhogs hit on the side of the road so I couldnt leave her outside so close to the road. Im going to be calling the vet again and hopefully try and beg and plead with them to accept half the costs up front and let me pay off the rest on a weekly payment plan. I would have gone sooner but all my bills and rent have been due these past 2 weeks and business at work has slowed down and unfortunatly being a waitress there is no guarentee of how much Ill make in a shift...( I love my cats and dont want to have to rehome either cat....Im going to be busting my buns to try and come up with a quick solution to this dilemma..I just hope that noone thinks of me as an irresponsible owner Im doing my best with what I have and I respect everyones advice they are giving me..Thank you for helping!!!

*Tyler*

For the neuter and spay, you can look into clinics, rather than a vet practice. I think there are quite a number of them in PA. You may be able to find some place to do it for as little as $30.00.

You can search here: http://www.pets911.com

You can also scroll through Petfinder (just type in your zip code and search on "cat") - each cat up for adoption has a rescue org associated with it. Each rescue org has a link to a contact page somewhere. You can send out a bunch of e-mails or call around to ask if they know where to get a low cost spay/neuter - you just rescued a little cat you can't afford to have spayed.

Yes, she's too young to get pregnant now. But cats have been known to get pregnant as young as four months. And no amount of "keeping an eye on them" will prevent it. That is just not realistic.

*********************************

As to the deaf thing - deaf cats are great. They tend to be fearless (they can't hear the vacuum monster!) if brought inside at a young age like your little girl. They do, however, tend to like to go as high up in a room as they can get - so providing a lot of vertical space for her is a good idea if you can. Our little Flowerbelle (deaf due to disease before rescued) loves to be up in the far corner of the room so she can keep an eye on everything.

We never trained her. But you can use the vibration of stomping to teach her to come (stomp once every time you put down treats or food, and she'll associate that one stomp with coming to get food - good to have that one down in case of emergency or something).

You can also use two stomps for "no." We teach our hearing cats "no" by blowing a short, sharp puff of air directly in the face, saying "no" firmly, then redirecting them to whatever is appropriate to be doing and praising them a lot.

You can do this with a deaf kitty by replacing the firm spoken "No" with two stomps, and just interacting with her in a happy way when you've redirected her to what she should be doing.

They totally react to our facial expressions and body movements, so don't think they're missing out on our being happy with them or mad at them.

Just be very consistent in your one stomp vs your two stomp, and she'll learn their meaning pretty quickly.

You can also teach her some sign language if you want to go that far. Just PM Kiwideus. She's deaf and two hearing kitties and one deaf kitty.

I really do thank all of you for helping me with this issue. I wish money wasnt such an issue if it wasnt Id have a million pets and be able to take them all in. I have a huge soft spot for cats and when GiGi was found I just couldnt leave her outside. Mainly because of the cars and road being so close to our house and because of the evil mean tom cat that wanders on our property from time to time. He has come running out of the corn fields and attacked my dog while he was trying to go potty and has also attacked BF while he was trying to get into the house. Maybe it was irresposible of me to bring GiGi inside but I dont regret it at all it just makes me work harder and harder for tips and makes me scrounge harder and harder for more hours so I can afford to keep her. I know it probably sounds like Im making excuses to keep her and probably sound extremely irresposible but I want you to know that all the time Im spending on here Im also looking my butt off for low cost neutering and spaying and hoping I can find something that will help with getting her and Hercules both fixed! I hope you can cross your fingers and toes along with me and hope that within the next week or 2 I can get them both into a clinic or vets office and get them fixed!! Best wishes to everyone!!!

*Tyler*

You might try calling the local shelters or the SPCA to see what they recommend as an inexpensive way to get Hercules fixed. Yes, he will smell very strong until he's neutered.

$130 seems very high for a neuter. I believe my vet charges less than $50, especially if it's a shelter adoption. But everything is more expensive in PA. We used to live in Hamburg.

We're in Northern (rural) NJ, and our vet charges $80 for a neuter and around $120 or so for a spay - I think (been a long time! ). But because we're networked into rescue, a lot of people ask us for referrals to low-cost spay/neuter. We found one that is about a 45 minute drive from there that is $30 for either.

Tyler - I don't think you were irresponsible for rescuing a kitten when finances are tight. But I do think you're being foolish about not looking for a more resourceful way to get your cats spayed and neutered given your financial situation. The excuses are not excuses - they're reality. And that reality says you need to at least look to see if there is a cheaper alternative to your vet.

And just FYI, DH and I have a very lumpy income. So what we do is when we've been able to meet basic bills and we have a little we could put to cat care, we take it to the vet, and they credit our account. Over time, we build up credit at the vet so that if there is ever a health emergency during a time when we're struggling to pay bills, we have that credit at the vet.

So if you insist on using your vet and not even looking to see if there is a cheap alternative available to you to solve this problem, perhaps consider chatting with them about doing this. That way you don't have to struggle to come up with the $130 all at once - you can take it over $10 at a time and it "hurts" less.

Ive sent an email to Companion Animal Hospital and left yet another message with Pa Pets (this would be my 4th) asking if Companion would be willing to accept payment plans or volunteer services for me to get them fixed...They are pretty much my last resort I have the number for the Danville SPCA when I called them before about fixing Hercules they said unless I adopted him from there they couldnt help me. Sometimes I feel like the economy is kicking everyones butt...But Im calling the SPCA again tomorrow...Im hoping that by tomorrow when Im leaving for work I will have something worked out.....So far the only good thing that has happened this week is getting my dial up connected because its given me more access to information that the phone book doesnt help with!

You are SO right about the Internet!

Here - let's see if we can help with that search a little bit.

Here is the PA Pets website - specifically the low-cost spay/neuter section:

http://www.papets.org/FinancialAssistance.htm

It seems you can pick up an application for the spay and the neuter at the Sunbury Animal Hospital: http://www.sunburyanimalhospital.com/

I'm guessing that filling out an application and sending in to wherever they want it sent may move things along through their channels better? Most of these organizations are totally over-worked and struggling for funds, so they're not the greatest at getting back to people. But as they have an application process, maybe starting it is a good idea.

I'm working on some more for you....

I don't think you're being irresponsible as you are looking for ways to get your animals spayed and neutered. Definitely the most brilliant thing you could've done for your little girl was to bring her inside. I can't imagine the danger of her being near a busy road and being outside to fend for herself when she can't hear! You're doing a great job, but it would be wise to search a bit further for a less expensive vet for the snip job.

Well, I found - maybe - a few options. I know it's a long drive to Harrisburg, but it's something to consider.

That aside - I think it's worth contacting SNAP of PA: http://www.snapofpa.org/ (There is a link to the Coupons mentioned below on this page).

SNAP does run a mobile clinic that operates out of Enola PA - about an hour drive or so from you. You do have to make an appointment. There is a clinic on August 25 if any appointments are still available (if you're willing to drive an hour). If you want to call SNAP to enquire about this or to make an appointment, here is the page with all the information. http://www.snapofpa.org/low_cost_programs.html

There are vets participating in a low-cost program ($25 for males, $40 for females). You get a list of the vets that will do it for these rates when you request the coupon (link to coupon is on the main page of SNAP).

I don't know PA that well, so maybe scroll through this list and see if anything is within driving distance: http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html#pa

When we searched on http://www.pets911.com for low cost spay/neuter, no organizations were listed. But when you search on Rescues and Shelters, of course PA Pets is listed. But also listed is the Animal Resource Center (ARC) of Bloomsburg. This is a foster network - but they may know where to obtain low-cost spay/neuter. Their number is 570-784-3669. They ask that you leave your name, number, and why you're calling. They make it pretty clear it may take a few days to get back to you. If you want to check out their website, this is the link: http://news.nokillarc.org/2006/11/who-we-are.html

On the CastAwayCritters website (they run clinics for people who live in Harrsiburg), they say, "If you live outside the City of Harrisburg and have feral cats please contact PAWS at 717-957-8122, Box #3." Leave a message and someone (may) get back to you. Worth a call to PAWS to see if they'll get back to you - if they know of any low-cost clinics you can get to. Most organizations that work with feral cats will know where to go.

I'll look for some more resources for you tomorrow.

Laurie

I just want to say thank you for all of your wonderful help in looking for low cost spaying and neutering. I heard back this morning from Snap PA they have appts available for the 26th of September and tonight Im going to ask my mom if I request off work if they will help me and take Hercules in to get him neutered! Its only 58 total for his rabies shot, distemper and a pain shot and takes about an hour for the whole process...So Im looking at atleast a 3 hours trip!! You can even imagine how much this helps because I thought I was at a loss and only had one option!!! I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to help me so I can keep my babies. Unfortunatly GiGi just isnt old enough to get spayed as of yet but I will be making another appt for her to be getting spayed and then all my animals will be fixed!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! For all of your help!!!

Tyler

Yeah, it's a long drive. But you sounded like someone who would feel it was worth the trip. We've certainly done crazier things.

Please keep us posted! I really hope all goes well!

...and I don't want your question about deaf kitties to get forgotten in all of this! I hope my post helped a little bit. And please do send a private message to kiwideus if you want to know how to teach your kitty a few signs.

....and thank you for rescuing GiGi.

Ive got 2 rides lined up in case there are some issues with my first ride...I have sat down with Hercules and explained that while I love him and think he is the prettiest kitty ever (Ive got pics posted now in Fur Pictures section )) I dont want him and GiGi having babies and that for his health and society its best that he becomes a neutie boy like FatMan...He seems ok with it but thusfar has been snubbing me this morning...)

UpDate on GiGi- She has learned to jump the baby gate that seperates the cat room from the dog. So Ive been able to close the gap between the floor and gate. She seems to have picked up alot of whats allowed and not allowed thanks for Hercules and Fatman. Granted Im quite lax when it comes to rules for them because they really dont do much. Im looking into getting softpaws for her because I dont believe in declawing cats I feel its the cruelest thing EVER! But Ive got to do something to save BF's couch before he kills me!! LOL...GiGi really loves when we hold her and rub against her and murmur her name so she can feel the vibrations of us talking. She loves to play with her toys but Ive got to keep them in the cat room because Franklin eats the rolly balls and I dont want him swallowing the jingle thinger. So Im going to go to wal mart this evening or tomorrow evening so I can get her something we can play in the living room since shes our shadow and stays out here with us.

I cant thank you enough for all your advice and now that the neutering has been address anyone with deaf cat advice please feel free to pass it on!! And Im make sure I PM kiwideus and ask advice!!! Thank you all for being such a supportive and helpful group!!!!! Hercules and GiGi appreciate it also!!

Many thanks
Tyler, Hercules and GiGi

Woohoo!! The people on this board rock!! Now you have a resource and can save up to get GiGi spayed when she's old enough and big enough. Keep us posted on how the snip goes.

Sounds like Gigi is a normal kitty and getting comfy with her new home. I have a feeling you're going to have your hands full with that one!

Well after a longggg weekend working non stop Ive come home to a mad house...With the help of our dog GiGi Fatman and Franklin have managed to make a new bed under our bed by ripping off the box spring cover they all sleep in there now!!! How lovely..surprisingly bf didnt throw a hissy fit about it he just laughed because Fatman and GiGi are getting along now so he didnt care!!! LOL...Cats do the darndest things!