I reacted wrong

I took Nuts outside and Goldie Jr decided to groom him he got a little upset at that and reacted by telling him to knock it off with an unhappy kitty noise. He seemed to be enjoying it but I picked him up and took him inside to grab a cigarette. He wasn't thrilled about going back inside so I took hil outside again. Well this time he decided to hiss at Jr. so I decided he had enough and out him back in the house. I decided to get the harness off and he starts scratching and biting me. He got me good and I just reacted. I spanked him . I gave him a good whack on his backside. I had already unhooked the harness so i couldn't leave it on him. He obviously reacted and tried to run but since the collar part was still on him he couldn't. I got it off and he went under the table. I went back out to finish my smoke. I came back in and petted him even though he seemed afraid of my hand(and with good reason.) He doesn't hold grudges so he is right back to being Nuts. If I misspell something I'm sorry I have a giant cat sitting in front of the monitor.
He was right back at the door looking out once I was back outside(his favorite pastime even though I've kept the door closed at the moment since the stupid calico is in heat.

This all happened in the last 5 mins so he didn't hold it against me. I'm such a bad pet parent, I spanked my baby.

I'm wondering if he was just overstimulated and that was the wrong time to try and get the harness off or didn't to go inside or just didn't want the harness removed either at that time or because he knew he wasn't going back outside. He is usually fine with Jr. He didn't care when Jr just walked inside twice today in the past 10-15 mins. Jr is an outside only cat since I doubt he would know what to do with a litter box if it whacked him on the head. They are usually fine with each other I'm just wondering if Nuts was just telling him to give him some space.

As I said stupid calico is in heat, even though Nuts appeared to have cared less, he didn't even go over to look in the kennel. Everyone is being bonkers right now. Sylvester hissed at me twice when I was out feeding everyone(he normally wants nothing to do with me and walks off) so I'm wondering if he's feral, upset over the calico, scared, is just a hissy cat(Maude was like that) or some other reason(he had the option of walking off) or if he was hissing at someone else, even though he was looking at me. He comes here and eats everyday and hangs out under Mitzi's trees but he isn't one of my gang, he's just here and wants nothing to do with people as of yet(that might change, he seems to be getting more comfortable with getting closer to us(even though this time he hissed at me. I was just outside filling the bowl so it wasn't like I was trying to touch him.

Jr coming inside, Nuts walking outside(that's why I harnessed him he had walked out earlier so I thought he might enjoy himself outside.)

Oh well once the calico is gone or out of heat everything should die back down and go back to normal. The male cats are all just being a little loony, The calico is still in her kennel, I let her out twice(under close supevision), once to clean her litter box and then again to clean it again and put more litter in it since it was starting to get empty. She seems to not yet be ready for the males to jump her since she scared Jr by trying to attract him(no contact between them and I was right there if they made any moves toward each other.) I can't keep her caged when I do her litter box so that is the only time she is let out(she stays on the porch and doesn't go anywhere else) and there is usually no one around.

I need a break from all of this.

Taryn

I'm doing great today. I forgot to feed them tonight. This time it involved my child and I rushing to my house to get the heck out of Paul's trailer(with a tornado warning in the next county over, time to get out of Dodge) due to our beautiful weather. No tornado hit, which is a good thing, but in it all I left before giving them food and forgot when I got back. I also forgot to tell Paul to do it as I was calling him with weather related crap and we were fighting, so I forgot to ask him to feed them.

I want to say Nuts was not hurt. It was more of a tap than a whack. It more of less got his attention away from shredding my hand with his claws(just clipped, didn't help) and teeth. By my post it should be obvious I didn't hurt him, he came over to cuddle with me once I came back inside.

I'm just having a bad day. No one has been hurt(well except my shredded hand), they were fed late, it's not like I didn't feed them at all today.

Ever just had one of those days, I think this qualifies as one. I'm just so stressed with cats. Between the calico and everything else I can honestly say I'm sick of cats. It will get better once little miss calico is gone and I'm not having to try and make sure no one interacts with each other, listen to her make sounds like she's dying(thank god she is outside), on top of Nuts and every other male acting up due to there being a cat in heat(that is no one's fault well except for me not being able to afford to get everyone done at once.) I know Mitzi is still mad at me over the calico, there is nothing I can do, she's here and I have her contained, what more do you want from me.

I just need a vacation away from everyone with nothing but a TV, DVR of my favorite programs and a computer with internet access. That would be perfect. Just time to decompress.

Taryn

I am simply frustrated. I do not spank my animals, I reacted in an instant after he sunk his teeth and claws in me HARD(and wouldn't let go.) Half-tail darn near took off my arm and all she got was tossed into the kennel(I needed to get her in to fast her before her spay and she was not literally tossed in the kennel.)

I do care about the strays, when I go outside I love on whoever is there and wants to be loved on. They all have names and I think of them as MY cats, they are no different than Attitude and Nuts. I love them, I consider them my pets. I hope Sylvester calms down and lets me get to know him, he is such a beautiful kitty, someone loved well, but dumped him(I'm assuming) when they were done with him. He looks all tore up so I'm assuming he would be an intact male.

I'm mad about the calico. It started out as me being nice, I get attacked because mine have leukemia, by y'all so I guess I just should have let a cat(who btw- FOLLOWED me home) starve to death. Mitzi hates me because the cat doesn't understand dogs are dangerous(not her fault, she was obviously raised with dogs) and she's just mad that there is another one. I now have to feed and water, clean out the calico's litter box which smell like death(but I do it anyways) I do take care of the calico and I do love her I'm just frustrated that she has gone into heat. If she could have lasted until Tues there wouldn't have been a single issue. This was my fault, I'm stressing about if she might have leukemia, if she does was it because of my cats, do you think I don't and haven't had mixed feelings about doing this? Her going into heat just kind of was the icing on the cake.

I'm not burned out. I didn't do it maliciously, I didn't even mean to 'spank' him. I reacted in the WRONG WAY thus the title of this post.

I have never hit an animal before and don't plan on starting now. It was a one time incident. If I ever lay my hand on my cats again I will personally surrender them to no-kill that will take them but I love them and I would be beside myself devastated if I had to get rid of them.

I screwed up, I'm stressed about the calico. I want her to have the longest happiest life that she can have. Shew is just the friendliest cat there is. I feel bad that she has to be kenneled and can't roam free. I could solve her issue with being in heat, I have 4 intact tom cats who would love to have her and she's getting spayed on Tues no risk of pregnancy BUT all have leukemia and I am not going to do that because it puts her in danger to be mated by a tom with leukemia. I just know the calico is miserable and it's all my fault.

I understand normal cat behavior, I just wasn't using my head at the time. Of course, that hasn't ever happened to you. We screw up and we make mistakes and we learn from this mistakes. The last spanking my son got was when he was 3 and decided it would be a great idea to spit in my face(safety issues and severe disrespect get spankings, and never in anger.)He quickly found out it wasn't and I never had that issue with him again. He's 7 1/2 now and hasn't been spanked since. He has known what a timeout is since he was 2 and that has always been my main form of discipline, but there some things that I feel a spanking has to used for something that puts his live or safety in danger(running into the street) or severe disrespect(spitting in my face) and he doesn't even really need time outs now he's well behaved. I don't even sopank my own son so why am I going to spank a cat.

I was hoping for a few just get through it posts. I am overwhelmed at the moment with the calico. She is going to her new home on Tues, I'm above what I can provide for level of care and I'm done, any new cats can eat and enjoy themselves here but I'm not getting involved in helping them other than giving them food and water and getting them fixed if they are friendly enough that I can handle them.The next dog friendly one will be handed over to animal control and let them deal with it. I'm done with helping beyond provide food and water and getting mine neutered.

Taryn

I didn't expect her to be dog friendly she would have been fine had she not been dog friendly.

Like I said I wasn't expecting a cat to follow me home and then require extra extra care because she has to be kenneled for her own safety.

Every rescue here is VERY FULL, I couldn't find a single one that wasn't already over capacity and I looked on both side of the river. Like I said if I didn't find someone I was going to take her to a HS that accept leukemia positive cats(just in case, she's lived in this neighborhood, not likely she has it but if she's going to a shelter might as well be one that accepts anything. Just in case) They are over an hour drive away but I was willing to do that for her.

My head didn't engage, I was stupid for trying to remove the harness right after he came in, as I said I know that was totally my fault.

I'm sorry I got angry, I was just frustrated.

I will post more later, I need to get to my house since Bobby is there and my parents(yes I live with my parents, I'm unemployed and have been looking for 2 years) and they need to go grocery shopping. I will post more later.

Taryn

Half-tail WAS spayed on April 9. I have an appointment for the calico and her 2 new room mates on Tues(this was the earliest they could do it.) That will be every female(including 2 that I have never even cared for and the calico who I'm not keeping.) I refuse to do the just $5 option, I need at least $20 per because at the very least I want them to have a pain killer shot. I will ask how much 'long term' pain killers cost, for Nuts at the very least, if they can give me them in pill form(I will get destroyed if I try to give him liquid anything, the last time left me bleeding.) I don't want them to be in pain for obvious reasons. I couldn't do it with Half-tail due to how skittish she was I knew I'd be wasting money on them since I had no clue how I was going to give them to her. Happily her attitude has totally changed since her spay and now she wants to be loved on. I don't know but I'm hoping it was the love and care I gave her that night in the bathroom when she was still groggy from the pain killer and anesthesia and I felt it was too cold to leave her outside in the carrier. I remember when I was holding and petting her and she began to purr(the first time I have ever heard her purr), it brings tears to my eyes thinking about it and how proud I am that I might have been the one who showed her that people are loving and caring and she had nothing to fear from us. I do love my cats and I don't want anything to happen to them. Right now I'm worried because I didn't see Biter today. If one doesn't show up I worry about them. I brought Attitude and Nuts inside after Attitude disappeared for a day. If I could bring them all inside I would just to keep them safe but most are not litter box trained and none of them would be happy being inside pets, they are scared of being inside. If I want one to leave all I have to do is let the door close and they will run out when I re-open it(I found that out by accident.)

The reason I posted about 'spanking' Nuts was because I wanted to own up to my mistake. I wouldn't have posted it, I certainly didn't have to and most would never admit to it but I wanted to own up to my mistake and not have it happen again.

I do not support the organization that wanted $35 for the calico because of various reasons including them putting down animals saying they were aggressive when they actually weren't and multiple other things. I just can't support an organization that does that. I would rather support a kill shelter because they are honest about it and most are devastated that that is part of their jobs. I'm sure the people at the no-kill feel the same way but it is the fact that they claim to be no-kill that bothers me, they are lying about being no-kill. I wish every animal had a loving home and that every rescue and shelter went out of business because their services were no longer needed but sadly they always will because of irresponsible people. I have all my females done and I am now going to work on getting the boys done. I said "Highland told me I could drop her off but only if I gave them $35. I can think of 100 better ways to spend $35 and all of them involve giving to rescues that I support(and I don't support them for various reasons.)" I said I don't support them and I'd rather give the $35 to a rescue I DO support as a donation than give it to them when I do not support them. Them claiming to be a no kill and killing animals by claiming they are aggressive or whatever is straight up lying and I don't support liars.

I did not expect her to go into heat. Like I said I got her the earliest possible appointment for her spay.

Yes, my males are unaltered because I had to get the females done first for obvious reasons. I paid over $200 to get Attitude done immediately when she went into heat at 5 months old(I thought I had at minimum another month.) She would have been done earlier if I knew she could go into heat at 5 months old. I feel bad that I may have damaged her health because she had the beginning of a heat cycle and I know getting them done before their first heat lowers their risk for certain cancers and other things.

The main thing about the calico is that Mitzi is upset about it. She is my neighbor(well Paul's actually) and having an angry neighbor and screwing up your relations with your neighbor is really bad. The cat can go but Paul and Mitzi are here to stay and having a bad relationship with them can make your life horrid.

I was feeling attacked with the leukemia comments because I was followed home, I did not willingly choose to rescue the cat but when we met up with Buddy I knew I had to get her to the house or she was going to get eaten because of her lack of fear of dogs. I think most, if not all of you would have done the same, I couldn't just sit back and watch the cat be killed or mauled by a dog. I know my cats have leukemia, I know it is contagious but the risk of the dog was worse than the risk of leukemia in my opinion. The dog could have killed her immediately and I couldn't watch her be mauled and I couldn't let Bobby see it and I couldn't just turn my back on it either. I'm hoping she is negative, I know older cats have a higher immunity to it, she is a teen or an adult so I'm hoping that helps her. I do feel bad about it but she was in immediate danger from the dog. Now do you understand where I am coming from? Why I did what I did? Like I said I was hoping she'd see me and run and then I could say I at least tried and failed.

I don't have a trap and I know my cats aren't 'smart' enough(I'm not calling them stupid) to avoid it so I'd mostly be trapping my own cats(or even worse one of the raccoons) and that doesn't do any good, mine are tame and can be taken to be altered no problem and the most wild one who are afraid of humans won't be caught and they are the ones I need to capture. I also don't want to deal with a raccoon in a trap, that is way too much danger because a trapped wild animal is going to be willing to fight and honestly I'd rather take on a coyote than a trapped raccoon. Plus, they don't relocate trapped raccoons they euthanize them and I can't do that to a raccoon. I want it to live out it's raccoon life and do raccoon things and make baby raccoons and just be wild and free, not dead because I caught it in a trap and have to call animal control or someone else to take it because I don't want to possibly be attacked when I release it.

Over the summer I woke up to 12 baby cats on my porch, Mama, Biter and Goldie had apparently decided it was time for us to meet their babies. I took care of them and loved them and adopted Attitude. I have kept the ones who were not adopted and even adopted another one, Nuts to be an inside cat. Runt, Goldie Jr and Half-tail are the 3 that never were adopted and Nuts is another one. I claimed Attitude as mine before we started adopting them out. I couldn't let Attitude go. One of the mothers brought over a baby(maybe 3 or 4 weeks old, eyes and ears were open and she could walk(kind of) and explore) before bringing the rest over, I guess as a 'test' baby(they did take her with them to where ever they were living when they left.) That baby was Attitude I have known her and loved her since she was a toothless ball of fluff. I took care of and watched over every single and tried to get them comfortable with humans(I failed miserably with Half-tail, but you can't win them all.) I was happy and not the least bit stressed. In this case it was guilt over having to cage the calico for her own good. No cat deserves to be caged but I know it is for her safety until she goes to her new home.

Mitzi can attest to my distress at not being able to feed everyone premium food and having to give the outside cats Cat Chow(I was spending way too much and going through bags of NB way too fast to afford to keep doing it.) She finally told me that a lot of cats have lived long happy lives on Cat Chow and there was nothing wrong with feeding them it if it was all I could afford, it was better than letting them go hungry.

I am getting every one I can catch fixed and then will focus on those I can't if I get a trap.

I know I can't help them all but the calico was kind of dropped in my lap so I had to help her. I was upset about her calls because she sounded like she was in distress and pain. It sounded like she was in so much pain. I'm a mother I hate to think of things hurting and I don't know if she hurts, I'm sure you all know what I am talking about.

She appears to no longer be in heat and I am fine again. It was her calling that was distressing me. I have not dealt with a cat in heat in over 10 years and I forgot how bad it could be and the fact that I already had an appointment for her to get spayed on Tues and that she went into heat before I could get her in.

All of my outside females are spayed. Attitude is spayed, I want to focus on getting everyone neutered now that I have the females done. I wanted to get the girls done before the boys for obvious reasons. As I said I would love to have my vet do everyone but I can't afford that. I can't even have him do Nuts(I prolly could if I don't mind living on Ramen for over a month, but the last time I could eat it without gagging was when I was pregnant) but I love the low cost that did Half-tail so I will use them for Nuts as well.

I have over 300 posts I am not posting and running because I am not getting the answers I want. I'm honestly sorry I got personal about it. I was in a bad mood, and stressed(mostly about things unrelated to the cats, but that was also playing into it) and took it out on the wrong people. I hope you can accept my apology. I'm not just posting it, I really mean it.

I hope I didn't leave anything out, if I have left anything unanswered please let me know. I will prolly get the boys outside done first since Nuts is inside and therefore isn't at risk of getting anyone pregnant and possibly spreading leukemia. I think y'all can understand that.

Taryn

I forgot to add that a different no kill refused to take strays. Now this one I fully support and would have paid any fee, no matter how much, and said she was my pet(and suffer any consequences) to get her in with them(if they had space, which I can't be sure of since I know all others are bursting at the seams and truly over their limit of cats because no one wants them.) One that Mitzi does grooming work for dogs that come in in horrid state due to lack of grooming(she once spent over 5 hours grooming a Great Pyrenees from a puppy mill seizure), has some cats that have been there for literally years. Luckily 'lost tabby cat guy' decided he wanted her if she was spayed and wanted his other 2 cats done. Since Paul is on Medicare he qualifies for the low cost service so we are having them done through it so that they are all spayed. Half-tail is staying here with me and as I said she was spayed almost a month ago.

This wasn't about paying fees to no kills, it was paying to one I do not support and can't trust to truly be no-kill.

Taryn

I know no shelter is ever 100% no-kill but plenty of people(including people who have or currently work there) say they will label an animal as aggressive just as an 'excuse' to put them down. It was a big deal when they put down someone's lost pet saying it was aggressive(they didn't even hold it the required 72 hours, dog would have had a better chance at a kill shelter they hold them, no matter how aggressive at least a week) a 5 year old boy lost his dog because they killed her for an untrue reason(an ex-employee verified they labeled it as aggressive for no reason other than to put it down.) Also they couldn't find a single person who said the dog ever showed any signs of aggression. They do this to dogs, no cats have ever come to light as far as I know.

I know both the no-kill Mitzi works with and the one I support do have to put down animals but they aren't doing it because they just don't want to deal with that specific animal anymore.

Animal control here is a joke. Contacting them is more trouble than it's worth. Also, this cat has never seen the inside of my house, she has been outside the entire time. I was planning on showing her she could get food here, letting her go and see when I could get an appointment for her to be spayed and letting her live out her kitty life.

I will post more later I need to get home to Bobby.

Taryn

Like I said I haven't heard them doing it with cats, but I have heard enough stories of them being 'euthanasia happy'(if there is such a thing, no one is ever happy with having to put any animal to sleep, even for ones that there is no other choice) with dogs that even if only 50% of the stories are true(and there have been lawsuits) then I just can't in good faith give them money for her. I would never assume anything about a cat since cats react differently to different situations and so do some dogs, but when people who have worked/volunteered in said shelter with said dog say that the dog showed ZERO aggression(it was taken to be put down by leash with no issues, I(and I think most others) would be leery of approaching a truly aggressive dog with a catch pole) and was labeled as such just so they could put it down I have issues. Even if one story was 100% true, it was 1 too many.

Like I said I had a different rescue in mind when the lost cat guy came through. The cat wasn't going to be left in there forever. I know if it came down to it(and had no other choice) chances are I would have handed over the money and the cat and lived with the consequences and hope she found a happy loving forever home. Like I said I have never heard a negative word about them and cats, they have ones at Petsmart that say 'I only hiss because I'm in a cage.' I know how hard it is when you have a never ending stream of stray, abused, and or abandoned animals you have to make choices. I wouldn't want to be put in that place ever.

Like I said I had 2 choices- live with the theoretical risk of leukemia or the actual immediate danger of her being attacked/killed/mauled by a dog. I planned on just letting her know there was food here, getting her spayed as soon as I could, and letting her live out her kitty life healthy safe and unable to reproduce. Sadly since she was raised with dogs she doesn't understand the risk she puts herself into when she doesn't flee from a dog that is not cat friendly. I did the next best thing, I tried to find her a home and I did. There is a cat hoarder up the street(I'm sure they are at least partially responsible for the leukemia in this area) so if I could have just dumped her there, they have so many cats I doubt they know how many they have and adding a new one would prolly never be noticed. I have seen way too many cats there. I will never be that I have 6 I care for regularly and if someone else wants to come along and eat so be it. By the time most get here they look like skeletons and it makes me feel good when I see them get fat and happy, even if they want nothing to do with me. Sylvester is the only cat I have seen recently that isn't one of mine. Both Mickey and I feed them and so far between us, Paul and Mitzi we think the only one we have seen around here that isn't part of my group is Sylvester. The hoarder is far enough up the street that their cats don't interact with mine as far as I know. I'm sure I'll have a bunch more once people start dumping their pregnant cats and kittens(happens every year) we'll have more and I'll have to start over again with more cats. I know it is never ending and I'm willing to accept that. Since all it takes is one female to pop out a litter and it perpetuates from there.

It really wasn't as much about the calico as it was about that stupid woman who dumped her and my intense hatred for her and how she mistreats her animals.

Everyone I consider mine will be neutered as all my females are spayed. Then I will see if I can get a trap to trap everyone I can't catch and get them done as well.

I am trying and we all have rescue situations that turn into nightmares but I couldn't ignore the meowing I was hearing that day. I had to find out what was wrong. I did the right thing and it doesn't matter if others don't agree but I couldn't just sit back and let her go up to Buddy and die in a horrible bloody painful way.

She goes for her spay Tues then it's off to her new forever home. I did save her and she makes up for all the ones I couldn't save. One save can mean a lot and you know what I mean.

If presented with the same circumstances of saving a cat or letting a dog get it I would do the same thing. I just can't in good conscience let the dog rip her to shreds.

Taryn

The woman I work with for the TNR knows my full situation and that she will be receiving emails when I have cats that I can afford to get done. I wish I could get all 4 boys done at once but the most I could get would be 3 and that's if I have a second small carrier(Nuts has a soft one that him and Attitude use when they need to go to the vet) since no one will fit 2 to a carrier.

I'm not just feeding them i am giving them a better life that doesn't involve fights and babies and just what they were living before. I watch them PLAY, I know I have to be doing something very right for them to play with each other, cats that aren't happy and aren't secure and who are hungry don't play. Goldie Jr now always lays down under the bird feeders, he is determined if he stays there long enough he'll get himself a bird, it's so cute.

You hear my when I talk about my cats it is rare that I only mention Attitude and Nuts, I usually also talk about the ones outside. I also don't name cats unless they are 'mine' Sylvester is an exception he just looks so much like Sylvester in Loony Toons he had to be named.

Notice calico cat is how I refer to her. Naming an animal means it's mine and I'm not keeping her, would love to but I don't need another indoor cat that I haven't adopted or fostered especially with an unknown FeLV status. In my case I can only keep the ones that have it.

I am happy with my group as is but I will take care of anyone who needs it. I'll ask Mitzi about a trap once I get all my boys done. They are my top priority then I go go for the ones that aren't friendly(and are prolly just scared, they just get dumped in a new area by their people.)

Taryn