ANOTHER stray...

frankthetank

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Someone put a sign outside my house, in kitty language, that says "if you live outside this home, you will be fed, given water, and cared for"...
Okay, I know that's not possible but c'mon.

2 weeks ago (has it really only been two weeks?? feels like longer!!) we found Toby/Baby in our chicken coop....Just one cat, but we can't decide on a name that suits him, and call him either toby, or baby. He was starving, tiny, young kitten and sick/attacked. We got him care, medicine, fattened up, and we are giving him a loving home with two other kitten brothers who he bonded with immediatly and now they are all BFF.

Last week, we noticed a stray that looks a lot like our neighbors kitty. So much like the neighbors, that we think stray1 is one of NK's kittens (nk-neighbor kitty). We start feeding Stray1, and NK. NK has a home, but not a good one. NK wanted into the home last week but they pushed him off the screen door where he was latched on crying, and made him stay outside. So we have been feeding both. NK has a colllar so we can tell them apart. Stray1 meows at the door a couple times a day, and we give him food.

Today we are out letting the chickens and hubby tells me to c'mere. I go look next to our garden where we have some high bushes, and there is another kitty. A young, probably under 2 yrs old cat, she is white bellied, with a beautiful orange/tan/brown markings on her back and face. Very exotic looking. We fed her, and she left. Just now, 1230am, I open the door for my daycare parent, to see her on my porch petting this kitty. This kitty followed her to my door and sat outside. When I opened the door, this kitty tried to come in! I took out a plate of food for her again. I think something is wrong with her eyes. In our super bright porch light, one pupil is HUGE and the other is very small....so IDK. I mean I am clearly not a cat expert but it just looked weird to me. And this poor baby girl, she LOVES attention. She just comes right to us and gets petted and rubs against legs. She has a family somewhere....I posted on CL that I found a kitty...so maybe her owner will see it?

If anyone has made it this far, thanks for reading. So here I have 2 strays, and 1 cat that has a non loving home, that we are feeding outside. I feel like if I keep feeding them, more will come. However, if we don't these cats might die.
I already have lots of cats. Two boys of my own need neutered. Two girl strays we recently brought in need spayed. (our two boys are still too young to have kittens, but we have appts set up all within the next month to get them allllll taken care of, and we will hopefully find the girls homes!!)
Anyway....I would LOVE to take these in but we don't have the room, nor the finances to take in any more kitties. So, should I just keep feeding them outside?? Am I a horrible person bc they are clearly tame cats, and I can't bring them into my home? If something happens to one of them outside, I don't know...I will feel so terrible and responsible. But I also can't afford any additional vet visits, vaccs, another flea infestation or anything really, so I KNOW I can't bring them in...I just feel horrible.
 
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frankthetank

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poor girl. she is sitting on my doorstep, in the rain, crying to get in.
I set up food and water in our little shed (its a vinyl shed with a door that zips open and closed)....I have put her in it three times as shelter from the rain but she doesn't want to stay. she follows me out and sits at the door.
I have posted pics of her on my facebook, and I am hoping someone I know will want to take her in. She is not meant to be an outdoor kitty, you can tell. She has invited herself into my home whenever I open the door, and I have to shoo her out so nothing happens to my resident kitties. I have also posted things on a couple of vets fbook pages, hoping to find a taker for her. As usual at this time, all shelters around here are full and not taking any cats, so we are trying to make her comfy in our shed until we find someone who wants to have her inside. Her eyes don't seem messed up anymore, maybe it was a trick of the light. Who knows....I just know that these poor cats just keep getting dumped here and it makes me sick that people treat their pets this way.
 

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Originally Posted by frankthetank

poor girl. she is sitting on my doorstep, in the rain, crying to get in.
I set up food and water in our little shed (its a vinyl shed with a door that zips open and closed)....I have put her in it three times as shelter from the rain but she doesn't want to stay. she follows me out and sits at the door.
I have posted pics of her on my facebook, and I am hoping someone I know will want to take her in. She is not meant to be an outdoor kitty, you can tell. She has invited herself into my home whenever I open the door, and I have to shoo her out so nothing happens to my resident kitties. I have also posted things on a couple of vets fbook pages, hoping to find a taker for her. As usual at this time, all shelters around here are full and not taking any cats, so we are trying to make her comfy in our shed until we find someone who wants to have her inside. Her eyes don't seem messed up anymore, maybe it was a trick of the light. Who knows....I just know that these poor cats just keep getting dumped here and it makes me sick that people treat their pets this way.
With the daycare parents as a captive audience and the kitties all around there it shouldn't be this miserable. Just keep talking them up to everyone who comes through the door. Obviously you aren't in a position to give away the neighbor's cat but adopting out one of the others (???) may free up some much needed money.
 
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frankthetank

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LOL as mean as it sounds I wish I could give away the neighbors cat. Poor thing. But, he is not my property, and maybe I don't know the whole story behind their actions towards him, so who am I to judge. For now, we are feeding the neighbor kitty, plus two strays outside. I have been talking up the two strays, in addition to the two strays we have IN our home...and hoping to find a home soon for at least one...
We are also hoping that the newest outdoor kitty is not pregnant, so we are keeping a close eye on her to watch for that.
 

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Originally Posted by frankthetank

Someone put a sign outside my house, in kitty language, that says "if you live outside this home, you will be fed, given water, and cared for
I think we have the exact same sign at oour house! First of all, I want to say I absolutely adore your blog about Billy the Blind Kitten. You and your husband are the best! Please write some more about Billy.

We have 7 cats and I think we have the same problems as you, so let me offer some thoughts, if I may. We live in a city in a not-so-nice part and our backyard has become a haven for stray cats. We adore the 7 cats we have, but enough already. When my husband feeds our cats (most of the feeding is done outdoors), there are always one or two other cats hanging around. It's hard to know who is a stray and who just wants another meal.

The 7 cats we have were all strays except for Pixie who was born in our backyard. The other 6 came and were obviously homeless and just never left. All our cats are indoor-outdoor, but only Zimmie sleeps with us. Pixie and Junie sleep in the basement, but the male cats stay outside. It gets quite expensive with the food, the vet bills, Pixie has to be shaved each summer, etc., etc. I also donate every month to the ASPCA.

In July an 8 weeks old kitten came to our backyard - a little tiger. He was the most cunning mischievous creature you could ever imagine. I cried myself blind when my husband wouldn't let me keep him. I'm still bitter about it. Hubs took the little fellow to the humane society where they assured me he would be adopted quickly. I think someone may have purposely left him in our backyard.

I sympathize with you. It's so very hard to ignore the plight of these poor creatures.

PS Can we get some photos of Billy?
 

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Ah, yes. They know who is a cat person/household and who isn't. And so do the mean irresponsible people who dump their animals on others!!

Bless you for caring. Not having the heart to see certain cats be PTS at the local pound netted me SEVEN furry, demanding lil beasts!!!
 

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They actually DO mark - as far as up to a mile away - that this is a good place!


Boy do we know that feeling. Given that all of ours are indoor-only, here's what we do. When we can afford to TNR, we put food outside. When we can't afford to TNR, we slow down and then stop the food.

When we've been feeding, and can't afford to TNR, but are reasonably confident we'll be able to pay the bills over time, we keep feeding, and the vet lets us pay over time. If you don't have a low-cost clinic, talk to your vet. The adoptables we just worked to adopt out straight from outside, like you're doing. I don't FB, but we'd print up fliers with tear-off tabs and put them out EVERYWHERE and at all the local vets - all of them keep cork boards and/or books for people. Keep them in your car (and travel with tape and thumbtacks!). Ask EVERYONE. And if you're grocery shopping, and someone in line with you is interested - well - you've got fliers in the car.
People buying cat litter or food are always good to ask.
What's the worst? People say no.

I know you worry about the perception of the parents dropping off kids at your home.
But given how clean your home is, I think you should also consider the great lesson there is in compassion that the kids learn from your rescuing animals.


It's hard to do... but our vet ended up hooking us up with a local foster network. Now when we have friendlies, it's just a matter of time until space opens up for them to be able to take them. But given how under-funded and under-staffed most of these places are, you basically have to "earn" your right with time and lots of hard work. The other idea is to BECOME an official part of a foster network, and then they help with the expenses.

But you're doing the right thing. I know it breaks the heart - but it's just as important to know your limit.

 

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I think it is great what you are doing, is there any way you could set up a little shelter for this little girl cat who keeps trying to get in? If your daycare patient is giving her attention and you are feeding her, is it possible for her to stay outside but close to the house until you can find her a home? A small shelter can be made very cozy and warm and she would feel safe if it were close by.
 
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frankthetank

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I brought the stray girl inside. I HAD to...
Reasons why:
1. she is declawed in the front paws. poor girl would not have a chance in this world to defend herself. we have only indoors (minus sweet Billy who loves to roll around on our concrete porch sometimes...that's as far as a cat of ours goes though!) and we refuse to declaw. Once we realized she was declawed, we knew we had to bring her in.
2. she is very possibly blind in one eye. We noticed she was looking around funny etc. I noticed last night in the dark/porch light that one pupil was very small and one large. I thought it was odd, but it was 1am, I was exhausted, so i fed/petted her and went to bed. Today in the sunlight, her eyes looked normal. Once we realized she was declawed, we brought her in, and in the light in the house, noticed her eyes again. She also has a lot of the same characteristics of Billy, how she walks a little funny, looks around weird, and she was SO spooked when any cat came near her. We have her locked in the bathroom away from other cats, but she escaped at one point, and got incredibly scared as 4 cats surrounded her (the resident kitties are curious babies!!)

GOOOOOOOOD NEWS!!
I posted an ad about how I found her on CL, in case her previous owners were looking....and I got a response today. Actually three. Two people said they were interested in her bc she was declawed and gave me vet references etc. However one man emailed to tell me he volunteers with a local rescue, and he was interested in taking her to the vet, getting her checked out and vacc'd/fixed/anything she needed, and the fostering her while working to find a home thru the rescue org. We googled him and tried to make sure he was legit...he works for a local govt office, and we spoke on the phone for a bit because I wanted to be comfortable with him taking her. I am going to fwd him the info from the people who wrote me, so once he gets her vetted if she is a-ok for a new home, he can speak to these people.
I am also going to talk to him about the high volume of strays I am finding near my home, and see if I can have their rescue work with me to find homes for the strays...so please send me vibes for tomorrow!
I am hoping it goes well and this sweet girl finds an awesome home. She is wonderful. When I had the kids outside today she just walked around and tried to rub against the kids. And they loved her. We don't get it....she was flea treated (has barely ANY fleas!! baby stray had a ton more then her when we found him) declawed, etc yet someone just dumped her....
Well hopefully she will have a happy ending!
 

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If you haven't already, I would call the rescue this guy says he works with to call and confirm that. I'd also recommend suggesting meeting at the vet where he says he wants to take her, and making the "hand off" there - arriving a little while before you're supposed to meet, and asking the staff about him.

!!!!!
 

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Originally Posted by frankthetank

We don't get it....she was flea treated (has barely ANY fleas!! baby stray had a ton more then her when we found him) declawed, etc yet someone just dumped her....
For some reason I've never had a flea problem AT ALL with the outdoor kitties I've adopted or let in for trapping...Any issues with biting or litterbox avoidance ? Is she using the clumping or do you have pellets ? The dumping could have been from any behavioral change as a result of the surgery or eye issue - or just a lucky escape from an evil owner who would declaw in the first place...


Well hopefully she will have a happy ending!
 
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frankthetank

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Well it looks like kitty will be taking refuge in our home til Tuesday. I spoke with the man again, and we agreed to have me call his vet Tuesday morning, and make an appt for me to drop the kitty off. I will meet with the vet and get a vet reference for the man. The kitty will have a checkup, any vacc/testing done, and will go home with the man. The rescue he volunteers with will be calling the vet Tuesday AM to let them know to expect my call.
This way I will get to talk to the vet on Tuesday and let them know anything I have observed with the kitty. Her eye issue, along with anything else. She is very sweet. She is using the litterbox well. So far has only peed, so we are watching carefully for a poo, and hoping she has one soon. When we brought in Toby he didnt poo for about a day and a half so we are not too terribly concerned yet about that.
She is in the living room with us right now, hiding mostly. She has walked up to the gate separating rooms a couple times, and cries if she sees another cat. She is afraid of them, and they aren't too happy about her being inside so they are playing with toys in our kitchen. She just lays at my feet, and curls up next to them. She doesn't want to get on the furniture at all, she just sits there and waits for us to pet her. She will make a great pet for someone wanting a very cute lap kitty.
If things go well Tuesday, I am thinking of talking to this man more about the rescue he volunteers with...as I still have a couple strays. Maybe they can help me out a little by posting them on their site or something. We'll see, but I would love to be able to make a connection with a rescue, due to the large amount of strays we seem to be finding, and winter coming up in just a couple months.

Here is a picture of the pretty girl, taken yesterday while she and I hung out on my porch
 
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frankthetank

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Originally Posted by Primula

I think we have the exact same sign at oour house! First of all, I want to say I absolutely adore your blog about Billy the Blind Kitten. You and your husband are the best! Please write some more about Billy.

I sympathize with you. It's so very hard to ignore the plight of these poor creatures.

PS Can we get some photos of Billy?
Aw thanks!
I definitely need to do a Billy update! I will make sure I get another blog written this weekend, and I am trying to capture a video of Billy playing "soccer" with joey and some balls w/ bells in them. Its a favorite game!
I will also upload some more Billy pics, and make a thread about him. He is an amazing kitten...we are so so so happy we found him. Everyone that has met him just loves him and is so touched by how wonderful he is and is doing...I am glad that people who have only seen pictures and read stories seem to like him too. We are so proud of our little blind baby.
 

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Originally Posted by frankthetank

I will also upload some more Billy pics
I haven't seen any Billy pics! Are they somewhere? Please please post some more. I told my husband (he's a Frank too!) about Billy on Saturday and now he wants some more blog too! Thank you so much.
 
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frankthetank

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frankthetank is a screen name my husband came up with a few years back, from the movie Old School! My husbands name is Korey and mine is Danielle. I was going to make a new name for this site when we adopted Billy, and Korey told me he had used it before, but I was having issues with it, and ended up posting from his old name.

Anyway, I forget where I posted some pictures of Billy, I think there are a couple on my blog also..here are a couple more :eek:)


Billy likes to climb into books while we are reading, and laps while on the computer.


Billy also likes to "look" out the window.
 

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Hi Danielle! Thanks for posting Billy's pix. Too adorable! I rechecked your blog and I don't see any pix there.
 
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frankthetank

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I swore I had pictures on the blog...but I guess not? It has been such a crazy few months here, I guess I just don't know what I am doing anymore.


Anyway, I added pictures today, just a few throughout his time with us. My husband takes a lot more then I do of Billy (i take a million of Joey) so I am working to add some more to the computer.
 
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