Large, older, neglected cat in need of home/rescue shelter (South Jersey Area)

My aunt has had this cat for roughly 6-7 years, but due to severe allergy of several family members the cat has never been allowed to leave the basement. Recently, one of my uncles has turned the basement into a workshop, forcing the cat into a cage. He's never allowed out of it. His litter box is in the cage, just inches from his water bowl, and the conditions are terrible. He is declawed and fixed and, I believe but cannot be 100% sure, has had most of his shots. He's been attention starved for longer than I know and is possibly the sweetest, most affectionate cat I've ever seen because of this. Though I can't be sure how he'll act once he's given room to run around, I can assume that once he gets used to having space, he'll tire out (he is older) and probably just lay around and be quite lazy. I don't know what type of cat he is (the place he's kept at is very dark, and the lamp provided is dim so it's difficult to say exactly) but he is rather tall for a cat, with white fur and black patches on his head and back (i may be wrong on the placement, this is mostly from memory).

I am looking for anything for him, a foster home or a forever home or a rescue shelter (i am beyond wary of most shelters, however, as euthanasia is not something i want him to succumb to just because of lack of space). He is such a nice cat and he deserves so much more than that tiny space and an owner who neglects him like she does, and if she wasn't my aunt I would report her for this.

Oh my God! This is TERRIBLE! How can people do such a thing? Can you take this poor baby home? Please, please! Even is temporarily...
And auntie or not, I would report these people.... I am sorry, but this is just unacceptable!

Is there a reason beyond family politics that you cannot take this cat?

Can you transport the cat to northern NJ?

If the problem (for you) is allergies, there are SO many things you can do! I'm highly allergic to cats, and live in an RV with eight of them. Just let me know if you need to know how to manage cat allergies (if that's the the only stumbling block for you helping this poor kitty).

I cannot take the cat because I have a cat of my own, and while he is very gentle and declawed, she is quite the opposite. She's very territorial and very aggressive towards other animals and while she is the sweetest thing with me, she would attack him in a second. And since she has claws, I don't want to take the chance.

And where in North Jersey? Because I don't have a car (I'm eighteen and i've only had my license for a few months) but my aunt may be willing to transport him, or even a few friends of mine, if it's not too far.

Where in s jersey are you and LDG where in north nj? I may be able to help if you want private message me if you feel more comfortable not putting exact locations here.

Whether she's your aunt or not, what she's doing is wrong. That cat is a living creature, she has feelings and no voice. You need to be her voice since you realize that it's wrong. If you took her is there no room you could confine her to until you found a home for her?

Originally Posted by kscatlady

Whether she's your aunt or not, what she's doing is wrong. That cat is a living creature, she has feelings and no voice. You need to be her voice since you realize that it's wrong. If you took her is there no room you could confine her to until you found a home for her?

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I've exhausted this option. Unfortunately, there is no room I could keep him in. My cat has never been in a cage, as I can't tolerate doing that to any animal that isn't a hamster or rodent of some sort, and because of this she can and will get into anything. None of the doors in my house lock from the outside, and my cat has mastered opening closed doors. I am trying to convince my mother to bring him to our house though, because at least at my house his cage will be clean and he'll be let out to stretch his legs.

First of all, thank you for caring! It can be an uphill battle with family when you're not out on your own, but it is a fight worth fighting in my opinion! It's frustrating when children have to argue for compassion with parents, but just point out to your mom that she helped instill the value system you now have.

I don't even know that the local foster network contacts I have can help, but there was no point in asking until the issue of transportation was worked out. Unfortunately my DH is ill and travel is not something we can manage like we used to be able to.

But in the meantime, I would definitely talk to your mom. There is no reason a latch cannot be added to any door - quick and easy to do. Is there even a large bathroom in which kitty could be confined? ANYTHING is better than where he is now!

He will be scared, and any transition to a new space would need to be slow. But that situation is just intolerable.

At the VERY least he needs to be some place you can take pictures. While we work to see if we can find a network for him, you need to put brochures together so you can hand them out to friends, school mates, other family members, co-workers (if you have a job), people you meet buying cat food in super market isles - ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE. This is something about which you cannot afford to be shy.

You can also search for local foster networks by going to http://www.petfinder.com, typing in your zip code, and searching on shelters in your area. You can also search on "cat" and scroll through the pages of cats up for adoption - each cat has an organization listed next to it. What you are looking for are foster networks. Call them, e-mail them, and beg. Explain that you are only 18, live at home, and the family is not doing the right thing by this kitty and you can't stand it but aren't in a position to do anything about it. A picture of him would help, and telling them about his incredibly sweet disposition will help.

If you take this approach, do keep a log of all the places you contact and the e-mail address associated with them. Most e-mail contacts are personal, so if someone replies, unless you kept track of what e-mails go with what organizations, you may not know which organization is replying. Also remember most organizations are under-funded and under-staffed, and it may take a few days to a few weeks to hear back, if they're going to even bother to reply.

Vibes to you in being able to help this kitty!

In the meantime, I'll contact the few foster networks I know up here.

Thank you everyone for your concern and help. With any luck, Elvis (He was basically unnamed before, so I named him Elvis today because of the black, swirly patch on his forehead) will have a home by this weekend. He's being moved to my house tomorrow, and I've narrowed the potential adopters down to two people and one rescue shelter, if the two people decide its too much of an undertaking.

Such great news! Thank goodness he'll be coming to your house soon - what a break for this sweet kitty!

Thank you so much for caring about Elvis and for being persistent about finding help for him. You have been his guardian angel and are making all the difference in his life.

Fingers crossed and wishing you and Elvis the very best of luck that the people you have in mind for adopting him will decide to be his forever family.

Thank God you have helped this animal. I hope you'll keep us updated...

Eager to hear any news about Elvis. Hope all went well this weekend.

Originally Posted by KTLynn

Such great news! Thank goodness he'll be coming to your house soon - what a break for this sweet kitty!

Thank you so much for caring about Elvis and for being persistent about finding help for him. You have been his guardian angel and are making all the difference in his life.

Fingers crossed and wishing you and Elvis the very best of luck that the people you have in mind for adopting him will decide to be his forever family.

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for Elvis! And THANK YOU for all your hard work on his behalf!

Any update?

I feel sick after reading this thread. The poor cat didn't even have a name and was kept in a dark basement in a cage. Why do people like this keep animals.