I need help making a decision!

Lady PurrPurr is absolutely beautiful!! I am just sending my prayers and vibes that she returns to you very soon. I do know the great heartache that comes with caring for strays/ferals as they do tend to disappear sometimes for days on end and then one day are back, at least for the feral cats. I don't have any friendly strays and if I did I would definitely take them in and find them a home as you want to do for this kitty . As LDG says, Lady PurrPurr knows where you are and where the good food is and I certainly hope she does return very soon

Quick update and questions:

8/20 - 8/26 No sighting of Lady PurrPurr and the cat food left out for her everyday remained untouched.

8/27 FINALLY she came back! She was very happy to see us and made sure to show plenty of love before she even touched her food. She didn't show up until 9PM this time which is much later than she was showing up before. Anyway it was late and after she ate she quickly went on her way. Her mammory glands are still swollen but her nipples did not feel "dry" and "chapped" anymore so I'd bet the house that she is nursing kitten(s) somewhere. It was such a relief to see her again!

I still have not gotten her canned kitten food yet because to be honest I had kinda given up hope that we would see her again. Will get some though.

Now onto the questions:

1. How long does it take dry cat food to become "stale"? during this time she stopped showing up for a week I have been leaving her food in the same bowl and just bringing it indoors at night and putting it out the next morning. She ate it just fine but I don't want it to be "yucky" to her. Should I be pouring her uneaten catfood back from the bowl into a ziplock baggie every night or something???

2. My ex-friend of years and years ago had a cat and she had her cat on a 50/50% of wet and dry catfood. She mixed the dry food in with the wet otherwise her cat would just eat the wet and ignore the dry and cry for more wet food. When I get the wet kitten food should I do the same??? (Obviously I wouldn't do this kind of mixture until she is already here...I wouldn't leave a wet/dry mix outside all day to spoil...and she would still get her dried cat food left out everyday just in case.)

8/28 - 8/29 No sign of her.

8/30 She came back again tonight and ate and quickly took off. She seems to be cutting her visits much shorter. I am guessing this is because her kittens are getting older.

Going to get her canned kitten food tomorrow.


I would appreciate some responses to the questions I asked a few days ago in my last post if any of you who were previously responding to this thread are reading this.

People seemed to want updates and I gave them and now I feel like this thread is being ignored. Lady PurrPurr still needs my help and I still need your help to help her.

Thank you.

Hi Josh-

Been reading through your thread and like the others, wanted to say "Thank you" for caring about this beautiful little girl.

Please don't think you're being ignored. Activity on TCS ebbs and flows - it gets quieter on weekends and I suspect lots of people are preoccupied now with the aftermath of the hurricane that affected so many of us.

You're going to get a ton of different opinions about the merits of wet vs. dry, mixing them, keeping them separate, etc. So, FWIW, here's my 2 cents...

You can't go wrong with the best quality canned food you can buy. Quality means meat listed as the first or second ingredient (not meat by-products). Ideally, no preservatives, colors, corn, wheat, rice. Grain free is great if you can get it. Chicken and turkey flavors are best to feed most often. Most cats like them and they're easily digested. Beef is tough for some cats to digest. Fish should be fed only now and then for variety. Canned should be the main food you feed.

Right now canned kitten food would be fine for her - it seems she's probably still nursing and can use the extra calories. You can switch off with regular adult canned, or just feed one or the other. The extra water content in canned will be good for her too - it'll help keep her hydrated which is very important.

I read years ago that as soon as you open a bag of dry food, it starts losing nutritional value, so try to keep the bag tightly closed. You can leave a little dry food out in a separate dish, but if she doesn't finish the kibble, I would throw it away at the end of the day. The fresher the food, the better. The same suggestions about quality apply to dry food.

I'm very relieved your little girl has returned. I hope she brings her kittens closer to your house. If you can get her on a fairly regular feeding schedule, it will be much easier to trap her, when the time comes, so she can be spayed and go to her forever home with your friend

Thanks again for keeping us updated - please continue to let us know how it's going!

Originally Posted by KTLynn

Hi Josh-

Been reading through your thread and like the others, wanted to say "Thank you" for caring about this beautiful little girl.

Please don't think you're being ignored. Activity on TCS ebbs and flows - it gets quieter on weekends and I suspect lots of people are preoccupied now with the aftermath of the hurricane that affected so many of us.

Click to expand...

Yeah...I kinda figured that had a lot to do with it. I feel for every person and animal affected by Irene. I just worried after days of no responses to my last post that the thread was becoming "irrelevant". I just want the best for her and her kittens and that is the only reason I am here.

Originally Posted by KTLynn

You're going to get a ton of different opinions about the merits of wet vs. dry, mixing them, keeping them separate, etc. So, FWIW, here's my 2 cents...

You can't go wrong with the best quality canned food you can buy. Quality means meat listed as the first or second ingredient (not meat by-products). Ideally, no preservatives, colors, corn, wheat, rice. Grain free is great if you can get it. Chicken and turkey flavors are best to feed most often. Most cats like them and they're easily digested. Beef is tough for some cats to digest. Fish should be fed only now and then for variety. Canned should be the main food you feed.

Right now canned kitten food would be fine for her - it seems she's probably still nursing and can use the extra calories. You can switch off with regular adult canned, or just feed one or the other. The extra water content in canned will be good for her too - it'll help keep her hydrated which is very important.

Click to expand...

THANK YOU SO MUCH....

I was planning on going to a pet store tomorrow and buying canned food with FISH as the main ingredient.(my boyfriend and I reasoned that fish is probably more fatty and there is so many "vitamins" sold with fish oils, etc. that we thought it would be better than feeding cat food with a "poultry" as the first ingredient.

Anyway we will throw out her dried cat food every day now(and will offer a much smaller amount each day since the only times she seems to eat here are when we are with her)

Will get her some kitten canned food as well as adult canned food.

I never owned a cat but I was always under the impression that too much "wet" food is horrible for their teeth.

Originally Posted by KTLynn

I'm very relieved your little girl has returned. I hope she brings her kittens closer to your house. If you can get her on a fairly regular feeding schedule, it will be much easier to trap her, when the time comes, so she can be spayed and go to her forever home with your friend.

Click to expand...

I could trap her EASILY if I wanted! She is a sweetie and has came into the house 3 times now for a few minutes each time.(she doesn't seem to want to stay long and we don't want her to either because we don't have a litter box! )

Anyway my boyfriend borrowed an extra cat carrier box from his co-worker that she doesn't need and she told him to keep it as long as he needs because she has another one. I'm sure Lady PurrPurr would go right in if I dumped a can of cat food onto a small plate and placed it at the back of the carrier box....then I shut the door. Easy as pie!

It's the kittens I am worried about catching if she ever brings them here.

Originally Posted by superpop

I myself as a gay male knowing nothing about breast feeding felt Lady PurrPurrs nipples yesterday and they did all feel kind of "chapped" and "dry"

Click to expand...

Josh, you are too funny. xD

Originally Posted by superpop

1. How long does it take dry cat food to become "stale"? during this time she stopped showing up for a week I have been leaving her food in the same bowl and just bringing it indoors at night and putting it out the next morning. She ate it just fine but I don't want it to be "yucky" to her. Should I be pouring her uneaten catfood back from the bowl into a ziplock baggie every night or something???
Mmm, I'd assume it's similar to cereal, so if you left the bag open for a few days to a week it might taste less appetizing. I really doubt being a stray, however, she will even notice that it is stale. But yes, putting it in a ziplop baggie or in the fridge will keep it fresher. :]

2. My ex-friend of years and years ago had a cat and she had her cat on a 50/50% of wet and dry catfood. She mixed the dry food in with the wet otherwise her cat would just eat the wet and ignore the dry and cry for more wet food. When I get the wet kitten food should I do the same??? (Obviously I wouldn't do this kind of mixture until she is already here...I wouldn't leave a wet/dry mix outside all day to spoil...and she would still get her dried cat food left out everyday just in case.)

Click to expand...

I don't think it's necessary to mix them, no. And since it's outside, it may attract flies and you don't really want the dry pieces in the mix to brew bacteria.

Originally Posted by superpop

I was planning on going to a pet store tomorrow and buying canned food with FISH as the main ingredient.(my boyfriend and I reasoned that fish is probably more fatty and there is so many "vitamins" sold with fish oils, etc. that we thought it would be better than feeding cat food with a "poultry" as the first ingredient.
While fish does have it's good points, it also tends to be high in hard metals like mercury. And on top of that, most fish used in cat food is the cheapest kind so the mercury levels are through the roof. :[
I wouldn't obsess over ingredients however since you are already doing her such a Huge favor by feeding her.

What's more important is that if your friend adopts her, point her in the direction of this forum so we can teach her about what to feed.

I never owned a cat but I was always under the impression that too much "wet" food is horrible for their teeth.
I'm not sure how this got started, I guess veterinarian's presumed that dry food cleaned the teeth and so they thought wet food must do the opposite.

Either way, no wet food does not ruin teeth, so you don't have to worry.

Click to expand...

Good luck with Lady Purrpurr!

She's "home!" But GREAT news she's back!!!!!!

Sorry - we were dealing with the hurricane, and I missed the update. But what a relief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You've already gotten some great advice.

I'll just share what we do for the outside ferals, though it's not the same situation. I put out dry food in the morning, and pick it up at night. This is so it's available for them to free feed, since the really feral ferals don't like interacting with us anyway. The amount we put out it usually gone by night anyway, but if not, it's gone the next day. If she doesn't show up to eat, throw it in a ziplock baggie, and put it out the next day. I'd say toss it after the 3rd day.

The wet food - just feed it to her when she's there. We put it out in the morning and evening, and have worked out how much to put out so it gets eaten. They adjusted to our schedule. But your situation is different. I'd give it to her when she's there.

For cats, an all wet diet is actually best. Dry food tends to have too many carbohydrates and plant-based fats or protein. Cats are carnivores, after all. Their ancestors are desert animals, and they're designed to get their moisture from the food they eat, not drink water (like dogs will and do. Cats do too, but aren't really motivated to do so). And most cats don't even really chew, even the kibble. So unless it's specifically designed for oral health, basically it just shatters, so really doesn't scrape any tartar off anyway.

But given she's so friendly, if she does have kittens, when she starts to wean them, it's almost certain she'll bring them around. And because she's friendly, it'll make it easier for you to touch, play with, and interact with them. So down the road... I think catching them without a live trap shouldn't be a problem.

But that is just great news that she came back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She DOES know she has a friend!

Update:

The kittens:

http://i56.tinypic.com/iypyqe.jpg

Don't have time to go into more details right now but will later tonight.

OMG !!!!! Sorry I had to get updated too, no hurricane here, but other stuff going on....

I AM IN SHOCK Look at those beautiful babies!!! Lady PurrPurr brought you her kittens (another ). She loves you so much and trusts you now. I am so happy to see this and now the kittens will be safe and you can probably find wonderful homes for them, or a rescue might take them. Most kittens DO get adopted quickly. OH!!! This is just wonderful news and made my night .

Please, when you can, tell us how this happened !!!

Originally Posted by Feralvr

OMG

!!!!! Sorry I had to get updated too, no hurricane here, but other stuff going on....

I AM IN SHOCK

Look at those beautiful babies!!! Lady PurrPurr brought you her kittens (another

). She loves you so much and trusts you now. I am so happy to see this and now the kittens will be safe and you can probably find wonderful homes for them, or a rescue might take them. Most kittens DO get adopted quickly. OH!!! This is just wonderful news and made my night

.

Please, when you can, tell us how this happened !!!

Click to expand...

Oh how wonderful!!!!

And I see they're inside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh they are just too adorable.

Oh can't wait to hear more!!!!!

This warms my heart to no end to know they are all safe and sound with you! They are small but look healthy! Beautiful!

I just found this thread - what a gorgeous little family!

What a wonderful thing you've done for these guys - I'm so glad you were able to get them and that they're all safe.

Wow!!! Can't wait to hear the story behind this picture, and what a fabulous picture it is!

What a beautiful family! Bless them all and you too for caring enough to help them.

Originally Posted by superpop

Update:

The kittens:

http://i56.tinypic.com/iypyqe.jpg

Don't have time to go into more details right now but will later tonight.

Click to expand...

Wow!! Five beautiful kittens!! Congratz!!

Ugh....hectic night.

We got home from doing part of our weekly shopping trip and were just about to leave again when we spotted her across the street. She came over and sat on our front steps(although we have always actually fed her on the back steps.)

We coaxed her in with a can of cat food opened up right in front of her.

Then as she was eating my boyfriend spotted one of the the little mexican kids(he and his sister are both roughly 4 or 5 years old) who live across the street holding a kitten and their next door neighbor was talking to him. My boyfriend went over to find out what was going on while I stayed with Lady PurrPurr while she ate.

About 20 minutes later he came home with 2 kittens and told me 3 more were on the way and the neighbor lady and the kid came over 30 seconds later with the rest. Anyway the neighbor lady had been feeding Lady PurrPurr as well and had been searching for the kittens. It turns out that Lady PurrPurr had been keeping the kittens under the Mexican family's porch until the kids discovered them a few days ago and brought all the kittens in the house but NOT Lady PurrPurr.

My boyfriend and their next door neighbor had to talk to the kids parents(who barely speak English) for over 10 minutes before they finally understood that it was best for the kittens to be with their mother still because they are still nursing. They stated they wanted the largest kitten and that we would lie and not give it back. My boyfriend stated he would give them the kitten back if they got it fixed. Then came a long discussion about that. The only reason we were able to get the 5 kittens was by promising we would give that kitten back. To be honest though I don't know if we will. They moved here last year and live in a very dilapidated 3,000 square foot house that they purchased for only $25,000 last year(my boyfriend checked what it sold for online before they even moved in) so there is obviously major problems with the house and quite frankly I don't think they can even afford to take care of the kitten properly and I highly doubt they would get it fixed.

Anyway I am a quarter mexican myself and have a spanish last name so I don't want anyone here to think it is racism but I honestly do not like the family.(the parents I mean...not the children)

Little rant: My last name is "Mercado" which is Spanish for "Market" So yeah....my name is basically "Joshua Market"....how lame is that??? I don't mind having a spanish last name but "Market"? Really God??? How about "Joshua Caliente" instead? MUCH BETTER! LOL

These kids are frequently outside riding their big wheels and playing with toys at 11PM - Midnight with no parental supervision(and this is not the nicest neighborhood) and then they just leave their toys all over the sidewalk in front of neighbors houses. They are also the one family that NEVER moves their car in the winter when the street gets plowed and of course they never get parking tickets even though they are required by law to move their car and then they just shovel the mess of snow around their car into the middle of the street. The thing is they have a DRIVEWAY that they always park on in Spring/Summer/Fall but they are too damn lazy to shovel it in the winter so they park on the street and the plows are forced to go around them and then they shovel the snow into the middle of the street.

Anyway end of rant but I am not big fans of this family and I don't think they can afford or will take proper care of the kitten they want and I highly doubt they will get it fixed so I'm not sure if I want to let them have it or not. It really angers me that they took all the kittens in but not Lady PurrPurr who is still nursing them.
------------------------------------------------


Okay onto other matters:

We called the friend up who wants one of the kittens and she came over right away and stopped off at the store on her way and got some kitty litter. We made a make shift litter box by cutting a cardboard box up and wrapping it up in a garbage bag and filling it with the litter. It has been used multiple times already by both mama and the kittens. Anyway she(our friend Shirley) wants the runt of the litter and is going to make an appointment to get it checked out by a vet soon.

Some of the kittens ate some wet food but the smallest 2 did not. We even offered it to them separately after the bigger kittens had their fill and they didn't touch it....they do get nursed though so I think they are just less developed then their bigger siblings.

We figuerd we would keep them all in the bedroom I am in right now which we use as a computer room/extreme couponing room.(yes...we are extreme couponers: http://i54.tinypic.com/35bxh94.jpg ) They were getting into too much trouble in here though. Trying to play with the tangle of computer wires and one kitten got a paw stuck in the floor vent so we moved them out to our enclosed porch which only has a big potted tree and a folding chair so there isn't much trouble they can get into. The problem is the temperature in there can't be controlled like the rest of the house. There is no vents connected to the porch and only a screen door. Tonight is fine because it's not bad outside and the windows in the porch are opened and the screen door is locked so someone can't open the door and accidentally let them all out. The problem is tomorrow is going to be HOT! 90-95 fahrenheit here in the Twin Cities and then it is supposed to be in the 70's again for the next week.


Not sure what to do tomorrow because I can't keep an eye on 5 kittens all day long by my self in a potentially hazardous house. They have already proven pretty adventurous for 3 people in a 3 hour period. Before we moved them into the this room(and then soon after the porch) one of the kittens climbed behind our big stand-up freezer and got stuck and the entire freezer had to be moved.

After tomorrow the temps will be fine again and they can go back to the porch.

This is becoming more than a handful right now and I feel we have gotten ourselves in over our head but we will stick it out anyway....I just need help with things like what to do tomorrow during the very hot day.

Also...Mama cat seems to be a bit stressed at the moment. The kittens have devoured her nipples multiple times and then they all slept and the instant we opened the door leading from the porch to the house she bolted in here and I offered her more wet food and she didn't want it and was more interested in going to the back door to go back outside.(we won't let her leave now though) After a 5 minute break she willingly went back into the porch on her own accord.(we didn't have to pick her up....she walked back in herself.)

Please give me any advice on anything I have mentioned possible. I am willing to see this all through but it is becoming more than I bargained for and am desperate for advice/help.

Yea... I wouldn't give any kittens to those neighbors. They can suck it up and pay for a cat at the shelter if they want one so badly.

If the momma is stressed about going outside, it IS possible that she has another kitten somewhere. I really don't think she'd abandon the kittens at your house, so it may be safe to let her out.

Why don't you keep them in a bathroom? You can put everything away in a cabinet and keep them out of trouble in there.

Originally Posted by Minka

Yea... I wouldn't give any kittens to those neighbors. They can suck it up and pay for a cat at the shelter if they want one so badly.

Click to expand...

Agreed but we don't want to make a nemesis either.

Originally Posted by Minka

If the momma is stressed about going outside, it IS possible that she has another kitten somewhere. I really don't think she'd abandon the kittens at your house, so it may be safe to let her out.

Click to expand...

I don't think that is the case because when the kittens were in this room for an hour being terrorists my boyfriend let Lady PurrPurr(I told him not to but he did anyway) outside and stayed with her and she pooped and then flopped down on the back steps for almost an hour but wouldn't come inside with any coaxing so finally I picked her up and brought her back after we moved the kittens to the porch.

Originally Posted by Minka

Why don't you keep them in a bathroom? You can put everything away in a cabinet and keep them out of trouble in there.

Click to expand...

That is probably what I will have to do tomorrow.(not looking forward to it though) Our bathroom is SMALL(only one 1/3 of the size of the porch) and it is cluttered so I will have to remove certain things from the ground that the kittens could get into.(Toilet cleaners etc.) And then I guess I have to pee into a soda can or something and pour it out outside in the meantime.(gross!)

Our bathroom is tiny as hell so while it is probably the best option it is not exactly ideal...picture: http://i55.tinypic.com/in4nxu.jpg

Not looking forward to this but I guess that is what needs to be done for the hot day.

Originally Posted by superpop

I don't think that is the case because when the kittens were in this room for an hour being terrorists my boyfriend let Lady PurrPurr(I told him not to but he did anyway) outside and stayed with her and she pooped and then flopped down on the back steps for almost an hour but wouldn't come inside with any coaxing so finally I picked her up and brought her back after we moved the kittens to the porch.
Ah, alright, well then I guess you can relax and know you've got all the kittens.

That is probably what I will have to do tomorrow.(not looking forward to it though) Our bathroom is SMALL(only one 1/3 of the size of the porch) and it is cluttered so I will have to remove certain things from the ground that the kittens could get into.(Toilet cleaners etc.) And then I guess I have to pee into a soda can or something and pour it out outside in the meantime.(gross!)

Our bathroom is tiny as hell so while it is probably the best option it is not exactly ideal...picture: http://i55.tinypic.com/in4nxu.jpg

Click to expand...

Psh, you're talking to someone who has a bathroom one third the size of that. xD I've only got a 12x12 bedroom, a 4x4 'hallway', and that tiny bedroom that has to house: myself, a 16 pound cat, a queen sized bed, a dresser with mirror, a desk/tv stand combo, a mini fridge, a smaller dresser and a side table. You'll figure it out.

Oh, and keep in mind the bathtub counts too. You can put some milk caps, marbles and string in there for hours of entertainment.

Originally Posted by Minka

Oh, and keep in mind the bathtub counts too. You can put some milk caps, marbles and string in there for hours of entertainment.

Click to expand...

I could do that for the kittens but if I did they would bet stuck in the bathtube alone unless mom decided to join them. Even the biggest of the kittens are too small to jump in/out of the bathtub because it's not something they can climb.


I think I might actually do that though since the worst the kittens could do is pee/poop in the shower(which could be easily taken care of) and then the bathroom door could be left open and Lady PurrPurr could chillax on my lap on the couch while we both watch Judge Judy!

I have milk caps and sting but no "marbles" though.(they won't "eat" the string will they???)

Damn I have been up all night and need sleep.

When my boyfriend got up for work we moved the kittens into the bathtub and I don't think they can escape but not entirely sure.

Lady PurrPurr ate some wet food and then jumped into the tub after the runt started meowing and they all fed and are now asleep(totally jealous!) then Lady came out and ate more wet food and didn't finish but then moved onto her dry food dish and now she is chillaxing outside of the bathroom and I want to go to bed but don't know if the kittens can escape the bathtub or not.


I don't want to lock lady in with them if i don't have to.

Pics:

http://i54.tinypic.com/214obpe.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/33fgeqe.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/xbbs08.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/2yxjd08.jpg