Here I go again...

There is a very skinny stray cat outside the campus where I work. I've noticed him several times over the past few months, but the other day I was alarmed by how boney he appeared. I asked a neighbor on the block about him, and he said the cat lives under his porch, but no one feeds it or takes care of it. I fed the cat the past 2 days and posted its picture on a local Facebook lost and found page. A woman took an immediate interest in adopting him and friended me, and gave me her phone number. I told her that there was a second young cat that ran out to eat, too--they look about the same age (under a year?) but I thought he might be too wild to be adopted.  Last night, I brought my carrier in my car, and after work I put food out. The one I was intending to catch ran away after I touched him. However, the buddy came running to me, and after eating, allowed me to pick him up. So I put him in my carrier and brought him to a spare room in my house, and called the woman who wanted to adopt him. Well, she never answered my calls or Facebook messages. The cat is beautiful, silky white fur with brown spots, and is VERY affectionate and vocal. So vocal that I assumed it was a female in heat. Well, I did not want any chaos in my house, so I brought him to the 24 hour clinic where I take my ferals. He is a boy. He tested negative for FeL and HIV, and is being neutered and vaccinated as I write this. I really do not know what to do with him. He cried so much while I had him inside for that short time---I don't know if he misses his buddy, or he wants to be outside. The clinic will keep him a few days without charge, like they always do. I think he might make a good indoor/outdoor cat, or perhaps solely an indoor cat when he adjusts. I am trying to find him a home! And there's still the issue of his buddy, who is also very hungry and running around town.

Please say your prayers/send your vibes for "Sonny" and his buddy. I am working all weekend long and don't have a lot of time to deal with the situation.

Why do I do these things???

You do these things because you are a wonderful caring person  You saved this poor sweet boy.  He now will be neutered which is wonderful.  Hopefully you can find him a home.  I hope his buddy can be rescued as well.  Seeing skinny cats running around is just too hard to stomach.  You know you just need to help.  I will send good thoughts your way that it all works out for these two cats. 

I truly believe we are put in the right place at the right time to help these cats.  Since the will be neutered and are used to being outside, they could continue to live outside with shelter, food and water.  Not ideal I know, but it is a possibility. 

Keep us updated. 

Double!  I wish there were more people like you.  We wouldn't have the problems we do if there were.

Prayers being said ...

The woman who said she would take the cat send me a Facebook message late last night. Her husband was taken to the hospital yesterday, which is why she didn't respond to my calls and emails. I sent her a Facebook message today and am hoping she will still take "Sonny." I think she will.  I asked the vet clinic to keep him until Monday. He is VERY loving and friendly, and I think the vet clinic staff are falling in love with him.  He may have a challenging time adjusting to being an indoor cat and I know he misses his buddy, but I am hoping this woman will give it a try. I am feeding the black and white cat before and after work--that kitty is very skittish around me now after what happened with my taking his/her buddy!I want to concentrate on getting "Sonny" a permanent home before attempting to trap this one. I've been very stressed out about the thought of taking in a 5th cat--especially since I am still hoping to get Muffin inside this winter to be an indoor/outdoor feral. Please continue to send prayers and good thoughts our way!

OK - this is good news. Fingers crossed she comes through and proves to be a good home for him!

I haven't heard back from her yet, but if her husband just got out of the hospital, I suspect she has other things on her mind.

I took "Sonny" home from the vet tonight after work, and he is in the spare bedroom which is the other cats' play room with a cat tree house. When I leave the room he cries a bit and also looks out the window. Whether he stays with me or goes into another home, it will be an adjustment to become an indoor cat. He is very affectionate and I was able to comb him and even trim a couple of claws.

I did not see his buddy,
the black and white cat at all today and the food I left out in the AM was uneaten at night. I am wondering if she is a female and wandered off because her tom disappeared.  

ShadowsRescue said:

 
You do these things because you are a wonderful caring person  You saved this poor sweet boy.  He now will be neutered which is wonderful.  Hopefully you can find him a home.  I hope his buddy can be rescued as well.  Seeing skinny cats running around is just too hard to stomach.  You know you just need to help.  I will send good thoughts your way that it all works out for these two cats. 

I truly believe we are put in the right place at the right time to help these cats.  Since the will be neutered and are used to being outside, they could continue to live outside with shelter, food and water.  Not ideal I know, but it is a possibility. 

Keep us updated. 

Click to expand...

Ditto

Well, the woman who expressed willingness to adopt him is a wonderful woman, but she has 3 cats and a large dog and a small home. Her pets are all indoor/outdoor, but I'm concerned about the lack of indoor space and also concerned about Sonny being outside because I think he could be content to be indoors only. Also, she really wants the other cat--the black and white one--so I will try to trap that one and give it to her because I think that particular cat will want to be mostly outdoors.

I emailed my church and former grad school with Sonny's picture and story and hope I can find a good home for him. He's a wonderful cat but I think he needs to be in a home where he will get a lot of human attention--he's a bit lonely in the spare room by himself. I let him out a few times today, and he enjoyed the run of the house, and 3 of my 4 indoor cats just minded their own business and didn't care, but my alpha cat, Harry, and he were posturing and sizing each other up, and Sonny lunged after him. I think they would learn to co-exist in time, but I would rather only have 4 indoor cats plus my outdoor feral, Muffin. Also, without Sonny, the stage is set for Muffin if he decides to come inside when it's really cold out this winter. He would do fine with all my other cats, who already know him, and he would know how to handle Harry (his offspring).

I hope this all works out soon, it's very stressful!

Thanks for all your kind words and thoughts!

The woman that I didn't give the cat to is very upset with me and offended, and I feel very badly. She said that a small, cluttered home is better than no home for a stray cat. I agree, but right now my home is better, even if it is temporary. Now that I recall, several years ago when I had a situation with an overly aggressive cat and was trying to find him a new home, I looked on and off for 7 years. He ended up staying with me until he died.

I put Sonny and my alpha cat Harry together in the same room with the door closed and sat between them. They both ended up going to sleep for a half hour. I think that's a hopeful sign, considering Sonny has only been in my house since Sunday night. Here is a picture of him sticking his tongue out at me.

I request your prayers and good thoughts for this little guy. For several days he's had explosive, persistent, bloody diarrhea. I had a stool sample done on Wednesday and it was negative for parasites and the vet thought it was stress related diarrhea. He won't eat the chicken breast I made, but drank the broth and it went through him. I'm only giving him dry food. I hate to withhold food altogether because he's so skinny and hungry. But it's gotten way worse, so I'm on my way to get Metronidazole and a de-wormer for  him. I don't want to put him through another long stressful ride to the vet yet for labs, and they have only ER appointments today, but I will take him tomorrow if things don't improve. Since I rescued him from a feral/stray colony, I worry about feline distemper, but he's not vomiting, he's drinking water, and he's not lethargic. He's crying a lot, but he was only neutered a week ago so it could also be the hormones. Poor little dude.

Prayers being said.  Poor boo-boo, hope he feels better soon.

Sonny is still not having solid BM's, but the situation has improved vastly. The diarrhea is no longer squirting out of him, and his energy level is very good
(too good!) He still has a day of antibiotics, and if his BM's are still an issue, the vet will prescribe something different.

I still have not had any offers of a home for him. I'm still feeding his buddy, the black and white cat near my work place. My local Humane Society still does not have a vet, so their TNR program is on hold. They said they have to take in strays, so they would take the cat, but they already have 200 cats, so it would be a death sentence for the cat. I know I will just have to do something for the black and white cat before winter hits, but I don't know what. So now I am taking care of 5 indoor cats, Muffin my outdoor feral, and a cat at my work place. Yikes.

Sonny is a bottomless pit of hunger. He is eating 3 small cans of wet food a day in addition to dry food, and is asking for food all day long. I can't eat in peace without  him sticking his head in my face! After a week of confining him in his room, I gave him the run of the house on Monday because he was crying non-stop and clawing at the door. He and 3 of my other cats have no real issues. He and my alpha cat, Harry, have been fussing with each other quite a bit, but no actual attacks have occurred. This AM while Sonny was playing with a plastic ring with the ball in it, Harry starting playing with it with him, too. Now their fussing with each other is turning into a kind of play. All this reinforces my belief that animals are much better at working through their differences and conflicts than people are!

I just wanted to give an update on my latest rescued stray, Sonny. He has still been crying a lot, has had a ravenous appetite despite all the food I've been feeding him, and having some diarrhea, so I took him back to the vet and had complete lab work done. Even though his two stool samples turned out negative for parasites, the lab results indicates he still has parasites. Also, he likely has irritable bowel syndrome. He was given another kind of de-wormer and is back on Metronidazole, this time for 10 days. I just had the sense that his constant crying and restlessness was more medical than behavioral at this point, and I was right.  He and my alpha male cat, Harry, still chase each other and sometimes it gets hissy, but they haven't injured each other at all. It's actually working out that they're fussing with each other all the time, because my two geriatric cats can sleep in peace without Harry jumping on them, trying to play. I'm glad I went with my gut instinct and didn't give Sonny to the person I originally planned to give him to 5 weeks ago, and that it's worked out that no one else has wanted to adopt him yet, because I can't imagine too many people would have wanted to deal with his medical issues and vet bills, not to mention crying and jumping into kitchen garbage bins, getting into bags of bread and the butter, etc. He has really settled down the past two days since he's been back on medication, so I am hopeful that when he's completely recovered, he will be a happy house cat.

I continue to feed Sonny's buddy, the black and white semi-feral by my workplace. S/he has a buddy who is gray and white, who waits patiently to eat until after this kitty has eaten. I think the owner of the house where I leave the food and water must be removing the little water bowls I leave beneath the bushes because two of them have disappeared. I am interviewing for another job, and am not sure what I'll do if I'm not longer driving past this place on a daily basis. Maybe I will see if I can find someone in that neighborhood to feed these cats if I provide them with food, and perhaps offer them 10 dollars a month for payment. Or maybe I need to just accept the fact that I can't save every cat. I just feel badly because I've been leaving out food for them for the past month. The Humane Society still does not have a vet, so their TNR program is still suspended. I can't keep paying for this myself. Actually, I would find a way to pay for it if I could find a caregiver to feed these two cats after I would TNR them. Part of the problem I have is that the cats I trap and neuter sometimes have medical issues that cost me several hundreds of dollars. So far, Sonny has cost me around $450 in bills, and the last feral I took in, Mia, cost over $700. I am trying to not worry so much about this situation, but I know I will in a month when winter hits.

Here's a picture of Sonny. He actually has orange spots on his back and tail, which aren't visible in this picture.

Oh, he's pretty!  Thanks for the update.  I know what you mean about the bills.  About six months ago, I added up what I'd spent on rescues over the years.  I will never do that again!  Let's just say, I could have bought a nice used car with it!

But really, knowing you are saving lives and doing your best is worth it.  Vibes you are able to find someone to help with the two work kitties.  Blessings on you for all you do.

He is just beautiful.  He's so long!!  I hope the medicine will help him and he will settle himself soon after.

Hopefully a neighbor near your work will step up and help to care for the cats.  What about another coworker?  I am sure you have thought of that too.  It's so hard to approach people to ask for their help as you just don't know their stance on cats.  I always worry it will backfire on me.  If the neighbors allow the food, maybe they would allow a small temporary winter shelter.  You could get one of the styrofoam ice chest that are only a couple bucks or even get one for free.  It's true that you can't save them all.  Yet you are doing so much to help.  I will send vibes that you find a solution.

Here's an update on the situation involving the colony of stray/semi-feral cats near my work campus. Over the past 7 weeks, I have spoken to 3 different people on live on the block where I've been putting food out for the black and white cat daily. Two of them  told me that no one owns these cats and that they run around and eat garbage, and one told me she thought a man down a few houses down owned them but didn't take care of them--which is why I took Sonny in and have been agonizing over what to do about the black and white cat. Yesterday I saw that there are indeed two black and white cats--one is smaller (the kitten) and the other must be a parent cat. There is also a larger white cat with gray spots who comes by sometimes. I believe Sonny was a part of this family--they are all white with spots--gray, black, or orange.  While sitting in my car after putting the food out yesterday, I saw a teenaged girl stop at the bushes where the black and white cats were eating the food. I spoke with her and she said that her father, whom she was visiting, owns these cats. None of them are spayed/neutered, and she said that he's brought so many cats to the Humane Society that they no longer will accept cats from him (I doubt it's accurate, because the HS doesn't turn away stray cats). She said he feeds them and they are allowed inside, but they constantly get out, and that some of them have not been coming home to him lately (because I've been leaving food out for them?). She said she believed he owned Sonny too. I told her I had taken Sonny home, neutered him, and gave him medicines for parasites and an infection. I asked if her father wanted him back, and she said no, he likely wouldn't, that he is trying to figure out what to do with the cats. I told her that the neighbors I had spoken with on the block said no one cares for these cats and they eat garbage, and she seemed surprised. I told her that I was willing to help her father with the cats, especially to get them fixed so they wouldn't keep having kittens, or that I could help bring them to the HS. I gave her my phone number to give to her father, and I got her father's phone number. I tried calling later, and I think she answered the phone, hesitated, and then we were disconnected. I left a message on voice mail with my offer of help but have not heard back. I am wondering if her father was angry with her for speaking to a stranger and giving out his number, and angry that I had gotten involved with his cats? I have peace of mind knowing that someone at least sometimes feeds them and offers them shelter, but then I think about how skinny these cats all were prior to my feeding them, and how Sonny was flea infested and had parasites when I found him and took him in. Sonny still caterwauls and seems restless at times (I guess he misses his freedom to go outside and his cat community) and I was willing to return him if I had some assurance he would be cared for, but the fact that I haven't heard back from the owner is not a good sign. Should I try to call the father again? Should I continue to leave food for the cats or just let it go? I realize now I should never have gotten involved with a cat situation that is not on my block or directly on my work place site, but I can't stand to see cats that look as though they are starving. If these cats have been getting fed by someone other than me, then they are likely infested with parasites like Sonny way, because they were way too skinny. When I was ill a few weeks ago and didn't go down there to feed them, when I returned, the young black and white cat ran out to the bushes and was very hungry. I feel like a creepy stalker sitting in my car on this block each day, trying to care for the cats, and talking with neighbors and their teenagers, so maybe it's time for me to detach from the situation. Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?   

First off, I would never give Sonny back!!  He has come so far and you have no idea what would happen to him if he were to go back. 

Secondly, I guess I would keep checking on the cats and see if they are around.  You know they do have a home even though they are not well cared for.  Hopefully between the daughter and her Dad they will decide to take better care of the cats or take you up on the offer of help.  Sadly though there is often little you can do to "make" them care for the cats.  Animal cruelty could be called and the cats would be trapped and removed, but who knows what would happen to them.  My guess is most likely euthanasia. 

You have done so much to help these cats.  Sadly if he chooses not to spay/neuter the cats, there will be lots and lots more. 

Oh, how I wish there was a simple answer or solution for you. 

Even though I did NOT want a 5th cat indoor, and now feel that I've earned the label "crazy cat label," I love my little Sonny cat. He's so soft, pretty, affectionate, and a clown. My only concern is that he still cries for a half hour at a time a few times a day, and I think he truly misses his old stomping grounds, his freedom to roam outside, and his cat family. Now he is confined in a house and cannot go outside because of Muffin (who he meows at through the windows separating my sun room from my porch), and is living with 4 strange cats, one of whom sometimes smacks him  upside his head when his caterwauling has gone on too long. So this is a lot of change for him. I only want what's best for him, and if I could find him a better home than mine (one with safe outdoor access and fewer other cats) I would give him away. If his former owner would take care of him, I would gladly return him. But I don't think his former owner would be bothered to de-worm him or give him flea medication, so he would end up in the same state again. If his former owner were to call me and express the desire to have Sonny back and would be willing to care for him, I'd return him--but I don't think this will happen. I may try to call him again or find him on the block and speak to him in person just to get closure on the situation. Today I'm off work and don't plan to leave food out for the black and white cats, so I will see if they are ravenous when I drive past them tomorrow to go to work. I would like for this burden to be lifted--I'm already caring for too many cats, and caring for my outdoor feral, Muffin, is more than enough in terms of giving outdoor cat care. I'm still open to suggestions from the rest of you guys!

If the former owner would feed him, can you offer to provide vet care when needed (de-worming, flea treatments, etc.?)  I have a friend who does this - she "co-owns" cats with three people who provide food and shelter for the cats but can't really afford to pay for vet care, so she does that.  She sometimes buys the litter and food, too, as all three people are on limited incomes.  But it does provide companionship for the cats (and the people).

Of course, it won't work if the former owner is really irresponsible, which it kind of sounds like.  But maybe there's someone else you could explore this idea with?  Just a suggestion...

I know you're overwhelmed, so I also wanted to send blessings your way for doing all you do!

Well the "owner" hasn't returned my call. I'm off work today, and Sonny has spent a lot of time snoozing on my lap. I saw a flea on him, and gave him another dose of Frontline. I won't be returning Sonny to this owner because I love this cat and want what's best for him. Also, his daughter told me he wouldn't want Sonny back. My concern is for the black and white cats I've been feeding for the past two months--they are no longer starved looking. If it appears no one else is feeding them, including this "owner," I may try to get them into a carrier and take them to the Humane Society. I can't bear the thought of them starving during the winter, and I don't want the responsibility of taking care of them any longer if someone else is supposedly responsible for them. Here are before and after pics of Sonny--from 7 weeks ago till now.