Needing advice for what to do with older kitty...

This will be a little windy, skip to currently if its too long:

I found a kitty in extremely rough shape in back of the building where I work summers in early June. Id never seen a single cat there before, but Ive always really just gone to work and gone right home, haven't really hung around much. Apparently roughly two years ago, a couple adult cats and a box of kittens were dumped off at my work (off a main highway, kinda secluded area... its an outdoor bar near a river so Im sure plenty of people would go "OH! Fluffy can live out his days here and chase mice to his hearts content").


He didn't move much, was extremely dehydrated, I really doubted he'd have made it another few days if I hadn't found him. I brought him canned food and a small bowl of water. As soon as they were in front of his face, he went after them, Still wouldn't get up, eating laying down, his coat was in terrible shape (obviously not grooming). I brought him a spoonful of food and water every few hours. Brought back Dietamaceous Earth to dust him in and groom him, and more food the next day, he seemed improved but still very rough. BUT, he wanted to eat. He wanted to live. I didn't have to force feed him, just put it in front of him. I found out the person that takes care of the cats was going to put him down that week and I convinced them not to, to let me try to help him.

 About a week after I found him originally.

Fast forward a week and he was so much better. Bad URI, de-fleaed him at that point. But he still wouldn't touch the dry food they leave out for the cats and was still relatively lethargic. Another week saw so much improvement. But he stayed relatively thin. I used colloidal silver on his eyes, nose and orally. His URI went away in about two weeks but he caught another when a new feral came around (they all get TNR'ed there, btw). I did take him to the vet for the next round of URI for an antibiotic shot, but soon enough one of the neighbors cats came around with another URI and everybody had it again! Never ending circle.

I've been driving to take care of him 40 min there and back to take care of him all summer. This wasn't an issue when I was working there... but not working there now, its costing me roughly $140 a month in gas, not to mention cost of his food, lysine, and the 2 hours it kills of every day(the least of my worries, I love him to pieces).

CURRENTLY:

I finally got my roommates convinced to give him a week trial in the house and its gone perfectly, but I can still tell they don't want a cat here (they own the house). And now Im fairly positive he's farther along with Kidney Disease than I originally thought (his urine is very diluted... there has been a couple times that his hip and tail has been wet, and matted feeling and it smelled musty, but it didn't really smell like urine. The only water that he has access to is his water bowl, which he doesn't lay by, so I don't see how he could have sat in it. He definitely uses his litter box ALOT more than any cat Ive had before, though I haven't had any cats older than 8 (my current kitty, not the one Im discussing, is 8 at my mothers house) so Im not totally versed on that, but Ive been doing as much reading as possible. He did have an oops on my bed today - and it was very lightly scented, I almost didn't recognize it as cat pee, I thought for a minute he drooled a lot or something crazy. He also stays slightly dehydrated no matter how much his fluid intake seems to be.

He's gained a bit of weight while being inside with me and he is SO so happy. I swear he only stops purring to eat and when he's truly completely asleep. He's always kneading his paws, and he always wants to cuddle. He's is the sweetest happiest cat. And that's even with me syringe feeding him his lysine every 12 hours, which he tolerates like a gentleman. His appetite has gone up, he gets excited for breakfast in the morning. 

-He actually "bit" me this morning when I tried to sleep in past his breakfast time. Which is a bit comical as he only has his canines in the front, none of his little teeth are left... so there was multiple occurrences of him 'nipping' I guess but either way, he was quite insistent on his meal!

He's grooming himself regularly again and seems in such good spirits. 

 
What I need help with:

What I need advice on, is what to do with him. He has to go back outside Tuesday at the latest. I feel like Im going to break his little heart by leaving him there again. He's been so happy, he follows me around the room, always laying within eyesight of me if not on me. But the worst is when he goes back, I can't afford to keep driving out there every day. My replacement job is not doing well... Im getting half the hours I was promised and making very little money in those hours. Not even enough to pay all of my own bills. I can't afford to spend $5 a day to go see him. 

Ive already tried every rescue within driving distance of here, none will take an older cat with health issues. They all offer to help deworm/deflea, but  Ive got that covered.

I feel like my only options are to take him back and check in on him as I can (every few days if possible). Leave him a nice soft pillow under the building where I know he likes to lay. HOPE that he keeps eating like he has been and they actually give him his wet food twice a day. And hope he stays hydrated. Hope no new cats with URIs come around, because I probably won't be able to save him again (he loses a lot of his appetite when he gets a cold, especially if he's only getting dry food or a crappy wet food that doesn't have much scent - he's extremely picky). If he worsens, he will have to be put down.. and I hate to think his last days would be miserable for him.

Or have him put down now, while he's happier and not suffering too terribly, But I really really hate that option. 

This is really hard for me to deal with, Ive spent all summer hoping for him and thinking that he'd get better and be fine. Or that my fiancé would get the job he's been after (its still in the interviewing process) and we could move into our own place again and I could keep him myself. Get some subq fluids from the vet, have bloodwork done, etc. But that plan failed... I still have hope it might happen by February, but 3 months can be a long time

Is it possible he can live for a few months with impaired kidney function, in cooler weather (high 20s to 30s) without much help? He's still a bit on the thin side, but he's showing good appetite here. 

What would you do in my shoes?!

Poor guy. These stories always break my heart.

It might be a long-shot, but you could consider social media networks: Tumblr, Facebook, Craigslist (not social media, but...) and ask if someone would be willing to at least foster him for a bit? You might be surprised. I've seen some good come of this before. I really hope he's able to find a good home. Even with his health issues, there might be someone out there like you willing to give this guy another chance at happiness.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help. 

This makes me sad. I don't think he will survive outside, especially because he appears to have kidney disease and is prone to URIs.

I agree with trying social media networks, because it seems you just need someone to foster him until things look up for you and your fiance. Other alternatives: Can he live with your fiance, or are you both in the roommate house? Can he live with your mom? What about other family members?

There's no way  you can convince the roommates to let him stay inside, as the weather is cooling off? Are they heartless? A fragile guy like him won't make it outside in the colder weather, I am afraid. Especially if you cannot check on him every day. Can he stay in the garage or something?

I would not, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, try social networks.  There is absolutely no way you can reliably screen and don't think for a second that your gut is a reliable indicator when it comes to telling yourself who is capable (or worse) incapable or sick and cruel.  Especially for a free cat.  There's all kinds of sage advice about not giving pets away for free, or to unknown persons, don't do it please.   If they can't afford an adoption fee, they sure as hell can't afford vet care for an elderly cat.

So that leaves the best bad choice between putting him out again and putting him to sleep.  There's a nearly 100% chance that his last days will be miserable if you just put him out.  There's a 100% chance that he will leave the world peacefully and loved if you make the decision to put him to sleep.  Or if you can't stand that thought, please take him to a regular shelter.  And for those who would say that's a death sentence, it's no less of a death sentence than putting him back outside when he has renal failure where he is at the mercy of both predators and the elements, not to mention no source of food or water.  How can he hunt with renal failure? 

God bless you for being so compassionate to take him in and for putting up with the stress of trying to do it when your roommates don't approve.  He is 1,000% better off than he would have been if you just left him alone.  Unfortunately your paths didn't cross at a time when you could easily take him in.   I feel for you now because at this point it's just going back and forth between options, neither of which gives you any piece of mind.  But personally I would choose knowing I did the hard thing and knew what happened, rather than entertain myself with a fantasy that I put him outside and things worked out OK.

Out of genuine curiosity, how often does that happen? I really don't know because I've only seen success stories. Maybe it is the groups I run in- when people I know have done Facebook, they generally signal boost to their friends who share to their friends in the area. I agree that your gut or even desperation to find him a good home wouldn't be a good indicator, but I would think there would be something someone could do to prove they are serious about taking in a sick, older cat. Especially if it's someone a friend knows- then you would already have a reference on hand for that person.

Craigslist and Tumblr might be slightly sketchy than actually using people you or your friends know, but I did see a girl rehome her sick cat there to a loving family on Tumblr who were providing her with picture updates all the time of him in his happy new life. I'm not saying that's the right choice here if there really is more harm than good that come of it (I don't know the statistics or instances), but...

If that really is not an option you want to take at all, then I would agree that putting him down would be better than letting him suffer out there alone in his final days. It would be much kinder to him to have had his last part of his life happy and warm.

The shelters here are an absolute death sentence for an older cat, or a sick cat. Its a death sentence for all ferals that can't be TNR. And any non domestic kittens and about half the domestic kittens in the seasons where kittens come in left and right. Their cat problem here is so out of hand.

I thought about CL here... but CL is really saturated and very sketchy to me. I don't know many people in the area either, Ive spent most the summer just working my butt off. Those I do know, Ive already asked and they've got nothing, except the one chef who MIGHT move soon.

Is there any way your friends would hold onto him just until mid-November then? Then you could at least see if he has a chance at the new place? Since you've just moved and don't know many people in the area, that makes it much more difficult to ask people. I don't see how anyone could just ignore an animal in their house, especially one that is affectionate and sweet-tempered. I'm so sorry that you may have to make this tough decision.

I forget that Craigslist in the states is a lot different. I never used it there, but I use it a lot here since it tends to be non-sketchy and very legitimate. 

So, it seems to me the very first thing to do is get a full vet assessment of the kitty's health.  I had a cat with renal failure also, so I know what that can be like for them.  It can be a horrible death.  BUT, it will be up to your vet to tell you how sick the kitty really is and what his chances are.  Don't make this decisions yourself.  Take the advice of your vet.  The kidney issues may already have begun to affect his other organs and there simply may be nothing more you or anyone can do.  But that should be up to your vet, not you.  If your vet says it's time, it's time.  If your vet says there are good ways of controlling the disease and that he has a good chance of being well for quite some time, then work with the Chef you mentioned to care for the kitty.  If you have to wait a few weeks, tell your roommates they'll just have to suck it up - but ONLY if you get a guaranteed date from the chef.  Or, if you can find a shelter that will care for the kitty and get a guarantee from the chef that it will only be a matter of a few weeks and that he will take him, then that may not be a bad option - boarding the kitty for a few weeks.

I don't care how far away it is, could you please locate the nearest no-kill shelter to your home and tell us?  Perhaps we can help provide transportation.  Seriously, locate the closest no-kill shelter and let us know.  WE WILL HELP YOU.

But the main thing is that vet visit.  Get a full assessment.  Yeah, I know that will run probably a couple hundred dollars.  Perhaps whatever no-kill shelter you find will provide that for the kitty.  Again, and I want to keep repeating it until you know, WE WILL HELP!  You do have options.

He is very lucky to have you.  I agree, you can't just put him back outside, that is dumping him all over again. 

I'm intrigued that you think he has gained some weight while with you; that is not typical with kidney disease.

Start with a vet as one of the vet techs may be able to take him on. 

If you use craiglist, insist on a vet reference, then call the vet and get the info.  Keep in mind that the vet office can not say: do NOT give them a cat.  But they can hedge and haw in a way that you will get the message.

He sounds quite bonded to you, I'm sorry there doesn't seem to be a way for you to remain together.

Of course you don't hear the horror stories, I would say there's a 99.9% chance anyone ever finds out about it the unhappy endings.   And let's keep it simple, why would anyone get a cat off Craigslist when they walk into Petsmart and pick one out.  Why, so they can save $40?  If they are trying to savea $40 adoption fee then that raises a lot of red flags for me.  Plus, this is a senior cat, with health issues - and you can't get away from the fact that this makes him most vulnerable to adoption failure and neglect. 

God bless those who can take these hard cases, but I'm really skeptical that very many people have the heart and the resources to do it.   I think the most compassionate thing would be to save him from an uncertain and likely painful death by facilitating his passing herself or putting his fate in the hands of experienced people at the shelter.  It's heartbreaking I know, but the alternative to me ends the same and the time in between could result in hell for the cat. 

I would have done exactly what she has done BTW, you take these things on because the immediacy of the animal's needs and assume you can figure out the rest later.  Then sometimes you have to face that you can't make things turn out the way you had hoped.  This woman didn't create this, she didn't leave an unneutered pet out to survive on it's own and she shouldn't feel badly because she can't make it all turn out the way it should.  I just hate to see someone who did this paralyzed by the thought that it's their fault or responsibility if the cat has to be put down.  They didn't leave the cat out, they didn't deny it shelter and medical care, but they're the only one's who can help the cat now by making these hard decisions.  A weaker person would have walked right by the cat and never bothered to find out what was wrong with it. 

equestrian06 said:

 
So it doesn't sound to anyone like he might make it outside a couple more months? :/ 

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Not if he's sick, especially a progressive condition like renal failure, and prone to URIs. My parents used to live in Sacramento and I know how cold it can get in the winter.

Can you ask the roommates to hold out for another couple of weeks, as the situations with the chef sounds hopeful? I understand how they don't feel it's their responsibility, but maybe you can make them understand that you are very attached to this cat, as they are to their dog. I don't know ... as they are pet owners, it seems there must be some heart string you can tug.

Also, have you tried the following shelters, to see if they'll hold him temporarily until your situation stabilizes? You should also offer to pay for his care; you just need a place for him to live temporarily.

- River City Cat Rescue, somewhere in 916 area code

- Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary in East Sacramento

- Animal Savers in Sacramento

- Sisters Animal Sanctuary in Elk Grove

- Cats About Town in Sacramento

Most of these groups appear to foster and adopt. If they can't house the kitty, maybe they can foster him with someone who they have screened.

Also try contacting Pounce Cat Rescue & Sanctuary in Oroville. Their site (facebook) claims to take cats of all ages. I bet if you provided financial support, they would take him, especially if it's temporary. I am familiar with the start of this sanctuary and have donated money, and I am hopeful they won't say no.

I commend you for offering to help with transportation, no kill shelters aren't the panacea they are made out to be and, as her story bears out,  the reason rescues can advertise themselves as such is that they can reject cats that are unadoptable or have health issues.  So those cats end up on the street dying horrible deaths because people don't want to take them a shelter that puts animals to sleep.  The the no-kill shelter deal is just usually an exercise in semantics IMO.  Unless you take every animal that shows up on your doorstep, then you're just letting other people or circumstances do the dirty work.

pinksugar said:

Poor guy. These stories always break my heart.

It might be a long-shot, but you could consider social media networks: Tumblr, Facebook, Craigslist (not social media, but...) and ask if someone would be willing to at least foster him for a bit? You might be surprised. I've seen some good come of this before. I really hope he's able to find a good home. Even with his health issues, there might be someone out there like you willing to give this guy another chance at happiness.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help. 

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Did vet confirm kidney failure not crystals or stones?

One more thought. Maybe @catwoman707 has some ideas. She's in Northern California, closer to the Bay Area, though. But she might have some ideas for a temporary residence for this guy.

Okay, so this is something I have dealt with countless times.

I am in Vallejo, about 50 minutes from Sacramento.

My rescue group is Cat Tales Rescue in Solano County-Fairfield and Vacaville mostly, as we have our adoptions at Petco in FF and many of my fosters live in these areas as well.

I'm not really sure what I am offering here honestly. But something....

Regarding the cat-

To be truthful, the last option imo is to put him back out there. 

This poor guy has really been through some changes in his life, being abandoned all by itself is just huge and heartbreaking. I often think from their point of view and just what they feel when the people he loves and trusted left him behind, where did his safe warm, comfy home go? Why did they leave me? Scared, cold, hungry, lost, no sense of belonging anywhere in this world.

And not well to boot? What a sad existence........

Health-wise, my guess is he may be FIB positive, for him to get sick everytime another cat is near that is sick? That's a very compromised immune system. FELV or FIV, more likely FIV, although I don't know what makes me even say that, I have a thread about a cat named Baby who I saved. 

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/256154/...ick-possibly-fiv-positive-can-use-some-advice

What surprised me is that I thought I had finished this thread with updates and photos of Baby. Guess I did it in the tcs team lounge thread I have.....

Anyway, Baby was neg for fiv but pos for felv. 

After 4 months, she was twice her weight, bright and shining eyes, baby soft fur again, and just a little happy, loved chubby girl.

Baby went to live with a lady outside of Sacramento, who has other felv pos cats she cares for, because she knows they can't be adopted out, etc. Talk about an angel!!

This is Baby now-or I should say just before she left me.


She looks and acts like a different cat from what I pulled off the streets back then.

Anyway, the bottom line is, he is a living, feeling and deserving boy. He hasn't done anything wrong, and feels so lucky/happy to have you and a home.

I do understand your situation is not ideal for him though, it happens.

He needs a name first of all, and we need to get him seen and tested. To save on costs, he would be tested for fiv/felv, and if he is negative, then we know it's likely kidney failure. Vet will be able to age him better, or myself if I see him.

This will help determine his outcome.

BTW, Baby used to leak peepee a bit too. He reminds me of her. I love her and always will, she owns a piece of my heart.

I can't bare to see a cat suffer. Thank you so very much for caring for this little boy.

I have to look at our funds now, and also, I have to disagree with allowing a vet to decide his fate. No way, I can't even count how many times vets have told me I should euthanize a cat, and with my efforts, the cat made a FULL recovery. I can show before and after pictures all day long.

One of my vets who told me to put Buzzy down asap now sports a big photo of him in an "after" photo in his waiting room, he was so impressed

The vet didn't feel any crystals or stones, nothing too abnormal at his exam. She did say she thought kidney failure was extremely likely. And from all I've read, looking up every possibility for every symptom, it seems the most likely.

I'll try to get him back to the vet tomorrow to get blood work done to confirm how far his kidney failure has gone.. It's just cutting so close. Maybe they'll let me keep him atleast a few more days here.

The chef can't guarantee any date, just told me what was a big possibility.

I did miss two of those rescues and I'll try the one in oroville too.

I have one other person I can ask about keeping him there... I've been trying really hard to avoid that because they have two cats and two big dogs too. Along with a lot of stress, their whole fam has Lyme disease... But if anyone could understand, I think she could.

Also, they called him two timer because he was neutered when they took him to be fixed two years ago... And the techs got him confused with a spay they were supposed to do. So he got fixed "twice".

I call him teetee or tee kitty. Which usually sounds more like tikki.

Also PMed you catwoman707

Hi there, thank you so much for being a kind, loving person to this cat. We really need more people like you in this world. There is a cat sanctuary in CA called cat house on the kings. This woman has acres of land devoted to cats living out their days in love and safety. I support her charity on amazonsmile.
Maybe try calling her to see if they will care for him? They may not if he's sick. If no options, I would put him down in my arms with a full belly and lots of kisses. If he is going to die, better with love than alone in misery. Let his last sight be of your face. Then pray you will meet him again. I send you both love and prayers.