Really skinny cat in need of attention

blondiecat

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Well I have been noticing a severly skinny diluted calico hanging around my house and raiding my trash. Since then I have been feeding this cat but there is no way to get your hands on this cat at all. As soon as it sees you off it runs like a streak of lighting. Would it be best for me to just feed this cat for awhile first before I try to trap it and take it to the vet?

I am really worried about this cat getting into the backyard with my dogs. Dakota and Nakita thinks that any small animal with the exception of Ceasar, my MinPin, is fair game for playing and will kill it. The poor rabbit didn't make it the other night
Any advice or suggestions on how to keep this cat out of the backyard?
 

hissy

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Feed it somewhere away from you home in a secure area- make sure you feed it all the time, or it will wander into your yard.
 
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blondiecat

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Hissy I have been feeding this cat in the front yard only. Will that help? I have no other place to feed it without it getting hurt by a car or other animals on this street. Most of the dogs around here are secure in their yards but on occassions one will get loose and run the entire street.
I have been putting the food out where the cat can't even be seen by Nakita and Dakota. They will start barking as soon as they see the cat. That is how I found out that there was a stray kitty around here.
 

spotz

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Personally, I would say to go ahead and trap it if you have the means, and also to get it some medical attention.

Other than that, it sounds like you are doing the best you can for this poor kitty.

Spotz
 

tnr1

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Cathy...it's good you are feeding this kitty. I agree with Spotz...if there is a way that you can get a hold of a humane trap and get this kitty fixed and UTD on shots..that would be incredibly beneficial to her....especially since she is currently a male magnet. If you have any questions regarding trapping etc....Hissy or any of the other inidividuals who work with TNR could probably assist you.


Katie
 
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blondiecat

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Originally Posted by TNR1

Cathy...it's good you are feeding this kitty. I agree with Spotz...if there is a way that you can get a hold of a humane trap and get this kitty fixed and UTD on shots..that would be incredibly beneficial to her....especially since she is currently a male magnet. If you have any questions regarding trapping etc....Hissy or any of the other inidividuals who work with TNR could probably assist you.


Katie
Lord I have a whole lotta questions about trapping
I have no clue as to where I can find one of those traps or how to go about getting this poor baby in there. I did get the chance to see her really good today. She was laying on the front porch after finishing her meal. I was glad to see that she didn't run as soon as she saw me this time.

But I am not pushing her to see how close I can get to her either all I did was talk to her and she did seem a little gun shy about that but at least she didn't run like the devil was after her. She seems to be putting on a little weight and I hope it's from the food and not from kittens, but if so I will take care of them too.

I have been reading different threads about how to trap a feral cat. There is a lot of information here that is helpful. If she is pregnant what should I be looking for on her from a distance? I have never owned a female animal that was not fixed. Actually Nakita is my very first female animal and she had her surgery done right after I got her. If this cat is going to have kittens what can I do to help her until I can get her to the vet? Bedding etc.
 

tnr1

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blondiecat...I would say there isn't a good way to determine if she is pregnant from a distance. The best thing to do is trap her and get her to the vet to make that decision. Even in our rescue we get very "large" females that the shelter thought was pregnant who where just "large". I would contact a few local shelters and ask where you can get a hold of a humane trap to trap a feral cat that you would like to trap, neuter, return. Hopefully there is a feral cat group in your state that can assist you. Once you trap this cat and take it to the vet, if it is pregnant, you can decide at that point if you want to fix it or if you want to take the cat back to trap at another point (once it has had it's litter).

Good Luck with trapping this girl.

Katie
 

hissy

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Chances are if she has not been pre-owned and has not been spayed, she is pregnant. That is just a given, especially this time of year.

You can contact either a local vet or animal shelter and ask if they have a Hav-A-Hart trap available. Also ask if anyone can come out and show you the ins and outs of trapping this cat. If she is hungry enough, she should go right into the trap, but sometimes, especially if the cat has seen others get trapped, they steer clear of going inside.

Before you even begin to trap her, be sure you have the resources available for follow-up care and the time to socialize her if she is truly feral. It's a big job. Also talk to all your neighbors, take a photo of the cat, and maybe take your dog for a walk and show that photo everywhere, she could belong to someone, even though they might be neglecting her. She may be spayed and her pouchy look could be a worm infestation.
 
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blondiecat

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I called the local Humane Society today to see if they have one of the traps that you guys mentioned. They are going to bring me one out and show me how to use it. I hope that they will keep their word.

I know last time that I asked them for help on something involving a baby rabbit, it was several days before they got back with me. By then I had already got in touch with a wildlife rescue unit here in town. I do understand that they are short handed at the HS so I am not knocking them at all about that. I hope that it didn't sound that way to anyone either.

I haven't actually seen this cat today but I know she or at least something has eaten all of the food and water that I put out for her.
 

linda_of_pgff

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Hi Cathi,

Be patient with your HS, keep feeding; keep watching her. Chances are good, based on what you've said, this is a nursing momcat, with kittens hidden somewhere. It would make sense for her to be severely underweight during and following pregnancy, and if she is now getting regular meals thanks to your putting food out, she might put on just a bit of weight. Depending on whether/when she had kittens, she also might be getting to put on weight because the kittens are no longer living :-(. Kitten mortality, like that of other young in nature, is quite high.

My own rescue group also takes time to get back to people, particularly if they are not "known" to us before they call. (We offer an orientation, trapping training, we try and get you up to speed BEFORE you spot a cat in need -- so if you can find a program like ours near you, and you want to be prepared, DO sign up!!) Figuring out where you live, where the nearest traps might be, and so on, depending on whether your HS is a private or public agency, all can take time and resources. I know you understand, but just wanted to add some explanation of how to maybe short-cut things in the future, or for others.

Bless you! for doing more than "your share" for this cat! If only everyone would take on just a little of the work, like you are doing! we could make progress faster!

Linda
 
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blondiecat

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Ken and I were talking about this stray kitty tonight. I told him that I wanted to trap her and take her to the vet to get checked over with shots, etc. and also to see about getting her fixed too. Well let's just say Ken wasn't happy about that idea. He stated that this wasn't actually my cat and he didn't mind me feeding her but I shouldn't take her to the vet


HELLO! Of course he and I had a rather long discussion about why I should take her in and I think I have him convinced that she does need medical attention and to be fixed also so there want be a bunch of other little mouths to feed later on if there isn't a bunch somewhere already. Sometimes I really don't understand what runs through his head at all
 
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