Look What I Found When I Came Home.....

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kittykook

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Originally Posted by mamacat

I dunno, Guido makes me imagine him in a velour track suit, leaning out of the side of his Trans-Am while he drives, and listening to Vanilla Ice... Maybe that's just because I grew up in Queens though...


What an image you just brought to mind! I guess he's definitely NOT a Guido!
 
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kittykook

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I just got back from Petsmart......stocking up on kitty food again....and I bought something for the big orange boy too. Since I've been so worried about him getting cold at night.....I decided to buy a cat carrier and make him a bed. I needed to buy another carrier anyway for my cats.....so I went ahead and bought an extra one. The one I bought for outside though is one of the cheaper ones that's made all of plastic. I put an old bath rug and an old blanket in there and put his bowls next to it.....so hopefully...he'll feel safe enough to get in there and sleep and get out of the cold. It's on my back carport up against the house and some boxes, so it's totally out of the wind.

I might even be able to "catch" him this way. Although, I feel sorta guilty about trying to capture him and take him to Happy Tails when he just now beginning to trust me. I feel kinda like I'm betraying him.
 

captiva

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Robin,

Look forward to your daily updates. Don't feel guilty. What's the alternative? The odds are against him to live as a stray. At least if you take him in, he will have a chance to find a nice warm place in someone's home - no more fights with other cats, coons, etc. If you lived closer I would have given you the insulated dog house and water bowl we bought for Mama last winter/fall. She never used the dog house. I think she was too afraid of being cornered in there.
 
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kittykook

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Originally Posted by valanhb

What about Tony, a la Tony Soprano?
I actually thought about Tony......but as in "Tony the Tiger" not the Soprano!
 
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kittykook

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Originally Posted by captiva

Robin,

Look forward to your daily updates. Don't feel guilty. What's the alternative? The odds are against him to live as a stray. At least if you take him in, he will have a chance to find a nice warm place in someone's home - no more fights with other cats, coons, etc. If you lived closer I would have given you the insulated dog house and water bowl we bought for Mama last winter/fall. She never used the dog house. I think she was too afraid of being cornered in there.
Yeah....I know you're right. Plus, we live very close to a busy road. I was thinking just today how awful if would be to come home one day to find him on the road after being hit by a car. I really think he would make someone a great pet. He seems to WANT to be loveable and friendly.....and I think over time....he'd learn to trust humans again and would become a great couch kitty.
 
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kittykook

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The big guy came back today and he was SO cold.....bless his heart! He was trying to eat and kept snorting......I think because his teeth were chattering.
I stayed out there with him for awhile and kept petting him and he was walking around in circles around me and rubbing on me. I tried to get him to get into his bed that I made for him in the new carrier....but he wouldn't get in. I even covered the carrier so no wind could blow into the holes on the side. Jamie said that when her boyfriend came over last night, he said the cat was sleeping in the carrier but ran off when he saw him. I even put a little catnip in there today to try and entice him to go in there out of the cold. I hope he's sleeping in it tonight.

I just wanted to scoop him up and bring him into the house. My house is just too small and I don't have a spare room where I can keep him away from my cats and I'm afraid he may have something that I don't want my cats exposed to.

The problem is......if he ever does get in the carrier.....I'm not going to be able to close the door because he jumps up as soon as he hears the back door open.

I'm just really worried about him out there tonight.
 

zanniesmom

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There are kitty beds that reflect heat back to the kitty, sort of like a space blanket. He might be warmer with one of those, they have them at the pet store I go to but I don't know a brand name. Also there are the snuggle safe disks that you warm in the microwave and they stay warm for several hours. Becky
 
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kittykook

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Originally Posted by zanniesmom

There are kitty beds that reflect heat back to the kitty, sort of like a space blanket. He might be warmer with one of those, they have them at the pet store I go to but I don't know a brand name. Also there are the snuggle safe disks that you warm in the microwave and they stay warm for several hours. Becky
That's a good idea. I put an old bath rug in there that has rubber on the bottom of it......I figured that would seal in the heat too.....at least keep the cold from seeping in through the bottom of the carrier. Then I put an old blanket on top of the bath rug and covered the carrier with an old blue jean coat that I have that has lambs wool on the inside of it and is very thick. I insulated the carrier the best I could......but if he won't sleep in it.....it doesn't do much good.

This morning.....I noticed that he had eaten all the dry food.....but left a big chunk of the canned food in his bowl. I have a feeling that it froze and was too hard for him to eat.
 

flisssweetpea

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He's gorgeous. Such a lovely boy. I've always had a soft spot for red cats.

Becky's suggestion of a Snugglesafe is a good one - that way you know he would be warm through the night.

I bet the more comfortable he feels with you the less he will be inclined to run away when the door opens. Particularly if you open it softly and talk to him whilst you're coming through. It's a gradual process - but if you can keep him warm in the meantime, I know you'll feel a lot happier.
 

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Robin - Do you have a garage? That's where I kept Mama and the babies.
 
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kittykook

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Originally Posted by captiva

Robin - Do you have a garage? That's where I kept Mama and the babies.
No....I wish I did. I just have a carport in the back of my house....which is where I have been feeding him and have the carrier. It is up against the house and out of the wind.....but it's still really cold out there.

My house is only 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and has a kitchen/dining area and a large family room. There really isn't any extra space in here to keep him separated from the others. And I have no rooms that aren't being used.
 

zanniesmom

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I have also read about feral shelters made with two sizes of those plastic boxes you get from Walmart. One fits inside the other and you fill the space inbetween with styrofoam or straw, and put straw inside to nest in. Among the feral people straw is prefered for nesting over cloth because the cat can burrow into it. I will look for the directions for the thing I am thinking of. Becky
 
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kittykook

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What a great idea. I already have a couple of those containers here. I wonder what they used to cut the hole in the side? Those containers are pretty heavy duty plastic and I'm not sure I have anything that would cut through that. I think I'd need to get a small hand saw.
 

zanniesmom

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I don't suppose that a square hole would be as hard to make as a round one. If you have a spare container you could practice on it. I would think a sharp knife would work, but it would be hard to control. I wonder if starting the cut with a knife then going to scissors would be better. BTC (Before The Crash) there was a thread on here about someone who made shelters with those containers. Maybe someone here will remember how they did it. Becky
 
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kittykook

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Ok...I'm worried about the big guy tonight. He didn't show up for dinner. He has been coming every night at about 5:00pm for the last couple of weeks and tonight he didn't come.


I went out and filled up his bowl and called to him. I even got the flashlight and looked under the house. I haven't seen him at all today. I keep checking his bowl and it hasn't been touched.

I hope he's ok......it's been so cold.
 

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Originally Posted by KittyKook

Ok...I'm worried about the big guy tonight. He didn't show up for dinner. He has been coming every night at about 5:00pm for the last couple of weeks and tonight he didn't come.


I went out and filled up his bowl and called to him. I even got the flashlight and looked under the house. I haven't seen him at all today. I keep checking his bowl and it hasn't been touched.

I hope he's ok......it's been so cold.
Maybe he found a warm place to sleep. It's really great that you're showing him such kindness. He knows someone there cares about him, I'm sure he'll come back to your place.
 

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Hi Robin, I just saw your thread today. Soo grateful for people like you who don't think twice about helping these poor creatures! Kudos to you!
I hope big boy shows up tomorrow for his daily rations!
I love him! I've always loved stray cats, especially affectionate ones.
And like you, my heart breaks for them if left out in the cold. Hope you can finally trap him, get him fixed, and find him a forever home.
 
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