Thanks for a great site!

lorina

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Hi! I found this site a little over a month ago, when I was trying to coax a semi-feral kitty into my house, and it's been very helpful.

I first saw the kitty when I happened to look outside and saw a black cat on my back porch, looking for water in a (frozen) flowerpot. At first glance, I thought it was my cat, Sheba, but when I cracked the door open, the kitty ran away. Then it was obvious it was a young cat. Sheba is 13 and pretty damn big.
I left some food and water out, and didn't see her 'til late that night. Every time I opened the door, she ran.


After about a few days, she stopped running, but wouldn't let me near her. One week from the day I first saw her, she let me pet her, and I brought her in the house. Probably a mistake, but I felt too responsible to let the little goober outside in the cold. She was skinny and her fur was all matted. But as much as she seemed to like being petted and purred her head off, the second I set her down, she bolted. She ran down the cellar and hid inside the walls. The tips for taming ferals on this site came in handy, and in a few days time, she let me pet her and pick her up, as long as I had some kitten chow and/or was willing to rub her belly. Due to her habit of stealing all the kitty toys and taking them into the basement, we named her Gypsy.

We took Gypsy to the vet and got her caught up on all her shots, and she started trusting me more and more. She's a total Mommy's Girl. She's still apprehensive of my husband, but she'll follow me like a puppy, sit on the edge of the tub when I take a bubble bath, and even play with the bubbles. Sheba, used to being an only child, is less than amused by her.

Last weekend, three days before she was scheduled to get fixed, Gypsy started acting funny. She lost her energy, her nose and eyes were runny, and she weazed when she breathed. Once again, TCS proved invaluable. Thanks to the information here, I knew it was best not to wait until Monday to take her to my regular vet, and took her to the emergency animal hospital. My poor little kitty had rhinotracheitis, and a fever of 106.7! She had to stay overnight on icepacks and an IV to bring her temperature down. Thankfully, by the next morning, her temperature was down. That evening, I was able to bring her home, and she's been wonderfully frisky and affectionate ever since. She looks so goofy with her shaved leg from the IV... like a little poodle.

Sheba is still not amused.

Luckily, though, Sheba's shown no sign of sickness. She had rhinotracheitis when she was about Gypsy's age (8 months or so), so I'm wondering if she might still be a carrier of the disease, and the stress of a new kitty in the house made her pass it to Gypsy. Either that, or she's jealous and tried to poison her.


(PS... Hi Mermaid & Sandra!)
 

sfell

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Jul 18, 2001
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Welcome! Oh she's so beautiful! I love black cats, they are just so sleek and gorgeous. What an ordeal and what a good kitty mom you are!
 

mermaid

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Feb 27, 2002
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Hi Lorina!
Thanks again for pointing me toward this site. (yep, folks, she is the one responsible, so if I do anything obnoxious, it is Lorina's fault) :tounge2:
Scritchies to Sheba and Gypsy.
 

adymarie

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Welcome to you and your adorable babies! I am glad Gypsy is feeling better. They'll be best friends before long. Hope to see you posting often.
 
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