Kitty under House Arrest

I'm fostering a young, abandoned kitten who had calichi, but he's getting better. Alas,I just found out that the shelter which agreed to take him doesn't tolerate "Indoor/Outdoor" cats - which he very definitely is. He spends half his energy trying to get out. And I promised to find him a home with a nice yard from him to play in, and now I feel like a traitor!

I realise that certain cats are better off indoors, and I realise that there are dangers out there. But for an outdoor animal to be trapped inside for HIS WHOLE LIFE! is unthinkable to me. I can't imagine a more horrible fate - definitely worse than death.

So, I think I may use a charge card to pay for the shots and neutering, and try to find a normal, loving, indoor/outdoor home for him myself.

Anyone in Eastern Mass or Southern N.H. want an adorable and lovable black kitty kat with all his shots and neutered? I'll deliver him!

Thanks! ----- Lin_H

PS: I found out why black cats are bad luck. I tripped over him in the dark and broke my toe!

I'd love to take him but four is enough and here on the Cape(Where I live anyway) it's coyote city and my neighborhood is off of a highway.

He sounds like a sweetheart though and I'm not just saying that because I have a weakness for black kitties... Ok I'm lying but I hope you find a nice home for him. I'm not sure what shelter you're talking about but if they have a site up on petfinder.com maybe they can put a notice up. A lot of people look through that site and it will increase your chance of finding him a good home.

BTW Xavier our resident black cat has tripped me more times than I can count. I hope your toe heals quickly.

Petfinder.com! I'll check it out. Thank you! Oh, yes, I forgot about coyotes; we have those, too. Ideally cats should only go out in the daytime, so they don't eat the unsuspecting wildlife, or vice versa. I once had a cat who walded with me like a dog, and some cats will tolerate a harness. It's just so sad to see them at the windows with that longing look in their eyes. I'm an outdoor kitty, too, so I know how they feel.

The toe's almost better. I walk like a ballerina now - one knee's bent, and the other has the toe pointing and tapping out in front of me. It's mainly because he likes to look out the windows, so the shades are up, but I live on the ground floor in the city, so I have to keep the lights off.

I'm not pussy-whipped, much...!:tounge2:

Lin_H

Why not give the:

Animal Rescue League of Boston-Cape Cod Branch
Route 6A
Brewster,MA 02631
(508)255-1030

a shout. Maybe they can help find the little one a loving forever home.

Good luck!

I understand very much you wanting to find this little kitty a home that will accept an indoor/outdoor cat, but let me suggest that it may seem difficult right now but that may change. When I got my cat she was 8 weeks old & had been born & lived in a barn. When she first came to live with me she would try very hard to get outside. As time went on she stopped trying & it didn't take long before she not olny didn't care to go outside, but rather was deathly afraid of the outside. She is now 16 years old & the only time she goes outside is to go to that unmentionable place where they give her shots & take blood So I think as hard as you think it would be for this kitty I believe he would ajust. Just my suggestion, obviously I've never met him, so you would know better than me if it was a possiblity. At any rate I hope all works out & you find a wonderful & loving home for him.

I really want to believe that, because it would make my life so much easier and cheaper. I'm a nature freak myself, and believe that animals belong outdoors, but I wonder if I'm just transferring my own outdoorsy-ness onto the cat. I wonder if he could be happy enough with a house and another cat and plenty of window perches. Maybe if there were a screened-in porch,too. I put bird seed on the outdoor sills for him and there are 2 window boxes which attract insects, which he loves to watch. !

Thanks for the encouragement. As it is, I'm starting to get so darned attached, that I'm daydreaming, and scamming ways to be able to keep him! (I could take him out on a leash on the beach, and throw bread out for the seagulls - the 2 of us could cavort off into the sunset together and live happily ever after, just him and me... But that's hormones, and I have to work 2 jobs to pay the rent. Now I know how working mothers must feel!

--- Lin_H

Thank you, Hell603. The Animal Rescue League in Salem, MA will only take Salem cats. But I wondered if I paid for the shots and neuter - would they? The lady through whom I was working won't take black cats to the Salem shelter; she says all the witches adopt black cats to hang (Sacrifice) up on Gallows Hill!

That sounds a bit hard to swallow... ?

He played very hard this morning, and now he's tired, and sleeping away from the open windows, even though it's a beautiful day. Maybe he would be happy indoors, with enough play.

---Lin_H

Whiskers is an indoor cat only. She was a stray we took in and she has adapted pretty well to the indoor living. Springtime is the only time of the year she really gets the itch to take off. I'm really afraid she'd leave and not come back.

I don't think the importance should be on whether the family will allow him to be an indoor/outdoor cat. I think it should be on whether or not the family will love him and treat him right.

I must say though....Whiskers has her own little couch by the living room window and she gets all comfy on it, throws her two front paws over the top of the couch and leans her chin down and just looks out the window.....now you have me wondering if that's also a "longing for the outdoors" look she has on her face. Awwwww shucks. But I just can't bring myself to allow her to roam the town. Too many cross dogs and again: What if she doesn't come home???

I've heard of the black cat stories also. Not sure where in the world this happens though.

Out here, Pet shops are forbidden to sell black cats at halloween time and all owners of black cats (or any color for that matter) are warned to keep their cats indoors on halloween. There are definately some sick people in this world.......

No help from me, I just wanted to say something on this subject. Being a pagan, meaning witch in most circles, I think it's absurd that people still think that witches cavort with the devil. Those are satanists. I also tend to think that most of what people do to black cats has nothing to do with religion of any type. They are just sick individuals getting kicks out of torturing a beautiful creature with a bad reputation. (I'm not saying that anyone on this board thinks that way about witches, just the general uneducated public.)

I hope you give this wonderful cat a good forever home, whether he stays with you or not. It sounds like you are on the right track. Good luck!

P.S. I think that cats can adapt from being outdoor to indoor as well, especially if they have enough stimulation with play and toys.

My cat was an indoor/outdoor boy at one point in his life and loved it. Then he got lost, and when I found him his outside days were over. He adapted. Nowadays, I let the boys out onto the screen porch. They enjoy it and manage to catch stray lizards that come in.

My vet told me just today to be careful with the porch because strays can transmit FeLV through the screen.

Lin, it sounds to me like yiu'd better pick a name, because I think that black kitty has found a home. I love hearing all the Cape stories folks, and the broken toe story was a riot!

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement! Cats are pretty good at accepting whatever situation comes up, and I'm convinced that they're intelligent enough to weigh the alternatives of living on the street or being stuck indoors, and choose accordingly. I think a lot of it DOES have to do with how much time or love his humans can give him, and also how big the house is. (It has to be a house or a large ground floor apartment for an outdoor cat, I think....)

Valanhb - I did think it was ridiculous to think that wiccans do bad things to cats. Most that I know really love animals. It's the weirdos that are worrisome, and they live anywhere.

Well, it's off to the vet to see about P.C.'s calichi. Thanks, again!

Lin_H

Back from vet. Ouch. What we have here is a failure to com-yoon-i-kate. The cat has no more calici, but instead has Stomatitis, which is an auto immune disorder that affects the teethe and gums, and may make him un-adoptable. I wish I had know that last month. I would have had him put down right off, before I was attached, and before I had lost a month's pay!!!



Well, the vet gave me some anti-biotics, which may make a difference. (Or I can keep my mouth shut and pray the shelter doesn't notice...) Wish I could keep him myself, but I just got an A+ and Network + computer certification (Working on CCNA) and am trying desperately to find work in this tech-unfriendly job market. And I may have to relocate if necessary (Like, to Alaska?) I can't afford to add a cat into the equation.

I should have gotten a second opinion!



---Lin_H

It's bizarre that something like that would make this cat unadoptable (I dont believe putting an otherwise fine cat down unless its absolutely necessary...it's a quick solution but not the best one ). Any shelters I've been involved with have "special needs" pets. It's only the ones who have severe behavioral problems or who a have an illness so severe they will suffer etc. who are put down. Perhaps, you could try adopting him out yourself (no "Free Cat" ads as they attract the worst kind of people) or find a shelter who will not render him "unadoptable" because of something as paltry as this.

Steph

I agree that it's a shame to have to put a cat down for matters which are mainly monetary. But it's kind of strange. His behavior lately has been very weird. He's starting to bite and scratch, and he just attacked my face as I was just sitting here looking at the computer! That was really strange. I hope he doesn't have rabies or anything. (How much do those rabies shot series cost? I have no insurance!) Maybe it's because he senses my changed behavior toward him. The thing about cats is, that you can't put one over on them. They know what you're thinking better than you do.

Or, I might remember seeing something about stomatitis affecting behavior...?

I guess I've learned my lesson the hard way. Things like pets are just luxuries for rich people! I'll try everything to find him a home before I do anything drastic, though.

Thanks for the feedback.

----Lin_H

"I guess I've learned my lesson the hard way. Things like pets are just luxuries for rich people! I'll try everything to find him a home before I do anything drastic, though."

They arent really a "luxury". They are companionship, someone who will love you unconditionally and who deserves all that love returned to him/her. When you have a pet you *do* have to make sure that they have the basics which are food,water,shelter (no outdoor cats please...too dangerous on many levels..unless supervised or in an enclosure), vet care (spay/neuter,vaccinations etc.) and of course, lots of hugs,pets and kisses.

"That was really strange. I hope he doesn't have rabies or anything. (How much do those rabies shot series cost?"

Do you allow this cat out unsupervised? If a cat does not have the basic vaccinations (rabies *IS* one of them) then the cat should never be outside (they should never be outside *anyway*). I'm sure this cat does not have rabies. If he did he would be doing more then scratching. This cat should be vaccinated for rabies of course. If he came from a shelter why would they not have vaccinated him before putting him in a foster home? This does make sense to me. If this is the case then the shelter cant be very responsible (or is this a "pound"?). Cat's behavior will change if they have a physical problem. His acting out could be an indication that his illness is effecting him more then it was previously..in which case he should probably have a return visit to the vet.

Putting a pet to sleep is definitely a drastic step and monetary reasons is not really an acceptable reason for ending a life. I suppose I see it that way because I know the pain of having to put a pet down *for* a real reason and I just cant see putting a animal down unless its absolutely necessary.

I think your best bet is to take him back to the vet and then try your hardest to find him a new home. If you find that you cant find an acceptable home for him then find a no-kill shelter to take him to. This way he'll be put in a proper foster home where there will be no time limit on how quickly he has to get well before being considered "adoptable".


Steph

Hello, My kitty was an outside kitty, I felt very guilty not allowing him out to play so I trained him to walk on a leash. I know that you aren't planning to keep this kitten, but you could train him to walk on a leash and then it might be eaiser to find him a new home because he would be "more marketable".. My kitty got so big that I had to buy him a small dog halter, but he loves to "go out side" His walks however are never unattended.

Oddly enough, when I got home the other night, I had decided he would have to be put down. I live in a bad neighborhood full of immigrants to accept these kittens and then just move away, leaving them outdoors. And they all end up with me. I can barely pay the rent myself, but I've now spent over $3000 (mostly on plastic) helping strays. This cat costs as much to feed as I do, and I'm using credit cards to buy groceries, And to end up on the street because of a stray cat is ridiculous. After all, it IS just a cat.... thank God I've come back down to earth. A friend of mine just said - "Give him back to God"

Well, that's when he attacked my head - several times - I was kind of scared. Then, the next day, I decided to use a charge card to neuter him and give him his shots, and let him be (My) indoor/outdoor cat, all the while trying to find him a home. (I figured outdoors was better than dead.) And he immediately became all sweetness and light again - purring and cuddling. They react to your vibes, and HE KNEW!

Then, last night I received several email answers from the shelters I had contacted. And, from what they say, this cat may not even HAVE stomatitis. It may still be calici, or juvenile gigavitis... To be perfectly honest, I have absolutely no faith in this vet clinic, but they're the ones who give humane discounts.

So I'm going to keep in touch with these shelters - one of them may even take him. And tomorrow he's going back to the vet to learn to meow in soprano, and to get his shots, so I can take him out on a halter. I just hope the shots don't make him sick. Apparently there's no one at this vet clinic that can diagnose calici (or stomatitis). There's certainly no one I trust. I may have destroyed a healthy cat on their say-so!!

Thanks for the feedback!

And yes, alas, pets are not for poor people - this is a fact! They're for well established middle class people who could still pay the rent if they missed a few days work. No others should take them, period!

---Lin_H

*lol* Yes! It's so true, having any animal as a pet is a big expense.I do sympathize with you over the cost. We took in a stray (now my Maggie) who gave birth to 4 kittens and we ended up keeping 3 (and giving one to a responsible family friend) because I couldnt bear the thought of giving them away to people I didnt know. The cost of food for one cat is expensive let alone 4 plus the litter and toys and treats (they get lots of those! . We were lucky to find a vet who gave us an excellent cut cost on getting all the cats spayed and neutered. We had the girls done first and then two weeks later boys were done. But when you add the cost of health check ups and vaccinations the amount of money spent goes on the rise. All of our cats are healthy except Hamish who has seizures (epilepsy although he doesnt need meds due the fact he only has about 1 seizure every 3 months or more) plus starting last October he suffered with fatty liver disease after becoming anorexic (oddly enough he stopped eating after we had to put our 14 year old Lab to sleep due to lung cancer and renal failure) and then after months of us nursing him back to health he came down with a skin allergy called Eisinophilic Granulnoma! You can imagine the vet bills although the same vet that gave us the neuter/spay cost reduction does do payment plans as well (I also volunteer for this lady too). So it pays to find a good and caring vet! Still, no one in this house begrudges the output of all that money since we get so much in return. We're paid in love!

It's a worthy expense!
Steph