Beautiful cat in Austin needs rescue! Hurry!!

mikeanderson

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2005
Messages
241
Purraise
1
My wife and I are visiting Austin, Texas, and we've been adopted by a beautiful grey cat in the apartment complex here. Unfortunately, we're leaving here at noon today, and we have been unable to find a home for him.

We're really, really hoping there's someone here who might take him!

He's an incredibly gorgeous cat. He's grey, semi-longhair, with a tabby face and a fluffy tail.

He clearly used to be somebody's pet. He has been declawed, and most likely neutered.

He is EXTREMELY friendly and gregarious. He marched right into our room and climbed up onto my lap for petting. He slept in our bed both nights we were here.

He is very, very skinny, and he's been eating everything we give him. I'm afraid he's just not going to survive much longer if we put him back out. But I hate to take him to a shelter, where he'll most likely be put to sleep.

Won't somebody please take this beautiful cat? He would make a marvelous pet! Please call me TODAY at 267-241-2241. We have to check out at noon, and we have a flight at 4. We might be able to hold onto him until 3 or so, but no longer.

thanks so much,
Mike
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #2

mikeanderson

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2005
Messages
241
Purraise
1
I should add that we put a litter box in the room ever since he arrived Friday night, and he's been using it religiously.

This cat is totally free of issues, people - he'd make an awesome, awesome pet. To recap:

1) Extremely affectionate -- a lap-cat all the way;

2) Has been declawed, most likely neutered (and BTW, I'm no fan of declawing, and obviously we didn't do this to him);

3) Beautiful grey coat and tabby face.

I'd love to take him home myself, but I can't figure out a way to get him on the plane by this afternoon (he needs to be checked out by a vet, a ticket bought for him, etc).

HELP!
 

muttigreemom

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 8, 2005
Messages
1,239
Purraise
1
Location
Florida
I may be too late, but you really don't need to get him checked out by a vet if you want him on the plane. When I found Tryon on my vacation and couldn't get her into a no kill shelter, I called Delta and all they did was charge me an extra $50 to take her as carry-on luggage. (First time my luggage ever breathed
) She didn't see a vet until way after she had been on the plane already and they didn't make me put her in cargo... she was in a carrier under the seat in front of me and the flight attendant even gave me a blanket to wrap around the carrier so the floor a/c didn't bother her.

A deal at twice the price me thinks...
 

muttigreemom

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 8, 2005
Messages
1,239
Purraise
1
Location
Florida
I should also mention I did this the same day as my flight. I called them on my way to the airport and they had me pay the $50 when I had to check in. Whole thing too no more than 10 minutes.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

mikeanderson

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2005
Messages
241
Purraise
1
^^^ I know Delta is very pet-friendly; we're flying Southwest unfortunately.
 

malena

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Jul 24, 2006
Messages
250
Purraise
1
Location
Antwerpen in Belgium
If you cannot take him with you and if no one in the area can help you out, please give him to a cat-rescue. He will starve to death if you put him outside since he is declawed. He can't hunt. Then euthanasia is better. To starve to death is very painful. I am so sorry for you ending up in this stressfull situation. I so hope there will be a solution.
 

sarahp

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 7, 2006
Messages
15,841
Purraise
28
Location
Australia
Originally Posted by Malena

If you cannot take him with you and if no one in the area can help you out, please give him to a cat-rescue. He will starve to death if you put him outside since he is declawed. He can't hunt. Then euthanasia is better. To starve to death is very painful. I am so sorry for you ending up in this stressfull situation. I so hope there will be a solution.
He's obviously lasted this long, so probably isn't doing TOO bad.

What's the outcome, did you get him to a shelter?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

mikeanderson

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2005
Messages
241
Purraise
1
No, I could not bear to take him to a shelter, as we could not locate a no-kill version. I thought he had a better chance of surviving on his own then at a shelter.

If anybody wants to track him down, I bet it wouldn't be hard. We were at the Summerfield Suites at 7685 Northcross Drive:

http://northwestaustin.summerfieldsu...ield/index.jsp

He was hanging around Suite 301 when we left (because we left food out for him) and he is incredibly approachable, so I bet someone could find him if they looked.

I'm kind of broken up about it... He was such a sweet little guy, it really broke my heart to let him go. He clearly didn't want to leave our room, and I could tell he'd been through this before. Probably makes his "living" by mooching off the guests like that.

He was all fur and bones though, so it isn't much of a living....
 

catsknowme

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
11,458
Purraise
6,679
Location
Eastern California,USA
If nothing else, please call the SPCA or the Humane Society. Or maybe even the local cat rescues - they may have a resource for you. If all else fails, you could try calling the United Methodist Church and see if they have a cat lover in the congregation - it depends on the congregation, but the basic UMC tenet is that we were given STEWARDSHIP over creation, not dominion, which is why I personally feel that God wants us to rescue out cats as well as others in need, and why these poor unfortunate kitties enter our lives in the first place. Poor baby, I wonder if he got out by mistake and spooked and ran off so far and fast that he can't manage his way back home - sounds like he's been on his own for too long. I will put him in my prayers tonight. Bless you for caring for this cat - I really feel that your efforts, although temporary, will really make a positive difference
 

tnr1

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Oct 5, 2003
Messages
7,980
Purraise
13
Location
Northern Virginia
Originally Posted by MikeAnderson

No, I could not bear to take him to a shelter, as we could not locate a no-kill version. I thought he had a better chance of surviving on his own then at a shelter.
...
And yet you write:

He is very, very skinny, and he's been eating everything we give him. I'm afraid he's just not going to survive much longer if we put him back out.
Did you at least asked the owners of the suites if he was a resident cat or a stray?? If they were unaware of this cat...I would have let them know about his presence so that they could perhaps find someone to take the cat OR contacted the shelter about him. I think a shelter would have at least been a chance at a better life than putting him back outside to face an unknown future.

Has been declawed, most likely neutered (and BTW, I'm no fan of declawing, and obviously we didn't do this to him);
And let me address this....there are MANY cases where an individual will declaw a cat and not neuter it. Then, when the cat begins to spray...they leave it outside or because the cat is intact...he will wander to find a mate. Without taking the cat to the vet, there is no way to know whether he is neutered or not.

Katie
 

catsknowme

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
11,458
Purraise
6,679
Location
Eastern California,USA
Originally Posted by TNR1

And let me address this....there are MANY cases where an individual will declaw a cat and not neuter it. Then, when the cat begins to spray...they leave it outside or because the cat is intact...he will wander to find a mate. Without taking the cat to the vet, there is no way to know whether he is neutered or not.
Katie
Katie, unfortunately, you are so, so right
Since declawing is done for the convenience of the owner, and at the expense of perpetual discomfort to the cat on so many levels, it is likely that such a selfish owner would decline spending any money on neuterings, since far too many ignorant people see neutering as "optional - kittens are so cute, it's easy for them to get good homes, right?"

Also, I really like your responses to this (and so many other posts). You offer words of wisdom from someone who is out there on the front lines, whose sense of reality is very accurate. You see cats who have anything but a sugar-coated life, cats who are "the worse for wear" yet deserve the shelter, medical care, love, toys and all the other delights that we humans are capable of providing. I can only pray for the encouragement of you, and the other cat-guardian-angels like you - for too,too many cats you are the only hope
 

tnr1

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Oct 5, 2003
Messages
7,980
Purraise
13
Location
Northern Virginia
Originally Posted by catsknowme

Katie, unfortunately, you are so, so right
Since declawing is done for the convenience of the owner, and at the expense of perpetual discomfort to the cat on so many levels, it is likely that such a selfish owner would decline spending any money on neuterings, since far too many ignorant people see neutering as "optional - kittens are so cute, it's easy for them to get good homes, right?"

Also, I really like your responses to this (and so many other posts). You offer words of wisdom from someone who is out there on the front lines, whose sense of reality is very accurate. You see cats who have anything but a sugar-coated life, cats who are "the worse for wear" yet deserve the shelter, medical care, love, toys and all the other delights that we humans are capable of providing. I can only pray for the encouragement of you, and the other cat-guardian-angels like you - for too,too many cats you are the only hope
Thank you....I try. Believe me, we get declawed cats at our feral cat clinic that were left intact...I think it is just shameful.

Katie

P.S. If this had been a feral cat, my response would have been different as I do not believe that feral cats should be taken to a shelter....but I do believe they should be vetted so that they cannot add to the overpopulation.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #14

mikeanderson

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2005
Messages
241
Purraise
1
OK... thanks for your words of wisdom. I'm sure you know a great deal more about saving stray cats than I do. I guess I was just trying to do what I ascertained to be the right thing. Thanks for making me feel so much better about how I dealt with this dilemma. I'm quite sure I didn't already feel guilty enough.

As they say, no good deed...
 

gayef

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 7, 2001
Messages
7,814
Purraise
29
Location
Still Hittin' 'Em Right Between The Eyes
I have contacted a local, no-kill animal rescue/shelter facility to check into this situation. After speaking with the receptionist at the hotel, I learned that there are " a lot of stray cats around here", and so I felt a well-placed call to a local rescue might be warranted here. Hopefully, this organization will be able to address the problem in Northwest Austin.
 

catsknowme

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
11,458
Purraise
6,679
Location
Eastern California,USA
Originally Posted by gayef

I have contacted a local, no-kill animal rescue/shelter facility to check into this situation. After speaking with the receptionist at the hotel, I learned that there are " a lot of stray cats around here", and so I felt a well-placed call to a local rescue might be warranted here. Hopefully, this organization will be able to address the problem in Northwest Austin.
Thank you for being so proactive!! It would have been nice if someone local would have read the thread and been able to dash over & rescue the gray cat, but maybe in the end, even more cats will be helped. Will they be able to call you and give you any updates??
 

gayef

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 7, 2001
Messages
7,814
Purraise
29
Location
Still Hittin' 'Em Right Between The Eyes
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to reach a live human being, but did leave a detailed message including my contact information. Hopefully, they will call for further information and I can request they update me, so I can pass that along to you all as it comes in.
 

callista

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 6, 2006
Messages
3,152
Purraise
86
I thought you could tell if a male cat had been neutered? Anyway I can see the difference in adults, because the testicles are a lot bigger if the cat hasn't been neutered... am I deluding myself?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19

mikeanderson

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2005
Messages
241
Purraise
1
I didn't bother with the managers of the hotel because it was clear they didn't care -- there were probably dozens of stray cats hanging around.

For that matter, all of Austin is full of stray cats, as are many cities.

The people I was visiting thought I was just being naive and childish to put up such a fuss for a single cat. But he was so friendly, and so clearly would have made such a wonderful pet, that I couldn't NOT try to do something for him. Especially given his lack of claws, and especially after each time he climbed up on my chest with his head just below mine, purring away contentedly and soaking up the love...

So yeah, I couldn't bear to take him to a shelter where he'd face certain death. And yes, his life there was crappy, but at least there was some slight chance he'd land on his feet somehow.

I'm still feeling so bad about this... I know it's futile and hopeless, and there are millions of cats just like him, but I really really wish somebody would out there would go get that poor creature and take him home.

Or even better, send him to me. I really wish I'd found a way not to leave him behind...
 

bella713

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
18,441
Purraise
3
Location
In a state of misery w/o my Bella
Originally Posted by MikeAnderson

I didn't bother with the managers of the hotel because it was clear they didn't care -- there were probably dozens of stray cats hanging around.

For that matter, all of Austin is full of stray cats, as are many cities.

The people I was visiting thought I was just being naive and childish to put up such a fuss for a single cat. But he was so friendly, and so clearly would have made such a wonderful pet, that I couldn't NOT try to do something for him. Especially given his lack of claws, and especially after each time he climbed up on my chest with his head just below mine, purring away contentedly and soaking up the love...

So yeah, I couldn't bear to take him to a shelter where he'd face certain death. And yes, his life there was crappy, but at least there was some slight chance he'd land on his feet somehow.

I'm still feeling so bad about this... I know it's futile and hopeless, and there are millions of cats just like him, but I really really wish somebody would out there would go get that poor creature and take him home.

Or even better, send him to me. I really wish I'd found a way not to leave him behind...
Bless your heart for taking care of him for the time you did, many people would not even have done that. You gave him a wonderful few days that he probably hasn't experienced in a while. I know it's hard to not feel guilty but you did what you could...who knows he may be in someones loving arms right now.
 
Top