That percentage seems low to me...between my own cats and those Ive fostered, Ive never had one who did not wear a collar. Im wondering if the other 25 percent didnt give it a day, didnt switch to a different type, etc.. Kittens, in my experience, take a little longer to adjust to wearing one than adults...but I dont think its ever raken more than two days.
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Fostering ponderings
- Thread starter crazy4strays
- Start Date
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #43
Yeah, no doubt.
I agree, in a lot of cases, people may have not really given collaring a fair shot.
The cats that I've cared for in recent times ranged in age from about 6 months old to 14 years old. All did fine with a collar.
I also started brushing my cats' teeth as adults and they're both fine with it.
I think that cats are more adaptable than we give them credit for.
I agree, in a lot of cases, people may have not really given collaring a fair shot.
The cats that I've cared for in recent times ranged in age from about 6 months old to 14 years old. All did fine with a collar.
I also started brushing my cats' teeth as adults and they're both fine with it.
I think that cats are more adaptable than we give them credit for.
A former housemate of mine always put her cat's collar on way too loosely, and so she would get out of it (accidentally and on purpose) repeatedly. I put it on at the correct fitting once and she went crazy about how it was tight and must be uncomfortable.
She loosened it back to "will never stay on" and surprisingly it never stayed on.
In the case of my childhood cat, 3 years later a nice couple pulled up to our house and exclaimed it was their beloved cat who had run away after she had kittens and they got her spayed. They were very happy to know she'd found a new family that loved her and hadn't gotten hit by a car, but they didn't want to take her back since she was happy and we children were attached to her.
Other than the cat that wandered up to our doorstep when I was 5 years old and stayed the next 12 years, I have never adopted a stray who wasn't either obviously neglected or that I didn't take to the vet to check for a microchip while getting a health check. And even in the case of the obviously neglected, I took them to the vet anyway because they needed help. I guess I assumed people who decided to keep a cat got it checked, and people who didn't keep it took it to a shelter, and the shelter checked for a chip. This thread has opened my eyes.
In the case of my childhood cat, 3 years later a nice couple pulled up to our house and exclaimed it was their beloved cat who had run away after she had kittens and they got her spayed. They were very happy to know she'd found a new family that loved her and hadn't gotten hit by a car, but they didn't want to take her back since she was happy and we children were attached to her.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #45
Nope. In my area it seems that only a few lucky cats get to go to the shelter. I asked awhile back if our local Animal Control checks cats for microchips and was informed that Animal Control doesn't really take in many cats. I had a friend who called Animal Control for help removing feral cats from her property and was told that the county was too overwhelmed with animals to worry about ferals.
You'll be lucky to even get Humane Society to return your messages or phone calls if you want to bring in a cat to them around here! My rescue likewise has lots of cats that they could take in and very few foster homes.
The problem with all that is ignoring cats doesn't make them go away. "No Kill" shelters mostly means to me that animals are left on the street to starve, multiply out of control while being fed cheap cat food by well meaning humans, or be killed by wild animals or cruel humans.
A lot of folks around here, especially folks that take very minimal care of their animals, have no clue what a microchip even is, let alone that they're expected to scan for one if they find a stray.
Basically, my microchips are cheap lifetime insurance that my animals won't be euthanized in a shelter, in the off chance that they ever ended up in one. But I would never rely on it for primary identification.
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@lonelocust...glad it opened your eyes. Many cat owners will never take their cat to tge vet, especialky in rural areas. They nay be more likely to dump tge cat sonewhere, put them outside (even without claws), or shoot it. Sad, but true.
@Crazy4Strays...the Humane Society is the same way here. They also have a policy that if a person brings the cat in for health issues with the HS vet, it is entirely up to the HS to gas the cat or treat it...even if the owner is RIGHT there and choosing life and wanting to take the cat back home, the HS can refuse and kill the cat. A paper is signed in advance, letting the HS become osner of tge cat if their services are used.
Some people see the Humane Society as some Heaven-sent organization...cats are property to them, as are other animals. Our local rabbbit rescue even has to pay FULL price for every rabbit on death row.
@Crazy4Strays...the Humane Society is the same way here. They also have a policy that if a person brings the cat in for health issues with the HS vet, it is entirely up to the HS to gas the cat or treat it...even if the owner is RIGHT there and choosing life and wanting to take the cat back home, the HS can refuse and kill the cat. A paper is signed in advance, letting the HS become osner of tge cat if their services are used.
Some people see the Humane Society as some Heaven-sent organization...cats are property to them, as are other animals. Our local rabbbit rescue even has to pay FULL price for every rabbit on death row.
See, this is what I'm worried about, but my cat really does not tolerate collars. He goes crazy trying to get them off, and the last time I tried, he was clearly frustrated, agitated, and trying desperately to get the collar off.
After trying for a while and failing, he let out this shriek of frustration that I'd never heard before, and I didn't want him to suffer so I took it off. That shriek was disturbing in how human it was, how it was unmistakably the result of serious frustration and agitation.
He's an indoor cat and I work from home, so I'm with him constantly, but I do worry about what could happen if someone else forgets to close the front door, or Bud gets scared and tries to go through a window screen. I'm surprised that in 2015 there aren't better options or even a unified database and system for microchips.
How long was the collar on him? Have uou tried a different type of collar? Try a breakaway collar with no bell. When he is at rest, put it on him and pet him..maybe even reward him with a treat. Just keep it on him for a little while and then gradually increase the timehe has it on. He isnt sufferring...he just isnt used to it. Sort of like putting socks or shoes on a baby for the first time...its foreign to them.
In the meantime, if the door isgoing to be opening or someobe else is over, put him in another room. Dont be afraid to tell guests not to open the door, out of safety for your cat.
In the meantime, if the door isgoing to be opening or someobe else is over, put him in another room. Dont be afraid to tell guests not to open the door, out of safety for your cat.
We had a foster cat and I put a collar on her. It took about a week to get her used to it. We started by putting it on her for 30 - 60 minutes while we played with her. Then it became the signal to go out and explore a different room or downstairs. After a while we just left it on her all the time. We even forgot to take it off when she was adopted. She was about 11 months when we got her.
When I adopted Fluffy, I called the shelter where she came from and asked about shots and stuff. I also asked if they checked her for a micro chip. Their response was 'no, she wasn't spayed, I doubt the owners would have bothered with a chip.'
When I adopted Fluffy, I called the shelter where she came from and asked about shots and stuff. I also asked if they checked her for a micro chip. Their response was 'no, she wasn't spayed, I doubt the owners would have bothered with a chip.'
If I put him in a room he'll cry, and cry, and cry, LOUDLY, until I let him out, especially if people are over. He's like the complete opposite of a typical cat that goes and hides under the bed when guests are over, he's right out with everyone, demanding to be the center of attention. In that sense, I'm not too worried, because I would notice immediately if he wasn't there, and he's good about staying inside when I open the door.
The collar is the major problem. I will try to look at some different types of collars and take your advice. I've had the same problem with his harness, although he knows that's only for a half hour or 45 minutes at a time, but I've still been clawed for trying to put it on him. But what you said is common sense, and I'll give it a shot, I guess I was so taken aback by how he responded to it that I didn't want to make him go through that again.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #51
Wouldn't it be standard to check for the chip first before checking for spaying though? It's not like being spayed or not is readily obvious. At the minimum a an a cat without tattoos or ear tipping would have to be shaved to determine that.
My current foster cat was actually cut open before they realized that she was already spayed.
I wonder why people are so reluctant to routinely scan animals? It takes all of 60 seconds to do it.
Two of my cats are like that..they want to be in the room with the crowd. If people are enterimg or exiting though, I still lock them in a room until everyone is settled. One of my cats thought he could just leave with the visitors though...hes a little too friendly sometimes. My husband used to put a pillow in front of the door..as a very clear reminder to be careful with the door. He used a pillow because it caught people off-guard.
I would try another collar. If it doesnt work, return it. Try a simple one tha wont feel.so weighted down or noisy. And remember, sometimes ae have to uss a little tough love and just keep it on for a bit. Good luck!
It SHOULD be standard! All should be checked. One of mine has her ar tipped...I would hope someone sould check her too.
I cant believe your cat was opened up before seeing she was spayed...I would be FURIOUS. My gosh!
It was my understanding that sometimes one cannot tell that a cat has been spayed before she is opened up. For most the scars remain, so shaving the belly reveals it, but if the cat happens to heal very well and the scars disappear, there's no external sign of spaying. I imagine it's theoretically possible to tell with an ultrasound, but the cost/benefit of doing an ultrasound on every cat who appears to have not been spayed seems to fall on the side of checking for external signs. I'm also not sure how many vets actually have an ultrasound machine.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #55
It really is a bummer because she's not having a particularly easy time of recovery from the surgery and she had it for nothing.
I'm upset about it but I don't think that it could have been prevented. (short of tatooing, ear tipping or the owner microchipping her and them doing their due diligence and scanning her)
IMO, all cats that are spayed females should, at the very minimum, get a tattoo over their stomach that states that they are spayed if the owner doesn't want to microchip them. Having to deal with a poor hurting kitty who got cut open for nothing is really not fun.
I'm upset about it but I don't think that it could have been prevented. (short of tatooing, ear tipping or the owner microchipping her and them doing their due diligence and scanning her)
IMO, all cats that are spayed females should, at the very minimum, get a tattoo over their stomach that states that they are spayed if the owner doesn't want to microchip them. Having to deal with a poor hurting kitty who got cut open for nothing is really not fun.
That sucks that your kitty is having to go through recovery for nothing. I hope she feels better soon.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #58
As she is my foster cat, no I didn't pay anything for her vet care. I'm not sure if the rescue was billed for a spay, though. Hopefully not.
I got my Mingo from the local humane society. They charge $125 for kittens and $25 for cats over 5 months. All their cats are neutered or spayed, microchipped, and checked by a vet.. The group also does fundraising to cover their costs. Two more rescue groups in the area charge more for adult cats and have questionnaires that require two recommendations from friends. This probably discourages anyone from harming the kitties.
I totally get that rescues are nervous about who they adopt out to, and it really makes me angry when I hear about people who adopt a kitten, then return it six months or a year later, basically robbing them of kittenhood and the likely chance that they'll be adopted again. It's incredibly irresponsible, and I don't know how you can just return a cat who has been part of your family.
Then again, I saw quite a few rescues that had insane standards for adopting, and things like 10-page questionnaires, home visitations, unannounced home visitations, $500 fines if they find something they don't like during a visitation (like a plant too low to the ground), legal language that stipulates the shelter/rescue still owns the cat and can take it back at any time, and even some places that will not adopt out unless you have a recommendation from a vet. But if you're a first-time cat owner, how can you have a vet recommendation? There was one rescue in Manhattan that wanted people to attend a series of weekly seminars on cat care, and a series of home visits, like social workers at CPS. Those were mandatory for adopting. My brother, who was with me at their adoption event, straight-up told them they were making it difficult for legitimately good people to adopt, and they just shrugged it off.
Ultimately, that is what drove me to adopt from a young couple whose cat had just given birth to a litter. Now I understand why I probably should not have done that, nevermind the fact that it encourages people like that to basically turn their female cats into kitten mills. I paid them $100 for Bud, ostensibly to help pay for vet bills for their cat, and I didn't mind the price, it's just that people might use the economic incentive to avoid getting their cat spayed. Especially if a decent-sized littler can net you $500, $800, whatever.
Now, of course, I have a vet who would recommend me, and I can prove I'm a responsible cat owner. The next time I adopt will be from a rescue, and I will adopt an adult cat who needs a home.
That is my problem, I'm a big softy with Bud
