I PITTY THE KITTY

Tuna Chaser · 6:28 PM, 12/02/05

I PITTY THE KITTY

HunterNellasmom · Post-a-Holic - Give this person a rabies shot!

Wow, that's a toughie. Based on your situation, I honestly think the best thing to do is to find a no-kill shelter and take the cat there. If that's not possible, go buy a tote, take the lid off and place it upside down near the house (or if you want to buy a small doghouse you could do that too) Cut a hole in the side of it so the cat can go in there. Maybe put a few blankets in it. That's what my in-laws do with the barn cats that stroll in. They live in the mountains and it gets REALLY cold and snowy there and the cats never come inside. It sounds cruel, but the cats aren't even theirs. They live on a ranch, and strays are always wandering in. So if they let in every cat that strolled by, they would have one stinky house. They don't even feed them. They may throw out scraps, but for the main part the cats catch their own food. If this cat is an outdoor cat, he's probably the same way. Just use a cup of food a day and he should be good to go. But I definately think the whole 'leave um outside with a small shelter' thing should be a last resort. Try the no-kill shelter thing first. Good luck!

Tuna Chaser · 8:44 PM, 12/02/05

cool, thank you very much!! that was a great idea. i just got back from petsmart with the last plastic dog house they had!!! God is looking out for this feline. its a bit bigger than i wanted to buy, but i woulda felt guilty leaving without it. anywho, i put it at the bottom of the stairs and put her food bowl inside. i dumped the water and filled the bowl with milk and put a pillow inside, so she should be good to go. i even put a cloth mouse that was only 2 bucks just inside the door so she will find her food.

i looked up no-kill shelters, and saw this one http://www.natcat.org/retirement.html and was thinking about cat retirement. it looks to be the life of luxury for cats and they only charge a one time fee. like i said before, i know nothing about cats other than u cant tell em what to do, so if anyone knows if this would be a good place or not for her, lemme know.

oh yeah, i think nora is on to me. she is getting awfully nosey and watching me like a hawk now. she keeps going to the screen door and looking around outside. im gonna have to tell her. i hope she understands lol

dusty082155 · ~Best In Show~ Senior Board Member!

i feel so bad for your neighbor. alcoholism is a desease. its wonderful that he will be getting help with his problem. the saddest part is from what you say about the cat being a fatty and him leaving all that food out, is that he does really care about his cat. maybe if it is not too much trouble for you, you could just keep food and water out for the cat. the guy has nothing left. when he gets the help he needs in treatment and gets back on his feet, he would probably be thrilled to see that his cat is still around. if it does get to be too much, it sounds like the place that you found would be an option too.

Kittys Mom · ~Best In Show~ Senior Board Member!

I totally agree with Dusty [fact is, the mood I'm in, this post made me cry].
The cat is probably his best friend. He may be more attached to it than it seems, because of the way he is.
I know you are an honest, and caring person and that he must have sensed this, to leave his buddy in your care. It was awesome of you to buy the cat a house.

To keep it from bothering your allergies, wash the porch off once in a while, and don't handle much the bedding if he uses it. Most cats need water more than milk. I have an old housecat that has never been given milk. You can offer milk on the side as a treat, but it might just give him the squirts

I guess it makes Nora's life more interesting if she senses something is up. My dogs like my cat, she is a good friend to them, but I'm told she thinks she IS a dog, so that attitude is not common...
God bless you.
Isis smiles....

HunterNellasmom · Post-a-Holic - Give this person a rabies shot!

Oh man, I feel bad now because I think I must have read the thread wrong because I thought the neighbor abandoned the cat. So since that isn't the case (sorry for reading it wrong) I'm glad you got that dog house and are going to take care of him for your neighbor. Cats do amazingly well outside from what I have seen on the ranch. My cat is purely indoor, but I know a lot of people that have outdoor cats. I guess the main concern is cat fights or other animals getting ahold of them. Do you have a garage? Maybe if the temp. gets below 40 you can put the cat in your garage with a litterbox and a heat lamp? Oh! If that works, you could maybe press the garage door to get it to close, and then stop it when it almost gets to the bottom so there is a small space for him to squeeze through when the weather gets really cold. Like, small enough for him to squeeze through and nothing else. And then when the weather is nicer, just do the dog house thing.

-- Edited by HunterNellasmom at 23:43, 2005-12-02

Kittys Mom · ~Best In Show~ Senior Board Member!

The shelter [no-kill] was also good advice.
If Tuna was not made of the sterner stuff, it would be, and is, a way out. But I think he will benefit from the feminine side of life.
I have had lo-maintenance cats like that before, and THEY are the ones that you remember most fondly...

-- Edited by Kittys Mom at 23:48, 2005-12-02

HunterNellasmom · Post-a-Holic - Give this person a rabies shot!

I feel so bad for the cats at my in-laws ranch sometimes, but they do amazingly well outside. I saw one cat catch 5 mice in one day one time. And they always find places out of the weather. Usually in the barn inbetween the bails of hay. Or under the tote that my MIL put out. The only icky thing about strictly outdoor cats is the gross eye factor. Those cats always have goopy eyes. And some of them are so inbred looking, lol. But like you said Kitty, they are some of the best cats, very friendly. They follow us everywhere and love to be petted.

They will usually spay the females if any wander in, but sometimes a preggo one will stray in and even those kittens stay outside when they are born. Sometimes if we go there in the winter I will sneak a few in and hold them in a blanket, hehe

Kittys Mom · ~Best In Show~ Senior Board Member!

And they are the blessed of Isis.

Tuna Chaser · 3:11 AM, 12/03/05

wooo hoooo!!! it worked!!! while watching tv, i heard the rain start coming down, so i grabbed the flashlight and checked Six's new pad, and sure enough she was in there. im taking all the advise here, and i put a bowl of water in her house. i couldnt see the mouse anywhere, i hope she didnt eat it. it was specificaly a cat toy. the temp tonight is supposed to be in the 40's but not below. she was wide awake and just sitting in there, but looked fine. just reaching in there to put the water in made my eye and my neck start to itch. it will go away in like an hour or so, but it stinks being allergic to her. im tempted to pet her and wash my hands really fast cause she looks really soft. oh well. monday morning ill find a good home for her.

Kittys Mom · ~Best In Show~ Senior Board Member!

Let her stay, don't pet her.
I'm allergic to dogs, I have 4.
I pet them, I wash my hands right away.

Kittys Mom · ~Best In Show~ Senior Board Member!

ps, if the mouse was catnip, and the cat is a she...
Catnip stimulates a male cat. It smells like a female [something] Girl/nuetered cats are not affected by it. Regardless, the cat would not have eaten the toy, just had psuedo-sex with it....

Tuna Chaser · 12:36 PM, 12/03/05

oh wow!!! so maybe i didnt see the mouse cause it was underneath her lmao. anyways, i woke up this morning and checked out her new digs, and im happy to say both her and the pad were dry as a bone!! ill say one thing though, Six can drink alot of water, i mean daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnng!!!!!! i filled a large cereal bowl with water last night, and it was empty just now when i checked it!!! i never woulda thought such a tiny tongue could lap up so much water!!! im using the same size bowl for her food, and she ate 65% of it , so i just topped it off. its sunny and warm outside now, and she is sleeping on a picnic table in the courtyard lol.

the alcoholic ex-neighbor walked out of rehab after only 4 hours lastnight, and showed up here drunk as i was changing Six's water, and he kept begging me to take care of the cat. DUH!!!! what does it look like im doing!!!!!!!!!! id ask those of u who pray to keep him in your prayers. he is not a bad guy, a criminal or anything, he is just killing himself with alcohol. ill take care of Six as long as i can. i just hope it can remain like this where i just have to feed and water her. good thing cats clean themselves, cause i cant give her a bath. lol

i just dont wanna get attached to this thing and then not be able to get rid of her. i wont let her go to any place bad, and i will keep her til i find something nice, but if she starts to grow on me i dont know what ill do. she is really cute and i do care about her, and she deserves to be pampered, but i think someone else can do a better job of it.

ZoeandTucker · Post-a-Holic - Give this person a rabies shot!

I will definitely pray for him. I had a great uncle who died of alcohol. I saw my whole young life how bad it is. I have an uncle now who is killing himself. We have a wine cellar and 2 bars in our house. I think they're all empty now. None of my family drinks except my uncle and I think he really drank everything we had, except our nice, expensive bottles of wine that I hid.

It's very nice of you to be taking care of the cat. I'm severly allergic also and not too fond of them. I tried to put myself in your shoes and I just can't do it. Kaitlyn talked me into getting her a cat when she was 3. I know it sounds awful but I was soooo happy that she was afraid of it and I had to find it a new home. I'm not one to rehome an animal (think Zoe). That was the first, and hopefully only time, I'll have to do it by my child was severely terrified of the cat. The cat now has a wonderful home with some friends of ours who treat their cats like children. He couldn't have gone to a better place.

Kittys Mom · ~Best In Show~ Senior Board Member!

I told you the cat was his best friend...
Let the guy do his stint in rehab, and see if the cat does not motivate him to take better care of himself. He busted out 'cause he had the vibe you were thinking of offing the cat. He is good now, he might stick with his program.
If you don't touch the beastie and squirt down the porch once in a while, it should be good with you.
There is a product called "Pet Dander and Odor Remover" by Nature's Miracle. spray the cat and the porch...get a friend to spray the cat...
As Hunter said, those outdoor cats TOTALLY get rid of mice and rats. I have had vermin since the neighbors insisted that I get rid of the feral cats around the place. They also eat roaches.