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RE: Needing some Assurance

imtripodsmom — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:58:57 GMT

She didn't take him to a shelter; they're all full in her area. If the flea collar is gone, do you have a piece of string or maybe a spare collar you can attach a note to? Is there a dollar store nearby you can get a cheap collar from? Might want to put the note in a plastic baggie, so It won't get wet from dew, rain, drinking water, etc..

RE: Needing some Assurance

EinsteinsMom — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:51:29 GMT

you have to think about yourself first, then the cats.
You have to live and go on, then the animals.
Yes, taking him to the shelter was a good thing, do not feel bad.

RE: Needing some Assurance

PeaLoki&Gabe — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:33:26 GMT

Great now someone's taken the flea collar off sylvester, so now there's no place to tie a note onto. His ripped up cheek appears to be healing well ( he won't let me look at it too much and touching it is just RIGHT out!)

RE: Needing some Assurance

Cat Purrson — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:33:19 GMT

What does 'until Saturday or Sunday' mean? Are you going to bring him home?

RE: Needing some Assurance

PeaLoki&Gabe — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:00:46 GMT

Still at my parents' place until Saturday/Sunday.

RE: Needing some Assurance

Cat Purrson — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:47:23 GMT

So how is the cat? I hope you haven't decided to put him in a shelter though. Keep us updated!

RE: Needing some Assurance

jadzia's mom — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:04:27 GMT

I know you want to do the best for this little guy, especially since he's "syrupy sweet", but if he's all beat up, he'll need medical care. Taking care of him may short-change your other four cats, and that's not fair to them. I think a no-kill shelter would be the best for him. It certainly would be better than staying on the streets where he is in real danger. Does your area have any no-kill shelters or feral rescues? If the shelters in your area would most likely put him down, could you try another state? I'm thinking that because he's so loveable and not "wild" he may be a special case.

I know you'll do the right thing. Let us know what happens! Good luck!

RE: Needing some Assurance

Cat Purrson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:21:40 GMT

I really do think he has other people caring for him as well. The note is an awesome idea! You should put your phone # on it, and see how many call! lol He's one of those 'legendary tramp' types that has several homes.

Also, I'm pretty sure those wounds are not as bad as they may look. Ferals are tough as nails. We had a feral named Guy that had huge gashes all over him and ticks the size of marbles. He never seemed bothered, and slowly healed over time. If he's tame enough, you should at least get his wounds cleaned and disinfected. Bless the little guy's heart!

RE: Needing some Assurance

cricket — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:42:11 GMT

I think the note is a terrific idea! You could add your phone#, just saying you see him a lot and wonder where he lives. Could be someone just like you has also befriended him and if you got together "pooled your resources" so to speak, you could get him all fixed up!! Maybe he has a family that just needs help knowing how to care for him.

RE: Needing some Assurance

PeaLoki&Gabe — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:05:19 GMT

This little guy has endless numbers of wounds in various stages of healing and currently missing a part of his left cheek because of a fight he was in. He needs medical attention that I cannot afford to provide, he possibly needs stitches certainly needs someone to disinfect and keep that wound clean and healing. Probably needs to have his shots, flea treament, and probably de-wormed so he can gain some weight.

I cannot afford 90% of those things. I have some de-wormer left from when I got Gabe, but it's fairly pointless to de-worm a cat that's just going to go and get reinfested. At an animal shelter he will get all of those things and possibly a home that deserves him.

BUt I'm having doubts now that he is a stray afterall. I looked at his cheek wound today and looks like the area around it has been shaved. It also appears that someone tried grooming him. So I don't know what to think! I'm half tempted to put a note on his collar to the effects of " WHo am I? where do I live? Please get me a name tag so I'm not arrested for being stray!"

I don't know what to do!

RE: Needing some Assurance

Cat Purrson — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:24:08 GMT

Please don't take him to a shelter! At least with you, he's got people who love him and feed him, and plenty of space to stretch his legs. It seems so unfair that he should become 'one in a number' of perfectly goodcats that are euthanized simply for lack of space. I always feed any ferals that come around our place, and they seem happy to just have a full belly. I would either continue to feed him as you have, or just stop feeding him altogether if you can't afford to. At least you know other people will. At least he'll be alive.

RE: Needing some Assurance

PeaLoki&Gabe — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:54:30 GMT

The logical thinking part of my brain knows that I can't save them all, and the emotional part of my brain says " well why not?!" So the logical part says " you're treading water right now as is, and if you tried to save them all you'd only succeed in being a hoarder/collector."

Last I had heard ( and this was a few months ago, so things may have changed by now) all the no-kills here were at capacity and were wait listing any new cats. The worst part is that I'm leaving tomorrow to housesit/dog sit and won't be back until the 11th. so I'm kind of stuck there anyway.

RE: Needing some Assurance

vettechgirl — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:35:54 GMT

If the shelter is a no-kill shelter, you can call ahead first to make sure they have vacancy. Often shelters will put animals (especially cats) to sleep if they have no room for them.

If they have no room, you can ask to be put on a waiting list. They will call when they have room. They usually give you one day (24 hours) to catch the cat and get him over there.

I think you are doing the right thing, though. Please don't beat yourself up. You can't save them all! That was a hard fact I faced long ago, and I'm sure one you've battled before and will battle again! You just do what you can for the ones that are sent to you to care for and thank God that it was you who was chosen to be the helper.

Please keep us posted. Does this kitty have a name?

RE: Needing some Assurance

tommygirl — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:15:32 GMT

He's adorable! I guess there aren't any no-kill shelters in your area? Do you know anyone who would be willing to take him on? (a foster family even?). Maybe he's just wandered way too far from home, perhaps you can try putting up Lost Cat ads in the neighbourhood and online? Those just seem like the more hopeful options for him if you are unable to care for him yourself.

RE: Needing some Assurance

PeaLoki&Gabe — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:17:05 GMT

And he's already sired a litter of four adorable little poof balls with my feral queen (I have GOT to get her on the list for the Feral Cat Management Program) And looking at them I can fairly safely assume that he's also the sire of my Vali kitty. I digress.

I just feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place here, taking him to the animal shelter is possible death, but judging from the number of wounds on this guy leaving him on the street is certain death. And he is just the sweetest guy, I wish I had the means to take him in or I would snap him up in a New York Minute.

This is the sweeet homeless guy I've dubbed Sylvester

RE: Needing some Assurance

cats_dolls — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:06:39 GMT

Knowing you, I'm sure you've tried to determine if this little fellow does have a home. It would appear that if he does, his home isn't a loving, caring one to allow him to get in that condition.

You have your hands full. Four cats and no job is a lot to deal with - here it's three cats, two adults, no job for either, and I'm online this time of night because sleep has become something I kinda vaguely remember. So I understand that you yourself can't do anything for this kitty.

Seems much kinder to me to take him to a shelter where he may be cared for and adopted. Even if they cannot rehome him, it just seems cruel to know that he's out there needing food & medical care and not getting it. And if there are any whole females out there, he's adding more cats to the equation. Where are the homes for them?

Needing some Assurance

PeaLoki&Gabe — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:43:56 GMT

I've got an intact male stray cat who is haunting the neighborhood, I give him what care I can, but still being unemployed, and have four cats of my own I'm stretched very thin. This guy is syrupy sweet, and desperately want to live with me, but I cannot take on another cat. Vali is just starting to come around to the idea that humans aren't all bad. But I've not had the money to get him fixed eithere yet.

Well the stray is covered in wounds from fighting and probably crawling with fleas. He currently has a large chunk missing from his cheek that is beyond my ability to treat. I'm coming around to the decision that I've got to load him up into a carrier and take him to the animal shelter it's for his own good.

But I feel really lousy about this. He has a flea collar on, but no I.D. and he's skinny really really skinny even though he goes through 2, 5 ounce cans of cat food from me. I am fairly certain that other neighbors are feeding him. He's wearing the same kind of flea collar that Gabe had on when he was brought to my door. So I am fairly certain he has a family somewhere, but they're obviously not taking care of him.

Am I right to take him to the shelter? He is such a sweet guy (Like my Gabe whereever these cats are coming from they must get a lot of love as kittens), but I'd hate for him to not get adopted. But the thought of him getting more beaten up or that injury getting infected or worse (maggots! Gross!) upsets me even more.

What should I do?