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mom2mpr
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| Posted: Nov 15 2007 at 6:55pm | IP Logged
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It seems a cat has adopted us. I think it is a "she" and she has been around our home for weeks. We even went away for 5 days and she greeted us on our return. Tonight I noticed she was getting in our trash. It made me a little sad. The kids love her. The dog even gets along with her  and I am trying to decide what to do.
I am a dog person. Not much into cats. I have warmed a little to this one though. She has worked on me  She must stay outside though.
We live rurally and I know there are lots of barn cats out there. Trying to find a home for her would be hard. We haven't been feeding her--yet, after tonight I might. I am worried she will have kittens under our deck. I don't WANT to be responsible for her because if I am, I am--KWIM.
So, for you cat people. Is there some kind of bc available that doesn't cost a few hundred dollars so I can let her live on my land in peace? Should I feed her? Should I worry about shots? My kids do wash their hands well after coming inside. Will she trash my gardens? If we move should I try to take her with me? Would she be OK to leave here?
Give me a quick primer on cats, please.
I need to make a decision and plan before we get too attached to her.
I am not sure we can afford to vet care another animal.....should I just let her visit? Not sure I am ready for another pet but cats are easy, right??
HELP!!
Anne
PS she and the dog really get along amazingly. She was rubbing up to the dogs nose this am--really cute! The dog does enjoy her and being the lab who needs lots of attention, it might be a good playmate for her. It would be good to have her around for mice control too...
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Nov 15 2007 at 7:00pm | IP Logged
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If she's really a she, you could look into low-cost neutering and take her in for that; I'd get her rabies shots at the same time (they aren't too expensive). Many areas have low-cost neutering clinics every so often. You definitely don't want kittens. That's the only way to prevent them. You could feed her outside - if she looks sleek and healthy already, she may actually be someone's cat. My first step would be to put up signs in your neighborhood. (Last Jan. this happened to us and the kitten in question ended up belonging to a family down the road...but he was shivering on my front porch for days, apparently lost.)
Cats are pretty easy. You'd need to accustom her to a pet carrier to get to the vet. If you do neuter her, you'd need, probably, to keep her in a garage/barn for a couple of days so she can heal, if you don't want her inside.
Moving...??? Our cats are indoor cats and we take them along. I can ask my s-i-l, who rescues feral/stray cats, what she suggests.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Mary Chris
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| Posted: Nov 16 2007 at 7:27am | IP Logged
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Our cats are indoors but my parents take care of the strays that wander into their backyard. I would definitely take her in to see if she is pregnant. My parents have about 6 cats they feed that are the children of the first stray that wandered in. They trap them and take them in to the low cost spaying clinics. You can probably call a the pound, humane society, SPCA, or a cat rescue organization to find out about the clinics.
As Nancy suggested you might want to put up some signs or call the pound to see if someone called looking for their cat. Especially if she is friendly. In my experience, cats that are friendly usually belonged to someone at sometime. Wild cats are pretty much wild .
We have two kittens we adopted from a friend who had a nice sweet pregnant cat walk onto her deck and settle in. Our cats are indoor cats one would love to be outside and has actually spent a few nights out after escaping, the other is happy to snuggle curled up on the couch.
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Blessings, Mary Chris Beardsley
mom to MacKenzie3/95, Carter 12/97 Ronan 3/00 and wife to Jim since 1/92
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Rachel May
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| Posted: Nov 16 2007 at 11:25am | IP Logged
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Our cat was a stray who we got attached to and officially adopted because we had to move, and he had obviously been abandoned. About a month before the move, we took him to the vet (vet tech actually saw him) who checked him for a chip--so you might try that along with signs--and told us he was an unneutered girl. Had to take him to a different vet for the neutering, but luckily she turned out to be a neutered boy.
Anyway, to facilitate the moving part, I did allow him to go in and out (it was winter so he mostly came in at night). However, the movers, the craziness, the noise all freaked him out when the actual move came (I hear this is normal). He WOULDN'T go out after that, so we had to get a litter box, which he took to immediately.
Now he's indoor (Army base regs) and chipped. He has bad habits, though, like eating anything; the vet said this is stray behavior. It wouldn't bug me so much if he wouldn't jump onto the table or counter and lick the butter or bacon grease and then go and throw up after.
Still, I love him, and it would be hard for any of us to part with him now. James' first word was "kitty."
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Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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Topic: Need cat info
