My turn for a stray cat question!

[ellaila]

Hiya cat folks! I need help/advice!

OK, so here''s the situation: we recently moved to a new house, and even since before the day we actually moved in, a cat has been making daily -- sometimes a few times a day -- visits to our balcony. She''s wearing a flea collar, but it seems pretty old and beat-up looking, and I actually do think she''s got fleas (rolls around on her back constantly), so we''re not petting her but we have started feeding her -- and she''s always ravenous and thirsty. Because of the collar, I assume that she did have a home at one point, but she appears to be homeless now as we''ve seen her at all times of the day and she''s always hungry.

She''s very friendly and sweet (which breaks my heart b/c we won''t pet her! But we have an indoor cat already and I''m pregnant with twins, so it''s just not worth the risk to take in a strange cat), but because of the just mentioned factors, we can''t take her in. We don''t mind feeding her -- we actually look forward to her visits! We''ve named her Ruby and call her our cat''s "girlfriend"

-- but I am a nervous wreck about what could happen to her if we have a bad winter (we live in Mass).

I''ve contacted the previous owners of the house to see if they know/used to feed this cat, but they said they''d never seen a cat like that around. We''ve asked a few neighbors, but none know her either -- though one did say that there is a house in the neighborhood that has lots of pets and takes horrible care of them all. Our first step is to make "Found Cat" posters and to post on Craigs List, but I have the feeling that won''t bring too many takers. We contemplated building her some type of shelter ourselves in our yard, but realistically with two babies on the way, we don''t have the time or finances to do that (and besides, what good would something like that be if we got two feet of snow?). I contacted two stray cat rescue leagues to see what they say, but I feel so torn. I know that she is not truly feral and would benefit from a loving home, so I know that the right thing to do is try to get her placed somewhere. But on the other hand, I feel very guilty about having someone come and take her away from us/what she is used to. And don''t even get me started on how anxious I am that they would put her down ... Plus I guess I just feel somewhat responsible for and attached to her already!

So, PSers, what do you think? Do you think that even though there is the slight chance that she could belong to someone (I suppose) that having a rescue league "rescue" her is a good thing? (I''ve heard that those people with all the pets are not very nice to deal with, so I don''t want to approach them directly to see if she is theirs.) Or do you think we should just let her be and assume/hope that she will have someplace to stay in the bad weather? This eats at me constantly, so I''m really not sure I could do the latter and just wait it out ...

Thanks for any advice!!

 

[Gypsy]

If keeping her isn't an option I'd find a good no kill rescue organization involved. If she's owned, they aren't taking good care of her, and you can always put up posters with her pic and the rescue groups information. ((HUGS)) I know it's hard to see them like that and feel helpless.

 

[ericad]

Well, if you have any interest at all in keeping her, I bet your husband could take her to the vet and get her all cleaned up, spiffed up, vaccinated and tested for illness. A fresh start for her.

But I realize that may not be feasible for you, so as an alternative I would contact a no-kill shelter/rescue group to come get her. Do you have a garage? If so, perhaps you could make a cozy place for her there during the winter nights - in that case you could avoid having her picked up and continue with what you are doing.

I commend you on your care for her thus far, and appreciate your humanity. Many people would have looked the other way

 

[FireGoddess]

I''d at least try to see if she''s been spayed - if you can''t get close perhaps DH could, or somehow get her to a vet/animal control for a check. One thing far worse than one stray kitty is a litter of them, y''know? Which is what would have happened to me had I not interfered with a [already freaking pregnant] Holly.

I''d also try to contact a no kill shelter as well as the ASPCA to file a ''found cat'' report. Sometimes owners contact them, though it doesn''t sound like anyone responsible is taking care of this little furball.

And I''d definitely make a cozy haven in the garage or something like it if you''ve got no other options. I called every no kill I could find...nobody would take Holly in because they were all ''too full.'' If that happens, I''d at least try to make sure she''s fixed and give her a warm place to sleep when it gets cold. My parents had a little cat hut with a blanket outside their back door for the rainy/wintery times when the stray cat they fed would come around. She stayed in it every time it got cold out.

 

[ellaila]

Thanks for your replies! Unfortunately, we don''t have a garage, and I worry like setting up a shelter wouldn''t do much good if we got a lot of snow or it were really freezing freezing outside -- there''s only so much warmth/protection it would offer, you know? I mean, it''d be better than nothing, but she''d still be essentially outside in the freezing cold temps. What type of "cat hut" did your parents have, FG? Something they bought or something they built?

We did contemplate taking her in, but we''ve just got so much going on right now that we don''t really have the time to train a strange cat to live in our house (oh, I forgot to mention that we think she -- or maybe it''s a he?! -- is "marking" our house. Well, we think it''s her b/c she''s the only animal we''ve seen on our porch at all, and something is peeing on our glass patio doors, our front door, and now our grill cover

). Plus I think it''s a lot for our current kitty to deal with -- a new kitty sibling PLUS two new babies in the house!? "Where''d all my attention go, Mom?!" He''s SO good natured and I already feel guilty that he''s going to be slighted once we have the babies, so I can''t imagine taking even more time away from him before the babies come. Though I feel for Ruby, Monkey is still our baby, you know?

I guess I''ll just wait to hear from the two places I contacted so far and in the meantime will try to find some other no-kill shelters in the area. We got our cat from the MSPCA, but there isn''t one anywhere near our new house, which is a bummer. One of the shelters I contacted works with barns/farms to house some of the cats that may not be good for living indoors with families, so I feel like that is really a good option. I mean, I DO think that Ruby does belong in a house, but since I don''t know how long she''s been living outside (if she even DOES live outside?!) she may need some acclimating to family life again.

FG, how is Ms. Holly?? Are she and Chloe getting along?

 

[ericad]

A good cat shelter would be one that''s mostly enclosed with a small opening/doorway for her to get in and out. Fill it with a really warm fleece blanket and she will be pretty warm. I realize it gets quite cold there, but my parent''s outdoor cat slept in the garage at night even when it got below freezing, in an upside down cardboard box with a door cut into it and a warm blanket. My mom said that she''d stick her hand in there to pet him and it was positively toasty - I guess he generated a lot of body heat in there. And that was only cardboard, so something better insulated (like the smallest size dog igloo, perhaps?) with a nice thick pad to block cold from the ground and a warm blanket would do the trick.

With a cozy roof over her head and regular meals, she will be better off than in a shelter that might eventually put her down if she''s not adopted.

+1 to find out is she''s fixed, btw, you definitely will want to know that!

 

[FireGoddess]

It was one of these cat condo things. They padded it with warm blankets and faced it next to the house so it would be sheltered from most of the wind. Even in the snow it was considerably warmer in there.

Holly and Chloe are good, thanks for asking! Though...they never occupy the same room at the same time. They are still completely physically segregated. And both totally blissful with the arrangement. At least, Chloe is back to her pre-Holly comfort levels, which makes me happy, if not inconvenienced. But such is a cat lover's life. The love and purrs are worth it though.

 

[ellaila]

Yep, you guys are right. I just researched a bit more and found out how to make our own shelter for Ruby out of rubbermaid containers and straw!

There are all sorts of things you can do to keep it warm in there, too -- use mylar blankets, insulation, etc.

I''m not sure how to figure out if she''s been spayed or not -- this may be a stupid question, but what do I look for?

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 8/27/2007 5:06:44 PM
Author: ellaila
Yep, you guys are right. I just researched a bit more and found out how to make our own shelter for Ruby out of rubbermaid containers and straw!

There are all sorts of things you can do to keep it warm in there, too -- use mylar blankets, insulation, etc.

I''m not sure how to figure out if she''s been spayed or not -- this may be a stupid question, but what do I look for?

If you see, uh, kitty balls, HE is not fixed.

With a girl, you won''t know unless you can locate a surgery scar. Some places have started tattooing next to the scar for easier visibility. Holly got tattooed in 2 black lines - 1 on each side of the incision. You''d still have to get your hands on the belly to look between fur though, so it''s better w/ a stray if they can be caught and checked out.

 

[Gypsy]

My boys have balls. And they are nuetered. They just aren't um... LARGE ones. Our local shelter could tell the spay/nueter thing with the lift of a tail... I think most vet techs can too. I'd call around at vets and ask if there is a way to figure it out.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 8/27/2007 5:52:33 PM
Author: Gypsy
My boys have balls. And they are nuetered. They just aren't um... LARGE ones. Our local shelter could tell the spay/nueter thing with the lift of a tail... I think most vet techs can too. I'd call around at vets and ask if there is a way to figure it out.

Interesting. Our old boy kitty lost his balls. Totally.

After catching Holly for the first time, the vet herself couldn't tell whether Holly was spayed or not until she shaved her belly fur off to look for a healed incision scar (she didn't see anything upon cursory physical examination, which included putting the cat on her back and looking for a scar on the belly). I don't think you can tell with girls by looking under the tail at all. Unless the tattoo lines are visible???

 

[Gypsy]

Don''t know at Jersey shore I took in a few girls and a few boys as rescues and everytime the vet tech would lift the tail, then tell me if they were fixed or not. So I thought it was an easy process if you knew what to look for. That''s just the impression I got though... so it doesn''t really mean anything.

 

[AdaBeta27]

I''d remove the flea collar due to the choking or starvation hazard if it gets caught on something. Somebody may have already said that but I didn''t have time to read in detail.

 

[ellaila]

Argh, I'm SO annoyed right now!!

To update you all on the situation: we posted on craigslist and got nothing. So we made "Found Cat" posters and put them up on surrounding streets and at the police station. We also spoke to a few neighbors who said they'd put the word out. Last week we got a call from someone saying that she's pretty sure the cat belongs to the daycare she uses (on the main street our street is off of). I called back and left a message asking if they could give us either the tel. # or address of this daycare so we can contact them ourselves to make sure it is their cat (since we cannot find this daycare whatsoever!! We even contacted town hall to see if they could tell us where it is -- assuming they have a list of businesses in the town -- and they were no help at all.). The person never called back. Yeah, thanks.

Then today I get this email message: "If you are in possession of a male cat not belonging to you I suggest you release it. There are many children who miss this cat. He is well cared for and because you feed it repeatedly it returns to your home for food. The authorities have been contacted about this matter." Umm, what?!

FIRST OF ALL, you don't "contact the authorities" without contacting US! This person didn't know the whole story -- hell, he doesn't even know half the story! We never took "possession" of this cat -- the cat was at our house from before we even moved in. We've never taken him into our house and never said anything of the sort on the posters. That's why we're trying to find its owners, you moron. And if this cat is so well cared for, then why does he sleep in a pile of mulch under our porch instead of in his house, and why is he always starving? Why do we see him at 6 am, 11 pm, and anytime in between?

I am just livid right now that someone would send a rude message like that without knowing the details. Here we are trying to do something good for what we thought was a stray cat and we get berated by a stranger?!

OK, just had to vent because I am fuming right now.

Oh, and another update. I said before that the cat had a flea collar on ... well, about two weeks ago, he showed up with the flea collar gone. And a few places on his fur that had been really matted had been cut. So yes, we figure that someone somewhere is taking care of him somewhat, but cutting a few pieces of matted fur (that had been there for weeks) does not necessarily equal a loving home in my book. I just want to make sure that this cat has shelter in the winter -- why is this so difficult? Should we just stop feeding him and assume that if he stops coming around that he's gone back home? Playing ignorant like that doesn't sit well with me. I want to KNOW that he's got a home before I stop feeding him.

OK, thanks for listening. Any more advice, cat peeps?

ETA: Oh, and also I had contacted three shelters for advice and NOT ONE got back to me.

 

[amy_dub]

I've been doing pet rescue for years and here's what I have to tell you......

Cats reproduce like maniacs, and the offspring of one cat could lead to increasing the already insane population of cats by 400,000. Every year 12 million cats/dogs/rabbits/gerbils/etc are put to sleep in shelters because they ended up as strays, owner turn ins, what have you. Nearly all of these animals were adoptable and would have made great pets but because people are ignorant and prefer to pay outrageous prices for cats/dogs from irresponsible breeders or from puppy & kitten mills which sell to pet stores, these poor animals had to die. Reasons for owner turn ins are even more ludacris, ranging from "This alaskan malamute no longer matches our house. We redecorated and went with a japanese inspired theme and he just clashes. He's a good dog though, we paid $XXX for him" to "This cat won't let my 4 year old daughter carry it around and dress it up in clothes." Currently Shelters & rescue groups are OVERFLOWING with unwanted pets because of the mild winter we had, which made breeding season start up sooner. IF you are able to find a rescue group or shelter that is no kill that has room for this baby, it would truly be a miracle.

If whoever supposedly owns the cat is missing it, they certainly aren't trying too hard to find it, nor are they taking care of the cat. I wouldn't fret over the email because they don't deserve to be priviledged enough to have the cat in their life.

As for winter, the ideas stated above are excellent I hope you're able to find something to fit within you budget to protect this kitty. You can also purchase heated pads which are made to plug in outside for feral cats. They can easily be found on ebay for a a more reasonable price compared to pet stores, like this one outdoor heating pad. Also there are some that you can heat in the microwave and put outside (they are a red disc). You can also take fabric and sew together to make a pillow and fill it with shelled corn or dried pinto beans. This can also be heated in the microwave then put outside to keep him/her warm.

I commend you for your efforts to help this poor kitty. Chances are if you stop feeding it, it won't be getting food elsewhere.

Also, please remember that people that are at shelters usually volunteer, as well as animal rescues. They have normal jobs and lives like you and I, so they probably haven't had the time to check messages/emails. Most shelters are drastically under funded and barely make ends meet.

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 8/27/2007 5:52:33 PM
Author: Gypsy

My boys have balls. And they are nuetered...

Gyyyyyyyypsy.... you got them NEUTICALS, didn''t you????!!!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 10/3/2007 4:40:30 PM
Author: ellaila
Argh, I''m SO annoyed right now!!

To update you all on the situation: we posted on craigslist and got nothing. So we made ''Found Cat'' posters and put them up on surrounding streets and at the police station. We also spoke to a few neighbors who said they''d put the word out. Last week we got a call from someone saying that she''s pretty sure the cat belongs to the daycare she uses (on the main street our street is off of). I called back and left a message asking if they could give us either the tel. # or address of this daycare so we can contact them ourselves to make sure it is their cat (since we cannot find this daycare whatsoever!! We even contacted town hall to see if they could tell us where it is -- assuming they have a list of businesses in the town -- and they were no help at all.). The person never called back. Yeah, thanks.

Then today I get this email message: ''If you are in possession of a male cat not belonging to you I suggest you release it. There are many children who miss this cat. He is well cared for and because you feed it repeatedly it returns to your home for food. The authorities have been contacted about this matter.'' Umm, what?!

FIRST OF ALL, you don''t ''contact the authorities'' without contacting US! This person didn''t know the whole story -- hell, he doesn''t even know half the story! We never took ''possession'' of this cat -- the cat was at our house from before we even moved in. We''ve never taken him into our house and never said anything of the sort on the posters. That''s why we''re trying to find its owners, you moron. And if this cat is so well cared for, then why does he sleep in a pile of mulch under our porch instead of in his house, and why is he always starving? Why do we see him at 6 am, 11 pm, and anytime in between?

I am just livid right now that someone would send a rude message like that without knowing the details. Here we are trying to do something good for what we thought was a stray cat and we get berated by a stranger?!

OK, just had to vent because I am fuming right now.

Oh, and another update. I said before that the cat had a flea collar on ... well, about two weeks ago, he showed up with the flea collar gone. And a few places on his fur that had been really matted had been cut. So yes, we figure that someone somewhere is taking care of him somewhat, but cutting a few pieces of matted fur (that had been there for weeks) does not necessarily equal a loving home in my book. I just want to make sure that this cat has shelter in the winter -- why is this so difficult? Should we just stop feeding him and assume that if he stops coming around that he''s gone back home? Playing ignorant like that doesn''t sit well with me. I want to KNOW that he''s got a home before I stop feeding him.

OK, thanks for listening. Any more advice, cat peeps?

ETA: Oh, and also I had contacted three shelters for advice and NOT ONE got back to me.

Yep, those people pretty much sound like idiots. And even though they don''t sound like they deserve him, I guess if they know you "have" him, they can get him back. Which stinks. Poor baby. Gosh, these sad kitty stories kill me.

You''re wonderful for trying to help, though.

 

[ellaila]

Thanks, guys! I''m not sure if this guy that sent the message is the owner or not -- my husband thinks he is, but I''m not sure. I mean, why wouldn''t he just be like, "Thanks for doing this. What''s your address so I can pick up the cat?" rather than contacting the authorities (which I doubt he even did. I mean, really.).

And of course the cat is sleeping on our porch as I write this (sigh). We wouldn''t mind him being here and we don''t mind feeding him EXCEPT that he pees on our grill, our house, our glass doors repeatedly thoughout the day!! And it gets our cat all sorts of agitated when he sees the other cat out there.

Oy. At least we know that he''s safe and dry under our porch for now, but if we don''t manage to get in contact with his owners definitively, then I don''t know what we''ll do about him for the winter ...

Amy_dub, thanks for the info about the shelters. It''s just frustrating b/c I contacted three no-kills through email AND phone and didn''t hear back from any of them whatsoever. And that was many weeks ago. I feel like we''re just running out of options. Like I said before, this is def. not a feral cat -- he is VERY affectionate to everyone, so even if we do build him a shelter, I feel like we''re doing a good thing but not necessarily the best thing for him, you know? He needs a good home, but according to that message and to the phone message we got last week, he''s got a home ... so who knows ...

 

[Lynn B]

It sounds like he''s spraying (trying to mark your home as his territory!) so that tells me he''s likely not neutered. Which means he is contributing to the cat overpopulation problem, PLUS living the life of a "tom", likely with fights with other cats and potential diseases ahead of him. The poor baby needs rescued, and I see your dilemma.

I *think* I would try to find out if Mr. E-mail wants his cat back OR NOT. If he does, then come and get him, buster, and if not, then you can decide what you feel you need to do with him. If he does end up "staying" with you, I would try to at least get him neutered. Even if he has to be an outside cat, that would do him A LOT of good, in many different ways... plus stop the spraying around your house!

 

[ellaila]

Yep, he''s definitely marking! And it makes my husband NUTS to go out there three-four times a day to clean cat pee off the house!

I figure I''ll give that guy a day or two to respond to me, and if he doesn''t, then I''ll email him again and ask him to either give me the owner''s contact info (if he''s not the owner) or to ask them to contact me directly. I did give him a "talking to" in my reply, so maybe I scared him (ha ha!). The cat was on our deck this morning -- he often sleeps under our porch so I think he must hear us walking around the house and then he goes to our patio doors and just waits for us -- and as much as I''m tempted to just give him "tough love" and to ignore him to see if he will stop hanging out at our house, I just can''t do it. It breaks my heart to see him there with his "I''m huuuuuuungry!" cries! Chatty cats always get to me, and this boy is a nonstop talker!

One good thing to come of this is that it got me to get our cat a collar and tag so that this won''t happen to him in case he ever gets out! I don''t remember where I read to do this (I thought here but don''t see it) but we wrote on his tag "I''m an indoor cat only! Please call my owners: [tel #]" -- that way, people will know that no, he should not be outside and yes, he is lost.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 10/4/2007 10:47:29 AM
Author: ellaila

One good thing to come of this is that it got me to get our cat a collar and tag so that this won''t happen to him in case he ever gets out! I don''t remember where I read to do this (I thought here but don''t see it) but we wrote on his tag ''I''m an indoor cat only! Please call my owners: [tel #]'' -- that way, people will know that no, he should not be outside and yes, he is lost.

Yes, you read that here - I posted it.

I read about doing it in a cat book I had gotten from the library. Holly''s tag says, "Indoor Only. I''m Lost - Holly. [tel #]" That way people definitely know the cat should not be outside.

I think that whoever emailed you needs to be set straight as to what is REALLY going on. That you''re not holding the cat hostage, that you have tried to find its owners, and that responsible owners would have done more to get the cat back and NOT be randomly threatening people without knowing the real story. They should be grateful that someone is caring for the cat, which is more than it appears they are doing.

 

[ellaila]

I thought that was great info about putting that on the tag, FG! Monkey HATES wearing the collar and has already broken free of it a few times (it''s a breakaway and he''s figured out just where to bit the release to pop it open!), but we''re going to keep putting it back on and hope he gets used to it.

Here''s what I wrote back to that guy yesterday:


We are not "in possession" of this cat -- he has been sleeping under our porch and on our balcony since before we even moved into our home a few months ago. We contacted the old owners of the house as well as other neighbors (and the police, so the authorities already know about this matter), and no one knows who this cat is. That is why we put up the posters in the first place -- to find out whose cat it is. We did not TAKE this cat from anyone nor do we let the cat in our house, we simply give him food and water when he is hungry since we weren''t sure where or if he is getting it otherwise. We are trying to find his owners to make sure he has a warm place to be in the winter and is not left outside in the cold. I''m not sure exactly why you contacted the authorities without having the whole story or having contacted us first. If we find out that the cat has a home and is being fed consistently and has shelter, then yes we will stop feeding him. But until that happens, we are not going to neglect a potentially stray cat and are going to do what we can to find his owners (if he''s got any).



If you know who owns this cat, then we''d appreciate if you could have them contact us. Since you say he is "well cared for," I''m hoping you do know who the owners are.

Again, if I don''t hear from him in the next day or two, I will write something a little stronger about how apparently NOT "well cared for" this cat is if his owners can''t even take the responsibility of asking where he''s been more-or-less living for at least the past two months!

 

[Steel]

Date: 10/3/2007 4:40:30 PM
Author: ellaila
Argh, I''m SO annoyed right now!!

To update you all on the situation: we posted on craigslist and got nothing. So we made ''Found Cat'' posters and put them up on surrounding streets and at the police station.

Then today I get this email message: ''If you are in possession of a male cat not belonging to you I suggest you release it. There are many children who miss this cat. He is well cared for and because you feed it repeatedly it returns to your home for food. The authorities have been contacted about this matter.''

I am just livid right now that someone would send a rude message like that without knowing the details. Here we are trying to do something good for what we thought was a stray cat and we get berated by a stranger?!

ETA: Oh, and also I had contacted three shelters for advice and NOT ONE got back to me.

I am sorry. " No good deed goes unpunished"

Some people are FREAKS. It is entirely possible this person is just a nut. Even if they know the cat or claim to ''care'' for it, they are clearly nutty. Try to ignore them. I know you mailed them back but I wouldn''t contact them again. Even if they did contact the police (etc) who cares? What could you face- 1st degree kindness to kitty? Feeding with mailice aforethought? Caretaking with reckless abandon?

Well done to you both for helping the cat. If you were in its place, you would be delighted to have some food and a possible ''crib'' for the winter.

If it has an ''owner'' and you are enabling its wandering, it is sad but that it what cats do. They are not faithful. But if you become attatched to a possible fickle cat, it may ''cheat'' on you too

.

Worse case some family is upset that ''Mr whiskers'' hasnt come home

. You cant do much about that. The genuine worst case is that you turn your back on a cat in need

.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 10/4/2007 3:20:54 PM
Author: Steel
Worse case some family is upset that ''Mr whiskers'' hasnt come home

. You cant do much about that. The genuine worst case is that you turn your back on a cat in need

.

All of the above are true. I''d also add that if a family wanted to ensure that Mr Whiskers ends up back at home, they''d have identification on him. It is possible it could have been lost, but seeing as how there was a flea collar on the cat...I don''t know about that.

 

[ellaila]

RESOLUTION!!

So we narrowed down the house that we thought was the daycare on that street -- basically we just saw one that had a TON of toys in the backyard and thought, "OK, that could be it." I then asked a neighbor if they knew of a daycare on that street, and she assumed the same house that we did, so that made us feel pretty confident that that was the one. So we drove by and got the house number, I came home and looked them up online and got their phone number. I called and left a message, explaining that we live the next street over, that a cat comes to our house night and day, that we were told that people thought it belongs to a house/daycare on their street, and that we''d really appreciate a phone call back one way or the other to let us know if it is their cat just so we can know that yes, this cat has home or doesn''t since he is always at our house.

I just got home and of course, the cat was at our house .... with a red ribbon around his neck with a note attached! The outside of the note said, "Paws off"! -- which sort of rubbed me the wrong way, but whatever -- and the inside of the note says, "This cat has a loving home -- is well fed, but prefers to be outside. leave him outside, he returns home each night as needed!!"

Now, I know for a fact that this cat does not return home EACH night but that''s beside the point. And like I said, I didn''t love the tone of the note -- excuse us for wanting to make sure that this cat is taken care of!! I mean, how hard would it have been for them to actually call us back and say, "Thanks so much for your concern, but the cat is well taken care of"? Or to have replied to the FOUND CAT poster that was literally one telephone pole from their house?! But whatever. I wrote a note back, saying "Very glad to know this cat has a loving home! We never took him in, by the way. We just wanted to make sure he had a home and shelter for the winter. Thanks for letting us know!"

So now we can stop feeding this cat and hopefully he''ll stop peeing on our house!

This whole experience has really made me question people though. I mean, we got one email in reply to the poster that commended us for trying to find the owners, but other than that, it''s been a really negative experience of people sending us nasty emails and not calling us back when we try to follow up on things. Quite disappointing. But I feel good that we at least know that the cat has a "loving" home and is taken care of!

 

[Deelight]

WOW people can be so ungrateful

If someone had that situation with my kitty I would be thankful that someone cared enough

as for the cat peeing situation When i got my persian the breeder recommended naphthalene flakes scatter them on the lawn and they deter cats from peeing there and especially from males marking territory

Hope that helps

 

[ellaila]

Thanks for the recommendation, Deelight! So are naphthalene flakes the same as mothballs? We''ll try anything!