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What to do about stray cat??

S

somethingshiny

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
6,746
There is a seemingly stray cat that has been about for the last few days. She's very thin and likes to play with JT up in our yard. I am usually against feeding strays that I can't keep because I don't want them to not be able to fend for themselves. My issue is that this little girl is declawed. :nono: She can't fend for herself. I know that if I call animal control she will be put down. One of our other neighbors has been feeding her very sparingly.

I really don't want to keep the cat. I'm allergic, we have a newborn. But, I can't stand the thought of a declawed cat out on her own.

Suggestions??
 
Do you live by any no-kill shelters? If you do, their policy is generally that they don't euthanize animals unless they are violent, or very sick.

I'm allergic to cats too, although I love them, so I understand your predicament. Maybe you could continue to feed her while you put the word out to your friends and family (and PS,)? My mom keeps an outdoor cat and has made an area for her in the garage so she can come and go as she pleases, but then, her cat isn't declawed so I guess it's not quite the same.
 
Assuming friends or family cannot take her, you can try the Pets section of Craigslist. I would start feeding her to keep her coming around, get a good pic and then try to find her a nice home. Another option would be a rescue group, but I'd really try to find her a home myself because rescue groups are often at capacity and sometimes not very functional at finding homes . . .
 
Something - I'd go ahead and feed her, or try to find a no kill/rescue. She is declawed which means it's going to be hard for her to fend for herself. I swear... I don't understand what goes through people's heads. (not you but whoever let her loose outside with no CLAWS) :angryfire:
 
There are no no-kills in the area and only one rescue which has over 200 cats and they can't take anymore (although I have considered just dropping her off.) I'm afraid to find her a home in case she's just missing, ya know. She's declawed and I'm assuming spayed which means someone owned her at one point. There are no missing kitty posters and the kids in the neighborhood have tried finding out where she lives to no avail.

We haven't fed her yet because I was hoping she'd go home. But it's been several days now and I'm getting concerned. I don't have any cat food, what can I give her? lunch meat?
 
You can call animal control, to see if anyone has reported a cat missing. If not, and there have been no attempts for the owners to locate her, then I think it is safe to assume she is not lost, but unwanted. I'm sure she will happily accept the lunchmeat or a can of tuna for now (and a little bowl of water). What does JT think about her? :twirl: Sorry, I'm a terrible person for even mentioning it because you just said you're allergic and plus your newborn . . . but I can't help myself. :saint:

ETA: You can try posting some signs in the neighborhood for a found cat, but really, the owners should be posting lost cat signs, if she is indeed just lost.
 
Yes, JT loves the cat and desperately wants to keep her. The neighbor kids have named her Oreo but I think she looks like a Ming.

Here she is.


eta~ She likes turkey. And loves milk. (JT insisted)

sskitty1.jpg
 
Thritto trying to contact a local no-kill shelter - I would be wary of craigslist just because there are some real nutjobs out there, I'd hate for something to happen to her! One thing I've heard is to post a marginal price for vet bills to filter the responders.. not sure how well that works though.

I'd definitely also take her to the vet for a checkup, get her deflead, make sure she's okay - esp. if little ones are petting her.

I hope you can find her a good home soon! She's a beauty and she looks pint-sized, both positive things from an adoption standpoint..
 
SS, Oh, she's adorable!! And, I think she looks like a Ming too!

Yssie, SS mentioned that there are no no-kill shelters in the area. I will agree that there are some crazies on CL, but there are also some lovely people on there, like myself. Re: no-kill shelters, there are likewise some real crazies there as well. Not all no-kill shelters and rescue groups are the same. Plenty of rescues start our well-intentioned, but wind up hoarders at best. I've noticed on Petfinder some cats that live in cages at no-kill shelters for YEARS! How can that be? Thus, my comment earlier that some no-kills are not very functional at finding homes.
 
I don't think I'd have a hard time finding her a home locally. I just talked to a neighbor who thinks that the kitty belongs to a family down the road who have several cats. I don't know why she wouldn't return to her home if it's just down the road unless she's not being cared for. I don't want to steal the cat from someone, but she seems to need a home. Is it stealing if she's in my yard all the time??

Oh, and she doesn't appear to have fleas or anything. The only thing weird about her is she has these super long white hairs throughout. I don't know if it's her breed, her age, or just specific to her.
 
She's a cutie! And I think you have a new kitty. I think it is extra-special when companion pets "choose" us. Take her to the vet and have her scanned for a microchip. Though I would be hesitant to return a cat to owners that declawed her then let her outside.
 
I think you have a new kitty, too. My stray adopted me at our vacation home. We would leave for months at a time and he was always there when we came back. When we moved in full time, he moved full time to be with us. I think just feeding the cat outside is great. It is certainly better than the alternative, and if you are allergic, it is all you can do. Thanks for sharing the story; it made me happy.
 
Loves Vintage said:
SS, Oh, she's adorable!! And, I think she looks like a Ming too!

Yssie, SS mentioned that there are no no-kill shelters in the area. I will agree that there are some crazies on CL, but there are also some lovely people on there, like myself. Re: no-kill shelters, there are likewise some real crazies there as well. Not all no-kill shelters and rescue groups are the same. Plenty of rescues start our well-intentioned, but wind up hoarders at best. I've noticed on Petfinder some cats that live in cages at no-kill shelters for YEARS! How can that be? Thus, my comment earlier that some no-kills are not very functional at finding homes.
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I work at the local shelter and many, many no-kill shelters have their own set of issues, and there are some serious ones. The usual method in kill-shelters around here though is to give incoming cats between three and seven days to adjust and become "adoptable", otherwise they're put down without recourse (as in, they won't let you take the cat back if it's deemed 'unadoptable'), so my default is clear :sick:


SS, do keep us updated :bigsmile: our third kitty "chose" us, too (stray we couldn't get rid of before getting attached)...
 
So today a neighbor walked by with her dog and said the pup wanted to play with our kitty. JT beamed. I don't know if it matters if we want to adopt her, I think she's adopted us. The funny thing is I'm really not a cat person, but there is just something about her. I really can't keep her though. sigh. I hadn't thought about checking for a chip, but if she has one, wouldn't they immediately contact the owner? I may not be able to keep her, but I certainly don't want them to have her if they think it's okay to make a declawed cat live outside.

The only way I can think to keep her is to put her in the basement at night so she wouldn't lay with the baby and she at least wouldn't be in my bed. But if my allergies still go crazy, JT would be heartbroken to give her away then. And I don't know that she'd be any happier sleeping in a basement.
 
Oooo I love her! I wish you lived by us, I'd take her to my parents house! Is your yard fenced in at all? Were it us, and we didn't want/couldn't have an inside kitty, I would make her a little house out in the back yard where she could come and go as she pleases, food and water out there too..I know she's declawed but at least that way she'd have shelter and food/water. And, she'd get attention and lovies from JT. My parents have tons of outside cats and have taken in strays/unwanted cats that were declawed so that they weren't out fending for themselves. They have a wood shed, kind of like a lean-to, on the back of the house and it's open, full of big barrels w/straw in them and they have their food/water out there too. It's better than being out on their own, you know?

Boy she is so pretty-I have a thing for black and white cats! I would name her Beatty. (b/c I had a black and white kitty long time ago named that and he was a lovey dovey)
 
Hi,
There is a no-kill shelter I tried to take two feral cats to and they wouldn't accept them b/c the shelter was over filled. Both cats had their ears clipped so I know they had been fixed and then dumped out where we lived.

I do think your best option is to put an ad on CL and INTERVIEW the people before adopting the cat out. Also charge a re-homing fee.

When I adopted my new kitten, there wasn't a fee and *I* ended up interviewing the owner before she gave him to me. To help with donations, I took him to the no-kill to have him neutered and the place was packed with feral cat traps. All the cats were sedated and had bandages over their ears from the clippings. They said every vet visit results in 40+ cats coming to be neutered. It was really sad.
 
Thanks for the continued responses.

I will not list on CL. It just makes me nervous. I think I can find her a home. I'm still struggling with "is it stealing?" and if I get her scanned for a chip, would they give her back to poor owners?
 
somethingshiny said:
Thanks for the continued responses.

I will not list on CL. It just makes me nervous. I think I can find her a home. I'm still struggling with "is it stealing?" and if I get her scanned for a chip, would they give her back to poor owners?
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I don't think it's stealing if she's out in the open and uncared for. It's rescuing. If you check her for a chip with a vet, yes, they will return her to the registered owners IF they can contact them (i.e., if they update their info. when they move, etc.) and IF the owners even want her back - sometimes, people apparently decide it's "for the best" when their cats self re-home.

If you don't want to list on CL, it might be worth looking to see if anybody has listed her as missing there. While there aren't any fliers in your neighborhood, you don't know how far she might have wandered.

For what it's worth, I'm violently anti-declawing, so in my head, it's already one strike against the owners. (I know, I know, a slew of people who declaw will now claw ME.) There is the distant possibility that she's had more than one home, though, and that panicked, loving owners are now trying to figure out how the hell the Patchwork Girl of Oz over there managed to crawl through a window, so I'd look, especially if you don't think you can keep her.

But if you're tempted ... she really does look like a sweetie. :rodent:
 
We had the same problem about 2.5 years ago.....we are all allergic to Cats, but we couldnt turn our backs on her and ended up keeping her....my son just adores her. Good luck with your decision.
 
What a cutie! I would definitely feel uncomfortable about leaving a declawed kitty outside too.

Can you keep her in your house but keep the bedroom/baby's room doors closed so she can't go in? And you'll have a couple refuges from your allergies.

The other idea is if you have a porch or something, you can get wire mesh and screen it in and create an outdoor kittyroom with trees, toys, etc. for her to hang out/sleep in (and leave a door open or cat door or something so she can come in). I think that idea's been really popular with catowners who have the room.

Anyway, kudos to you for thinking of her - she's really cute!!
 
I've been through this a few times, in a few different ways. The universe keeps dropping animals on my front door. Currently, we have a kitten that we found in one of our trees. We're deathly allergic, but we love her. Not sure how this will pan out. We like breathing, but boy oh boy she's the sweetest girl ever.

Anyway, right now all of the rescues are full due to the fact that it is kitten season, but I have a feeling if you put in a little bit of foot work, you might get a rescue to take her. I say this because she isn't a regular cat who is able to fend for itself. She is declawed, abandoned, and outside. I would first call every rescue in town and ask or leave a message, giving the details of this cat. If that doesn't work, call your local Petcos and Petsmarts to see when they are having their adoption events for cats. Those are run by cat rescues. Then you can go down and speak to them in person about this kitty. Usually, they will take the cat from there.

I've also found that if I post an ad on Craigslist, someone from a cat rescue will contact me and let me know how to get my cat into their organization. Just be cautious of this and make sure that when you bring your cat in, you bring it to the actual rescue or that you get formal paperwork.


I've rescued a lot of cats and it usually works out differently each time. I always feel better if I can get the kitty into a rescue because then I know the cat is in the network and will be rescued for life. If the owned is ever unable to keep the cat, the cat will go back into the rescue until adopted again. Also, their health needs are tended to.

Good luck with this precious kitty!!
 
Thanks for the advice and experience!
 
She's such a cute. We've been through this too. I'd keep her in the garage full time away from other animals. If she gets bitten it could be her life if she catches something. Next thing I'd do is take her to a vet and have her checked out. Vets can scan for chips too. And they can call the shelters to check if her owners are looking for her.

Allergies can be managed. And I know many people with kids that have cats. If you are willing, and the cat has the right temperament it could work out great. I think you should just take it one day at a time, be kind to her. Get her inside so she's safe. Get her to a vet, have her bathed and if take it slow.
 
Gypsy said:
She's such a cute. We've been through this too. I'd keep her in the garage full time away from other animals. If she gets bitten it could be her life if she catches something. Next thing I'd do is take her to a vet and have her checked out. Vets can scan for chips too. And they can call the shelters to check if her owners are looking for her.

Allergies can be managed. And I know many people with kids that have cats. If you are willing, and the cat has the right temperament it could work out great. I think you should just take it one day at a time, be kind to her. Get her inside so she's safe. Get her to a vet, have her bathed and if take it slow.
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Allergies can be managed. Easy tricks: wash your hands after handling cat (and do not touch eyes - even though I'm not officially allergic to cats, my eyes itch if I rub them after playing with my cat), vaccum frequently, and do not let kitty sleep in your room.
 
Hey SS, How are things going with Ming? I was wondering if you made a decision about keeping her?
 
If you're allergic, I'd be worried about bringing her into your house even if you keep her away certain areas.

One thing that I thought of is that she may have just gotten out of her owners' house. They might not have let her out. I'm surprised that no one has posted signs near you.

I'd call a no-kill shelter and a vet and see what they suggest.

What a gorgeous kitty, by the way, SS! I love her markings.
 
She is at the vet right now getting checked over. She doesn't have a chip so no way of finding owners. It'll take a couple days for the leukemia test to come back so if no one claims her by then, I found her a home. As much as I tried figuring out a way for her to live with us, it just can's happen. But, the home I found is my cousin's so JT can still see her. Win win!
 
somethingshiny said:
She is at the vet right now getting checked over. She doesn't have a chip so no way of finding owners. It'll take a couple days for the leukemia test to come back so if no one claims her by then, I found her a home. As much as I tried figuring out a way for her to live with us, it just can's happen. But, the home I found is my cousin's so JT can still see her. Win win!
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Perfect!! :appl: I'm happy to hear it!! And, glad JT (and YOU ::) ) will be able to see her!!
 
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