Taking in a Stray Cat

jazabelle

nicter wrote: »

Button is a great name. I had an adorable cat called Button so good choice :j Does get shortened to Butt though lol;)

Hehe! I tend to give them nicknames completely unrelated to their actual names, just to confuse them.

pleasedelete

Mine have dry food iams.

No mess, no smell and they both have fabulous teeth.

johanne

awww!!!

we rescued a semi-feral cat in dec from a scout campsite we go to in the middle of the countryside. We knew her from our visits and know she is an old thing (about 11!!) she was past her belly in snow, water bowl had frozen over (as had the local river) was no signs of food bowls anywherwe and the cardboard box with an old cushion in they'd provided as a bed was soaked through...nobody was at the camp and looked like they hadnt been for days as the snow was days old and we were the first tracks and they wouldnt be back for least 2 weeks due to christmas...we were only there ourselves as my exes dads ashes are there and we were taking christmas wreathes to lay... Poor thing ran over to us as we pulled into the car park and she jumped into my arms! at that point i knew i had to take her home or she'd die.........and she sat in my back footwell the 30 mins drive home quite content eating bernard matthews turkey breast slices and drinking a bottle of evian i bought from the nearest garage...:rotfl::rotfl:

I said shed only come home with us and live at mine for 6 weeks or so till the weather picked up, people would be back at the camp and she'd put on some weight as could feel her whole skeleton Roll on 7 months later - the little fatty has just been sent outside whilst i clear up the chicken bones from tonights tea shes just scavanged from the bin whilst i was out (i got too attached!!!!!! :rotfl:) I suppose my point is.... be prepared to fall madly in love - it wont be easy at first as your furniture will probably get scratched despite him/her using the scratch post you paid a small fortune for, and if theyve fended for themselves they probably WILL scavange for food a bit more than a totally domesticated cat...... we cant leave a plate on the dining table for 2 mins unattended as she will jump up and try steal the food or lick the plate!:rotfl: And till they get used to where the litter tray is - and you dont know if they will actually use it... it can get messy!! :eek: But i wouldnt swap her for the world now


i just wanted to applaud you for being willing to take the cat in.... alot of rescues are full at the moment and cant help anymore animals as people are abandoning them due to financial implications etc and they are so short of houses... so your really helping the poor thing I'd rehome more cats but no local rescues will because i have a little girl who is 3 and they wont rehome animals in houses with under 5's

jazabelle

Aww, that's lovely johanne. It's hard not to fall in love, isn't it? I'm sure I will very soon.

Thank you for the tips!

We are going with Button. I think it suits him/her.

~Chameleon~

He looks very much like a male cat, and I'd say approx a year old. Has he got testicles? They should be quite apparent by now. You could always post a photo of his nether regions for us to check for you

jazabelle

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

He looks very much like a male cat, and I'd say approx a year old. Has he got testicles? They should be quite apparent by now. You could always post a photo of his nether regions for us to check for you

I can't see any, and where as I've looked after a male cat before and it was quite obvious. The cats a bit of a wriggler though, so it's hard to tell!

each_uisge

pleasedelete wrote: »

Mine have dry food iams.

No mess, no smell and they both have fabulous teeth.

I used to feed all my animals Iams until I saw this campaign by PETA:

search for iamscrueltydotcom - I can't post links due to being a new user

** Warning some of the videos on this site are very graphic and upsetting!

After that I now feed my three dogs and three cats on Burns which is brilliant and my three wolf it down.

OP - good luck on taking kitty in, hope it goes well for you - she looks a lovely cat :-)

starryshell

For the smells related to the spraying, I suggest Urine-Off. It eliminates cat pee smells because it eats the bacteria causing them (regular household cleaners don't do much to rid of pee smell, just mask it really).

Good luck with him (it does sound like a him to me, too!), he's a real cutie!

Sally42

Lovely cat, lovely lady!
I really do think he's a boy. Female cats can spray (oh trust me, they can!) but only in specific circumstances, and it isn't common, so I'd pretty much get used to the idea that she is a he! A word of advice tho' ~ if she IS he, get him tested for feline leukaemia and feline aids. Both are found amongst unneutered toms and can often give you a heartbreaking prognosis.

~Chameleon~

jazabelle wrote: »

I can't see any, and where as I've looked after a male cat before and it was quite obvious. The cats a bit of a wriggler though, so it's hard to tell!

It's quite possible he's already been castrated then. Unfortunately this doesn't always stop them spraying urine which is used to scent mark territory. Better let the vet examine him before booking him in for an op