Found cat - what on earth to do...

Fire_Fox

Delighted you have had her checked out and she is all clear as you say there is no point in stressing her out with more tests when she is happy as she is.

Food wise I guess you are buying Bozita which I find keeps them full, raw is certainly cheaper if you DIY and she takes to it. Also if you have an Asda Toplife is similar meat content to Bozita and on rollback 68p a tetrapack. Butchers Classic is meat derivatives rather than meat but no cereals or nasty additives, 42p per large can in Asda 45p in Tesco.

mystra

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Delighted you have had her checked out and she is all clear as you say there is no point in stressing her out with more tests when she is happy as she is.

Food wise I guess you are buying Bozita which I find keeps them full, raw is certainly cheaper if you DIY and she takes to it. Also if you have an Asda Toplife is similar meat content to Bozita and on rollback 68p a tetrapack. Butchers Classic is meat derivatives rather than meat but no cereals or nasty additives, 42p per large can in Asda 45p in Tesco.

yep we've got some Bozita coming... good to know of the others if we're ever caught short especially as we have an Asda just round the corner. We're going to try her on odd bits of raw for now to see how she takes and then gradually introduce it. Been advised by other raw feeders that she can even have the odd mouse/day old chick which i keep in the freezer for my snakes! The mice aren't particularly cheap but the chicks are! CHEEP - sorry!! :rotfl:

marmiterulesok

Glad to read that Pickle is in fine form.:)

Fire_Fox

mystra wrote: »

yep we've got some Bozita coming... good to know of the others if we're ever caught short especially as we have an Asda just round the corner. We're going to try her on odd bits of raw for now to see how she takes and then gradually introduce it. Been advised by other raw feeders that she can even have the odd mouse/day old chick which i keep in the freezer for my snakes! The mice aren't particularly cheap but the chicks are! CHEEP - sorry!! :rotfl:

:rotfl: I'm all for that, Noah was partially raw fed and loved it. Why not try if you have them in anyway!

TimBear

bazster wrote: »

I think you've done everything you can. If you are anything like me you will not have the heart to take her to a rescue centre, you will take her to the vet, get her thoroughly checked over and vaccinated, and say hello to the new member of your family!

Have to say, this annoys me a bit! Two of our cats have been 'adopted' by neighbours who must have thought they were strays and started to feed them. The cats are now living there permanently.

My dad's a vet and says this is really common. I just don't understand it! If you 'found' a dog, you wouldn't just keep it? If the cat's in good condition (not obviously starved, coat looking well etc), then it's very likely they have a home and have just wandered.

Sometimes we don't see the cats that do still live at home for a couple of days (there's a cat flap so possible they come in the house during working hours to eat), but that doesn't mean they're strays or not cared for!

mystra

TimBear wrote: »

Have to say, this annoys me a bit! Two of our cats have been 'adopted' by neighbours who must have thought they were strays and started to feed them. The cats are now living there permanently.

My dad's a vet and says this is really common. I just don't understand it! If you 'found' a dog, you wouldn't just keep it? If the cat's in good condition (not obviously starved, coat looking well etc), then it's very likely they have a home and have just wandered.

Sometimes we don't see the cats that do still live at home for a couple of days (there's a cat flap so possible they come in the house during working hours to eat), but that doesn't mean they're strays or not cared for!

she was a little underweight actually, evidence of fleas,possibly injured (obviously all the test etc have ruled it out) and after over a month now of posters, leaving details with vets, Gumtree, cat forum, pet forum, local forum ads etc no owners ever came forward - please read the whole thread before assuming i have just stolen someone's beloved cat!

If this cat was a roaming/outdoor cat a responsible owner would have microchipped her - she isn't chipped.

But with her leg issues a responsible person would not have let her out in the first place.

So we didn't just 'keep her'. I personally have found the situation of trying to locate her owners very upsetting and stressful - what else do you suggest i do?? Shall i just drop her off at the wonderful RSPCA who will probably just put her to sleep, they would have done by now if i had just dropped her off at the rescue in the first week - because the no kill shelters are full.


Have to say your comment has 'annoyed me a bit'!

TimBear

Mystra that wasn't aimed at you, sorry if you thought it was an attack. Honestly, it wasnt - I think you've done so much for that cat and it's obvious you care and you've tried to locate the owners, which I admire you for.

It's people who don't go to such lengths but just start feeding an unknown cat and when the cat keeps coming back assume it's homeless and take it on - that's what annoys me!

mystra

TimBear wrote: »

Mystra that wasn't aimed at you, sorry if you thought it was an attack. Honestly, it wasnt - I think you've done so much for that cat and it's obvious you care and you've tried to locate the owners, which I admire you for.

It's people who don't go to such lengths but just start feeding an unknown cat and when the cat keeps coming back assume it's homeless and take it on - that's what annoys me!

Ok fair enough. Sorry to be antsy myself

We do get a fair few cats who come into the yard behind us, she is the only one we've got worried about. The others are always far too cocky and sure of themselves for us to worry (including a giant tiger of a tom who sits on my neighbour's outside window sill glowering at her big tom cat inside!)

moggymutt

Timbear, much as you may be annoyed by people feeding a cat in their garden, people doing precisely that have kept many unwanted cats from dying. We've taken in cats beyond the point of help because people thought that they 'shouldn't' feed a cat that appears in their back garden. We've taken in many cats fed by people who've not been their 'owners' and thats the only thing that's been keeping the cat alive. Taking a chance that the cat is already being fed by someone else can be like playing Russian Roulette with the cats life.

Mystra, not read all this thread, but well done. (Cat spayed I hope)

HeatherintheHills

TimBear wrote: »

Mystra that wasn't aimed at you, sorry if you thought it was an attack. Honestly, it wasnt - I think you've done so much for that cat and it's obvious you care and you've tried to locate the owners, which I admire you for.

It's people who don't go to such lengths but just start feeding an unknown cat and when the cat keeps coming back assume it's homeless and take it on - that's what annoys me!

TimBear, as someone else who did everything she could to find out who an unneutered, unchipped cat belonged to, I have to say that I think your comment on this particular thread is really thoughtless. I had similar comments directed at me and I felt so guilty it almost caused me to turn away what turned out to be a cat so badly starved and flea ridden that it was close to dying.

The people who just "take" cats don't usually come onto forums and ask for the sort of advice that Mystra did, or go to the lengths that she did.

I think your post was really inappropriate, to be honest.