What is up with the cats…we’ve been in our current house for a year. On Halloween night, a small orange cat (didn’t look like a stray, but no collar) decided that our house looked like a good place to be, and it started hanging out on our front doormat, rolling around and meowing, and even darting inside a couple of times when we opened to door to trick-or-treaters. They were all, “Oh, your cat is so sweet!” and we were like, “That’s not our cat!”
I had to chase it away. We have three dogs, who were put up in the sun room during trick-or-treat hours. It wouldn’t have worked out.
Oh, our two dogs are jellyfish who would knuckle under right away. My mother-in-law’s dog, however, is an obese part-corgi bully who struts around the place like a short-legged hippopotamus. He’d be the problem.
Back from the vet. Picking Gismo up in a few hours.
We have an old lady. We didn’t want to go near her back so could never check.
Getting her into the carrier was a bit of a job and then she crapped in it and the car was full of the smell. I’m really bad with smells so my wife had to drive and deal with the cat wailing in the back and me sitting beside it retching away
Vet is going to take most of the mat today but we need to bring her back in a few days for full removal. She also needs a tooth removed. Bloods have been taken and we are really hoping they don’t find anything nasty. We so want to give this girl a good life for whatever she has left.
Now I’m off to help organise the moving of radiators. House is 2nd priority the moment.
A calm way to get her in the carrier for the next time is first, put the carrier on its bottom w/ the door on top open. Then drape a bath towel over her from above and very quickly roll it all the way around her like a burrito. Take the cat-burrito and slip it into the open carrier door w/ her end toward the bottom of it. Close carrier and gently pick up.
Thank you for taking in this abandoned animal, you are good people!
Forgot to mention, cats should only eat cat’s food; dog food has different formula that can damage cat’s kidneys.
Mrs. J. saw a calico cat strolling across our patio. I went outside and noticed it had a collar and tag, managed to snag the cat and see the phone number on the tag, and left the cat in the garage while I texted the number. Fortunately the owner responded almost immediately and came over to fetch the beast (which for awhile refused to come out from under the car).
Having a collar and tag is a really good idea, in case the cat ever wanders off (and assuming you want it back).
My mother took in a cat when the neighbors moved away and left their cat behind. At first it was just an outdoor cat she fed, that warmed itself under her dryer vent, but then there was a really, REALLY cold night, and the cat did not seem to be doing well. It ended up at the vet. We discovered she was actually pretty old, and it’s remarkable she was doing so well as an outdoor cat.
Well, she became an indoor cat, and that’s when I discovered my mother had named her. Julia. She lived out a very nice, long and warm life as my mother’s indoor cat, and did not seem to miss wandering outside in the slightest.
Ours are microchipped. One of them shows zero interest in going out at all, and hides when we go to the door just to go out ourselves. The other one runs out sometimes, but she just runs out like three feet and stops. We have put collars on her, and she slips out of them. She has a small head. I don’t want to make them too tight. Seriously, even the vet has commented that she has a small head. Or, rather, narrow, I guess. Right now, our apartment opens into a hallway, so she doesn’t get outside into the open just because she gets out the door.
Houdini is vaccinated against FeLeuk, though. Our vet does not normally recommend it after the initial set of shots for an indoor-only cat, because she thinks the risk of tumors at the injection sites outweighs the risk of getting the disease. However, just in case she ever does get away, we have her shots up-to-date. The other one, who is afraid of the big, bad outside, is not vaccinated, except for the initial set-- apparently a high percentage of cats actually hold a titer for like ten years after their initial boosters, and some hold a lifetime titer.
Vet couldn’t go down to the skin as it was sensitive so she’s a bit lumpy, we have to go back to get it finished. Other than that she’s a healthy cat with nothing wrong at all. Got some pain killer for her food for the next few days and then organise a cleanup of the fur.
She’s moving around a lot better and playing with the toy we got her.
I’m glad she’s relaxed and playing, sounds like she enjoys living in your home! If you should want to shampoo her, however gently, tear-free baby shampoo works perfectly.
