Friendly stray cat - needs home

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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I hope posting this is ok. I’m a long time lurker/lover of the Straight Dope. It’s been so long that I don’t remember if I found the website or the books first!

Having spent so much time lurking, I know of the board’s love of cats. I can relate: my house currently serves as home for six cats, all of whom have been rescued (one from awful owners, the other five from a shelter). My mom has also adopted all the outside cats in the neighborhood, which led me to get a certificate in TNR so that I could try to control the colony’s population. Since she began feeding them, we’ve had a population explosion. I’ve found someone near me that’s going to help me trap and fix the cats and monitor their health.

In the meantime, though, I’ve rescued poor Simon from the cold. I’m in New York City and, if you’ve followed the news, we’ve been getting wave after wave of snow. We first noticed Simon a couple of weeks ago as a new addition to the regulars that come by. My sister and I pegged him for a stray rather than feral because he is super friendly and his coat wasn’t as thick and fluffy as the rest of the colony’s. It wasn’t until this past weekend, though, that I took him in. He was just shivering way too much with his tail between his legs, looking so miserable. I couldn’t help it, I had to let him in.

At the moment, Simon is sequestered in the first floor bathroom. He’s a sweetheart and loves affection. He’s not fixed and unfortunately seems to have a rather bad cold/cough. I’m getting medicine for him and will make arrangements to have him altered. However, I can’t keep him, not with six cats in the house already. My sister has called all the local shelters (some not so local) and everyone is refusing to take him. That’s why I’m reaching out here, hoping someone can help me find Simon a loving home. He’s such a good cat; he hasn’t tried to bite or scratch even once while we’ve been handling him.

Pics are mandatory, I know, so you can see them here: Photobucket | Make your memories fun!

If anyone knows someplace or someone that is willing to take a cat, please let me know. I’m in Queens, New York. PM me if you can. I would really appreciate any suggestions. I’m not looking for handouts. In fact, I’m willing to pony up the funds necessary to get Simon better.

Thanks for sticking through till the end. Cross your fingers for Simon!

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If you weren’t on the other side of the country, I’d take that cutie in a heartbeat.

I sure hope you are able to find him a good place. If you want to discuss TNR, I’d love to hear from you. Thank you so much for taking that on. Most people really have no idea how effective it is.

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Thanks, flatlined. He is so adorable! But we’re stretched so thin already with our pets and the outdoor ferals we’re caring for, too. I’ll let you know how the TNR goes. Right now, it’s hard to get an area set up for traps because of all the snow and ice. But I have to get them quick, before we get another crop of kittens!

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What a sweetie!
Good for you for saving him.

I’m on the other side of the world so I can’t help you either.
I recently found a seriously sick kitty myself (Feline Rhinotracheitis advice please! - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board There’s lots of good advice in here, but you probably know it all already since you’ve got 6) but as was pointed out in that thread, you’re probably not going to find a shelter with there being so many not- sick kitties out there to take care of.

My suggestion would be, to get him healthy and fixed, and post ads with pictures in all the local pet shops and vet clinics. Maybe scour the various cat forums on the web and post there, as well.

Best of luck to you and sweetie!

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A cat like that wont last long in a rescue shelter. He’d get snatched up rather quickly. I imagine you’d have a lot more luck there than on this message board.

You could also do a foster thing where you just submit your pictures with contact information to the adoption agency. They’ll put the little guy on their website, and when a potential caretakers see’s what they like, the adoption agency will set up a meeting.

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Agreed about the fostering. That cutie pie should find a good home quickly if people know about him. Talk to your local shelter or look online under “cat adoption” to see if you can find a place to post his pic.

Like flatlined, I would consider taking him, but I am in the middle of flyover land, nowhere near Queens.

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He looks just like my late Vespa, what a sweetie. You could try putting him on Facebook, that’s where I got my most recent kitty. Note that adoption agencies may do this anyway.

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Any idea if he gets along with dogs?

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Aw, he looks happy to be warm. I’m too far away and have too many cats myself. See if you can post something at the vet’s office, make sure you tell his story.

Also, I think you should change his name to Bodoni.

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There’s a group in Middle Village called Timber’s Legacy that might be able to help you find a foster or adoptive home.

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I’m too far away to help, too, but he sure is a cutie! Fingers crossed that he can find a good home soon.

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Thanks, everyone, for the ideas! I got my boyfriend to agree to foster Simon for a little while until I can find him a permanent home. The goal now is to get him well enough to get fixed. He’ll also need a checkup and vaccinations. I’m planning to get that all done with the ASPCA.

Astroboy14, I have no idea how well he gets along with dogs. However, I do know he’s got a very easy tempered disposition. He loves to be petted and so far hasn’t tried to bite or scratch, even when I’m giving him his medicine. Also, he doesn’t much like to be alone. He’ll start meowing for attention if he’s awake and feeling lonely.

One thing is for sure, though: he is one determined cat. He’s already escaped twice to get his groove on at night! The first night, I had left the window open to get some fresh air in the bathroom - he jumped up and broke through the screen. The next morning he was back for food, so my mom caught him and put him in our bathroom again. Last night, I opened the window again while I visited and gave him medicine. I closed the window, but forgot to lock it. Our windows slide left to right, and Simon, a real smarty cat, pushed and pushed on the window until he could get at the screen and broke through on the other side! Of course, he was back again this morning for food. But no more open windows for him!

Hello Again, thanks for the link. I will check it out.

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Rambobunny, bless you for taking him in! Have you tried to see if he has an owner? You said his coat isn’t as thick as the others and he is friendly, so it’s possible he got out of someone’s house. If you haven’t already, please check Craigslist, with your local vet offices and have him scanned for a microchip.

I rescue a lot, too. And also live in a cold climate, so I know how sad it is to see these poor guys outside. Keep up the good work!