# I caught a stray cat! Advice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516 "2011-11-10T17:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/61 "2011-11-11T17:49:04Z")
Thanks, **PapSett** , I feel truthfully, very lucky myself. He’s turning out to be such a nice cat. Oh, and as a follow up to \*\*Scubaqueen \*\*regarding his name, Arthur just popped up when they asked me to name him a the vet. I wonder if Arthur Weasley is in my subconscious… > [@papergirl](#): > > Oh! He’s so gorgeous he brings tears to my eyes! (Feeling a little sentimental tonight.) And extra toes? [swoons] > I nearly had a new kitten the other early morning. I was just about to pick it up, reaching over the garbage bag it was rummaging in, when it raised is cute little head and turned out to be a sweet-faced young possum. 😃 Can’t blame a girl for trying… By the way, this story cracked me up! The excitement, the anticipation and then the reveal. 😃 **kjbrasda** , Thank you for the advice regarding his food, I may have egg yolks/parmesan a try! Arthur has been eating dry food as well as the wet, therefore he’s not picky. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/62 "2011-11-11T18:27:20Z")
> [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](#): > > I’m glad my computer blocked that link when I clicked. I don’t understand posting something like that. :(\ Some people are (checks forum) not quite right. So, Arthur’s trying to get into trouble already, eh? Sounds like he’s pretty normal for a cat. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/63 "2011-11-11T19:14:59Z")
> [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](#): > > By the way, this story cracked me up! The excitement, the anticipation and then the reveal. 😃 Well, in my defense…possom ears look a lot like kitten ears when it’s almost dark and you can’t see the face that’s attached to them! I found my cat Trouble as a stray fella almost 2 years ago. He’s a gorgeous white guy with gold eyes and has grown from a little scrap to a huge Boss of the World cat. Unfortunately for him, he is also stone deaf, so when he’s asleep or otherwise occupied, the other cats and dogs are able to raise a ruckus without incurring His Royal Wrath. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/64 "2011-11-11T20:01:39Z")
**Cat Whisperer** , Too true. It’s probably a good sign that his real personality is already revealing itself! **papergirl** , He sounds beautiful! Every white cat I’ve known has always been awesome. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/65 "2011-11-11T20:23:07Z")
Another weight-gaining trick for cats: Cream! Swipe all those little creamers when you go out to eat–don’t pick up the flavored ones, LOL! We had a geriatric cat losing weight like crazy. Started feeding him cream, he LOVED it, and packed on a couple of very necessary pounds. Another cat lost quite a bit of weight before being diagnosed with Diabetes. I bought him his own carton of half-and-half. Cats can’t drink much milk, the lactose gives them the runs. But cream or half-and-half is fine. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/66 "2011-11-11T20:48:40Z")
I figured Arthur becuase you are Lady of the Lake 🙂 _skritches to your new friend_ As for that Link above. Well there is a pit for a reason. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/67 "2011-11-11T22:03:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Awesome. I have a weird fondness/fascination with polydactyl cats.. Me too, and I’ve never had one either. **Want!** > [@Tamerlane](#): > > Pedantry alert!.. Since the orange gene is prone to damage during meiosis ( due to positioning issues near the centromere ), non-orange is a bit more common generally. So de facto a male kitten has about a 30% chance of hitting the orange lottery and a female about 10%, so distribution tends to run roughly 3:1 in favor of males vs. females among orange cats. I knew the part I snipped out, but I didn’t know the above. NEAT! I’m a total nerd for this kind of thing, so thanks for contributing! **Lady** , we got our Al in a very similar manner to your lovely Arthur. He too was a skinny used-to-be-somebody’s-pet, already neutered and declawed as well. Now he’s a twenty-pound Lord Of All He Surveys. Glad he and your dog seem to get along already. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/68 "2011-11-11T22:38:47Z")
**VOW,** Thanks for the tip! **janis\_and\_c0** , _hits self on forehead_ I just realized that you are correct. The name just popped into my head, probably because I’ve been in love with Arthurian mythology since I was twelve (when I bought this beautiful old book at an antique shop). The whole thing has become such a part of me that I didn’t even realize the probably cause of naming my cat ‘Arthur’. 😉 > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > **Lady** , we got our Al in a very similar manner to your lovely Arthur. He too was a skinny used-to-be-somebody’s-pet, already neutered and declawed as well. Now he’s a twenty-pound Lord Of All He Surveys. > > Glad he and your dog seem to get along already. 🙂 Awe 🙂 That is great to hear! I’m enjoying reading about other people’s stories, having success, finding that wonderful cat in an unusual way. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/69 "2011-11-11T22:45:24Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > Warning–NSFW–Don’t click this link if you like animals. **samclem** > > [How to Eat Cats](http://www.ooze.com/ooze13/cats.html) :dubious: **Floater** , [you are pitted. So pitted.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgQ5BJTSv9U&NR=1) ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/70 "2011-11-12T01:11:23Z")
Chimes in with the others who just understood that the Lady of the Lake should have an Arthur. Your boy is already handsome, I’ll bet he is going to be a smooshy bundle of handsomeness when he’s got some weight on him. All of my cats came to me from the streets. A couple of years ago, a grey cat showed up at my feeders. He wouldn’t get close to me, but he could eat and I could tell that he was fixed, so to my shame, I just ignored him. Kitteh was a regular at dinner time and it looked like there was something wrong with his mouth, but he was eating OK so I didn’t worry. During the middle of a huge monsoon storm, I went out to smoke and suddenly he was rubbing me, crying at me, wet kitty, wants inside. When he started pawing at my leg, I realized he was front declawed. I’m right next to the desert, coyotes and javalina wander through my yard on a daily basis. I was horrified at my thoughtlessness and brought kitteh inside and locked him in the bathroom. The next day, I saw that he had metal sticking out of his mouth and took him to the vet. Lucky had been shot in the mouth. He’s missing half of his bottom jaw, all of the teeth on that side and his lips are strange looking. Lucky thinks his name is Fabio because he knows he’s beautiful. I was the one who worried about letting Lucky out of the bathroom after he was recovered. A declawed, half defanged kittey with my fully armed and territorial monsters? As soon as I let Lucky out, he found his place in the mix. He sleeps against my leg every night, he’s cuddle buddies with my old sick cat and “beats” the heck out of Spike every morning. Rescue critters tend to know how lucky they are and do what they can to fit in. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/71 "2011-11-12T01:19:30Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > So de facto a male kitten has about a 30% chance of hitting the orange lottery and a female about 10%, so distribution tends to run roughly 3:1 in favor of males vs. females among orange cats. For some reason, every cat I’ve had my entire 50 years has been female. I’m not choosing the girls - I like the “pick the cutest one” method, plus I have been given kittens of unknown gender. All girls. Therefore, all cats are girls! :D:D ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/73 "2011-11-12T03:09:15Z")
> [@robstar82](#): > > eat it 😛 So it seems there are two people in this thread who don’t believe in following the main rule of this board. Good to know. People, please don’t read anything by these two, ever again, or respond to them. Let them go off someplace and talk to themselves. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/74 "2011-11-12T03:27:58Z")
**Lady** , please ignore those people. I once read that some people feel that there is only a little bit of happiness in the world and if other people are happy, it means that there is less for them. They feel like they have to stop other people from being happy so they can have the little bits for themselves. Yesterday was the USMC ball. I couldn’t go and I whined and stuff. Around 2 in the morning, I had a Marine in dress blues beating on my door. Was it a drunk guy wanting to impress me with his good looks? No. Was it someone who just needed to sleep on my couch? No. It was 4 handsome Marines in dress blues who had found 3 kittens in a dumpster, climbed in to get them and then drove an hour out of their way to bring them to me. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/75 "2011-11-12T04:24:25Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > **Lady** , please ignore those people. I once read that some people feel that there is only a little bit of happiness in the world and if other people are happy, it means that there is less for them. > > They feel like they have to stop other people from being happy so they can have the little bits for themselves. > > Yesterday was the USMC ball. I couldn’t go and I whined and stuff. Around 2 in the morning, I had a Marine in dress blues beating on my door. Was it a drunk guy wanting to impress me with his good looks? No. Was it someone who just needed to sleep on my couch? No. > > It was 4 handsome Marines in dress blues who had found 3 kittens in a dumpster, climbed in to get them and then drove an hour out of their way to bring them to me. That’s just too much swoon for one post. 4 Marines in dress blues? Kittens? I’m so jealous. Can I come be your roommate and help move boxes and get all the SG stories first hand? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/76 "2011-11-12T04:32:40Z")
> [@robstar82](#): > > eat it 😛 Eat THIS! **samclem** , Moderator ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/77 "2011-11-12T04:37:05Z")
Now that I can see pictures (firewalled from links at work), I can see that he is a very nice looking boy. There is something special about orange cats. I bet he will fatten up into a sleek and handsome boy in no time. I don’t like to think of how he ended up lost and starving and cold. So lucky for both of you that he ended up in \*your \*backyard. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/78 "2011-11-12T04:54:24Z")
MODERATOR WARNING! **Floater**. This is an official warning about your posting of an offensive link. It was out of place in the thread. Don’t do this again. **samclem** , Moderator ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/79 "2011-11-12T05:09:30Z")
C: Need help fast! I’ve managed to convince the hoomin to take me into the warm building. But now the hoomin won’t leave and is taking photos of me and posting to the internet. How do I get the hoomin out of my new home? But open a can of fud first? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/80 "2011-11-12T05:31:28Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I knew the part I snipped out, but I didn’t know the above. NEAT! I’m a total nerd for this kind of thing, so thanks for contributing! Then you might find this [big chart](http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/catstut6.jpeg) on cat coat colors, patterns, & eye colors interesting. A person can spend a lot of time with this! ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516/81 "2011-11-12T05:55:06Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > MODERATOR WARNING! > > **Floater**. This is an official warning about your posting of an offensive link. It was out of place in the thread. Don’t do this again. > > **samclem** , Moderator You, Samclem, are my hero. _swoons_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-stray-cat-advice/602516.md?page=5)