New outdoor kitty - seeking advice
 

Good morning folks, it's been a while since I've posted here. Few
remember me I bet, but I got some much-needed advice back in 2002 when
Lynxie was a kitten and I was lost as a new cat owner. Thank you
again, those who are still here.

I've always fed a few stray cats. They have always been feral, never
allowing me anywhere near them, yet it has been nice to have them
around, to see them around the property, and so on. They have come and
gone, and although I've felt heartbreak when one that I know never
appears again, I always felt there's not much I can do. They're
impossible to get close to, and there's a big road running right
behind the house that is a feline death-trap. Thank the gods I've
never actually seen any of them on that road, taken way too soon.

As of late there is a new kitty, though, different from the others. He
is a brown tabby and looks to be about a year old. Unlike the others,
after feeding him a few time he has become an INCREDIBLE sweetie.
We're talking prancing right up to me, rubbing against me, pressing
his head into my hand, practically BEGGING for pettings and attention.
He has started to sleep on the patio, and is there every morning
waiting for food. He is adorable and even more affectionate than
Lynxie who grew up around me!

http://zorin.org/gallery/v/randompho...u-002.jpg.html

I guess I need advice on what to do. I want to take Misu to the vet,
but am concerned that if I put him through a traumatic experience,
that he will never trust me again. It took a few days of feeding and
patience to win his trust in the first place.

Also, I've always been a stern believer in keeping cats indoors.
However, here we have a cat used to being outside, yet is incredibly
friendly. I know within a month I'm going to be incredibly emotionally
attached, and I'm going to be terrified of losing him to a car. Lynxie
hates all other cats, so I can't really let him inside, and if I do
let him in, he's going to want to go back out eventually I'm sure.

So what's the best way to deal with this? Should I just have him
fixed, collared, vaccinated, and let him be an outdoor cat? I'm
worried he may collect parasites and bring them in to infect Lynxie,
if I let him inside. It seems heartbreaking to force such a sweetie to
stay outside, alone most of the time, and only see him for a
relatively short period of time each day. He seems happy outside,
but.. I guess we tend to anthropomorphize, right?

Any advice is welcome. We are all cat lovers, here, so I'm sure you
understand how I feel. I want Misu to have a happy life.

-Zorin the Lynx

New outdoor kitty - seeking advice
 

"Zorin the Lynx" wrote in message
...
Good morning folks, it's been a while since I've posted here. Few
remember me I bet, but I got some much-needed advice back in 2002 when
Lynxie was a kitten and I was lost as a new cat owner. Thank you
again, those who are still here.

I've always fed a few stray cats. They have always been feral, never
allowing me anywhere near them, yet it has been nice to have them
around, to see them around the property, and so on. They have come and
gone, and although I've felt heartbreak when one that I know never
appears again, I always felt there's not much I can do. They're
impossible to get close to, and there's a big road running right
behind the house that is a feline death-trap. Thank the gods I've
never actually seen any of them on that road, taken way too soon.

As of late there is a new kitty, though, different from the others. He
is a brown tabby and looks to be about a year old. Unlike the others,
after feeding him a few time he has become an INCREDIBLE sweetie.
We're talking prancing right up to me, rubbing against me, pressing
his head into my hand, practically BEGGING for pettings and attention.
He has started to sleep on the patio, and is there every morning
waiting for food. He is adorable and even more affectionate than
Lynxie who grew up around me!

http://zorin.org/gallery/v/randompho...u-002.jpg.html

I guess I need advice on what to do. I want to take Misu to the vet,
but am concerned that if I put him through a traumatic experience,
that he will never trust me again. It took a few days of feeding and
patience to win his trust in the first place.

Also, I've always been a stern believer in keeping cats indoors.
However, here we have a cat used to being outside, yet is incredibly
friendly. I know within a month I'm going to be incredibly emotionally
attached, and I'm going to be terrified of losing him to a car. Lynxie
hates all other cats, so I can't really let him inside, and if I do
let him in, he's going to want to go back out eventually I'm sure.

So what's the best way to deal with this? Should I just have him
fixed, collared, vaccinated, and let him be an outdoor cat? I'm
worried he may collect parasites and bring them in to infect Lynxie,
if I let him inside. It seems heartbreaking to force such a sweetie to
stay outside, alone most of the time, and only see him for a
relatively short period of time each day. He seems happy outside,
but.. I guess we tend to anthropomorphize, right?

Any advice is welcome. We are all cat lovers, here, so I'm sure you
understand how I feel. I want Misu to have a happy life.

-Zorin the Lynx

Ok sounds like a dumped cat. Zorin my advice take the cat to the vet
get it fixed if it is not get it shots the works. you can do two things
let the furball back out BAD IDEA IMO Second separate the furball
from the other one while you introduced it to a home life. If it does not
work out you can try and find a good home if the cat wants to be outside
no matter what at least it is protected from disease and wont add to a over
populated feline population

Your cat how do you know it hates all other cats ???

New outdoor kitty - seeking advice
 

On Sep 24, 11:09*am, "Matthew"
wrote:
Ok *sounds like a dumped cat. * Zorin *my advice *take the cat to the vet
get it fixed if it is not *get it shots *the works. * *you can do two things
let the furball back out *BAD IDEA *IMO * *Second * separate the furball
from the other one while you introduced it to a home life. *If it does not
work out *you can *try and find a good home *if the cat *wants to be outside
no matter what *at least it is protected from disease and wont add to a over
populated feline population

That is what I'm thinking of doing. I want to at least get him fixd
and immunized; he is likely to live longer if he isn't getting into
fights, getting female strays pregnant, and so on.

Your cat *how do you know it hates all other cats ???

Because I've tried introducing new kittens several times and it has
been complete fail. Lynxie gets VERY mean and growly, not only at the
other cats but also at me! I can't even pet him when he's in that
mood, he tries to slash and bite and basically isn't himself at all.
He NEVER growls at any other time.

I've determined that it's not worth losing the love and affection of
my own cat just to get another one. This isn't really very negotiable,
and is why bringing him in would be a very iffy situation. The layout
of the house makes it very difficult to separate them.

New outdoor kitty - seeking advice
 

"Zorin the Lynx" wrote in message
...
On Sep 24, 11:09 am, "Matthew"
wrote:
Ok sounds like a dumped cat. Zorin my advice take the cat to the vet
get it fixed if it is not get it shots the works. you can do two things
let the furball back out BAD IDEA IMO Second separate the furball
from the other one while you introduced it to a home life. If it does not
work out you can try and find a good home if the cat wants to be outside
no matter what at least it is protected from disease and wont add to a
over
populated feline population

That is what I'm thinking of doing. I want to at least get him fixd
and immunized; he is likely to live longer if he isn't getting into
fights, getting female strays pregnant, and so on.

Your cat how do you know it hates all other cats ???

Because I've tried introducing new kittens several times and it has
been complete fail. Lynxie gets VERY mean and growly, not only at the
other cats but also at me! I can't even pet him when he's in that
mood, he tries to slash and bite and basically isn't himself at all.
He NEVER growls at any other time.

I've determined that it's not worth losing the love and affection of
my own cat just to get another one. This isn't really very negotiable,
and is why bringing him in would be a very iffy situation. The layout
of the house makes it very difficult to separate them.


I have a cat named dumplin that lives on our Florida Room he is very
aggressive with other male cats neutered or not. He lives perfectly fine
back there with all the views my other cats are jealous. He is the same
way that you described. If I could I would have my back yard fenced off
with a topper and made predator free. I would love to let my cats be back
there but this is not an option for me right now

I h

New outdoor kitty - seeking advice
 

Zorin the Lynx wrote:
Good morning folks, it's been a while since I've posted here. Few
remember me I bet, but I got some much-needed advice back in 2002 when
Lynxie was a kitten and I was lost as a new cat owner. Thank you
again, those who are still here.

I've always fed a few stray cats. They have always been feral, never
allowing me anywhere near them, yet it has been nice to have them
around, to see them around the property, and so on. They have come and
gone, and although I've felt heartbreak when one that I know never
appears again, I always felt there's not much I can do. They're
impossible to get close to, and there's a big road running right
behind the house that is a feline death-trap. Thank the gods I've
never actually seen any of them on that road, taken way too soon.

As of late there is a new kitty, though, different from the others. He
is a brown tabby and looks to be about a year old. Unlike the others,
after feeding him a few time he has become an INCREDIBLE sweetie.
We're talking prancing right up to me, rubbing against me, pressing
his head into my hand, practically BEGGING for pettings and attention.
He has started to sleep on the patio, and is there every morning
waiting for food. He is adorable and even more affectionate than
Lynxie who grew up around me!

http://zorin.org/gallery/v/randompho...u-002.jpg.html

I guess I need advice on what to do. I want to take Misu to the vet,
but am concerned that if I put him through a traumatic experience,
that he will never trust me again. It took a few days of feeding and
patience to win his trust in the first place.

Also, I've always been a stern believer in keeping cats indoors.
However, here we have a cat used to being outside, yet is incredibly
friendly. I know within a month I'm going to be incredibly emotionally
attached, and I'm going to be terrified of losing him to a car. Lynxie
hates all other cats, so I can't really let him inside, and if I do
let him in, he's going to want to go back out eventually I'm sure.

So what's the best way to deal with this? Should I just have him
fixed, collared, vaccinated, and let him be an outdoor cat? I'm
worried he may collect parasites and bring them in to infect Lynxie,
if I let him inside. It seems heartbreaking to force such a sweetie to
stay outside, alone most of the time, and only see him for a
relatively short period of time each day. He seems happy outside,
but.. I guess we tend to anthropomorphize, right?

Any advice is welcome. We are all cat lovers, here, so I'm sure you
understand how I feel. I want Misu to have a happy life.

-Zorin the Lynx



He is a lovely tabby. Invite him inside a few time and see how it goes.
Best wishes. MLB

New outdoor kitty - seeking advice
 

On Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:39:16 -0700 (PDT), Zorin the Lynx
wrote:

Good morning folks, it's been a while since I've posted here. Few
remember me I bet, but I got some much-needed advice back in 2002 when
Lynxie was a kitten and I was lost as a new cat owner. Thank you
again, those who are still here.

I've always fed a few stray cats. They have always been feral, never
allowing me anywhere near them, yet it has been nice to have them
around, to see them around the property, and so on. They have come and
gone, and although I've felt heartbreak when one that I know never
appears again, I always felt there's not much I can do. They're
impossible to get close to, and there's a big road running right
behind the house that is a feline death-trap. Thank the gods I've
never actually seen any of them on that road, taken way too soon.

As of late there is a new kitty, though, different from the others. He
is a brown tabby and looks to be about a year old. Unlike the others,
after feeding him a few time he has become an INCREDIBLE sweetie.
We're talking prancing right up to me, rubbing against me, pressing
his head into my hand, practically BEGGING for pettings and attention.
He has started to sleep on the patio, and is there every morning
waiting for food. He is adorable and even more affectionate than
Lynxie who grew up around me!

http://zorin.org/gallery/v/randompho...u-002.jpg.html

I guess I need advice on what to do. I want to take Misu to the vet,
but am concerned that if I put him through a traumatic experience,
that he will never trust me again. It took a few days of feeding and
patience to win his trust in the first place.

Also, I've always been a stern believer in keeping cats indoors.
However, here we have a cat used to being outside, yet is incredibly
friendly. I know within a month I'm going to be incredibly emotionally
attached, and I'm going to be terrified of losing him to a car. Lynxie
hates all other cats, so I can't really let him inside, and if I do
let him in, he's going to want to go back out eventually I'm sure.

So what's the best way to deal with this? Should I just have him
fixed, collared, vaccinated, and let him be an outdoor cat? I'm
worried he may collect parasites and bring them in to infect Lynxie,
if I let him inside. It seems heartbreaking to force such a sweetie to
stay outside, alone most of the time, and only see him for a
relatively short period of time each day. He seems happy outside,
but.. I guess we tend to anthropomorphize, right?

Any advice is welcome. We are all cat lovers, here, so I'm sure you
understand how I feel. I want Misu to have a happy life.

-Zorin the Lynx

I can't add much to Matthew's excellent advice, except to suggest the
possibility of providing him with a shelter on your patio, such as a
small dog house, whether home made, or purchased.

If you get cold weather, you could provide an electric heating pad, set
to it's lowest setting, with several layers of old blanket or towels
over it.

My bet would be he would move in, and stay pretty close to his new home.

At least, that is what I would hope for.

Thank you for looking after the outdoor kitties, and especially Misu,
who must have been a dumped pet. You REALLY don't want to hear what I
have to say about people who dump pet cats and dogs :(

And I do remember reading posts about Lynxie, years ago :)

Best of luck, with Misu.

New outdoor kitty - seeking advice
 

"Gandalf" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:39:16 -0700 (PDT), Zorin the Lynx
wrote:

Good morning folks, it's been a while since I've posted here. Few
remember me I bet, but I got some much-needed advice back in 2002 when
Lynxie was a kitten and I was lost as a new cat owner. Thank you
again, those who are still here.

I've always fed a few stray cats. They have always been feral, never
allowing me anywhere near them, yet it has been nice to have them
around, to see them around the property, and so on. They have come and
gone, and although I've felt heartbreak when one that I know never
appears again, I always felt there's not much I can do. They're
impossible to get close to, and there's a big road running right
behind the house that is a feline death-trap. Thank the gods I've
never actually seen any of them on that road, taken way too soon.

As of late there is a new kitty, though, different from the others. He
is a brown tabby and looks to be about a year old. Unlike the others,
after feeding him a few time he has become an INCREDIBLE sweetie.
We're talking prancing right up to me, rubbing against me, pressing
his head into my hand, practically BEGGING for pettings and attention.
He has started to sleep on the patio, and is there every morning
waiting for food. He is adorable and even more affectionate than
Lynxie who grew up around me!

http://zorin.org/gallery/v/randompho...u-002.jpg.html

I guess I need advice on what to do. I want to take Misu to the vet,
but am concerned that if I put him through a traumatic experience,
that he will never trust me again. It took a few days of feeding and
patience to win his trust in the first place.

Also, I've always been a stern believer in keeping cats indoors.
However, here we have a cat used to being outside, yet is incredibly
friendly. I know within a month I'm going to be incredibly emotionally
attached, and I'm going to be terrified of losing him to a car. Lynxie
hates all other cats, so I can't really let him inside, and if I do
let him in, he's going to want to go back out eventually I'm sure.

So what's the best way to deal with this? Should I just have him
fixed, collared, vaccinated, and let him be an outdoor cat? I'm
worried he may collect parasites and bring them in to infect Lynxie,
if I let him inside. It seems heartbreaking to force such a sweetie to
stay outside, alone most of the time, and only see him for a
relatively short period of time each day. He seems happy outside,
but.. I guess we tend to anthropomorphize, right?

Any advice is welcome. We are all cat lovers, here, so I'm sure you
understand how I feel. I want Misu to have a happy life.

-Zorin the Lynx

I can't add much to Matthew's excellent advice, except to suggest the
possibility of providing him with a shelter on your patio, such as a
small dog house, whether home made, or purchased.

If you get cold weather, you could provide an electric heating pad, set
to it's lowest setting, with several layers of old blanket or towels
over it.

My bet would be he would move in, and stay pretty close to his new home.

At least, that is what I would hope for.

Thank you for looking after the outdoor kitties, and especially Misu,
who must have been a dumped pet. You REALLY don't want to hear what I
have to say about people who dump pet cats and dogs :(

And I do remember reading posts about Lynxie, years ago :)

Best of luck, with Misu.

let me add you could if power is a problem take a card board box wrap it
in a trap line the inbetween the tarp and cardboard box line with thick
newspaper ( no color adds) and you put down hay inside cheap material
for anyone strapped for cash

This is a easy way to make a cheap throw way structure and it will keep
warm and dry for a furball hay needs to be cleaned out about every 2
weeks unles it gets wet . you can get a bale cord of hay which is one of
those ones that will fill the back of a 1/2 ton truck for about $50 using
this as an example of how cheap it is. Tarp is about $5.00 and wally world
card bord boxes and newspapers are free from the trash

New outdoor kitty - seeking advice
 

"Gandalf" wrote
I guess I need advice on what to do. I want to take Misu to the vet,
but am concerned that if I put him through a traumatic experience,
that he will never trust me again. It took a few days of feeding and
patience to win his trust in the first place.

Take him. He will trust you again, if he is an intelligent cat. They know
when you are helping them, even if it is unpleasant.

Your photos are beautiful. Keep your cats outside if you can bear to expose
them to anything that might come along. I don't mind a good gamble, but not
with lives I love. YMMV.



Also, I've always been a stern believer in keeping cats indoors.
However, here we have a cat used to being outside, yet is incredibly
friendly. I know within a month I'm going to be incredibly emotionally
attached, and I'm going to be terrified of losing him to a car. Lynxie
hates all other cats, so I can't really let him inside, and if I do
let him in, he's going to want to go back out eventually I'm sure.

So what's the best way to deal with this? Should I just have him
fixed, collared, vaccinated, and let him be an outdoor cat? I'm
worried he may collect parasites and bring them in to infect Lynxie,
if I let him inside. It seems heartbreaking to force such a sweetie to
stay outside, alone most of the time, and only see him for a
relatively short period of time each day. He seems happy outside,
but.. I guess we tend to anthropomorphize, right?

Any advice is welcome. We are all cat lovers, here, so I'm sure you
understand how I feel. I want Misu to have a happy life.

-Zorin the Lynx

I can't add much to Matthew's excellent advice, except to suggest the
possibility of providing him with a shelter on your patio, such as a
small dog house, whether home made, or purchased.

If you get cold weather, you could provide an electric heating pad, set
to it's lowest setting, with several layers of old blanket or towels
over it.

My bet would be he would move in, and stay pretty close to his new home.

At least, that is what I would hope for.

Thank you for looking after the outdoor kitties, and especially Misu,
who must have been a dumped pet. You REALLY don't want to hear what I
have to say about people who dump pet cats and dogs :(

And I do remember reading posts about Lynxie, years ago :)

Best of luck, with Misu.

New outdoor kitty - seeking advice
 

On Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:39:16 -0700 (PDT), Zorin the Lynx
wrote:

So what's the best way to deal with this? Should I just have him
fixed, collared, vaccinated, and let him be an outdoor cat? I'm
worried

No need to be.
Once fixed the cat will be a better happier pet
Depending on outside hazards is going to be whether you allow the cat
free range to come and go or not
Advantage© applied correctly (nape of neck to stop cat licking it as
its deadly poisonous) will keep cat bug free for months (the cat will
effectively kill fleas/bugs wherever it then goes)

Petzl

New outdoor kitty - seeking advice
 

On Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:09:09 -0400, "Matthew"
wrote:


"Zorin the Lynx" wrote in message
...
Good morning folks, it's been a while since I've posted here. Few
remember me I bet, but I got some much-needed advice back in 2002 when
Lynxie was a kitten and I was lost as a new cat owner. Thank you
....

Ok sounds like a dumped cat. Zorin my advice take the cat to the vet
get it fixed if it is not get it shots the works. you can do two things
let the furball back out BAD IDEA IMO Second separate the furball
from the other one while you introduced it to a home life. If it does not
work out you can try and find a good home if the cat wants to be outside
no matter what at least it is protected from disease and wont add to a over
populated feline population


I'm sort of in the same position. Two was my limit until one freezing
day when I took in Marlo. Now I've been feeding a black male cat that
I've named Scooter. He is also very friendly and has a family; a white
and grey mixed lady friend that one of my neighbors has named Pretty
Girl, and at least one all black kitten. Recently a grey (blue)
kitten, just beautiful, has shown up and it is apparently theirs as
well.

Mostly I just feed Scooter but sometimes other members of the family
show up and eat as well. They're actually getting a bit chunky since
I'm not the only one on the buffet trail. But Scooter camps out on my
front stoop much of the night. He started walking in yesterday when I
had the screen door open.

Espy hates him, and Nipsy often howls when he's spotted out the front
window. Marlo doesn't seem to care; she might be related.

But it's getting colder and there isn't much room out the front of the
house, but the back is fenced in for my cats and I can't let Scooter
live there.

Well, one of us (neighbors) is going to have to have Scooter Vetted
and I suppose it's going to be me. But I really don't have room in the
house for another cat - I can barely walk around now without tripping
over a furball. Going up or down the steps can be life threatening.
Having another one... Plus, I'm not going to do anything to make Espy
unhappy.

I was hoping I could maybe just set something up in the front of the
house for him. There's a little side area that might work. I was
thinking about a hooded litterbox type of thing or a big
Rubbermaid-type container. Tough call. I really REALLY don't need a
fourth cat.