FIV Cat Advice Please

Everyone thank you for the advice... It means a lot to me because I have been a cat lover my whole life and for the most part I can relate better to them than to humans. I just came in from being outside with him since late this afternoon and he is a little freaked ...2 ground hogs were fighting about 75 feet from where I was hanging with him and they squeal really loud..... But for the most part he looks ok and he is trying like a champ. He ate three times today and he really ate good at dinner. and earlier he attempted to run with my daughter as she was doing cartwheels.

Bringing him in is not an option. In the same way that I care about this cat it would be irresponsible of me to expose my ragdolls to the stray cat. My male Ragdoll is a little aggressive and he does play bite with the other ragdoll.

One possibility is I do have a large house styled shed that has a lot of room. My buddy was saying he would come over and make a cut out for him to get in and out, I was thinking that I could train him by making him go through it to get his food. I know dogs use these effectively but I don't think I have ever heard of a cat using one. My concern with this would be another cat cornering him and attacking him inside of it.

Another Option is that I also have a large garage. I have NO problem whatsoever letting him hang in there but I don't know if he would like that. He is used to being outdoors. He just doesn't realize that it could hurt him. Does anyone have an experiences with a cat in the garage?

My mom also gave me the name and number of Popcorn Park Zoo in South Jersey. They evidently have housing for FIV Cats. They are no kill. I know this would be good for him but the selfish part of me would like to keep him. My entire family is attached to him. I think I am going to call the Zoo tomorrow and see if they can help.

Chris wrote:

Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old shoes.

I cannot even begin to think about what I could do to anyone that would hurt a poor defenseless animal in any way. I know if I saw it happening lets just say I would need a good lawyer. I don't dig that at all. If you take a pet you are making an commitment to the animal and you have an obligation to make them part of your family.... I don't know how someone could even live with themselves who would harm an animal mentally or physically. .

Chris also wrote:

But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically, I am
sure he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors

He makes me feel like this is the best his life has ever been. I can't explain it but he looks at you like "I need help" and when you help him he truely conveys that he is happy. HE PURRS NONSTOP! He is skinny though and I am just trying to beef him up. I am going to research some vitamins for him and just try to build up his immune system. My wife made the point that even outside what we are doing for him is better than what he had at this same time last week. All I can do is help him out and make him as comfortable as I can.

Gail wrote:
He sounds lovely and too nice a cat not to have a home


He is a great cat. I am a very experienced cat owner and I had owned and played with many cats in the last 30 years, this cat is one of, if not the nicest cat I have ever come across. He doesn't have that cat cockiness. He is dependant and he lets you know it.

It was kind of sad. I have fresh grown catnip growing and my plants are huge. He went over to them and just flopped on one. He kind of half heartly rolled on it but he liked it. He is very cool.... I agree that he needs a nice home. The problem is that most cat lovers already have cats,

I will let you know what is going on and thanks agin for the advice....




"Chris" wrote in message nk.net...
Isn't there a vaccine your 2 indoor cats can get?
"Kuisse0002" wrote in message
...
Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old shoes.

It is sad dilemma but I'm sure a solution can be found.

OK - you want to keep the cat but want to separate it from the ragdolls It
also
must be an indoor/ outdoor cat.

My suggestion - #1. provide him with good insulated bedding (warm
blankets,
etc) in a covered area (like a shed, etc. where he is also protected from
other
animals and wildlife. I'm thinking maybe have a sort of fencing around.
You get
also place some repellents around to prevent animals from coming to the
area. I
spray vinegar to prevent any possums and other neighbours cats from eating
my
cat's food when she's outside. I believe that if you're good to him,
there's a
good chance, he's not going to wander off and spread this disease. 2.
Introduce him indoors slowly and only when you're around to keep an eye on
them
interacting. You will have to use your discretion on how often and how
long you
want him to interact with your ragdolls and to what danger he poses to
them.
But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically, I am
sure
he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors.

I am sorry my reply is not as professional as you would like but its just
a
suggestion. I know how some pets can just eat you up with the life they
had to
go through caused by some irresponsible humans.


Subject: FIV Cat Advice Please
From: (Simon Bar Sinister)
Date: 8/08/03 6:30 AM AUS Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

Hello.. I have a cat situation that has arisen. I live in a rural area
of NJ. We have a lot of woods and animals that run around (Groundhogs
Deer etc...) My wife and I are both animal lovers and we own 2 pure
bred Ragdoll Cats. They are strictly indoor cats. They are treated
like the king and queen of the world and I cannot even imagine a day
without them.

The area we live in is a prime dumping ground for unwanted animals. In
the 2 years we have been here there have been several cats that we
have seen roaming around that appear to be homeless. One cat in
particular looked very ragged and always just walked by the house and
keep going down the street. I assumed he lived in one of the house
down the road a few blocks. About a week ago I was in my office when I
saw this cat ramming his head into my office window. He looked like he
was emaciated and starving. I feed him a can of food and he purred the
whole time and then slept a while under a tree and split. He then
started showing up every day since. He basically sits at the front
glass door and looks in at my ragdolls and it was all very sad because
you could tell he was sad and neglected etc. We continued to feed him
and he already appears to be gaining weight and basically he has been
hanging under the Japanese Maple tree by my front door. In my 35 years
of owning cats he is one of the nicest cats I have ever come in
contact with. He is just starving for food and for attention. I took a
weeks vacation this week to "relax". Well on Tuesday I said screw it I
am going to take him to the vet that our ragdolls go to. Well I had
them give him a thorough checkup, tests and shots. He appears to have
been fixed so at one point he was "someone's" cat. He has lost all of
his teeth but one. Everyone at the vet loved him and he purred so much
they couldn't even check his heart because the purring was so loud. He
loved the ride in the car and he just seems to genuinely appreciate
all of the help. I bought him a nice jewel collar and he is now
walking around the yard proud as a peacock. My wife and I decided
that we would try and keep him around but we knew he had to be an
outside cat. It wouldn't be fair to our Ragdoll cats to bring an
indoor/outdoor cat into the house and put them at risk of disease etc.

Well I just got a call from the vet and it seems the cat is FIV
positive. I am totally crushed. She said that although passing it to
our cats through human contact was not possible and even though he has
1 tooth left he is a low risk spreader of the disease, however for him
to be outside exposes anyone else's cat to the risk if they attack
him. Also being an outside cat leaves him open to various germs etc.

We are at a loss as to what to do. I DO NOT want to bring him to a
shelter. The vet mentioned that there were FIV colonies and I should
look on the internet but I haven't seen anything like this. Does
anyone have some advice on this? WE WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS CAT!!!.
He is so appreciative I cannot describe it. It is almost human. He
eats a little and then comes back and rubs against you and he will sit
with you for hours and just hang. I know we could continue to feed him
and keep him close to the house but I think his chances on the outside
are not good especially in the winter. I can tell that this last week
has been one of the best in his life, he looks like a different cat in
just one week of our care even outside but it is warm now. In addition
I don't want him to spread it to anyone else's cat although it does
not appear that any of my neighbors have legitimate indoor outdoor
cats. I couldn't see this cat attacking another cat and being that he
literally has one tooth the risk of him biting another cat is
remote...

Please any advice appreciated this situation is breaking our hearts..

Y0u can place a catflap in the garage or the shed for him to go in and out. I have one for one of my cats. Make sure there are no chemicals in the garage that he can ingest (anti- freeze). Tie the flap open for a time until he gets the hang of coming in and out. Also, make a bed for him in a box with lots of warm blankets. You can feed him in the garage or shed and give him fresh water. I think it would be nice for you to keep him rather then bring him to the zoo (which I heard has some problems). There are snuggle safe disks that you can purchase to place in his bed to keep him warm. These are microwaved and maintain heat for 12 hours. I do this for my cat in the garage. I think this would be a good solution to the problem. In an ideal world there would be someone to take him in as an indoors only cat household, but this is difficult to find.
Gail
"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in message t...
Everyone thank you for the advice... It means a lot to me because I have been a cat lover my whole life and for the most part I can relate better to them than to humans. I just came in from being outside with him since late this afternoon and he is a little freaked ...2 ground hogs were fighting about 75 feet from where I was hanging with him and they squeal really loud..... But for the most part he looks ok and he is trying like a champ. He ate three times today and he really ate good at dinner. and earlier he attempted to run with my daughter as she was doing cartwheels.

Bringing him in is not an option. In the same way that I care about this cat it would be irresponsible of me to expose my ragdolls to the stray cat. My male Ragdoll is a little aggressive and he does play bite with the other ragdoll.

One possibility is I do have a large house styled shed that has a lot of room. My buddy was saying he would come over and make a cut out for him to get in and out, I was thinking that I could train him by making him go through it to get his food. I know dogs use these effectively but I don't think I have ever heard of a cat using one. My concern with this would be another cat cornering him and attacking him inside of it.

Another Option is that I also have a large garage. I have NO problem whatsoever letting him hang in there but I don't know if he would like that. He is used to being outdoors. He just doesn't realize that it could hurt him. Does anyone have an experiences with a cat in the garage?

My mom also gave me the name and number of Popcorn Park Zoo in South Jersey. They evidently have housing for FIV Cats. They are no kill. I know this would be good for him but the selfish part of me would like to keep him. My entire family is attached to him. I think I am going to call the Zoo tomorrow and see if they can help.

Chris wrote:

Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old shoes.

I cannot even begin to think about what I could do to anyone that would hurt a poor defenseless animal in any way. I know if I saw it happening lets just say I would need a good lawyer. I don't dig that at all. If you take a pet you are making an commitment to the animal and you have an obligation to make them part of your family.... I don't know how someone could even live with themselves who would harm an animal mentally or physically. .

Chris also wrote:

But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically, I am
sure he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors

He makes me feel like this is the best his life has ever been. I can't explain it but he looks at you like "I need help" and when you help him he truely conveys that he is happy. HE PURRS NONSTOP! He is skinny though and I am just trying to beef him up. I am going to research some vitamins for him and just try to build up his immune system. My wife made the point that even outside what we are doing for him is better than what he had at this same time last week. All I can do is help him out and make him as comfortable as I can.

Gail wrote:
He sounds lovely and too nice a cat not to have a home


He is a great cat. I am a very experienced cat owner and I had owned and played with many cats in the last 30 years, this cat is one of, if not the nicest cat I have ever come across. He doesn't have that cat cockiness. He is dependant and he lets you know it.

It was kind of sad. I have fresh grown catnip growing and my plants are huge. He went over to them and just flopped on one. He kind of half heartly rolled on it but he liked it. He is very cool.... I agree that he needs a nice home. The problem is that most cat lovers already have cats,

I will let you know what is going on and thanks agin for the advice....




"Chris" wrote in message nk.net...
Isn't there a vaccine your 2 indoor cats can get?
"Kuisse0002" wrote in message
...
Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old shoes.

It is sad dilemma but I'm sure a solution can be found.

OK - you want to keep the cat but want to separate it from the ragdolls It
also
must be an indoor/ outdoor cat.

My suggestion - #1. provide him with good insulated bedding (warm
blankets,
etc) in a covered area (like a shed, etc. where he is also protected from
other
animals and wildlife. I'm thinking maybe have a sort of fencing around.
You get
also place some repellents around to prevent animals from coming to the
area. I
spray vinegar to prevent any possums and other neighbours cats from eating
my
cat's food when she's outside. I believe that if you're good to him,
there's a
good chance, he's not going to wander off and spread this disease. 2.
Introduce him indoors slowly and only when you're around to keep an eye on
them
interacting. You will have to use your discretion on how often and how
long you
want him to interact with your ragdolls and to what danger he poses to
them.
But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically, I am
sure
he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors.

I am sorry my reply is not as professional as you would like but its just
a
suggestion. I know how some pets can just eat you up with the life they
had to
go through caused by some irresponsible humans.


Subject: FIV Cat Advice Please
From: (Simon Bar Sinister)
Date: 8/08/03 6:30 AM AUS Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

Hello.. I have a cat situation that has arisen. I live in a rural area
of NJ. We have a lot of woods and animals that run around (Groundhogs
Deer etc...) My wife and I are both animal lovers and we own 2 pure
bred Ragdoll Cats. They are strictly indoor cats. They are treated
like the king and queen of the world and I cannot even imagine a day
without them.

The area we live in is a prime dumping ground for unwanted animals. In
the 2 years we have been here there have been several cats that we
have seen roaming around that appear to be homeless. One cat in
particular looked very ragged and always just walked by the house and
keep going down the street. I assumed he lived in one of the house
down the road a few blocks. About a week ago I was in my office when I
saw this cat ramming his head into my office window. He looked like he
was emaciated and starving. I feed him a can of food and he purred the
whole time and then slept a while under a tree and split. He then
started showing up every day since. He basically sits at the front
glass door and looks in at my ragdolls and it was all very sad because
you could tell he was sad and neglected etc. We continued to feed him
and he already appears to be gaining weight and basically he has been
hanging under the Japanese Maple tree by my front door. In my 35 years
of owning cats he is one of the nicest cats I have ever come in
contact with. He is just starving for food and for attention. I took a
weeks vacation this week to "relax". Well on Tuesday I said screw it I
am going to take him to the vet that our ragdolls go to. Well I had
them give him a thorough checkup, tests and shots. He appears to have
been fixed so at one point he was "someone's" cat. He has lost all of
his teeth but one. Everyone at the vet loved him and he purred so much
they couldn't even check his heart because the purring was so loud. He
loved the ride in the car and he just seems to genuinely appreciate
all of the help. I bought him a nice jewel collar and he is now
walking around the yard proud as a peacock. My wife and I decided
that we would try and keep him around but we knew he had to be an
outside cat. It wouldn't be fair to our Ragdoll cats to bring an
indoor/outdoor cat into the house and put them at risk of disease etc.

Well I just got a call from the vet and it seems the cat is FIV
positive. I am totally crushed. She said that although passing it to
our cats through human contact was not possible and even though he has
1 tooth left he is a low risk spreader of the disease, however for him
to be outside exposes anyone else's cat to the risk if they attack
him. Also being an outside cat leaves him open to various germs etc.

We are at a loss as to what to do. I DO NOT want to bring him to a
shelter. The vet mentioned that there were FIV colonies and I should
look on the internet but I haven't seen anything like this. Does
anyone have some advice on this? WE WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS CAT!!!.
He is so appreciative I cannot describe it. It is almost human. He
eats a little and then comes back and rubs against you and he will sit
with you for hours and just hang. I know we could continue to feed him
and keep him close to the house but I think his chances on the outside
are not good especially in the winter. I can tell that this last week
has been one of the best in his life, he looks like a different cat in
just one week of our care even outside but it is warm now. In addition
I don't want him to spread it to anyone else's cat although it does
not appear that any of my neighbors have legitimate indoor outdoor
cats. I couldn't see this cat attacking another cat and being that he
literally has one tooth the risk of him biting another cat is
remote...

Please any advice appreciated this situation is breaking our hearts..

Y0u can place a catflap in the garage or the shed for him to go in and out. I have one for one of my cats. Make sure there are no chemicals in the garage that he can ingest (anti- freeze). Tie the flap open for a time until he gets the hang of coming in and out. Also, make a bed for him in a box with lots of warm blankets. You can feed him in the garage or shed and give him fresh water. I think it would be nice for you to keep him rather then bring him to the zoo (which I heard has some problems). There are snuggle safe disks that you can purchase to place in his bed to keep him warm. These are microwaved and maintain heat for 12 hours. I do this for my cat in the garage. I think this would be a good solution to the problem. In an ideal world there would be someone to take him in as an indoors only cat household, but this is difficult to find.
Gail
"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in message t...
Everyone thank you for the advice... It means a lot to me because I have been a cat lover my whole life and for the most part I can relate better to them than to humans. I just came in from being outside with him since late this afternoon and he is a little freaked ...2 ground hogs were fighting about 75 feet from where I was hanging with him and they squeal really loud..... But for the most part he looks ok and he is trying like a champ. He ate three times today and he really ate good at dinner. and earlier he attempted to run with my daughter as she was doing cartwheels.

Bringing him in is not an option. In the same way that I care about this cat it would be irresponsible of me to expose my ragdolls to the stray cat. My male Ragdoll is a little aggressive and he does play bite with the other ragdoll.

One possibility is I do have a large house styled shed that has a lot of room. My buddy was saying he would come over and make a cut out for him to get in and out, I was thinking that I could train him by making him go through it to get his food. I know dogs use these effectively but I don't think I have ever heard of a cat using one. My concern with this would be another cat cornering him and attacking him inside of it.

Another Option is that I also have a large garage. I have NO problem whatsoever letting him hang in there but I don't know if he would like that. He is used to being outdoors. He just doesn't realize that it could hurt him. Does anyone have an experiences with a cat in the garage?

My mom also gave me the name and number of Popcorn Park Zoo in South Jersey. They evidently have housing for FIV Cats. They are no kill. I know this would be good for him but the selfish part of me would like to keep him. My entire family is attached to him. I think I am going to call the Zoo tomorrow and see if they can help.

Chris wrote:

Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old shoes.

I cannot even begin to think about what I could do to anyone that would hurt a poor defenseless animal in any way. I know if I saw it happening lets just say I would need a good lawyer. I don't dig that at all. If you take a pet you are making an commitment to the animal and you have an obligation to make them part of your family.... I don't know how someone could even live with themselves who would harm an animal mentally or physically. .

Chris also wrote:

But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically, I am
sure he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors

He makes me feel like this is the best his life has ever been. I can't explain it but he looks at you like "I need help" and when you help him he truely conveys that he is happy. HE PURRS NONSTOP! He is skinny though and I am just trying to beef him up. I am going to research some vitamins for him and just try to build up his immune system. My wife made the point that even outside what we are doing for him is better than what he had at this same time last week. All I can do is help him out and make him as comfortable as I can.

Gail wrote:
He sounds lovely and too nice a cat not to have a home


He is a great cat. I am a very experienced cat owner and I had owned and played with many cats in the last 30 years, this cat is one of, if not the nicest cat I have ever come across. He doesn't have that cat cockiness. He is dependant and he lets you know it.

It was kind of sad. I have fresh grown catnip growing and my plants are huge. He went over to them and just flopped on one. He kind of half heartly rolled on it but he liked it. He is very cool.... I agree that he needs a nice home. The problem is that most cat lovers already have cats,

I will let you know what is going on and thanks agin for the advice....




"Chris" wrote in message nk.net...
Isn't there a vaccine your 2 indoor cats can get?
"Kuisse0002" wrote in message
...
Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old shoes.

It is sad dilemma but I'm sure a solution can be found.

OK - you want to keep the cat but want to separate it from the ragdolls It
also
must be an indoor/ outdoor cat.

My suggestion - #1. provide him with good insulated bedding (warm
blankets,
etc) in a covered area (like a shed, etc. where he is also protected from
other
animals and wildlife. I'm thinking maybe have a sort of fencing around.
You get
also place some repellents around to prevent animals from coming to the
area. I
spray vinegar to prevent any possums and other neighbours cats from eating
my
cat's food when she's outside. I believe that if you're good to him,
there's a
good chance, he's not going to wander off and spread this disease. 2.
Introduce him indoors slowly and only when you're around to keep an eye on
them
interacting. You will have to use your discretion on how often and how
long you
want him to interact with your ragdolls and to what danger he poses to
them.
But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically, I am
sure
he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors.

I am sorry my reply is not as professional as you would like but its just
a
suggestion. I know how some pets can just eat you up with the life they
had to
go through caused by some irresponsible humans.


Subject: FIV Cat Advice Please
From: (Simon Bar Sinister)
Date: 8/08/03 6:30 AM AUS Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

Hello.. I have a cat situation that has arisen. I live in a rural area
of NJ. We have a lot of woods and animals that run around (Groundhogs
Deer etc...) My wife and I are both animal lovers and we own 2 pure
bred Ragdoll Cats. They are strictly indoor cats. They are treated
like the king and queen of the world and I cannot even imagine a day
without them.

The area we live in is a prime dumping ground for unwanted animals. In
the 2 years we have been here there have been several cats that we
have seen roaming around that appear to be homeless. One cat in
particular looked very ragged and always just walked by the house and
keep going down the street. I assumed he lived in one of the house
down the road a few blocks. About a week ago I was in my office when I
saw this cat ramming his head into my office window. He looked like he
was emaciated and starving. I feed him a can of food and he purred the
whole time and then slept a while under a tree and split. He then
started showing up every day since. He basically sits at the front
glass door and looks in at my ragdolls and it was all very sad because
you could tell he was sad and neglected etc. We continued to feed him
and he already appears to be gaining weight and basically he has been
hanging under the Japanese Maple tree by my front door. In my 35 years
of owning cats he is one of the nicest cats I have ever come in
contact with. He is just starving for food and for attention. I took a
weeks vacation this week to "relax". Well on Tuesday I said screw it I
am going to take him to the vet that our ragdolls go to. Well I had
them give him a thorough checkup, tests and shots. He appears to have
been fixed so at one point he was "someone's" cat. He has lost all of
his teeth but one. Everyone at the vet loved him and he purred so much
they couldn't even check his heart because the purring was so loud. He
loved the ride in the car and he just seems to genuinely appreciate
all of the help. I bought him a nice jewel collar and he is now
walking around the yard proud as a peacock. My wife and I decided
that we would try and keep him around but we knew he had to be an
outside cat. It wouldn't be fair to our Ragdoll cats to bring an
indoor/outdoor cat into the house and put them at risk of disease etc.

Well I just got a call from the vet and it seems the cat is FIV
positive. I am totally crushed. She said that although passing it to
our cats through human contact was not possible and even though he has
1 tooth left he is a low risk spreader of the disease, however for him
to be outside exposes anyone else's cat to the risk if they attack
him. Also being an outside cat leaves him open to various germs etc.

We are at a loss as to what to do. I DO NOT want to bring him to a
shelter. The vet mentioned that there were FIV colonies and I should
look on the internet but I haven't seen anything like this. Does
anyone have some advice on this? WE WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS CAT!!!.
He is so appreciative I cannot describe it. It is almost human. He
eats a little and then comes back and rubs against you and he will sit
with you for hours and just hang. I know we could continue to feed him
and keep him close to the house but I think his chances on the outside
are not good especially in the winter. I can tell that this last week
has been one of the best in his life, he looks like a different cat in
just one week of our care even outside but it is warm now. In addition
I don't want him to spread it to anyone else's cat although it does
not appear that any of my neighbors have legitimate indoor outdoor
cats. I couldn't see this cat attacking another cat and being that he
literally has one tooth the risk of him biting another cat is
remote...

Please any advice appreciated this situation is breaking our hearts..

I forgot to mention that I would keep the cat inside the garage or shed at night by closing the cat flap. This is what I do. It cuts down on nocturnal animals finding their way inside and/or other cats. I lure mine in the garage with his canned cat food. During the daytime, I keep a bowl of dry food in the garage. He comes and goes at will. I would opt to keep him and use the garage or shed. If you find someone down the road who has no other cats and wants him, you would be free to give him to them if you chose to.
Gail
"Gail" wrote in message ...
Y0u can place a catflap in the garage or the shed for him to go in and out. I have one for one of my cats. Make sure there are no chemicals in the garage that he can ingest (anti- freeze). Tie the flap open for a time until he gets the hang of coming in and out. Also, make a bed for him in a box with lots of warm blankets. You can feed him in the garage or shed and give him fresh water. I think it would be nice for you to keep him rather then bring him to the zoo (which I heard has some problems). There are snuggle safe disks that you can purchase to place in his bed to keep him warm. These are microwaved and maintain heat for 12 hours. I do this for my cat in the garage. I think this would be a good solution to the problem. In an ideal world there would be someone to take him in as an indoors only cat household, but this is difficult to find.
Gail
"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in message t...
Everyone thank you for the advice... It means a lot to me because I have been a cat lover my whole life and for the most part I can relate better to them than to humans. I just came in from being outside with him since late this afternoon and he is a little freaked ...2 ground hogs were fighting about 75 feet from where I was hanging with him and they squeal really loud..... But for the most part he looks ok and he is trying like a champ. He ate three times today and he really ate good at dinner. and earlier he attempted to run with my daughter as she was doing cartwheels.

Bringing him in is not an option. In the same way that I care about this cat it would be irresponsible of me to expose my ragdolls to the stray cat. My male Ragdoll is a little aggressive and he does play bite with the other ragdoll.

One possibility is I do have a large house styled shed that has a lot of room. My buddy was saying he would come over and make a cut out for him to get in and out, I was thinking that I could train him by making him go through it to get his food. I know dogs use these effectively but I don't think I have ever heard of a cat using one. My concern with this would be another cat cornering him and attacking him inside of it.

Another Option is that I also have a large garage. I have NO problem whatsoever letting him hang in there but I don't know if he would like that. He is used to being outdoors. He just doesn't realize that it could hurt him. Does anyone have an experiences with a cat in the garage?

My mom also gave me the name and number of Popcorn Park Zoo in South Jersey. They evidently have housing for FIV Cats. They are no kill. I know this would be good for him but the selfish part of me would like to keep him. My entire family is attached to him. I think I am going to call the Zoo tomorrow and see if they can help.

Chris wrote:

Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old shoes.

I cannot even begin to think about what I could do to anyone that would hurt a poor defenseless animal in any way. I know if I saw it happening lets just say I would need a good lawyer. I don't dig that at all. If you take a pet you are making an commitment to the animal and you have an obligation to make them part of your family.... I don't know how someone could even live with themselves who would harm an animal mentally or physically. .

Chris also wrote:

But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically, I am
sure he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors

He makes me feel like this is the best his life has ever been. I can't explain it but he looks at you like "I need help" and when you help him he truely conveys that he is happy. HE PURRS NONSTOP! He is skinny though and I am just trying to beef him up. I am going to research some vitamins for him and just try to build up his immune system. My wife made the point that even outside what we are doing for him is better than what he had at this same time last week. All I can do is help him out and make him as comfortable as I can.

Gail wrote:
He sounds lovely and too nice a cat not to have a home


He is a great cat. I am a very experienced cat owner and I had owned and played with many cats in the last 30 years, this cat is one of, if not the nicest cat I have ever come across. He doesn't have that cat cockiness. He is dependant and he lets you know it.

It was kind of sad. I have fresh grown catnip growing and my plants are huge. He went over to them and just flopped on one. He kind of half heartly rolled on it but he liked it. He is very cool.... I agree that he needs a nice home. The problem is that most cat lovers already have cats,

I will let you know what is going on and thanks agin for the advice....




"Chris" wrote in message nk.net...
Isn't there a vaccine your 2 indoor cats can get?
"Kuisse0002" wrote in message
...
Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old shoes.

It is sad dilemma but I'm sure a solution can be found.

OK - you want to keep the cat but want to separate it from the ragdolls It
also
must be an indoor/ outdoor cat.

My suggestion - #1. provide him with good insulated bedding (warm
blankets,
etc) in a covered area (like a shed, etc. where he is also protected from
other
animals and wildlife. I'm thinking maybe have a sort of fencing around.
You get
also place some repellents around to prevent animals from coming to the
area. I
spray vinegar to prevent any possums and other neighbours cats from eating
my
cat's food when she's outside. I believe that if you're good to him,
there's a
good chance, he's not going to wander off and spread this disease. 2.
Introduce him indoors slowly and only when you're around to keep an eye on
them
interacting. You will have to use your discretion on how often and how
long you
want him to interact with your ragdolls and to what danger he poses to
them.
But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically, I am
sure
he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors.

I am sorry my reply is not as professional as you would like but its just
a
suggestion. I know how some pets can just eat you up with the life they
had to
go through caused by some irresponsible humans.


Subject: FIV Cat Advice Please
From: (Simon Bar Sinister)
Date: 8/08/03 6:30 AM AUS Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

Hello.. I have a cat situation that has arisen. I live in a rural area
of NJ. We have a lot of woods and animals that run around (Groundhogs
Deer etc...) My wife and I are both animal lovers and we own 2 pure
bred Ragdoll Cats. They are strictly indoor cats. They are treated
like the king and queen of the world and I cannot even imagine a day
without them.

The area we live in is a prime dumping ground for unwanted animals. In
the 2 years we have been here there have been several cats that we
have seen roaming around that appear to be homeless. One cat in
particular looked very ragged and always just walked by the house and
keep going down the street. I assumed he lived in one of the house
down the road a few blocks. About a week ago I was in my office when I
saw this cat ramming his head into my office window. He looked like he
was emaciated and starving. I feed him a can of food and he purred the
whole time and then slept a while under a tree and split. He then
started showing up every day since. He basically sits at the front
glass door and looks in at my ragdolls and it was all very sad because
you could tell he was sad and neglected etc. We continued to feed him
and he already appears to be gaining weight and basically he has been
hanging under the Japanese Maple tree by my front door. In my 35 years
of owning cats he is one of the nicest cats I have ever come in
contact with. He is just starving for food and for attention. I took a
weeks vacation this week to "relax". Well on Tuesday I said screw it I
am going to take him to the vet that our ragdolls go to. Well I had
them give him a thorough checkup, tests and shots. He appears to have
been fixed so at one point he was "someone's" cat. He has lost all of
his teeth but one. Everyone at the vet loved him and he purred so much
they couldn't even check his heart because the purring was so loud. He
loved the ride in the car and he just seems to genuinely appreciate
all of the help. I bought him a nice jewel collar and he is now
walking around the yard proud as a peacock. My wife and I decided
that we would try and keep him around but we knew he had to be an
outside cat. It wouldn't be fair to our Ragdoll cats to bring an
indoor/outdoor cat into the house and put them at risk of disease etc.

Well I just got a call from the vet and it seems the cat is FIV
positive. I am totally crushed. She said that although passing it to
our cats through human contact was not possible and even though he has
1 tooth left he is a low risk spreader of the disease, however for him
to be outside exposes anyone else's cat to the risk if they attack
him. Also being an outside cat leaves him open to various germs etc.

We are at a loss as to what to do. I DO NOT want to bring him to a
shelter. The vet mentioned that there were FIV colonies and I should
look on the internet but I haven't seen anything like this. Does
anyone have some advice on this? WE WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS CAT!!!.
He is so appreciative I cannot describe it. It is almost human. He
eats a little and then comes back and rubs against you and he will sit
with you for hours and just hang. I know we could continue to feed him
and keep him close to the house but I think his chances on the outside
are not good especially in the winter. I can tell that this last week
has been one of the best in his life, he looks like a different cat in
just one week of our care even outside but it is warm now. In addition
I don't want him to spread it to anyone else's cat although it does
not appear that any of my neighbors have legitimate indoor outdoor
cats. I couldn't see this cat attacking another cat and being that he
literally has one tooth the risk of him biting another cat is
remote...

Please any advice appreciated this situation is breaking our hearts..

I forgot to mention that I would keep the cat inside the garage or shed at night by closing the cat flap. This is what I do. It cuts down on nocturnal animals finding their way inside and/or other cats. I lure mine in the garage with his canned cat food. During the daytime, I keep a bowl of dry food in the garage. He comes and goes at will. I would opt to keep him and use the garage or shed. If you find someone down the road who has no other cats and wants him, you would be free to give him to them if you chose to.
Gail
"Gail" wrote in message ...
Y0u can place a catflap in the garage or the shed for him to go in and out. I have one for one of my cats. Make sure there are no chemicals in the garage that he can ingest (anti- freeze). Tie the flap open for a time until he gets the hang of coming in and out. Also, make a bed for him in a box with lots of warm blankets. You can feed him in the garage or shed and give him fresh water. I think it would be nice for you to keep him rather then bring him to the zoo (which I heard has some problems). There are snuggle safe disks that you can purchase to place in his bed to keep him warm. These are microwaved and maintain heat for 12 hours. I do this for my cat in the garage. I think this would be a good solution to the problem. In an ideal world there would be someone to take him in as an indoors only cat household, but this is difficult to find.
Gail
"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in message t...
Everyone thank you for the advice... It means a lot to me because I have been a cat lover my whole life and for the most part I can relate better to them than to humans. I just came in from being outside with him since late this afternoon and he is a little freaked ...2 ground hogs were fighting about 75 feet from where I was hanging with him and they squeal really loud..... But for the most part he looks ok and he is trying like a champ. He ate three times today and he really ate good at dinner. and earlier he attempted to run with my daughter as she was doing cartwheels.

Bringing him in is not an option. In the same way that I care about this cat it would be irresponsible of me to expose my ragdolls to the stray cat. My male Ragdoll is a little aggressive and he does play bite with the other ragdoll.

One possibility is I do have a large house styled shed that has a lot of room. My buddy was saying he would come over and make a cut out for him to get in and out, I was thinking that I could train him by making him go through it to get his food. I know dogs use these effectively but I don't think I have ever heard of a cat using one. My concern with this would be another cat cornering him and attacking him inside of it.

Another Option is that I also have a large garage. I have NO problem whatsoever letting him hang in there but I don't know if he would like that. He is used to being outdoors. He just doesn't realize that it could hurt him. Does anyone have an experiences with a cat in the garage?

My mom also gave me the name and number of Popcorn Park Zoo in South Jersey. They evidently have housing for FIV Cats. They are no kill. I know this would be good for him but the selfish part of me would like to keep him. My entire family is attached to him. I think I am going to call the Zoo tomorrow and see if they can help.

Chris wrote:

Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old shoes.

I cannot even begin to think about what I could do to anyone that would hurt a poor defenseless animal in any way. I know if I saw it happening lets just say I would need a good lawyer. I don't dig that at all. If you take a pet you are making an commitment to the animal and you have an obligation to make them part of your family.... I don't know how someone could even live with themselves who would harm an animal mentally or physically. .

Chris also wrote:

But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically, I am
sure he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors

He makes me feel like this is the best his life has ever been. I can't explain it but he looks at you like "I need help" and when you help him he truely conveys that he is happy. HE PURRS NONSTOP! He is skinny though and I am just trying to beef him up. I am going to research some vitamins for him and just try to build up his immune system. My wife made the point that even outside what we are doing for him is better than what he had at this same time last week. All I can do is help him out and make him as comfortable as I can.

Gail wrote:
He sounds lovely and too nice a cat not to have a home


He is a great cat. I am a very experienced cat owner and I had owned and played with many cats in the last 30 years, this cat is one of, if not the nicest cat I have ever come across. He doesn't have that cat cockiness. He is dependant and he lets you know it.

It was kind of sad. I have fresh grown catnip growing and my plants are huge. He went over to them and just flopped on one. He kind of half heartly rolled on it but he liked it. He is very cool.... I agree that he needs a nice home. The problem is that most cat lovers already have cats,

I will let you know what is going on and thanks agin for the advice....




"Chris" wrote in message nk.net...
Isn't there a vaccine your 2 indoor cats can get?
"Kuisse0002" wrote in message
...
Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old shoes.

It is sad dilemma but I'm sure a solution can be found.

OK - you want to keep the cat but want to separate it from the ragdolls It
also
must be an indoor/ outdoor cat.

My suggestion - #1. provide him with good insulated bedding (warm
blankets,
etc) in a covered area (like a shed, etc. where he is also protected from
other
animals and wildlife. I'm thinking maybe have a sort of fencing around.
You get
also place some repellents around to prevent animals from coming to the
area. I
spray vinegar to prevent any possums and other neighbours cats from eating
my
cat's food when she's outside. I believe that if you're good to him,
there's a
good chance, he's not going to wander off and spread this disease. 2.
Introduce him indoors slowly and only when you're around to keep an eye on
them
interacting. You will have to use your discretion on how often and how
long you
want him to interact with your ragdolls and to what danger he poses to
them.
But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically, I am
sure
he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors.

I am sorry my reply is not as professional as you would like but its just
a
suggestion. I know how some pets can just eat you up with the life they
had to
go through caused by some irresponsible humans.


Subject: FIV Cat Advice Please
From: (Simon Bar Sinister)
Date: 8/08/03 6:30 AM AUS Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

Hello.. I have a cat situation that has arisen. I live in a rural area
of NJ. We have a lot of woods and animals that run around (Groundhogs
Deer etc...) My wife and I are both animal lovers and we own 2 pure
bred Ragdoll Cats. They are strictly indoor cats. They are treated
like the king and queen of the world and I cannot even imagine a day
without them.

The area we live in is a prime dumping ground for unwanted animals. In
the 2 years we have been here there have been several cats that we
have seen roaming around that appear to be homeless. One cat in
particular looked very ragged and always just walked by the house and
keep going down the street. I assumed he lived in one of the house
down the road a few blocks. About a week ago I was in my office when I
saw this cat ramming his head into my office window. He looked like he
was emaciated and starving. I feed him a can of food and he purred the
whole time and then slept a while under a tree and split. He then
started showing up every day since. He basically sits at the front
glass door and looks in at my ragdolls and it was all very sad because
you could tell he was sad and neglected etc. We continued to feed him
and he already appears to be gaining weight and basically he has been
hanging under the Japanese Maple tree by my front door. In my 35 years
of owning cats he is one of the nicest cats I have ever come in
contact with. He is just starving for food and for attention. I took a
weeks vacation this week to "relax". Well on Tuesday I said screw it I
am going to take him to the vet that our ragdolls go to. Well I had
them give him a thorough checkup, tests and shots. He appears to have
been fixed so at one point he was "someone's" cat. He has lost all of
his teeth but one. Everyone at the vet loved him and he purred so much
they couldn't even check his heart because the purring was so loud. He
loved the ride in the car and he just seems to genuinely appreciate
all of the help. I bought him a nice jewel collar and he is now
walking around the yard proud as a peacock. My wife and I decided
that we would try and keep him around but we knew he had to be an
outside cat. It wouldn't be fair to our Ragdoll cats to bring an
indoor/outdoor cat into the house and put them at risk of disease etc.

Well I just got a call from the vet and it seems the cat is FIV
positive. I am totally crushed. She said that although passing it to
our cats through human contact was not possible and even though he has
1 tooth left he is a low risk spreader of the disease, however for him
to be outside exposes anyone else's cat to the risk if they attack
him. Also being an outside cat leaves him open to various germs etc.

We are at a loss as to what to do. I DO NOT want to bring him to a
shelter. The vet mentioned that there were FIV colonies and I should
look on the internet but I haven't seen anything like this. Does
anyone have some advice on this? WE WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS CAT!!!.
He is so appreciative I cannot describe it. It is almost human. He
eats a little and then comes back and rubs against you and he will sit
with you for hours and just hang. I know we could continue to feed him
and keep him close to the house but I think his chances on the outside
are not good especially in the winter. I can tell that this last week
has been one of the best in his life, he looks like a different cat in
just one week of our care even outside but it is warm now. In addition
I don't want him to spread it to anyone else's cat although it does
not appear that any of my neighbors have legitimate indoor outdoor
cats. I couldn't see this cat attacking another cat and being that he
literally has one tooth the risk of him biting another cat is
remote...

Please any advice appreciated this situation is breaking our hearts..

He looks like a sweetheart. Please post updates. Please also take more pics!
But post them to alt.binaries.pictures.animals and let us know. He is indeed
getting a better chance then last week. I'm impressed he ate everything!

Karen

"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in message
et...
I agree that even between the outside and indoors in the garage in the
winter it would be better than a shelter. I don't think I could do it. I
have grown very attached to this little guy and he needs special help. He is
living pretty stress free at the moment. He is eating and I found this
great article on a homeopathic drink that a guy concocted that saved his
cat and his cat appeared a lot worse off than mine does at the moment.



http://www.blackgiraffe.com/jmight/fiv/homeo.html



I went and bought all of the stuff and made a batch and I bought some high
protein cat food for him and mixed it in his food and he ate it all up. So
hopefully this will help. He stays by the house and he isn't wandering at
all. If I could find an indoor home for him and I knew the person would give
him the attention and nutrition he needs I would do it, but as of last week
he had nothing. At least now he has attention, he looks better and is
getting nutrition. We'll see how it goes and hopefully this can all work
out.



I have included a couple of pics I have snapped of him today and thought you
may like to see him. We have named him Rusty Griswold ..



Note how smart he is, he saw the sign in picture 2 and has been by it ever
sinceJ



Thanks again for the advice I will let you know how it goes.



SBS







"Gail" wrote in message ...
I forgot to mention that I would keep the cat inside the garage or shed at
night by closing the cat flap. This is what I do. It cuts down on nocturnal
animals finding their way inside and/or other cats. I lure mine in the
garage with his canned cat food. During the daytime, I keep a bowl of dry
food in the garage. He comes and goes at will. I would opt to keep him and
use the garage or shed. If you find someone down the road who has no other
cats and wants him, you would be free to give him to them if you chose to.
Gail
"Gail" wrote in message ...
Y0u can place a catflap in the garage or the shed for him to go in and
out. I have one for one of my cats. Make sure there are no chemicals in the
garage that he can ingest (anti- freeze). Tie the flap open for a time until
he gets the hang of coming in and out. Also, make a bed for him in a box
with lots of warm blankets. You can feed him in the garage or shed and give
him fresh water. I think it would be nice for you to keep him rather then
bring him to the zoo (which I heard has some problems). There are snuggle
safe disks that you can purchase to place in his bed to keep him warm. These
are microwaved and maintain heat for 12 hours. I do this for my cat in the
garage. I think this would be a good solution to the problem. In an ideal
world there would be someone to take him in as an indoors only cat
household, but this is difficult to find.
Gail
"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in message
t...
Everyone thank you for the advice... It means a lot to me because I
have been a cat lover my whole life and for the most part I can relate
better to them than to humans. I just came in from being outside with him
since late this afternoon and he is a little freaked ...2 ground hogs were
fighting about 75 feet from where I was hanging with him and they squeal
really loud..... But for the most part he looks ok and he is trying like a
champ. He ate three times today and he really ate good at dinner. and
earlier he attempted to run with my daughter as she was doing cartwheels.

Bringing him in is not an option. In the same way that I care about
this cat it would be irresponsible of me to expose my ragdolls to the stray
cat. My male Ragdoll is a little aggressive and he does play bite with the
other ragdoll.

One possibility is I do have a large house styled shed that has a lot
of room. My buddy was saying he would come over and make a cut out for him
to get in and out, I was thinking that I could train him by making him go
through it to get his food. I know dogs use these effectively but I don't
think I have ever heard of a cat using one. My concern with this would be
another cat cornering him and attacking him inside of it.

Another Option is that I also have a large garage. I have NO problem
whatsoever letting him hang in there but I don't know if he would like that.
He is used to being outdoors. He just doesn't realize that it could hurt
him. Does anyone have an experiences with a cat in the garage?

My mom also gave me the name and number of Popcorn Park Zoo in South
Jersey. They evidently have housing for FIV Cats. They are no kill. I know
this would be good for him but the selfish part of me would like to keep
him. My entire family is attached to him. I think I am going to call the
Zoo tomorrow and see if they can help.

Chris wrote:

Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old
shoes.

I cannot even begin to think about what I could do to anyone that
would hurt a poor defenseless animal in any way. I know if I saw it
happening lets just say I would need a good lawyer. I don't dig that at all.
If you take a pet you are making an commitment to the animal and you have an
obligation to make them part of your family.... I don't know how someone
could even live with themselves who would harm an animal mentally or
physically. .

Chris also wrote:

But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically,
I am
sure he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors

He makes me feel like this is the best his life has ever been. I can't
explain it but he looks at you like "I need help" and when you help him he
truely conveys that he is happy. HE PURRS NONSTOP! He is skinny though and I
am just trying to beef him up. I am going to research some vitamins for him
and just try to build up his immune system. My wife made the point that even
outside what we are doing for him is better than what he had at this same
time last week. All I can do is help him out and make him as comfortable as
I can.

Gail wrote:
He sounds lovely and too nice a cat not to have a home


He is a great cat. I am a very experienced cat owner and I had owned
and played with many cats in the last 30 years, this cat is one of, if not
the nicest cat I have ever come across. He doesn't have that cat cockiness.
He is dependant and he lets you know it.

It was kind of sad. I have fresh grown catnip growing and my plants
are huge. He went over to them and just flopped on one. He kind of half
heartly rolled on it but he liked it. He is very cool.... I agree that he
needs a nice home. The problem is that most cat lovers already have cats,

I will let you know what is going on and thanks agin for the
advice....




"Chris" wrote in message
nk.net...
Isn't there a vaccine your 2 indoor cats can get?
"Kuisse0002" wrote in message
...
Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old
shoes.

It is sad dilemma but I'm sure a solution can be found.

OK - you want to keep the cat but want to separate it from the
ragdolls It
also
must be an indoor/ outdoor cat.

My suggestion - #1. provide him with good insulated bedding (warm
blankets,
etc) in a covered area (like a shed, etc. where he is also
protected from
other
animals and wildlife. I'm thinking maybe have a sort of fencing
around.
You get
also place some repellents around to prevent animals from coming
to the
area. I
spray vinegar to prevent any possums and other neighbours cats
from eating
my
cat's food when she's outside. I believe that if you're good to
him,
there's a
good chance, he's not going to wander off and spread this disease.
2.
Introduce him indoors slowly and only when you're around to keep
an eye on
them
interacting. You will have to use your discretion on how often and
how
long you
want him to interact with your ragdolls and to what danger he
poses to
them.
But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and
physically, I am
sure
he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors.

I am sorry my reply is not as professional as you would like but
its just
a
suggestion. I know how some pets can just eat you up with the life
they
had to
go through caused by some irresponsible humans.


Subject: FIV Cat Advice Please
From: (Simon Bar Sinister)
Date: 8/08/03 6:30 AM AUS Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

Hello.. I have a cat situation that has arisen. I live in a rural
area
of NJ. We have a lot of woods and animals that run around
(Groundhogs
Deer etc...) My wife and I are both animal lovers and we own 2
pure
bred Ragdoll Cats. They are strictly indoor cats. They are
treated
like the king and queen of the world and I cannot even imagine a
day
without them.

The area we live in is a prime dumping ground for unwanted
animals. In
the 2 years we have been here there have been several cats that
we
have seen roaming around that appear to be homeless. One cat in
particular looked very ragged and always just walked by the house
and
keep going down the street. I assumed he lived in one of the
house
down the road a few blocks. About a week ago I was in my office
when I
saw this cat ramming his head into my office window. He looked
like he
was emaciated and starving. I feed him a can of food and he
purred the
whole time and then slept a while under a tree and split. He then
started showing up every day since. He basically sits at the
front
glass door and looks in at my ragdolls and it was all very sad
because
you could tell he was sad and neglected etc. We continued to feed
him
and he already appears to be gaining weight and basically he has
been
hanging under the Japanese Maple tree by my front door. In my 35
years
of owning cats he is one of the nicest cats I have ever come in
contact with. He is just starving for food and for attention. I
took a
weeks vacation this week to "relax". Well on Tuesday I said screw
it I
am going to take him to the vet that our ragdolls go to. Well I
had
them give him a thorough checkup, tests and shots. He appears to
have
been fixed so at one point he was "someone's" cat. He has lost
all of
his teeth but one. Everyone at the vet loved him and he purred so
much
they couldn't even check his heart because the purring was so
loud. He
loved the ride in the car and he just seems to genuinely
appreciate
all of the help. I bought him a nice jewel collar and he is now
walking around the yard proud as a peacock. My wife and I
decided
that we would try and keep him around but we knew he had to be an
outside cat. It wouldn't be fair to our Ragdoll cats to bring an

indoor/outdoor cat into the house and put them at risk of disease
etc.

Well I just got a call from the vet and it seems the cat is FIV
positive. I am totally crushed. She said that although passing it
to
our cats through human contact was not possible and even though
he has
1 tooth left he is a low risk spreader of the disease, however
for him
to be outside exposes anyone else's cat to the risk if they
attack
him. Also being an outside cat leaves him open to various germs
etc.

We are at a loss as to what to do. I DO NOT want to bring him to
a
shelter. The vet mentioned that there were FIV colonies and I
should
look on the internet but I haven't seen anything like this. Does
anyone have some advice on this? WE WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS
CAT!!!.
He is so appreciative I cannot describe it. It is almost human.
He
eats a little and then comes back and rubs against you and he
will sit
with you for hours and just hang. I know we could continue to
feed him
and keep him close to the house but I think his chances on the
outside
are not good especially in the winter. I can tell that this last
week
has been one of the best in his life, he looks like a different
cat in
just one week of our care even outside but it is warm now. In
addition
I don't want him to spread it to anyone else's cat although it
does
not appear that any of my neighbors have legitimate indoor
outdoor
cats. I couldn't see this cat attacking another cat and being
that he
literally has one tooth the risk of him biting another cat is
remote...

Please any advice appreciated this situation is breaking our
hearts..

He looks like a sweetheart. Please post updates. Please also take more pics!
But post them to alt.binaries.pictures.animals and let us know. He is indeed
getting a better chance then last week. I'm impressed he ate everything!

Karen

"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in message
et...
I agree that even between the outside and indoors in the garage in the
winter it would be better than a shelter. I don't think I could do it. I
have grown very attached to this little guy and he needs special help. He is
living pretty stress free at the moment. He is eating and I found this
great article on a homeopathic drink that a guy concocted that saved his
cat and his cat appeared a lot worse off than mine does at the moment.



http://www.blackgiraffe.com/jmight/fiv/homeo.html



I went and bought all of the stuff and made a batch and I bought some high
protein cat food for him and mixed it in his food and he ate it all up. So
hopefully this will help. He stays by the house and he isn't wandering at
all. If I could find an indoor home for him and I knew the person would give
him the attention and nutrition he needs I would do it, but as of last week
he had nothing. At least now he has attention, he looks better and is
getting nutrition. We'll see how it goes and hopefully this can all work
out.



I have included a couple of pics I have snapped of him today and thought you
may like to see him. We have named him Rusty Griswold ..



Note how smart he is, he saw the sign in picture 2 and has been by it ever
sinceJ



Thanks again for the advice I will let you know how it goes.



SBS







"Gail" wrote in message ...
I forgot to mention that I would keep the cat inside the garage or shed at
night by closing the cat flap. This is what I do. It cuts down on nocturnal
animals finding their way inside and/or other cats. I lure mine in the
garage with his canned cat food. During the daytime, I keep a bowl of dry
food in the garage. He comes and goes at will. I would opt to keep him and
use the garage or shed. If you find someone down the road who has no other
cats and wants him, you would be free to give him to them if you chose to.
Gail
"Gail" wrote in message ...
Y0u can place a catflap in the garage or the shed for him to go in and
out. I have one for one of my cats. Make sure there are no chemicals in the
garage that he can ingest (anti- freeze). Tie the flap open for a time until
he gets the hang of coming in and out. Also, make a bed for him in a box
with lots of warm blankets. You can feed him in the garage or shed and give
him fresh water. I think it would be nice for you to keep him rather then
bring him to the zoo (which I heard has some problems). There are snuggle
safe disks that you can purchase to place in his bed to keep him warm. These
are microwaved and maintain heat for 12 hours. I do this for my cat in the
garage. I think this would be a good solution to the problem. In an ideal
world there would be someone to take him in as an indoors only cat
household, but this is difficult to find.
Gail
"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in message
t...
Everyone thank you for the advice... It means a lot to me because I
have been a cat lover my whole life and for the most part I can relate
better to them than to humans. I just came in from being outside with him
since late this afternoon and he is a little freaked ...2 ground hogs were
fighting about 75 feet from where I was hanging with him and they squeal
really loud..... But for the most part he looks ok and he is trying like a
champ. He ate three times today and he really ate good at dinner. and
earlier he attempted to run with my daughter as she was doing cartwheels.

Bringing him in is not an option. In the same way that I care about
this cat it would be irresponsible of me to expose my ragdolls to the stray
cat. My male Ragdoll is a little aggressive and he does play bite with the
other ragdoll.

One possibility is I do have a large house styled shed that has a lot
of room. My buddy was saying he would come over and make a cut out for him
to get in and out, I was thinking that I could train him by making him go
through it to get his food. I know dogs use these effectively but I don't
think I have ever heard of a cat using one. My concern with this would be
another cat cornering him and attacking him inside of it.

Another Option is that I also have a large garage. I have NO problem
whatsoever letting him hang in there but I don't know if he would like that.
He is used to being outdoors. He just doesn't realize that it could hurt
him. Does anyone have an experiences with a cat in the garage?

My mom also gave me the name and number of Popcorn Park Zoo in South
Jersey. They evidently have housing for FIV Cats. They are no kill. I know
this would be good for him but the selfish part of me would like to keep
him. My entire family is attached to him. I think I am going to call the
Zoo tomorrow and see if they can help.

Chris wrote:

Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old
shoes.

I cannot even begin to think about what I could do to anyone that
would hurt a poor defenseless animal in any way. I know if I saw it
happening lets just say I would need a good lawyer. I don't dig that at all.
If you take a pet you are making an commitment to the animal and you have an
obligation to make them part of your family.... I don't know how someone
could even live with themselves who would harm an animal mentally or
physically. .

Chris also wrote:

But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and physically,
I am
sure he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors

He makes me feel like this is the best his life has ever been. I can't
explain it but he looks at you like "I need help" and when you help him he
truely conveys that he is happy. HE PURRS NONSTOP! He is skinny though and I
am just trying to beef him up. I am going to research some vitamins for him
and just try to build up his immune system. My wife made the point that even
outside what we are doing for him is better than what he had at this same
time last week. All I can do is help him out and make him as comfortable as
I can.

Gail wrote:
He sounds lovely and too nice a cat not to have a home


He is a great cat. I am a very experienced cat owner and I had owned
and played with many cats in the last 30 years, this cat is one of, if not
the nicest cat I have ever come across. He doesn't have that cat cockiness.
He is dependant and he lets you know it.

It was kind of sad. I have fresh grown catnip growing and my plants
are huge. He went over to them and just flopped on one. He kind of half
heartly rolled on it but he liked it. He is very cool.... I agree that he
needs a nice home. The problem is that most cat lovers already have cats,

I will let you know what is going on and thanks agin for the
advice....




"Chris" wrote in message
nk.net...
Isn't there a vaccine your 2 indoor cats can get?
"Kuisse0002" wrote in message
...
Damn! I hate those people who just abandon their "pets" like old
shoes.

It is sad dilemma but I'm sure a solution can be found.

OK - you want to keep the cat but want to separate it from the
ragdolls It
also
must be an indoor/ outdoor cat.

My suggestion - #1. provide him with good insulated bedding (warm
blankets,
etc) in a covered area (like a shed, etc. where he is also
protected from
other
animals and wildlife. I'm thinking maybe have a sort of fencing
around.
You get
also place some repellents around to prevent animals from coming
to the
area. I
spray vinegar to prevent any possums and other neighbours cats
from eating
my
cat's food when she's outside. I believe that if you're good to
him,
there's a
good chance, he's not going to wander off and spread this disease.
2.
Introduce him indoors slowly and only when you're around to keep
an eye on
them
interacting. You will have to use your discretion on how often and
how
long you
want him to interact with your ragdolls and to what danger he
poses to
them.
But in the end, if you "take care" of him emotionally and
physically, I am
sure
he will be just as happy clsoe to you even though it is outdoors.

I am sorry my reply is not as professional as you would like but
its just
a
suggestion. I know how some pets can just eat you up with the life
they
had to
go through caused by some irresponsible humans.


Subject: FIV Cat Advice Please
From: (Simon Bar Sinister)
Date: 8/08/03 6:30 AM AUS Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

Hello.. I have a cat situation that has arisen. I live in a rural
area
of NJ. We have a lot of woods and animals that run around
(Groundhogs
Deer etc...) My wife and I are both animal lovers and we own 2
pure
bred Ragdoll Cats. They are strictly indoor cats. They are
treated
like the king and queen of the world and I cannot even imagine a
day
without them.

The area we live in is a prime dumping ground for unwanted
animals. In
the 2 years we have been here there have been several cats that
we
have seen roaming around that appear to be homeless. One cat in
particular looked very ragged and always just walked by the house
and
keep going down the street. I assumed he lived in one of the
house
down the road a few blocks. About a week ago I was in my office
when I
saw this cat ramming his head into my office window. He looked
like he
was emaciated and starving. I feed him a can of food and he
purred the
whole time and then slept a while under a tree and split. He then
started showing up every day since. He basically sits at the
front
glass door and looks in at my ragdolls and it was all very sad
because
you could tell he was sad and neglected etc. We continued to feed
him
and he already appears to be gaining weight and basically he has
been
hanging under the Japanese Maple tree by my front door. In my 35
years
of owning cats he is one of the nicest cats I have ever come in
contact with. He is just starving for food and for attention. I
took a
weeks vacation this week to "relax". Well on Tuesday I said screw
it I
am going to take him to the vet that our ragdolls go to. Well I
had
them give him a thorough checkup, tests and shots. He appears to
have
been fixed so at one point he was "someone's" cat. He has lost
all of
his teeth but one. Everyone at the vet loved him and he purred so
much
they couldn't even check his heart because the purring was so
loud. He
loved the ride in the car and he just seems to genuinely
appreciate
all of the help. I bought him a nice jewel collar and he is now
walking around the yard proud as a peacock. My wife and I
decided
that we would try and keep him around but we knew he had to be an
outside cat. It wouldn't be fair to our Ragdoll cats to bring an

indoor/outdoor cat into the house and put them at risk of disease
etc.

Well I just got a call from the vet and it seems the cat is FIV
positive. I am totally crushed. She said that although passing it
to
our cats through human contact was not possible and even though
he has
1 tooth left he is a low risk spreader of the disease, however
for him
to be outside exposes anyone else's cat to the risk if they
attack
him. Also being an outside cat leaves him open to various germs
etc.

We are at a loss as to what to do. I DO NOT want to bring him to
a
shelter. The vet mentioned that there were FIV colonies and I
should
look on the internet but I haven't seen anything like this. Does
anyone have some advice on this? WE WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR THIS
CAT!!!.
He is so appreciative I cannot describe it. It is almost human.
He
eats a little and then comes back and rubs against you and he
will sit
with you for hours and just hang. I know we could continue to
feed him
and keep him close to the house but I think his chances on the
outside
are not good especially in the winter. I can tell that this last
week
has been one of the best in his life, he looks like a different
cat in
just one week of our care even outside but it is warm now. In
addition
I don't want him to spread it to anyone else's cat although it
does
not appear that any of my neighbors have legitimate indoor
outdoor
cats. I couldn't see this cat attacking another cat and being
that he
literally has one tooth the risk of him biting another cat is
remote...

Please any advice appreciated this situation is breaking our
hearts..

"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in
et:

http://www.blackgiraffe.com/jmight/fiv/homeo.html



I went and bought all of the stuff and made a batch and I bought some
high protein cat food for him and mixed it in his food and he ate it
all up. So hopefully this will help. He stays by the house and he
isn't wandering at all. If I could find an indoor home for him and I
knew the person would give him the attention and nutrition he needs I
would do it, but as of last week he had nothing. At least now he has
attention, he looks better and is getting nutrition. We'll see how it
goes and hopefully this can all work out.


Good luck with this, it looks interesting. Nutrition is definitely the key
to longevity in these fatally ill cats. I wonder if that would help a cat
with FeLV? Except for the milk products, though. Good luck and purrs...

I have included a couple of pics I have snapped of him today and
thought you may like to see him. We have named him Rusty Griswold ..


Where are the piccies?


--
Cheryl

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
-Mario Andretti.

"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in
et:

http://www.blackgiraffe.com/jmight/fiv/homeo.html



I went and bought all of the stuff and made a batch and I bought some
high protein cat food for him and mixed it in his food and he ate it
all up. So hopefully this will help. He stays by the house and he
isn't wandering at all. If I could find an indoor home for him and I
knew the person would give him the attention and nutrition he needs I
would do it, but as of last week he had nothing. At least now he has
attention, he looks better and is getting nutrition. We'll see how it
goes and hopefully this can all work out.


Good luck with this, it looks interesting. Nutrition is definitely the key
to longevity in these fatally ill cats. I wonder if that would help a cat
with FeLV? Except for the milk products, though. Good luck and purrs...

I have included a couple of pics I have snapped of him today and
thought you may like to see him. We have named him Rusty Griswold ..


Where are the piccies?


--
Cheryl

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
-Mario Andretti.

They are down at the bottom of the post...

Thanks
"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
"SimonBarSinister99" wrote in
et:

http://www.blackgiraffe.com/jmight/fiv/homeo.html



I went and bought all of the stuff and made a batch and I bought some
high protein cat food for him and mixed it in his food and he ate it
all up. So hopefully this will help. He stays by the house and he
isn't wandering at all. If I could find an indoor home for him and I
knew the person would give him the attention and nutrition he needs I
would do it, but as of last week he had nothing. At least now he has
attention, he looks better and is getting nutrition. We'll see how it
goes and hopefully this can all work out.


Good luck with this, it looks interesting. Nutrition is definitely the key
to longevity in these fatally ill cats. I wonder if that would help a cat
with FeLV? Except for the milk products, though. Good luck and purrs...

I have included a couple of pics I have snapped of him today and
thought you may like to see him. We have named him Rusty Griswold ..


Where are the piccies?


--
Cheryl

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
-Mario Andretti.