Help! I need to save a cat

Actually, sometimes you can get too many... if you start getting a large
population of farm cats (especially ones that are not very tame so you
cannot catch them to vaccinate) they tend to get sick. I don't know what
the correlation is, but on our farm we always did well with 6 or so, but if
it got past 10, they would start getting eye disease and other problems and
start dieing off. Maybe we just had bad luck though, I don't know. Right
now I know my family has about 5... one of them is best friends with our
English Shepard and they play/sleep together. Very cute!!


"bigbadbarry" wrote in message
oups.com...

Mary wrote:

Your climate is okay for barn cats. I wish I had more contacts in the
farming/horse circles, so I could hook up the rescuers from the
colder
states with contacts with folks down here who want barn cats. Of
course,
it would be hard to monitor the cats once they were placed.

Where's a collector when you need one
--

I never thought of that, what an eggsellent idea :*

I guess it would take a few phone calls; but seems like an offer no-one
could refuse. I mean, can you really have too many cats on the farm.

"Mary" wrote
In the event it is decided she will not make a good house cat, I wish you
had a southern contact that could arrange for cats like her to be barn
cats.
It is, I assume, too cold where you are to have a regular barn cat
program?
One of the local shelters I support here routinely rehomes neutered
ferals
to local
farms where they are fed, vetted, and sheltered in the barns and other
outbuildings.


She's declawed. The assholes that adopted her did this. So, a barn
placement is out of the question unless it's some type of indoor-only
situation.
We do have a small barn program. The weather becomes a factor when it's
cold out. We can't place a cat coming from an indoor home into a barn
because it hasn't had a chance to grow a winter coat. So, really we only
place barn cats in the summer/early fall.

--
-Kelly

On Tue 17 May 2005 03:55:53p, KellyH wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav
):

I really can't take Blossom into my house for a long period of
time. I have way too much going on right now and 7 cats of my
own. I know someone's going to scream at me to get the cat out
and keep her. I have no where to put her except the bathroom.
Any ideas? Anyone at a no-kill shelter with a possible opening?
Anyone looking for a calico with an attitude?

Kelly, I feel for you, and Blossom. She's had it rough lately, and
who knows what before this? As for the biting, I read the
circumstances of it in a later post in this thread, but even the
most experienced get bitten and wind up in the hospital. Cat bites
are deadly! Shamrock's dermatologist told me that she wound up in
the hospital from a cat bite.

I wouldn't normally say to drug the kitty, but sometimes its the
only way to settle them down until behavior modification can take
place. Little Shamrock is on Clomicalm for nearly 2 months now and
the change in him is just amazing. At first he seemed out of it. He
had to get used to the drug, and I had to tweak the dose
prescribed, and now that we've found a dose that's effective yet
doesn't make him seem comatose, he is still the same kitty, but
calmer. He still has moments where he chases Bonnie or attacks me,
but it's so much less intense now. Bonnie no longer hides under my
bed for hours with him in sentry.

I wish I knew what to tell you. I just hope that a fosterer can
step up and give Blossom the life she deserves. You're so great to
do what you do, and yes, the stress isn't good for you right now.
Please take care of yourself.

--
Cheryl

"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited
breath."
- W.C. Fields

wrote in message
...
wrote:
Hey, what if we could raise funds to ship
her up there it you? Don't you have ferals
you feed?

Ignorance and stupidity are definitely your strong suits. The cat is
declawed.

Well I missed that, Megan you ignorant slut.

"bigbadbarry" wrote in message
oups.com...

Mary wrote:

Your climate is okay for barn cats. I wish I had more contacts in the
farming/horse circles, so I could hook up the rescuers from the
colder
states with contacts with folks down here who want barn cats. Of
course,
it would be hard to monitor the cats once they were placed.

Where's a collector when you need one
--


Barry, the cat is DECLAWED. How can you be so IGNORANT?

(kidding ....)


I never thought of that, what an eggsellent idea :*

I guess it would take a few phone calls; but seems like an offer no-one
could refuse. I mean, can you really have too many cats on the farm.


Yep, as long as they are fixed. I could use some barn cats (or at least
indoor/outdoor) if I did not live on a busy street. I have tons of mice
and voles that mess with the gardens.

"bigbadbarry" wrote in message
oups.com...

bigbadbarry wrote:
Mary wrote:

Your climate is okay for barn cats. I wish I had more contacts in
the
farming/horse circles, so I could hook up the rescuers from the
colder
states with contacts with folks down here who want barn cats. Of
course,
it would be hard to monitor the cats once they were placed.

Where's a collector when you need one
--

I never thought of that, what an eggsellent idea :*

you know Im talking about a barn placement right...hehe


I did. I miss a lot but I catch some too, lol!

"bigbadbarry" wrote in message
oups.com...

Wendy wrote:

She didn't bite before she was adopted and declawed. I wonder how
much THAT
has to do with it. It's a shame people can't be forced to live with
the
problems they create without the cat suffering too.

W

I just don't understand people, who ever thought that up? declawing.

It makes me *shiver* to think of it.

My mind does not work like that, I can't understand how someone would
consider this a solution.


I did it when I was in my late teens, and I can tell you the main reason
why. I thought it was like clipping claws. I had no idea it was major
surgery and mutilation. My cat Gnarly was a crazy and beautiful cat. I was
clueless about training her and very busy, young and stupid. She bit just
for fun and to the bone, and clawed everything including me. She was
volatile and unpredticable--had been a pregnant stray when I adopted her and
I think people had abused her.

When I saw what the vet had done to her beautiful front feet I cannot
describe how I felt--except, like a Nazi. It was the worst thing I have ever
done in my life, and I would never do it again. I did at least keep her her
whole life and keep her inside and safe--no consolation for the mutilation,
though.

Vets in some places just make it seem like no big deal. I really had no
idea, and I thought it was a common practice.

"blueberries79" wrote in message
news:19wie.23128$sy6.20235@lakeread04...
Actually, sometimes you can get too many... if you start getting a large
population of farm cats (especially ones that are not very tame so you
cannot catch them to vaccinate) they tend to get sick. I don't know what
the correlation is, but on our farm we always did well with 6 or so, but
if
it got past 10, they would start getting eye disease and other problems
and
start dieing off. Maybe we just had bad luck though, I don't know. Right
now I know my family has about 5... one of them is best friends with our
English Shepard and they play/sleep together. Very cute!!


Good vet care is essential. And of course most barn cats traditionally
have not been neutered and that is a very bad idea.

"KellyH" wrote in message
...
"Mary" wrote
In the event it is decided she will not make a good house cat, I wish
you
had a southern contact that could arrange for cats like her to be barn
cats.
It is, I assume, too cold where you are to have a regular barn cat
program?
One of the local shelters I support here routinely rehomes neutered
ferals
to local
farms where they are fed, vetted, and sheltered in the barns and other
outbuildings.


She's declawed. The assholes that adopted her did this.


That is so horrible. To do it at ALL is horrible enough, but then
to not keep the cat one has rendered mutilated.


So, a barn
placement is out of the question unless it's some type of indoor-only
situation.

Hmm. Now this is an idea as there are large horse operations that
need vermin control. However, making sure that Blossom never got
out would be impossible. How very sad.

We do have a small barn program. The weather becomes a factor when it's
cold out. We can't place a cat coming from an indoor home into a barn
because it hasn't had a chance to grow a winter coat. So, really we only
place barn cats in the summer/early fall.


I see. I imagine barns in all areas are warm enough for cats, since other
animals live there. I wish I had an idea for you, to help blossom.

wrote
I wouldn't base any decisions on these two incidents. Even the rubbing
and seemingly nice behavior does not mean that the reaction wasn't
stress related. The biting that happened in its previous home could also
very well be pain related. I think this cat has been severely
traumatized and needs some time. We also don't know how the *******s
that declawed her reacted when she bit. They may have hurt her in
retaliation and as a result she has more stress and trust issues on top
of everything else. It might be worthwhile to try some pain meds for a
little while to see if that makes a difference. As with any amputee, it
is possible that cats can also experience phantom pain and this could be
another aspect of this problem. I don't think this is hopeless by any
means, but I think this poor kitty needs to get out of the shelter, into
a quiet home, and given some time before any decisions are made. I hope
you can find a compassionate volunteer that will help her get through
this.


I'm working on it. The emails are flying tonight. I'll keep you posted.
--
-Kelly