Opinion / helpful suggestions about what to do with a neighborhood cat needed. (LONG)

I'm glad to hear this is the option you're selecting - and I'm
definitely going to encourage you to do whatever you can - pick up some
Frontline - maybe you can make a warm space for him in your garage or
by the side of the house (?), but I would be leery of taking him into a
no-kill shelter. It's a tough transition for an outdoor cat to spend a
year or more in a cage, and as much as I'd like to be optimistic that
an angel will come along for him - the reality is that people rarely,
rarely adopt cats at 10+ years of age. (I remember going virtually door
to door for a sweet 10 year old tabby girl who had been "rescued" from
a somewhat neglectful owner and deposited at a no-kill and had been
sitting there for months - my efforts resulted in three people telling
me they wanted to "get rid of THEIR 10 year old cats and would my
shelter re-home them?". It was the saddest thing I ever saw. That poor
kitty passed on at 12 years old of cancer - still in the no-kill
shelter. There are NO guarantees. Everybody just thought "vet bills"
when thy saw her. Not one serious bite in 18+ months. It's not always
being a good samaritan to be a good samaritan. Just try to help the cat
in the situation that it's in - that would be my advice.

Best


Tracy

kraut wrote:
Thanks all for your opinions on this.

I have started him on flea/tick treatment again and I have tryed to
find a home for him in the past with no luck. I have found homes for
so many others that I have hit up just about everyone I know and
between me, my ex and my ex-mother in law we have taken in about 16
cats / kittens now and can not afford more.

I guess for now I will just leave him be until I can get his
fleas/ticks cleared up again and until it gets to cold for him in my
opinion. I do know that I am in no hurry to return him to his
"OWNER"!!


This is a little on long side but want to give a little background.

There is a neighbor that has several cats that roam the neighborhood
of which one of them is (He says) about 11 years old and this is the
one I am asking about.

Earlier this summer they started hanging around because I was feeding
strays (Which I found homes for all or took to shelters). Thing is
this old guy had fleas so bad that when I combed him I could go no
more then 1/2 an inch with out hitting a flea/tick bump. Over the
summer I got him cleared up plus treated his over issues.

When it started getting cold I got the owner to take him indoors
because he started getting colds and acted like he was getting aches
and pains from the cold and I felt sorry for him laying out in the
yard 24/7 even though I got him a dog house to use. I even got the
owner a couple cases of canned food that I had been feeding them
because he just fed him dry and I did not want him to go cold turkey
of the canned. I also got on his case about the cats condition and he
said he is moving in spring and wanted to get rid of some of cats
(which I am working on) but did not want to let the old guy go. That
was about a month ago.


Thing is the old guy got out and came down again and he is now covered
in fleas/ticks worse then before. I am thinking about taking him to
county shelter which is not non kill. The only other shelter only
takes younger animals that they can easily find homes for. I can not
take him because I already have 4 and with Michigan winter coming it
is too cold for him and if he goes back home I am afraid he will
suffer and slowly die from the fleas/ticks.

These people can not afford these cats. They are on food stamps and
WIC coupons (I seen them in the grocery store). They took the
aluminum siding off their house to sell and are over $300 in arrears
on their water bill (Found on city web site) which give you a little
info on them.


The only choices I can take is to send the old guy back to his LEGAL
owner to probably die a slow death :-( or let him spend the
winter in the cold or take to shelter (I tryed to find home for him
but could not).

The way I see it is the only humane thing for THIS cat is to take him
to the shelter and hope for the best.

Opinions??

kraut wrote:

I guess for now I will just leave him be until I can get his
fleas/ticks cleared up again and until it gets to cold for him in my
opinion. I do know that I am in no hurry to return him to his
"OWNER"!!

Hi there,

it sounds to me like he might have gotten his fleas in his owner's
house, so he's better off outside with the treatment and food from you.
If you've ever been to a flea-infested house you'll know that all you
want to do is run, so that's probably why he is back hanging out in
your yard. Not sure whether your doghouse is winter-proof, maybe you
can work on that. Older cats do tend to deal a little less easily with
the cold even if they were always outside, maybe you can at least let
him inside (basement, laundry room) at night? Unfortunately he doesn't
really stand a chance at a county shelter at his age, so hopefully you
can find a home for him with patience.

Good luck!

"Candace" wrote in message
ups.com...
Julie Porter wrote:
I can't agree more. The "owner" has shown that he can't or won't
take
care of the cat, even knowing that he's jeopardizing the cat. The
cat is
going to be a lot better off at a no-kill shelter. He's certain to
die
otherwise. I also would NOT advise the owner that you're doing this
on
the off chance that he kills the cat out of irritation or does
something
else ill-advised.

It's a KILL shelter, not a no-kill shleter. I would NOT take him to a
kill shelter, he will be euthanized. I would look around and find a
no-kill or rescue. There must be one, you might have to give a small
donation so they wil take him but then you will know he is at least
safe.

Please don't take him to a kill shelter. Run some ads, make some
calls, there has to be a no-kill facility somewhere around.

Candace

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, well, by all means he can't go to a kill
shelter!

"Julie Porter" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Candace" wrote in message
ups.com...
Julie Porter wrote:
I can't agree more. The "owner" has shown that he can't or won't
take
care of the cat, even knowing that he's jeopardizing the cat. The
cat is
going to be a lot better off at a no-kill shelter. He's certain to
die
otherwise. I also would NOT advise the owner that you're doing this
on
the off chance that he kills the cat out of irritation or does
something
else ill-advised.

It's a KILL shelter, not a no-kill shleter. I would NOT take him to a
kill shelter, he will be euthanized. I would look around and find a
no-kill or rescue. There must be one, you might have to give a small
donation so they wil take him but then you will know he is at least
safe.

Please don't take him to a kill shelter. Run some ads, make some
calls, there has to be a no-kill facility somewhere around.

Candace

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, well, by all means he can't go to a kill
shelter!



Oh no!! You can't do that....make him a 'kennel' in your backyard and buy
him some Advantage for the fleas! Not that expensive, and what price a cat's
life?

I can't agree more. The "owner" has shown that he can't or won't
take care of the cat, even knowing that he's jeopardizing the cat. The
cat is going to be a lot better off at a no-kill shelter. He's certain to
die otherwise. I also would NOT advise the owner that you're doing this
on the off chance that he kills the cat out of irritation or does
something else ill-advised.


It's a KILL shelter, not a no-kill shleter. I would NOT take him to a
kill shelter, he will be euthanized. I would look around and find a
no-kill or rescue. There must be one, you might have to give a small
donation so they wil take him but then you will know he is at least
safe.

Please don't take him to a kill shelter. Run some ads, make some
calls, there has to be a no-kill facility somewhere around.

Candace


Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, well, by all means he can't go to a kill
shelter!


One thing I found one about these groups is that when it come to the
subject of having a cat put down people get as emotional about it as
they do about declawing. Some people would rather keep a cat alive no
matter what the conditions the cat has to live in.

I was the one that posted the original post. I do not know how many
people read the original post and know what I was talking about but as
I said then the 3 choices I can take is to send the old guy back to
his LEGAL owner to probably die a slow death from fleas and ticks
:-( or let him spend the winter in the cold or take to shelter (I
tried to find home for him but could not).

As I said in my second post:

I have started him on flea/tick treatment again and I have tried to
find a home for him in the past with no luck. I have found homes for
so many others that I have hit up just about everyone I know and
between me, my ex and my ex-mother in law we have taken in about 16
cats / kittens now and can not afford more.

I guess for now I will just leave him be until I can get his
fleas/ticks cleared up again and until it gets to cold for him in my
opinion. I do know that I am in no hurry to return him to his
"OWNER"!!

NEW POST FOLLOWS:

I can not take another one in but got him a dog house to get shelter
in. I put it in an out of the way place and hopefully no one will
find it and take it. If they do he will be without shelter this winter
when I can not get out. Also I do not live where the cat is. I
make a daily trip there to feed and with winter coming and me being 63
I am not a winter driver so if the cat stays outside it will not be
fed on a regular basis.

After having 16 cats spayed / neutered and vaccinated plus the ones I
found homes for I have to say enough. I am retired and lived on
social security and can not keep this up. It is easy for people to
say what a person should do but when it comes right down to it a
person has to look at the situation realistically.

I am still wanting to rehome him but no one wants and old cat that is
infested with fleas and ticks.

Someone might say I did not mention this or that but I did say the
choices I had and asked opinion about it and would still appreciate
opinions about the choices I have.

kraut wrote:

NEW POST FOLLOWS:

I can not take another one in but got him a dog house to get shelter
in. I put it in an out of the way place and hopefully no one will
find it and take it. If they do he will be without shelter this winter
when I can not get out. Also I do not live where the cat is. I
make a daily trip there to feed and with winter coming and me being 63
I am not a winter driver so if the cat stays outside it will not be
fed on a regular basis.

After having 16 cats spayed / neutered and vaccinated plus the ones I
found homes for I have to say enough. I am retired and lived on
social security and can not keep this up. It is easy for people to
say what a person should do but when it comes right down to it a
person has to look at the situation realistically.

I am still wanting to rehome him but no one wants and old cat that is
infested with fleas and ticks.

Someone might say I did not mention this or that but I did say the
choices I had and asked opinion about it and would still appreciate
opinions about the choices I have.

You are doing the right thing. People get all bent out of shape at the
mention of a kill shelter but for some animals death at a kill shelter
is more humane than their life. Freezing to death isn't humane.
Allowing the cat to under go frostbite isn't humane. At some point you
may have to bite the bullet and take him to a shelter even if it is a
kill shelter. You know this - and at least you are rational about it.

-L.

On Fri 01 Dec 2006 10:06:02p, -L. wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav
roups.com:

You are doing the right thing. People get all bent out of shape
at the mention of a kill shelter but for some animals death at a
kill shelter is more humane than their life. Freezing to death
isn't humane. Allowing the cat to under go frostbite isn't
humane. At some point you may have to bite the bullet and take
him to a shelter even if it is a kill shelter. You know this -
and at least you are rational about it.

I am mixed about this, but in the end I'd have to say that if the cat
can't reproduce, I'd rather it spend it's life living the way it
knows how to rather than be surrendered to a cage or euthanism. It
hurts us that it will die a painful death, but so do squirrels,
birds, mice, and all of the other wild creatures. These are cats that
are used to living wild. They don't freeze to death. They are killed
by more violent means, like cars, idiot humans, disease.

--
Cheryl

I've deleted the ...cats.behaviour group because I don't think it's good to
crosspost with outher cat groups. Arguements can follow and it seems like
a trolling tactic.
It's always difficult to know how to deal with a feral cat. Jetadiah was
like that and survived many years, even through the Canadian winter. We
were out in the country and there were plenty of mice and squirrels to
support him. I made an insulated box for him which he used and shared with
a skunk for a couple of those years.
One winter I caught him in a safe trap when he was limping and I thought he
had a frozen hind foot. It must have just been arthritis. He was getting
old, but I took him to the vet and he had his shots and got fixed that
which was not broken. He spent the rest of the winter hiding in the
basement and occasionally howling at night clawing at the windows. In the
spring we let him out because we knew he'd be much happier. The down side
was that while he was in, other cats moved into his territory and he had to
fight to get it back. He incurred some injuries but managed to thrive for
a couple of years more.
The time came when he was missing for three days. Then he came to my door
and I thought he'd be starving. I put a good banquet out for him but he
wouldn't touch it. Then I saw he was walking with a bit of a wobble and I
knew he had come to say good bye. I talked to him for a few minutes and
then he went back under the garage to his box. I never saw him again. In
the spring his box was empty.
It must not have been an easy death, but what price would we pay for our
own freedom?

Fred, by the kind permission of Diana, Ryan and Cinnamon.

-L. wrote:


Cheryl wrote:

I am mixed about this, but in the end I'd have to say that if the cat
can't reproduce, I'd rather it spend it's life living the way it
knows how to rather than be surrendered to a cage or euthanism. It
hurts us that it will die a painful death, but so do squirrels,
birds, mice, and all of the other wild creatures. These are cats that
are used to living wild. They don't freeze to death. They are killed
by more violent means, like cars, idiot humans, disease.

--
Cheryl

Some do freeze to death - or die of illness. My Mom had a cat she fed
for years - she called him Grey Ghost. A big fluffy grey Tom -
*extremely* shy. All I ever saw of him was his silhouette or a grey
streak. Couldn't catch him or trap him - she tried and tried.
Eventually he showed up in the middle of Winter extremely sick with URI
- he was crying for food/help but she couldn't get a hold of him in any
way - called Animal Control and no one would come help her. She fed
him antibiotics in his food, and left the cat door open for him in the
garage - he was too shy to go in - but eventually he disappeared. The
neighbor found him the next Spring - or what was left of him. He
shouldn't have died like that. If you see an animal suffering, I think
you have a responsibility to stop the suffering, if you can. If the
animal is getting by - sure let it be. But what I am talking about is
an animal clearly in need. I am haunted by a couple of images from my
youth where I should have done something (starving dogs) and didn't.

-L.

--
Regards,
Fred Williams

Cheryl wrote:

I am mixed about this, but in the end I'd have to say that if the cat
can't reproduce, I'd rather it spend it's life living the way it
knows how to rather than be surrendered to a cage or euthanism. It
hurts us that it will die a painful death, but so do squirrels,
birds, mice, and all of the other wild creatures. These are cats that
are used to living wild. They don't freeze to death. They are killed
by more violent means, like cars, idiot humans, disease.

--
Cheryl

Some do freeze to death - or die of illness. My Mom had a cat she fed
for years - she called him Grey Ghost. A big fluffy grey Tom -
*extremely* shy. All I ever saw of him was his silhouette or a grey
streak. Couldn't catch him or trap him - she tried and tried.
Eventually he showed up in the middle of Winter extremely sick with URI
- he was crying for food/help but she couldn't get a hold of him in any
way - called Animal Control and no one would come help her. She fed
him antibiotics in his food, and left the cat door open for him in the
garage - he was too shy to go in - but eventually he disappeared. The
neighbor found him the next Spring - or what was left of him. He
shouldn't have died like that. If you see an animal suffering, I think
you have a responsibility to stop the suffering, if you can. If the
animal is getting by - sure let it be. But what I am talking about is
an animal clearly in need. I am haunted by a couple of images from my
youth where I should have done something (starving dogs) and didn't.

-L.

I am mixed about this, but in the end I'd have to say that if the cat
can't reproduce, I'd rather it spend it's life living the way it
knows how to rather than be surrendered to a cage or euthanism. It
hurts us that it will die a painful death, but so do squirrels,
birds, mice, and all of the other wild creatures. These are cats that
are used to living wild. They don't freeze to death. They are killed
by more violent means, like cars, idiot humans, disease.

--
Cheryl


Some do freeze to death - or die of illness. My Mom had a cat she fed
for years - she called him Grey Ghost. A big fluffy grey Tom -
*extremely* shy. All I ever saw of him was his silhouette or a grey
streak. Couldn't catch him or trap him - she tried and tried.
Eventually he showed up in the middle of Winter extremely sick with URI
- he was crying for food/help but she couldn't get a hold of him in any
way - called Animal Control and no one would come help her. She fed
him antibiotics in his food, and left the cat door open for him in the
garage - he was too shy to go in - but eventually he disappeared. The
neighbor found him the next Spring - or what was left of him. He
shouldn't have died like that. If you see an animal suffering, I think
you have a responsibility to stop the suffering, if you can. If the
animal is getting by - sure let it be. But what I am talking about is
an animal clearly in need. I am haunted by a couple of images from my
youth where I should have done something (starving dogs) and didn't.

The old guy was getting sick and looked like he had trouble getting
around when the night time temps just got to the 30s as I said in the
ready post so I can imagine what he is going to be like when the temps
drop into the teens and there is several inches of snow on the ground.
I think I would rather have him put down which is the direction I am
leaning. It is not always best for a creature of anykind to be kept
alive especially if they are going to have to go through what this guy
will judging by the way he has been so far and the worse is yet to
come here in Michigan.