Lost someone special

Monkey Butler said:
Blue Raunner,

Sorry for your loss. I thought I'd never say that about a cat but...

Let me relate this story to you, I hope it cheers you up some.

I am not a cat person, as a matter my usual demeanor is more that I detest cats. Oh, I like and own a dog and I am pretty alleric to cats to boot.

The last big snow storm that we had as I was running my snow blower a cat that I had seen a couple of times in the late fall darted up and down my driveway a few times. FYI the snow at this point was at least 2 to 3 feet. Later as I was putting the snow blower away in the garage I can't remember who approached who first but somehow I wound up scratching the cats head and she started wrapping herself around my legs like a snake.

I'm pretty sure that she is a feral cat from the dairy farm up the road. She was starving and dehydrated I think.

Long story short, she is now sleeping on a heating pad on top of an office chair in my garage. We have draped a towel over the back and arms to make a sort of heated tent which she really seems to have taken to.

Like I said, I don't like cats but this thing has personality and cracks me up. It comes out to greet me every night when I get home from work and as long as I wash my hands afterward no allegy problems so far. Lke someone else said she will walk on her hind legs for attention, what a riot.

We are going to try to bring her in the house this weekend to see if she and our dog can co-exist and if me and my daughter can deal with our allergies but long term she likely needs another permanent home.

Anyone want to see pictures?
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Pictures would be great, but a trip to the vet for shots and exam would be good too...hate to sound like a hard-@$$, but any animal can carry any number of things you don't want to expose your dog and family members to...I'd do the vet trip prior to acclimating w/the family dog...JMHO...
 
reelapeelin said:
Pictures would be great, but a trip to the vet for shots and exam would be good too...hate to sound like a hard-@$$, but any animal can carry any number of things you don't want to expose your dog and family members to...I'd do the vet trip prior to acclimating w/the family dog...JMHO...
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Not to hijack the thread, but in response to Monkey Butler and Reelapeelin's posts:

Well, I love dogs, but right now I don't have one. Had to put my last one down and haven't really gotten over it yet.. I'll get there eventually. Having just said that, I do have 5 indoor and 2 outdoor cats right now... and have had cats for as long as I can remember.. at least the last 50 years.. (really). I have to agree with Reel on the trip to the vets. It just makes a lot of sense, and it's a lot safer for all concerned. Also, if she's gonna stay around you need to check your towns laws about rabies vacinations. In my town cats, just like dogs, are required to get shots and have a license. (Ya, I know, I know, some towns are just really stupid in their laws).

You're a lucky person Monkey.. you don't adopt a cat, they adopt you. It's rare for a feral stray to take to a human. So if she's taken with your scent and lives in your garage she's gonna love you for all her life. You shouldn't have any problem with your dog in the house... Maybe your dog will have problems, but that's another story. Just keep her fed, and she'll love you like the dickens. Mature cat.. a bowl full of dry catfood.. she'll take what she needs.. half a can of wet food a day in a different bowl... Also a well filled water bowl. They don't need much. Oh, and unless you let her out, a clean litter pan. Once it's filled up she'll look for other places to poop. As long as the pan is semi-clean there will never be a problem. And for the love of Pete, if you're gonna keep her.. get her fixed... otherwise you'll have lots more cats in your garage before next winter. (Take that last one to the bank).

Any problems, send me a PM. :head:
 
Reel and Destroyer.

I hear ya. I have a couple of good folks who may want to adopt. I am insisting that they take her/him/it? to the vet first. Not sure of the sex but it seems like a "she" and I bought a pink flea collar so...

If that doesn't work out I'm thinking I'll take her to the vet for a check up and whatever shots she needs and if she has a good bill of health I'll make arrangements to get her fixed before spring.

Let me ask, do you think it is humane and wise to let the cat become a "shop cat"? She seems more than happy with the living arrangements and I could do witout the field mice and chipmunks but I've never had a pet that didn't live in the house with me.

I don't want to do the cat an injustice to make myself feel good. BTW, just checked with my DMM probe, outside temp 21 degrees, temp under the cat tent, 86 degrees, temp in my house, 62 degrees.
 
Monkey Butler said:
Reel and Destroyer.

I hear ya. I have a couple of good folks who may want to adopt. I am insisting that they take her/him/it? to the vet first. Not sure of the sex but it seems like a "she" and I bought a pink flea collar so...

If that doesn't work out I'm thinking I'll take her to the vet for a check up and whatever shots she needs and if she has a good bill of health I'll make arrangements to get her fixed before spring.

Let me ask, do you think it is humane and wise to let the cat become a "shop cat"? She seems more than happy with the living arrangements and I could do without the field mice and chipmunks but I've never had a pet that didn't live in the house with me.

I don't want to do the cat an injustice to make myself feel good. BTW, just checked with my DMM probe, outside temp 21 degrees, temp under the cat tent, 86 degrees, temp in my house, 62 degrees.
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LOL Live with the outside temp, warm your house and cool the tent.. Cats love 70-80F

Determining sex is easy on a cat. If it's a male you'll see his ball sack just under his anus. No balls it's a she. Easy.

She adopted you, not the other way around. It wouldn't be right for you to give her away.. (but certainly better than turning her out into the outside again or giving her to a shelter). Shop cats are great cats also.
Remember that she doesn't expect much of you except friendship and love. She's not going to be particular where you give it to her. If you let her become an inside/outside cat there are a few things you need to expect. First, the ever present fleas and ticks. You'll have to guard against them on her. That collar is a good place to start, but (assuming she's an adult and not a kitten) the flea drops on her fur behind her neck are better since a collar can get caught on a tree branch. Next, expect that she's going to bring you presents of food. Cats are pride animals...they like to contribute to the family, so if you find a dead or dying mouse or chipmunk on your doorstep or elsewhere just thank her, praise her for being a good hunter, scratch her behind the ears, etc. Then take newspaper and dispose of the body. Lastly, expect that one day she'll go outside and not return. It's a fact of life that, just as cats are hunters, so too are other animals. Dogs, foxes, other cats... all are natural enemies and sources of danger and will eventually claim her. Most feral cats do not live more than 2-3 years outside. My personal advice is keep her inside if you love her and it's at all possible. :clap:
 
Monkey that did cheer me up. I appreciate that. Destroyer that is some good info and a good read. While we are telling stories, I've got one to share about Stinker and his sis (and a few others).

Like I said we got them in 1997. Probably about a year later we dicided we wanted more (WTH were we thinking??). So we picked up 3 more - 2 boys and a girl. We didn't get the girl fixed in time and she had a litter. Out of the litter we kept 2. Over the course of the next 5 years something happened to every single one of them. One ran off - probably got his @ss kicked and died in the woods. Another - this was amazing - I had a lawnmower parked in the garage. It had a bagger on it. We hadn't seen this cat in a week or two. I noticed the bagger looked heavy. Looked inside and the cat is curled up dead. Dont' know how he got in there but I assume he was injured and crawled in there to die. The girl that had the litter - she developed a tumor on her face. Took her to the vet, he gave her a shot and the tumor shrunk to almost gone for 1 month then came back. Took her back to the vet, another shot and shrunk for 1 month before it came back bigger. Took her back to the vet and he said she needed to be put down. The tumor between her eyes was so big she looked like the elephant man but she still maintained her same happy demeanor. She was purring loudly and loving having her head rubbed when he put the needle in her. It tore me up and I wasn't even all that attached to this cat. I had to walk out. About 5 minutes passed and I decided I would peak in the door. She was curled up on one of those metal tables in the vets office. When the door opened her ears perked up. That TORE ME UP even more. I waited 5 more minutes and the doc came back. We both went in, he checked her pulse and says, "she is still with us." Then he injects another dose directly into her heart. Peace and calm spread from the tips of her ears to to the tips of her toes and she was gone. I took her home and buried her in the pet cemetary.

A couple years after that we had a little gray female stray come up. We got pretty tight. One weekend I was at the beach. I had a part of the carport that needed to be gone through and organized. My parents thought they would take the opportunity to help me out and surprise me when I got home. Well there was a door propped up against the wall and dad accidently knocked it over. When he raised it up, there was my little gray cat - dead from the impact. So instead of surprising me with the work they did they had to give me the bad news about the cat.

Last story....

About 5 years ago my wife decided to bring home a new kitten - it was a little gray female like the one we lost. Stinker hated her from the minute she walked in the door. He would hiss at the site of her. After no time Stinker decided he had enough and moved out. He started living at my mom and dad's house about 300 yds away. For 3 years he lived there and the gray cat lived with us and Stinker's sis. One day we came home and couldn't find the gray cat. Looked high and low but no sign. So my wife and kids and I decided to spread out and walk through the woods beside the house. Not to far into it I spotted her laying there dead. She was very territorial and would chase away any cat that came around, so based on the evidence at the scene, this is what I think happened: Stinker came by and sat in the woods. The gray cat saw him and confronted him. Well there is no "confronting" a big bad @ss tomcat like Stinker without a problem. One good bite around the neck put her out. The evidence was all over the scene and under her rear claws (where she tried to kick free) - Stinker's long gray and white fur. The next day my mom called - she said something is wrong with Stinker. He was holed up underneath my dad's storage building and wouldn't come out. We took him to the vet and for 2 solid weeks he was on the verge of death - jaundiced extremely bad, on IV's, being fed and watered with an eye dropper. He pulled through it and made a full recovery. From then on he lived with us.
 
Blue_Runner said:
About 5 years ago my wife decided to bring home a new kitten - it was a little gray female like the one we lost. Stinker hated her from the minute she walked in the door. He would hiss at the site of her. After no time Stinker decided he had enough and moved out. He started living at my mom and dad's house about 300 yds away. For 3 years he lived there and the gray cat lived with us and Stinker's sis. One day we came home and couldn't find the gray cat. Looked high and low but no sign. So my wife and kids and I decided to spread out and walk through the woods beside the house. Not to far into it I spotted her laying there dead. She was very territorial and would chase away any cat that came around, so based on the evidence at the scene, this is what I think happened: Stinker came by and sat in the woods. The gray cat saw him and confronted him. Well there is no "confronting" a big bad @ss tomcat like Stinker without a problem. One good bite around the neck put her out. The evidence was all over the scene and under her rear claws (where she tried to kick free) - Stinker's long gray and white fur. The next day my mom called - she said something is wrong with Stinker. He was holed up underneath my dad's storage building and wouldn't come out. We took him to the vet and for 2 solid weeks he was on the verge of death - jaundiced extremely bad, on IV's, being fed and watered with an eye dropper. He pulled through it and made a full recovery. From then on he lived with us.
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Next to a humans mouth, the mouth of a cat is the dirtiest in the animal kingdom. (bacteria wise) It's not unusual for both cats in a cat fight to die. One in the fight or shortly thereafter, the other several weeks later from infection received in the fight. Sounds like Stinker was a lucky cat to have you guys around to help him. All in all, sounds like you guys gave him a great home. I'm sure he knew how much he was loved. :clap:
 
Thanks brother for the kind words.

....later when we found out Stink had feline AIDS the vet said he probably got around or before the time he got really sick.
 
Damn bro' dont cats in NC know they are supposed to have nine lives? Tough being a cat in your neck of woods. Good stories though....I got a few good ones I'll share with you in Charleston next month.
 
Sorry about your loss, Blue. They give us so much during their short lives. That's why it hurts so much when they leave us.
 
Well I promised pictures and despite the fact that we don't have Hammer around to bust balls I'll still follow through. Even though I misplaced the battery charger for the camera and the lack of cooperation from "Tabby" here ya go:

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Don't you love it when they look like they are smiling? That cat is definitely cheesin...nice pics Monkey. The insulated flannel shirt the cat is laying on - I wear those all the time working around the house when it is cold. Back when I worked in the factory in a small town near home the guys called those dog beds. Come in on a cold morning wearing the insulated flannel and they'd say something like, "I see you got your dog bed on today." I guess they can be adapted for use as a cat bed. LOL

Nice shop cat. :clap:
 
Great pics Monkey. I swear to God almighty that your kitten looks just like my Purrie that we lost about 3 months ago. She could be the reincarnation of her. Looks like she's happy and content. Well done!!! :clap:
 
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