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Post by Claire on Nov 12, 2007 12:15:50 GMT 1
A tongue in cheek comment by one of the forum members (at least I think it was tongue in cheek!) about needing a forum for pet problems made me think we shoud have a thread to talk about all our little darlings. Naughty or nice they do tend to rule our lives don't they? So if you want to talk about your pets, or ask any pet-related questions this is the place!
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Post by kunuma on Nov 14, 2007 21:18:39 GMT 1
Cat Advice needed! How do members keep their cats, indoors, outdoors, combination of both? In at night, or out at night as less traffic? I've been adopted by a stray, (after being a stray for ages), I shut her in the house (a move not appreciated by the dogs!) over the firework season, and because the fireworks went on and on and on.......she stayed in a lot , and now wants to be an indoor cat!!!! The snag is that if I put her out, she darts back in the minute I open a door, not advisable with a cross dog just the other side, so I'm happier when I know where she is. When she first appeared, the neighbours sensibly took her to be rehomed by the CPL, as she was terrified of children, however, six months later she reappeared in a terrible state, I imagine she ran away - so obviously she only does rehoming if it is her own idea!
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Post by Claire on Nov 15, 2007 21:43:35 GMT 1
Hi Kunuma, I and my family have had a multitude of cats over the years, nearly all strays who have just turned up or been rescued by my dad (who is a sort of mad cat-man who goes round rescuing and feeding stray cats!) Some went out a lot, others hardly at all. I think it depends on the cat. Got 2 now (Rosie and Oscar) Oscar was my grans before she died and I adopted him. He was used to going out a lot and still does. Rosie is not really that fussed about going out especially if its cold! She likes her comfort and is always in the warmest spot in the house. (I have to keep moving her off the laptop as its nice and hot for her to sit on!) Really I think it just depends on what the cat is used to/feels like. I think the old adage of 'put the cat out' is a bit outdated. Also I think its definitely best not to put them out at night cos apparantly that is when most cats are killed and injured. Even tho there is not as much traffic at night cats are really hard to spot by drivers at night. Anyway mine never go out at night if I can help it! If your little stray wants to stay in I would just let her. (She certainly seems to know her own mind anyhow!) I had one cat who didnt go out at all for months and was perfectly happy. I know there are a few people around who say it is cruel and unnatural to keep them in but if the cat is happy, and has plenty of stimulation (and I also used to grow cat and catnip in little pots for my housey cats) it is certainly better than a stray cat stuck out in the cold and hungry. Well thats my take on it anyway! Its funny you saying the other day about the cat keeping you up all night cos my two have suddenly started getting very active at night. I have been woken up almost every night by Oscar standing on the bedroom windowsill howling at something outside (and he has a very loud howl) and last night couldnt get to sleep as Rosie was leaping around the bed chasing her tail. Very cute and funny but not at 2.30 in the morning!
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Post by garej on Nov 16, 2007 21:46:20 GMT 1
I have a cat, and his name is Jack. He is a tabby and white, with only 1 eye. He is 7 years old.
Jack is strictly indoors only because he has a disease called FIV. FIV is basically the equivalent of AIDS in us, he has a poorer immune system than normal cats. FIV is spread through the saliva of cats, so if your cat does fight with an FIV positive cat, then there is a good chance he (or she, female cats can get it) will get it. (Another good idea why you should get your cat neutered/spayed - most FIV males wandering around the streets are un-neutered.)
Jack used to be a stray on the streets - he got his eye infected somehow and because he was a stray, he had nobody to give him veterinary attention. Someone was feeding him and another cat (the other cat didnt have FIV, so they had to be homed separately), but by the time the local Cats Protection had enough space, it was too far gone for it to be saved (it was also causing him pain - the first time I met him he bit me!!). But he causes lots of mischief and like I say he would be a devil with 2 eyes!!
I volunteer at my local Cats Protection (in fact, at the end of this month I will have been there for 3 years), and I also wrote an article about Jack for my local Cats Protection's newsletter, I can repost here if you want.
I totally agree with that. The RSPCA actually put down FIV positive cats, and I think that is totally wrong. If the cat is a farm cat or a feral that would be terribly unhappy living indoors (or is in such a poor condition - at some point an FIV cat may contract an infection that they cannot recover from, and then the best thing is to put him down), then yes I do agree. But most FIV cats live happily indoors, and give people such pleasure. Besides - apart from the FIV issue - there are other factors which may mean a cat has to live indoors, and they can adapt happily. Living outdoors to some cats, just like some humans cant stand living in the city, is not their idea of fun and it is cruel to force them outside.
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Post by kunuma on Nov 18, 2007 18:20:23 GMT 1
I'd love to read your Jack article garej. As well as the stray, there is a feral cat here - I have been feeding her for the year I have been here, but know that when I leave she will not be fed by the landlord. I have had a lot of suggestions that I should trap her, and take her to the CPL. I am just worried about the FIV you mentioned, ie if she had it would it mean she was put to sleep, also I am still concerned about taking her away from her surrounding, although the place will be changing and so she will lose her sheds that she presently is fed in and can shelter in. She is VERY feral, but calls to me and comes for her food, BUT if even one other human is near, she hides and will not come, so I forget how feral she is , until I see her reaction to other people. She is a beautiful ,huge calico cat. What would you do?
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Post by garej on Nov 18, 2007 21:34:30 GMT 1
kunuma, unless she is in danger or you are moving away (and there is nobody to feed her), I would leave her where she is. She will find shelter or if you have the space, you could provide one for her.
If you took her to the CPL, she will be put to sleep if she has it. FIV is transmitted through the saliva of infected cats. As an cat's immune system will be affected, and also they (FIV cats) get it through fighting with other cats, so the only safe option is keeping FIV positive cats indoors permanently. Cats can pick up all sorts of infections from the outside where other cats have been, not to mention the fact that you will be (willingly) passing FIV onto other pet cats if you deliberately let a FIV positive cat to roam outside.
Also, many feral cats will not be taken in by any Cats Protection shelter, unless they are injured. You see, it is more difficult to rehome feral cats when compared to pet cats. Most Cat Protections (though this varies exactly per centre/branch, but it's a rough policy) only take them on the day, they trap, check them over the best they can, give vet treatment (this includes neuteuring), allow them time to recover, and take them to the place where they are wanted. It is highly unfair to keep them in a pen (either in the shelter or at a fosterer), as the poor cat is not used to being indoors. Feral cats become highly stressed and very skitty/aggressive when near humans. Also, given the age she is (as presumably she is not a kitten), she is never going to come around, as she would have passed the age when she would be able to come around to being a pet. Keeping her in a pen means that a cat who would be rehomeable into a domestic situation doesnt get the chance to be there, and for most shelters (it depends on the individual shelter, but this is a general statistic), there are 10 cats waiting for that pen.
Getting a kitten from feral to a pet cat takes many months, and many hours, by a willing person. Even then it is not guaranteed, you can sometimes work for 6 months on a kitten, and they end up being rehomed as a working (farm) cat.
Also, if you did ring, she would be put onto the waiting list, and unless she is injured, she would be down the bottom (the policy with all shelters is that sick and injured cats get priority).
It is worth remembering that just because she is feral, it does not mean that she has FIV. My cat was straying with another cat, he tested negative. They were brought in together, and until the other cat got rehomed, they were in the same pen. If both their FIV status was the same, they would be together now.
So unless you know someone who wants a feral cat (for example, someone living on a farm), I would leave her alone, unless she is sick or injured. Feel free to phone the Cats Protection, but they will probably say the same thing as above.
It is a sad fact that very few people actually come to the Cats Protection for farm/feral cats, even though the Cats Protection vaccinate and neuter all ferals (and unlike the pet cats, they dont charge an adoption fee).
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Post by garej on Nov 18, 2007 21:46:05 GMT 1
Also, here is Jack's article. He is now 7, not 6.
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Jack is a 6-year-old male, who I adopted from the (name removed) adoption centre. I have been volunteering since November 2004. In mid December 2006, my circumstances changed so I was finally able to adopt a cat of my own. However due to the fact that Christmas was impending and other circumstances, I did not start my quest until February of this year.
Jack originally came in as a stray along with another cat, which was quickly adopted. Jack unfortunately stayed nearly 6 months, as the other cat was healthy and fairly young, with no real problems. During that time I came to know him. Jack surely won the award for being the nosiest cat there; the local radio station encouraged us to “sing along” and Jack certainly took them up at their word!! Despite this, most of the time he was a lovely, friendly kitty. He had 2 failed adoptions; both people changed their minds for various reasons, and certainly nothing to do with his temperament. I guess that the fact that his FIV positive status, plus his one eye (removed due to a untreated infection) bothered people who went through the door. Plus late last year, his chronic renal deficiency was diagnosed, which everyone is not always happy to pay for his specialised diet, especially considering the cost and availability in comparison to other cat foods available from the supermarket is considered.
When it came to the time I was able to choose a cat of my own, it had to be an indoors only cat. Like I stated previously, I had been volunteering for a fair while, and invariably I had fallen in love with some previous cats. They all (bar one) turned out to be male, so my preference was for another male. Age I was not bothered about, in fact I was prepared to take a cat older than what he is. I chose Jack because he was (and still is) such a character. He was such a lovely and brilliant kitty; in fact he was popular with most of the volunteers/staff. It was only the visitors that couldn’t see “past the label”. I knew I definitely did not want a kitten. I wanted something a bit more sensible, though at times you could hardly call Jack sensible. I had gained knowledge from previous cats about the FIV situation before, and to be honest, I was not bothered about it, as I knew that any cat (especially a male), which required an indoors only home, would have it. I did, refresh my knowledge and the risks, and read more information about his kidney problem via the internet before taking him on. I know that both problems will mean that Jack’s life span will always be in question, but to me he was (and is) worth it. Besides, even on a non-FIV, non-chronic renal disease cat, there is no guarantee that it will live to an old age. I lost two cats at a young age (one due to the fact I was living by an busy road, the other to feline leukaemia) when I was a kid.
Once I managed to take Jack home, the first time he seemed to be coping quite well. When he was first let out of the carrier, he seemed quite calm, in fact all he did was walk around the room, eat some dried food, walk around the room again, and settled down into his bed. A couple of days later, he was let out of the room he was in into the majority of the flat, however his bed was soon abandoned in favour of the over £700 memory foam mattress on my bed!! From there his personality grew and he more than rules the roost!! We have daily fights over the chair (unfortunately his and my favourite chair are the same; as soon I leave it, he occupies it). He is into everything and anything, he loves to be nosey!! He enjoys his daily past time of climbing onto the windowsill and watching the world outside. He also enjoys climbing and sitting on visitors, I am currently doing a project through the people who are housing me, and he tries to bite the pen!! But the biggest fight is at mealtimes, he tries to eat whatever I am!! He stares at me (considering he has only one eye, it is unnerving how it can be), and if it is something he really wants, he will jump onto the chair and try to nick it off the plate!! Jack is a quieter cat than what he was at the shelter, although he is nosiest when he is hungry!! Jack sleeps with me every night, I do wonder if he is part human sometimes, as he likes to sleep with one duvet under him and one on top, with his head poking out!!
Despite all of this, and the fact he gets called Monkey as often as Jack, he is still a brilliant cat who I would not swap for the entire world. Jack seems more than happy here and as I write this, he is trying to help!! (i.e. biting the pen!). I recommend people wherever possible, to look beyond the FIV status, as they are truly great cats, as Jack certainly proves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Post by Claire on Nov 18, 2007 22:49:42 GMT 1
Lovely article! I really understand how you felt about Jack with his one eye. I used to raise money for a local cat rescue centre (which unfortunately closed down) and there was a cat with one eye called (surprise surprise) Nelson. I used to see people coming in to rehome the moggies and looking at all the cute and fluffy ones and not giving poor old Nelson a second glance. I loved him but at the time was not in a position to have another cat. But at least he was well loved at the rescue centre which was actually someones house which had been totally transformed!
My cat Oscar like Jack has kidney problems and was on a specialised diet for a couple of years. Lately the vet has allowed him back on proper food and he seems to be OK. He also has to have pills every day as he has a thyroid problem. Luckily it is quite easily to give him pills cos he has hardly any teeth left (he's ancient!)
Jack sounds like a real character. Would love to see a pic, also of other people's cats too. Theres a pic of my two on my blog. They are curled up together but they only do this when its cold as they don't really like each other much!
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Post by kunuma on Nov 19, 2007 10:34:42 GMT 1
>>>unless she is in danger or you are moving away (and there is nobody to feed her<<< Garej, that is sadly exactly what IS happening, landlord selling the place and everyone leaving, and the buildings being knocked down, otherwise she would continue to be very welcome here! You can see my quandary! Loved Jack's story, I managed to work out how to give you a karma for it! However, can someone tell me how to put a quote in a box in the reply?
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Post by Claire on Nov 19, 2007 13:50:34 GMT 1
However, can someone tell me how to put a quote in a box in the reply? Kunuma, you have to click on "quote" on the post you want to quote from then in your message box you will see the whole post plus some stuff in square brackets at start and end of it. Delete all of the post except for what you want to quote but make sure you don't delete anything in the square brackets as this is the html which is telling the program to quote it. Hope this is clear! Re. your feral cat, you could try and find out if there are any other independant cat/animal rescue centres around which may be able to sort something out. I find these independant places have less rules and regulations and usually manage to find homes for everything. We have a great one here but there may be others near you. Feral cats can be re-homed. Three of mine were very wild kittens when I got them (still have the scars!) which my dad had rescued from a colony of wild cats living on some wasteground. One of the kittens was in a terrible state, with cat flu, his eyes were all swollen up and he was covered in maggots - so we just couldn't leave him or he would have died. At first they had to be handled with thick rubber gloves but with time they eventually became very friendly & loving housecats (still got one...its Rosie). Years ago also tamed a feral cat that was living in the garden and eating the birds bread etc. took a few weeks putting food out and letting him get nearer and nearer until he eventually came in the house. We then had him as a lovely pet for 14 years. He was an adult cat as well so it proves it can be done. They do tend to be a lot more nervous than cats which have been socialised from an early age. But I think cats are just about the most adaptable animals around and seem to cope well with most circumstances. Hope you manage to sort out the problem somehow. Keep us posted. Hows the other stray doing BTW? Still keeping you awake?
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Post by kunuma on Nov 21, 2007 21:34:47 GMT 1
[quote author=kunuma board=general Hows the other stray doing BTW? Still keeping you awake? Yes, she is! I think it is because of the feral cat(she is terrified of her, with good reason!) more than the weather, but she WON'T go outside now! She is living in the loft! It isn't a proper loft, they call it a mezzanine I think, anyway, she keeps balancing on the edge and threatening to jump down into the dogs, so I go and carry her down to a door, and she says "just kidding, I like it up here really!" She doesn't need a TV up there, she has two tanks of goldfish!
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