How do you know if a Cat is a Stray?

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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 5:23 pm

Post a sign two days before the move. Take the cat and make sure to keep it indoors before the movers come and at least a week after the move.

Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 7:13 pm

Barn cats are different then house cats. Barn cats know that they are welcome on the property but their duty is to keep the area clear of mice, rats and rabbits. You are just fine with having your cats outside. Barn cats and their cousins Ship cats work for a living.

House cats are indoor cats. Keeping them indoors helps prevent various diseases that outdoor cats can catch. They live longer lives and give many hours of pleasure and torture to their owners. Owners learn the hard way when it comes to house cat torture.

My one cat, Zammy, loves grapes. I forgot and left a bowl of grapes on the coffee table over night. In the morning I found dead grapes all over the living room. It must have been a night to remember for Zammy but it was total torture moving all the furniture to find the hidden grapes.

Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:34 am

@Connie

That looks like the opossum I feed every night. Poor little guy is all alone in the world Sad

Yeah, yeah...you all can say what you like but every animal is guaranteed a place in my heart....and in my home Very Happy

Also, not to understand a man's purpose...it does not make him confused.

Here look at my kitty

How can anyone not love her Very Happy

Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:55 pm

Ghost - awwwwwwww! Very Happy

You have a Tuxedo cat!

Makes me lonesome for one of my own. Sad

. But in this tiny apartment, wheelchairs and cat tails would be too close together for my comfort (or the cat's).

@Daisy - do let us know what transpires.

Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 3:02 pm

If tails are holding you back, ever heard of a Manx cat? They come tailless Smile

http://fanciers.com/breed-faqs/manx-faq.html

Trophy Videos · Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 3:26 pm

My last cat was a manx. Never stepped on her tail once, but stepped on her feet a few times. She was always walking in front of me. The last time it happened I was wearing my boots and got her good. She learned after that to keep her distance when I was on my feet.

Juan's stalker Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 1423

Ghost I love your pretty kitty.

The nose smudge is precious.

I know why you have that cute Avatar now Wink

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 12:13 am

Mr Tambourine Man wrote:

Cats have been known to have 2 or 3 "owners".

"choose 2 or 3 servants" you mean. Very Happy

'where ever I lay my my hat that's my home' was written by a cat, and 'anyone that feeds me can be my servant' is the title of their next record. My cat won't even give me a second look after I return from a two week holiday, and keeps hanging around my neighbour's house for at least a week, since she's been feeding him when I was away.

In your case: I'd go for the collar idea.

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 12:21 am

This is mine 2 years ago when he was a stray kitten covered in mange, fleas and ticks. He had just had a bath:

And here he is all grownup, passed out on my couch:

He is also very tolerant of the hyperactive Chihuahua my girlfriend has. I think he actually likes the dog but he'll never let on that he does.

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 4:14 am

He's precious! Adorable.

The black and white cat looks like one that I had too. I actually rescued him from a roof top. He was one of a litter that had been born in an abandoned flat and he'd wandered out through a broken window onto the roof. I only went out to buy cigarettes and I found a group of teenage girls all gathered under the roof and one of them found a ladder for me and I climbed up and got him.

Once I got down, I was about to hand him to one of them when they said 'we don't know where he belongs' and so I just thought 'oh, ok, I guess you're coming home with me then!' Laughing

Luckily I had 3 of my own already so I had catfood in. We called the RSPCA to deal with the other little guys and the mother and I kept the one that I'd climbed the ladder for.

We called him 'Nibbler' after the Alien from Futurama, as he was small and cute and black and white and could eat a surprising amount (given his size at the time).

About this cat - she seems really well fed and friendly. My partner is really against the idea of taking a pet and I think I have 3 choices now.

1 - take her, but not allow her into the house, (we have a shed in the new place) I could make her up a comfortable bed and stuff and keep her well fed but not have her in the actual house

2 - find someone else that will take her

3 - Really insist that I want this cat and cause trouble (at home) by insisting that we take her. I don't want to do this though. I'm hoping that I can find that she's already got a home. If so then I'll have to wean her off us by giving less attention and less food so it doesn't come as a total shock when we're gone and she doesn't get her daily meal anymore... I feel pretty bad about that though. I should have made sure she was 'available' before I started feeding her... Rolling Eyes

Trophy Videos · Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 2:19 pm

@Daisy - Just whine, and beg, and bat your eyelashes. Very Happy

If that doesn't work, say, "You must not love me, then..." Wink

You know, like all women do.. Cool

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 5:00 pm

The reason why I'm taking him so seriously is because he's never said no to me before. So it makes me think that he's very serious about this and won't change his mind.

The cat doesn't seem skinny and its VERY friendly now. It won't come in the house though and now that I know we're leaving I don't want to encourage it into the house just in case.

My 2 year old loves this cat so that's the only card I'd be able to play... Wink

If he can't say no to me, he's a hundred times worse with his son! Wink

Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:05 am

Lots of good advice here and I'd take just about anybody's advice over my own on just about any subject. However............

While I'd worry about kidnapping some child's pet, you have to consider that if this cat is running around loose in an urban environment it isn't being properly cared for, ergo, probably not a family pet. If it looks well fed and is friendly, that may be because you are one of a dozen or so people doling out the treats. Unless I missed something in my hasty reading, I believe you said you were considering putting a collar on the cat, if it doesn't have a collar now, see comment above about not being a family pet. Given your description of your neighborhood, you and the cat will both be better off by moving.

By the way, I'm definitely a dog person, the last cat I shared my home with was like living with a running chainsaw and put me off cat ownership probably forever (I still have scars). However, I still think we should treat animals humanely, even cats.

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