What to do with found kitty?
My coworker and I found a cat in the parking lot of our office complex yesterday. She came running towards us and was the friendliest thing. She looks healthy and fat (or god forbid pregnant). She didn't have a collar and we work right off a highway where I have seen cats hit in our driveway before. There are houses on the other side of the woods behind our complex so it's possible she is someone's pet. My coworker took her home until we decide what to do. She came in this morning all stuffed up and said she and her roommate were having really bad allergy symptoms. I said I could take her home but she would have to stay in my basement. I have two cats already and can't risk the chance that she has fleas, worms, leukemia etc that could be passed to my cats.
We put a post on craigslist and are going to put fliers in the mailboxes of the homes. Our dilemma is that we may have taken someone's cat. She really seems like a house cat and not a stray. Should we release her back in the woods and hope she goes home? I hate to think she's a house cat that got loose and someone is worried about her. Or do I condemn her to my not so nice basement for who knows how long until we can find a rescue to take her. BTW, my bf in not happy about that idea.
I had something similar happen to me. I was hiking next to a corn field in Illinois, and these two cute little kittens came out of the field and right up to me mewing and being cute. Needless to say, I took them home, fed them, but left them outside. Like you, I already had two cats, and where I was living at the time was only a temporary place to live, I was doing an internship and was to return back to University at the end of the summer. I didn't have the money to keep them. So I turned them into the humane society and I cried and cried about it, but I didn't know what else to do. I hope that you have better luck than I did. I still feel bad to this day because I am sure that I condemned them to their death and feel terrible about it. But what else was I to do? I couldn't keep them. Ugh, I hate that memory, one of the many things in my mind that I wish I could forget. Good luck. I hate to say this, but I just recently found out that 2/3 of all the cats in shelters are put to death. Two Thirds!!! OMG, I wish I could do SOMETHING, but I already have two cats adopted from shelters. Why don't people spay and neuter their cats!!!
I wouldn't bring her to a humane society or ASPCA where I know she has a good chance of being put down. I would have to bring her to a rescue. That means getting her a vet check up, shots, spayed (if she's not) etc before they will even consider taking her.
My coworker and I found a cat in the parking lot of our office complex yesterday. She came running towards us and was the friendliest thing. She looks healthy and fat (or god forbid pregnant). She didn't have a collar and we work right off a highway where I have seen cats hit in our driveway before. There are houses on the other side of the woods behind our complex so it's possible she is someone's pet. My coworker took her home until we decide what to do. She came in this morning all stuffed up and said she and her roommate were having really bad allergy symptoms. I said I could take her home but she would have to stay in my basement. I have two cats already and can't risk the chance that she has fleas, worms, leukemia etc that could be passed to my cats.
We put a post on craigslist and are going to put fliers in the mailboxes of the homes. Our dilemma is that we may have taken someone's cat. She really seems like a house cat and not a stray. Should we release her back in the woods and hope she goes home? I hate to think she's a house cat that got loose and someone is worried about her. Or do I condemn her to my not so nice basement for who knows how long until we can find a rescue to take her. BTW, my bf in not happy about that idea.
Hi Biodancer,
First....Thanks SOOO much for you and your co-worker for taking the kitty in. Saving her. While I can't tell you exactly what to do, I can say that when it comes to rescuing a dog or cat.....if they are found on the road, or in the woods.....and are perhaps full of fleas, ticks, etc. Me,...I make it my problem to deal with, I don't wait for others or WISH someone else was available to "deal" with it....no matter the cost...no matter how much it interupts my day..... Maybe that's just me....but by thinking along those lines...I know I've saved many lives....This is one you can save. It's now in your care...that is GOOD!
Even with the amount of dogs and cats I have......I SOMEHOW always make room for them. It's ALWAYS better for me to deal with them then to just drive by, or think that another person will make the dog/cat THEIR problem. Letting it go back where you found it is not an option. That is what most do....make it someone elses problem to deal with (or ignore it). You should contact every option available. Please go to Petfinder and contact each and every rescue group in your area. Beg, plead, offer anything you must if you don't have room....but please....don't put it back where it was. Even if it belonged to another....it did not deserve to be on its own. If it belongs to someone and they are truly looking for it....they will find it if you take the time to get it posted on petfinder.com/craigslist/local paper...etc. If not....then you'll know in your heart that you did a good thing. Either way....it's win-win for you. If nobody claims the kitty....you can find it a home...if someone does claim it...well...maybe...just maybe they can learn to be a better parent.
To me...a "so not nice basement" is better then the possibility of her/him being homeless and starving....
Good luck...
Keep us posted!
-d!
It won't let me post a picture. Says it's too big :(
geez! how big of a cat is it??
geez! how big of a cat is it??
;D I mean the file is too big. It says 0.99 MB. Is that really big? Maybe it was the settings of the camera. It shows up fine on my email.
LOL! That made me happy. ;D
geez! how big of a cat is it??
Sure you didn't find yourself a puma cub? ;D ;D
I wish I could put up a picture. She's a really pretty tortoise shell color with white feet.
Ok, so far this is what I've done about kitty (aka Snickers). I called the local SPCA and reported a found cat so that they have a reference if anyone should call. I put a posting on craigslist and on petfinder plus checked all the lost cat postings on both sites. I called my vet to see if they could tell me if she has a microchip but they don't have the equipment to do so. So my coworker is taking her to the SPCA tomorrow to see if they can find out. We put fliers in the neighboring houses and in all the mailboxes of the condo complex next to us, plus at the Wawa and the post office. Then I am taking her to my vet on Saturday (they squeezed me into a booked schedule) to find out if she is pregnant and if she is not I'll get her her shots, leukemia test and flea/worm medicine and make an appointment to have her spayed. Tomorrow I will call all possible rescues and adoption centers to get information on their next available intake day. Whew! :)
Maybe I can find you a home for this kitty have some friends in philly.
Oh yes, please. Everyone ask around if you have friends/family in the Philadelphia area. Thanks!
good luck with finding a home for the kitty. I'd offer, of course. I wish I could help too.
it's wonderful that you're doing this. absolutely wonderful!
You are doing something great for that kitty. Thank you! ;)
I guess all those fliers paid off because I just got an email from the cat's owners. I didn't describe the cat in the fliers because I was worried about someone falsely claiming the cat. The email described her perfectly and they live on a road nearby. They must let her outside a lot because they said it wasn't unusual for her not to come home after one night >:( I feel like I should give them a good scolding for letting that cat out so close to a major, four lane, very busy road! But at least she is going home.
I guess all those fliers paid off because I just got an email from the cat's owners. I didn't describe the cat in the fliers because I was worried about someone falsely claiming the cat. The email described her perfectly and they live on a road nearby. They must let her outside a lot because they said it wasn't unusual for her not to come home after one night >:( I feel like I should give them a good scolding for letting that cat out so close to a major, four lane, very busy road! But at least she is going home.
Who has the Kitty now you or the SPCA? I do hope you or your co-worker at least lecture her about the dangers of the cat being allowed to roam freely (in a nice way). Glad it worked out. ;)
My coworker still has the kitty. I was going to take her tomorrow (my mom generously offered to hold her so she wouldn't have to stay in my not-so-nice basement). Anyway, we just made arrangements to drop her off after work. And yes I did mention to her (nicely) that this is a dangerous road and that I've seen dead cats on it before. They had just moved from a 26 acre property and had let them roam around there so I guess they didn't see a difference when they moved here.
Actually, the woman was very nice. I was afraid there might be some attitude from her for taking her cat (you never know some people).