In our community, we have a lovely stray cat. Knowing that winter was coming and that the weather was turning cold, my husband and I attempted to catch the animal to bring it to animal control so that it could be pciked up by the SPCA. As luck would have it, things did not go as planned. Instead, my husband had to go to the hospital to get antibiotics after being bitten and since rabis is something that is currently running rampant here, the doctor contacted animal control, as did we. After animal control came, we were informed that because the cat had bitten someone, it could not be adopted (except by us) and in 10 days, it would be put down. My husband and I acted quickly by contacting animal control and informing them that we would adopt the sweet cat. We saved her from the grim reaper and then took her to the vet to get her checked out as a precaution. She was given a clean bill of health, but we are unable to keep her since we already have a cat. What should we do now?
Adopted a Stray to save her from a kill shelter... What now?
Why not keep her and see how she does with your cat?
Reply:Uh, why can't you keep her?
Okay, you already got the whole clean bill of health thing out of the way, so the next step is to get her fixed, and then get some food inside her and give her a bath so that she looks presentable. Try to give her to someone you know so you know she's getting a good home.
To find her a home, put an ad in the classifieds, or call all your friends. Or you could keep her. Because one more cat never hurt anybody. I know I already said this, but be sure to get her fixed so that "one" doesn't turn into "six".
Reply:Call around for the cat rescue groups (they will be online or you can find out from some of the vets who they know is in the area). Do this before the kitten batches start being born. After those start it's hard to find room anywhere that'll take an adult cat.
Fear made the cat bite, so she may need to be socialized more. Can you keep her sectioned in the house, alternating which cat can be out and have room to exercise? The more they smell each other under the doors, the more they'll adapt to each other. We introduced two male adult cats to our group of three adult cats that way, they get along fine.
She should be fostered for a while to adapt her to humans some more, as biting isn't an option anyone wants to deal with. Ask around, see if any of your friends or relatives are interested, or consider keeping her yourselves.
Reply:I had a very similar experience -- adopted a feral cat!
My vet called me one day and asked if I was interested in adopting another cat. I already had a 1-year-old male tabby and they wanted to find a home for another male tabby. The cat was feral and had been captured and brought to the vet to be neutered. While there, he bit the vet and had to be quarantined for 10 days to ensure he didn't have rabies. He was very frightened of people but the vet's staff worked with him to try to calm him down. Then they began looking for a home.
I was thinking about getting a second cat as a friend for my Misha. I decided to try to acclimate the feral cat and brought him home. He was a very hyper, nervous cat, and was afraid of everything. I put him in a bathroom with food, water, and a litter box and made him a sleeping area. I kept him in the bathroom and went in to visit and try to play with him often. Misha was curious and he would sit by the bathroom door and they could smell each other. Eventually they began playing "footsie" under the door. After about 3-4 days, I gave the new cat, Matthew, access to a larger area and gave the 2 cats access to each other (with human supervision). It went very well and the cats have been living him harmony for 8 years now.
So, unless you live in an apartment and your lease doesn't allow you to have 2 cats, you should consider trying to adopt this sweet cat. If not, ask your vet if he/she can help you find a home for the cat.
Reply:Don't post an ad for "Free cat to good home", because sometime labs take those cats and use them for testing. Why not see if your cats grow on each other? Give it time. Keep them separated for a while, make sure they have separate litter boxes, and be patient. Cats are stubborn. But they can change.
Reply:Ask family or friends if they are interested in adopting the cat ... worse case scenario ... you have two cats! I've had two in the past and they were great company for each other.
Reply:Why cant the cat live in peace with your cat? If you already knew you couldn't have another cat why did you spend the money to save it? If you did it like most of us because you couldn't see and know that an animal was going to be put down... Advertise in the local paper: Free Cat: Needs good home
Reply:Well if you had her as a stray cat, keep her as one, but put a collar on her so she would not be picked up as a stray. This way, you can still take care of the cat and prevent it from being killed. Also, you do NOT want to bring this cat into your home, once a stray always a stray. Bring her in, she will look for a way out. She will get vicious trying to find a way out.
Reply:I do not agree "once a stray, always a stray" One of my cats, Kit Kat, was a stray and when I took her in she was an outdoor cat... but I had to move into an apartment... Yes, she tried to find a way out at first, but she soon became used to being in the apartment and has been with me for 15 years. Do not turn down a cat just because they are on the street... you do not know their circumstances. You say she is lovely and sweet, so what is the problem? She deserves a home, same as anyone else... She is healthy, so she may not have been on the street long, and obviously she is tame or you (or the vet) couldn't have handled her at all. Animals do bite sometimes, that shouldn't be a death sentence. If the cat was frightened (being chased by strangers after being on the street awhile, it's no wonder your husband got bitten -- the cat probably thought he was going to hurt it) it will scratch, hiss, yowl and bite.
Try to keep the cat if you can... the more cats, the merrier!! Your other cat may just love a playmate/ companion. If not, try to find a good home for her... please do not take her to a kill-shelter.
Reply:try to find her a loving home or let the other cats get use to each other. Maybe she was meant to be yours....if they are not getting along then seperate them for a time but they will grow on each other and learn their own boundries..
Reply:Why not just keep her? I don't really understand the circumstances. I understand you already have a cat, but what's the harm in another? You've already done all the work and you seem to like her, why not go ahead and keep her as a part of the family?
I would take her but I figure I live too far away.
Also, try putting her up for adoption on your own? Fliers, Craigslist, etc.
Best of luck!
Reply:I have always said,.... cats are like potato chips, you cant have just one, the nice thing about cats is they are no trouble, clean litter box plenty of food and clean water and love love love, I would just keep her, your cats will end up being good friends, mine did, they are best buddy's
Reply:You have to keep her indoors (quarrantined) for the 10 days that you committed to. Once this time period is up, and she hasn't shown any sign of being infected with Rabies, then I guess you try to find a new home for her. This will be challenging since she is not domesticated and will definately want to be an out door cat. She certainly needs to be spayed and given her Rabies Vacc before you even entertain the idea of letting her go outdoors again. Try hard to find a new owner for her, if that fails I would even try to strike a deal with the shelter - they try to place the cat provided you offer to get her spayed and vaccinated.
Reply:If the vet gave the cat a "clean bill of health", I don't understand why the cat cannot be adopted? All cats bite every now and then, at least my cat does! Would you be able to post an add in the local paper for a free cat? Talk to your vet if you are still unable to put the cat up for adoption. Maybe he/she will have ideas. Good luck!
Reply:Why in the heck did you save her if you couldn't really save her. If you give her to someone else you are DOING more harm than good. There are reasons why they put animals that bite down because they usually ALWAYS bite again. How would you like to adopt it out and find out that a child got bit on the face by it?? You really should abide by the laws and have the animal put down. While it is extremely sad (I have 2 cats myself) unless you were willing to take the animal and rescue it why did you get involved?
Reply:Just because a cat bites in a situation where it is frightened does not mean it will bite again. I recommend that you let her have a few introduction sessions with your cat, under close supervision. When we get new cats, it usually takes them a week or two to get comfortable, but I have never had a problem with the cats getting used to each other. I think that since you went to all the effort to save her and you know she is sweet despite the incident, you should try to see if you're able to keep her.
Reply:Go on petfinder.com and look for a cat rescue in your area.
Reply:and, um WHY can't you have 2 cats?? you took on the responsibility (kudos to you for doing that), so now she's your cat.
Reply:advertise it
Reply:find someone else to give the cat to. the spca isnt going to be coming around checking to see if you still have the cat, and even if they do just tell them the cat ran away.
I cant blame you for not wanting to keep a vicious cat that bites.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment