Last Wednesday morning, I found a small, yellow-striped cat on my back deck, eating from a dish of cat food I'd put out for my cats to have as a snack if they got hungry during their daily outdoor "rounds." He was pretty sick... sneezing and coughing, but still trying to eat. I immediately knew something was wrong....this cat looked like he had an upper respiratory infection and a high fever.

I got my cats inside, scooped up the food dish and tossed it into a sinkful of hot, soapy water that had a bit of Clorox in it, and took the little stray to our vet. Sure enough, he did have a respiratory infection, he was suffering from being dehydrated, and his temp was so high, the vet immediately said he'd have to keep this little begger if I wanted him to live. Of course I said yes. I also asked the vet to do a leukemia test, other shots, worm check, and to neuter him.

That was then...today I picked the cat up from the vet's, and brought him home through Dennis's rainshowers. He's still pretty sick, but I've got an antibiotic he's to take twice a day. He's in the basement bathroom, with food and water, a nice cushy bed to sleep on, a litter box (I'm not sure if he'll use it....I don't think he's ever been inside except for the time he's spent at the vet's), and one of my granddaugher's stuffed toy animals to keep him company. I checked on him a few minutes ago and he was sound asleep, but purring.

What am I going to do with him? I have three already, two males and a female, and they're about all I can afford to keep in the style to which they have become accustomed. If he belonged to someone in the neighborhood, tough cookie... that owner wasn't caring for him.

Any suggestions would be very welcome. I haven't named him yet, because if I do, I'll have to keep him.

Catherine

Catherine,
If I lived closer to you, I would take that little cutie in. I have two cats in a one room apartment, and I found myself in a situation last year where I found a stray cat and almost took it home. My former boss let me keep at work until I figured out what to do with her. Luckily, one of my former co-worker's decided to adopt it, and now she is a healthy thriving cat.
Have you thought about taking pictures of her and maybe putting signs that you have a cat that is up for adoption in the main shopping area of the town you live in. In my building we have a bulletin board near our mailroom and people are always putting up signs looking for homes for cats that they just rescued (recently in fact, we've had signs for about 4 kittens that were found in my neighborhood).
Keep us posted with what you decide to do.
Eva

Good ideas, Eva. Thanks. I wish you did live nearby...we could share him!

It's my understanding that our local animal shelter will take cats that have been spayed or neutered, who have had all of their shots. and keep them until they're adopted, regardless of how long that takes.

If that is true, and I'd make sure it was, I guess that's one alternative. Another is to let him be an outdoor cat, but I've never been very fond of that idea. My 3 cats come and go, but they spend 75% of their time inside, and about 95% during the cold months. They're always inside at night.

I don't have to decide yet...he's here for at least a a few more days, but keep those ideas coming. You know me...I'm not about to let anything bad happen to him, even if I have to make him the 4th one living here.

Catherine

Animal shelter. Animal shelter. Animal shelter!

If you have a decent shelter they will be sure your kitten goes to a home where he will be loved. Amazing people run those shelters. A donation is always welcome--the shelter here uses donations for spay and neutering programs. BUT be sure you find out the right people to donate to. If it is a county run shelter it may have a group such as Volunteers for Animals that does the actual work with animals. You wouldn't want the donation to go to the county as it does here if you hand money over without specifying where it is to go.

Please do not make this an outdoor cat. Outdoor cats do tremendous damage to local wildlife--birds, frogs, dragonflies, etc. It is what they are built to do. Indoor cats are not deprived, they can be loved without the destructiveness involved with an outside life. Plus, outside cats have to deal with a lot of stress...

And it is wonderful that you cared enough to take a sick cat to the vet and are now nursing it back to health. So many people would have just let it die. Oh, you liberals...

And you might ask around to see if anyone you know is looking for a cat--sometimes the timing is right.

Yes, the animal shelter it is, just as soon as I finish giving him the regimen of meds the vet sent home with him, if he comes back to my house. I let him out this morning for some exercise after I'd fed him and given him his meds.

He took off, and my other male cat, who hasn't liked the new one at all, took off after him. Try as I might, I couldn't get either one of them to pay any attention to me and they disappeared into the woods. There was the sound of a viscious tussle and, in a moment, Saber came back up to the house, breathing heavily, but looking rather triumphant. He had no wounds on him, but how he got out at that hour (6:30 am) I do not know. When I went down to the basement, where the little cat was being kept in a bathroom, Saber was upstairs asleep. There is a cat door going off our bedroom, so I guess he used that.

He was hustled back inside, and I've scoured the grounds...the woods, looked up into trees, the field below the house, everywhere I can think of to look, and I can't find that little stray. My husband says he'll be back when he gets hungry enough, and I guess he's right. I'm just worried that he might be hurt, since Saber can be pretty viscious if he wants to be. But if he was hurt, you'd think he'd be around somewhere, and I could find him.

All I can do is wait.

Catherine

looks like Sabre took care of the issue for you.

The stray is back....driven from the woods by a hard rain. I scooped him up and put him back in the bathroom, where he's been asleep all afternoon.

What a gauntlet these cats are making me run...and the rain is really getting to me!

Cath

Glad the little guy is back. No matter how long a stray has been here, until I can get it to a new home or the shelter I worry about it.

I had three little ones last year. They enjoyed the place so much I allowed them to be outside more than I could actually keep track of them. They were attacked by a mean stray that had been coming around and it broke one of the little guy's legs. I had to have it put down because I couldn't afford to pay to have the leg taken care of.

Broke my heart.

A short time later the mean stray attacked me and I had a trip to the emergency room.

I hate mean anything!