Cat thread

[Hawkbit]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/science/that-cuddly-kitty-of-yours-is-a-killer.html?hp

Clearly the answer is that we have to get rid of cats.

I like how every one of these bullshit articles just rips the nouns and a few verbs out and reposts the same damn thing. (yes, I'm pointing at you, gun thread.)

[Ingmar]

That's half of why we don't let ours outside. (The other half being that it is far safer for the cats as well.) They're non-native predators here. I think that angle is probably not so important in areas that historically had small wildcats anyway, though.

[01101010]

Well no shit they are. Why is this shocking or news? 

I kept mine indoors only and they still shredded anything that got in my apartments - lizards, mice, the occasional palmetto bug. I figure they paid their rent that way... which fits with the former pic.

edit: sorry, rereading that did come off a bit assholish. Hope the smiley takes some of the edge off...

[Hawkbit]

Well no shit they are. Why is this shocking or news?

That's what was funny about it.  This article took the top spot, above the fold, at http://www.nytimes.com/. Iin fact it's still there now.  World News?  Who gives a shit?  Cats, man.  Cats.   

[Hawkbit]

Even better is i09 which has the title "Domestic cats are destroying the planet".  I'm trying to figure out if today is national sarcasm day and I missed the memo.

[Sir T]

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill

Warning, its just cartoons but still a bit gory.

[Lantyssa]

Hahaha.  The kitty skull and crossbones is the greatest.

[Maledict]

Looking for some advice on our cat.

She went missing on Saturday afternoon (so 3 days ago now) from our back garden. She wanders around the area we live in, but never normally for longer than an hour and is very much astray at home cat. She's also a very shy cat so won't approach people.

So far we have:

Gone out calling for her repeatedly
Put up posters
Leafleted all nearbye houses
Contacted the local cat & dog rescue centre
Contacted the local council who remove animal bodies
Put out some stuff in our back garden that smells of the house to guide her home
Went out at 4 in the morning calling for her when the streets were empty
Left food out overnight in case she came back hungry (not eaten)

Is there anything else we could be doing? I've lost all hope given its almost 3 days now but want to make sure we've done everything possible.

(Astonished at how painful this is as well to deal with - like losing a close family member).

[Cyrrex]

 

Sounds like you're doing what you can, and far beyond what most people would do.

Is she fixed?  Sometimes cats wander off to have their babies, or even hide themselves away very close by.
Are there wild animals she could have scuffled with?  Traffic?  They can also go off an hide if they get a severe injury, only to show up days later.

Crap, hope she just shows up.  Sometimes it's nothing.

[Paelos]

How old is your cat? Sometimes they get to wandering at older ages.

Put the litter box out in front of the house. That can help.

[apocrypha]

Knock on the doors of everyone in the street and ask to look in their back gardens, sheds, etc. Make a note of anyone who's out. If after a few days there's a house or two you can't get an answer from then start calling your cat near them - round the back, through the letterbox, etc.

One of my cats got stuck in someone's house for over a week once. They'd gone on holiday and locked their catflap the wrong way so she got in... but couldn't get out. When they got back from holiday they opened their front door to be greeted with an angry blur shooting past them and a house full of cat shit and wrecked furniture. Zebedee legged it straight back home, she was skinny and pissed off but fine otherwise.

Don;t lose hope for a good long time - cats can go missing for weeks. They're remarkably resilient things!

Really hope you find her and that she's ok.

[Hawkbit]

Yep, you're doing everything correctly.  I'm sorry; I know the feelings you're having.

One of our boys was a stray we adpoted.  He was good in the house and hanging in the backyard for a bit, but one day my wife left him out there and forgot about him.  When we realized what happened, he was long gone.  I did all the stuff you listed and I finally gave up hope at about the one-week point. 

Then, only day nine or so, I saw him scrambling up our privacy fence and running up to the door.  I literally opened the door and he ran right in like nothing had happened.  Except he lost five pounds, which is likely why he came home. 

Point is:  Don't lose hope, at least for the first few weeks.  Get nosey with your neighbors and don't be afraid to walk through their yards.  Carry an open can of tuna and sprinkle bits/juice from your house out to the street while you're walking. 

I wish you the best.

[Lantyssa]

Cats can be weird.  I had one that would disappear for a month at a time then come back for a day or two before doing it again.  Another would go away for week long vacations at random times.

The current backyard feral I'm trying to tame lived there for over a year before disappearing for four months.  Now she's back.

[Sky]

Shaking Bart's bag of cat food kibble brought him running once it got cold and dark.

[Ingmar]

You might also call around to local vets, as some people bring cats they find there instead of to shelters.

[proudft]

I also had a disappearing cat as a kid.  We lived in the country and he would sometimes disappear for two weeks or so at a time.  I don't remember if he only did this before he was neutered, or if he kept the habit up afterwards - I was too young to really keep a coherent timeline.  But, yeah, he would meander back like 'oh, you missed me?'.  The neighbors about a half-mile awayish would sometimes say 'oh we saw your cat wandering around', so I know he would go at least that far, but who really knows?   He didn't seem like a particularly smart cat, but he was pretty cool.

[Reg]

A friend of mine lost his cat but found it six months later after meeting the neighbourhood cat lady who had like a dozen of them.  She called around to all of her cat lady friends and eventually spoke to one who fed the strays every day.  She recognized my friend's cat from the description and they were reunited the next day.

I had no idea that crazy cat ladies had a network like that. 

[Sjofn]

They're all secretly witches, you see, and witches hang together, man.

Sorry about your cat, Maledict! Hopefully she wanders back home soon, completely indifferent to the stress she's put you through.

[Engels]

My childhood cat went AWOL for a week once. Showed up sunning herself by a flower pot out of the blue one day. No idea where she went or why she just wandered off.

[Maledict]

H all - thanks for the advice. We had rung our vets but not others in the area so are doing that now. We even have a hash tag for her! #lostnyx

Unfortunately it's 5 days now and still no sign. She's never been the type of cat to wander at all which is what is worrying - whilst she was a stray when we took her in 5 years ago she's happily adjusted to spending most of her time indoors so I can't imagine she would voluntarily spend all this time outside when its freezing and wet.

We have spotted what appears to be a stray black cat in the area that isn't her which is unusual - she's the only cat immediately near us. Have wondered if maybe it has come into her territory and scared her off or something.

Am thinking about putting the reward amount more prominent in the posters - £500 might help people search their gardens and sheds!

[Reg]

I really hope she comes back.  Remember, as others have said, it's far too early to give up on her.

[Paelos]

3 weeks is about the time when you should start getting concerned. We're still early in the looking process. I think your odds of finding the cat are still good. Here's hoping!

[Lantyssa]

Yeah.  She might be falling back on old instincts if she's a stray, then.  Likely hunkered down someplace semi-warm and dry and not anxious to brave it to get home.

[Malakili]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTaXI9LUugc

[Signe]

[Nebu]

My 16 year old manx just crumped this weekend.  She lost most of her motor skills and can't walk or get off of her side.  She's drinking a ton, very picky about food, and seems to be only capable of lying on her side and crying.  I have to bathe her daily as she urinates where she lies, so I'm just doing the best I can to keep her comfortable. Taking her to the vet at 4:30pm today.  I'm not sure she'll be coming home with me.

[Reg]

Sorry to hear that Nebu.  Didn't you just adopt a pair a couple of years ago?  It was awesome of you to adopt such an elderly cat and make her last years good ones.

[Lantyssa]

I'm sorry, Nebu.

[01101010]

My 16 year old manx just crumped this weekend.  She lost most of her motor skills and can't walk or get off of her side.  She's drinking a ton, very picky about food, and seems to be only capable of lying on her side and crying.  I have to bathe her daily as she urinates where she lies, so I'm just doing the best I can to keep her comfortable. Taking her to the vet at 4:30pm today.  I'm not sure she'll be coming home with me.

I completely know that feeling (with a dog, but same effect). Never felt grief at any funeral I have ever been to, but putting my cat and the ex-GFs dog down twisted me all out of shape for days. You have my sympathies.

[Nebu]

Thanks folks.  I'm pretty resigned to what is coming.  She's old and has had health problems for the last couple of years.  I can feel pretty good knowing that I gave her more time than nature would have. 

Now I need to resist the urge to rescue another. 

[Engels]

Sorry to hear that, Nebu. We too adopted an older cat, only had him for 4 years before he left us. He was such a kick ass cat too. Named him Jones from Alien. I cursed the gods the day I had to put him down.

I am not sure why you would want to resist the urge to adopt again, tho. Its a good thing and unless you already have too many kitties, why not?

[Sky]

Now I need to resist the urge to rescue another. 

No, you don't!

Sorry about kitty, I'm going to be a wreck when Barthole starts breaking down.

[Mrbloodworth]

My 16 year old manx just crumped this weekend.  She lost most of her motor skills and can't walk or get off of her side.  She's drinking a ton, very picky about food, and seems to be only capable of lying on her side and crying.  I have to bathe her daily as she urinates where she lies, so I'm just doing the best I can to keep her comfortable. Taking her to the vet at 4:30pm today.  I'm not sure she'll be coming home with me.

*hugs*

[Signe]

Good luck, Nebu.  So sorry.     And I agree with Sky.  Don't resist the urge.  They need you because you're exactly you!

[Sjofn]

Sorry about your cat, Nebu. It's a crappy feeling.

Don't feel like you have to resist the urge to rescue a new cat, though, rebound cats love you just as much as non-rebounds do!