Feliway Comfort Zone; Best Cat Calming Product

Whenever there is a change in my house my cats communicate with me by scratching on furniture or marking their territory with urine. Sometimes the changes made are not drastic; moved the chair to another side of the room, moved the scratching post, set the food bowls down in another area. While these changes to a human are minor, to a cat, that is a creature of habit, these changes are enough to cause anxiety and stress.

To prevent these kitty panic attacks I bought Feliway comfort zone products from Chewy.com. The diffuser is plugged into your electrical outlet and when the substance is heated it emits pheromone into the air. When your cat breathes in the pheromone a sense of calmness comes over them. This is a great product because it is nontoxic and really makes the cat feel a sense of it's all good. 

Here is a quote by Chewy.com 

“The Diffuser works by using a heating element to disperse the pheromone into the air. Once present, the pet breathes in the pheromone and it attaches to a receptive organ, called the vomeronasal organ located in the nasal cavity. The vomeronasal organ then signals the brain, via nerves, and a sense of well-being is established.”

When your cat is calm then you can move your chair and scratching post, make changes to their routine, introduce a new pet to the home or family member and cat will not suffer from anxiety.  This is why I say that Feliway comfort zone is the best cat calming product.

Note:

One Feliway comfort zone diffuser will treat a small room of approximately 550 square feet. I needed a couple for my home and for my garage that I open up to the neighborhood cats when the weather is too hot or too cold. I really like the Feliway products and I recommend it to anyone who has a cat that is sensitive to change. 

Learn more about Feliway cat products by viewing this youtube.com video;

Stray Cats Diagnosis; Inflammation of Bladder

Two days ago a stray cat that is a regular and my cat shelter showed signs of not being able to urinate. I observed this when I thought he was going to urinate outside of the litter box. I discovered there was no urine but instead a drop of blood. Warning flag and of course this meant that cat would be rushed to the veterinarians where they took him immediately to the exam room to check him for blockage.

Stray cat in the garden

The stray cat was kept at the animal hospital for two nights and during that time they did an exam, and tested his urine, blood and did a combo test for Feline Leukemia and AIDS. The test came back and showed that the cat had inflammation of the bladder and this is why he has the need to strain to urinate.

The stray cat was diagnosed with Feline idiopathic cystitis or commonly known as sterile cystitis. This condition is inflammation of the bladder. The veterinarian checks the cat’s urine to determine if the urine is sterile or if it has tiny crystals or sand like particles in the urine. - See more at: http://storyofsambysusangolis.blogspot.com/2012/01/cat-health-feline-idiopathi-cystitis.html#sthash.7UPvqPNI.dpuf

The veterinarian that treated the cat said this 16 year old cat was under stress and needed to eat special diet to calm him. She recommended royal canin veterinarian diet calm cat food. Know that this food benefits cats as it will prevent urinary tract infections, hairballs and if you have multiple cat homes it keeps all the cats in harmony.

My one friend said she fed this calming food to her 7 month old kittens and the kittens stopped climbing her drapes. While the pet food sounds good, it is expensive $52. for 8.8 pounds is the asking price at my veterinarians.

I did an online search for the Royal canin veterinarian diet calm cat food and found that Chewy.com Regular price was $49.38 and then if you signed up for auto ship you got another discount. If I signed up for auto ship today the food would cost me $46.91 and then I would have to spend $3.00 more to get free shipping. The Chewy website offers the best prices on cat food and products.

We cannot afford to feed this stray cat the special diet. However we plan on buying one bag of the food. We will feed the cat so he starts to feel better and then I can rehome him. I really do not like changing a mature cats lifestyle but think finding him a forever home would be best; a home where they can afford to buy this cat the food that he needs.  

I feel bad since I have watched over this cat for the last two years, well since he was abandoned but such is the life of a cat that is left behind when their people move.  Read the first post about this stray cat to learn about his symptoms and when we realized something was wrong.   

Stray Cat Goes to Veterinarian; Cannot Urinate

There is a stray cat that is a regular at my garage shelter, he arrives at night before the door is shut and sleeps in the same bed. This cat is older and we have paid for his vaccines, however he was somebodies cat at one time because he came to us neutered. We suspect that his people moved and left him behind.

 Anyway this cat's behavior has changed and today I noticed that he was trying to urinate on the walls, I rushed to him and said no no kitty, picked him up and put him in his litter box. He tried to urinate there and I noticed that he could not. No urine was coming out and I knew that this was not a good sign.

Since this cat is old I thought maybe it was a senior cat deal, so I fed him his canned food and gave him fresh water and watched him, when he strained to urinate I then called the veterinarian. Know that when a cat cannot urinate it could due to blockage and this is a serious condition.

We rushed the kitty over to the veterinarian and when they went to exam him he did urinate all over himself, the exam table and in other words there was no blockage. The veterinarian said that they would like to keep the cat overnight to get urine in the morning, they also took the cats blood to make sure nothing else was going on.

We are not the type of people who euthanize cats because they are sick, and to make room for other stray, abandoned or feral cats. We always have a sick cat evaluated by a veterinarian and then follow their advice.

Know that if you cat shows signs of straining to urinate and or no urine or little urine is coming out then this is a red flag and you must take them to the veterinarian as there no way of knowing if there is a blockage.  

No Kill Pet Shelter Review

No kill shelters are popping up all over where I reside and to be honest I knew very little about them. I did research online to learn more about the policies and procedures at this type of an organization. When my research was completed I contacted the director of no kill pet shelter in the 4-state area where I reside.

Best to find adopters for cats, but if no adopters are available are No kill shelters the right choice?

I informed the director of this no kill animal facility that I oversaw a private cat rescue group that trapped feral, stray and abandoned cats for veterinarian care and then if we rehabilitate the cats to be people friendly before seeking adopters for the cats.  I informed her that we were left with four cats that were not adopted due to their age (mature cats). I inquired about the policies and procedures for the no kill shelter for surrendering a cat.

I let the director know that all cats were current with vaccines, they were sterilized and along with revolution application all cats had microchip.   Each cat costs us $149. for their medical needs.  All of the upfront expense had been taken care of.  I expected a $50 surrender fee for processing of paperwork.  To my surprise the director of the no kill shelter told me that  my upfront costs per each cat surrendered to the shelter would be approximately $275. (this is an in take fee)

Additionally I must provide each animal with their own cage, cat bed, cats toys and current medial records, all cats must have heartworm and flea preventive and they must be bathed, groomed and have collar with rabies tag and pet identification tag and copy of current medical records.  The shelter director said that cats will feel more comfortable in their own cages and bed.

After the surrender costs I would then have to pay  a monthly pet maintenance to cover food, heartworm medication as well as service fee for the workers to care for my pet until the cat is adopted.  

I asked if there was a fee for the adoption of my cats and she responded that there was a $60.00 placement fee for all pets adopted at the no kill shelter.  So I needed to pay a surrender fee of $275. per cat, plus monthly fees on average $40 to $60 to maintain the health and well being of my cat until they were adopted and then the adopter had to pay a $60. fee for the processing of paperwork and the cat.   

When I asked what occurs if the pet owner skips or can no longer pay the monthly fees the response was if any money was left over they would provide for the animal.  

If you are considering a facility like this I would recommend that you ask a lot of questions and inquire about the surrender fees at the no kill pet shelter.

Learn more about no kill shelters by viewing this YouTube.com News video.

Choosing the Right Scratching Product for Cat

For the last couple of days I have been watching the rescue cats to determine their individual scratching needs. I found that they all scratch different. One of the kittens likes to lie on their back and scratch under the sofa, then the other one likes to sit in front of the sofa and scratch, the smallest kitten likes to scratch with paws stretch to an object above her head like the wood trim that goes around the doorways or my drapes. All of the kittens claws have been clipped so they have not damaged anything, but my observation was needed to determine their scratching habits.

Once I figured out my kittens scratching needs, I knew that a single sisal post was not going to entertain them and a cat that lies on back will not use the upright scratching post. I needed to shop at PETCO.com and choose the right scratching post or tree for the cats. 

I have also found quality cat trees and scratching posts at Petsmart.com and Bizrate.com and overstock.com  If shopping online pick out a tree with many stars and read the reviews.

TIPS

1. Getting the right scratching post is a way to provide the cats with entertainment for hours, tons of fun for the felines. They can scratch according to their needs and play in the carpet covered cubes.
2. Know that cat trees can be expensive but I think they are worth it because once you set up the tree the cat goes to the tree without hesitation. It is their special place where they can climb, scratch and sleep. 
3. If you buy a less expensive cat tree that is not sturdy, then I would recommend that you attach it to your wall and to the floor so that it is permanent. Make the cat tree a permanent structure that does not move around and your cat will be safe and happy. 
4. Buy a quality tree that will not fall over and may hurt your cat, especially if they are older and cannot move fast. 

Meet Houdini our Great Escape Rescued Kitten

It takes time for kittens to develop their personalities and once they do you will be able to match their personalities with a proper name.  Meet Houdini our rescue kitten that is the master at escaping from rooms, carriers and cat cages.

In the photo you view a sweet three week old kitten that we rescued with his four siblings. This kitten is dirty and is banged up, and this is how we found him.  We suspect that he and his litter mates went without food and water because they are small and do not look healthy.

We found these babies in a trash bag that was lying in the grassy area on a busy road at night. The kittens were very small and afraid but husband and I did manage to rescue all five of them.  

We keep the kittens is a safe room away from the other animals in the house and foot traffic, in this room we have all that they need including toys, beds, litter boxes, cat tree with scratching post, cat cage and feeding station. The room is 19 x 21 so the kittens have plenty of room to play. You would think the kittens would be happy in the cat room right? 

Apparently not because Houdini found a way out of the room and out he runs, past the dog and other cats, as if to say “Here I am. “

At night we put all of the kittens in a large cat cage we latch it shut but found out that no latch was going to keep Houdini in. He broke out of that cage in no time and all the kittens followed him, running through the house and playing as kittens do. 

 Last week I put Houdini in the cat carrier and then put the carrier in the car to take him to the veterinarian, no idea how he got out but he was running all over the car and I needed to stop the car and get him.  Husband and I laugh at Houdini because he is so smart. He even knows how to open the door to our bedroom and get in to visit us. 

 Houdini will make a sweet kitty for a family, as he is fun, affectionate and will make his people smile and laugh.

Cat Safety During Thunderstorm

There are two Bengal  cats that comes to visit my yard daily; these cats used to belong to a neighbor that resided two blocks away. But they moved and now their neighbor  in that area have been feeding and providing shelter for the cats,  however both cats seem to find their way to my yard daily. 

Normally when the weather is mild, the cats will lie happily in my yard and underneath my shrubs, sometimes they hid under the ornamental grass leaves.  It is all good, I love cats and do not mind the feline visitors. However  yesterday a thunderstorm was in the forecast  and the lightening and wind was to be fierce.  The sky was darkening and we cold hear the thunder in the distance.

The Bengal cats had no time to get back to their homw.   The cats were cowering under the overgrown foliage in the garden and my husband says “the cats will never make it home before the storm.

 We agreed to provide the neighborhood cats with shelter and decided to open up our garage for them.  

My husband picks up one cat and I picked up his sister and we ran through the rain to get to the garage.  We put both cats in a large cat cage.  Then I made up a bowl of water, food and put fresh litter in the box.  All of these items were added to the cage along with a cat bed that was sprayed with feliway comfort zone  behavior modifier to help to keep the Bengals calm during the storm.   

Husband covered the cat cage with a cotton blanket to comfort frightened cats.  I turned on the radio so they could listen to new age music.  We took steps to keep the cats safe during a thunderstorm.  

It poured rain for several hours but by late afternoon the dark clouds passed and the sun came out.  Husband went to the garage and opened the cat cage, he allowed the cats to exit our garage and the Bengal cats did not hesitate they went home. 

Do you provide neighborhood cats with shelter in an emergency? 
Would you bring a cat in out of the rain?

What to Do When Kitten Plays Rough with Humans

When my adorable rescue kitten turned two months old her inner beast came out and she decided to play rough with me, to the point that sleeping was impossible and I had to go for medical care for a scratch that got infected.

Okay it is totally normal for kittens to play rough at this age, but unfortunately along with their play they do not realize that they need to tuck those claws and bite something other than their person’s feet, hand, arm, leg and earlobe.

I have often thought that when the cat inner beast emerges that kitten must think their persons head is a giant mouse because the beast kitten will attack my head in the middle of the night, with a full claw pounce. She will also try to snuggle up in my hair and as a result many strands of hair is missing. (as viewed on my pillow in the morning) Know that sometimes those dagger claws will puncture the skin and let me tell you this darling kitten’s playful behavior is not fun at all.

Another thing beast kitten does is lick on my earlobe and then she will give it a bite. My kitten is not hungry, this is just a phase of kitten-hood I guess, but why bite me? She has litter mates to play rough with she does not need to bite me.  (None of the other rescue kittens behave like this, the runt of the litter has issues) 

So when my kitten gets that look in her eye and I know that she intends to play rough with me, I divert her attention by spraying her scratching post with catnip and I bring out her spot skinneeez forest creatures catnip toys, basically toys filled with catnip. These toys keep her entertained and she ignores my hands, feet and head. I have also clipped the dagger claws so that she can no longer scratch me.

Also I have crate trained all of the kittens and they go into a large cat cage at night.  This cage has allowed everyone to get a good nights sleep.  Know that playing rough (biting and scratching) is a phase that all kittens go through and soon it will pass.  But you must continue to clip the claws and divert their attention, teach kittens what is off limits. 

Learn how to clip your cats nails by viewing this YouTube.com tutorial video.

Weaning Kittens to Solid Food

Over the years I have rescued my fair share of domesticated and feral kittens and there is always one kitten that is smaller than their littermates and is not ready to move forward when it comes to being weaned to solid kitten food.

Today marks the day that the kittens in my care should all start to be weaned but the kitten I call Larry is not ready to move forward with a diet change. Larry is a black and white kitten with traditional tuxedo markings and when we rescued him he was very small, no doubt the runt of the litter.

Here is a photo of Larry when I added some kitten kibble to the KMR kitten formula. From the expression you know exactly what this kitten is thinking; “You call this food?” “Rescue person what are you trying to do to me?” 

All of the other kittens had no problem with accepting the solid food that was softened with the kitten formula, however, Larry refused to taste the food.  He played with the food by using his paw to knock the food out of his bowl.  Since he was determined to not be weaned we did make up a bowl of KMR kitten formula for him.  

Going forward I plan to add a few pieces of the dry kibble to the formula and slowly wean Larry onto the solid Blue  Healthy Growth kitten food. Know that all of the kittens are getting a bowl of the replacement milk and they will continue to get this milk until they are 3 pounds or 3 months old.  We are doing this to provide them with a strong immune system.

Author Notes:  Blue Buffalo makes the Healthy Growth kitten food and on the package, it states that you can feed three-week old kittens the food.  Know that when we took the kittens in for their veterinarian checkup at three months old the Veterinarian asked us what we fed them, he said it was excellent food and that their coat and health was due to this high-quality kitten food.  I searched for bluebuffalo.com online for this product, read about it and liked what I read so I bought the Blue kitten food at PetSmart.com.  

If you have rescued kittens then I recommend that you feed them this food because they will be very healthy, shiny coat and adopters will want a healthy and pretty kitten.

.

Shopped Tractor Supply Co for Cat Products

After getting an email today from a fellow cat caretaker I searched for Tractorsupplycom and found that there was a store on the other side of town so instead of getting into my car and driving there I did call and found that the small store in my area did offer a variety of pet supplies, including bed, outdoor shelters, cat collars, Frontline flea and tick preventative and discounted cat food.

I told the salesperson on the phone that I was a feral cat caretaker and was in the market for cat beds for my shelters and quality cat food that was high in animal protein, low carbohydrates with no soy, corn or grain and she told me that tractor supply carried their own brand that was equivalent to blue buffalo but cost less.

Then I was told that there were Wag Bag Pet beds that were comfortable and warm that were available online. These pets were .36 inches in length and 27 inches in width and were filled with polyester fiber fill that was soft and cedar. In a word perfect for our outdoor cat shelters and for the cats that spend the night in our shed.

Cat in warm bed

The phone salesperson also told me that I could shop online and have the products shipped to the store for pickup. 

 So that is exactly what I did I bought two of the Wags bag pet beds for $9.99 from their online store and then I read about the 4 health canned cat food and liked what I read; 

“ 4health™ Turkey & Salmon Cat Food contains added antioxidants, Omega fatty acids to support healthy skin and coat, no wheat, corn or soy.

Ingredients: 
Turkey, Turkey Broth, Liver, Salmon, Dried Egg Product, Brewer's Rice, Dried Potatoes, Barley, Peas, Guar Gum, Flaxseed Meal, Carrageenan, Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Dried Cranberries, Dried Blueberries, Apples, Taurine, Dried Chicory Root, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, Salt, Dried Parsley, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid.”  Quote by tractor supply Co  

This canned cat food is only available at the store.  Know that the asking price of this food was .59 cents which is unbelievable for a quality food with no wheat, corn or soy. I am not sure it this is a sale price with limited time offer. I plan to buy as many as I can.

If you have not checked out the tractorsupply.com store then I would recommend that you do so because they do have a good assortment of pet products that are priced less than petSmart.com and Walmart.com. 

Low Cost Pet Vet Clinic at Tractor Supply Co

Today I get an email from a fellow cat caretaker and they told me to check out the Tractor Supply store in our area because some stores offer veternarian clinics with discount pet vaccines as well as flea, tick and heartworm prevention.

Oh my gosh this is fantastic because it would mean I could get vaccines and treatments for a whole lot of feral and stray cats. The email that I received said that there are low-cost veterinarian clinics inside the tractor supply store and that their services provide the pet owner with 70% off the cost of yearly vaccines for dog or cat.

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I learned that no appointment was required and that a licensed veterinarian would be administering the vaccines. The only thing that I do not know is if they will accept feral and stray cats. The reason for my concern is these cats are not people friendly. 

 If these veterinarians are skilled in handling  feral and stray cats then this is a huge savings for  the caretakers that oversee the colony cats.  Learn if there is a discounted pet vet clinic in your area by checking out tractorsupply.com veterinarian services in your area. 

Best to Keep Rehomed Cats Indoors

As I general rule I think it is best to keep a rehomed cat indoors until the get comfortable with their new surroundings and their  family. I say this because if you adopt a cat that is an adult and it has lived with their family for a long time and you allow the cat to go outdoors immediately it will try to find its way back to the former home.

Know that most cats do not make it back to the former home because they become lost in their new neighborhood and some cats try to cross busy streets and put their lives at risk.

I recently adopted a neighborhood cat that had been abandoned by its family when they moved. I kept this rehomed cat indoors for about a month but it was not long enough because he got out two days ago and did run to his former home.

The little tabby cat that I adopted never forgot his former home and as soon as he was able to run outdoors he went back to the house where his people used to live, a home three blocks away and across a busy street.

This is why I say it is best to keep a rehomed cat indoors. 

Emergency Veternarian Examines Our New Cat

Recently we adopted a stray cat from our neighborhood and everything was fine the first month and then 28 hours ago he got sick and could not urinate. Both my husband and I love this little tabby cat and are so worried about him. So in the last 24 hours we have taken our newly adopted cat to the emergency pet clinic.

Know that when your cat cannot urinate, or shows signs of wanting to urinate and nothing comes out that you need to have your cat checked asap as this is a serious condition.

As soon as we arrived the vet technician took us back to the exam room and she looked him over before and talked to us about what was going on. Husband said that our cat was in the litter box several times today but could not urinate, drops coming out. Plus our cat was pacing and irritable with dog and other cats.

All red flags that somethings was wrong. The veterinarian listened to us, then read the notes from the veterinarian that saw our cat 15 hours ago and said that he is certain that our cat has crystals and that these crystals are causing him discomfort and the feeling that he has to urinate all the time.

The behavior issues are normal for this type of infection, due to the discomfort and the cat felling like he has to urinate and nothing coming out. Husband explained our concerns suspecting foul play because it our neighborhood there have been reports of other peoples cats unable to urinate after going onto a certain block in our neighborhood.

To put our mind at ease the emergency Vet suggested we take our cat to our veterinarian and leave him there so they can get urine sample. So I am going to go to bed now, 3 AM try to get some sleep before taking our new adopted tabby cat to our veterinarian tomorrow, I will leave him in there care so they can do a urinalysis and make sure his kidneys are working okay.

Our New Cat Goes to Emergency Pet Care

Fifteen hours ago we rushed our newly adopted stray cat to the emergency veternarian because he was straining to urinate but could not. They treated the cat for urinary tract infection and cystitis

Our newly adopted cat was given an antibiotic and a steroid shots, and we were told to increase his liquids which we have by feeding him canned food mixed with water several times throughout the day. The cat eats very little and is urinating no more than a teaspoon.

I have been so worried about our new cat but needed to wait for my husband to come home due to the one car situation.  My husband said to wait until the morning to take him to our veterinarian since the costs and emergency vet so expensive. I told him I did not think it was wise as cats can die from a ruptured bladder from not being able to urinate.

 My husband did not need to be convinced as he saw the poor cat straining to go to the bathroom and only a teaspoon coming out.

Presently we are on route to the animal hospital. I fear that there is blockage and the cat must be catheterized or the cat was poisoned and is in kidney failure. I am so worried because this cat was fine, symptoms showed up only after he got out of the house ran to his former home, before adopting this cat he had been abandoned when his people moved away. This is why when he got out of our house he ran to the only home he knew. 

I found him twenty minutes after he got out of our house and picked him up from the porch of his former home.  The women of the house came out and yelled at me, and told me she hated cats. I cannot help thinking that she has poisoned my newly adopted tabby cat. Of course I have no proof. Another thought is maybe this cat has been eating food with corn, soy or wheat and these ingredients are GMO danger foods.  My mind is racing this way and that, because so many of the stray cats are getting sick.

Okay we are at the emergency vets now.  We are going inside, please say a prayer that my new kitty will be okay.

Tabby Cat on the day we adopted him, December 2014

Newly Adopted Cat Cannot Urinate

Whenever a cat shows signs that they cannot urinate then you really need to pay attention to this cat health symptom. Recently we adopted a stray cat and and took him to the veterinarians for exam, neuter, vaccines and in general made sure he was okay and safe to around our cats.

This little tabby that we call Louie is one sweet cat and he quickly acclimated to his indoor surroundings. His appetite was good, he used his litter box and got along well with other cats. Then three days ago he got out of the house and took off running to the neighborhood where his people used to live.

Louis was abandoned when his people moved and this means that he wants to go back to his birth home every chance that he gets. 

I went after him and I found him, and picked him up off the porch where he was laying. As I turned to walk off the door of the house opened and a women screamed at me to put a leash on that cat that she hated cats and did not want him lying on her porch.   I tried to tell her that he was born in that house and only went back to find his people and she yelled me again and slammed the door. I took Louie home and he seemed nervous, then that night he is straining to urinate.

Was he poisoned? Did this cat hater cause my cat harm. I don't know all I know is that we rushed him to the veterinarian emergency hospital and he had a fever, and was treated for a urinary infection and idiopathic cystitis.

Know that my other cat had idiopathic cystitis and there were symptom of this illness that occurred weeks before, the symptoms did not occur immediately after the cat returns for being outdoors.  I think there was foul play and have contacted my veternarian.  If need be I will take him to the veternarian tomorrow when they open for business. 

The emergency veternarian gave Louis two shots, medication for home care, I am watching and taking care of my adopted stray cat because he is sick and suffering from an infection that has caused him to be unable to urinate.

Here is a photo of Louie in September, he was visiting us and as you can see he is healthy.  This is when the neighbors were taking care of him, but none of us could adopt him due to our cities pet laws.  We adopted him in December after my cat needed to be euthanized and I could legally take in another cat.

This next photo was taken of Louie one month ago on the day we adopted him. 

And now he cannot urinate and I am worried about our adopted cat.

Caretakers Adopt Abandoned Stray Cat

For the last two years my husband and I along with the neighbors have been caretakers to a cute five year old tabby cat that was left behind when his people moved. We all put out food and water for this cat and have opened up our heated garages by installing a cat door for the abandoned and stray cats. Along with the garage shelters many of us have bought outdoor cat shelters for these animals that were left behind by their people.

We all wanted to adopt this cute tabby cat but couldn't.

All of us were over our pet limit and could not officially adopt this cat as the pet laws are very strict where I live and if you break them you risk of having all of your pets taken away by animal control. So we all follow the rules and do our best to take care of the abandoned cats in our neighborhood.

Last winter we found this tabby abandoned stray cat outdoors when it was in the single digits. Husband picked him up and put him in a cat cage in our mud room for overnight, it was too darn cold outdoors and this cat could have gotten frostbite. So the stray cat stayed in the cat cage, that was located in our mud room, where a door closed off the rest of our house, for three days.  Then  when the snow  melted and temperatures was warmer the cat went outdoors again.

The cat went back to his routine and all of the neighborhood watched out for him. Then in September of 2014 I had to put down three of my cats due to cancer and diabetes. Then in December we adopted this stray cat and got him neutered, vaccinated and provided him with flea and parasite treatment.

He came indoors to live with us and while he seems to like it, he does miss going outdoors. For the next three months we intend to keep him indoors so he knows that we are his people and he has a home . 

We would like to let him go outdoors to play in our yard.  But we fear that he will run to the home where he was born to look for his former people, they are not there and the “new family” could care less about the former cat who lived in the house. So it is best that the abandoned stray cat relate to us as his new family.