Written by Sgolis—a devoted cat rescuer and feral colony caregiver this blog offers heartfelt advice on feline health, caregiving, and adoption. With years of hands-on experience, Sgolis and her husband help cats transition from survival to safe, loving homes. Whether you're adopting your first kitten or supporting a feral friend, you'll find trusted tips and product recommendations to guide your journey.
In April my husband and I learned that a family in our neighborhood had moved and left their 8-month-old orange tabby cat at the house. At first, we thought maybe the cat was outdoors and that they would come back for the cat so we located the house and watched for the cat. The cat returned in the early evening and sat by the front door. The cat sat and waited for somebody to let it in, we observed the cat sleeping on the porch by the front door. We fed him and gave him water. His people never returned. They had moved and abandoned their cat.
Cats rarely come to strangers, so coaxing the cat to us with food was not going to happen. We tried to catch this young tabby cat for the next two weeks. We set up a humane live animal trap and caught other cats but not the cat that we wanted. We left food and water for the cat and saw that the food was eaten.
We eventually rescued this cat but it was only because he had gotten into a horrific fight and sustained many injuries including deep puncture wounds. My husband was able to pick him up easily and we rushed him to the veterinarian where they stitched him up, gave him a shot of antibiotics, neutered him and administered full vaccines.
I have no idea why the veterinarian did not call us and tell us that this cat had an incurable disease that occurs when an infected cat bites another cat and inflicts a deep puncture wound. The virus needs to be transmitted by blood contact to infect another cat. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus is a cat disease and is not transferable to humans or other animals.
For the past several weeks we have been caring for an injured cat. A cat with bite wounds all over his body, a ruptured eardrum and bad scratches close to his eyes. His bite wounds will heal, however, we are not sure if he will regain his hearing.
We will continue to care for this cat and have a follow-up appointment with the veterinarian in June. Hoping that we will be able to find him a forever home. It is not easy when a cat has FIV with a disability not many people will adopt a cat that has a special need.
Do you adopt cats with a disability, disease or special needs?
We rescued one of our TNR cats because he was injured, limping due to a large wound on his leg. A humane animal trap had to be used to catch this cat and while the kitty was in the trap I contacted my neighbor and she said she would call her veterinarian. The cat was rushed to the veterinarian for medical care.
Photo of Sylvester the cat.
Sylvester the cat was at the veterinarian hospital for a week and is now recovering in my heated garage for the next ten days. You would not know that there was a cat in this garage because it is hiding behind boxes. Occasionally there is a meow but other than that no cat can be seen.
I stayed in the garage for an hour to set up the insulated cat house with new self-heated bed, then added an elevated chair with a cat bed that was directly under the heat lamp. I also filled a litter pan with feline pine and set up a feeding station with dry cat kibble and a fresh bowl of water. When all my tasks were completed I turned to face where the cat was hiding and found that he came out and was sitting behind me. He showed no aggression and this is a good sign.
No medication needs to be administered only rest until wounds heal. We thought two weeks but have changed our minds due to the coyote in our neighborhood and decided it would be best to socialize the cat to be more friendly with humans so we could put him up for adoption.
My neighbor who helps me with the neighborhood cats told me that if I could socialize him then she would take him. Hoping that there is a happy ending for this rescued cat.
In
every community in the world there are groups of women who oversee feral cat
colonies, rescue abandoned and injured cats and provide their community with
civil service.
The cat lady comes in all
shapes and sizes, they are young and they are old however they all are the same
because they love cats.
A cat lady has
a huge heart when it comes to taking care of cats. She may provide cats with a
loving home or she may be the neighborhood trapper that takes the feral and
stray cats in for spay or neuter and all of their vaccines. The crazy cat lady may work alone or with other volunteers and they watch out for the cats, feed them twice a day, give them fresh water and shelter from the heat and cold.
The neighborhood cat lady is doing their
community a world of good. So when it comes
time to give the loving cat lady a gift, consider gifts that were designed
especially for her.
There are a
variety of cat lady gifts that are humorous however if your friend is more
serious then give this type of lady a coffee mug, board game,T-shirt or home accessories that will
work well with their lifestyle.
Here are a few Crazy Cat lady gifts that I found at zazzle.com. I think the graphic designs are adorable. Click the product image to view at the zazzle website and to check for product sales or specials. Enjoy!
I am a feral
cat colony
caregiver and rescuer and I recommend these gifts because they are fun and will make
the recipient laugh. I drink coffee every morning from my cat lady mug and it always makes me smile.
