Foo - People can be so mean (cat rant)

I have a soft heart for animals in trouble. :( And these people who drop off animals expecting them to forage on their own is awful - they breed, make more homeless animals, they die - most never knowing a friendly hand.

Meet kittycat. He's been hanging around ever since he was a kitten - nearly a year ago. And in that year he was victim of some animal (think opossum as I saw it out back just about that time) that went thru here and bit three outside cats - two in the paw and another on the side of his face - all of them got huge infections. This little cat's paw never quite healed right (I fed them some antibiotics that were for my cat that he didn't need). This little cat too looks like he wants to come in - gets to the inside steps and then runs out again. Can't catch him.

Then about a month ago he ran by me and his back leg was clearly broken as it just dangled. He was clean too - we suspect some kids, excuse me, young adults around here did it as they will kick at the homeless animals - cops were here this past Summer looking for three guys (who live around the corner) who were reportedly kicking a puppy.

So I talked with the roommate and so we concentrated our efforts to try and grab the cat and take him to the humane society to be put down - poor thing had a hard time on 3-1/2 legs - now take another totally away.

We couldn't catch him and then the weather really got cold and snowy and we didn't see him anymore. Thought he was dead and lo and behold - he shows up (he sits in the hedge and mews at me) - and it looks like his leg is mending - although the bone is not set right - he's walking, but not running. So I'm back to feeding him. Have to stand guard as he's a little timid thing and the other 3 homeless male cats take over the food bowl.

So I feed him last night and he didn't disappear under the neighbor's back porch as usual (think another cat has taken the spot) and so he just sat on the ledge. I look out a couple hours later and he's still there - so I went back out - fed him some more (mmmm nummy - nuked canned cat food) and took an old sweatshirt out and put it on his ledge - he's probably getting some warmth from the house too. And I was surprised when I looked out this morning and he's curled up in it. It was in the single digits last night :( - only 14F right now.

Taking another sweatshirt out tonight and some more nuked food. I don't know what to do with him - we have 4 cats in the house now - and roommate (and owner) wants to get rid of two of them as it is. And we can't catch him so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

http://img33.picoodle.com/img/img33/3/1/21/f_delete035m_dabd861.jpg

I hear ya Tude.....that kind of stuff just ticks me off. I hate when I hear stories about people treating animals so badly. I almost went ballistic when I heard about a guy about 30 miles away who wouldn't bring his dog in overnight in freezing temps, then decided to take a vacation (he and his wife) for 2 weeks and just left the dog tied up in the back yard with nobody to feed him, no shelter, etc....

I would have driven down there myself if the person who noticed (online friend, it was in her neighborhood) hadn't taken the dog in herself.

How can people have so little compassion?

You might be surprised as to the ability of a cat to heal. When I was in HS, our cat got hit by a car (or so the vet surmised), and broke one of his thigh bones completely in half. It had already started healing when my mom found him, but the broken ends of the bone were not together. The vet said that he'd be lucky to get 10% usage of the leg back, and that he should remain an indoor-only cat.

Within 2 years, I couldn't tell you which leg was broken. The bone had completely healed, and he was running round normally. We'd let him outside, where he'd take down rabbits and squirrels.

poor kitty. Tude, you're doing a good thing.

Tude, you're awesome.

One of my neighbors had a good idea.

Cut a hole in the side, off the ground, of one of those plastic storage type containers.

Face it toward the building, with enough room to get into it, and fill it with old rags.

An outside cat heaven, with a food bowl close by.

We've had several feral cats for a few years now, and they are tolerant of us.

I love what you are doing and trying to do, but hate...really hate...hearing and witnessing and living stories like this. Funny, I really don't give a crap about adult humans, but show me a hurt animal and I turn into a sniveling wussy.

One of my neighbors had a good idea.

Cut a hole in the side, off the ground, of one of those plastic storage type containers.

Face it toward the building, with enough room to get into it, and fill it with old rags.

An outside cat heaven, with a food bowl close by.

We've had several feral cats for a few years now, and they are tolerant of us.


Huh - I may try that.

When we tore down the garage - we left the top part back there but it doesn't seem like anything is in it - plus it's out of the way - and these outdoor cats follow the same routes, using the same foot prints and none of the routes goes back there. Will try something else though. Thanks!!

I love what you are doing and trying to do, but hate...really hate...hearing and witnessing and living stories like this. Funny, I really don't give a crap about adult humans, but show me a hurt animal and I turn into a sniveling wussy.
Turn into? :p


I'm with you on the emotion though. If you don't like cats, that's entirely cool, but there is no reason at all to be abusive to them, or to think it's funny if your dog chases cats. If your dog kills a cat, just think about if it was your little girl's kitty and how she'd feel.

Funny, I really don't give a crap about adult humans, but show me a hurt animal and I turn into a sniveling wussy.
Same here. I like animals much better than people.

Luckily, cats are surprisingly tough, like most animals. But that doesn't excuse outright abuse by any means. Kicking a cat is bad, but at least cats are very limber and can get away very quickly. A puppy, not so much. I'd love to have a go at someone who would do that.

those young adults must be suffering from psychosis... they need to be put down.

awww, Tude. i love kittehs. i have let the neighbors kitteh stay inside with us the past few nights...i'm not leaving the poor thing outside in single/teen weather. fortunately, my kitteh doesn't seem to mind the other kitty. she'll be staying in tonight as well, if she comes to the door asking to be let in.

Thanks for helping kitteh Tude. Another Foof who goes beserk on animal abusers.:mad:

Growing up, one of the best cats we ever had was a wild cat that we captured and fed. I see these stories and just wish that we could wave a magic wand and POOF the abusers to switch places with the animals they just abused.

Tude - you're doing a good thing.

Growing up, one of the best cats we ever had was a wild cat that we captured and fed. I see these stories and just wish that we could wave a magic wand and POOF the abusers to switch places with the animals they just abused.

Tude - you're doing a good thing.

That makes me think, if one had some sort of magic power to suddenly make an animal several times its original size, how entertaining would it be to see some prick kicking a cat suddenly faced with an 800 pound tabby. :lol:

We had a big orange tomcat who hung around for years. He'd come inside occasionally, but he never wanted to stay. He'd hang around the backyard just grooving on the scene. I named him Larry. He'd tolerate being pet a few times, but preferred to be left alone. My wife loved him & understood Larry. He liked her and came to visit more when she moved in.

One day we found him with a badly broken & infected leg. Around the same time, other cats were disappearing or geting hurt. Poor Larry was so far gone he didn't protest when I picked him up & bundled him off to the vet. Larry had to be put down. He was a harmless animal, never fought my cats, never hurt anyone. I wish I knew who or what was responsible.

We found two kittens he had fathered. One is now my sister's cat, the other has a nicer home than I live in. Just wish Larry had been neutered. He was someone's pet who had been abandoned.

those young adults must be suffering from psychosis... they need to be put down.

dont tempt me. :mad:

Lady Tude,talk to your vet and see if there is something you can slip into the little fellow's food and sedate him enough to be able to catch him and take him to the vet for treatment

Do you have a local cat shelter? They should be able to lend a humane trap and then take it in for a vet visit? If he's feral, at least they can vaccinate, spay and release.

I love what you are doing and trying to do, but hate...really hate...hearing and witnessing and living stories like this. Funny, I really don't give a crap about adult humans, but show me a hurt animal and I turn into a sniveling wussy.
I'm with you on the emotion though. If you don't like cats, that's entirely cool, but there is no reason at all to be abusive to them, or to think it's funny if your dog chases cats. If your dog kills a cat, just think about if it was your little girl's kitty and how she'd feel.

Agreed to both. Makes me sick to hear about such things. It makes me want to enact some serious eye-for-an-eye action on the people who commit such assholishness. It took every ounce of restraint I had to not do so one time after witnessing some ass in a parking lot trying his best to run over a stray cat with his Jeep.

One of the last times I watched the news, several years ago, they showed security camera footage of some ****head repeatedly sic'ing his dog on a kidnapped cat, then running over the cat with his car and driving off. If I didn't already hate humanity, that would have certainly sealed the deal.

What the living **** is wrong with people? (I ask, rhetorically.)

That all said, it does make me feel better that there are people out there like you, Tude. :beer:

Heres something I slapped together for a few cats (ferrel) that were born in a makeshift cat house in my yard last winter, the mom disaapeared one day just about two months ago and I havnt seen her since, but the three remaining kittens still live in the new and improved yard "Kitty Condo" I just made, along with another guy that just showed up two weeks ago (the guy in the pic.) He (the new guy) had worms and both eyes were badly infected, so I fixed him up with a dewormer and antibiotics. So far he seems to be right as rian! 'cept maybe for the matted coat, he was barely able to meow and didnt want to eat :( but he has gotten up to one can of food a day and he now runs out meowing as load as he can when its feeding time! I named him "Smush" because his little face looks smushed in :D The cat house (which is painted black and barely visable) is made out of a 45 gallon plastic drum and is heated inside with a ceramic heating disc :thumb: lots of comfy old towels keeps them nice and warm during this cold Philly winter :thumb: Dont try the ceramic heating disc unless you know what your doing! Those things can cause a fire EASILY if you dont know how to use them! I admit that its not the prettiest thing to look at, but it works for them.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/cathouse006.jpg
This ^^^ is a s 5 gallon bucket that I made water proof and placed a small piece of carpet in so they can have a place to be alone if they want.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/cathouse005.jpg
another view of the above mentioned bucket. ^^^
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/cathouse004.jpg
you can just barely make out the black 55 G plastic drum sitting side ways on a stand. ^^^
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/cathouse003.jpg
Smush ^^^
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/cathouse002.jpg
That blueish thing on top of the BBQ and stools is a plastic table I layed across everything to help keep the snow from around the area. ^^^
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/cathouse001.jpg
The light reflection on the drum is a 100 watt heat bulb outside the entrance, keeps the area just outside the cat house warm.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/cathouse001.jpg

Why does this tank look like it has intestines?

Thats "Great Stuff" foam, I used it to attach the drum to the stand, I also used it to patch large holes (handles) that were in the plastic drum :thumb:

On cat shelters Styrofoam coolers with a hole cut out work really well too.

On cat shelters Styrofoam coolers with a hole cut out work really well too.

Told ya! :D ;)

Told ya! :D ;)

Here are my outside guys eating breakfast this morning :love:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/outsidecats004.jpg
"Thing one" and "Thing two" and "Promo face" sticking her tongue out at me. ^^^
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/outsidecats003.jpg
"Smush" ^^^ vvv
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/outsidecats002.jpg
and another of the Three Stooges vvvv
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/outsidecats001.jpg

:eek:

My GOODNESS the long haired one is scary!!! There's another cat outside that has longish hair and it looks like the spawn of satan as it's a dark cat - and he has a log of orange hair on the face and it seems to stand straight out --- think it's got mange too as it seems to have this "poodle" tail where he's got a huge tuft of fur on the end and not too much in the middle.

I haven't seen the orange cat since last week. He started buddying up with another black cat - who I haven't seen as well so I think they're hunkered down in another place for the moment. Of course now I have a 25 can WALL of cat food in my puny closet ...

I am fortunate to have a home where I have a spare room, and I have adopted two ferals and brought them in.

I have adapted a french door with chicken wire, and set aside my spare bedroom as their home, and just moved them up from their make-shift home in the basement where I have been caring for them. They have grown in the several months since I have caught them, but I don't have a more recent picture yet.

They are close enough to the same age and size, that I think they are sisters.

I am in the midst of trying to trap two others who I had seen with them before I trapped them, now that I have completed the room. But one I haven't seen for quite a while, and the other I haven't seen signs of for a few days, even though I do have my back patio set up with shelter, water and food (although I remove the food when I am trying to trap them)... I am afraid that I may be too late, since I have had the traps set for 3 days without any results.

I will probably never be able to handle Daisy and Hazel without a blanket to control them, but I can keep them safe, warm, fed and get them regular medical care. In fact Hazel's uterus was badly infected when she was spayed, and she would be dead by now if I hadn't trapped them.

Hazel and Daisy will probably be allowed to roam the house once they acclimate to their room, but I need them to feel that the room is their safe place, so that when I do need to handle them, they have a safe place they will retreat to, so that I can handle them...

But, I write this not to toot my own horn, because there are many that do more than I do... but, for background to say that I really appreciate when people help kitties!!! Thanks Tude, and others!!! I didn't pay attention enough to help kitties until pretty recently myself... it is nice to see others doing their part.

Yeah I hear you on the cat food thing :twitchy: I buy it by the try! at least two per week! :eek: The long haired guy was even scarier when he first showed up! He had way more matting in his fur and had a very bad infection in his eyes :( as soon as it warms up I plan on shaving him down and keeping him inside for a bit, see how he does, then if all goes well Ill offer him up for adoption :thumb: The other three DO NOT like people! 'cept me :D

I am fortunate to have a home where I have a spare room, and I have adopted two ferals and brought them in.

I have adapted a french door with chicken wire, and set aside my spare bedroom as their home, and just moved them up from their make-shift home in the basement where I have been caring for them. They have grown in the several months since I have caught them, but I don't have a more recent picture yet.

They are close enough to the same age and size, that I think they are sisters.

I am in the midst of trying to trap two others who I had seen with them before I trapped them, now that I have completed the room. But one I haven't seen for quite a while, and the other I haven't seen signs of for a few days, even though I do have my back patio set up with shelter, water and food (although I remove the food when I am trying to trap them)... I am afraid that I may be too late, since I have had the traps set for 3 days without any results.

I will probably never be able to handle Daisy and Hazel without a blanket to control them, but I can keep them safe, warm, fed and get them regular medical care. In fact Hazel's uterus was badly infected when she was spayed, and she would be dead by now if I hadn't trapped them.

Hazel and Daisy will probably be allowed to roam the house once they acclimate to their room, but I need them to feel that the room is their safe place, so that when I do need to handle them, they have a safe place they will retreat to, so that I can handle them...

But, I write this not to toot my own horn, because there are many that do more than I do... but, for background to say that I really appreciate when people help kitties!!! Thanks Tude, and others!!! I didn't pay attention enough to help kitties until pretty recently myself... it is nice to see others doing their part.

Dude that is awesome! youve got all these cozy little hiding places for them! a few awesome cat trees! and that room is way big enough for them! Props to you my friend! :thumb: I wish I had a spare room :(

That's a nice cat tree Darwin! My guy and the other three (all rescue kittys, except for the kitten) would have a ball with that!

That's a nice cat tree Darwin! My guy and the other three (all rescue kittys, except for the kitten) would have a ball with that!

I actually have three of them... Two in the feral room and one in my living room. They are from Petco, and come in either the Birch that I buy, or a dark color (I think they call it Espresso). They are nice because they aren't the typical carpet wrapped towers that you get at most places. I haven't seen it online the last couple of times I have searched, so I don't know if they are discontinuing it... although I just bought my third one a month ago in the local store.

There is another one I have seen online that I may like a little more (except not quite as much sisal for sharpening the claws) called the Lotus Tower available at several places, but here is one:

http://www.catsplay.com/rflotus.php3

I too get totally disgusted by humankind's treatment of our fellow travelers. How we care for the animals we share this planet with says a lot about our collective and individual character. Like the old saying goes: "I want to be the person my [insert pet here] thinks I am." Should be a daily mantra...

Very neat cat places, Darwin and ILB!

That makes me think, if one had some sort of magic power to suddenly make an animal several times its original size, how entertaining would it be to see some prick kicking a cat suddenly faced with an 800 pound tabby. :lol:

That is why my cat is safe, he just runs back to his dogs.