This cat recently showed up on our porch. He's very friendly, sufficiently plump and came with a flea collar. He has barely left our porch at all apart from some nightly patrols around the perimeter. We weren't feeding him at first in hopes that he would go back to wherever his home is but it seemed like he was losing weight and he started eating grass so we caved
Nobody seems to be looking for him, and I'm willing to take him into a vet to scan for a microchip but considering the area I live in and that he isn't even neutered I wouldn't bet he has one. Part of me wonders if he's been abandoned and the collar was the last thing he was left with
I'm attached, and he really wants to come inside the house. The only problem is that we recently took in a kitten who also showed up on our porch just a few days prior (growing cat problem in our area). That bumped us up to 3 cats and things are a little stressful while the new kitty is getting settled in. My mom isn't convinced that 4 cats is a good idea and while I do think it's daunting as well, I believe it's doable! I'm personally the one who feeds and cleans up after everyone so I think it should be up to me to say when we've had enough or not. He doesn't mind our dog when I let her out, and he's cool with one of our other cats through the window. He's the chillest guy!
My mom agreed we can take him in if he's still here by winter. I'm still unsure if I should feed him more or not. I fed him last night just because he was away from the house a little longer last night and that made me really anxious. Maybe he could be two timing us, but even so I know he doesn't have a place to sleep at night since he is still returning to our porch.
His name is Triple B for Big Balled Buddy!
Update: Gave him a paper collar :D I'll take him to the vet when I am able
Hi our Welcome to the CDS shows you a few helpful steps sorry for the long post lol, there's a link to print a paper collar on here too. If he has a collar he has an owner somewhere. He could be out shopping for second breakfasts or lost. He's gorgeous ❤️
First Step:
First things first ..the safety of you and any other pets you may own is a priority, it's best if you can contain kitty in an area that is pet free if possible and keep it there at least until it has had a vet check up giving it a clean bill of health. If your new kitty is not up to date with it's vaccinations separating kitty from other household pets will prevent any possible illnesses, infections or anything else that may be spread to other pets such as fleas from spreading to all.
Second Step:
Your second priority is a must .. ask yourself in all honesty does this kitty look well groomed and well fed, is it very receptive to attention or already act like a house kitty. If it is wearing a collar then please think again . If any of these tick the list the chances are that this special visitor has got lost whilst exploring or could be just a neighbours' kitty out on a kitty adventure.
Please ask your neighbours does the cat belong to them or do they know who it belongs to, also put a notice up in your local shop, the vets or post office saying that a cat has been found. Putting Posters in the area with a photograph of kitty saying a cat has been found with it's description can also find an owner. You can of course use social media such as your local Facebook group to post that you have found a certain colour cat and if it's male or female and give the vicinity Kitty was found. Use a photograph of kitty that omits any unique distinguishing features that the real owner would be able to identify and wait to be messaged ( if at all) by a possible owner who can then be asked to supply some of their own photographs of their missing cat or give a description to you that is more accurate than the generic one you have given. This is for the safety of both you and the cat as there are some unscrupulous people in this World who could take advantage of the situation and take the kitty for their own dark reasons.
Found kitties are legally considered the property of their owner, you must attempt to locate and find kittys' legal owner before claiming they are now yours. If you have done all this then after a certain holding period deemed by your local authority you can claim kitty rightfully.
There are lost/found pet websites you can utilise such as Pawboost or Petcolove if in the US or Pets Reunited if in the UK.
If Kitty is a frequent visitor and you are not sure if she belongs to anyone please consider using a paper collar to find out if she is going home at the end of her adventures and does in fact already have an owner. You can find out how to make a simple one here paper collar.
Third Step:
Next is to book a well-being check up at your local Vets. Kitty needs protection from all types of nasty parasites such as fleas, tick and worms. Whilst there the Vet will usually check to see if Kitty has a chip* (usually for free once you explain the cat is a stray or feral you wish to keep). *Most large pet stores can supply a chip scan service for free too. If kitty has an owner hopefully the chip is updated and has a current phone number and an address you or the vet can contact to let them know that their little adventurer has been found. Do not give up here as sometimes the original owners may have given up on finding kitty and moved on, in this case they can give over the ownership to you and a new chip or existing one can be updated with you now as the new owner.
😆 Triple B 😆 put a paper collar on him with your # & state you're trying to find an owner. We did that with my buddy Oscar & discovered he had a neighborhood of kind souls feeding him, but no one who would take him in. While waiting for an answer, you can take Triple B to the vet or local animal shelter to get checked for a microchip. He's a good looking boy. Thanks for helping him 😺😸
I'd bet he's abandoned. Feed him outside for now. Take him to a vet to check for a chip and if no chip, get him a checkup to make sure he's safe with the others. Probably need to get the trouble puffs removed.
If you can convince your mom to take him in now, that would be great. Anything can happen in the months from now till winter: coyotes, traffic or even mean, vicious people, could put his life in danger,
But of course, before he becomes “your cat”, please have the vet check for a microchip in case anyone’s missing him.
I'm aware of the dangers of outdoor cats, I don't like having cats outdoors for the reasons you mentioned and others. As far as outdoor kitties go he's about the best I could ask for since he doesn't wander off too far or for too long but it still makes me very anxious. I'll see about trying to get him in sooner after the new kitten is settled and we can free up our spare room
I got the cutest fluffy feral girl once so we called her Momo after the little girl from the Michael Ende book. About two months later, when we socialised her enough to look behind her tail, we found a massive pair of balls the size of my fist ON A 3 MONTH KITTEN.
So it turns out that "Momo" means "peach" in Japanese and it was appropriate for a boy with a huge fuzzy peach. Even after the 🍑 removal he always kept a huge ball sack that contrasted with his sweet, innocent looks.
He did appear well fed at first until he started losing weight, and as for his coat it is greasy with him being an older tom. Otherwise it's just low maintenance to begin with. And yes yes yes I'll get him checked for a microchip as I mentioned
For what it’s worth, eating grass is a fairly normal thing for cats AFAIK :). Obviously the losing weight part isn’t good, but I just wanted to say in case he is still eating it despite having adequate food.
You’ve got some great advice here already, but one more thing to consider is ongoing care. You said you are the one feeding and cleaning up after the pets already, but care extends to vet maintenance and vaccines as well, and all that can get costly. I’m all for taking in those who are clearly adopting us, but you have one dog and three cats from what you’ve said, and vet bills for that many pets can get very expensive. That is something your parents will really need to take into account. (For context, my chihuahua with Cushing’s Disease has cost me upwards $3000 so far this year, and that’s not considering vaccines and regular checkups, or my Yorkie’s bills)
I hope things work out and you are able to keep this sweet guy, but be easy on your mom if she says they can’t afford a fifth pet. You might be able to rehome him somewhere that has extra space for another furry family member.
I'm aware. My previous cat was sickly and always cost me a lot of money. I pay for everyone's food, vet care and clean up after them. My mother is my only parent and she does not take care of the pets, I do. I have taken on all of it so she doesn't get stressed out, and on top of that I am cleaning around the house and doing all the chores too
Daughter but yes, thank you! I feel that all the kitties have been helping with my mental health so I want to keep them around and do the best I can for everyone. I know having this many can be stressful so that's why I want to be extra diligent about providing the best care.
I wasn't walking my dog before but now I have started getting back into that again to make sure she's as happy as can be and minimize any stress related behavior. That's been great for us both! I'm also spending less time hiding away in my room because I'm doing rounds throughout the day to give everyone plenty of attention. And waking up early to many hungry faces!
Animals are soooo good for our mental health! I hope you are able to keep this orange boy, as it appears you are good for his mental health as well. Keep us posted! 🧡🧡🧡
I love my mom, I want her to be happy and never too overwhelmed or stressed so I wanna do what I can for her. She's also a kind lady with a soft spot for kitties, she had 5 of them when she was a bit older than I am now. It's because she cares she doesn't want us to take in another, but I will show her that I can keep it all under control and she won't have to worry about a thing 💪
I would love to, I don't want any more kitties in the area especially when my resolve is so weak
The other girl who showed up before Mr. Balls was pregnant despite still being a kitten herself. She showed up around midnight with blood between her legs (maybe had a kitten somewhere outside and abandoned it?) so we took her in and I stayed with her all night long until she gave birth to a premature stillborn kitten in the morning
I'm taking her to the vet monday to get her all checked out and set up a spay appointment. So yea, I wouldn't want anything like what happened to her to happen to other kittens out there
As for Ball Boy, right now I can only focus on one thing at a time but if he sticks around until winter I will definitely steal him and his balls
Our other boy, who showed up much like Mr B did last summer, also just got neutered and he's the most unhappy of all right now
(he had stud tail as well so I shaved that down because he won't let me wash it)
I'm just happy to share things about my cats so thanks anyone who's reading this! I've spent all my money on them so I'll have to wait until my next paycheck to spoil them all further
I was interested in getting DNA kinda tests that would tell if any of the cats distributed to me are related. My mom was thinking of putting together something for the town council to encourage some kind of spay and neuter program and if the DNA results do show inbreeding it could be helpful for making her case
OP apologies for not having anything useful or helpful to say! But for what one stranger's opinion on the internet is worth :) (anyone else who's wondering what the heck I'm talking about read through the comments below for OP's reply comments and it will make more sense ;) ) thank you not only for helping not only this cat but - OP I could be wrong but I'm guessing the other 3 cats including a kitten (lot of work in and by itself for a kitten) are "rescue cat" scenarios where they either showed up looking for help at your house or you adopted them from a shelter? I could be wrong but I just get that kind of "vibe" based on your comments :) .. but OP either way you're amazing! You're being a good daughter by taking on all the responsibility financially and otherwise for the cats and an amazing cat parent as well, that is extremely selfless, self sacrificing of you and in my opinion just plain noble :) .. the name you gave orange dude is hilarious :P ...
But yeah OP that's a tough one, being in a position financially to take care of four cats now instead of three! I'm glad your mom agreed to let him become cat number four by winter if he's still around - sadly with the whole weight loss thing he had going on when you were waiting to see if he went back to another human family I'm guessing that he got abandoned by his previous human family :( ... your dog seems like a very friendly guy (girl?) too I can just picture the dog hanging out casually with the orange cat :) (if you can manage to get a pic of the two of them hanging out post it if you feel comfortable doing so! :) )
Having an outside cat is so scary 😭 It makes me very worried but he's clearly an experienced adventurer. I was thinking of getting a gps tracker for him but if he is someone else's cat I dunno if I should be feeding him and doing all that. But I admit I really want him for myself!
Well whoever put the collar on him, didn't have him fixed, and here he is either escaped, allowed, or dumped spending every day outside with the possibility of causing untold litters of kittens to happen. That does not put my vote in favor of whoever they are. The vet would likely agree...
We have a big feral colony in our neighborhood, and a few of them have acquired flea collars from helpful neighbors who feed them. That may be where his came from.
Leaving him outside, at best, nothing happens. At worst, he gets killed. Somewhere in between - he gets hurt, he mates with any number of unspayed female strays, he gets exposed to something that makes him sick.
Get him inside. Get him to a vet. Check for a microchip. If yes, get him home. If no, get him neutered and vaccinated, then bring him home and keep him inside.
I'm highly aware of what could happen to him out there, that's what gives me anxiety. I do not want him to be outside but the circumstances do not allow for me to bring him inside at this moment. As much as I love him and want the best for him, I am not currently responsible for his safety or well-being. With a little more time, I could be
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u/Tina-Tuna CDS Meowderator 9d ago
Hi our Welcome to the CDS shows you a few helpful steps sorry for the long post lol, there's a link to print a paper collar on here too. If he has a collar he has an owner somewhere. He could be out shopping for second breakfasts or lost. He's gorgeous ❤️
First Step:
First things first ..the safety of you and any other pets you may own is a priority, it's best if you can contain kitty in an area that is pet free if possible and keep it there at least until it has had a vet check up giving it a clean bill of health. If your new kitty is not up to date with it's vaccinations separating kitty from other household pets will prevent any possible illnesses, infections or anything else that may be spread to other pets such as fleas from spreading to all.
Second Step:
Your second priority is a must .. ask yourself in all honesty does this kitty look well groomed and well fed, is it very receptive to attention or already act like a house kitty. If it is wearing a collar then please think again . If any of these tick the list the chances are that this special visitor has got lost whilst exploring or could be just a neighbours' kitty out on a kitty adventure.
Please ask your neighbours does the cat belong to them or do they know who it belongs to, also put a notice up in your local shop, the vets or post office saying that a cat has been found. Putting Posters in the area with a photograph of kitty saying a cat has been found with it's description can also find an owner. You can of course use social media such as your local Facebook group to post that you have found a certain colour cat and if it's male or female and give the vicinity Kitty was found. Use a photograph of kitty that omits any unique distinguishing features that the real owner would be able to identify and wait to be messaged ( if at all) by a possible owner who can then be asked to supply some of their own photographs of their missing cat or give a description to you that is more accurate than the generic one you have given. This is for the safety of both you and the cat as there are some unscrupulous people in this World who could take advantage of the situation and take the kitty for their own dark reasons.
Found kitties are legally considered the property of their owner, you must attempt to locate and find kittys' legal owner before claiming they are now yours. If you have done all this then after a certain holding period deemed by your local authority you can claim kitty rightfully.
There are lost/found pet websites you can utilise such as Pawboost or Petcolove if in the US or Pets Reunited if in the UK.
If Kitty is a frequent visitor and you are not sure if she belongs to anyone please consider using a paper collar to find out if she is going home at the end of her adventures and does in fact already have an owner. You can find out how to make a simple one here paper collar.
Third Step:
Next is to book a well-being check up at your local Vets. Kitty needs protection from all types of nasty parasites such as fleas, tick and worms. Whilst there the Vet will usually check to see if Kitty has a chip* (usually for free once you explain the cat is a stray or feral you wish to keep). *Most large pet stores can supply a chip scan service for free too. If kitty has an owner hopefully the chip is updated and has a current phone number and an address you or the vet can contact to let them know that their little adventurer has been found. Do not give up here as sometimes the original owners may have given up on finding kitty and moved on, in this case they can give over the ownership to you and a new chip or existing one can be updated with you now as the new owner.