Any cat people here?

[ssb045]

We've had a cat hang around the house now for a few months. A neighbor suggested it belonged to a couple a few doors down. I tried returning it, but the cat keeps coming back to us, specifically comes running to my wife bearing gifts.

He likes petting and follows us to the door, then runs off to a safe distance. Tonight its about 8 degrees out and it looks like the poor things got a bit of frostbite on its ears. We took him in the house and fed him. He's been great with the kids and is curled up in bed under the covers with the girls right now.

Never owning a cat before how do I know if the thing is housebroken, box trained. Any health considerations I should be weary of? Really don't want to keep the thing, but I couldn't let it freeze. I might build him a house this weekend and see if that works out.

 

[tommy_boy]

If you don't have any other cats, don't worry about its health just yet. Do get it to a vet ASAP for shots and to be spayed/neutered if necessary.

Good luck on the house idea. I've never had a cat that sleeps outside in a structure. They like to be up off the ground where they can see what's going on. Usually on a fabric surface of some sort. Like a chair or table if it has something soft on it.

Just curious: Why not keep it?

 

[Spiccato]

My grandma told me that cats steal the breath from babies. So keep that in mind...

 

[frankt8242]

I like pussy...>>>

Does THAT make me a "cat person"...???

 

[P4GTR]

Good gesture ssb. Rep points given.

Sorry I can't help about the cat questions, i'm very allergic, the safe distance I keep means I am not too knowledgeable about them.

 

[tommy_boy]

My male cat kills things for sport. Yes, that's a yard stick:

 

[ssb045]

We might keep him

If you don't have any other cats, don't worry about its health just yet. Do get it to a vet ASAP for shots and to be spayed/neutered if necessary.

Good luck on the house idea. I've never had a cat that sleeps outside in a structure. They like to be up off the ground where they can see what's going on. Usually on a fabric surface of some sort. Like a chair or table if it has something soft on it.

Just curious: Why not keep it?

Always been a dog person, couldn't stand the smell of cats. Not that dogs can't be destructive, but the scratching and spraying always aggravated me. This one seems real gentle and sweet and the kids are already in love.

My father had a stray he built a house for. It stayed in there for winter months and wandered during warm weather. The cat was huge and killed everything, including the neighbor's cats. He came running like a dog whenever my old man came home but took a long time before he would actually let him pet him.

 

[ssb045]

Wow!

My male cat kills things for sport. Yes, that's a yard stick:

You got a liscense for that?

 

[tommy_boy]

You got a liscense for that?

License, rabies tag, yeah. And he has his claws.

He's outdoors most of the time. In the winter he spends more time indoors during the day when he sleeps. He hunts at night, of course.

 

[P4GTR]

My male cat kills things for sport. Yes, that's a yard stick:

Why are you posting pics of your dog in a cat thread?

 

[trandy16]

Cats make wonderful companions. "Isabella" sits right next to me while I'm here at RWI.

I have three of them: "JJ", "Gino",and "Isabella".

Take it to the vet and have it spayed or neutered....get the proper shots for it.....if it's a male it will stop spraying once it's neutered....it will also lose it's wanderlust for the most part.

Make sure there's lots of water for him/her to drink...without enough fresh water they can develop kidney problems that are mostly fatal.

And remember that "inside" cats live eight times longer than "outside" cats....seriously.

Also...if you're going to keep him...get him "chipped" by the vet. It's a minitaure microchip with all of your information on it....if he gets lost and is turned in to the animal control or another vet, they can scan him, get your address, phone number, etc., and they will contact you.

All of our cats are "chipped".

 

[Deadbear77]

Just lost my 9 month old cat to heart disease. RIP Oliver.

 

[trandy16]

Just lost my 9 month old cat to heart disease. RIP Oliver.

I'm so sorry to hear that...they can steal your heart and become your best friend.

Your Oliver was a beauty too.

 

[tommy_boy]

Cats make wonderful companions. "Isabella" sits right next to me while I'm here at RWI.

I have three of them: "JJ", "Gino",and "Isabella".

Take it to the vet and have it spayed or neutered....get the proper shots for it.....if it's a male it will stop spraying once it's neutered....it will also lose it's wanderlust for the most part.

Make sure there's lots of water for him/her to drink...without enough fresh water they can develope kidney problems that are mostly fatal.

And remember that "inside" cats live eight times longer than "outside" cats....seriously.

+1

Get some cat litter and a suitable shallow container for it. The cat will know what to do unless it is very unusual in it's background.

 

[tommy_boy]

Just lost my 9 month old cat to heart disease. RIP Oliver.

That's sad. Sorry, man. Tabbys rock.

 

[ssb045]

Condolences

That's sad. Sorry, man. Tabbys rock.

Sorry to hear.

 

[Deadbear77]

Yes it was horrible. Almost 2,000 in vet bills and he still didn't make it. Anyone thinking of getting a new pet should really think about pet insurance. I know I will be. Needless to say my hobby is going to suffer this year.

 

[G30]

@ssb - If the kids "love" the cat, it's a lock. Keep the damn cat and go buy some Zyrtec. I'm sure you will adapt. :lol:

@Deadbear - I am sorry for your loss. My "sweet boy", Spenser, died of cancer three years ago... the day after Christmas. I inherited him from an old girlfriend who moved to California to pursue her acting career. Before that, I was never really a cat person either. We were together 10 years. I was more enamored of him than most people and I miss him to this day.

He was a big guy too, a Main Coon. In his prime, about 23 pounds.

We still have our "fussy old girl", Chloe. She's a little more than 15 years now.

No matter what you do, they will find a way to your heart... sneaky little bastards.

 

[ssb045]

NKA, cat belongs to someone else. These people down the street had about 6-7 cats hanging out on the porch and at least 3 I could see inside the front door, and had to confer with each other as to whether or not this cat belonged to them. I guess I could speak with them and work something out. This cat is sleeping on my blanket chest atm. Obviously well mannered and cared for by someone else previously, still I would love a pet for the kids.

 

[G30]