Impossible Cat

[susieqz]

good to know.
her scat looks normal n i sure can't see any fleas.
she is now the picture of health, on her diet of friskies n game.
i think forcing cats to eat canned food is not good.
i can see she really enjoys the crunch.
i gave her raw chicken skin. she ate it, but prefers friskies.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

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Here's a short, straightforward overview of Toxoplasma gondii:

Toxoplasmosis | Pets & Parasites: The Pet Owner's Parasite Resource
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[susieqz]

that is scary stuff.
altho i don't intend to eat cat droppings, i do handle her.
no way will i stop her from hunting.
that would be cruel.
i think people have to spend a fortune on cat toys is because the cats are bored out of their minds.
i think they need to hunt, even when fed by us.
i have too much respect for her to try to change her into something she isn't.
she's my little killer n i love her for it.

 

[LeiLana80]

what is the name of the parasite that can trasnfer to humans?

4 of our 5 cats came from the local Humane Society... and one of them wound up had some form of "giardia", an internal parasite. They missed it the first time at the shelter, and then they missed it during a routine test at the vet a week later. Had to take him in a third time- with his ridiculously stinky stool- and have them run a special extensive test to find it. When the vet called to tell me, they said that we were going to have to wash and disinfect every single surface in the home, and wash all soft blankets, carpets, anything he touched. Apparently it's a quite hardly little parasite, and it is transferable to humans.
Luckily we didn't have any trouble after his few weeks of medicine and a massive house cleaning (that wasn't fun; but we have kids and it's better to be safe than sorry).

My parents had a similar thing happen with a stray cat- he wound up being on about 4 rounds of antibiotics before he was finally cleared out. And it did spread to the other cats.

Anyway, yes, I'm sure she'll tell you when she wants to go out. Scratching, meowing, or pacing around the door. She may panic the first few times being indoors, especially if you close the door, so be aware of that and ready to let her right back out so she doesn't feel trapped.

Although, all cats like to just have the option anyway... hahaha

 

[LeiLana80]

i think people have to spend a fortune on cat toys is because the cats are bored out of their minds.

There is a lot of truth in that, especially for indoor cats! Although mine prefer cheap pipe cleaners and milk tab rings over any other cat toy (other than cat nip, of course!).

 

[susieqz]

um, i still need to know.
if i see no fleas, does that mean there are no fleas?

 

[msaimee]

I have never heard of a parasite that a cat can transfer to a human. Pregnant women should not handle cat litter boxes because there is a very slight chance of getting toxoplasmosis, which is a rare infection. If you are taking Kitty to the vet soon, they can prescribe a dewormer. You can also get a dewormer online called Drontal, without a prescription. I can message you the website for that, I have ordered that for my feral cats in the past. It is effective for most parasites. Cats who are seriously affected by parasites are usually very thin and constantly hungry despite eating. If your cat looks healthy, even if she has parasites, they are not interfering with her greatly. You can treat her fleas by drizzling Frontline Plus on her behind the shoulder blades while she is eating her favorite food. You can get that from a vet's office without a prescription, but it is cheaper to purchase on eBay or Amazon, especially in multipacks. It is a once in month treatment. I would recommend getting a regular litter box and mixing it with some of the litter she is used to using outside. Put it inside your house -- she may want to stay inside when the weather gets bad. Some cats ask to be let out to go to the bathroom, some cats do not. But if you want her to become an indoor cat, I would suggest getting the litter box as well as some toys and a food and water bowl and set them up inside your house. That way she has the option to not leave when she comes inside. Has she been spayed yet? You will want to do that soon before she gets pregnant. When you do get her to the vet for the surgery, that will be a good time to keep her inside for 3 or 4 days for the recovery period. That will be a good time for you to see how she could adjust to life indoors. Even if you do not see fleas or ticks, she will likely have them. If you have a flea comb and she allows you to comb her, you could groom her and sometimes you can tell if there are fleas. But if she is going to be an indoor and outdoor cat, during the warmer months especially you will want to apply a monthly dose of Frontline Plus. I order mine on Amazon, it is by far the least expensive. You will want to do this before having her settled into your home.

Also, please please please don't shoot the bunnies. There are other methods to keep them out of your garden. I can ask one of my friends about how she solved that problem. I know she didn't shoot them

 

[maggiedemi]

I never saw the worms in my cats' poop until I gave them the Drontal de-wormer. The worms come out in the poop after the medicine kills them. Look on your cat's chin, do you see any black stuff? That could be flea dirt. I'm sure she has fleas if she lives outside, and probably worms from the fleas and mice.

 

[orange&white]

Fleas and worms would be common in ferals, but there are very, very few diseases which are transmittable from cats to other species (at least that aren't fairly easily treatable). leilana was unlucky to be in that tiny percentile of probability. The main thing you here about is warnings to pregnant women over toxoplasmosis from scooping the litter box.

You can treat her with Panacur in her food for 3 days for worms and use a spot-on for fleas. Just be careful not to use a "cheapie" spot-on...some of the OTC products are actually toxic to cats.

 

[susieqz]

amazon has canine panacur,
will that work?
i can't take her to the vet.
no traps, no cages, no force.
i would love a litter.

 

[orange&white]

Panacur on Amazon works.

Are you going to bring her indoors during the pregnancy, hand-feed any kittens that get rejected, keep kittens 10-12 weeks, get them wormed and vet care, and find them homes? You need to think that through if you want her to have a litter. Over 60% of the feral kittens born in my neighbor get killed or die before they are 6 months old due to lack of human care.

 

[susieqz]

thanks for the info on panacur.
i consider the odds of a male getting here during her breeding lifetime to be so low as to be negligable
in any event, i am on no mission to reduce the number of ferals in the world.
my only objective is to keep this animal alive.
she is not required to be a pet or house cat.
she is her own person.

 

[maggiedemi]

One pregnant female cat can turn into 40 cats in just a few years. That happened to an elderly couple that lives near me, they started feeding one pregnant stray. Once it reached 40 cats and they were destroying the yard, animal control came and took them all and put them to sleep.

 

[Willowy]

Yes, if a male happens to find his way there, or she goes to find a male, she could have 2-3 litters a year. If you want 1 litter that's one matter, but very few people want 3 litters in a year! That's a lot of cats. So be careful. If you don't want to spay her (which is healthier as it prevents reproductive diseases), you might look into getting some megastrol acetate (google for more info) to put in her food. If it really is that hard for cats to find their way to your place, maybe it won't come up. . .but cats are amazing and will go to any length to reproduce. Just something to be aware of if she is female. Have you taken a look around back? Usually toms are the wanderers so chances are higher that this kitty is male.

For de-wormer, I'd recommend some Safeguard for goats. It's the same stuff as liquid Panacur sold for dogs but is cheaper and easier to get. Look up the Merck Vet Manual for proper dosage. Liquid pyrantel pamoate sold for horses will work, too, but Safeguard kills more kinds of worms so I prefer that.

 

[orange&white]

One mile = the distance a tom can detect a female in heat...

How Far Away Can a Tom Cat Smell a Cat in Heat?

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I have never heard of a parasite that a cat can transfer to a human. Pregnant women should not handle cat litter boxes because there is a very slight chance of getting toxoplasmosis, which is a rare infection.

msaimee - Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii.
.

 

[susieqz]

i doubt that a male cat will ever get within a mile of here.
i'm that isolated.
guys, i know people here love tnr.
but please accept other views.
if a community starts thinking about killing ferals, it's a great idea.
but on the plains, cats are rare n highly valued.
all ranchers keep feed which draws vermin.
i know of no one that wouldn't want half a dozen barn cats.
i could place 40 cats in 5 minutes, with one phone call, because word gets around.
when i brot 6 barn cats up from western ny, they were gone in a day, n complete strangers were calling me for weeks thereafter.
due to high predation by coyotes, hawks n owls, there are never enow cats to go around.

if a male got here, i would consider his genes as worthwhile to preserve.

in any event, no traps or cages for drifter.

 

[kittylove14]

i doubt that a male cat will ever get within a mile of here.
i'm that isolated.
guys, i know people here love tnr.
but please accept other views.
if a community starts thinking about killing ferals, it's a great idea.
but on the plains, cats are rare n highly valued.
all ranchers keep feed which draws vermin.
i know of no one that wouldn't want half a dozen barn cats.
i could place 40 cats in 5 minutes, with one phone call, because word gets around.
when i brot 6 barn cats up from western ny, they were gone in a day, n complete strangers were calling me for weeks thereafter.
due to high predation by coyotes, hawks n owls, there are never enow cats to go around.

if a male got here, i would consider his genes as worthwhile to preserve.

in any event, no traps or cages for drifter.

Please grab more! We have such a problem in this area!!! No one around here seems to want "barn cats" :-(

 

[msaimee]

You will know if and when to get her spayed. That may come later, when you can easily handle her and she spends at least half her time inside of your home. But I can say from experience that cats who are spayed are much more content because they are not constantly going through heat and pregnancy cycles, which can be very stressful for a cat. My neighbor decided not to spay the last stray she took inside her home, but her Kitty yowled and was restless much of the time, but settled down after the spay. Cats are happier when they are not controlled by their hormonal drives, which causes them to wander and fight, and which exposes them to diseases. I also understand that there is an exception to every rule. I had one. He was a feral Tom named Muffin who I cared for for 4 and 1/2 years. He was trap savvy and I was not able to trap him to get him neutered. When I finally was able to catch him, he was in advanced feline AIDS and had to be euthanized. Over the years I cared for him, he brought my neighbors and I several of his offspring to feed. We did trap and neuter and spay six of them. Instead of releasing them, we socialized them and adopted them. It took a lot of time and energy and money, and I doubt we could ever do something like that again. But he was the one exception to the rule for me. I trust you will know and how to care for Soot and will do the right thing.

 

[orange&white]

i doubt that a male cat will ever get within a mile of here.
i'm that isolated.
guys, i know people here love tnr.
but please accept other views.
if a community starts thinking about killing ferals, it's a great idea.
but on the plains, cats are rare n highly valued.
all ranchers keep feed which draws vermin.
i know of no one that wouldn't want half a dozen barn cats.
i could place 40 cats in 5 minutes, with one phone call, because word gets around.
when i brot 6 barn cats up from western ny, they were gone in a day, n complete strangers were calling me for weeks thereafter.
due to high predation by coyotes, hawks n owls, there are never enow cats to go around.

if a male got here, i would consider his genes as worthwhile to preserve.

in any event, no traps or cages for drifter.

Some of us could ship you a couple dozen cartons full of cats if you have homes for them.