Caring For Strays

[MsMarianne]

I live in Texas and am a cat magnet and where I currently live, there are about 5 stray and a black feral that have come to depend on me for food. My neighbor died recently, his family said they were taking his cat but it's been several months now and they have not taken him! This is how cats become strays. People leave the poor things behind. Anyway, I've become attached to several of these cats and will probably take them with me when I move, including my neighbors cat. They'll have to continue being outdoor cats because I have two indoor that aren't happy with me for letting these cats in and feeding them. Anyway, it's a huge problem for us cat lovers, when we feed them and have to move and leave them behind. I can't possibly take them all! My cat food budget is enormous and I make very little money, but, I feed them because I care, not because I have the money.

 

[orange&white]

Anyway...I'm happy you're taking the cat whose owner passed away MsMarianne , and any of the unowned strays/ferals who are living at your house for food and shelter. Kitties do seem to pick their owners more than the other way around.

 

[MsMarianne]

Anyway...I'm happy you're taking the cat whose owner passed away MsMarianne , and any of the unowned strays/ferals who are living at your house for food and shelter. Kitties do seem to pick their owners more than the other way around.

Ha, yea, I was really taken back to read that and I'm pretty sure she posted it this evening and was replying to me, if I read the timeline correctly. Man, I'm about as law abiding and honest as they get, so it really rubbed me the wrong way to feel accused of "stealing" someone else's pet. Honestly though, it burns my butt that if these cats I feed and love on, if they do have owners, that they do not care for them or take them in in inclement weather. When we had freezing temps and even snow this winter, those cats were all outside freezing their fur off. It broke my heart! I did my best to make them shelter on my back patio. Well I sure appreciate you responding and being nice to me!! :-)

 

[surya]

I think the people in here can tell you are one of the "good guys" MsMarianne. Thanks for helping the kitties!

 

[MsMarianne]

I think the people in here can tell you are one of the "good guys" MsMarianne. Thanks for helping the kitties!

Thank you so much, that means a lot to me! I have nothing but good intentions.

 

[MsMarianne]

Anyway...I'm happy you're taking the cat whose owner passed away MsMarianne , and any of the unowned strays/ferals who are living at your house for food and shelter. Kitties do seem to pick their owners more than the other way around.

I wrote a response to your nice response, but am not sure you knew it was for you, the way these comments are posted is really confusing. Anyway, thank you again for the nice words and encouragement.

 

[valentine319]

Some individuals feel an outdoor cat will take care of itself. The majority of us on this board don't feel the same. We have deeper caring and compassion. Thank you MsMarianne for caring for them.

 

[maggiedemi]

I understood what you meant, that the cat was abandoned when his owner died. Thank you for helping him. This thread got a little confusing.

 

[MsMarianne]

Speaking of lost cats, I read a while back on a cat site that if your cat goes missing, if you put their litter box outside, they can literally smell it a mile away. That is a good trick to know if yours goes missing. I was taking a walk one day and saw a flyer for a missing cat. It looked just like one of the ones I was feeding. I called the number listed on the flyer and told them I thought I had their cat and also to try the litter box trick. One day when this cat was at my house, I called this guy and he drove straight over. Sadly it was not his cat.
I've posted a picture of one of the beautiful cats I feed. He can sit outside on the patio staring at me through the kitchen window with those green eyes and I swear it burns through to my soul and I pick up such sadness in those eyes. I can't help but feel he was one of the ones left behind when his owners moved. I've taken him to the vet and he's a neutered male too, so someone had him at some point. The second picture is the cat left behind by my deceased neighbors family.

 

[maggiedemi]

Beautiful kitties. Do they let you pet them?

 

[MsMarianne]

Beautiful kitties. Do they let you pet them?

Yes they do! They both seem starved for affection, so I purr and pet them. :-) The first one I call Fluffers because he's well, really fluffy, the other one is Scotch. These are the two I would take with me if I move, so long as Scotch's owners will allow me to which they should. When Scotch's owner died the family promised they would take him and I even loaned them one of my cat carriers. The next day I saw the cat carrier outside and Scotch was on my back patio which told me they had no intention of taking him and this was back in December. Some of my friends think that the family isn't responsible for him, it wasn't their cat. Well it belonged to their father so I think they have every responsibility to take him or find another home for him; not just leave him to fend for himself.