Found stray cat in parking lot

scoutandmaxine

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I found a stray cat in a gym parking lot a few days ago. At first he was too scared to be approached so I just left him a couple cans of food and went home. I went back the next day with more food and he came to me so after he ate I was able to scoop him up and put him in the car. He was very scared at first but after about 10 minutes he calmed right down and even fell asleep for a bit. No vets were available to see him and I drove around all over calling shelters, hoping to get him some help. One vet was able to run out and scan for a chip and said he didn't have one. Hes also not neutered. I can't guess his age but his teeth look okay. He is completely skin and bone. Its hard to pet him because its so sad. But he loves to be pet and is extremely affectionate. I've posted his info and photo on multiple websites including petfbi. Finally got a call from the humane society and they can't get him in to be checked and vaccinated until next week. So for now, he's been living on my deck. I have a cage with blankets but I don't close it so he's free to go if he wants, but he doesn't go anywhere. He's been eating canned kitten food and I haven't really noticed any injuries or sickness other than being malnourished and constantly exhausted. I am in love with him already but I unfortunately can't keep him and can't bring him inside because of my cats. I don't want to expose my cats to anything and I won't know if or what he has until next week. So am wondering how to best keep him comfortable while he stays on my deck. Thankfully weather has been nice lately but it will get cold tonight and rain this weekend. I'm thinking of moving him to my garage once it cools down.
Anyway, any advice would be appreciated!
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StanAndAlf

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Thank you for saving this boy! It sounds like you are doing a great job already. If it is going to rain, I think moving him to your garage is a good idea. Do you have a portable fan to put in there in case it gets stuffy? Keep going with the kitten food, and would love to hear updates along the way!
 

tabbytom

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found a stray cat in a gym parking lot a few days ago.
Yes, thank you for taking in this lovely kitty :clapcat:

I agree with what S StanAndAlf mentioned. Move him into the garage would be a much safer and copier place for him. Looks like he's found you and he's staying on with you. Do not let him go and he may not have a place to go since your house is the the parking lot where he is familiar with and also you are the source of food to him.

Black cats are beautiful and he is a handsome kitty and since it's October and Halloween is just round the corner, this kitty may not enhance a chance of survival outside, if you know what I mean.

Hope that he gets a vet checked up soon and hope that you can keep him or at least foster him till a good loving home is found for him.

Keep feeding him wet food meant for kittens to beef him up as kitten food have all the nutrients and proteins that this poor kitty have left out in his diet.

Do keep us updated.
 

Jcatbird

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Please, please, move him into your garage. This is likely a dumped cat and unlikely to survive without you. I work with rescues and I know what cats like this face. If he happens to get scared away from your deck, he will not know what to do or be familiar with his surroundings. He is thin because he is not able to hunt or find enough food sources to survive. You are his life line. I have taken in hundreds of cats in my lifetime. Ferals, strays and lost or dumped cats and life outside can be very dangerous. Life span for outdoor cats is short. It can also be affected by predators, human cruelty and things like cars. I have made my bathroom a holding quarantine room for new arrivals. I have resident cats too. Isolating new cats is routine and I have never had a single illness be spread. Please bring this kitty into your garage while you have the chance. I can tell he has your heart and I know that if he vanished, it’s a very tough thing to deal with. Halloween is coming and superstitions still exist. Also there are some who use cats for ill purposes. Black cats can be targets. Horrible to say but you have saved his life and he just needs you to take it one step further. There are many of us here who will be available to help you through any adjustment periods or with any advice or to answer questions. Thank you so very much for being a kitty guardian. That makes you a kitty hero and you have my deepest gratitude. I wish there were more people like you. It would make our world a better place. :goldstar::rock::purr::redheartpump:
BTW, rescues make the most loving and grateful of kitties.
 

rubysmama

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scoutandmaxine scoutandmaxine : thank you so much for rescuing this darling kitty from the parking lot and bringing him home with you. Also thanks for taking the time to check with vets and shelters. Since he isn't neutered, and isn't chipped, it's unlikely his former owners are searching for him. But if someone does respond to your ad, be sure to ask for some identifying trait that only his owners would know, to ensure he isn't being given to someone with ill intents.

Meanwhile, I would suggest closing the kennel so he doesn't accidentally escape, and/or moving him to the garage if weather gets bad.
 
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scoutandmaxine

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Please, please, move him into your garage. This is likely a dumped cat and unlikely to survive without you. I work with rescues and I know what cats like this face. If he happens to get scared away from your deck, he will not know what to do or be familiar with his surroundings. He is thin because he is not able to hunt or find enough food sources to survive. You are his life line. I have taken in hundreds of cats in my lifetime. Ferals, strays and lost or dumped cats and life outside can be very dangerous. Life span for outdoor cats is short. It can also be affected by predators, human cruelty and things like cars. I have made my bathroom a holding quarantine room for new arrivals. I have resident cats too. Isolating new cats is routine and I have never had a single illness be spread. Please bring this kitty into your garage while you have the chance. I can tell he has your heart and I know that if he vanished, it’s a very tough thing to deal with. Halloween is coming and superstitions still exist. Also there are some who use cats for ill purposes. Black cats can be targets. Horrible to say but you have saved his life and he just needs you to take it one step further. There are many of us here who will be available to help you through any adjustment periods or with any advice or to answer questions. Thank you so very much for being a kitty guardian. That makes you a kitty hero and you have my deepest gratitude. I wish there were more people like you. It would make our world a better place. :goldstar::rock::purr::redheartpump:
BTW, rescues make the most loving and grateful of kitties.
Thank you, he definitely has my heart already and I am not willing to give him to anyone until I can get him checked by a vet first. I did get a call back from a shelter an hour away that will take any and all cats and made an appointment for the day after he gets seen by the humane society. I guess I just want to see how he is health wise before deciding where he goes. I tried moving him to the garage last night and he was very unhappy, growling and scared. So I put him back in his area on the deck. I've got deck furniture surrounding his cage so he's pretty well kept there. But I am thinking about possibly moving him to a bathroom upstairs at some point. I'm just worried about my own cats being exposed. I honestly would try to keep him but I am under mountains of vet bills with my own cat who has been suffering from allergies and an ear infection that won't resolve so it is just not a great time. I'm hoping I can get some help from the humane society at the very least.
 

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Thank you, he definitely has my heart already and I am not willing to give him to anyone until I can get him checked by a vet first. I did get a call back from a shelter an hour away that will take any and all cats and made an appointment for the day after he gets seen by the humane society. I guess I just want to see how he is health wise before deciding where he goes. I tried moving him to the garage last night and he was very unhappy, growling and scared. So I put him back in his area on the deck. I've got deck furniture surrounding his cage so he's pretty well kept there. But I am thinking about possibly moving him to a bathroom upstairs at some point. I'm just worried about my own cats being exposed. I honestly would try to keep him but I am under mountains of vet bills with my own cat who has been suffering from allergies and an ear infection that won't resolve so it is just not a great time. I'm hoping I can get some help from the humane society at the very least.
If you want to work up a profile for him with a good picture and what facts you have for him, plus contact information and location, I can share to twitter. I have over 3K followers and almost all of them are cat advocates. In the meantime, yes, please keep him safe!!!
 

fionasmom

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I have brought emergency rescues into a bathroom more than once. The only exceptions were cats who clearly had a URI and those I left outside in a large dog crate, like the one you have, but I did close it. With caution, I never had a problem with the cats or kittens in the bathroom spreading anything to any of my cats.....and I do not overvaccinate my indoor only pets.
 

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Two locations ago, before my ex and I built a modular "recuperation station" all we had was a bathroom for new cats. Never had any problems. It was a very small room but I was able to fit a litterbox and dishes in there, along with a toy or two. Frequent visits were key to making sure the new arrivals were okay. Brushing, talking to, spending laptime if they wanted, and playing with them helped. Of course, back then we could get vet appointments quickly, which we did.
 
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scoutandmaxine

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Two locations ago, before my ex and I built a modular "recuperation station" all we had was a bathroom for new cats. Never had any problems. It was a very small room but I was able to fit a litterbox and dishes in there, along with a toy or two. Frequent visits were key to making sure the new arrivals were okay. Brushing, talking to, spending laptime if they wanted, and playing with them helped. Of course, back then we could get vet appointments quickly, which we did.
Yes I think i will move him into the bathroom tomorrow night because it is going to be colder. He seems to be so happy on the deck furniture for now and weather is nice so he's good. He is very very sleepy all of the time. But he is eating so well. He has a can first thing in the morning and usually eats it all and if I can stop by in between work hours, I try to get him another can. And he eats most of that one too. He usually refuses any more during the evening and I don't want to feed him too much too fast. I wonder if there is anything else I can give him to fatten him up better? His bones stick out and it is so heartbreaking. I'm desperate to get him in to see a vet but I am lacking funds and I am hoping the humane society will help with that but thats not til Tuesday and not guaranteed they won't charge me just as much as any other place. Idk. I would keep him in a heartbeat if I could just get some help with his initial vet bills. And of course find a vet thats available in the first place. I'm just an impatient person and I adore him already. He is such a sweetheart. Loves to be pet and he purrs and makes biscuits. Hes also very vocal and I hope its just how he is and not because he's in pain.

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Yes I think i will move him into the bathroom tomorrow night because it is going to be colder. He seems to be so happy on the deck furniture for now and weather is nice so he's good. He is very very sleepy all of the time. But he is eating so well. He has a can first thing in the morning and usually eats it all and if I can stop by in between work hours, I try to get him another can. And he eats most of that one too. He usually refuses any more during the evening and I don't want to feed him too much too fast. I wonder if there is anything else I can give him to fatten him up better? His bones stick out and it is so heartbreaking. I'm desperate to get him in to see a vet but I am lacking funds and I am hoping the humane society will help with that but thats not til Tuesday and not guaranteed they won't charge me just as much as any other place. Idk. I would keep him in a heartbeat if I could just get some help with his initial vet bills. And of course find a vet thats available in the first place. I'm just an impatient person and I adore him already. He is such a sweetheart. Loves to be pet and he purrs and makes biscuits. Hes also very vocal and I hope its just how he is and not because he's in pain.

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Kitten food is high in calories.
And you could start a GoFundMe. Lots of people do for their veterinary expenses.
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

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Yes I think i will move him into the bathroom tomorrow night because it is going to be colder. He seems to be so happy on the deck furniture for now and weather is nice so he's good. He is very very sleepy all of the time. But he is eating so well. He has a can first thing in the morning and usually eats it all and if I can stop by in between work hours, I try to get him another can. And he eats most of that one too. He usually refuses any more during the evening and I don't want to feed him too much too fast. I wonder if there is anything else I can give him to fatten him up better? His bones stick out and it is so heartbreaking. I'm desperate to get him in to see a vet but I am lacking funds and I am hoping the humane society will help with that but thats not til Tuesday and not guaranteed they won't charge me just as much as any other place. Idk. I would keep him in a heartbeat if I could just get some help with his initial vet bills. And of course find a vet thats available in the first place. I'm just an impatient person and I adore him already. He is such a sweetheart. Loves to be pet and he purrs and makes biscuits. Hes also very vocal and I hope its just how he is and not because he's in pain.

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Thank you for taking this kitty off the streets and for planning to take him to the Vet. He is a beautiful black kitty. I can see that he is a love bug from the pics you shared. :purr:

It is best to take him in and set up a crate in your bathroom. Anything can happen outside, so you want to keep this kitty safe. I know you said you can't keep another kitty, but could you foster him for a short while once he gets the clean bill of health and try to find a home for him? Start asking trusted people in your inner circle if they would like to adopt him. If no one wants to take him in, then call shelters (make sure they are No kills . If these shelters can't take him in, then see if they could post a courtesy posting about this kitty on their FB pages. You can also use social media to find adopters, but going through the No kill may be a bit more helpful since they have a trained eye in spotting bad candidates for adopting this kitty. If you are doing this yourself. ***Always charge a rehoming fee and ask for vet references. There are Re homing forms online you can download. Hopefully, that will weed out the sickies and bad pet owners.*** It has been mentioned, and I have heard this myself that shelters don't adopt out black kitties around Halloween because of sick people who will harm them or shallow people who want a "Halloween Prop" for their party. 😬 You may want to wait till after Halloween to officially adopt this kitty out--just to be on the safe side. Be patient when finding a home.

This is a very a gorgeous, charming kitty. I am sure someone will want him. I wish you the best of luck. Thank you for being a hero to this kitty. :rock:
 

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:heartshape:Bless you for saving this sweet poor kitty. Even though he loves being outside if he is frightened away he may not be able to find his way back to you. Please bring him inside to the spare bath room and please research funding for him and/or your other iill kittys vet bills. Some folks here may have some advice on how to go about setting things up. Please keep protecting and loving this guy and keep us updated.:bigeyes::catrub::purr:
 
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scoutandmaxine

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Update:
He seems to be doing okay but I am worried about how often he sleeps. It's all he does. He loves to cuddle and be pet while he is asleep and rolls over to show his belly. But if he is not eating, he is sleeping. I've only seen him go out into the yard to do his business once but then again I can't keep an eye on him 24/7. I'll get a better idea of how his poops and pee are once i move him into the bathroom today. And maybe I'm just being paranoid, he is a cat after all. But he just seems constantly exhausted. Maybe he just went through hell for so long, he feels he can actually rest now that he is safe and eating regular meals. Which he is a total rockstar about, definitely eating very well and he even nibbled on a little dry food today. But I'm going to continue giving him canned food bc he probably really needs to rehydrate. I am falling in love with him so hard lol. Idk if I'll be able to give him away now. I really hope the humane society can help me with vet costs and getting him neutered bc I will keep him for sure. I just hope Scout and Maxine won't protest against it haha.
 

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I have rescued cats who were in the same condition. Fiona herself, once I got her home from the park where she was dumped and probably hid in fear of the coyotes and mountain lions, looked at me with what I can only describe as complete gratitude that she was in a safe bathroom. She was skinny to the point where I thought that she would never fatten up and very tired. I think that you said it; this little guy has had a terrible life and this is the first time that anyone has cared for him or provided him with safety and he is exhausted from the previous struggles. The fact that he is eating so well is a positive. Yes, he may need veterinary attention for some issues, but I think that starvation certainly could be a big cause of the fatigue.
 

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Agree 100% with you, fionasmom fionasmom -- just picture being out in the elements surrounded by potential life-takers all your life up until this point, scoutandmaxine scoutandmaxine and you'll get some idea of how he must be feeling. Exhausted? Definitely. Debilitated? More than likely. GRATEFUL and finally comfortable? Better believe it! As long as he's eating well and eliminating normally, I wouldn't worry about him sleeping a lot. His vet visit will help shed light on his health and you can go from there (hoping and praying you can and do adopt him!) but so far, so good.
 

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He seems to be doing okay but I am worried about how often he sleeps. It's all he does. He loves to cuddle and be pet while he is asleep and rolls over to show his belly. But if he is not eating, he is sleeping.
I believe that he knows he's safe and have found a safe refuge in you and thus sleeping with exposed belly shows signs of confidence and contentment. Just like what tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 mentioned, grateful and finally comfortable.

Best is that you adroit him so that he don't have to go through another round of putting his trust in hoomans and also if he goes to the shelter, we won't know if he'll be adopted or not and also he may not trust anyone again. Readjusting for cats cause much stress in them.

With his display of cuddles and love to be petted while he's asleep, I believe that this cat is yours to keep. There is a connection between the both of you when you guys first met. Otherwise, this kitty won't behave in this way.
 
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scoutandmaxine

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He really has totally bonded with me and the last thing I want to do is let him down. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he gets a clean bill of health from the humane society vet exam, or at least that he will be considered safe to have around my cats. Once I get that okay, I am going to do whatever I can to keep him with me. It won't be easy but it'll be worth it. My biggest concern is with my cat, Maxine. She is extremely territorial. When I brought her home, she was intolerable towards my older cat Scout. So much so, that I almost sent her back. She chased and attacked her. I put in the hard work of keeping them mostly separated for months and constantly distracting Max so she would leave Scout alone. Eventually Scout began tolerating her better once Max learned that she would not get the reaction she wanted from chasing her. And now Max grooms Scout for as long as she let's her, until Scout bops her on the head to leave her be lol. It took so much time and effort. So I think I may have to go about that cycle all over again when I introduce him. Speaking of, I'm still too scared to give him a name. If it turns out I can't keep him, it will break my heart. And I don't want to get my hopes up.
 

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tabbytom tabbytom is so right. Some "experts" believe cats are more sensitive than humans and I agree with them. Also, they bond very deeply and their trust is precious.
Yes, as most of you kiow that my boy is a rescue. He was double dumped before I rescued him. He was left out in a box at a staircase landing overnight. Once he saw me, he climbed out of the box with his shaky legs and come to greet me. That was our first meeting and I rescued him straight away and today we are so bonded.
 
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