No idea what to do next...

[catnurse22]

So about two months ago a stray calico started hanging around my apartment. After looking for her owners and having no success, I took her up to the clinic where I work and had her spayed while still attempting to find her owners. She's been there for about a month, simply because I didn't know what to do with her (never heard a word from anybody about her). I can't keep her. I already have 3 (all males) in a one bedroom. So, we let her out on the floor with the other clinic cats and she did great. So we were trying to get her adopted. BUT, every time the door would open she would run out. And then spend most of her time yowling to get outside. We can't be constantly guarding the door or chasing her around the parking lot. We just can't. She's going to slip out and we won't know and we are by a very very busy street. With the holidays, we literally don't have a cage for her. And besides...that isn't a life.

So, I just brought her home and put her outside, thinking she could just be an outside kitty. I HATE the idea, but I really don't know what else I can do for her. I'll feed her and make sure she gets any medical attention she may need. BUT... now she's just screaming at my door. I'll go out there and she loves and loves all over me. I went down to my car and she just follows me. I can't have her screaming all the time. It's driving my three crazy, not to mention me or my neighbors.

If I just would have let her be when I first saw her.... But I just couldn't. She's so sweet and I didn't want her getting pregnant or hurt. I have no idea what to do. It breaks my heart. I know nobody here will have a magic solution.... I just need somebody to listen I suppose.

 

[luv2laugh]

I'm listening. Good luck!! And stay tuned for more experienced posters!!

 

[ldg]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww.........

I know you're at your limit, but as a temporary solution, can you bring her in to work on intros, considering her a foster, while you look for a foster network or other shelter to take her - and directly look for someone to adopt her? I've got ideas for that (the intros) - thanks to diggerled. If not, I'd just get my butt in gear to find her a home or into a foster home. Here are suggestions:

Gary and I live in an RV with 7, so we can't foster anymore either. But people know we rescue, so they frequently turn up here with kittens. ...and this summer, we took a pregnant female to be spayed - and she went into labor, and had four kittens, so we were desperate to find someone to foster her and the babies.

What we ended up doing was conducting an e-mail campaign. If you go to http://www.petfinder.com, and just search for cat in your zipcode, you'll get a long list of kitties up for adoption. Every kitty has an org associated with it. Every org has - somewhere, just click around to find it - a link to contact info.

Now - bear in mind that most rescue orgs and foster networks are underfunded and understaffed, so a lot may not reply. When we did it, we sent e-mails out to orgs in a 3-hour drive radius. For us, that turned up over 20 places to contact. We got 2 or 3 replies, I think. One of them was able to take her and the kittens - and it turned out to be a great foster network and a fantastic contact for us.

*phew*

Most of the e-mails are personal e-mails, so it REALLY helps to grab a piece of paper and write down the e-mail address and the org associated with it - this way if someone replies from that e-mail address next week, you'll know which organization with which they're associated.

She's obviously a loving kitty, and will either take some patience on the part of a foster to turn her into an indoor-only kitty, OR she apparently needs a safe indoor/outdoor home.

I'd work on taking pictures of her immediately - if you can get someone to help you, a kitty on a lap or being loving in some way is very helpful to finding a home.

If you need help making up fliers, PM me, and I can tell you who to contact. But I'd put up fliers everywhere. Around here all the supermarkets have bulletin boards, as do the laundromats. Also all the vets keep books of adoptable animals. We adopted out Billy's brother through the book at the vet - and those are great adoptions, because they come (usually) with the vet recommendation.

I've got links to adoption contracts if you end up adopting her out yourself, and I know someone who can help prep you on screening adopters.

Thank you for wanting to help this kitty!