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Strange happenings
- Thread starter JMJimmy
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It looks like a Scottish fold.
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- #83
I think you're right. (S)He will henceforth be known as Scotty
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- #84
So here I am, up at 4am, waiting for Junior to come home. He's been walkabout for days now and we're trying not to worry, we know it's his hormones telling him its spring and time to mate. Still, it's hard when he doesn't come back at regular intervals like he did for the first 2-3 weeks he was here. Thoughts drift to someone picking him up and taking him home or worse. We know he'll just annoy them to no end though - if he can't get out around sunset he gives off the most pathetic & loud display for hours on end to get outside. If he doesn't get out, there's spray on the walls, spray on the windows, and meowing all night long. He'll be back... and when he is - those balls are coming off!
Missy is still coming by so our 'trapping' session was a success and not too traumatizing. We haven't seen as much of most of the kitties due to heavy snowfall, a good 10-12cm (4-5") on the ground so they haven't been moving about as much and when they do it's in the plowed areas we can't see from downstairs.
Meanwhile Sissy woke me up at ~1am with her cries. Wanting out? No. She wants pets. 4am, Alpha Kitty is off to work, I am looking out the door for Junior, Sissy cries. Wanting out? No. She wants pets. As I sit here and type, she comes up to me and cries. Wanting out? No. She wants pets.
We unleashed a monster!
Missy is still coming by so our 'trapping' session was a success and not too traumatizing. We haven't seen as much of most of the kitties due to heavy snowfall, a good 10-12cm (4-5") on the ground so they haven't been moving about as much and when they do it's in the plowed areas we can't see from downstairs.
Meanwhile Sissy woke me up at ~1am with her cries. Wanting out? No. She wants pets. 4am, Alpha Kitty is off to work, I am looking out the door for Junior, Sissy cries. Wanting out? No. She wants pets. As I sit here and type, she comes up to me and cries. Wanting out? No. She wants pets.
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Ah, JMJimmy, you remind me so much of myself when I was caring for an unfixed feral colony. Waiting up all night for the wanderers to return and making excuses for the house smelling of cat pee. "He's getting fixed tomorrow!"
Does the shelter have carriers you can borrow? Some vets and shelters rent them out pretty cheaply.
Short-eared kitty does look a lot like a Scottish Fold. Are they still quite uncommon in your area? I wonder if he/she could be a lost pet. Scottish Folds cost an arm and a leg over here. Pedigree cats do get dumped, of course, but if this new cat is a pedigree fold he/she is most likely chipped. Breeders will often take back their cats if the owners can't be traced or can't keep them any more.
Good luck with Junior.
Does the shelter have carriers you can borrow? Some vets and shelters rent them out pretty cheaply.
Short-eared kitty does look a lot like a Scottish Fold. Are they still quite uncommon in your area? I wonder if he/she could be a lost pet. Scottish Folds cost an arm and a leg over here. Pedigree cats do get dumped, of course, but if this new cat is a pedigree fold he/she is most likely chipped. Breeders will often take back their cats if the owners can't be traced or can't keep them any more.
Good luck with Junior.
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- #86
I'm sure we can wrangle the carriers from somewhere - if not the shelter I'm sure friends/family who have cats will have some we can borrow for a couple days.
This is the only Scottish Fold that we've seen and based on its behaviour I think it's been on the street for a long time, as mentioned previously it's borderline feral. Very aggressive(?) behaviour compared to the other strays we've encountered. It's not as though it's attacking anyone but it walks into our apartment without showing any trepidation and when Mama does her dominance display it shows absolutely no submission but readies to fight instead. We've also witnessed it yowling when there are no other cats around. On the flip side it's very fearful of humans - any movement from me and its out the door and over the fence in no time flat.
Once we get things sorted with our family we are going to try to cage trap it the other 2-3 strays and get them into no kill shelters.
This is the only Scottish Fold that we've seen and based on its behaviour I think it's been on the street for a long time, as mentioned previously it's borderline feral. Very aggressive(?) behaviour compared to the other strays we've encountered. It's not as though it's attacking anyone but it walks into our apartment without showing any trepidation and when Mama does her dominance display it shows absolutely no submission but readies to fight instead. We've also witnessed it yowling when there are no other cats around. On the flip side it's very fearful of humans - any movement from me and its out the door and over the fence in no time flat.
Once we get things sorted with our family we are going to try to cage trap it the other 2-3 strays and get them into no kill shelters.
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You're doing such a great job with all of them.
I know you've got your hands full now, but when you get a spare moment please come and tell your story on our Friends of Ferals thread.
[thread="251561"]Friend Of Ferals Award Badge Apply Here[/thread]
I'm sure you qualify for a badge.
I know you've got your hands full now, but when you get a spare moment please come and tell your story on our Friends of Ferals thread.
[thread="251561"]Friend Of Ferals Award Badge Apply Here[/thread]
I'm sure you qualify for a badge.
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- #88
Waking up early paid off. He showed up at 7am, seemingly well fed - I've never seen a kitty bolt for a bed so quickly and curl up. Food sure, but a bed? Ahh well, he's back and he's not going anywhere until he's fixed!
Good luck with Junior.
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- #89
One tired and skinny kitty.
One kitty at my feet
What lovable kitties!
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- #91
I've been trying to figure out why Junior looks so different from Mama. Is there a good guide on distinguishing underlying breeds vs coat colouration? Both are obviously tabbies but Mama seems more like a classic "domestic shorthair" and Junior has a small pointed head, long body, big ears... almost like a Bengal + Domestic Shorthair mix? Basically a profile like: http://www.bengalcatworld.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/119mokiL1.jpg The jaw/face isn't as pronounced as a Bengal (and obviously no spots).
Are his ears folded in like an envelope sort of?
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- #93
Yup.
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As far as determining underlying breeds...browse the forums for all the "what breed is my cat/kitten" threads. There are hundreds of them. The problem is that with a domestic house cat, or "mutt" as it were,. all cats are so very similar that in the absence of written proof, via a pedigree, there is really virtually no way of knowing. Perhaps some DNA testing might be available now, but going by looks? The variations in breeds are really all so slight that no one could do more than give an educated guess.
The Domestic House Cat, whether DSH (domestic short hair) or DLH (domestic long hair) can show any number of traits of several breeds. And many of these breeds are based on coat type/pattern to begin with. Just...say, "Gee, he looks kinda like a (insert breed here). Could be," love them, and let it go. The exception might be the folds and curls, which are dependent on ear type, and are pretty darned obvious. Maybe the rex breeds as well. Oh heck. I've confused myself. Just love them. That's all that matters.
The Domestic House Cat, whether DSH (domestic short hair) or DLH (domestic long hair) can show any number of traits of several breeds. And many of these breeds are based on coat type/pattern to begin with. Just...say, "Gee, he looks kinda like a (insert breed here). Could be," love them, and let it go. The exception might be the folds and curls, which are dependent on ear type, and are pretty darned obvious. Maybe the rex breeds as well. Oh heck. I've confused myself. Just love them. That's all that matters.
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While it is possible that (s)he is a Scottish Fold, it is also sadly possible that (s)he has suffered ear hematomas, related to having earmites or an untreated ear infection.The ear structure can be damaged and cause permanent "folding". If it seems borderline feral, then it wouldn't have had any medical care ya know. One of my own cats, who used to be a stray, has one folded ear due to this and I have seen both ears "folded" in cats like this that came to the animal shelter I worked at. Often the ears are "folded" not so neatly or are kind of shriveled, but not always. One shelter cat who'd had hematomas this got adopted super fast because he looked like a Scottish Fold, so I guess it had a sort of twisted silver lining in that case. >__<
Either way, I like the Scotty name, ha. It also looks like a butterscotch color.
Regarding the carriers, we always had tons of them (sadly left from people leaving their cats carrier and all). We sanitized them and sold them for $5-$10. Might be worth calling them to ask.
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- #96
Interesting. Looking up pictures of both, it's 99% sure to be a Scottish Fold. The ears are noticeably smaller and appear to be healthy. There are no sign of scarring only a couple of nicks from fights.
The supremely skittish white/brown tabby has been coming around more frequently too. We haven't seen Missy since the snow storm, signs of her but not actually seeing her. Maybe she knows that round 2 is coming
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- #97
A rare daylight sighting of Scotty
Cats do talk to each other, the first cat has told his brother's and sisters that you have FOOD! I had a staving mother cat dig into my trash earlier this year, she had a flea collar on so she might of been around other people. Anyway I decided to give her some FOOD!The next thing that happened blew my mind. A couple of weeks after feeding her a woke up to 6 kitten's at my door, they were about 8 to 10 weeks old. IF YOU CAN get your feral friends spayed/nutered. They have free programs everywhere nowadays.
Domestic house cats come in all sizes from big to small. A large cat does not mean it's a Norwegian Forest Cat (a very rare breed) or a Maine Coon, and a small cat does not mean it's a Munchkin. I realize you're not claiming it's a NFC, but some people will. Chances are they are all just ordinary house cats.
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- #100
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Edit: Missy is back inside exploring & eating
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