Hi there!
I have a good news story for everyone...in a world where there are too many sad kitty stories, I try to help whenever I can. So I moved into my house 6 years ago as a renter, then ended up buying the house 4 years ago. Before I rented, there were several other renters also. The house was foreclosed on during the 2009 recession, and whoever owned it, had to let the house go for $160k after buying it for $300k only two years earlier (this is important later in the story). So my former landlord bought the foreclosure and rented it out, and in 2012 I moved in. Right away I noticed a grey and white kitty in the back yard (which is more of an L-shaped alley between the zero-property line homes) and for a long time he was just known as "grey and white kitty". In 2012 I got my black Maine Coon "Romeo," who is indoor-only, but I would still put a little food out for "grey and white kitty." He would wait by my car when I went to work at 6AM and make a "SQUEAK" instead of a meow, and I'd feed him. He'd also show up in the evening for some food in the driveway, or on the patio.
Fast forward 6 years. I never once was able to touch him. He did sniff my finger once though. I would come home with fried chicken sometimes and give him some nice bite sized white meat chunks on occasion. He was friends with "Shadow", the neighbor's black shorthair female who passed away a few months ago from cancer at the age of 15. Since then, "Squeak" as he became known, started coming to the patio sliding doors in the morning before work, and at night. (I have 2 indoor cats and an America Eskimo that barks at everything including ghosts, so it's amazing he stuck around on the patio through the bark-fests). Around a month ago, Squeak let me pet him when I opened the sliding door just enough to stick my arm out. I was able to scratch his head and under his chin and that's when I realized, despite his notched ear and 6 years of being shy, he was not feral, nor semi-feral. He was a pet that was un-domesticated after what had to be nearly 10 years.
I think whoever foreclosed on the house in 2009 must have left him behind. He started meowing on the patio and if he wanted to come inside in past weeks and yesterday he tried to follow me into the house, and I was able to gently scoop him up and put him outside...first time I was able to pick him up at all.
So this morning I went out on the porch (he was there since 5am...I bought him a fluffy rug to sleep on) and I laid down and he wanted to snuggle for a while. Poor guy. Definitely not a feral! I saw he had an injury on his right front leg that he was licking. Worse, his leg was swollen. I remembered before I went out of town for Christmas for 2 weeks I heard a scream in the back yard (at 5AM again) and ran out there to find the mean neighborhood tom cat "Shitty Kitty" had cornered poor Squeak and they broke it up when they saw me out there. That wound was from back then and it was clearly abscessed.
I saw an opportunity with how trusting his was being, and I hated to take advantage of it but...I got out my cat carrier that opened on both ends and played the "tunnel game" with him for a while until he was looking inside, then I just pushed him in!
We got in the car and were off to VCA Indian Trace Animal Hospital 5 minutes away and they were so awesome to work us in on a Sunday with only 1 vet on duty. Turns out, despite 10 years of being left to fend for himself, Squeak is Feline Leukemia and HIV negative, and had no earmites or heartworms! He did need his ears cleaned, a Capstar, a rabies and leukemia shot and the leg tended to and antibiotics. Also he had to be sedated because he was not a happy camper on arrival to the vet!
I got him home and he's on the patio with the door closed and locked against intruders, with all the food and water, and litter he might need. He even has some white meat chicken and cheese but he's not too interested in eating right now.
I don't know if he'll come back after I let him out in the morning, but I hope so. I plan to treat him for parasites and fleas monthly and hopefully he can be my outdoor cat. The vet said he was probably 13-15 years old, poor guy. I would take him inside if I could but I have a 20# Maine Coon rescue, a 14# Nebelung rescue and and American Eskimo dog...and a boyfriend, all living in a 960 sq ft house so....cant have another cat!
I have set a trap for "Shitty Kitty" and hope to catch him while Squeak is in the patio. I have the perfect place to relocate him where there is a horse farm nearby. He's a jerk, but he deserves a better place to be than bullying Squeak.
I'm furloughed thanks to the government shut down, and the vet visit today plus all the bills hitting at the end of the month is really going to hurt, but I feel good I got to help my friend of 6 years who finally trusted me enough for me to help him!
I have a good news story for everyone...in a world where there are too many sad kitty stories, I try to help whenever I can. So I moved into my house 6 years ago as a renter, then ended up buying the house 4 years ago. Before I rented, there were several other renters also. The house was foreclosed on during the 2009 recession, and whoever owned it, had to let the house go for $160k after buying it for $300k only two years earlier (this is important later in the story). So my former landlord bought the foreclosure and rented it out, and in 2012 I moved in. Right away I noticed a grey and white kitty in the back yard (which is more of an L-shaped alley between the zero-property line homes) and for a long time he was just known as "grey and white kitty". In 2012 I got my black Maine Coon "Romeo," who is indoor-only, but I would still put a little food out for "grey and white kitty." He would wait by my car when I went to work at 6AM and make a "SQUEAK" instead of a meow, and I'd feed him. He'd also show up in the evening for some food in the driveway, or on the patio.
Fast forward 6 years. I never once was able to touch him. He did sniff my finger once though. I would come home with fried chicken sometimes and give him some nice bite sized white meat chunks on occasion. He was friends with "Shadow", the neighbor's black shorthair female who passed away a few months ago from cancer at the age of 15. Since then, "Squeak" as he became known, started coming to the patio sliding doors in the morning before work, and at night. (I have 2 indoor cats and an America Eskimo that barks at everything including ghosts, so it's amazing he stuck around on the patio through the bark-fests). Around a month ago, Squeak let me pet him when I opened the sliding door just enough to stick my arm out. I was able to scratch his head and under his chin and that's when I realized, despite his notched ear and 6 years of being shy, he was not feral, nor semi-feral. He was a pet that was un-domesticated after what had to be nearly 10 years.
I think whoever foreclosed on the house in 2009 must have left him behind. He started meowing on the patio and if he wanted to come inside in past weeks and yesterday he tried to follow me into the house, and I was able to gently scoop him up and put him outside...first time I was able to pick him up at all.
So this morning I went out on the porch (he was there since 5am...I bought him a fluffy rug to sleep on) and I laid down and he wanted to snuggle for a while. Poor guy. Definitely not a feral! I saw he had an injury on his right front leg that he was licking. Worse, his leg was swollen. I remembered before I went out of town for Christmas for 2 weeks I heard a scream in the back yard (at 5AM again) and ran out there to find the mean neighborhood tom cat "Shitty Kitty" had cornered poor Squeak and they broke it up when they saw me out there. That wound was from back then and it was clearly abscessed.
I saw an opportunity with how trusting his was being, and I hated to take advantage of it but...I got out my cat carrier that opened on both ends and played the "tunnel game" with him for a while until he was looking inside, then I just pushed him in!
We got in the car and were off to VCA Indian Trace Animal Hospital 5 minutes away and they were so awesome to work us in on a Sunday with only 1 vet on duty. Turns out, despite 10 years of being left to fend for himself, Squeak is Feline Leukemia and HIV negative, and had no earmites or heartworms! He did need his ears cleaned, a Capstar, a rabies and leukemia shot and the leg tended to and antibiotics. Also he had to be sedated because he was not a happy camper on arrival to the vet!
I got him home and he's on the patio with the door closed and locked against intruders, with all the food and water, and litter he might need. He even has some white meat chicken and cheese but he's not too interested in eating right now.
I don't know if he'll come back after I let him out in the morning, but I hope so. I plan to treat him for parasites and fleas monthly and hopefully he can be my outdoor cat. The vet said he was probably 13-15 years old, poor guy. I would take him inside if I could but I have a 20# Maine Coon rescue, a 14# Nebelung rescue and and American Eskimo dog...and a boyfriend, all living in a 960 sq ft house so....cant have another cat!
I have set a trap for "Shitty Kitty" and hope to catch him while Squeak is in the patio. I have the perfect place to relocate him where there is a horse farm nearby. He's a jerk, but he deserves a better place to be than bullying Squeak.
I'm furloughed thanks to the government shut down, and the vet visit today plus all the bills hitting at the end of the month is really going to hurt, but I feel good I got to help my friend of 6 years who finally trusted me enough for me to help him!
Over time, it actually worked. Along with getting fixed! Flowers is now a tame and purring sweetheart. I can’t believe it’s the same cat! Hopefully getting fixed will remedy the Shitty Kitty attitude. 
) Keep us updated! 
