Torn With What To Do/dallas Love

[TobiDaDog]

This morning, my little guy was waiting for me. He has been in a fight and for the very first time I saw another black cat in the area. I don't know when he got bit, but one of the employees put hand sanitizer on the wound. This morning he sat in the cashier booth with me, either in my lap, or asleep in a chair. I am now at my full-time job and the cashier that relived me said he jumped through an open window in the booth. He is getting ridiculous and I really need to get him out of that environment. He absolutely cannot be a feral the way he laid in my lap this morning.

After get him neutered, will he maintain a fighting instinct? I really hope not due to my three other resident kitties.

My male was a feral who was neutered at about 3 years old. He was a fighter, and he has the shredded ears and missing teeth to prove it. To this day, even at 10+ years old, if he sneaks outside and spies another male cat, he WILL fight with it. I can't say that this is everyone's experience, but it is mine. He didn't lose his desire to 'defend' his territory or pick fights at all.

HOWEVER, he is a gentle giant with my kitten Reese. From the moment he saw her, they were fast friends. He plays the role of 'mommy' with her. It was honestly a huge surprise, considering how he acts with neighborhood strays! But I guess even with a scrapper there is hope. Good luck!

 

[shadowsrescue]

Most cats once neutered will calm down. Yet it can take the hormones 3-6 weeks to shut down. He really needs to be in a home. Male cats will fight with each other over territory when they are not neutered. The sooner you get him to a vet for FIV, FELV testing, vaccines and neuter the better.

Once you bring him home, he will need a space of his own to adjust to inside living and calm down a bit before meeting your other two cats. Introductions should be done slowly. It can take anywhere from a few days ( for the lucky few) to a year for cats to get used to each other. It depends so much on the personality of the cats as well as how you go about introducing them. Just putting them in a room together a hoping for the best usually does not work and will end up causing more harm than good. We can provide you with some guidance on cat to cat intros when the time is right.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, my guy is 13, was nuetered as a kitten and also will still fight a feral interloper to his territory, but he doesn't spray and is a lot calmer than he would be if he were intact

 

[doloskeeter]

Hi everyone! Just an update, I was able to push him into a cat carrier on Monday and took him to my vet. He is approximately five years old (so much for thinking he was 8-9 months old). So my little guy has been in that parking lot of about five years! Unreal. He did not test positive for HIV or leukemia so they neutered him. The wound on his neck turned out to be an old, festered wound so they clipped the area real good, scrubbed, and gave him an antibiotic shot. The problem we are having now though is his incision keeps bleeding. They are not sure if he has clotting issues or whether or not he got at the incision. He is now in an e-collar and we are holding him another day to see what transpires.

 

[Willowy]

He might not have been in the parking lot for 5 years. If he's friendly that's very unlikely, as friendly cats usually get taken home by a nice someone or hurt/killed by a bad someone. He may have been dumped there fairly recently.

Glad to hear everything is going well so far! I hope the rest of his recovery is without incident.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Such good news that he is free of FIV and FELV!! Also that he is now neutered!!! I hope the bleeding issue stops quickly and he can start to enjoy his new life with you.

 

[kittyluv387]

Yay! Phew no more big worries now.

 

[kittychick]

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (on all accounts - - -that you got him - - that he found YOU, someone who cared enough to care for him! - - and that he's tested negative!).

He very likely was NOT out in the parking lot for his entire life - - - I bet must people who've dealt with as many cats as I have (through rescues, TNR, etc) would agree that this guy probably had a home at some point and either escaped, was lost, or, most likely, was dumped. He sounded too vocal and in VERY desperate need of love to have grown up largely as a stray around the lot. It sounds as though he desperately wanted a home again, and to love and be loved again. And the fight sounds (although I read quickly -- so might have missed something) as though it could have been started by another cat, and he was defending himself. If he truly was a house cat until recently, he's likely very unprepared to defend himself.

If you need help on how to integrate him slowly (which is the best way to ensure a smooth intro) into your feline bunch - - -lots of people on this site can offer lots of suggestions!!! Even if you decide he isn't going to be yours forever and you'll need to adopt him out to a loving home (although I have't heard that yet!!!!) - - - lots of advice can be found on how to do that too on this forum. But a HUGE WOOHOO on getting him in, getting him vetted and starting him on the road to the loving indoor home he was so obviously begging for!!!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

on the bleeding and I'm late to the party here, but OH MY GOSH you ROCK

 

[ZepMom]

Wow, you've done an amazing thing for this little guy! I hope he is continuing to do well. Please update us when you have time.

This thread has been quite insightful as the friendliest stray has shown up at my home. Unfortunately my oldest male isnt fond of strays & gets out of sorts if he sees them in his yard. Hoping we can get in touch with a rescue to help find her a home.

Definitely sending positive thoughts for your new guy.

 

[doloskeeter]

I figured I would change the name of my thread from "Torn on What To Do" to Dallas Love which is an update/new thread on the black cat that has come around The Parking Spot at Dallas Love Field. The Reader's Digest version is that he is friendly, was intact, and I was concerned about his life there so minimally he was captured, neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, and had a wound cleaned and given an antibiotic shot.

He ended up staying at the vet for six days because his neuter area started bleeding and I didn't want to release him until I knew he was well.

Well, I took him back to the Parking Spot because my husband was adamant that I could not try to integrate him with my two indoor cats, and one neutered indoor/outdoor cat. So he's back, still meowing like crazy, it's annoying, but happy to be back and some/most of the employees are glad he is back too. I think he would gain 100% acceptance if he would just shut up. BUT, my husband was not opposed to bringing him home and making an outdoor cat of him. However, I took him back hoping he would integrate better and maybe someone else would step up and adopt him or, minimally, he would get the hormones out of his system before I brought him home.

Would I be able to integrate him as an outdoor cat with my indoor/outdoor cat? Both are neutered and my thought was to keep him in a cage in the garage for a period of weeks (two or three?), and go through the cat introductions with him and indoor/outdoor kitty. My husband LIVES in the garage after work due to his hobbies so the cat would have company while we get him acclimated to his environment and my indoor/outdoor cat also visits with husband in the evenings while he is in the garage. So there would be lots of time for introductions.

Does anyone have experience with bringing a stray to your home that already has an established neutered male? I live in the suburbs of Dallas.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hoo boy. Please please don't leave him out there, he's black and it's Halloween.

I like your garage thought...

Can you have your husband read one or more of these?

The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home

How To Keep Your Cat Safe Outdoors

How To Keep Your Cat Safe Outdoors

Bringing Home A New Cat - The Complete Guide

How To Make Your Home And Garden Safe For Your Cat

Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 

[Jcatbird]

Please, please, please bring him to a safer place. I don’t know if you have any experience with how cruel people can be to cats. I have first hand experience and it is shocking. Common too. I am currently scouting the country to find help for a lady who regularly rescues cats. The two cats we are trying to save are in Houston and they are outside in an area where cats are brutalized and at risk of being used for ill purposes. Especially over Halloween. You might be surprised how many people are still superstitious. As a rescuer myself of many cats, I always have a longer wait time to find homes for black cats. It is very sad that their fur color puts them at risk. Even little kittens are singled out. I know it takes some work to integrate a new cat to the family but it can be done. I have 15 , long established, cats that live here and they have dealt with me bringing in other rescues to be spayed/neutered, immunized, socialized and adopted out. It is a work in progress as cats come and go but they have met and blended with a great many other new cats. You have already done so much for this kitty. I am grateful for what you have done. I think he will quiet down once he feels he has a family. His meowing is a plea for attention and love. If you bring him back, lots of people here can help you work through the adjustment period for him and the outdoor cat you already have. Maybe he will end up being your husbands cat. His garage buddy! It wouldn’t surprise me if they bonded as your husband spends time out there. We can hope! Check out the links that Furballsmom posted for you. She gives great advice. I wish you all the best with this.

 

[kittyluv387]

The airport is no place for a cat. I hope you end up taking him as your outdoor cat.

 

[fionasmom]

I have successfully brought in adult male cats twice. Neither had been fixed when I took them, and I did it immediately upon getting them. It worked out and even the adjustment period was not very memorable except that both wanted to go back outside to roam....everyone here is indoor only but I am not saying that people should not have indoor/outdoor cats. I agree that a black cat on Halloween is not a good thing, and that a cat who might be approachable is even worse as those are the ones who are prey to idiots. A true crazy wild feral stands a better chance because they won't approach, will hide, and might avoid danger that way.

 

[doloskeeter]

Good morning, some developments. Got in this morning and kitty was outside but sitting outside the cashier booth door. Not a good sign. He stayed at the vet for a week, and in conjunction with being fixed, he has done a 180 and just will not leave the area. I had a real foreboding since yesterday and sure enough, I was told that we could no longer feed him and that animal control would be out in the morning. My shift was 4a-7a.

You know, I prayed last night about this kitty. I asked God to show me a sign. I commute to work in two different vehicles, and his kennel was in the back of one of the cars from when I picked him up on Monday, along with his paperwork and rabies tag. It is supposed to rain AGAIN in Dallas and I chose to take the car that had his kennel in it. That was my sign. I wasn't supposed to let him in the cashier booth this morning but I felt like if I took him off the property, I wouldn't be in trouble so in he came and he left with me this morning at 7am. You know, he didn't even cry the whole way to my vet which is near my work, 45 minutes from the Parking Spot. Sign #2.

I have mandatory training this morning so I just wanted him out of there and he is being boarded this afternoon until I get off.

I noticed my thread yesterday was joined into this original thread, so I'll post more tomorrow.

 

[azpops]

NO Pitchers?

Pops

 

[fionasmom]

I am so glad that you got him out of there. Everything did align in such a way that it worked....you are a real angel to have looked out for him as much as you have.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi again!
So, how are things now?
As mentioned, can we have pictures?