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Look what showed up on my doorstep today

jeanner
14 years ago

She is just a sweet heart - she followed me around the yard all day with her little motor running at full speed. She kept prancing in front of me and then stopping dead in her tracks. She is obviously not feral but she is so thin. I'm guessing someone dumped her off and she's been trying to feed herself - poor thing.

Unfortunately I can not keep her. We already have three cats who hate each other - one has "behavioral" problems and one has a hormone imbalance and adding another one is only going to make things worse.

So now I have to find a home for her.

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Comments (24)

  • sheepco
    14 years ago

    OMG, what great pictures, I feel like her personality is just "leaping" off the screen! I think #2 should be the front of a cat calendar.

    Alas, I can't help you with re-homing her... Good Luck! She's a keeper for someone!

    Sarah

  • goodkarma_
    14 years ago

    She is so beautiful. I am sick that people can dump their pets like this. How shameful. Good luck with finding a home for her. I have not been able to overcome my Asthma that I get with cats, or I would love to have a bunch. Thank Goodness you are taking care of her until her new family is found. I will be praying for her.

    Regards,
    lisa

  • chickadeedeedee
    14 years ago

    She is *very* sweet! If only she could tell you her story. But then again, maybe we don't want to know her past. A beauty like her will have no problem getting a loving home for her future. Thanks for caring for her in her transition, Jean. :-)

  • comettose
    14 years ago

    She is sweet. Orange cats are usually male. I hope you find a home for her, but at least for now she is in good hands. Maybe if you got her fixed or offered a free spay certificate it might entice someone. I did that once and I got more than one call.

  • maryo_nh
    14 years ago

    Jeanne, good luck with giving her away... I'd find it so hard to part with such a cutie!
    Her color is fantastic, the pale orange is beautiful. The color of pumpkin mousse.

    Maybe you could advertise her as a "rare pumpkin mousse [tabby] or [mackerel] cat"...

    :) Mary

  • comettose
    14 years ago

    Mary,

    That is funny. Make it rare and people want it. Designer dogs come to mind (aka mutts).

  • jeanner
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I'm still trying to find a home for her. One of the local shelters has a "sponsor" program where you keep the cat during the week and bring it to the shelter on Saturdays for adoption. You also have to pay for the shots and have the animal spayed/neutered - at a discounted rate - which I am willing to do. I'd rather do that than have her stuck in a cage all day.

    It's funny that you mention that most orange cats are males - one of the strays we adopted is a female orange tiger and interestingly, she is also sterile - she's never been in heat!

  • jeanner
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    The latest news on the kitty - my husband took her to the vet right after she showed up and she is actually more than a year old. And she also has a severe upper respiratory infection. She has had two rounds of antibiotics and steroids - she is much better but she is still pretty stuffy-in-the-head. The vet mentioned to my husband that she may never be completely rid of the infection. Is that true? Is there nothing that can be done for this kitty? Can she be in the house with other kitties or is it contagious?

    She truly is a sweetheart - I really wanted to be able to find her a good home.

  • chickadeedeedee
    14 years ago

    Hi Jean. :-)

    She is VERY pretty! How nice that you are still caring for her.

    Tiz be true. Unfortunately sometimes a chronic sinus infection remains just that ... chronic infection. At times in will *almost* go away but flare up again. The fairly new injectable antibiotic, Convenia, works VERY well for these guys. The injection is a bit expensive but it lasts for 2 weeks.

    I have a chronic booger boy too. Convenia has helped him LOTS! A little bit of anti-histamine helps to dry up the excessive mucus too. The chronic sinus patients generally are not contageous to other kitties. My booger boy has been with us since August 2002 and none of the other critters have become sneezy.

  • sleeplessinftwayne
    14 years ago

    Ginger kitty got the sneezes from allergies last summer along with associated stuffiness etc. We were able to use Mentholatum on a washcloth and liquid Benedryl. Sandy

  • zinniachick
    14 years ago

    Hey, don't look at me! I'm not biting this time! Some of you old-timers might remember Jeanner snaring my heart with two other foundlings about three summers ago.

    Bobby Ray and Fern are going strong.

    {{gwi:169969}}

  • jeanner
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Ah thank you zinniachick - for adopting them and giving them such a wonderful home and for posting that precious picture!

    Unfortunately more bad news on the kitty - the vet says it's either feline leukemia or feline aids. He doesn't think it's allergies based on the streaking in the throat and the discharge from the eye and nose (and something else but I can't remember what it was). He didn't test her, he's that sure of his prognosis. SHe did seem better but now that the steroid treatment is over she does seem a little less lively. He recommends that she not be allowed in the house with the other kitties. He is also concerned that if we have her fixed that she is at higher risk of dying during the operation.

    I already have one outside kitty and I worry about her all the time - I tried several times to domesticate her but after living outside for 12 years she just wasn't ever going to be happy inside. I stress everytime she disappears for a night or it gets really cold or we go away for a few days.

    Needless to say, I'm torn about what to do for this sweet kitty :(

  • zinniachick
    14 years ago

    Jean, I'm so sorry. You have such a soft heart -- she must have known she would find tenderness there.

    And thank you for my kitties -- they've brought me so much joy.

  • chickadeedeedee
    14 years ago

    The kitty does have a sinus infection that may or may not be chronic. She *should* be tested for FeLV / FIV before any permanent decisions are made.

    If she's negative, that's ~wonderful!~ If not ... that's a tougher decision. She should then be removed from the general kitty population so the viral disease does not spread to other kitties. That would either mean finding her a home where's she's an only INDOOR cat or a home with other INDOOR kitties with similar issues. Either that or ... put her down. :*(

    There *is* a higher risk of mortality with a debilitated patient but, having said that, we have not yet lost a FeLV or FIV + kitty due to neutering or spaying them.

    Tough decisions either way. I know you will do what you know is best for your kitty friend! Thanks so much for caring for her! :-)

  • comettose
    14 years ago

    Sorry to hear about the kitty Jean. I had a FIV positive cat named Ginger and I kept her with other cats that were not FIV positive but were vaccinated against it. She lived for six years, ultimately dying from a bad tooth which was successfully removed and she started to recover, but then had to be put under anesthesia again to cautertize the gum area and this time didn't come out of it and went semi-comatose. She was also not making red bood cells. My vet said I could get her a blood transfusion but the donor had to be a healthy cat from the shelter (who would lose it's life) so I said no and had her put down.

    The one thing is she can't be with cats not vacinated at all and that means no outdoors as you don't know who she will run into and spread the disease. Like 3CD said, I would require a positive test, or maybe even test twice before I made any decision. I've never heard of a vet that 'knows' a cat has HIV or AIDs without some sort of blood test just based on streaking on the tongue.

    If it was my decision to make I would get the test done. If infected I would probably put her down.

    I hope things work out. CT

  • jeanner
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Well good news finally!!!

    The first good news is we now have a different vet .... for obvious reasons. The next and best news is that the kitty tested negative for FeLV and FIV and she is on another round of medication! I haven't given up on finding her a home yet but I'm guessing she's already found it.

    No name for her yet, other than the "million dollar kitty" :)

    Thanks everyone for the help.

  • sheepco
    14 years ago

    I think "million dollar kitty" is a perfectly good name :)
    Glad to hear the good news.
    S

  • gagee05
    14 years ago

    I love her name. I too found a sweet kitten this past winter in the rain. The vet said he wouldn't have lived much longer, so 450.00 later we decided to name him hollister, it fits him as we found out he is a ragdoll kitty cat and quite the prissy little man!

  • sleeplessinftwayne
    14 years ago

    My vote for the name would be Apricot or Peaches. That color is fantastic. So glad you changed Vets. Sandy

  • goodkarma_
    14 years ago

    Jeanner you really made my evening reading the happy follow up to this story. Million dollar kitty is a great name. A great nickname could be Cha Ching!

    Lisa

  • comettose
    14 years ago

    Cha Ching is a great name. I love it!

  • sleeplessinftwayne
    14 years ago

    Do you have any follow-up on the million dollar kitty?

  • jeanner
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks for asking Sandy! She is doing okay, she still suffers with chronic snotty nose so repeat trips to the vet are still happening - she has her own pharmacist now! She just finished a round of Azithromycin so we will see how she does. She has been through so many rounds of medications that now when my husband picks her up and cradles her on his lap, she opens her mouth for the medication!

    On another note, we have finally doemsticated our other outside kitty. It's taken 12 years to do it but she has spend most of the winter inside - I think she has realized that snoozing on a warm couch is a good thing! Not sure what she will do when it warms up outside but for now she is safe and warm.

  • sleeplessinftwayne
    14 years ago

    You have a good heart. Thank you.