Cat caring 101 course needed !!! XD

Sakura-chan · Post by **Sakura-chan** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 9:35 pm

Okay... tonight the weirdest thing happened... a cat showed up my front door... in my dorm O_o... doesn't look like a stray cat... no claws, fur is clean, not afraid of people...

Somebody in my dorm then threw it outside.. but somehow it went back in XD... right next to my door lol... I felt bad for the thing so I decided to take it in for the night... now it's sleeping next to my shoes XD...

I need help lol ! My parents had dogs... but I never took care of cats.... O_o... I made up a box with some dirt as a litter... I hope he gets the message XD...

I don't think I'll sleep a lot, I'm afraid that little neko will do some damage if I do XD...

Oh and the cat did bite me a few times... is that dangerous ? I rinsed right away... but some blood got in contact with the cat's teeth.

kittens · Post by **kittens** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 9:46 pm

You might look at ads in news papers. You might find some information. Also you might contact local shelters if there are any information for lost cats. The owner of the cat might look for his/her.

But also someone might toss the cat away b/c they move. One of our cats was the same way like the cat. One day he showed up at our door step starving and scared. We took him b/c he looked pretty bad shape (he seemed not eating for a while) and he was still a kitten. But he seemed to be someone's cat like the same reason you have. and we realized that there are several ppl moved away in our neighbor.

If I were you I looked for lost cat ads and will post found cat notes in ads and posters.
Contact with locat vets and shelters if there is any lost cat info.

If you cannot find anyone for a couple weeks, I would look for a new owner.

Also you might want to take him/her to a vet to check his/her health. I do really wish I were there for you. But if you need my help, plz send me a pm. I will help you as much as I can....

Post by **JWR** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 9:49 pm

First off relax,

Cat's are very self reliant. Litter does work better than just dirt but I do think the cat should know how to use a box. If the cat gas been declawed then it must have been an indoor cat. Make sure it has food & clean water away from the box. (you would not want to eat inthe bathroom would you?)

As far as biting, most cats will do that not to be mean but in play and sometimes as a sign of affection, (love bites) or went they are afraid. They don't mean to hurt but if they break the skin do wash the area as well as peroxide or rubbing alcohol to disinfect the area.

Don't be afraid to go get some rest for while the cat might do some exploring so long as you have done a little recon around your house to secure things easyly broken in case the cat checks out a shelf you should be fine. Most likely the cat will find a secure spot on your bed most likely by your feet to sleep.

Feel free to email me at any time if you have a question or I can help in any way.

Joe

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 9:49 pm

I cannot experience fear.

kittens · Post by **kittens** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 9:53 pm

Joe, I knew somehow you would reply to this thread

Post by **Rekka Alexiel** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 9:56 pm

Aww, are you planning on keeping it or are you just gonna watch it for a while until you find the owner? Or maybe you know the owner? I'm sure if you keep it around for any long period of time, it'll probably get attached to you. And maybe the other way around, too!! heehee

Good luck with the kitty!!

ReiTheJelly · Post by **ReiTheJelly** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 10:01 pm

If you're not interested in keeping this cat long term (providing that it's owners don't show up), I'd suggest taking it to a "no kill" shelter. Many other shelters (like the Humane Society) put down animals after only about 3 days...

Baakay · Post by **Baakay** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 10:07 pm

You've already gotten a bunch of good advice!

Don't be surprised if you wake up in the middle of the night with a heavy feeling in your chest

Kitties love to sleep in warm spots... particularly when the warm spots have nice, soothing heartbeats, too.

I'd say you must be doing well if he/she has settled down and is sleeping. If the cat were really panicked -- or ill -- it would probably be hunkered down in the least accessible spot it could find and would hiss at you at any opportunity.

If I had a buck for every cat bite or scratch I've had in my life I would not be cataloging books for a living. The advice to wash with nice hot soapy water and put a little antibiotic cream or alcohol or something similar is exactly right. Once in a great while you'll find someone who's allergic to cat bites/scratches (*raises hand*...you should see the great red welts whenever one of my Crotchedy Old Ladies gets a claw out of place) but it's unlikely that you'll get anything horrible from kitty.

Oh ... and yes, if he/she is going to be around for more than just a short moment, good old dependable clumping litter is a must. Very easy to maintain, and not so steenky.

Relax, enjoy. Cats love sleep more than pretty much anything. Sleep or food.

Lynxa · Post by **Lynxa** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 10:13 pm

LOL, don't worry about the bites. I've been bitten LOADS of times by my mom's cats and I'm still okay

Does your area have a craigslist? You might try posting on there and asking if anyone's lost a cat (be vague with the descriptions

) You could also look through the paper like Kittens suggested. If you know a vet or a shelter you could ask them to scan the kitty for a microchip.

Relax! If you decide to keep it, better bribe your RAs with something good (I was best friends with mine so my guinea pigs were okay

). And for the sake of your dormmates, you ought to get some real litter at some point

If you decide to not keep it, find a NO KILL SHELTER!!!! You can also put a free ad on petfinder.com or find a local cat rescue.

Good luck!!!

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 10:14 pm

I am glad you find this funny. I cannot feel "worry", so don't worry.

Sakura-chan · Post by **Sakura-chan** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 10:49 pm

Okay well cat is sleeping on me as we speak... I had already done mostly what people said so that's a good thing I guess LOL...

However, I'm in trouble... cats are forbidden here... I definitely CANNOT keep it... and well going to the vet and all... it's a load of responsabilities.. I dunno if I have the time to handle that... I hope somebody can take care of it other than me... I don't want to leave it out in the cold...

At least I feel better since I gave him shelter for the night, some food and some rest. Tomorrow I might have to let it go free again

... I don't want that but it might happen...

kittens · Post by **kittens** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 11:07 pm

Sakura-chan wrote: At least I feel better since I gave him shelter for the night, some food and some rest. Tomorrow I might have to let it go free again ... I don't want that but it might happen...

I do not recommend it since he is decrawed..... He cannot protect himself in outdoor..... (so in a sense he was lucky to get your place....).

If you cannot really keep him I would contact NO KILL animal shelter. I would google search and find near by NO KILL shelter and ask them for advise.

ReiTheJelly · Post by **ReiTheJelly** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:24 am

If the nearest No Kill shelter is too far away (or is not accepting any new animals), try your bookstore. The college down the road from me had a cat "mascot" who lived in their bookstore. Many of the customers were just students who would stop in to pet the cat, then buy some small item and leave.

If that doesn't work, you can always call campus safety and tell them that you've caught a stray cat - they'll call Animal Control Services and have them come take the cat away. One of my friends took a stray cat in last year - she couldn't keep it since our college doesn't allow pets. But that cat wasn't declawed...(looks at scar on her arm)

kittens · Post by **kittens** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:33 am

ReiTheJelly reminded me, but maybe talk to a local vet. Our vet usually takes homeless cats/kittens. Also you might want to talk to Petco as well.... They have adaption service. So they might know what you should do (i.e. local no kill shelter, etc etc).

Sakura-chan · Post by **Sakura-chan** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:49 am

@_@... I really wish I could search for a shelter and all... but that would imply that I'd have to keep the cat longer, which I can't do... but I'm gonna go see the lady responsible for my dorm and she will probably either 1) find a shelter for it 2) call security.

I feel bad for the little guy, especially since we kinda bonded... (he slept with me, including on my head XD), but I gotta be reasonable, there's NO WAY i can keep the cat *cries*.

I have courses this morning but I'm gonna try to get somebody to keep the cat while I'm gone... otherwise he keeps looking at the door and moaning LOL. He really wants a lot of attention ^^.

Oh and since I don't have a car, there's no way I can transport him to a shelter, which is why I'm not really the one qualified to handle this

.