Hi cat lovers, I need help!

[Citlali]

So two days ago I was watering my plants when this came in , she had some scratches so I gave her some water, then went to grab my keys to take her to the vet but by the time I was back she had dissapeared. So right now (really five minutes ago!) I´m in my bedroom and who comes through the door? Allie (yes she has a name). What should I do? I´ve never had a cat, I know next to nothing about cats in fact I have a dog... I don´t know if she´s somebody´s pet or if she is lost. Should I make her a bed? What kind of food should I give her... please any advice?

[Buzz]

If she does not have a tag then I say keep her! She seems to have chosen you and that makes you very lucky. And yeah her a bed but in my experience cats like to curl up next to their human a lot more. LOL

[my little pony]

assuming she is adult, any adult cat food will do for now.

[TheGirlCanSkate]

Here is a website with info if you find a cat: http://www.syvhumane.org/foundcat.htm

[milanessa]

Does she look well fed and cared for? Except for those scratches, of course. It seems as though she's used to coming and going so I wouldn't try to keep her penned up - get a few cans of cat food and a small bag of dry until you know if she's around to stay. She may have gotten scratched, got scared and then just took off from a good home.

Any vet or shelter can check her for a microchip which is getting a lot more common.

We've gotten almost all our cats this way over the years so if she stays with you, enjoy!

ps - whats you're dog think about it?

[Angelskates]

I'd go to the vet with her first, just to check her out, get an approximate age and see if anyone in the area has lost her.

[Citlali]

Thank you

Yes she doesn't have a tag, but looks well-fed and is really friendly, she still has some scratches, but they look much better than two days ago...so far my doggie is eyeing her, but not bad reactions (she is actually bigger than my dog ) Hubbie just came home with a can of cat food (that was a phone call) and they are now playing Tomorrow we are going to the vet. She came into the house through a window, should I leave that open if she wants to go?

[milanessa]

She came into the house through a window, should I leave that open if she wants to go?

I would but I'm sure you'll get different opinions.

[Anita18]

Awww sounds like kitty chose you!

Cats are easy to take care of. Moreso than dogs, IMO. All you need is food (any wet/dry food will do in a pinch, but you can switch it up depending on what kitty likes and needs), water, and litter box. My cat never bothered with toys as long as I've had him - he'd rather have someone to sleep on.

If kitty is used to being an outdoor kitty, you can let her decide if/when she wants to go. I've never let my cat outside. He's never gone outdoors, I don't think. There are fleas outside and I'd rather avoid them.

[Cachoo]

I am glad she found you and your husband===keep us updated please!!

[Allskate]

If the cat is friendly and well-fed, it probably has an owner. So, I recommend trying to find the owner. If you feel like the cat is being fed by its owner, reconsider whether it's a good idea to feed the cat. My neighbor's cat is a friendly indoor/outdoor cat and she tends to visit her neighbors whenever she finds an open window or door. The cat is on a special medical diet, so it's a bad thing when neighbors decide to feed her.

[Anita18]

If the cat is friendly and well-fed, it probably has an owner. So, I recommend trying to find the owner. If you feel like the cat is being fed by its owner, reconsider whether it's a good idea to feed the cat. My neighbor's cat is a friendly indoor/outdoor cat and she tends to visit her neighbors whenever she finds an open window or door. The cat is on a special medical diet, so it's a bad thing when neighbors decide to feed her.

In that case, wouldn't it be necessary to have the cat wear a tag saying that she can't be fed regular food? I mean, if the cat is going in and out all the time. That way people would know she isn't just a stray, and the ones who picked her up would know not to feed her any random thing.

[Allskate]

In that case, wouldn't it be necessary to have the cat wear a tag saying that she can't be fed regular food? I mean, if the cat is going in and out all the time. That way people would know she isn't just a stray, and the ones who picked her up would know not to feed her any random thing.

She has put up signs and informed the neighbors that they shouldn't feed the cat. Some people just want to do it anyway. It keeps this fun and sweet cat coming back. Also, there's no way anyone would really believe that this cat is a stray. She not only has a collar and tag with her address and phone number on it (as well as a microchip), but also is obviousy well-cared for and socialized to people.

Anyway, I wouldn't assume that just because a cat has scratches (pretty common with outdoor cats) and jumps in windows that it doesn't have an owner, especially if it otherwise looks well cared-for and is friendly. Even without a collar. There are some pets who are geniuses at escaping from their collars and some cats that are usually indoor cats don't have collars. There may be an owner looking for this cat and it would be a shame if someone simply locked her in their home just because it jumped it through their window. I would suggest pursuing the measures recommended in that link posted by ThatGirlCanSkate. If an owner is not found, then hopefully Citlali or some other cat lover will adopt her.

[Finnice]

Good luck with the cat, Citlali! I would also recommend trying to find the owner, but if nobody is found and your dog is ok with her, just enjoy the cat! Mine do go out, but we live in the country. There are risks, but you choose if you take them or not. I am always happy to hearnews!

[Citlali]

Hi all,

So yesterday we took her to the vet and he found her to be healthy and the scratches to be healing fine, we now are pretty sure she is someones pet, hubby and I made posters and we are taking a newspaper add that is running today, so hopefully we could find her family. We leave the window open and she goes out, but always comes back, we followed the advice of the website TheGirlCanSkate recommended and bought her a collar and put our number on it, so if she goes back to her family they can contact us.

My is pretty old and seems to have that I'm-too-tired to deal with you attitude, doesn't bother her so, so far so good, will do our best to find her people, but in the meantime she has a home with us.

[Buzz]

Thanks for the update Citiali!

[Allskate]

Thanks for the update! Glad that she is doing well, that you are caring for her, and that you are trying to locate owners. Sounds like this will have a happy ending either way.

[madm]

My daughter (in vet school) lost one of her indoor cats two months ago and was very traumatized by it. Late one night a friend opened a sliding glass door to let his labrador out to go home, and the cat bolted out and was subsequently chased by the dog and jumped over a fence into neighbors' yards and was gone into the night. Fortunately two days later someone noticed the cat under their car about two blocks from her house, and befriended it. He called her phone number on the tag, and she was reunited (there was hissing and hiding when she arrived with a cat carrier though - the carrier represents going to the vet and traveling on airplanes). She had put up 60 posters in the surrounding neighborhoods, called local vets and humane society, and posted notices online. However, there was a good chance the collar might have been lost because she has a quick release collar on her cats so that they can't be strangled if they ever get caught on something like a fence. Anyway, don't assume the cat you found is a stray because it probably belongs to someone and they are most likely distraught about losing it, or else they let their cat roam freely and it is just visiting you. Thank you for giving the cat food and water, as it could be dehydrated and extremely hungry if it is outside for the first time and in unfamiliar surroundings. But by all means have the cat checked for a microchip and notify the humane society and local vets that you have found the cat. A notice in the paper may not do as much good as a notice online, since young people don't read newspapers much.

For those of you wondering why my daughter keeps her cats indoors when at least one of them clearly wants to be outside, there are numerous health reason for doing so. Nearly all outdoor cats carry feline leukemia which is transmitted easily airborne and many cats have feline aids. Cats that are indoors live much longer lives than outdoor cats exposed to diseases, predators and road hazards.

[Anita18]

And fleas.

[milanessa]

Nearly all outdoor cats carry feline leukemia which is transmitted easily airborne and many cats have feline aids.

Vet school or not, that statement is BS.