Super Sweet abondoned cat needs a home.
First I want to say that everyone in this "Brooklyn Pets" forum is awesome. I have NEVER liked cats... at all... I've always been afraid of them but honestly reading all the amazing posts about cat rescues and fosters, and seeing the pics of the cute cats have made me think differently about the little critters. I still don't think I'm ready to take in the cat described below (he needs someone who will play with him and his claws scare me :-() So please read below and PM me if anyone is interested! (I originally posted in the Ft. Green/Clinton Hill/Bed Stuy forum)
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Hey everyone,
My neighbors abandoned their cat a few months ago. My downstairs neighbor has been feeding him (along with any other stray that comes along), and he's pretty much been sleeping in between our 2 outside doors in this little padded igloo structure that she bought him.
My landlord has recently decided that cats can no longer be fed in front of the house (a decision that I am VERY happy about...), but I really like this one particular cat. It's obvious he's used to being inside, and he's ridiculously friendly. He's always trying to rub up on us, and get us to play with him... (I think this is all a ploy to distract us so he can make a mad dash to get inside the brownstone.
) Anyway, he's SOOO sweet and I'd really like for him to have a nice home.
I have a pretty significant fear, and slight allergy to cats, but I'm going to TRY foster him until this weekend while I try desperately to find him a permanent placement. If he's not adopted by this weekend I will have to turn him over to a shelter... which I'd hate to do, b/c I KNOW he'd make an awesome pet for someone who isn't petrified by cats.
If you're interested or would like more information please send me a PM
Thanks!!!
************************************************
Hey everyone,
My neighbors abandoned their cat a few months ago. My downstairs neighbor has been feeding him (along with any other stray that comes along), and he's pretty much been sleeping in between our 2 outside doors in this little padded igloo structure that she bought him.
My landlord has recently decided that cats can no longer be fed in front of the house (a decision that I am VERY happy about...), but I really like this one particular cat. It's obvious he's used to being inside, and he's ridiculously friendly. He's always trying to rub up on us, and get us to play with him... (I think this is all a ploy to distract us so he can make a mad dash to get inside the brownstone.
) Anyway, he's SOOO sweet and I'd really like for him to have a nice home. I have a pretty significant fear, and slight allergy to cats, but I'm going to TRY foster him until this weekend while I try desperately to find him a permanent placement. If he's not adopted by this weekend I will have to turn him over to a shelter... which I'd hate to do, b/c I KNOW he'd make an awesome pet for someone who isn't petrified by cats.
If you're interested or would like more information please send me a PM
Thanks!!!
Comments
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Awww, he looks like such a sweetie! I can't understand people who just toss their cats out onto the street. If I didn't already have 4 cats, 2 kittens, 2 dogs, and 2 foster cats, I would foster him in a heartbeat. I'll keep my ears open to see if anyone can help. Thanks for the kind words and willingness to help this poor little guy!
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Thanks! A friend of mine is interested and is coming over tomorrow to "check out his disposition" and possibly take him home. I'm so excited. I just packed his little going away pack. Hopefully it'll work out. But PLEASE if anyone else is interested don't hesitate to contact me in case it doesn't work out tomorrow.
Keep your fingers crossed for him (the kitty)
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He looks like a total sweetheart. I adore that he's makin' biscuits in that last pic! Good luck with his potential new owner tomorrow!
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StuyGal, you're totally my feel-good story this week. You rock.
while i'm not one to talk when it comes to facing fears (i'm a champion avoider, myself), you clearly love this cat, and he's adorable! i think he might be yours.
if he hasn't scratched you yet (out of fear of moving inside to a new place, for instance) i don't think he's going to ever scratch you on purpose. most adult cats who aren't lunatics don't.
in terms of play, could you start by giving him toys to play with on his own (like a catnip mouse) that you won't have to have your hands near? if you can do that without feeling too afraid, that's great -- there's no reason you have to dangle strings in front of him if you're not comfortable doing that.
no matter what you do next, i am so impressed with you for rescuing him. -
Thanks for responding everyone... My friend is still coming tonight, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I thought about the issue of just not playing with him... but he's such a playful cat... I was sitting on the floor petting him when he came to visit the other day and he "playfully" grabbed my arms with his claws and tried to bite my arm. My friend (who was there to protect me from the cat ) assured me that he was just being playful and didn't mean any harm by it, but it really freaked me out... and I was no longer really comfortable having him around so we put him back in his little igloo...(I KNOW I'm horrible! 
) Now he's kind of pissed off with me and has stopped rubbing on my legs when I'm around. :-(
I've been talking to friends who say that they grew up with cats that they never played with... the cats were sort of just there... they fed them and then the cats just did their own thing. I don't think I could have a pet that I couldn't play with... that was one of my main complaints against cats, that they were too aloof... and now I find a cat that is TOO affectionate and that scares me too... I know.. I'm a mess... :roll: I've been told that clipping his nails would help with the scratching.... how true is that? What could I do to stop him from nipping "playfully" at me... I've been watching the video posts on here, and it appears that that's what cats do naturally.
Anyway, my friends have all advised me against taking him in, b/c it would probably be more traumatizing for him to be inside for a week or 2 and then be placed back in the igloo, or sent to a shelter if I decided I couldn't handle it... as opposed to just leaving him be and not disrupting his life anymore than it needs to be...
I'm so confused... I hope this works out tonight with my friend. This situation (and reading all the posts and seeing all the pics/videos) has really made me like cats a WHOLE lot more, but I don't want my indecisiveness to harm the cat any more than need be.... *sigh* -
i definitely don't think you're a horrible person. and remember, it's a cat, not a child, so don't worry too much about what your personality will or won't do to it. (aside from wanton physical cruelty, of course) they're not looking to grow up to be like you, after all.
one trick about playful nipping, etc, that has really worked for me, 100% of the time is to make a really high-pitched squeal if a cat does something playful that hurts you. apparently, this is how kittens tell each other in the litter that something hurts. cats have much tougher skin than ours, so it doesn't necessarily occur to them that we can get hurt easily.
if a cat who is playing (not one who's defending itself, but that doesn't sound like this guy's style) hurts me, i go "EEEEE", really high, not terribly loud. They always release, startled, and stare at me, like, "What? THAT hurt? are you an infant?" I think they think I'm the world's biggest baby, but they do always stop. Bear in mind that I will roughhouse with cats sometimes, and this works even when they're pretty carried away playing.
about your friends' childhood aloof cats: i bet a good 80% of them became aloof because they didn't like the way kids play with cats. i've seen this a million times. it's generally a case of kids wanting to play too much or too rough, not too little.
obviously, i'm rooting for you to keep the cat, but i think it's great that you're helping him out at all. lord knows i'd have a hard time helping a snake. -
Thanks for looking out for this guy! Orange males make the best cats. I think that biting/scratching is probably coming from his frustration. He was more than likely a house cat and now he is out on the street. Having to fend for yourself and deal with other outside cats is probably way too much for him. He definitely needs a nail trim, that would quickly remedy the scratching. And don't be afraid of him. I bet that he is a really nice little boy. He is handsome and would be easy to adopt but he will need to get used to living indoors. Do you have a friend or co-worker that could foster him? Please keep us posted about your friend meeting him tonight!
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sweet tea wrote: lord knows i'd have a hard time helping a snake.
Not even this little guy?
Remember, "red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, venom lack." Only works for North American elapids, but still a good rule of thumb. -
that's disgusting. kill it.
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What a cute snake! I've always wanted one but couldn't bring myself to feed one.
Stuygal, you are doing a wonderful thing. You may feel bad about not taking this guy in but that little shelter and the kindness you're giving him is a lot. I agree with sweet tea 100%, he is probably freaked out being on the street since he was a house cat. As long as he's just playing though you shouldn't have anything to worry about. As far as aggressive behavior goes. A little squeal will let him know it's not okay if he plays a bit too rough. You could try a wadded up piece of paper as a toy that he can bat around, something really crinkly (the paper on a roll of toilet paper works great). For someone with a fear of cats, you're doing really well with him. Just watch his ears, eyes, and tail for signs he may swat you. Tail flicking, pinned back ears, and really wide eyes are things to watch for. Something like a ball or paper wad is good because you can toss it to him while keeping your hands away from him. One of my cats likes to nip when she plays, she usually starts with an open mouth on my arm or hand but not actually biting. As soon as she does that I move my hand away. Good luck with this cutie and keep us posted! -
Carnivore wrote:
i grew up in north carolina, remember? we have coral snakes. i think i learned that rhyme somewhere around the time i learned to walk.
Remember, "red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, venom lack." Only works for North American elapids, but still a good rule of thumb.
king snakes, black snakes, corn snakes -- there are snakes i respect, but not in my house so much. -
Hey All! Thanks for the kind words! I let the cat back in when I got off work today and he was more than happy to be back inside. I bought him a catnip toy a few days ago so he played with that for a minute, ate his food and promptly jumped into the bed I made him (a little box with a towel inside). It still cracks me up how comfortable he is! I guess because he's been around the house for so long? He tried to stay awake for a while to watch me.. I guess to make sure I wasn't going to hurt him... he had his little head propped up on the side of the box, but his eyes kept closing so eventually he just gave up and went to sleep. ... and stayed asleep... My friend came over to meet him and he pretty much slept right through the visit, but my friend decided that he wants the cat so he'll be back in the morning with a carrier to take him home. YAY! I'm so excited.
I am going to try and get him into the bathroom to sleep tonight. He seems SO tired.. he's been asleep for hours and is still curled up in his little box... Hopefully he won't have a jolt of energy in the middle of the night.
Anyway I'm so happy that he found a new home with a really good person. Thanks again for all of the kind words. I have a new found appreciation for cats and I will now think twice before I make fun of cat people :P -
You did a good thing - I'm glad he found a home. I love orange kitties.
Plus, I think you might have taken some steps to getting over your fear of cats. Maybe you can visit him at your friend's house and get to know him better. -
Yes I'm glad he found a good home too! He's now off to Atlantic Animal Care with my friend for a check up. He's definitely a little shy around new people... shyer than I thought he was going to be. When my friend came over he hid under the dining table, but I'm sure that he'll be fine once he gets to his new home and is able to sniff around a bit.
This has DEFINITELY helped me with my fear of cats. This morning I even let him sit on my lap while we watched the Today show. He tried to nip at me a few times and I tried the high-pitched "EEEE" trick and I think it worked. I was sad this morning when he left, but I'm really glad that he's going to a good home. I would love to visit him in his new home... He's a Brooklyn cat, so I'm sure he's going to be a little pissed off with me when he realizes that I shipped him off to Jersey... but hopefully he can get over it and we can be friends. :P
Thanks everyone! -
Congrats, Stuygal! You have no doubt amassed a great deal of good kitty karma!
If possible, consider reporting the former neighbor who abandoned the cat to ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement ([email protected] or 212-876-7700, ext. 4450). It is a crime to abandon an animal, and the ASPCA will track them down and prosecute. There's a huge problem of people "dumping" unwanted pets onto the streets to fend for themselves, so it helps to drop a dime on cruel, stupid folks like these. -
sweet tea wrote: [quote=Carnivore]
i grew up in north carolina, remember? we have coral snakes. i think i learned that rhyme somewhere around the time i learned to walk.
Remember, "red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, venom lack." Only works for North American elapids, but still a good rule of thumb.
actually, carn, i just realized that i read your post too fast -- we had a slightly different version of the rule:
"red by black, good for jack; red by yellow, kill a fellow"
it's funny to call it a rule of "thumb", though, because most of the coral snake bite cases in nc (according to my dr. parents; i haven't checked) are children who pick up the snakes because they're so pretty and then get bitten in the web between the thumb and forefinger.
ps, btw, way to rip off wikipedia in your post, plagiarist.
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Congratulations stuygal! You found a home for a sweet boy and conquered a fear, I salute you!
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StuyGal, you are so awesome! i'm so glad you found a good home for the cat, even if it's in jersey.
it's really sweet that you got him a toy even though you had him for such a short time, too. here's a little story about giving cat's toys, skip it if you've had enough crazy cat-lover-ness for one week....
when we still lived in chicago, our friend andy (who lives here) came to visit and gave our half-grown cat, orson, the ankle drawstrings (who comes up with these things?) he had decided to cut out of his pants.
a year and more later, when we had just moved here, andy came over for dinner. the house was a wreck, boxes everywhere. the cats' considerable collection of toys was stuffed in their scratching hut-thing, behind piles of boxes and furniture. neither the gf nor i had seen the drawstring in action in months. (yeah, our cats are a little spoiled.)
orson came out and met andy, who asked, jokingly, if he remembered him. then orson disappeared. five minutes later, he marched up to andy and draped the old drawstring over his shoe. -
sweet tea, that's adorable!
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Congrats on your adoption!! What a lucky kitty
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sweet tea wrote: ps, btw, way to rip off wikipedia in your post, plagiarist.
I did NOT go to wiki for that! I did spend 2 years studying this stuff, you know!
Also, remember the rule of "T"s for snakebite victims (who gets bitten):
Tattoos
Testosterone (most victims are men)
Twenties (typical age)
Too much to drink
Taunting (the snake)
Toothless
pickup Truck
Sorry for the derail. Great work, StuyGal! -
sorry, i should have been more careful before i accused you. your comment isn't exactly the same wording as wikipedia, just close and in the same order. plus i'd never heard that version of the rhyme.
the toothless and truck parts of your T list seem a lot like yankees making fun, though. -
sweet tea wrote: sorry, i should have been more careful before i accused you. your comment isn't exactly the same wording as wikipedia, just close and in the same order. plus i'd never heard that version of the rhyme.
Oooo, I left off "Trailer" too!
the toothless and truck parts of your T list seem a lot like yankees making fun, though.
:twisted:
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