They are seeking me out it seems

[Catbuddy]

Let me paint the picture which is necessary to describe the situation. I'm inspired to post on here since I am very interested to get any sort of suggestions as to how I deal with this.

My info:
I am a 27 Yr. old guy who lives on a 2nd floor apt. in Dallas, Tx

I grew up with a cool cat (Tiger) that was a stray my family adopted since he hung around my parent's house(I was feeding him secretly) in the early 80's. He was a hunter-type cat which craved the outdoors to hunt, but he lived indoors. He died at approximately 13 yrs. old in 1992.

My parents adopted two new cats (Max & Rufus - Brothers). Max is a medium haired grey-beige cat who is quite lazy and friendly. Rufus is a high-strung bitey orange tabby who only accepts attention from my mother. They're also brothers.

I live by myself and have noticed there were several cats wandering around my apt. complex all times of the year. One had a nametag which was labeled "Benz - Outside OK"

She was a little Callico<SP> who was quite small and looked almost like a kitten. After multiple nights of seeing the cat out below freezing temperatures, I grew frustrated and called the number on her tag, it was disconnected. I then took her to the vet listed on her tag to determine who the owner was and learned the number they had was also disconnected. So I had been feeding her and bringing her in at night so she didn't get get sick or frostbiten (My first cat, Tiger, demanded to go outside one frozen night and got frostbite on his ear and had to amputate 40% of his left). She was missing a large part of her fur on the lower part of her tail one day & she vanished. I have not seen her since - It's been over a month.

Now I have new cats that come by on a daily basis. All appear to be neglected & possibly homeless. Here's the odd part...

I LIVE ON THE 2ND FLOOR. These cats sought out my 2nd floor patio in a complex with 530+ apartment units. I can't quite figure out why they seek my patio out individually (I don't leave food out consistantly)... I'm convinced they talk to each other or something . Anyway, I'm not certain to do with these cats, one comes by and cries at my patio door every night when it's cold. She has no ID, no collar or anything. I'm not certain what to do... What do ya'll think?

I'd sure hate for them to live neglected lives, but I'm afraid that there's little I can do unless I give them permenant homes.

[aly]

Hi, welcome to Pet Talk I'm Alyson and I live just over in Austin. We're neighbors!

What about finding a no-kill shelter or rescue group for the cats? They will have a second chance at living a happy, loving life. Chuck, another member here, lives in the Dallas area and could probably help you out by pointing out some good rescues or shelters that he knows of there since he was in cat rescue.

Good luck!

[topaz]

Maybe your just a cat magnet. Are you sure other people in your apartment dont have cats and let them out at night maybe they all meet at your place

[wolflady]

Hello catbuddy, and welcome!! Yup, I think you're a cat magnet! I have that same problem. Every single cat (except for one) has been drawn to me off the street. Bad thing about that is, I give in! It's a weakness!! LOL LOL Sometimes I really do think cats know where to go for kindness, and it must just be eminating from your 2nd floor abode!! LOL LOL Bless your heart for wanting to do something, and making the effort with that calico earlier. It's really ashame that people dump animals like that. I would agree with aly and see if there are any cat rescues in Dallas that might take them, unless you want more furkids moving in with you! Good luck and keep us posted

[zippy-kat]

Originally posted by Catbuddy
I'm not certain what to do... What do ya'll think?

Ya'll...sign of a true Texan! lol

Welcome to PetTalk Catbuddy!!

[Catbuddy]

In the meantime, I set up a new unused litterbox with a cover and isulated it with towels by draping the outside of it. Inside, I placed a nice pillow covered with another towel to create somewhat of a cat den. When I got home from work tonight there was a resident making use of the new cat condo.

These little guys don't have collars but appear to be fed. So, I'm starting to assume they may have owners that do nothing but maybe leave food out. As we all know, they need attention and warmth.

If that's the case, then I'm going to continue to do the best I can to keep them in good shape. It just kills me that people would commit to an animal and not take on the responsibilty of caring for them.

Is it possible for a cat to appear well-fed and be homeless? I want to help..

I'm also worried that if someday I move they may assume the new owner is a cat-friend and not be. I'd consider adopting, but I'm also fairly certain that whatever girl I may be dating may think I'm some weird-o for taking on multiple cats.

I'm not going to sit back and watch these cool kitties get neglected.

[aly]

How about you just wait for a girl to come along who thinks you're GREAT for taking on multiple cats?

When I get a boyfriend, I'd be praising the lord if he loved animals that much!

[LoudLou]

Originally posted by Catbuddy

I'd consider adopting, but I'm also fairly certain that whatever girl I may be dating may think I'm some weird-o for taking on multiple cats.

I'm not going to sit back and watch these cool kitties get neglected.

I think if the girl you may be dating thinks your a "weird-o" then
she MUST be the weird-o I met My husband because of OUR cats... I think it would show any potential girlfriend how much you care about your pets... And that's a good thing, my friend.

[Catbuddy]

:-)

The unfortunate majority of girls I've dated in the past have been allergic. Whenever we went to my parent's house, I'd hear nothing but "If we ever get married, we will never have cats."

Not to say that was the deal breaker, but to me I feel a large part of my passiveness I owe to growing up with extraordinary cats.

There's nothing like a warm purring fur-person on your chest while you lay on the couch to calm the nerves and unwind.

Cats don't ask for anything but merely attention in return for what they give you.

I know if I were a cat and I was stuck outside in 35 degree weather that I would appreciate someone taking the time to help me out.

[aly]

That's so nice of you to take the time to help out those cats. I saw on the news that Dallas got snow even! Poor kitties. My heart breaks whenever I see poor stray cats. I always try to catch them but don't always succeed. If I can't catch them then I at least put food out for them

I dated a guy allergic to cats and dogs once. Oh my, that was not fun! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find Miss Right who will like cats

[Logan]

Welcome to Pet Talk, and bless you for trying to make these cats more comfortable. I was going to say that cats are pretty resourceful, and a homeless cat might still look pretty healthy. Any of you who have dealt with feral cats, is that the case?

I have taken in a stray, who is permanently mine now and he was quite muscular but has fattened up significantly since living here. He lives to eat!

[Randi]

I'm so glad you want to help these kitties and I have a suggestion - unless you can find homes for them. Remember, cats who have been living as strays for some years, are difficult to get to live indoors.

We have had similar problems where I live. To begin with there were 2 females, 1 male and occasionally 2 other males. One female was put down, one died, the two males don't come around anymore and one is still there.

A few of us started feeding them and one day we met up and had a chat about what to do. We put notes up in the block to ask if anybody was interested in helping, 8 of us attended this meeting. We decided to take turns feeding them and get them neutered and so on - we split the cost.

This, we have done for the last 2-3 years every evening (so the birds don't steel the food) we have also build houses for them (read "Building a cathouse for stray cats")

Since the start of all this, one women have died and 3 have moved, so we're 4 of us left to take care of the old male. He is so sweet and lives happily in his house. Perhaps this could be a solution for the time being.

Wishing you all the best!

[wolflady]

Catbuddy, bless your heart for helping those precious babies!! I have to say, that any man that loves animals (especially cats) is raking in the positive points from me! LOL LOL I don't know many men who like, or admit to liking cats, so big plus points for you! I'm sure you'll find a gal who's crazy about cats, because there's lots of us out there! LOL LOL
Seriously, it sounds like you're doing a great thing for the babies right now. If you were planning on extending your cat family, I'd be tempted to take in as many as you are able to. Or, the rescues that Chuck mentioned are good alternatives. If they look like they could possibly be pets, maybe post up some 'Kitties Found' flyers in and around your living complex. Do they appear to be 'fixed'??
Good luck with your endeaver and keep us posted!**hugs**