Placing cats into the right home

I just found my second stray cat of the week. I found the first one's owners a few days ago but I doubt I will find the owners to this one. The problem is I can't keep her because Shiloh hates other cats so I will probably be rehoming her myself as I don't want to take her to a shelter. She is a very sweet kitty but she plays rough. I have had a lot of experience in placing dogs but not as much with cats. I want to find this cat the perfect home, but I'm not sure how I'm going to go about this. When she plays with you, she bites and claws. It does hurt because her teeth are sharp but she doesn't mean for it to hurt. She's very gentle and I've been using the "OUCH!" method on her and it does make her stop. I want to find someone who will be very tolerant of her play or very patient while trying to train her not to bite like that. I know there are some people who don't mind rough play because I have a cat who plays very rough and I don't mind it at all. The question is, how can I find someone who will love this kitty and not let her get lost or dumped again? She seems to have had surgery sometime in the past few months. On her side haunches are patches that were once shaved but the hair is grown back a lot. She's petite and very young (I think).

Spencer - I saw you live in Dallas. Would you have any advice on how to find the right home? I'm in Austin and would be willing to drive to Dallas if you know of anyone there wanting a bundle of joy.

[This message has been edited by aly (edited May 09, 2001).]

I don't know how old she is. My guess is less than a year. I will be taking her to the vet tomorrow. She is confined to my room right now which is not making my animals happy. The kitty doesn't like dogs at all so she keeps hissing and spitting at the door. Yes, we have a no-kill shelter but I don't even wanna take her there. The reason being is I want to be positive I find the right person for her. I have a lot of contacts for dog rescues around here and I am thinking of getting in touch with them to find a cat rescue who can assist me in the adoption of this cat. I just really want to be positive that she'll be going to a good home. I'm terrified of giving her to an underqualified and/or neglectful person.

The reason I'm so worried is because of her rough play. I'd adopt her out of the shelter if not for that fact. I'm afraid someone might adopt her and not be so tolerant of her playing and kick her out or something. She's a big sweetie though and shouldn't be too hard to adopt out.

[This message has been edited by aly (edited May 09, 2001).]

Aly-you may have already done this - I know Austin is a big town, but if she's recently had surgery, have you thought of calling some of the closest vets and seeing if they know who she belongs to? I'm having trouble picturing a family or person who would go to the trouble and expense of having surgery done on their cat, only to dump her before her fur even grows back. I'm certain she's lost. But, I could be wrong, of course. Also, most of the no-kill, and alot of the regular, shelters will want ANY information you have about her, to prevent exactly what you are afraid of. They WANT to know that she scratches, so they can weed out any prospective owners who might have a problem with that. Your dog people will know what are the best shelters, and which ones to avoid, so get some references from them.

I actually found her owner last night, which after meeting her, I'm not convinced is a good thing. First of all, she lives in an apartment that doesn't even allow animals. Secondly, she got mad at me for caring for her cat. She said the cat would have found her way back home eventually and I should think twice before 'stealing' someone's pet. (I hardly call it stealing when I put up signs EVERYWHERE, called vets, etc). The cat's surgery was from a dog bite, which explains why she hated Reece. I also noted white rice-like things in the cat's feces so I asked the owner to get some tape worm treatment from the vet. She told me she has her cat 'de-wormed' once a month. I tried to explain to her what tapeworm was and why she needed to treat it. She didn't want to have anything to do with me. All I can say is if I see this cat outside again, I am NOT returning her. She doesn't even have tags or anything.

Sadly, this is one of those stories that didn't have a very happy ending. I feel sorry for that kitty. See, I did have the owners pegged wrong. It takes all kinds. Of course, if she had tapeworms, she has fleas, too. Bless her little heart. I hope you do see her again, to give her a chance at a better life. If the rental housing situation in Austin is the same as it is in D/FW, she may have had no choice but to move into a no-pets apartment and take her chances. But there's no excuse for the rest of her behavior.

I looked around that website. As long as I ignored the fact that he hates cats, I did see some very valid, good points. Thanks for the link.

I feel sorry for the kitty not only does she have an irresponsible and ungrateful owner but she has to take worm medicine every month. When if her owner would take care of her flea problem she wouldn't have worms