Is she a stray???UPDATE - 2

There's this dear little plump tabby girl that hangs around my condo building. She arrived several months ago - VERY sweet, and friendly - comes up to you meowing, and rubs against your legs, and LOVES to be held and kneads and purrs!

I thought she had a home, in the nearby trailer park perhaps, as she seems well fed and she is not around in really cold weather.

No collar.

Anyway, my downstairs neighbour knocked on my door, with kitty in a carrier, just to see if maybe I had lost a cat. She was on her way to the vet, with a "lost kitty". I let kitty out, assured my neighbour she was just friendly, and was obviously fed. I cut a small mat out of her neck fur(during which she shoved her cheek into my hands, purring), and we let her out again.

Saw her today - and she was all friendly and everything - but something looked wrong. I picked her up, and while she was cuddling and being cute, I noticed her WHOLE CHIN was pink skin! No obvious inflammation, something that looked like a grey scar...and she was scratching a bit under her neck, but nothing horrible.

I set her down again. A friend of mine is over here shortly, and loves cats. I am fine with taking kitty to the vet, but I can't keep her here while she heals.

Stray or neglected house cat??? What would you do? Make her "disappear"?

Thanks!

Catty1

Put a paper collar on her asking "Is this your pet?" and your phone number.. That is what some do if they think one may have a home but are not sure. Somebody is feeding her, maybe everybody is? This way you can find out.

In my opinion, she is a stray if no one is taking better care of her, or even putting some identification on her. If she has been found wandering by others besides you and has obviously been injured in some way recently ... I would take her in and either keep her, or rehome her. Of course, you can place an ad first to see if her owner cares enough to look for her! :( Good luck!

Kim

Abra Cadabra, Alacazam - POOF!!! That's what I'd do. It's obvious that an idiot irresponsible pet owner isn't doing their job.

Poor baby. :(

Thanks for all the input so far. I have thought about the collar - making it out of elastic from my sewing basket and attaching a note to that...I will make sure it is something stretchy that will pull off her if she gets caught.

If the collar is still there after several days, I will know she has no home.

I would take her to the vet first - and I have two cats already in my 2 bdrm condo(one of which is the office), so not sure where I would keep her...

My friend Donna who was over for dinner could keep her in the 'shop' at her place, since she is an outdoor kitty...but doesn't know how her other two cats would like it.

Will start with the collar. Any other advice appreciated.

Thanks!

Catty1

Well, I made a collar this morning - out of an OLD but stretchy bra strap in my sewing basket(doesn't look like one, though!). Oscar was the model for proper length, and was very good about it.

I taped a small bit of notepaper around it, with a note and my phone number(no name), and when I went outside this morning, another neighbour was there with her! He calls her Rosie - and he and his partner and the kids love her - she goes into their place all the time, but doesn't eat. So we think she has a home.

I hope the people call - if they refuse to take "Rosie" to the vet, I will offer to and cover the cost. They might be loving but poor. Depending on their attitude, they might NOT get her back!

Rosie was fine with the collar, and trotted off in the direction I think she lives.

If she is still wearing it in two days, well, I guess that's the answer.

Thanks for all the suggestions earlier.

Catty1

Thats so tough to tell as I have Cats come up on the Porch all the time,and I have to guess.
Tubby2 was hungry and neglected but does that mean that someone is not wondering what happened to the Black Cat,the way I am wondering about Pouncierge.

I think you are doing the very best thing you can do in the circumstances.

While I would generally side with those who believe that a cat with sores on her chin, no collar and who wanders the neighborhood indicates a caregiver who isn't giving proper care, I have to remember one of my cats that would have given the same impression.

I shared Sam with a neighbor. I provided vet care, food and shelter that they'd refused him, but they still insisted that he belonged to their children. He'd always been an outside cat and loved children, so I allowed him out in the daytime when I was home. He developed chin acne, a really bad case that had him hospitalized for a few days, and it took weeks of antiobiotics and twice-daily chin scrubbing to clear up. Anyone seeing Sam then, and I found out that everyone in the neighborhood with children knew him, would think he was well-fed but not properly cared for. He lost collar after collar, but he was micro-chipped. He would eat up a storm at home but beg food from every neighbor and act pathetically underfed.

I hope all goes well for "Rosie".

She may well be a lost pet or like the cat that my whole apartment complex was feeding while I was in college.... I called him Mooch...everyone had a name for him but he had been left behind when someone moved. When he came down sick we all chipped in and a grad student gave him a permanent home.

Good luck with the collar idea and blessings for taking care of the kitty.

I saw "Rosie" when I got home from work today - just did the leg rubs and chirps and prrts and wanted love!

She had the collar on still, so will wait til tomorrow.

The vet isn't open when I am - so I will ask the nice neighbours if they will take her in if I make the appt and agree to pay for treatment - I can write a letter.

At least there is a great home in the offing if she is homeless. Odd that she doesn't eat at the neighbours's place. They give her bits of meat - maybe she likes 'her crunchies' and nothing else!

The man said that a couple of months ago he did notice a little thing on her chin, like it was a small scratch or something.

Doesn't seem to bother her mood-wise. I will pop a note under their door tonight, or knock there.

Will keep you posted.

Thanks for all your words - I kept waking up in the night remembering her!

Catty1

Okay, Friday night...I put the collar on kitty Wed morning. I had left a note for the people who really like her downstairs.

This afternoon I had a phone call from a young woman in the second condo building beside mine. She had read the note on the collar, and said she wasn't the owner, but that the cat was hanging around her place.

I called my vet, and because they were booked up, they suggested our Humane Society so a vet would see her - and our local HS is GREAT at reuniting animals with owners, and finding good homes for the rest! VERY low kill, unless necessary by illness or injury.

SO I was resigned to taking Rosie to the Humane Society...I hadn't heard from my downstairs neighbours, so I phoned.

The woman said she got my note - and in spite of the fact that her partner and his kids really loved Rosie and wanted to believe she was a stray, the woman had lived here for four years and had seen this kitty all that time. (Her partner and the kids are not around right now, and the cat hasn't come over!) However, since the cat needs care, her partner said he was happy to take her to the vet. I did my part and faxed the vet to say I would pay for the care(even the woman who phoned me noticed how awful her chin and neck were).

I took my carrier down to the neighbours, and Rosie's care is set.

If Rosie has a tattoo, then the vet will trace it.

I don't care about the owner right now - I just want Rosie to be well and healthy.

That's all the news for now.

Poor little girl!

Catty1

Bless you Catty1. Rosie is very lucky to have you caring for her!

You are doing the best and the right thing for Rosie!!! GREAT JOB!!!

I sure hope all works out for Rosie! Bless you for caring so much.

Saturday - came home from a retreat about 4 pm, and there was Charlene, who I know quite well, who works for Animal Control. My neighbour Trevor was with her, and they were trying to catch Rosie.

Looks like everyone is getting concerned about her at the same time!

Anyway, I told Charlene what the neighbours and I had arranged - and Charlene asked me what I was going to do when Rosie was done at the vet's. I have to admit...I guess I thought the couple would adopt her, though the woman believes Rosie HAS a home because she has been hanging around for at least four years.

So I really had no answer. I said I was paying for the vet - Charlene said she would be back Monday to get Rosie, that she would be cared for by a vet and put up for adoption. And she'll adopt quickly.

When I think about it - any home she has is leaving her in poor condition - so just as well this sweetie gets adopted to a loving and caring home.

Charlene says the injury sounds like an abcess that burst, since the fur fell off after I cut out the hair mat on Rosie's neck.

I called my neighbours and left them the Animal Control number, in case they want to decide to adopt her.

I guess that is it...I will keep you posted on Rosie's progress. None of us were worried about Rosie being PTS at all - the HS society here is very good for not doing that - but we all kind of got to like her.

That's it for now. Dear little kitty!

Catty1

I'm just now seeing this thread. I sure hope that everything works out well for Rosie. Please continue to keep us updated about her.

Oh I am so happy about her going to the vet, hope she will get adopted and feel better soon!