Please help us!

[furrykidsmother]

Very happy to hear of the outcome! Speedy recovery to Molly! Thanks for keeping us updated. We've all been worried.

[jomama55358]

Hello
this is jomama. my wife, Debbie did the last update or two.
Yesterday when we got Molly home from the vet, she was SO "under" yet from the surgery that we had to lift her out of the carrier & lay her into her bigger cage. Needless to say, we took advantage of her vulnerable state- we petted & scratched her a bit- something we hadn't been able to do before.
I'm so glad that the crisis seems to be winding down.
I'm a 6' tall, 260+ pound man, and I am putty in a cats paws.
I feel so bad sometimes (now) because Molly DOES seem sooooo sad. I have opened a can of tuna & used it as a bait to trap her & take her from the only life she has known.
I'll bet she'd like to open up a different sort of can on me, huh?
She is the fifth stray we've brought into our house, plus ginger is the daughter of mamakat. Ginger was born in the very cage that Molly is in now.
What is it about this website that makes me so sentimental
I'm sure i'll get over the guilt.
It will take lots of time & love to socialize her, but kat people seem to have unlimited amounts of love when it comes to katz, huh?
I like to think that she had a hard life outside & that we're doing her a favor by bringing her to be with us.
Actually, I started trapping the local strays in our garage for a very selfish reason- I was sick to death of burying kittens.
A big guy like me crying as he digs a little hole for a little kitten that didn't make it across the street.
As my wife said, We really do appreciate all your feedback & prayers.
Molly is a very good girl.
She is a gray tabby, by the way.
joe

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by jomama55358
Actually, I started trapping the local strays in our garage for a very selfish reason- I was sick to death of burying kittens.
A big guy like me crying as he digs a little hole for a little kitten that didn't make it across the street.
joe

Welcome Joe! I've missed this entire thread. So glad everything worked out so well for Molly.

I just wanted to point you to this thread so you can read about how you're not the only guy that was tired of burying kittens.

Let's talk about Maggie Sue

The story is kind of long, but if you read down, you will see this statement "....hubby looked at me and said "I will not bury another one!"

Actually all of the "Let's talk about" threads are wonderful reads and show the progression of a tolerant cat dad to a down right proactive cat dad. Do a search for them, they're all by Cat Crazy Lady right around the time of the "Maggie Sue" thread (she did a cat a day from first to last).

Again, Welcome to PT and congratulations on a successful outcome for Molly.

[kittycats_delight]

You big softie Joe it's great that you love animals the way you do. My hubby is a pretty big guy too not quite so big as you but when you see a guy 6'1 and 200+ lbs watch a video like the rainbow bridge video or read an article like the one that was posted about about "Miracle Kitty" (the ginger male that was thrown into the icey cold water of the Don River in a sealed dufflebag and barely made it out alive) and cry it's quite touching. Not a lot of men are so sensitive. And not a lot of men are this way about cats.

Don't question yourself as to whether you are doing the right thing taking her off the streets. YOU ARE. At least now with you she will have a warm home, a full belly and lots of love. And also if you didn't trap her what would have happened to her with that dead kitten still inside, you know she wouldn't have made it. And another thing. Now if she gets ill you can get her the medical attention she needs, she would not get that on the street and she would most likely pass away. You did the best thing for her by removing her from the streets and giving her a chance at a good life.

Michelle

[QueenScoopalot]

I think street waifs are the most appreciative of a home where they know they can actually let down their guard, and get a good sleep for a change. I've also taken in many pregnant ferals, and dumped ones as well, and some of those poor moms are just too run down to have thriving offspring. I'm glad you're a big softy for the many strays/ferals out there. The world needs many more caring people in it, to make things right. Hope someday soon, Molly will learn to trust and appreciate what you and your wife have done for her. I have quite a few former ferals, and they tend to be so much more affectionate than house born cats. They've lived through some tough times, and sure do like being spoiled inside. Glad things are going well....Jan

[Cataholic]

Yay Molly, and her new purrents! RIP little kitties.

[momcat]

How is our girl Molly today? I did get your voice mail, Joe. Thanks for returning my call. You did a wonderful thing bringing Molly into your home rather than leave her to fend for herself especially since she was sick. You are doing an even more wonderful thing by deciding to make her a member of your family. I'm sure that the other PT folks who are also owned by cats will agree that once her recovery is complete and she has a chance to settle in by getting to know you, Molly will, in her own kitty way, thank you for helping her through this crisis and giving her a home full of caring, love and the security that she may never have known until now. My cat, Groucho says thank you, thank you, thank you!Please let us know how she progresses and when Molly is up to it, a picture please? And Joe, don't feel as though you have to apologize for being a man who melts at the sight of a kitten, you're a man with a big, warm, gentle, caring heart!

[jomama55358]

Hello
okay, here's a really hard question to ask.
What are your opinions on letting molly go free again now that she's been spayed & is recovering?
I gotta say that she seems ABSOLUTELY heartbroken in that cage.
We live in a small town of about 500 people.
Molly has probably lived her whole life outside.
We are absolutely torn.
Molly has a top of the line cage with shelves & a hammock, but she crouches down under the bottom shelf & only creeps out from under there when we're NOT looking to eat or to use "the facilities".
Another thought/fear that will haunt me probably forever:
We knew Molly was pregnant when we set out to catch her. first we caught a tom, got him tutored (nuetered) & let him go.
Molly was HUGE w/babies. Here's the haunt.
Did Molly start giving birth, have some kittens, have a problem/take a break, decide to go to the little blue garage (ours)
for a quick meal, & then end up trapped with babies waiting under a shed or porch somewhere?
That horrible thought will truly haunt me forever.
She was huge, but after we got her, she only had two kittens inside her.
It's not that she's not loved or wanted.
We just want her to be happy.
Her life outside was the only life she knew.
Even if it was a hard life, i'm sure she must have gotten some happiness out of it, huh?
I've seen documentaries about "catch & release" w/feral cats.
One was in a big park in florida that is full of stray cats. people catch them, get them fixed & their ear marked & release them into the park again.
pleasae let me know your opinions.
joe

[QueenScoopalot]

It's very unlikely that Molly would get up during labor, and get herself trapped. Generally a queen will stay in the birthing area until she's done birthing, and often won't even leave the litter for a day or two. Don't beat yourself up over it, as a cat will look huge right before the kittens drop into the birth position. They don't look quite as enormous the day of delivery. If she truly seems miserable inside, and has a warm safe place to stay especially during the Winter, then maybe she'd be happier outside again. Have you tried leaving the cage door open to see if she'd be willing to come out? Then there's the other dilemma of her possibly using her hiding spots as a potty.

[jomama55358]

thanks for the reply queen.
I hope the same thing about Molly's birthing. There's no way i'll ever know for sure, so I gotta try to stop dwelling on it I suppose.
We trapped her out of care & concern for her & her babies, & to get her fixed afterwards.
Yes, the local strays do have our garage to eat & sleep in. We have several boxes & beds w/blankets & pillows in there w/ fresh water & food. I don't think they sleep there much except in the winter.
Molly is a good girl. We want her to be happy.

[kittycats_delight]

I think maybe you should give it a little more time to see if she adjusts. She is probably still pretty scared and probablys still not overly comfortable from the spay. I know when I had my Mytsi spayed she wouldn't come out from under the bed for 3 days. All she knew was she felt ok when she went into that darned old vet and when she came out she hurt and I was the one that brought her there. I think the advise you were given is quite good and believe me "Queen" knows what she is talking about. Give it a little more time for Molly in hopes she will come around and enjoy a happy loving and warm life indoors.

Michelle

[QueenScoopalot]

Joe, If you do end up letting her back outside to live, seeing as you live in Minnesota, the best shelter if styrofoam. I have the vets save them for me, as they get vaccines shipped in them. Pet stores that have fish often get fish delivered in them also, but they tend to be flimsy. I've seen many ferals survive the bitter cold of Winter by having these to get into. The heat their body produces doesn't dissipate, like it does having just blankets and boxes. It actually radiates back to the cat, and keeps them very warm! I've put my hand inside several minutes after a cat has left (in zero degree weather) and can still feel lots of heat from the cat....self heating shelters! I duct tape the covers on after cutting a SMALL hole into the edge, and lining the hole with tape to prevent it from crumbling..then tape on the cover, and place a soft blanket into it, and put it in a dry place. I sure would like to hear that Miss Molly stays inside, but if she isn't happy then what can you do?

[momcat]

Molly has been through quite a lot this past week. Maybe she needs time to rest up and get her strength back. It could also be that she's not sure of her surroundings just yet. Give her a chance to recoup and settle down, somehow it seems too soon to make this decision. Is she on any medication now? If so, don't worry until the meds are finished.

[kittycats_delight]

How is Miss Molly doing? Is she adjusting at all? Have you decided to let her go? Just wanting to know how things have progressed. We all care very much for her and would love an update.

[jomama55358]

Hello.
Molly was released saturday.
We've seen her by our garage twice since then.
We started leaving food outside for her in case she was afraid to go inside.
It just seemed like the right thing to do with her.
She looked sooooo sad. We wanted to let her go before her scent went away out there. i dunno if that's a real fear or not, but being that she is 5 yrs old, She probably is hierarchy or something
We didn't want her to lose her standing.
There will always be fresh food & water in the garage for all strays.
Molly will always have a place in our hearts too.
I love the advice about the styrofoam. we'll be looking into getting some.