We Trapped A Poor Little Girl . . .

[AvaJoy]

We have finally put our trap to successful use! And possibly one of my low cost spay/neuter certificates which will expire come January . . . when I ordered them I had no idea there would be an expiration date!

There has been a black and white cat every once in a while in the back of our property. The sight of us would send the cat running. Not a Tux but patterned just like a cow! On Sunday I noticed it desperately picking at bare chicken bones (we feed the Turkey Vultures) so we decided to set the trap, with a can of cat food as bait. In an hour or so, there she was . . . skinny and crying, trapped with the can . . . completely empty. Since I have had no experience with ferals, and a rabies alert in the area, I was not about to try and handle her. I dropped some dry food from between the cage wires down into the can and put her in the barn for the night with reassuring words.

The next morning I concluded that she wasn't all that wild since there was no hissing or flat ears, so I put my finger slowly between the cage wires and she rubbed her head and began purring! Just to be on the safe side, I transferred her to my kitty carrier by opening both the trap door and the carrier door and putting them together . . . she readily went into the carrier because she had soiled the trap overnight, poor girl. She is still currently at the vet (they could not check her out yesterday but offered to hold her there) awaiting possible spaying if need be, and all vaccinations. Thanks to the vet tech I now am certain that she is a she, and is FeLV and FIV negative. The vet tech had no problem taking her out of my carrier and putting her into their cage; in fact, she seems used to people and being handled, so I was jumping to conclusions assuming her to be feral. Uh-oh . . . this means I may have another kitty to love . . . I hope Lily will tolerate this young cow marked girl! I've already been thinking of names . . . Hope to hear more from the vet clinic tomorrow.

[Karen]

Oh, a cow-cat! How fun! Naming her would be fun to have a "typical cow-like" name, like Bessie or Bossy, my grandfather's cows were Melinda and Belinda, the Borden cow was Elsie ...

How nice that she isn't feral after all, but I'm glad you were very careful anyway - better safe than sorry.

[4 feline house]

Bless her little black and white kitty heart. And bless you for rescuing her.

[lizbud]

AvaJoy,
Well she isn't a 'poor little girl' now!!
Thank You for helping her and for preventing
lots of other 'little girls & boys' from
coming into this world unloved or uncared for..A few questions please;
1) I use a Tomahawk Humane Trap with the
spring door, what kind do you have?
2)Where did you order your Spay/Neuter
certificates? I've usually just called one
of the local Vets recommended by Cats Haven;
a local cat Rescue/Shelter,to get a reduced
price for spay/neuter & shots before they
are put up for adoption.

[cr7clark]

This must be the month for rescuing black and white cats....a coworker and friend has adopted a six month old pregnant black and white female who was apparently abandoned and decided to sleep in the bed of his pickup truck. John (the friend) has decided to name her Patches, and she has already taken to following him around and asking to be petted and picked up. When she has the kittens, he will see to it that they all have homes; then Patches will be spayed and will live with him and his other two jealous felines!
He's offered us one of the kittens....I am not sure I'm ready at this point to raise a kitten, I would want to do it the right way by training the kitten to accept baths, grooming and claw-clipping, and to train the kitten where to scratch, etc. etc. Also, I am not sure if our thirteen year old Bo will like having another kitty share her household. We'll see........
Anyway, nice going AvaJoy!! You've joined a growing and elite club of tenderhearted feline lovers.

[purrley]

You're so wonderful to rescue that cute little tuxie - brings back memories of last year at this time when I was trying to catch a little white kitty (which I finally did in Feb.) and was therefore blessed with 3 kittens for which all are doing well in loving homes including one which I kept for myself besides my little white Mamma kitty which I love so dearly. What's so special about these kitties is that they actually adopt you and when they stay you know they really, really love ya

[Karen]

Hey, Spencer, I tried to click on the link to her (http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=showMyPhoto&albumID=1449561 1&photoID=16436664&security=AxtdvnotBD) and it told me "you are not the owner of this Webshots album" so couldn't see her!

[purrley]

Spencer - I wanted to see her too and got the same message as Karen.

[purrley]

Oh my look at those markings - what a beauty

[AvaJoy]

Originally posted by lizbud:
<STRONG>AvaJoy,
Well she isn't a 'poor little girl' now!!
Thank You for helping her and for preventing
lots of other 'little girls & boys' from
coming into this world unloved or uncared for..A few questions please;
1) I use a Tomahawk Humane Trap with the
spring door, what kind do you have?
2)Where did you order your Spay/Neuter
certificates? I've usually just called one
of the local Vets recommended by Cats Haven;
a local cat Rescue/Shelter,to get a reduced
price for spay/neuter & shots before they
are put up for adoption.</STRONG>

I'm not sure of the brand, but my trap is quite long and has a spring door, and can be used for many wildlife critters, so it is probably the same style as yours. I did have quite a time figuring out how to open the door, though! (I saved the instructions, but of course didn't have them handy!)

My vet clinic honors SNAP (Spay Neuter All Pets) certificates, and they are located in Maryland. The phone number is 302-838-6996 or 410 885-5783. Email is: [email protected] . Cost is $25 for male cat and $40. for female. There is a $3. handling fee. I ordered one of each just to cover the bases. When I received the certificates they also enclosed a booklet of animal hospitals that participate in their project. Seems like mainly the Maryland, Delaware, PA and NJ area, so I suggest asking your vet if they participate before ordering.

[AvaJoy]

Originally posted by Karen:
<STRONG>Oh, a cow-cat! How fun! Naming her would be fun to have a "typical cow-like" name, like Bessie or Bossy, my grandfather's cows were Melinda and Belinda, the Borden cow was Elsie ...

How nice that she isn't feral after all, but I'm glad you were very careful anyway - better safe than sorry.</STRONG>

Funny, but my husband suggested the name "Elsie". To me that is for an older cat, and since she is probably not quite a year old, he agreed. For some reason, Debbie and Daphne struck me, so I searched Cats of The Day and much to my surprise there were NO Debbie cats (I searched with all the possible spellings), and only one Daphne. In my day, Debbie was a common female name, but I guess not for cats! Last night I watched a TV show about a girl named Daphne that survived the WTC attack, so am leaning toward that name, as my little "cowgirl" is also a survivor.

Spencer, Gateway is the brand of my computer and I have the squeeze cow that was a freebie when I bought it staring at me as I type! Duh . . . why didn't I think of that possibility?!

I talked to the clinic today, and cowgirl is scheduled for spaying tomorrow . . . lots of emergencies, they tell me. My regular vet there is out on leave. I don't yet even know little cowgirl, but I miss her already! I'm being told that apparently it is difficult to detect if a female has been spayed because sometimes there is no scar, or if there is a scar it could be due to hernia surgery. The only way to tell for sure is to put her under, shave, look for scar tissue and feel for internal muscle separation. (Has anyone ever heard of this??) My option was to bring her home to see if she goes into heat and if she does I could reschedule spaying. I decided to let her stay and go through with the spaying if indicated. She has had all her shots, and the girl I spoke with said she is a sweetheart (Yea!) and a chow-hound! She is probably gobbling food like there is no tomorrow because for so long she had to do without. I will pick her up on Friday . . . can't wait to hold her and properly introduce ourselves. I will have to proceed with caution upon integrating her into Lily's domain, however!

[AvaJoy]

Originally posted by BosMom:
<STRONG>....I am not sure I'm ready at this point to raise a kitten, I would want to do it the right way by training the kitten to accept baths, grooming and claw-clipping, and to train the kitten where to scratch, etc. etc. Also, I am not sure if our thirteen year old Bo will like having another kitty share her household. We'll see........
Anyway, nice going AvaJoy!! You've joined a growing and elite club of tenderhearted feline lovers. </STRONG>

I can relate!! Cowgirl/Daphne/Debbie/Kateway (name still undecided) is probably 6 months to a year old, and my Lily is about Bo's age. I always said if I added any more cats to the household they would be adults, because Lily is SO well mannered (she adopted us a few years ago) and the curtain climbing phase I can certainly do without! Hopefully, this little girl will be submissive to Lily . . . and learn acceptable behavior from her example . . . Wish me luck!

[cr7clark]

Good luck AvaJoy! Let us know how the kitten turns out.
By the way, do you work during the day or are you at home? I'm asking because I think this will make a difference in how well the kitten learns her manners and how well Lily adjusts to the new arrival. My husband and I both work during the day, so training a kitten would have to wait until we are at home. I am not sure if we could devote enough time to do the job properly.

[AvaJoy]

I'm in LOVE!!! I picked up my little cowgirl today from the vet, and they did have to spay her yesterday. She is an absolute dream doll, just as the girls at the clinic told me she seemed to be! I've decided upon the name Debra. It just seems to fit her. She is still sore and groggy from her ordeal, but is so laid back and loving! She likes being held, petted and touched everywhere (even her legs and paws) and rolls on her back to show off her spay sutures. (I only hope she remains this easygoing after she fully recuperates!) When my husband speaks to her, she manages to squeak back a response . . . so cute. She doesn't "answer" me, however. She may turn out to be Daddy's Girl.

Awfully skinny; hip bones really protrude. She has very long legs and a long solid black tail; maybe she just hasn't grown into the legs and tail yet, or she was born to be a runway model kitty! When you observe her from behind, it looks like she is wearing thigh-high black stockings! Chairman Meow has a similar black wrap around front paw that Debra sports.

She does have a voracious appetite, and ate a whole can of food over the course of the afternoon (I doled it out to her gradually).

I let Lily sniff the carrier that I brought her home in, so as to get used to her new little sister's scent. I also carried Lily into the room where Debra was sound asleep so that she could see her briefly. If Debra is feeling better tomorrow, I will allow the two girls to view each other through the french doors. I don't want to rush introductions. I took today off from work so that I could pick her up from the vet and spend time with her, and now I have the weekend to also keep vigil and get to know her.

Thanks for all the encouragement and well wishes! I took some photos of her so will post the best one soon. Her markings are so striking . . . like a work of art . . . wow, I MUST be in love

[ October 12, 2001: Message edited by: AvaJoy ]

[Ila]

Good luck and best wishes on your new family. She sounds adorable. Sounds like she will be just fine now they she has someone like you to take care and love her.