Conference misery::feline_v1

    Where in Merrimack???  Just curious if we are thinking of the same
    cat.
    
    Suzanne
    

    
    Right off the main road coming into Merrimack from Pennichuck Square.
    I'll die laughing if it is the same little one....   :^)
    
                                                                  kim

    Maybe he had a home, and his owners moved away, and he was left
    behind either accidentally or deliberately.
    

    Actually, little Khalife from next door gets a tidbit at my back
    kitchen door at feeding time in the a.m. and p.m., and he definitely
    knows which house is his.  (How can I resist a little black cat
    who sprongs the screen door when he hears me in the kitchen?)
    
    Next problem, how can I plant anything in the large dirtfilled
    planter by the back door now that he's decided that it's his afternoon
    nap place....
    

    Have you checked with the Humane Society or the local papers to
    see if someone's looking for their lost cat?

    Kim,
    
    You said large and gorgeous but you didn't say what color.  Is he
    smooth or fluffy??
    
    Sandi (Lightning's & DejaVu's mom)
    
    

    Kim,
    
    I know how you feel about "strays" coming to the back door!!  I
    never could resist a cry at night.  I have a similar situation right
    now--a weeks now, a black and white kitty has been coming to our
    back door.  He doesn't wear a collar, doesn't seem "skittery" around
    people, and looks wellfed--sleek, shiny, plump.  He likes to sit
    on our back deck and look in at Billie, who howls, growls, and yowls
    at him (he probably thinks it's wonderful entertainment!).  I know
    that Billie is just being territorial, but she's *loud*.
    
    This visitor doesn't cry, or beg for food or to be let in--he just
    likes to visit.  I haven't fed him, but would if he looked hungry
    (I guess that sounds pretty stupid).  I know you are asking for
    trouble if you start feeding strays;  I've been through it before,
    but I would far rather an animal got a good meal at my place than
    not.  In my case, I will probably start leaving a bowl out at night
    --but away from the slider so Billie can't see a strange cat eating
    on *her* deck!
    
    What else do you do--guess we are all softies.
    
    Jane

    
    Well just in case someone out there is missing there kitty, let's
    see I always have a hard time describing....
    
    He/she is white with the brownish/orangy spots all over.  The cat
    has one of those very distinctive noses that because of the color
    looks like it's alot wider then it is.  There is a commercial for
    cat food on that looks exactly like the cat.
    
    I tend to think however that if the cat only comes for attention
    late at night that he/she is at his own home at other times.?
    I've made up my mind I will leave him food.  Better to be safe then
    sorry.  
    
                                                            kim
    

    To the gal who wanted to know what she could put in her planter
    now that it is being used as a chaise lounge.  You can plant any-
    thing.  BUT put moth balls in the planter once you do.  Mocha was
    getting into all our plants and digging the dirt out all over the
    place, (that's all he did thank heavens.)  Someone told me about
    the moth balls and it did work.  After a week we couldn't stand
    the smell in the house so took them out and there was just enough
    smell left in the dirt that he did not go back to them.  I think
    in the mean time he had found some other kind of trouble to get
    into.
    
    I am going to try it outdoors myself this weekend, as we have a
    neighborhood cat lurking in the flowers under our bird feeder,
    waiting to catch some wary feathered friend.
    
    Barbara

    Kim-
    
    I am going to opt for your friend being either a stray or lost,
    because you say that he/she will cry at your door late at night
    for 1+ hours.  Sounds like the kitty wants a new home to me, or
    he/she would probably take off for the rest of his/her neighbor-
    hood rounds.  I would definitely start to feed the kitty, and
    work on finding a home or shelter for it.
    
    Good Luck!
    
    Pam

    
     To avoid the planter problem, this is one other solution I heard
    about but never had the need to try it:  Take some cinimon extract
    and apply to the rim of the planter.  The nautral sweet smell will
    invite kitty to lick....but surprise surprise !*#$%^&# thats HOT!!!
    And I understand they will keep away from that planter from now
    on!   ( once burnt - twice shy )
    
    Good luck - hope the kitty finds it's home...
    nancy

    I thought moth balls could be poisonous to cats.
    

    I think so too Karen.  I'd discourage anyone from using
    mothballs as a cat repellent.  As for the planter, does
    he just like to sit in the dirt there, or use it for a
    litterbox (I forget what .0 said).  If he just sits there
    then he's claimed it as his territory, and me, I'd get
    another planter.  But I'm easily pushed around by any
    pushy feline.
    
    Donna

    
    
        Tasha Marie has a habit of taking off in the summer for  
    a few days.  I'd be pretty mad at her if I found out she
    was going to other peoples' homes and saying "Poor me, I'm
    just a stay, I never get fed etc."  Cats do have a tendency
    to bend the truth in order to get their way.
    
                                     Donna
    

    
        Oh well I'm even more confused now and torn as what to do.
    Last night she came by again...  Well I went out and gave her all
    the affection she could handle (she could have taken much more!!)
    I figured after ignoring her for 3 nights if she was this persistent
    there must be a reason.  I got a plate of food for her and some
    water and she would not stop!!!  Boy did she chow down to put it
    mildly.  So I left her with her food and water and went to bed.
    I heard her cry but went to sleep.  This morning about 4 she was
    crying again.  When I left for work at 6:15 she was still waiting.
    Gave her more food and spent some time with her.  Then left for
    work with her sitting there watching me go.  Sigh.......I think
    it's time to educate myself more about outdoor kitty habits.  As
    I have only owned and own indoor cats this is strange territory
    to me.  I'll be posting another note as a little survey.  It may
    help some of us who end up with other's outdoor kitties at our 
    backdoors to try to decide if they are owned or not..........
    
                                                                   
    kim

I tend to believe that if cats have a good home where they are loved and
fed properly, they will not stray too far from home and never for any length 
of time.

I say this as I have only owned indoor/outdoor cats (never totally indoor cats).
I know our cats would never leave home -- why on earth for -- they get oodles
of love and affection, sleep on waterbeds, in front of nice fire on cold 
nights, and get fed anything from lobster,shrimps,oysters,pizza, popcorn,
peanuts,etc. to the best of catfoods.

Plus we have the advantage that their is only one other cat in the neighbourhood
and all our neighbours (all relatives) know our cats even though none of them
wear a collar of any sort.  

I would probably feed the cat too and if (s)he keeps appearing, I would tend
to believe also that is was abandoned or decided to leave home.

Just my 2 cents worth.  Good luck -- 

		Happy Mother's Day to all Feline Noters

			Marian
 

    re: .15
    
    I think your visiting kitty has no family.  This is exactly the
    way Pussycat acted just before I adopted him.  Notices in the
    neighborhood, at the local shelter, in the newspaper, turned up
    no owner.  Kitties who are really "just visiting" like my next-door
    neighbors will accept treats and cuddles and adopt you as an "aunt",
    but they don't act like you're their only source of food and comfort
    like this puss is doing.  Years later, it occured to me that Pussycat
    might have belonged to the elderly lady next door who died shortly
    before I moved in, but at that point it was too late to ask anyone.
    

    I agree with .16.
    
    Chauncey has always been indoor/outdoor.  He is a very sociable
    cat and thinks every open door in the condo development is a standing
    invitation for him to go in and explore.  At the last place we lived,
    one woman had her slider open and was making the bed.  She turned
    around and there was Chauncey in the room with her.  Some of the
    people would try to feed him and tell me later, "we put out a plate
    of food, but he wasn't hungry."  Of course not!  He always eats
    like a pig at home.
    
    So...I, too, think your visitor is a stray, or if she does has a
    home, it is not a very good one.  Poor thing.
    

    My 4 indoor-only kids love to gaze out of our sliding doors at the
    bird feeder and local squirrels, and they seem to attract every
    outdoor cat in Lowell.
    
    If I notice a particular cat hanging around a lot, I'll try to
    make friends with it and give it food, especially if it's a little
    scruffy-looking.  I always go on the assumption that if a cat's
    "just visiting" it may like my attention but won't wolf down the
    food.  If it's stray or neglected, it'll clean the food plate and
    show up regularly for more.
    
    I've kept two cats that I started feeding -- one stray and one that 
    was neglected, then abandoned, by a neighbor.  Boy, are they
    affectionate!!!!  ("Gee, Mom, thanks for saving us!")  The other
    two have gone to shelters when I couldn't find anyone to adopt
    them (that was before I got involved in Notes!).  You can never
    have too many cat-friends.
    

    Kim,
    Re: .15
    
    Maybe if you took some weak thread and loosely tied a message around
    the vistor's neck stating the visits and such, if she had a home
    the owner would discover what she has been up to and conatct you.
    
    Frank

    Be really careful the string is so short that it can't get caught
    on anything.
    
    I do think your puss has no home, but I should mention a couple of
    instances where pusses with homes have been known to wander -- when
    my neighbor down the street is on vacation and has someone stopping
    by to feed her outdoor cat, the cat roams far and wide looking for
    cuddles;  she goes home when her owner comes back;  the nextdoor
    cat strayed away after her kitten died, and took up residence on
    the porch of some people a few blocks away.
    
              

    Rather than tying something on with a string...buy a cat collar
    and tape a note to the collar. 
    
    We once adopted a dog that had been a neighborhood stray for
    quite some time.  Everyonce in a while he would go back to some
    of the people who had fed or cared for him during his wild period
    and not come back over night. Finally I put a note on his collar
    that said 'please don't feed me, I have a home' and gave our phone
    number. I got a nice phone call and the disappearing over night
    stopped.
    
    The reverse sort of thing could work for you with this cat.
    
    Bonnie

    
    Ahhh I was ahead of you guys a little bit :^).  What I did Friday
    night was went and bought a Zodiac Breakaway flea collar for her.
    Wrote a short little note saying if you are my owner please call
    #________, they think I may be a stray.  Taped in on the flea collar
    and put it on her.  Well sorry to say nope the note hasn't moved.
    Yesterday I called the dog officer, local vets, put an ad in the
    two major area papers and will wait.  Rusty (unless I get an idea
    for a better name :^) is living at the house.  I found where she
    has been dissappearing too.  There's a little boat on it's top in
    back of the shed with some concrete blocks underneath with a plastic
    covering.  She doesn't wander far at all but either goes to sleep
    back there or up on the deck.  I guess she considers it home.  I
    couldn't bear the thought of her crawling underneath and laying
    on the cold dirt so I put out some blankets on the deck.  It was
    so cold last night but there she lay all curled up on the blankets.
    And then it had to rain.....  Broke my heart to leave this morning
    and leave her out in the cold rain.  
    
    Which leads me to my next question.  What could I use for an outdoor
    shelter for her?  How about a small dog house with blankets inside?
    She cannot come into the house until I get her to a vets as I do
    not want to put my 3 indoor kitties at any risk from her.  The most
    I will be able to do is allow her to come into the house at night
    with us as my husbands mother (we live next door) told us 3 was
    the limit of pets (nice of her to inform us of this AFTER we agreed
    to live there.  Do other noters that have outdoor kitties do this?
    Do you let your cats out in the morning and let them in later in
    the day?  My concern is that when winter comes back wouldn't it
    be too cold for her?  
    
    Well for now we wait and see.....  I just cannot believe this super
    affectionate well mannered cat has no owner!!!!  Unbelievable. 
    If anyone in this notesfile could provide a better home for this
    orphan, as mine won't be that great for her let's say not what she
    deserves, PLEASE get in touch with me.  I'm very depressed by all
    the recent ones in this file looking for a home BUT if this cat
    just kind of calls out to you please get in touch with me.  I would
    be happy if she went to a good home.  If anyone is interested I
    will be having her fixed if she isn't already and have her first
    vet's check-up done.  If you know of anyone please send them my
    way.  Thanks.
    
    kim

    If you need a small doghouse to use as a temporary shelter (to keep
    the rain out) for your guest, please contact me; I have something
    which may do the trick.  Send mail to TIMNEH::TILLSON or MEIS::TILLSON,
    or call DTN 247-2406.
    
    Rita
    

    
    Well.....
    
             I guess the stray just appeared out of the air :^).  No
    one has even called to say they thought it might be their cat. 
    Hubby finally gave in and said he could come in for the nights.
    I have a tough time dealing with the idea of an outdoor cat but....
    it's better then nothing.  We'll just leave it like this until his
    parents maybe want him off the property... (fingers crossed it won't
    happen).
    
             So we add a fourth for the time being...  And his name
    will be.........
    
                         PRETTY BOY FLOYD (alias pretty boy)
    
                                                           Kim

    First the nights, then the days. :-) :-)
    

    Touch or pat them and YOU OWN THEM or is it THEY OWN YOU!!!
    
    E.T., 13 kids later !!