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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:	Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:	FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:	MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO

Created:	Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:	Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	5089
Total number of notes:	60366

3677.0. "Have you seen this cat in Nashua?" by PROSE::GOGOLIN () Thu Jun 07 1990 10:37

    I don't know why I'm writing this note, except that it's been bothering
    me and maybe writing will help me feel better.

    Last night about 6:30 I happened to look out the window and saw a new 
    cat on my front lawn. It was looking for scraps left behind from 
    yesterday's garbage pickup. I had never seen this cat before. It was a 
    very pretty cat, from what I could see, a pale orange tabby with darker 
    orange rings around its tail, smallish and very slim, with a long 
    slender tail. I wasn't close enough to tell if its thinness was due to 
    lack of food or just the way it was built. I opened the front door to 
    get a better look at the cat. Of course, Toby and Cubby had to run over 
    and stand up on their hind legs to look out the storm door, tails 
    twitching, Cubby huffing and puffing in indignation. The cat, at the 
    end of the driveway, looked up at us warily, and watched for half a 
    minute or so. It acted as if it didn't expect any kindness. Then it 
    started to walk off towards my next door neighbor's. It had a bad limp 
    (left front leg) and his left eye was partly closed as if there was 
    something wrong with it.

    I ran into the kitchen, quickly poured some cat food into a dish and
    went out on the deck in back of my house. I loudly clinked the food 
    dish with a spoon. If the cat heard it (it was out of sight but within
    earshot), it must not have known the sound because it didn't come. I 
    left the food on the deck and ran upstairs to another window to see 
    where the cat had gone. It was just disappearing around the corner of 
    my neighbor's house. I didn't see it again after that, though I went 
    outside for awhile and kept looking out the windows all evening (my 
    neighbors must think I'm a real busybody!). No sign of it this morning,
    either.

    I felt so bad for the cat. It's either a stray or not being taken care
    of very well. I'm certain it doesn't live in my development; animals
    are not allowed outside without supervision, and in any case they look 
    very well cared for -- I have yet to see a skinny one. I'm pretty 
    sure this cat is a stray; apparently it was just passing through and 
    kept on going. I would have helped it if I could....

    In the unlikely event that you own this cat, know who it belongs to,
    or have just seen it trekking across Nashua (in the vicinity of Conant
    and Harris Roads), I would appreciate knowing, just for some peace of 
    mind. I'll keep an eye on the lost and found ads in the local papers 
    for awhile, though I don't have much hope of any news.

    Thanks for listening.

    Linda

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
3677.1	try leaving food out	SQM::CINDI		`Thu Jun 07 1990 13:55`	14
	Linda: Keep on on out for the cat. It may well be a stray that has gotten hurt. Maybe you could leave food out for it on your deck and see if it will come up there. It may take some time before you could get close. If you have a have-a-heart trap, perhaps trying to get it, itto that and then to the vets would be a good idea. It probably is weary of people and you will have to try and build trust in him. Keep us posted......... Cindi - Magen & Cinnamon
3677.2		CIRCUS::KOLLING	Karen/Sweetie/Holly/Little Bit Ca.	`Thu Jun 07 1990 14:09`	3
	Yes, I second the idea of leaving food out for awhile. please let us know what happens.
3677.3		PROSE::GOGOLIN		`Thu Jun 07 1990 16:52`	20
	Cindi and Karen, thanks for the suggestions and moral support. Leaving food out is a very good idea. Stupidly, I did not do that last night. I put the food away when the cat did not come back after about an hour. I figured it would just be eaten by a skunk or by cats that live outside the condo development that visit frequently. There is one house a couple hundred feet away from me that has 4 or 5 black and white "pinto" cats, 3 or 4 of which are unneutered males that spray my neighbor's bushes. One of them "blessed" my plastic trash barrel a few weeks ago. They are in the development every day and night. The last time I saw the orange cat it was heading in the direction of the pintos' house. I hope they didn't chase it away. I do remember hearing a cat meow -- just once -- when I woke up during the night. It seemed to come from the back yard or deck. Of course, it could have been any of the cats from the surrounding neighborhoods. I'll put food out tonight when I get home and see what happens. Right now my main goal is just to find out if the cat is still around. Linda
3677.4	Update	PROSE::GOGOLIN		`Fri Jun 08 1990 11:04`	8
	The food I left out on the deck last night was gone this morning. I don't know what ate it. Have seen no sign of the orange kitty. I put more food out this morning and will continue to leave food out over the weekend. We'll be at home for most of the weekend, so maybe I'll at least find out who's eating the food. Linda
3677.5	Check Lost Ads -Check lost ads-	AIMHI::BOYKO		`Fri Jun 08 1990 16:29`	6
	Please check the newspapers for a lost tabby cat. I will do the same. I know there is a lost ad in the paper for a tiger cat, but don't think it was the orange color. Lost around Millstone apartments. Will keep an eye out in the newspapers. Thanks for caring so much for our feline friends!!! Nancy
3677.6		CRUISE::NDC	Putiput Scottish Folds - DTN: 297-2313	`Wed Jun 13 1990 08:16`	6
	If you do catch this cat be very careful to keep it TOTALLY isolated from your own kitties until you can get it to a vet for a checkout. These poor feral babies pick up all sorts of nasty things and can easilly pass them on to your kitties. But believe me, its well worth the effort to take them in. Nancy DC
3677.7	More clues, but still a mystery	PROSE::GOGOLIN		`Fri Jun 15 1990 16:09`	30
	Last Saturday afternoon, 3 days after I first sighted the orange cat, Joe and I went for a walk around the developement. As we approached the house where the black-and-white cats live, I noticed that there were 3 of the b&w's in the yard, plus a long-haired dull black cat, AND an orange tabby. (It seemed odd that they were all peacefully coexisting; I know at least a couple of the b&w's are not neutered -- I see them spraying the bushes nearly every day.) I could not tell if the tabby was the same cat that I'd seen on Wed. It was sitting down in tallish grass, so most of the cat was hidden. Then, this past Wed., I again saw the orange tabby in the b&w's yard. It sat for a few minutes, then chased one of the other cats around the corner out of my line of sight. Again, I was too far away to tell if it was the same cat, but I suspect it was because I haven't seen any other orange tabbies in the neighborhood. Until I find out differently, I'm going to assume that it's the same orange tabby, and that the cat either lives somewhere in one of the nearby neighborhoods or has been recently adopted by the b&w cats' people. I have not seen it near my condo since the first time. If it comes around again and it looks injured, I will try to help it if I can (yes, I would definitely keep it away from my cats). Till then I'm going to assume it has a home and not worry about it. Thanks to all who were concerned. Linda P.S. I have been leaving food on the deck every night and it always disappears, but I have yet to see who's eating it.