Conference misery::feline_v1

    Food, Love, and TIME.  It will take awhile for Patches
    to get used to his new environment, you and the other
    cats.  You may or may not have fighting....that depends
    upon the cat(s) personalities.
    
    Give him time......he will come around soon...
    
    Lynne

    Thanks, Lynn.  I was able to lightly pet him on the top of his head
    last night.  He wasn't real thrilled about it, but he didn't take a
    swipe at me, so I gues thats progress. I do believe that he is
    basically a very loving cat and probably would be a big baby by now had
    he not had such a rough start to his life.  I am concerned that he
    isn't eating much of what I put out for him.  I am not sure he has had
    anything to eat.  I guess he'll come around when he's really hungry.
    
    Thanks for the help

Please be careful...your good intentions can have very bad effects on the
family if your new stray has FeLV.  It is really important that you get him
to a vet ASAP and have him checked.  Prolonged exposure to a FeLV cat is the
primary cause of FeLV in domestic felines...it is not curable and leads to
death in cats.

This new guy can also have other problems that can spread - parasites, viruses,
etc.  so keep him isolated, and get him thoroughly checked over ASAP.

    Yes, I agree.  I want to get him to a vet asap.  But how do I do that??
    I would I get him into a carrier if he won't let me pick him up??
    If any one has a good trick as to how and go about this, please, I am
    all ears!!

If you can get your hand on the cat, grip a good handful of the skin over 
his shoulder blades.  This will effectively paralyze his front legs and then 
all you have to deal with are his back legs.  Gently cup his butt with your 
other hand in order to lift him off the floor.  At that point, grab his back 
legs.  If you do not have the strength to hold him, have a stronger person 
help you.  If you have his front legs controlled, and then get his back
legs gripped, you can talk to him and just hold on until he relaxes a little.
Have a carrier up on the closed end with the door opened wide.  Have someone
hold the carrier door, ready to close it, and then take the cat over the
open door and lower him into the carrier, releasing his back legs only as
you get them into the carrier.  Lower the rest of the cat in as far as you
can and then drop him in, releasing the skin on his shoulders....close the
door to the carrier FAST.  Now, warn your vet about this guy's "personality"
and get him in.  They may choose to anesthetize him in order to examine him,
but they should be able to deal with him.

I know the cat may be traumatized by being picked up now, but unless you can
TOTALLY isolate him from your other cats for the extended period of time
needed to tame him, you must risk the trauma and get him to a vet.  Once he
is deemed healthy, you can take the time to make friends - and he will be
much easier to tame once he is neutered, if he is still whole.

If you simply cannot face grabbing the cat, rent a "have-a-heart" trap and
get him by baiting it with food....tuna fish is pretty irrestible to most
every feline in the world.

    You might want to wear leather gloves if it won't interfear with
    your grip too much.
    
    I wanted to add a few things about my experiences with strays/ferals -
    1. They might surprize you.  One thing I've noticed is that their
    personalities can be totally different once you get them inside.
    It took about 5 mins to get the male ferals to start purring.  The
    females took about 1 day.
    
    2. Once the cat trusts you the relationship that you develop is an
    extra special one.  I couldn't explain it in words - its just a little
    different.  That's why I kept Bob.
    
    Nancy DC
    

    
>    2. Once the cat trusts you the relationship that you develop is an
>    extra special one.  I couldn't explain it in words - its just a little
>    different.  That's why I kept Bob.
    
Hannah was feral until almost 7 months old.  I know that when she decided 
I was her person, she become totally devoted to ME.  When I come home at 
night, she is at the door waiting for me, talking a mile a minute.  When I 
call her for "Hannah-brush" she stops what she is doing and runs to me...
even if she is eating!  When I am at home in the evenings or on weekends,
she will keep a constant "status" on my whereabouts, calling out to me
and then running to my call...just to make sure I'm there.  It is the 
closest cat/human relationship that any of my friends have seen, although 
they all have cats.  She stays with me when I'm in bed, even though I sleep
in on weekend mornings, she stays right on the bed until I wake up....the
rest of the house is up, eating and playing and whatnot...but Hannah is with
me.  She even stands guard outside my bathroom door while I shower.

I believe the rescued ones have a memory of being alone, cold and hungry 
and they really do have an extra special love for their people or families.  
I know the little Miss Hannah is one happy, devoted cat with one happy
devoted person.

    Melody is the same way with Bruce and I--a two person cat.
    She was picked up by the Humane Society outside in the dead of
    winter and who knows what she'd been through.
    
    She warmed up to us pretty rapidly but remains terrified of 
    strangers.  The sound of the doorbell or footsteps outside coming
    toward our condo send her flying up the stairs and under the
    bed.
    
    If another person comes over often enough (like our neighbors),
    she will get used to them enough so that she only goes halfway
    up the stairs and may even venture down after a while but,
    forget anyone she doesn't see on a regular basis.
    
    Strangely enough, all 3 of our cats follow me around most of the
    time when I am home and, like Hannah, guard the bathroom door
    if I am inside--unless they are all inside with me which is mostly
    the case.  In fact, if I am in a room with the door shut, they
    rattle the door!  And, if Bruce is home alone, they follow him.
    
    My theory is that it's because we have always talked to them
    A LOT--just as if they were people.  
    
    That would be my advice with Patches--just be around him a lot
    and talk to him.  When he's ready, you can add the pats, neck
    scratches and kisses (our Missy hates to be kissed which just
    makes her more kissable).  
    
    Best of luck!
    
    Barbara

    When I got home from work last night, the house was quiet, so I took
    the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Patch.  I know that he only
    allowed my attention because he was terrified (his body kind of
    trembled at first), but he did let me pet him!  I started out by just
    touching the top of his head with one finger, but in a couple of
    minutes I was patting his whole body.  He seemed to be starting to
    enjoy the attention and I spoke softly to him the whole time. This
    morning I got up early and found him on the top of the basement stairs.
    I sat on the step beside him.  He stood his ground.  I petted him a
    lot.  Scratch under his neck, etc.  He preferred to close his eyes and
    look away while this was happening, but at one point I gently turned
    his head toward me and he looked at me while I continued to speak to
    him and pet him.  Of course, Diamond was hot on my trail, so when I
    finished with Patch I had to spend several minutes telling Diamond that
    he was still my baby and my favorite.  Diamond is my shower door guard!
    I spoke to my vet today.  Patch is scheduled to go in on Tuesday.  I
    would have preferred tomorrow, but Apple Country doesn't to surgery on
    Friday and Monday was all booked.  They said they would check his
    health out first (shots. etc) before doing the altering.  On by the
    way,  I was able to pick Patch up last night!!  After I finished
    petting him, I grabbed him gently by the nape of the neck and was able
    to scoop him up under his belly.  He didn't fight me a bit.  Just kind
    of went limp, like he was playing dead...I put him in the bed I had
    made.  He didn't stay there long, though.  One other thing, the
    basement is beginning to smell.  Its an old house and there isn't
    anything down there except for storage and the washer/dryer, but I do
    not want this order permeating the rest of my house.  Do you think he
    just needs to be cleaned up or do you think he is spraying down there?
    My husband is not please (neither am I) any suggested about
    deoderizers?  If he is spraying, will he stop when he's fixed??? 
    Though I have other cats, I have no experince with grown males.  My
    other males were altered as kittens...  Help with this one before we
    have our house ruined because of our good intentions.

re: smell in basement

probably is spray.  The habit probably will go away once he is altered. 
Meanwhile Nature's Miracle is a good cleaner for the smell.  If he continues
spraying, talk to the vet about hormone treatments.  Right now, however,
once he is at the vets, scrub down the areas that smell and remove the
odor so your other cats won't retaliate by spraying over the odor in an
attempt to make their scent stronger in the house.

One important note:  It has been my observation that if you allow a male
cat who was neutered as an adult (and therefore has been in the habit of
spraying to mark territory) outside, he will continue to spray and will
not be suitable to allow indoors.  I have several friends who have had
this painful lesson brought home to them....and in two cases, the cats
in question were finally destroyed because there simply was no place for
them to live.  They destroyed the inside of their own homes, and began to
spray the neighbor's houses whenever outside, which forced the issue.
The neighbors began to complain very loudly and the cats had to be put down.
If you do adopt this cat, keep him an indoor-only cat so he does NOT 
continually get exposed to other male cats' scent marks.  If you do 
keep him inside, he should be just fine once he is altered.

    I've got to agreewith what has been said about the special relationship
    with the ferals. 6 of my nine were ferels and all are real sweethearts.
    As for the bit about the spraying. Spiro was the only male that
    continued to spray after getting fixed, but I should add, he was
    estimated to be about 6 years old and he was top tom in the
    neighborhood). Anyhow, the vet put him on Ovaban and this stopped it (and
    the nightly serenade he performed), but about 10 days off the Ovaban he
    started up again. The vet suggested that he get it once a week
    (possibly forever) and that seems to have cured the probelm.
    
    Deb 

re: back a couple

The kind of "eye contact" that cats interpret as non-threatening is a 
squinting expression.  Look into his eyes while closing your own down to 
slits.  Some cats consider open-eyed staring to be aggressive.  You may 
have seen this look on other cats.

Ray

    This is an update to the Patch-cat saga.  He went to the vets
    yesterday.  Got all his shots, a bath, and neutured.  Poor kitty.  All
    this in one day; when just the ride in the car was trauma enough.  He
    has earmites, but other than that, he is healthy.  I've started putting
    the drops in his ears - so far,its been easy.
    
    He is still extremely afraid, but he has no fight in him.  He hisses at
    me when I go to pick him up, but once I take hold of him, he kind of
    goes limp.  Last night, I must have held him for over an hour.  I put 
    him on my chest while watching TV and just continually petted him. But
    he just never seemed to really be happy, though he fell fast asleep. I
    think that was a way of not having to deal with being handled.  I held
    him for a while this morning, too.  Otherwise, we have an enormous cage
    that my sister-in-law used for her large dogs.  I am not comfortable
    just letting him wander around the house without supervision.  I may
    let him explore a bit tonight.  It will be easier on the weekend when I
    am home more.  I do want to let him go outside again, but not until he
    is tamed and I can pretty well be sure he will come home to eat and
    sleep.

    Patience and Love.  That's the recipe.
    

    Hi Ann, 

    I'd say you're doing a great job with Patch and he's making very good 
    progress! Who knows what he went through before he showed up at your 
    house. He knows life has suddenly gotten much better, but he has no 
    way of knowing if it's going to last or for how long. In time he will
    learn that this is the way it is, that he will always receive the same 
    good, loving care from you. He will learn to relax and then to respond. 
    In six months you should see significant personality changes for the 
    better. If you can, try not to have expectations of how much time his
    rehabilitation will take, as it varies according to the cat and its 
    previous experiences. 

    One stray I adopted, Nikki, was very affectionate but didn't like to be 
    picked up at first. Maybe she'd lived with people who didn't know how to 
    handle her and hurt her. After about 6 months of gentle treatment, she 
    would *ask* to be picked up. Another former stray, Tweetie, was afraid 
    of people other than me and deathly afraid of my other cats when I got 
    her. After 3 months she could just bear to sit in the same room with 
    the other cats for a short time, and only if I was there; then she'd go 
    upstairs to her room. After 9 months she no longer ran off if a stranger 
    came in, and would sleep on the couch with the other cats if I was also 
    on it. After 2 years now, she is pretty comfortable with the other cats 
    (except when Peanut harrasses her) and often returns Toby's affections. 
    A couple of weeks ago a guy came to the house to do the property 
    revaluation for the City. Tweetie didn't even wake up until he walked 
    into the room. Then she just stood up, stretched, and said "Mraa?"
    What a difference!

    So, keep working on Patch. Sounds like you're doing the right things. 
    Keep wearing him down with kindness. Neutering should help. I also think 
    it's good to cage him for now when you're not home.
 
    Linda, Misty, Cubby, Tweetie, Toby and Peanut

    After one and one half weeks of daily handling, lovingly applying
    earmite medicine and basically trying the get Patch to feel comfortable
    with the family, he escaped out the front door on Thanksgiving morning.
    Now I can't entice him back into the house for anything.  I tried not
    feeding him outside for a day and placing his food inside the front
    entry where he could see it from the open front door (so much for the
    oil bill), but all he did was sit and cry at me.  He would not under
    any conditions come back into the house.  We tried placing his food in
    the garage, but he will only go inside just so far and the slightest
    noise makes him take right off.  So weird.  If I call to him to come
    eat, he comes running from whereever he has been - right up onto the
    front porch - just crying at me for his dinner.  But I can't touch
    him.  I think I will now have to rent a have-a-heart trap and see if
    I have any luck with that.  
                                

get the trap soon.  He will go entirely feral again if left out too long.

				Good luck,

				     D

    Let us know what happens.  i think you just have to hang in there
    and snatch him again.
    

    Keep feeding him in the same place around the same time so that 
    you'll get him used to going to where the trap will be placed.
    If you can get within 3 or 4 feet of him you might be able to
    use the fishing net I have.  We used it to catch Bob, Jasmine
    and Christie Kay.  Let me know if you want to borrow it.
    

    S far, no luck with catching Patch in the have-a-heart trap.  He is
    pretty smart and very cautious about te house now.  He still comes
    running when I call, but stops right at the bottom of the stairs.  I
    think that my brother-in-law has a big fishing net.  My husband
    suggested that we try that approach.  I have rented the trap for a
    week, so I'll give it a day or two and then make up my mind about the
    trap.  If I need a trap, I'll let you know.  Thanks for the help.
    You'd think the little sucker would be sitting in the cold at night and
    saying to himself - "Well, it wasn't so bad in there. It was warm and
    I had plenty of food, maybe I'll just go back."  At least thats what I
    wish he'd think.  He hasn't had any earmite medicine in almost a week!!
    

    What are you using for bait in the trap? If you are using his regular
    food, try substituting something like fresh-cooked chicken (meat only,
    no bones, but I'm sure you know that) or canned sardines. My cats also 
    go bananas over the smell of shellfish such as steamed clams and shrimp.
    If you are using a "treat" food as bait, trying switching to something
    else. There's got to be something he can't resist!

    Good luck!

    Linda

    Linda,  I've been putting his regular food in the trap and had already
    added sardines to my grocery list to stop and get on my way home.  I'm
    afraid if I put shellfish in there (steamed clams of shrimp), you'll
    find ME in the trap!! Seriously, at this point I would cook him a prime
    rib if I thought it would work.

    
    Just a note - the prime rib might be a better idea than the sardines,
    especially with this warm weather.  We once wanted to trap a skunk
    using a Hav-A-Heart trap, and were told by the humane society people
    that the best way to attract a skunk was to use fish :^}
    
    Just so you don't have any surprises . . .
    
    Sandy & Co.
    

    Gee, does Patch know what a lucky cat he is to have someone who cares
    enough to go to all that trouble? Not to mention the expense!

    One problem with using such tasty and aromatic food as bait is that 
    you might catch all the cats in your neighborhood within smelling 
    distance. I hope Patch is fast!

    It's a good sign that he is at least still hanging around your house
    and comes when you call, even if he won't come to you. Don't give up
    hope.

    Linda

    The sardines were a waste.  The only cat at all interested in them was
    Diamond.  He never leaves the house.  All the other cats just looked at
    them and kept on walking.  Including Patch, who spent until 8 p.m.
    staring in the front door until I broke down and fed him 9-Lives.  He
    has been lounging on my front porch railing in between meals. I think I
    am going to have to go the fishnet route.  Nancy, I think it was you
    that offered to loan me a net.  Are you local???  I work in Stow, but
    live in Maynard.  I can't believe how easy it was to get him to come in
    the house the first time and now nothing seems to work.  They are
    talking snow tonight and much colder by tomorrow.  I am not going to be
    able to sleep if Patch is outside on the porch shivering.  
                                                               

    maybe the cold will end up being to your advantage.
    
    Be patient, Patch is probably trying to decide whether or not to 
    trust you.  ;^)
    
    

    You might want to try 9-Lives Super Supper, if you haven't already.
     
    That stuff really "stinks"!
    
    cin
    

    Cin,
    
    What are you, incognito these days??  I wasn't sure it was you for a
    minute there.  :^)
    
    Oh, another stinky one is Kitty Queen, any flavor.
    
    Jo

    I think that I tried Super Supper because my other cats love it. 
    Nothing has worked including deli roast beef.  The only cat we caught
    in the trap was our oldest cat, Shilo.  He looked really foolish
    sitting in there munching up the roast beef.  Patch ate the roast beef
    out of my hand, but if I made the slightest movement to even pat him,
    he bolted away.  This is really getting upsetting because its getting
    so cold out and he just sits at the door looking in at me and cries,
    but he won't come in!!!  I've decided the trap is not going to work
    with Pacth.  One of you kind feliners is going to lend me a fishnet and
    we will try and trap Patch in that.  I am asking for helpful hints
    before I use it because if I don't get him the first try with the
    fishnet, I am afraid I won't get another chance.
                                                    

    If Patches only realized what he is missing.  For someone to
    go through all this to catch him....you can tell he would have
    a wonderful life full of love.   Your really special!
    
    Keep trying....when you finally succeed...I bet he will be your
    best friend for life.
    
    Sandy

    before you use the net, try the new friskies stuff in gel.  It is
    chunks of salmon, shrimp, crab ext. in gel.  It stinks!!!  and may do
    the trick.
    
    

    How is he around other people?  I'm sure you will need
    a little help with the fishnet routine......I suggest
    you leave it where he can see it during feeding time.
    That way, he *may not* freak out and run for the hills
    when he sees you with this *strange* thing in your hand.
    
    Just a thought......could you slip a "mickey" into his
    food?  I'm not sure if a tranquilizer would work this way,
    but they did it on "Wild Kingdom".  :-)  It's worth a shot
    if the net doesn't work.  You are probably right that you
    had better get him on the first try.
    
    Good luck!
    
    L-
                                    
    

    Now you've hit on something!!!  Does anyone know if there is a safe
    tranquillizer that a non-vet can give to a cat???  If I could just get
    him a little bit woozie, it would help a lot.  This is probably a
    foolish idea - just thought I'd pick up on it.... I did get some catnip
    at the farmstand.  My other cats think its great, but Patch is not so
    inclined.
    
    We have very good instructions from Nancy D-C as to how and catch a cat
    using a fishnet, so everyone say a pray for me (and especially for
    Patch).
      

    
    
    You might try Valium.  This is not a tranquilizer (can't remember what
    it *is* though) and hence does not inhibit one's breathing.  That's 
    why it is nigh on impossible to commit suicide with an overdose... you
    don't stop breathing you just sleep for a month!
    
    This is what the vet gave me (for use on the cat ;-) when I shipped my 
    cat to the UK. By the time we got to the airport, he had had 4mg of 
    valium and was very woozy.  
    
    Ask your vet about it.  It may take a while for the valium to work
    (especially with a lot of food in his stomach) and you will have to
    watch him closely. But even so, I would think that this method would
    be a lot less traumatic than being caught in a trap or netted.  You
    would have to spend all that time building up his trust again from 
    scratch.  Doping him, he just goes to sleep then wakes up inside the
    the nice warm house.  Sounds like a reasonable alternative to me, 
    especially since he tends to hang out around your house.
    
	LaDonna

    I would be very concerned that if you couldn't catch him, his 
    survival skills would be severely compromized by a tranquilizer.
    Try the net without first.  The net is definitely a two-person
    approach.
      N

I second NDC's opinion....you must not tranquilize an animal that is 
roaming free.  It is an open invitation to predators, automobiles, etc.
and would threaten the animals survival.  Once the cat is trapped and
secured, it may be appropriate to tranquilize in order to examine/treat
injuries and parasite infestations....but not until the security of the
animal can be assured.  Remember, the drugs used on wild animals are 
very fast-acting medications - and are never used unless the folks using 
them are SURE they can reach the animal quickly - with a cat's tendenancy
to get into small, high places very fast, you cannot guarentee this.

    I don't think we have to worry about her tranquilizing him and then not
    being able to catch him.  I may be wrong, but I think that in order to
    give him a valium, she would at least have to get her hands on him.
    :^)
    
    I guess I am making this seem too simple.  :^)
    
    
    She would have to have a trusty assistant standing by with a carrier
    in order to put him in immediately.  From the sounds of it, the problem
    would be getting close enough to him to actually give him the pill.
    
    Jo

    
>I second NDC's opinion....you must not tranquilize an animal that is 
>roaming free.  It is an open invitation to predators, automobiles, etc.
>and would threaten the animals survival.  Once the cat is trapped and
    
    
    5mg of Valium crushed in a teaspoon full of food will start to have an 
    effect in less than half an hour.  I am not suggesting that the animal be 
    given the drug then the human wanders off and tries to find the cat later! 
    No, you give it then don't let him out of your sight for half an hour.
    I really don't think any predators are going to go for the cat with a
    human hanging around.
    
    This suggestion is very dependent on the specific situation and
    environment. The cat tends to hang out at this one house and if only
    given a small portion of the amount of food he normally gets, he's very
    likely to hang around for some more.
    
    But if you think fighting with cats in a net is more fun, then that is
    certainly the way it should be done. :-)
    
    LaDonna              

    I am going to try the net alone first.  My husband and I will try.  I
    can feed Patch out of my hand if he is hungry enough, so I am hoping to
    keep him preoccupied with roast beef while my husband gets the net over
    him.  If this doesn't work, I'll add the valium.  Patch stays pretty
    much on my porch most of the day, so I would only try this on the
    weekend when I am there and able to watch him.  I would crush the
    valium in a very small amount of food and watch.  Patch usually just
    sits there looking up at the door waiting for more food or under one of
    the shrubs in my front yard.  This will be a last ditch effort, though. 
    I am really hoping that the net will work.  I don't plan on feeding
    him Friday night, so he will be good and hungry Saturday morning and we
    can try the net approach.  Once caught, Patch doesn't seem to have much
    fight in him anyway.  It has been my experience that once I've got
    ahold of the skin on the back of his neck, he goes limp.  I hope this
    hasn't changed.
                 

    re: -1 Sounds like a good plan.  You might let your husband get into
    position behind him before you start feeding Patch.  Then once he's
    preoccupied just drop the net.  
    
    We used a similar approach - waiting until the cat was eating to
    net him/her.
    
    Feel free to call if you need advice.
      Nancy

    No luck so far catching Patch with the net.  He is very fast and I
    guess he's pretty smart.  We almost had him last night, but he scooted
    away.  Its like he knows what we are about.  Sunday, I fed him about
    a 1/2lb. of roast beef (which is rapidly becoming his very favorite
    food), but with each piece of meat, he would grab it and run like heck.
    We will give this approach one more try during daylight hours this
    weekend, but if it doesn't work, I may have to go to the valium method.
    I have a valium on hand and ready to crush in his food.  I just need
    to make sure I can keep him occupied and around for the 30 minutes or
    so it will take for him to get zonked out.  I can't believe he won't
    venture in the house now that its so cold, especially when we leave the
    door open and he must be able to feel the heat from the woodstove.

    Patch is back in the house!!!  I'm so excited.  I never was able to 
    catch him with the net, so on Saturday morning I gave him a crushed up
    Valium in a bit of food which he gobbled right up.  I kept him on the
    front porch by feeding him teeny-tiny pieces of roast beef.  I had the
    front door open with my husband hiding behind it.  Patch never actually
    fell asleep, but his judgement was impaired because he began to venture
    further into the house for the roast beef.  I would toss him a crumb
    (I was sitting on the floor to be less threatening) and would slide myself 
    back further and further into the house with each little crumb.  Once
    he was far enough into the house to safely do it without him being
    able to escape, I gave my husband the signal to slam the door.  He did
    and Patch went flying up the stairs to the bathroom.  So its back to the
    earmite medicine and lots of love to tame him down. Actually he doesn't
    seem too bad.
    
    Nancy, I'll drop the net off in Jack's office one day this week. 
    Thanks again for your help.  
    
                                       

    Yeah!  (I can just picture this process....)
    

    You must be so thrilled....and they say humans can't outsmart
    furfaces!! Good luck with Patches.
    
    Be very careful when opening any outside door...my guess is that
    he is going to want to sneak back out.  ( until he realizes
    how good he can have it inside.)         
    
    Congrats....job well done.  
    
    Sandy

    > You must be so thrilled....and they say humans can't outsmart
    > furfaces!! Good luck with Patches.
    
    Well, she DID have to tranquilize him first remember ;-)
    

	Good luck, I hope he adjusts to be a happy moggie


	Heather    

    Congratulations, Ann! I'm so glad for you and Patch. It's nice to 
    hear a success story.
    
    Linda

    One last update on Patch for all of you that took the time to send me
    advice.  Patch as made some real progress in the last couple of weeks.
    It made a real difference having us home for 11 days in a row.  He is
    no longer confined to the kitty-condo in the basement.  He has free run
    of the house.  Still pretty timid - especially when there is a lot of
    activity going on around him.  But when its just me and the cats, he's
    right there for lots of love.  He tries to be friends with the others,
    but so far only Diamond shows him any positive interest.  Shilo just 
    spits and Wuffy (brat that she is) actually goes after him if she
    thinks he is infringing on her territory.  We are keeping him indoors until
    we think he is trustworthy enough to come back.  We doubt that will be
    any time before Spring.  But there is no way he is getting outside
    again until I feel real sure he will come back.  He's so sweet.  He
    
    even wore the required Christmas ribbon like all the other cats.  Poor
    little thing probably never had anything even close to a Christmas
    ribbon before and, of course, he got his alotment of 1 shrimp cocktail
    just like all the other felines.  Boy they like the holidays!!
    
    Anyway, I think he will fit in just fine.  We love his black and white 
    Patchy furry face....
    
    Nancy, what is the name of the person at PKO that I can return the net
    to.?????
    

    Real happy that Patch has finally settled down.  I bet he will be
    one of your best friends...who knows...he may never want to go
    back out again.
    
    I also have a few strays that are very freindly to me and my
    hubby,,,,but once someone else walks in the door he turns
    very timid and hides.  These two are petrified of people
    until you can ensure them that noone is going to hurt them.
    Makes you wonder what kind of owner had them....
    
    Good luck with your continued success.
    
    Sandy

    He sounds a very special cat.  So glad he's found such a good home.
    
    Karen (and Georgie)

    THis looks like the best place to start.  I have just acquired a stray
    cat.  He's been in our neighborhood for about 1 year, and has been fed
    by just about everybody.  He's extremely friendly, vocal, sociable.
    Well, after noticing an abscess behind his ear, I decided it was time
    to take responsibility for him and get him to the vet.  After having
    the abscess drained, he got his 4-way (What is this?) vaccinations, and
    rabies.  He has ear mites, and has damage to one of his ears from a
    constant infestations of the nasty critters (his ear is very misshapen
    and thickened).  I know NOTHING about cats : ) I have two dogs and a
    bird, and have never had a cat.  So, where do I start?  I read the
    notes on ear mites, so I'm expecting a battle there.  I'm keeping the
    cat in the hallway, just becasue I can't keep him alone in the house
    with the dogs and the bird (not fearful of hamr coming to the cat, but
    to the dogs and bird!  Poor Bart thinks cats are friends, and Bandit is
    scared witless of cats, the bird is in a cage and too vulnerable). The
    cat, identified by the vet as a mackeral-stripe Maine coon cat (read
    the notes on Maine coons), neutered, about 4 years old, is named
    Spike. Now, I'm looking for suggestions on what the immunizations are
    (as I was about to ask the vet for info, someone dashed in with a cat
    that had been hit by a car, so I exited very quickly so she could tend
    to the cat).  What problems should I watch out for with an outside cat
    (I plan to bring him in at night when I'm home, but during the day
    he'll be outside or in the hallway during bad weather). No fleas. No
    ticks. In good health.  Can someone give me titles of things to look
    for so I can read up on the notes?  I honestly don't know where to
    begin, but I want to take care of this little guy.  Maybe a good book?
    Thanks for letting me ramble.  I'm really excited about this new
    addition, but a little nervous about my ignorance in his care.
    Oh, one more thing...I didn't have a whole lot of money, so the vet
    only fixed what was immediately wrong.  I asked about worms, and she
    said without a test she wouldn't be able to tell. Since I was scraping
    for $ for the surgery and immunizations, I thought I'd wait on the worms.
    Would he most likely have them?  He's quite heavy, being fed by every
    bleeding heart in the neighborhood, so I don't think he was rummaging
    around for food.
    Guess that's it for now.  I'm sure I"ll have 1,000 questions by the
    time I'm comfortable about this.
    
    Sarah
    

    Welcome to the feline notes file Sarah. Congratulation on your new
    kitty.
    
    Ear mites can be very persistant buggers to get rid of. Follow the 
    vets instructions closely and keep her/him appraised of the progress.
    Sounds like Spike has had a rough life lately. He has shown already
    how much he wants to belong and be loved.
    
    I am surprised your vet didn't weigh you down with literature
    considering you are a new cat owner. Where do you live?  Some of
    use maybe able to help you take advantage of literature that is
    free or let you borrow one of our books on cat care. 
    
    Spike sounds like he is one beautiful boy. Maine Coons are gorgeous
    and I am sure his ear only adds character to him.  Does he like to
    be brushed/combed?
    
    Keep us posted on Spikes progress and I know other feliners will
    jump in with their advice/help also.
    
    If you are going to feed him dry food a good quality dry food will
    pay off in the long run. Right know IAMS dry cat food is having a
    special, if you buy a bag of their dry food, 8 pounds ($12.00 + -)
    they give you a free canister to keep the food in. This can is great
    and is nicely done color wise and design wise and certainly keeps the
    dry food in good condition until it's used up.  You will need to supply
    him with a litter box even though he is going to be indoor/outdoor. 
    There are time it will be used. Toys will also give him entertainment
    and excerise. One catnip toy is a must.
    
    Hugs to both of you. (Thanks for caring enough to take this boy
    in a give him a loving home, and to Spike for being persistant
    in choosing his new home.)
    
    Barbara & her 3M's

    Sarah,
    
    The 4-in-1 shot protects against four illnesses of cats, Panleukopenia
    (Feline Distemper), Calicivirus, Rhinotracheitis, and Pneumonitis
    (Chlamydia).  He may need to be boosted in three weeks, and then
    receive an annual revaccination.
    
    If he had fleas, he probably has tapeworm too.  If you have dogs, you
    are probably familiar with tapeworm.  Same with the mites, they are the
    same ones that dogs get, so don't let the cat near your dogs, and wash
    your hands after handling him so you don't spread the mites to your
    dogs.
    
    As for a good book of cats, the Cornell Book of Cats is very thorough. 
    It is hardback, and will set you back about $24 depending on where you
    get it.  Covers everything from how to select a cat, to how to care for
    the elderly cat.  Has chapters on anatomy, viral illnesses, internal
    disorders, etc.  You will find more information in that book than you
    will in most other books on Feline care.
    
    Have fun with your new addition.  Your request for info about cats
    reminded me of my first venture into Canine. :^)  When I got Annie, I
    knew nothing about dogs!  Spent all of my time reading in Canine.
    
    Oh, to find out what the keywords are, just type "show keywords" at the
    notes prompt.  Then, if you want a listing of notes that go to a
    particular keyword, type "show key/full ______ (<--- insert keyword
    here)"
    
    Jo