HappyLady Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 A stray cat showed up at my house today. She's super friendly and very skinny. I fed her and she went absolutely crazy for the food. Unfortunately, I suspect that she's either recently given birth or is now in the early stages of pregnancy. I can't turn my back on her. Ultimately I'd love to take her in, but my DH is not fond of this idea. For one, he thinks all strays will just pee everywhere in the house. Plus, we already have a cat and he fears our cat will retaliate by peeing in the house. Our dog would be fine with the cat, but the cat has already hissed at the dog through the window. I'm sure their relationship would be ok after time, though. And then there's the kids. So far, the cat has let my DS2 pet her. He ran right up to her and she didn't run. It scared me, but he got ahead of me and the cat seemed fine with him. Another thing is I just noticed there was a worm on the outside of her behind. :ack2: So, where do I go from here? If she's recently given birth, would she bring the kittens to my house? She's been sitting on my porch for a few hours now and hasn't wanted to leave (she actually wants to come in) so I would think she doesn't currently have kittens, right? Or do they go long periods of time without feeding them? If I bring her in the house, I have a large dog crate I can confine her to. Would that be a good idea or no seeing as she's used to being outside and probably won't want to be confined? If she's in the house, will these worms continue to come out and then be in my house?? :ack2: How do I introduce her to my cat and dog? I'd like to get her in to a vet, but I'm not sure how to go about getting her in a carrier. Any tricks to that? I know I can shove my cat in there, but a stray I'm worried will fight me on it. LOL Thoughts? Suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in MN Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Yes, get her to the vet ASAP. Put food in the back of the carrier, she'll go in an you can close the door. At the vet have her treated for worms, otherwise they will spread to your other pets and then there will be wormy butts for all. The vet will also be able to tell if she has recently had or is going to have babies. After all that I would keep her as an outside cat for a while. Let her warm up to the dog and your DH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Don't ask me! I just got cat #6 when my son's girlfriend found a stray. They took it to the vet for worm and flea treatment, had it tested for FIV and Feline Leukemia and then left it with me. I'm such a sucker for animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Can she remain a outdoor cat? Does it look as though she has recently been nursing? I wouldn't bring her in until the worms were treated. Aside from that, she sounds like a sweet household addition. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2Ride Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Get her checked by a vet, spayed and then she can stay outside. We set up little plastic box houses with a blanket in themon the porch for the winter. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Yes, get her to the vet ASAP. Put food in the back of the carrier, she'll go in an you can close the door. At the vet have her treated for worms, otherwise they will spread to your other pets and then there will be wormy butts for all. The vet will also be able to tell if she has recently had or is going to have babies. After all that I would keep her as an outside cat for a while. Let her warm up to the dog and your DH. :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: I have done this, and it's something you really need to do if you plan to let the cat be around your kids or other pets. We have taken in strays many times, and they have all been excellent pets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyLady Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 Can she remain a outdoor cat? Does it look as though she has recently been nursing? I'm hesitant to keep her an outdoor cat just because I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats and they all came home with illnesses and such. One even came home with just one eye. :glare: And so many of them just never came home. :( I couldn't deal with it again if this cat never came home again or got too sick and had to be put down. We had a lot of cats that had kittens growing up so I do remember that they were very "full" when they were nursing, but other than that, I don't know what their n*pples were like (not sure if I should spell that word out on here or not). On this cat, they're sort of elongated and she's not very full. When I petted her more, I did notice she had some noticeable bumps on the sides of her belly which I also remember well. I just don't know if it's babies or what. I'm hoping and praying it's not babies because my DH will NOT be happy. But, on a positive note, maybe I could sell this by saying it could be used in our science lessons. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 (edited) I wouldn't allow her to have any physical contact with your cat until she's been checked thoroughly by a vet (including testing for feline leukemia) and wormed. If you put the newcomer in the dog crate, put the crate in a room away from your cat. In general whenever you bring in a new cat, even one from a shelter/rescue, it's best to quarantine the newcomer for at least a few days (a couple of weeks is optimal) to make sure they aren't carrying anything that could be transmitted to cats already in the home. If you decide to keep her, then after at least a few days when you decide she's healthy, give her access to a room but keep the door closed. The two cats will smell each other under the door, and that will start the introduction. You can also rub each of them down with an old towel so that you get each cat's scent on the other. No matter what you do there still may be some hissing, growling and posturing. But chances are they'll work it out on their own in time. When putting her in the carrier, try wrapping her up in an old towel first. Edited September 25, 2012 by Pawz4me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 How is the cat doing today? I was just thinking that if you have an attached garage, you might be able to keep her in there until you can get her to the vet. That way, you'd know she was safe, but she wouldn't have direct contact with your kids or other pets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyLady Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 How is the cat doing today? I was just thinking that if you have an attached garage, you might be able to keep her in there until you can get her to the vet. That way, you'd know she was safe, but she wouldn't have direct contact with your kids or other pets. She hasn't come by yet today. :( I saw her a couple months ago and tried to approach her, but she ran away. Yesterday was the second time I saw her and she came right to me. I planned on bringing her in after dinner, but she was gone when I went to get her. I called her up until I went to bed, but she never came back. I have food out for her today, but so far nothing. I do have an attached garage and thought of that as an option. If she comes back I might confine her in there until I can get her to the vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 I just don't know if it's babies or what. I'm hoping and praying it's not babies because my DH will NOT be happy. But, on a positive note, maybe I could sell this by saying it could be used in our science lessons. :lol: If it's early in the pregnancy, the vet can take the kitten fetuses when s/he performs the spaying. That's what happened when a stray showed up at our back door -- I took her in for spaying, she turned out to be pregnant, she came home not pregnant -- the vet didn't even blink about the whole thing, just mentioned it when we went to pick her up. I vaguely recall him commenting that a non-pregnant female stray cat would be an oddity. Either way, if you take her in for spaying she'll need to convalesce somewhere, which might be in your basement or laundry room or garage. BTW, we already had 2 cats, so there was no way we were going to keep that stray. She stuck around for about 17 years, and lived in 5 different states with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 BTW, we already had 2 cats, so there was no way we were going to keep that stray. She stuck around for about 17 years, and lived in 5 different states with us. Heh. We have one of those, too. She was allowed in "just until I can take her to the shelter." Then it was "just until I can find a proper home for her." That was more than ten years ago, and Little Miss Temporary Basis is currently sleeping on the couch, having moved to this house with us. And for what it's worth, the older, established cat adjusted quite well to the interloper. Straycat immediately knew her place, which helped, and they get along reasonably well. No major behavior problems from either. It's been fascinating to watch Straycat defer, though. Stray is clearly the superior hunter, but she never gets involved when the occasional mouse or lizard gets in the house. Establishedcat gets first crack at the food dish. Everybody seems happy with this arrangement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 I hope she comes back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyLady Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 I hope she comes back. I hope so too. I got quite attached to her in the few hours I spent with her. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Take her to the vet and make she she is worm and flea free. My neighbor learned the hard way. She had fleas in her house and car. Her husband is "allergic" (so he claims) and the cat has lived outside for nearly 3 years. In the winter they have a heated cat house on their covered porch and when it snows they lock her in the garage overnight. When they go on vacation I cat sit and feed her. 99% of the time when I call her name she comes running. I hope she comes back soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 If she was pregnant when you saw her she could be having the babies so I would note any changes if she shows back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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