starving kitty living under the neighbors porch - need advice!

[bunnies]

Hey all...

I need your help. Theres a kitty living under my neighbors porch and I dont know what to do. Some background: Id been seeing this kitty outside quite a bit over the summer but never thought much of it. She/He is wearing a flea collar and I just always assumed it was a neighbors outdoor cat. Then the last couple of weeks we've been seeing it crawl under my neighbors front porch at night. Cats do these things though.. so still not really a big deal. Then yesterday morning I noticed kitty sitting on the neighbors back deck. I knew that it didnt belong to anyone in the house (a duplex) and started to wonder if he/she was lost. So I filled a little bowl of kitty food and went down to investigate. When I approached the cat, he hissed at me. And the closer I got, the more he hissed. But I put the food in front of him and he immediately started wolfing it down. Then my neighbor comes out of his back door and the cat takes off. I think.. oh well. But as soon as he drives away kitty comes back. By now Ive picked up the bowl and kitty is hissing at me once again. But he follows me over to the side yard between my house and next door (hissing all the way mind you) but when I put the food down, kitty eats and eats and eats and even lets me pet him (a bit). At this point I notice that kitty is skin and bones. Absolutely NO meat on him at all. Then when he's done eating, he runs away.

So all last night I'm worried about kitty. This is NH and its getting really cold. Forty something last night... thirty something tonight and I think he's too skinny to make it outside. Then this morning he's waiting for me on the side of the house (where I fed him yesterday). So I brought him some kitty food, ham, chicken, cheese & pepperoni (trying to fatten him up)... and again... he wolfed it all down. But we made progress today... he gave kitty lovins and even let us (me and fiance) pick him up & rub his belly. Shortly though, he went right back under the porch.

So... its obvious to us that kitty is either a lost or abandoned pet. But Ive checked everywhere and no ones reported a lost kitty fitting this description. We remember the people across the street had a little kitten with this same coloring... but the house seems empty now and we think maybe they left kitty behind. :cry:

Ok. I want to bring kitty inside so at least I know he wont die from the cold. But Im concerned about the health & safety of my own kitty and don't know what to do. We dont have the money to bring the outdoor kitty to the vet... and I will NOT bring him to the area (kill) shelter. But I also dont want to leave him outside in the cold!!!! I was thinking of putting our dog kennel (enclosed) out on our deck with a heating pad and blanket inside. This way he wouldnt be near our cat & dog... but at least I'd know he was warm.

Anyone have any ideas? Advice? Sorry for the long post... but I'm beside myself! I cant let this kitty starve or freeze. What do I do??

[Midlodemocrat]

1. If you decide to adopt him, take him to the vet before you bring him inside.

[bunnies]

2. So do you think I should set him up on our deck for now?

Its a second floor deck... :shrug:

[TommyO]

8. You may want to get a pet shelter and fill it with blankets

and leave the food there - kitty will start getting used to it, and will make use of the warmth that the blankets provide.

As was mentioned earlier, do not let skinny kitty come into contact with your kitty until it's checked out by a vet.

[havocmom]

23. No to an electric heating pad. Yes to shelter and bedding

If possible, put a smaller box inside a larger kennel box with some sort of tarp over it. The trapped air will provide some insulation. If you have access to a gallon jar or two (check with area resturants, they sometimes get those with mayo and such and pitch them) and fill will hot water in the evening. That will give off some heat without risk of electric problems a heating pad might present. I know a couple zoos that use those old fashioned, larger outdoor Christmas lights in cage trees for birds on chilly nights. Little things can make a difference. The jar of water trick can be some help.

Make sure you have fresh drinking water out there for the little guy ALWAYS. Dehydration makes it really hard for a critter to stay warm. Good water can be harder to come by than food for many strays.

Can you improvise a shelter that is reasonably safe but NOT on the second floor deck? Cat may feel trapped there and try to escape, injuring himself. Since he hangs out under the porch steps, seems you just have to provide something even warmer but still allowing him to come and go, not feel trapped. He's smart. He will see advantage in better digs. He very well might resent being trapped on a higher deck though.

Food, WATER, dry shelter with warm, dry bedding should go a long way. I know it's cold, but cats are clever. Provide what you can now and he will probably hang close until you can get him in for a check up and some shots.

Is there a Humane Shelter or animal rescue group anywhere around you? They sometimes have clinics for inexpensive shots. Some rescue groups have resources to help defray vet visit costs if you want to keep a stray. Or they may be able to provide fostering for the little guy.

Very kind of you to want to help. Yes, sounds like he was abandoned, or didn't want to move, which happens (some cats will return to the old hood - It's important to keep a cat INSIDE for at least a couple weeks after a move so they know where home really is). And very wise of you to be concerned with the possibility of him bringing a bug into your home which might not be good for other pets.

Let us know how it works out. Lots of DUers are pulling for you and your new friend. ;)

[Inchworm]

3. Since you care...

Grab him and take him to the vet for worming/shots/neuter/spay. It the neighbor doesnt mind the cat living there. Bring the cat back and continue feeding it.

Local Humane Society may have a program if its a money thing. But it seems like the cat is cool living there.. just needs some care. Thank you for caring.

EDIT: Hec it looks like I missed the part about NH, cold, you brought it near your home. I'll read more better next time :D

:loveya:

[bunnies]

4. Problem is that when it snows he wont be able to get under there.

Maybe I should just leave him there until we can bring him to the vet... THEN take him in for the winter? We found a lost dog last winter... had tunneled into a snow bank. I cant stand to let that happen to kitty!!

[Vanje]

5. Worming and shots are easy and safe to do it yourself

Get shots and wormer at your local feedstore, some pharmacies, or through online pet supply catalogs.

Save your self a lot of money.

[bunnies]

6. Holy shit!! I had no Idea. I knew DU was the right place to ask...

I used to take care of my friends diabetic cat... so I know how the shots thing goes. I had NO clue you could get that stuff at home. I'm going to look into it right now. :yourock: :hug:

[China_cat]

14. You can get everything but rabies.

That has to be administered under a vet's supervision.

[Orrex]

7. I think that ten minutes per pound is the standard

Doesn't sound like there's a lot of meat on him, though.

[bunnies]

17. Shame on you!!

:spank:
:spank:
:spank:
Though my fiance laughed hysterically.

[flvegan]

9. Couple things: when rubbing the belly, did it seem like SHE might be nursing?

You'd notice. Don't want to trap momma away from any kittens she might have under that porch.

Okay, kitty needs to be wormed and get shots before he/she comes inside. If there's no money for that, you can make a makeshift "kitty-gloo" with that dog kennel. If you can get 4 bales of hay/straw, put one on each side and top of the kennel. A heating pad might not be best (fire hazard) overnight outside. Put some of the straw inside, and put blankets over that. Get kitty used to being in there by putting the food in there. If you can, cover the whole thing with a blanket. Kitty will probably be warmer than you are inside.

Ultimately, this new buddy needs to get the vet asap. No knowing why he/she has this skin and bones condition.

Good luck, and thanks for looking out for this wayward kitty.

[bunnies]

15. We looked all over for kittens....

and didnt find any. No sign of kitty niplets either. Even our fixed female has them, so Im thinking It might be a neutered male (also no scars from being spade). Then again... no noticeable signs of gender at all, which brings me back to neutered male. The "heating pad" I was talking about is actually something I had for my iguana. More of a heated "rock" I guess you'd call it. Made for a damp environment. But you're right... I probably shouldnt put it outside. The straw is a great idea... and easy to get around here...
Thanks so much for your help!! :hug:

[Piltdown13]

16. I just wanted to second flvegan's post

The situation described in the OP sounds very similar to a situation we had a couple of years ago -- skin and bones kitty hanging around the area. Ours was probably abandoned by a student leaving town for the summer. He was in such bad shape that he ended up staying at the vet's for a week, more for the protection of our first kitty than anything (we wanted to make sure he wasn't coming down with a respiratory infection, which kitty #1 is kind of susceptible to, as well as the usual FIV and FeLV tests). We've since found out that his skinny condition wasn't just due to starvation, but also to some underlying medical issues that were probably exacerbated by his time (unsuccessfully) fending for himself.

To the OP: get him to the vet as quickly as is possible. It sounds like he was someone's pet before, but there's no telling what he may have run into since then. Good luck!

[blondie58]

27. piltdown13 is right

it is very important to get him tested for FIV and FeLV. The shelter that I volunteer at www.angelswithpaws.net won't let a new resident around the others until they know for sure that the newbie isn't infected. You are an angel. This little guy doesn't sound feral- he sounds abandoned. It happens all the time. My boyfriend was adopted by this beautiful dilute torti cat up in Greeley, not too far from the college campus. I think that is what happened to little Monet, as we've named her. She obviously loves human attention. He didn't think that he even liked cats- until Monet chose him! Good luck and keep us posted!

[Lorien]

25. I'd recommend a cheap polar fleece blanket for the kennel

they keep critters amazingly warm. You can get them at discount stores, or even get the fabric for very little at a fabric store. Cats seem to be magnetically attracted to them too.

Do you have a no kill rescue group in your area? You can find out by doing a pet search on petfinder: www.petfinder.com . You could ask them to take the kitty in. If you are interested in adopting it then you can do so for a small fee once all the exams, shots, neuter/spay etc. are done. Rescue groups get huge discounts on these services from caring vets, so once he's been put through the system it should be affordable for you to adopt him if he checks out OK.

[catmandu57]

10. You've been adopted

He can be an outdoor cat, we've had several outdoor cats as long as they have food and shelter they do just fine, some cats don't want to come inside. I recommend getting a small igloo type doghouse and sitting it somewhere out of the wind.
Get some straw for bedding, keep him fed and watered, then when he trusts you take him to the vet for neutering and a checkup.

[unpossibles]

11. what flvegan said (and others)

the cat will be ok for now if you insulate the little pet house a bit. I would stay away from the heating pad - not only a fire hazard, but the cat may chew on the cord too. A pile of warm blankets and some straw will do wonders - if it gets cold, it will burrow down in there and be pretty toasty, especially once he/she puts on a little extra weight.

Good luck. Try the home shots/deworming thing too before you bring it in for sure.

[Kajsa]

12. All of the above, there's some great advice here.

A neighbor's cat is trying to move into my house.

He's a male and my two males are saying 'no'.
So,the neighbor's cat hangs out on the side porch,
has his food and water dish, a stratching post and
a blanket.The winters in SoCal are milder, though.

Make sure your new friend has all his shots and
a thorough check-up. Then monitor how the two get along.
They will each require their own space to feel safe.

Thank you for caring for this little guy.

:hug:

[Zoigal]

13. Thanks for caring, bunnies

Think you've just found a new furry friend. p

[applegrove]

18. Take a photo of the kitten and make fliers. Then put them up at local

pet hospitals and at the locas spca. Put your phone number down and say free to a good home.

[TK421]

19. They won't die from the cold...they will find someplace to keep warm

they are quite resourceful, and will find ways of getting by. I think it's cool that you want to do this, but just make sure that it is free of fleas before bringing it into your home ( an infestation of fleas won't take very long, if this is the case ). Otherwise, contact a local animal shelter...I don't know what other advice I could offer :shrug:

[Mike03]

20. Some random thoughts

First, you are a beautiful human being for caring about this cat. I had a similar situation when I lived in Los Angeles.

1. You may be able to borrow a humane cat trap from your local shelter or an organization that is involved in wildlife rehabilitation.

2. Don't permit contact between this cat and your own cat until after a veterinarian has seen the abandoned cat.

3. It does not sound like this is a feral cat, so once its health is verified (or any diseases it may have are cured) you may be able to temporarily board this animal with a veterinarian or animal shelter, with the understanding that you are the owner and just awaiting health test results.

You are a very kind, good person, and I wish you luck and hope that you let us know what happens. If I think of anything else I will post it. You are right to be concerned about contact between this cat and your own cat.

[City of Mills]

21. Look here

Good advice in this thread, if you're looking for a no-kill shelter, you may want to get in touch with Kitty Angels (http://www.kittyangels.org/). They may be able to foster the kitten until he is adopted out - they're a fantastic organization, and have helped me with several cats. Where you are dealing with a kitten, they may be able to help as kittens are usually easier to adopt out then abandoned adult cats. Although Kitty Angels is Mass-based (around Tyngsboro) you may be close enough to work with them.

Good luck!

[Bryn]

22. I hope someone like you took in Wendy

My then 9 mo. old kitty escaped from motel room during the move from Florida to Arkansas when we stopped over for a night along with 5 cats and one big dog. I've returned to Florida in search for Wendy three times. Friends and wonderful strangers have been helping to look for her, but she has never been found. So I hope someone somewhere had taken her in. She was already spayed and had all up to date shots. I moved from Homestead/Florida City, FL and had stopped in Alaucha near Gainesville, FL for a night..that's where she escaped from that motel room next morning. It has been one year and 4 months now. :cry:

[eridani]

26. That happened to us when moving from Boston to Seattle

At the very last night we needed to stay in a motel (Deer Lodge, Montana), Squigglepuss just hopped out of the moving van and ran away. She'd never given any hint of this before, and we'd been cross-country with her once already. We had ads all over, but she never turned up. I hope she was taken in by someone like the OP.

[AZBlue]

24. Do you have a basement you can keep outdoor kitty in for a while?

In order for your present kitty safe, you would need to have outdoor kitty tested before allowing them to meet. Check with pet stores (Petco, Petsmart, etc) and/or the county or humane society for low-cost testing. Some may even have low cost clinics at times too.

In the meantime, outdoor kitty could live separated for a while - just make sure to wash your hands, change your clothes and/or use hand sanitizer when moving from one kitty to the other.

Outdoor kitty definitely seems to like you - showing a belly that fast shows trust. He runs away or hisses just out of instinct, nothing to do with you.

Thanks for caring, bunnies! :hug:

[radfringe]

28. sounds like you are near adopting the kitty

getting the shot stuff on-line is good, but should still get the kitty checked by a vet

you may want to check out some local rescue groups, ask them if they know of a vet that will give discounts or allow you to make time-payments - even if it's a dog rescue group they are usually sympathetic to any lost/rescued critter. If you do contact a dog rescue group for some advice on vets, you may also ask if they know of cat rescue groups in your area.

that he's letting you pet him is a good indication he's not distrustful of people and has gone feral.

by all means set up a house for him on your porch - I agree with no heating pad because of the risk of fire or burns. turn the opening towards a wall to minimize wind - although I'm betting it won't be long before he's in your house.

[demnan]

29. This is how I got Charley

Charley (the orange one) was an abandoned skin and bones cat who lived out in the woods in back of my condo. He was very shy, but would come to eat but would not let me pick him up. I didn't know what I was going to do, I thought about trapping him. In the mean time he would come to the bedroom window and "talk" with Pad Thai every night. In retrospect, I believe he may have been asking permission to come in. As the autumn got cooler, he changed his mind and eventually walked right into the condo. (Scorpio also did this, but as a tame cat, it didn't take long for Scorpio.) Once Charley was in, I placed him in the den, separated from the other cats and the following day I took him to the vet to be tested. In the meantime, I discovered that he had been declawed!

Fortunately his vet bills weren't as expensive as Scorpio's because he was fixed already. I had asked people who said that they had seen him out there for months. Charley has never fully gotten over his abandonment and feral period, he is very nice with me, but will not come out when others are in the condo. He is my shy boy, probably from being abandoned and going feral.

After having Charley for a while, some of Pad Thai's behavior problems began to improve, and Pad Thai was more tolerant of my absences than before. The two cats play constantly and are great friends.

You never regret rescuing a cat.