My wife is a vet nurse at a cat hospital... she's really good with this stuff. I'll try to get her to join in the conversation.
Our junkyard cat I found in (logically) a junkyard. He was 3-weeks old. I found him in the back seat of an Aries so I named him Plymouth K. Car. Our second one was a kitten dropped off at the cat hospital in a paper bag taped shut. Her name is Gossamer. She's polydactyl which means she has several extra toes on her feet.
Here is Plymouth cuddling on my mom.
I was going to my car to head for work. I see a kitten in my sons car. Wake my wife up & ask if she knows whats up. Sons friend split with wife, cat is going to be abandoned. We took her in about 3 years ago. Miss Priss (Prisella) is now a fat cat, well adjusted & rough houses with our dog (Peanut- Mini Beagle/Rat Terrier mix. Part of the family.
No vacancies here at the Freeloading Furry Stooge Motel, Bar, and Tire Care Center.
One massive gray tabby tomcat that showed up 3+ years ago, certainly a pet dump, he was previously fixed. Followed us right in the door one night, and never left. Named Oscar since his nights with us early on were spent eating everything in the kitchen trash can, behavior that stopped once he fattened up to the point of looking like a harbor seal. Great footwarmer, fantastic with the kids.
A tiny, sickly black and white male arrived about six weeks back. We call him Mortin McCormick, for his salt and pepper coloration. I took him in after becoming weary of watching him die on the street. I have no intentions of keeping him, but I've been laughed out of every animal shelter in the lower half of the state. Great with the kids, but HATES Oscar who is twice his size, and needs a full workup and nuetering at the vet, something I can't possibly afford at this time. This one is good natured, but cannot and will not stay here. Might get a date with the needle... you just can't save them all.
It looks like this guy is going to be outside for quite awhile. Check out these links:
Coming in from the Cold (Helping feral cats survive the winter)
both our dog and our cat showed up on our doorstep(not at the same time)
they were showing the same symptoms your street cat are now with the in-law's dog (we live with her parents right now) but adjusted to each other pretty quickly. if you give it some time, they may get used to each other. when the cat came, chiquita (oru dog) had already been here about 6 months, and the cat was very aggressive against her. we seriously thought about giving him up, but I'm really glad we stuck with it. they love each other now, and make both of us very happy. the cats still a pain sometimes, but he is a cat, so thats to be expected.
wish this was on my wife's comp so i could post a picture of them sleeping side by side lol
We unknowingly got a cat with our new house a couple years ago. Gorgeous long haired cat that was rather unkempt and matted, and almost definitely a dump - may have been left by the house's previous owners for all I know. I was worried about it over the winter (though I probably needn't have been, it looked like a Norwegian Forest Cat, and it was highly suited to the cold weather), so I set up a lean-to in my shed with a thick drop cloth to cover it, some old sheets and carpet remnants on the bottom, and a 40w drop light for heat when it was in the single digits at night. I guess she was happy, since she stayed around for a couple years.
She was able to train our first dog to her liking, but our new one was too rambunctious for her. In protest, she was moved to the front yard from the back. We found her a new (indoor) home this summer with an older couple a few blocks from our place. It seems she made a break for it, though, since we saw her wanted poster on the corner market's door. Knowing how tough she is, I'm not too worried about her. I'm half expecting her to show up here again, sitting at the front door waiting to be fed.
I guess what I'm saying is that if you find the under-the-porch arrangement tenable, the cat will likely be fine. They're tough little animals. If you have a shed or garage, I'm sure that option would have occurred to you, so I won't suggest it...
Like Curtis suggested, though, it would be a very good idea to get it checked for communicable diseases. You may be able to find a free/prorated clinic that will give you a break on price for a stray.
But hey, looking through this thread, it's good to know you're among fellow suckers, right? 
I think you could probably barter it for a coupon for a #5 from the local Chinese food place.
I know some people won't think this is funny, but I lol'd
http://www.buckstix.com/CoehornMortarHunt.htm
Good to see I'm amongst other people who have "sucker" written on their foreheads in feline 
.
Without delving into too much detail, our cat seems to have been mistreated in the past and he's basically got some psychological issues from that. I noticed he was reverting to his earlier behaviour when the kitten was in the house and that wasn't something we were going to allow to happen. Both the cat and us worked too hard on overcoming his issues for him to slip back into the way he used to behave.
We'll see what we can do to keep the kitten alive until we can find some other sucker for him - we're on the "found cat" list at the local shelter we got our cat from, which means that the kitten jumped the fairly long waiting list; he's in fifth position for a place there.
I don't particularly like this kitten (which is a mutual feeling) but the stupid little thing somehow managed to get under my skin nevertheless.
Osterkraut wrote: I think you could probably barter it for a coupon for a #5 from the local Chinese food place.
Not much meat on him, and the good local place has closed anyway so I'm not sure it's worth the hassle 
.
I'm another sucker.
We've got four used cats at the moment.
We're full up, before you ask.
Shawn
I'd take him myself if I were close, as my yard has way too many little critters they could kill off. Cat's don't eat car wiring, mice do, and cat's don't poop on cars like birds either.
Aside from that, all I can add is that orange and white cats are always the best and tuxedo ones are always crazy.
Here's some pics of our certified pre-owned kittahs!
Here's Lilah, who was an abandoned Egyptian Mau. She's good at being pretty, and not playing with, but rather KILLING all of her toys.
And here's Mr. Peach. He's the aforementioned orange tabby that comes in size huge.
Here's Peach shortly after adoption at 6 months. I thought he was huge then.
I was wrong. This happened.
He's extremely good at communicating through faces.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: He's extremely good at communicating through faces.
That's the OMGWTFBBQ! face.
Ok, cat lovers, what do you do when you go on vacation and leave the cat(s) behind?
My wife has almost got us housebound because she can't leave the danged cats behind. We have 2 (the second was supposed to keep the first company). We have hired pets sitters in the past, but none seem good enough for them any more. And we have had one cat "act out" by crapping and peeing in a very expensive rug.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the cats, but I also want to get out of town! And, no, we can't take them with us.
Basil Exposition wrote: Ok, cat lovers, what do you do when you go on vacation and leave the cat(s) behind?
Depends on how long...
Leave an extra box and PLENTY of food/water and I have left mine for a week before. (have 2, so they entertain each other) They were fine, just wanted some extra rub time after we got back.
I have 2 cats, my girlfriend has one. (one of my cats lives with mom for now)
Destiny: Acquired early summer 1997, wouldnt stop following me around at a friends party in the country and came home with me. Basically friend had Rottweiler and cat came back looking for me. Put up found signs and never heard a thing, she became a member of the family. She lives with mom for now. 
Charcoal: Got him from the Vet in late 1997, he and his sister (who we also took home) were abandoned in a dumpster. His sister passed from kidney failure a few years ago, but Char is still around and quite healthy other then inflammatory bowel, which he is medicated for. He is my constant companion, always following me from room to room if not on my lap.
Let me put a PSA in here to others with cats, DO NOT USE HARTZ FLEA PRODUCTS
http://www.hartzkills.org/ http://www.hartzvictims.org/ http://www.hartzsyndrome.org/
I almost lost my cat (Destiny) to it years ago, because I tried it without research.
Shadow is my familiar. We share basically the same personality. He its awesome and the only problems we have had out of him is some scratching of the furniture and beating up on his little sister a bit, but she probably deserved it. He was abandoned in an apartment.
Sunny is a bitch. She had a bed wetting problem, but we found the problem. After a bigger litter box, all is well. She is a barn rescue. Of twenty some cats, two of her relatives remain uneaten by coyotes.
The fighting isn't a problem. I have a 100 lb peace keeper.
Unfortunately I'm allergic to this type peacekeeper...
We have a pet sitter come to the house (especially with Mr "Occupy our porch" still around) and it's working out OK. They come twice a day and our cat is probably just napping inside the whole time. Although the last time he didn't eat for a day and was very attached when we came back.
Given the alternatives between kennel or pet sitter, I'm paying for the pet sitter. Our cat's been at a shelter for long enough.
Basil Exposition wrote: Ok, cat lovers, what do you do when you go on vacation and leave the cat(s) behind? My wife has almost got us housebound because she can't leave the danged cats behind. We have 2 (the second was supposed to keep the first company). We have hired pets sitters in the past, but none seem good enough for them any more. And we have had one cat "act out" by crapping and peeing in a very expensive rug. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the cats, but I also want to get out of town! And, no, we can't take them with us.
They can hold out for a week easy, longer if someone can come around and put down more food & water & clean out the litter box. You may need to put in another litter box, that may be why the one did it on the carpet since it probably smelled bad. Cats are sensitive to smell. Of course I would put the rug up just to be sure.
Basil Exposition wrote: Ok, cat lovers, what do you do when you go on vacation and leave the cat(s) behind? My wife has almost got us housebound because she can't leave the danged cats behind. We have 2 (the second was supposed to keep the first company). We have hired pets sitters in the past, but none seem good enough for them any more. And we have had one cat "act out" by crapping and peeing in a very expensive rug. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the cats, but I also want to get out of town! And, no, we can't take them with us.
If someone checks in on them every couple of days, our girls are fine. If we leave for the weekend, I'll clean their litter right before we leave, fill their food to the top and put out extra water. They already have 2 litterboxes, so it's not too horrible for them.
Daphne:
Chloe:
I figured out that if you hiss at them when they do something wrong like another cat would then they will generally cease and desist.
Basil Exposition wrote: Ok, cat lovers, what do you do when you go on vacation and leave the cat(s) behind? My wife has almost got us housebound because she can't leave the danged cats behind. We have 2 (the second was supposed to keep the first company). We have hired pets sitters in the past, but none seem good enough for them any more. And we have had one cat "act out" by crapping and peeing in a very expensive rug. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the cats, but I also want to get out of town! And, no, we can't take them with us.
I've left them for up to 10 days, but a week is fine. We have two kitties, a big house, two litterboxes. Before we leave for more than a few days we put out extra food and water, put extra litter in the clean boxes, and that's it. They are fine. Sometimes we have Chrissy's mom come once and check on them, but that's not even needed. When we get back they get a little clingy for a day or two, but then they go back to normal.
This is what I like about cats. They are pets that work on my terms. I couldn't deal with a dog that needs care and attention daily, let alone any kids. I've already told my mother that the most she can expect for me (barring an big mistake) is grand-cats.
Here are our two:
The orange/white one is Mugen, she's about 10, I've had her since she was weeks old, part of a "found" litter.
The grey one is Asti (spumante), a shelter cat named after the champagne as she is cheap, sweet, and bubbly.
We have 4 indoor cats, one indoor/outdoor (comes in at night), then one feral that we have never been able to get near, but feed and provide shelter for (barn). ALL of them were abandoned and showed up at our house....
We like to travel. For short trips we leave food out and/or have a neighbor/friend/pet sitter come by. For long trips we have a pet sitter come by daily and take care of all but the indoor/outdoor cat....we board her because she has issues and can get out of hand.
In the winter we place pet specific heating pads outside for the indoor/outdoor cat and the feral cat. They LOVE them and they are pretty cheap. I think we bought the last one for $20 off amazon.com. You could put one under your front porch which would help keep little kitty warm during winter.
You'll need to log in to post.
