cat help asap

[animalboy91]

i was driving to a friends house too drop him off and got lost, and i ended up parking in a wendys parking lot. anyway, when i was in the parking lot making calls for directions, i saw a car park a few spaces away, and then drove off, leaving a box. i checked it out and found three cats.

took them home and found out my dads allergic.

now, im moving into my own place in a few months, and i wanna keep the little guys, but i have to keep them outside for now. its getting cold out though so how can i keep them warm? i have them in a makeshift hutch, made from a dog crate and a wood frame, and i have two blankets over the cage, with a little stand up heater next to it outside.

how can i make it warmer for them and better? im not giving them up, i couldnt do that. i need some info though on what to do. if pics are needed ill post them.

 

[wordgirl]

Quote:
Are these adult cats or babies? We have three outdoor cats who live outside year-round and we're in the upper Midwest. Only on the very, very coldest nights do we occasionally bring them in (and they'd probably be fine anyway). We try to make sure they have at least a cardboard box with a blanket over it (it's probably best if it drapes down over the door to keep in heat, making sure they can still get in and out), with a cushion inside for them to curl up on. This is in a shed, though (with a cat flap, so they can go in and out as the please). Do you have any outdoor building you can put their box in?

You'll need to make sure that they have (unfrozen) water available.

 

[Catstar68]

A few months is a bit long to keep a kitty confined....could you and your Dad work something out like keeping them in the basement or in your room? Perhaps a friend can foster them for a few months until you get your own place?
It's great that you are giving them a home. Be sure to get all of them spayed/neutered before they begin breeding - cats have few qualms about incest. Deworming, vaccinations and leukemia testing would be a good idea too. I know all this is expensive but you can find rescue groups and low cost spay/neuter programs in your area if you look/do an internet search. If you have a Petsmart in your area you can ask someone there - I work with a rescue that runs an adoption center out of the local Petsmart and we always try to help people who want to do right by these kitties. My area even has the $20 fix where you can qualify to get your pet spayed/neutered and all vaccinations for $20 a cat.

Good luck with your new kitties. Where are the pictures?

 

[animalboy91]

Quote:
well, i had them in the basment and within a few hours my dad started to weeze and was getting sick. and he never is in the basement.

and i know its too long but im hoping my neighbor will let them run in her house (she has a cat) if i pay her to let them run and play in her house a few hours each day.

and there all males, i checked them.

im keeping them as isolated from the outside as possible (no running outside) until i can get the shots, and ive tried fostering them but no one i know can take them. the only people who can are my fiance and her parents, who live a few states away at the moment.

heres the pics btw sorry forgot to post them

this is one ive been calling "granger"

this is one i call "midnight"

and this is "ticker".

 

[animalboy91]

Quote:
according to my fiance there babies, about a year old from the look of them. but the one seems older.

and idk if they are outdoor cats to tell you the truth, i took them outside and there crate is by a window and they seem to look in the window like they want to be indoors.

and they have a litterbox, water and food bowl, some bedding (aspen and hampster bedding, its temporary till i get other stuff) and a blanket inside. over the cage is two blankets and they cover it completly on three sides, the other side i have a light on and the heater.

 

[Reinbeau]

The poor things look so confused - and they don't look like outdoor cats to me, their coats would be thicker. I hope you can figure out a way to keep them, or at best, find them good homes somewhere.

 

[Catstar68]

Nice looking kitties!
Please, please, please be careful with that heater! They look young but probably around a year. Have they begun to spray or have strong smelling urine? That's a give-away for a sexually mature male. Try to get them neutered ASAP, good thing they're all boys since it's cheaper.

They might not be outdoor cats - they look healthy, sleek and happy to be inside. They were somone's housecats IMO. Maybe they started to spray and so they had to go....neutering will stop that behavior in younger cats but you need to get it done soon before the spraying becomes a habit. Male cat urine is awful smelling.

You're an angel for rescuing these guys.

 

[animalboy91]

Quote:
why careful with the heater? im keeping it on 80 at the highest, and ive been checking it constintly. will that affect the cats (shorthair cats i think is what my girlfriend told me they were)

and i dont think there spraying. my fiance is great with cats and she would of said they were. she told me watch out for that though.

and is there any way to tell if they've been nuetered? they might have been im not sure though if it would hurt them to have that done twice.

and thanks.

i live for two things. my girlfriend/our (possible) child. (we dont know yet but its pretty likely at this point im going to be a father), and animals.
ive been getting alot of stress trying to keep them because i know how some adoption centers can be (especially around my area.) and it doesnt help that my parents arent exactly open minded (i brought them in and my mom screamed at the top of her lungs at me even when i tried explaning the situation, telling me everything from "im gonna kick you out" to "im not helping pay for college anymore" even though i didnt get the chance to tell her what happened or what i was going to try and do. its actually why im moving out. my fathers nice but no matter what my mom makes me look bad.)

i only need to keep them like this till april/may when me, my best friend, and my fiance have enough saved up to get a apartment. i even have one lined up that allows pets.

 

[lizardz]

Well, you've definitely done your good deed for the day! They are certainly healthy looking, obviously someone cared for them. Who knows what their story is - it could have been spraying, but it seems more likely that the owners may have lost their home or have some other financial crisis that now prevents them from keeping these handsome boys. As far as finding out if their neutered or not, any vet or animal rescue person (or even someone just knowledegable about cats) should be able to check and tell you. Males are much easier to figure out than females. Call your local vets/animal rescue group and tell them you rescued these guys and don't know how to tell if their neutered and would they be willing to tell you if you brought them in. If they are not neutered, definitely get it done as soon as you possibly can. Not only will it help prevent spraying, but it will also keep them from wandering and getting in so many fights.

As to the homing situation, could you keep them in the garage or an outbuilding? Or could you build them an enclosed kitty run, like for the chickens? You could then build or get a dog house for them to sleep in. We used to have some feral cats that we adopted as barn kitties and we used a dogloo to sleep in - they loved it and we got it used for about $15.00. When you move out, make sure you know what the rules are about pets. In California, very few rental places (and especially apartments) will allow pets, and if they do, there's usually a limit to the numbers and an extra deposit required. It's very difficult here to find a place to take pets. We own a couple of rental units and we will take pets, but the potential renter must show me a certificate that the animal is neutered/spayed and up to date on shots - having this tells me that the person is a responsible pet owner and probably responsible in many other ways, too. Good luck with everything, and I hope you are soon in a place where you can enjoy the company of your new kitties (and fiance and maybe baby - congrats!)

 

[animalboy91]

Quote:
well, come to think of it when you mentioned fights i think the orange cat might not be....he seems to hiss and claw and throw a tantrum if you pick him up or try to keep him from going where he wants to (like if your watching him and you pick him up to put him were you know where hes at he spazzes)

and im thinking that i may be able to take them to minnesota during thanksgiving, and keep them with my girlfriend until she moves in with me, which id need to carry a animal anyway because she already has a cat she rescued while working at a shelter.


the thing is, we have three sheds, one is full of tools and mechanics, and my dad uses it alot. the other is smaller then the crate in terms of space and is full of stuff. and the otehr has a car in it which my dad works on alot.

the rules for the apartment are easy where im planning to rent. they allow dogs and cats, as long as you take proper care of them and they are quiet there alright. and according to the information i saw there is no extra fees involved as long as the animals are properly cared for.

thanks.

this forum is alot nicer then the one i originally used. i hope i get a place soon. someday i wanna get a farm somewhere so i dont have to worry about this stuff

thats a long way away though.