Caring for an abandoned cat

[nancielle]

Chloe's buddy was pretty much abandoned when his owners were evicted several months ago. A relative of one of the ex-tenants was/is supposed to be taking care of him but he's always out, no matter how crappy the weather. I brought him in one day during some pretty heavy rains and commented to the landlord about it. He wasn't too happy about it; said their apartment had to be "bombed" to deal with the fleas. Problem is, he's pretty much attached to Chloe, almost literally. When I take her out for a walk he is right at her side or attempting figure 8's between my legs. I've taken to bringing cat food with me to give me a couple of minutes of unimpeded walking. Anyway, I find myself scoping out cat food sales and stocking up. I do sneak him in periodically (last week we had nights in the mid 30's! And he's asleep on the back of the sofa right now. I'm a bad tenant, I know. I'm not really even a cat person but he just seems to need someone to look after him.)

Here's a picture of Chloe's friend (I hope. I seem to s*ck at uploading images). I'm still trying to get my landlord to agree to letting him stay.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb273/nancielle/HPIM1594-1.jpg

[Meaux]

Maybe if you took him to the vet and got him de-flea'd (is that even a word??) your landlord would let you keep him. And you'd probably have to pay a deposit. Good for you for taking care of a lost baby. :)

[Eden]

If you can afford it, see if you vet will sell you some advantage for him - it really does work well (I only need to treat my indoor cats once or twice every few years!). Then your landlord won't have to worry at all about fleas.

[IGGY]

it does really work. I say that you are doing a great thing...I think that cat needs you. Your landlord probably really needs you also...that would probably outweigh the negatives about keeping the cat especially if you are consistent about the cat's care and persistant with the landlord!

[jesvetmed]

She looks SO sweet!
Definitely de-flea her... Advantage or Frontline.

Please DON'T go get Over the counter products like Sargeant's, Hartz, or anything else sold at the grocery stores! VERY TOXIC. I just treated a little dog overnight for tremors from these products.

Sometimes you can pick up Advantage or Frontline at farm supply or pet stores -- just check the expiration dates and that they are not printed in foreign languages. In theory, these products are only sold to vets, but they turn up everywhere.

She will be thankful, and you won't have to worry so much about it, you can just enjoy her.:)

Thanks for picking up the slack in this little one's life! Everyone needs a guardian angel on their side!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Looks like the cat is wearing a flea collar already.
Be careful about double-dosing with more flea killer stuff.

[jesvetmed]

Good call Lisa! Take that collar off. Toxic and they don't even work!

[nancielle]

Guilty on the flea collar. Put it on him two months ago to get rid of the fleas I found on him. :o :(

I have a message in with the vet I bring Chloe to. I can't pay all of his fees up front to have him checked out and am hoping to have them agree to a payment plan.

I have to run out later to do some errands. If the farm supply place is open I'll check there. Chloe is on Frontline...didn't realize they had a feline version (I'll slap the "duh" sign on my forehead myself, thanks.) :o Anyway, the farm supply place does satellite adoptions for the Humane Society once a month so perhaps they'll have some pet supplies as well.

Here he is sprawled out on top of the futon:

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb273/nancielle/SDC10003-1-1.jpg


Taking over the futon:
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb273/nancielle/SDC10004-1.jpg

[MrsB]

awwwwwhhhhhh, hes so cute. I just had to run to the vets last week to pick up frontline for the dogs and cats. Walked out with a 62.00 bill for all. Oh well its def worth it when your house is being run by fleas. Whats Chloes friends name? Your doing a great job with him. So glad there are people like you willing to help out.

[Blueberry]

If you have a Petsmart with a clinic near you - they will sell individual doses of Frontline and Advantage. We had been long time Frontline users - and our dog got a massive flea infestation this year. We had been using it monthly. Frontline said to keep using it and "that it could take up to 6 months to get rid of them." They were pretty ugly about it too. We dosed with Advantage the next month, and the fleas were gone. So...I'm sold on Advantage now. Seems there might be some resistance going on - something is certainly strange.

CA

[nancielle]

awwwwwhhhhhh, hes so cute. I just had to run to the vets last week to pick up frontline for the dogs and cats. Walked out with a 62.00 bill for all. Oh well its def worth it when your house is being run by fleas. Whats Chloes friends name? Your doing a great job with him. So glad there are people like you willing to help out.

The name the ex-tenants gave him was Jethro, which I hate. I've been calling him "Hunter" because he's always on the hunt for food. Or "Bottomless" for the same reason.

I would like him to be fully checked out by a vet because I know he never saw one with his original owners. Because Chloe recently had some expensive medical issues, I'm not prepared, at this time anyway, to deal with a full-hit vet bill. If my landlord agrees to let him stay, I can budget in vet care for him just as I do for Chloe. :)

[latelatebloomer]

I had a roomate in a similar landlord situation with a stray dog. She used what I thought was a great line with her- "Don't feel like you have to make up your mind right away..." Made the landlord feel like she didn't have to make an immediate all-or-nothing decision and meanwhile the stray cleaned up and learned a few manners, and saw that Jill would clearly be a very responsible pet owner. Hailey stayed. :D Best of luck with the lad!

[spindizzy]

That is one very pretty kitty! And he looks very comfortable. (and loved!)

[Biciclista]

I had a roomate in a similar landlord situation with a stray dog. She used what I thought was a great line with her- "Don't feel like you have to make up your mind right away..." Made the landlord feel like she didn't have to make an immediate all-or-nothing decision and meanwhile the stray cleaned up and learned a few manners, and saw that Jill would clearly be a very responsible pet owner. Hailey stayed. :D Best of luck with the lad!
Wow, what a great way to put it! Do de-flea the cat, don't hesitate, because he's already been in your house (We've all seen the photos!!!) and fleas do NOT stay on the cat. Most of the time they are not on the cat, they jump around onto other cats and people too..!!
Get the fleas taken care of; then you will demonstrate to the landlord how responsible you are.