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Sad stray knocking at door

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Abby

I squeak- therefore I am		 
 
Purred: Mon Mar 12, '12 3:22am PST 
Abby's mom here--first post in some time. About a month ago Abby's dad and I noticed a stray cat in our neighborhood. One of our neighbors feeds a few strays which is fine with us, but other neighbors have been threatening to call animal control.

We dubbed the kitty "Dapple" and notice that s/he seems a bit less fearful of us than the other neighborhood stray we used to see. In fact, Dapple seems pretty well fed and we thought she might be someone's'indoor/outdoor' cat. However, very early this morning at 4:30 am when I was playing with Abby,"Dapple" came right up to our mostly glass back door, meowed, and sort of 'knocked' with a raised paw on door while she watched us play. It was very, very sad...Abby did not seem to notice, but because of Abby, I dared not open (partly health concerns re Abby and partly Abby's history of reacting very, very badly when we tried to adopt a second cat).

Instead, I took Abby upstairs, planning to come back down, open up and give Dapple a snack and, if she was willing, some attention--but Dapple disappeared before I came back downstairs. Since then I put a little bit of tuna out on back patio but Dapple has not come back.

I have written the person in neighborhood who feeds stray cats to see if this is one of the cats she knows. (This woman tried spay-neuter-return for some time last year, but with no luck that I know of...) Otherwise I am a little at a loss. Adopting Dapple is probably out of the question for us. We tried w. another cat and not only did Abby react very badly, but human allergy problems dormant when we have only one cat acted up very seriously. The second cat--whom we adored--did find another home.

One other detail: Dapple's underbelly is sort of pinkish in a way that does not seem quite right to me. I assume it means that her skin is showing through her fur and that can't be a sign of good health...perhaps more evidence that she has no human caretakers.

Any thoughts or experience with this kind of episode? Does Dapple sound like a lost or abandoned domestic cat? Might she be feral but lonely for another cat? Honestly, I don't know that I can DO anything, but felt a need to write...
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BK

Ambassador at- the Kitty U.N.		 
 
Purred: Wed Mar 14, '12 5:12am PST 
My guess is that Dapple is a former house kitty. A feral is unlikely to "knock" on your door - they usually run at the sight of people. And the bare belly sounds like a health issue. The only thing you can do is keep some food out and see if you can approach the cat. Perhaps your vet would be willing to help with treatment and/or adoption if you can catch the cat and bring him in?
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Orange Ruffy

The Baboo Kitty- has Spoken!
 
 
Purred: Wed Mar 14, '12 8:28am PST 
I agree with BK. Sounds as though Dapple might perhaps be an abandoned kitty who is searching for help. We know that both Ruffy and Smokie were doing this when they were found! Ruffy was running up to people asking for help! We feel someone had dumped him-his FIV+ is probably from having to fend for himself from tougher cats.

I would suggest seeing if you could get Dapple to a vet, and then begin to work with a rescue...is there a room you could 'foster' her in while you made contact with others who might help? This is what we did with Delilah. We have 6 cats in 2 rooms, and my husband has COPD and I have asthma. We, however, just deal with it-no other choice for us. (air purifiers going in both rooms daily).


We were able to find a resuce who helped us alot, as well as networking.

It sounds like a visit to the vet with Dapple would be the first thing on the agenda. Some vets give a rescue discount-we know of 2 that are very good in the Queens NY area we live in. it's how we got Delilah checked out.

A pink belly could mean something or not...it's hard to say.

We send many purrs and many many prayers for Dapple and you.

Deb, the mom of the KG cats
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Ralphie & Randy

1201140		 
 
Purred: Wed Mar 14, '12 11:43am PST 
I agree with the others that using food may be a good way to build trust with Dapple, and that he should be taken in for a thorough vet exam.

Don't dismiss the idea of adopting another cat based solely upon one prior bad experience. We fostered a kitten for a short time when Ralphie was our only kitty, and he did not like it one single bit. We thought he preferred to be an only, until Randy showed up and they very quickly became best friends. Just because Abby didn't get along with one cat doesn't necessarily mean she won't like any cat. As far as allergies, some cats are more allergenic than others. It's possible that it wasn't the number of cats that triggered the allergies, but it may have been that particular cat causing the problems. If you find yourself bonding with Dapple and learn that he is healthy, I say give him a chance to live with you! He seems to have chosen your family.

Edited by author Wed Mar 14, '12 11:44am PST

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Abby

I squeak- therefore I am		 
 
Purred: Wed Mar 14, '12 12:29pm PST 
Thanks for these responses. I have not seen Dapple the last day or two (well, I have not been up playing at 4:30 am!), but I think taking her/him to vet is great idea if I can get close enough and gain her trust...I don't have much experience with cats (none with strays). Abby is my first kitty-family and we adopted her at the humane society.

I did look up the pink belly on internet and gather it could be a sign of parasites of various sorts (flees, mites) in her skins causing hair to fall out. I'm afraid Abby's dad heard that and became very uneasy about my bringing Dapple into house. But he accepts that I want to help her and would not object to our working w. a Vet.

Unfortunately I live in a city with a lot of strays--I spoke to a friend about Dapple and she already has a stray who visits her compost box and gazes longingly at HER home...it's very sad...
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Ralphie & Randy

1201140		 
 
Purred: Wed Mar 14, '12 5:09pm PST 
There are many strays where I live as well. We live in a rural town, a popular dumping place for irresponsible jerk humans, and it is very sad. Ralphie and Randy each showed up on our porch as stray kittens, so I'm happy about that part at least.

I hope Dapple comes back, that you can get him to a vet, and that any health issues are easily treatable. It is so good of you to try and help him. :- )
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