When will it clue in

There are so many many reasons for the cat to become a stray. Many people get a kitten because it is sooooo cute. They bring it in the house and find out that they have a claw tornado. Kittens, like children, need time and training. I have two flame point Siamese brothers that were the "tornado twins". I would find them climbing to the top of the drapes in a "race to king of the mountain", they would steal things and hide them (I have long hair that I pull back in a pony tail and rather than use rubber bands I buy specially made hair things, when I finally find the nest of hair things I will have around 500 of them. Khuay loved them and he would sneak off with them as often as he could. I would reach for one and it would be gone! I didn't figure that one out until he went cruising by with one.), and they clawed the furniture. Just like I had to teach my daughter what she could and couldn't do, I had to teach my cats proper behavior in the house. Cats, contrary to popular belief, are not self sufficient. They need love, they need training, they need attention, they need human interaction. Willy, the other twin is laying beside me. (he just changed the channel on the television from the Thanksgiving parade to infomercials...it explains a lot!!!! ) When humans find that the cats are destructive, rather than work with them and teach them other behavior they simply toss them out the door to wander the streets. Usually the humans don't even bother to spay or neuter them before they're given the boot. Cats can be taught contrary to what some people think...but some cats won't learn "tricks" because they are not anything similar to dogs...but again there are some cats that will learn to do tricks to please their owners- you just have to give them a break! You are right about the owner not being able to handle the cat. They don't want to take the time to take responsibility for the furry bundle. They don't want a cat tree cluttering up the house, they don't want a litter box to clean, they haven't got the time to chill out with a wonderful purring bundle on their laps. A cat to them is just something to show off to their friends, like a Ming vase. Unfortunately this "Ming vase" has claws and gets bored easily. I don't normally make New Year's resolutions, that was one I made many years ago. But this year I am making one early. I make jewelry and teddy bears and the local shelters are going to receive regular donations to help out their activities. They go to schools and talk about "pets" to the children and the responsibilities of owning a pet. They operate no kill shelters, which are over crowded because of people getting an animal and not having time for it, and rather than slowing down a bit and spending time with a source of unconditional love, they dump it at the shelter. I'm sorry, I got on my soap box again. I am sitting here crying for a poor terrified cat that is in a totally new situation. And it is expected that this cat is going to march in like a finishing school gentleman and be able to interact with everyone like a "proper" gentleman rather than like Eliza Doolittle before she was retrained to be a lady. I have four cats and three dogs entrusted to me. I am so thankful for them. Each day they teach me something new. Each day they do something to make me laugh. Each day they show how much they love me and want to protect me. I woke up this morning surrounded by my furry protection squad. Some are rescues...actually all of my critters are rescues. Murphy was a "throw away". Murphy is a lynx point Siamese that I adopted from the shelter. She was grabbed by an angry boyfriend and he tossed her into a cage at the animal shelter. He didn't latch the cage and she got lose...It took the people three days to catch her!!! I adopted her the day they caught her. When I went to pick her up the owner called and wanted her cat back. She was told NO, that the cat's new owner came and picked her up. We heard the woman shrieking that the cat was a purebred and that the cat was worth $1500. I love the answer, "If the cat was that valuable you should have taken better care of it" and the person at the humane society hung up. The three dogs are rescues too. Just like the other three cats. I could go on with their stories, but it all amounts to it taking me time to train them to fit into my home. Whether it was training the pit/lab mix to not hate cats (the person who had her worked hard at making her hate cats as he hated cats), getting my oldest dachshund to interact with people, or making the youngest dachshund past being shy because I was the fifth home he had in 3 weeks...they all have the same thing in common; time, patience, understanding and tons of love and hugs. Sorry about the lecture. I love ALL my animals, and actually all animals and hate to hear someone this unhappy and not understanding what is happening from the cat's point of view. When this happens, the person should simply find a place where the cat can roam free and not have the expectations put on it that have been place on it.

Exactly, there are many reason why animals become strays and I was not implying that it is the animals fault. I was just saying that the owner of the animal that abandons an animal is lazy and has no patience with raising an animal!

thedataminer oh you have got Ricki so wrong this cat is a strau Ricki truly cares so m uc h for all her pets so you should not talk to her'like that. the cat is not their cat, its a stray. and they wer3e only putting it in a ca ge tol save it from two big dogs . read Ricki's o ther discussions before you accuse her of animal abuse.they are not abu sing the stray it is not their cat and its an outsider and vicious. you owe Ricki an apology

I hope you will read my post. I have read the other postings and something that hasn't been said is that the cat is in a NEW environment and could be frightened out of its wits. It's tossed in a cage when it is used to being free. I am sure that Ricki is feeding the cat, but EVERYONE is looking at this stray as a cat that has wandered from a loving home. Not all cats are treated well in a home. I am NOT SAYING THAT RICKI IS ABUSING THE CAT!!! I AM SAYING THAT THE PREVIOUS HOME IT CAME FROM MAY HAVE BEEN ABUSIVE! All animals act differently under different situations. Just like humans. Everyone is saying to get rid of the cat, put it to sleep, or toss it back out the door. I can't count the number of times that I have taken strays and tamed them and found loving homes for them. It takes patience and a bit of time. A cat can be re-domesticated and live with a family. I will suggest that since the cat isn't working out in the home and it is being caged for it's own protection, that maybe it's time to find it a home on a farm where it can live free and not worry about being "humanized". I have offered suggestions in my posting for dealing with the cat, but after reading the other posts, it would be better that the cat be rehomed, preferably in the country where it can live in a barn where it can earn its keep.

This cat is estimated to be 3 -5 years old, it has severe dyfigurments from clearly being a tom cat. He is missing the top of his ears, scratchs, adn scars all other. Rescueing a kitten and a grown cat a re a lot different, kittens tend to adapt, and forget the outside quickly.

The dogs did go after him, they are pretty laid back dogs, but they were going after this cat (which took two adult males to pull them away from this cat). I know it takes months for them to settle in (all 3 of my cats were rescues), but its been over nad above that. He has turned and attacked other animals, as well as HUMANS. So yes they will put him down for this, if we he attacked anyone that reported it, he would be put down, and my parents would be charged. This cat is very unpredictable, he has jumped on the table and tried attacking my face to get my plate of food. He has attacked my Dad, as well as my Mom out of nowhere, he walked bby and just tried grabbing them (if there arms didnt go up and get attacked their face would have). Even the vet said he would put him down, and made a note, if anyone reports this cat, it is being put down.

I work in an animal shelter and see this all the time. But this cat has turned on other animals and HUMANS. He is very unpredictable, he has walked by and just lunged at my parents to attack them and got their arm, just ripping their arms up from bitting and attacking. The vet even said he is unadoptable, if anyone reports him for biting them then he has to put the cat down. But also if he turns on someone else (for example if you have someone over) they can have large large fines, even jail time.

I agree, I can't wait to move out, and get away from the insane environemtn.