Herd your cats here

[Volhiker78]

Yesterday was a sad day for my youngest daughter, G, who fosters kittens for the Humane Society. She had gotten very attached to a male, ginger, Mel.  Mel was a sweetheart, very trusting and friendly.  G asked whether we could adopt Mel last week and we told her if we did, we had to stop fostering as our house would have 3 cats. We also warned that Mel would have a tough time fitting in with our older two as both are very territorial and solitary.  G decided yesterday that Mel would have a better life being someone else's kitty and returned her to the Humane Society.  It was sad especially for G but I was proud of her for making a decision for Mel's best interests.  Have a wonderful life, Mel.

She sounds like a great kid.
We had a pregnant stray cat in our neighborhood. I trapped four feral kittens in a wire cage and brought them indoors. The idea was to quickly socialize them and then give them to a shelter where they would get adopted, being still kittens. We ended up keeping two.  I suspect the head of the household (me) was influenced by the young daughter. Well, they turned out to be fine cats.
Sadly the mother disappeared and was found, deceased, under a neighbor's porch.

Update about our female who had iodine treatment for hyperthyroidism: She has had fluid in her lungs and so was given several medications including antibiotics. Might have picked up an infection while hospitalized. Last night was rough but she looks a little better today. Fingers crossed.

Thanks, she is.

Best wishes for your female.

[mahagonny]

Female cat has died. We took her to the hospital and they found that she has had kidney trouble for some time. The thyroid condition had masked the kidney trouble. In addition, fluid around the lungs was likely caused by either lung cancer or congestive heart failure. So the outlook was grim. Her body temperature was only 90.6 degrees and her heart rate was 130 (normal is 200). So we made the agonized decision, stop now. No future. It turned out she was probably some 5-9 years older than we had believed.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Female cat has died. We took her to the hospital and they found that she has had kidney trouble for some time. The thyroid condition had masked the kidney trouble. In addition, fluid around the lungs was likely caused by either lung cancer or congestive heart failure. So the outlook was grim. Her body temperature was only 90.6 degrees and her heart rate was 130 (normal is 200). So we made the agonized decision, stop now. No future. It turned out she was probably some 5-9 years older than we had believed.

So sorry for your loss.

[mahagonny]

Female cat has died. We took her to the hospital and they found that she has had kidney trouble for some time. The thyroid condition had masked the kidney trouble. In addition, fluid around the lungs was likely caused by either lung cancer or congestive heart failure. So the outlook was grim. Her body temperature was only 90.6 degrees and her heart rate was 130 (normal is 200). So we made the agonized decision, stop now. No future. It turned out she was probably some 5-9 years older than we had believed.

So sorry for your loss.

Indeed - thank you. it's rough. We've all been there I guess.

[mamselle]

The kindest thing is the hardest thing. Four times, now, and it never gets easier.

All good thoughts.

M.

[Harlow2]

For the past 2 weeks Ulysses has been convinced that there is something of interest in the coat closet.  She darts in without my realizing it, sits happily for a few minutes, and then cries to be let out. 2 hours later we do the same dance again. I wish I knew what she was after.

This is a sign you need to install a cat flap on the coat closet door.  Or never, ever close the door again.
Maybe it's nice and warm in there?
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Or less happily, maybe you have a mouse.

Good point about the mouse Lots of camping equipment stored in the back, so I'll have to do some excavating.  Hope it's just warmth.

[Harlow2]

Female cat has died. We took her to the hospital and they found that she has had kidney trouble for some time. The thyroid condition had masked the kidney trouble. In addition, fluid around the lungs was likely caused by either lung cancer or congestive heart failure. So the outlook was grim. Her body temperature was only 90.6 degrees and her heart rate was 130 (normal is 200). So we made the agonized decision, stop now. No future. It turned out she was probably some 5-9 years older than we had believed.

So sorry, Mahagonny.

[smallcleanrat]

Best wishes, mahagonny. That's never easy.

I'm sorry for your loss.

[Larimar]

Sorry to hear it, Mahagonny.

[Parasaurolophus]

Female cat has died. We took her to the hospital and they found that she has had kidney trouble for some time. The thyroid condition had masked the kidney trouble. In addition, fluid around the lungs was likely caused by either lung cancer or congestive heart failure. So the outlook was grim. Her body temperature was only 90.6 degrees and her heart rate was 130 (normal is 200). So we made the agonized decision, stop now. No future. It turned out she was probably some 5-9 years older than we had believed.

That's terrible. I'm so sorry.


For my part, I lost the case for Big Cat, and we've found him a new home. Moving day is next weekend. They seem absolutely lovely, and he will probably be happier there than here, where there's a hatchling and a bullying cat and the doors are sometimes closed (which stresses him out) and he can't sleep with us any more and doesn't get enough attention.

But my heart is broken all the same.

[mamselle]

Can you ask for visiting privileges?

M.

[smallcleanrat]

Oh, no.

Sorry to hear things didn't work out with Big Cat, Parasaurolophus.

[Volhiker78]

Female cat has died. We took her to the hospital and they found that she has had kidney trouble for some time. The thyroid condition had masked the kidney trouble. In addition, fluid around the lungs was likely caused by either lung cancer or congestive heart failure. So the outlook was grim. Her body temperature was only 90.6 degrees and her heart rate was 130 (normal is 200). So we made the agonized decision, stop now. No future. It turned out she was probably some 5-9 years older than we had believed.

I am very sorry for your loss. 

[Larimar]

Oh, no.

Sorry to hear things didn't work out with Big Cat, Parasaurolophus.

+1 to this.

[apl68]

While at my parents' house over the weekend, I had much opportunity to observe their rescue kitten's behavior.  He bats toys and pieces of dry food all over the house, appears and vanishes in the blink of an eye, gets into various kinds of trouble, plays with the dog, and now and then tries to pounce on and ride the dog (Who is not much bigger than he is).  He's rather incompetent in burying his litter, although he's quite industrious in scratching and digging around while trying to do so.  He's a natural acrobat whose front end often comes to a halt before his rear end does.

It's good that kittens are so fascinating and adorable.  That and the hope that they'll catch mice (New Kitten caught his first one the evening before last, by the way) are the only two pros to set against a lot of cons.