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amandacat
Citizen
Username: Amandacat
Post Number: 178
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2003 - 8:11 pm: | 
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How can you (one) tell if a cat you see on the street is someone's lost pet, or a stray, or just an outdoor cat on his or her usual rounds?
At around 7:30 tonight, I passed a small longish-haired greyish cat without a collar who was sitting in a driveway on Valley Street, between Oakland and Lincoln, next to a parking lot. The cat was gazing at Valley as if contemplating crossing the street, which made me very nervous, and so I decided to take a closer look. As I bent down to say hello the cat meowed, not unfriendly, and started to walk towards me, but then thought better of it and scurried off into the yard of the house on the corner of Oakland and Valley. I considered pursuing it, but since the yard was out of harms way and there was no collar to check for tags, I decided to leave it alone. I'm not at all confident that I made the right decision, though, which is why I'm posting this message here.
So, the bottom line is, if you are missing a kitty that fits the above description, please get over to Valley street right away.
And, more generally speaking, may I suggest that cat owners not only collar their cats but also add a tag stating -- in adddition to their name and address -- whether they are indoor or outdoor cats; if this cat was wearing such a collar, I would have known whether to leave it alone or take it to its rightful home.
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Barbara
Citizen
Username: Blh
Post Number: 178
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2003 - 6:27 pm: |
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I'm not sure if this is the same cat, but there is a beautiful light gray kitten (about 6- 7 weeks old) that took up residency on our front porch today. If not for an insanely jealous dog and extreme cat allergies, this little one would find a home in our house - he or she (we haven't looked) is just precious. I think we'll call JAC to see if they can take this kitty - but if you want a beautiful friendly little kitty, come by the grey house on the corner of Burnet Street and Pierson Road ... soon. |
jab
Citizen
Username: Jab
Post Number: 90
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2003 - 7:13 pm: |
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Definitely include an address on a tag. There was a cat in our yard last week whose tag had only a name and a phone #. The name must have been the cat's name. At least, it could have been a last name, but wasn't the name of anybody I know. I thought about calling the #, but the cat ran away before I could see the full #. Anyway, if the tag had an address on it I would have known if the cat was lost or just visiting from a nearby house. |
marken
Citizen
Username: Marken
Post Number: 25
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2003 - 11:26 pm: |
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amanda (and others)
do you know if this can has white paws? if it does, it may be the stray that had been coming by our place until recently. it is friendly, but even more so when it is hungry.
so feel free to adopt it, so that it will stay on one side of valley or the other ...
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Joan
Citizen
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 1792
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 27, 2003 - 9:40 am: |
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Check cat collars periodically for fraying elastic. After a while, the elastic will break and the cat will NOT check around to see where the collar is, pick it up like a trophy and present at the feet of its adoring human.
A broken collar can especially be troublesome if the cat who generally wears it is an outdoor cat and the collar (complete with cat license and identify tags) is somewhere in your (or your neighbor's) shrubbery, leaf pile, or snow drift.
Consider keeping a record of the cat's current license tag number and a back-up ID tag in case replacements are needed in a hurry. |
amandacat
Citizen
Username: Amandacat
Post Number: 181
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 28, 2003 - 2:24 pm: |
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I don't think the cat I saw had white paws, but it might have -- it was a very muted tiger pattern, but definitely grey, and definitely with longish hair. Could have been a kitten, or just a small adult cat.
Anyway, I got a private line message from another poster who says he knows the cat that I saw, and apparently this particular cat does have a happy home, so that is good news. I do hope that its owners find a way to stop it from trying to cross Valley, though, as that is only a recipe for disaster IMHO.
On the subject of collars, we keep our cat indoors but -- because there's always a chance of such a small and fast creature slipping out in a moment of inattentiveness -- we have him wear a collar at all times, with a tag that specifically states that he is an indoor cat. The thinking is that anyone who finds him will know he's lost, even if he's only a few houses down, and will know to return him to us. Luckily, we haven't yet had the chance to test out this theory, and I sincerely hope we never do . . .
Coincidentally (or maybe not so coincidentally?) I am on the lookout for a new feline to add to our household, preferably a well-socialized kitten that our sweet one-year-old boy cat can play big brother to. I have a call into the JAC to see if they might be able to help us find the perfect kitty for our situation, but we are also open to going the "private adoption" route (if you will), if the fit were right. Any leads or advice from fellow posters would be welcome. |
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