Overwhelmed by kitties!

Avatar for blades31
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
Overwhelmed by kitties!
8
Tue, 11-02-2004 - 9:41am
Hi, I'm B.J. I'm 36 and married. My husband and I live in Colorado.

First there was Cleo, my cat from my single days. She's close to 9 now.

Then there came Friendly and Crush. They were neighborhood strays that my husband adopted because we were both so outraged that someone was letting these great cats just roam the neighborhood at all hours of the day and night. Crush is declawed for Heaven's sake!

Then came Bucky, they Siamese mix that was six weeks old when he was found on the sidewalk and I just couldn't give him to the shelter.

So my husband and I agreed that this was it. No more cats... until Charlie showed up. Charlie is a big un-neutered tomcat. But he loved to be held and cuddled and pet and brushed. So we decided that while Charlie would have to be an outdoor cat, we would have him vaccinated and neutered and make sure he had a warm place to sleep. My husband built him an amazing cat house and I took him to the vet. That's when we found out about his heart problem. Now he gets a heart pill every night, which means we have to keep him around and inside so we can give it to him. Not to mention that we had our first winter storm yesterday and it was freezing cold and snowing. So Charlie stayed inside all day.

At 4 a.m. this morning, he started crying to go out. He did not stop until I had to get up for work. Finally, at 7, I let him out into the cold and snow (well, it's sunny today, so it's melting). I felt horrible, but also worn out and at wit's end. I know he'll come back (I'm hoping it's before my husband leaves for work. He, of course, sleeps through everything), but I still worry about him being outside. He's supposed to finally be neutered tomorrow, so it will be another early morning for me to get him up to the vet before work.

I'm sure all of this sounds familiar to all of you, so I just thought I'd reach out for some moral support. I'm really trying to do the best I can for the cats and for our family and it's really hard!

B.J.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-01-2003
Tue, 11-02-2004 - 10:40am
Boy,you have did so good by giving aLL these cats homes!!! I guess I would just keep him in and let him cry and hope someday he quits as with winter ete he is much safer inside.


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Avatar for cl_lcni
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Tue, 11-02-2004 - 10:58am

HI B.J.


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Avatar for blades31
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
Tue, 11-02-2004 - 11:29am
Thanks for the support. I knew I'd find it here.

My husband reports that he let Charlie in before he left, so now Charlie is warm and safe inside. I feel better about that.

I'm sure he'll slow down a little after being neutered tomorrow. I feel bad about doing it to an older cat, but I think it's better in the long run. The vet has a heart specialist on staff, which makes me feel better. They are just going to keep him under anesthesia long enough to do the operation.

B.J.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Tue, 11-02-2004 - 1:51pm
I have inside and outside cats. Charlie will hopefully want inside alot due to the cold. I'd normally say keep him inside at least at night, then in and out during the day, but with his heart condition he will be safer in multi areas if he stays inside. You are doing a great job with all the cats and your husband sounds so loving and helpful too. Good luck. Keep us posted. You should have lots of cat stories!!! donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-10-2003
Tue, 11-02-2004 - 3:45pm
Hi B.J.

Charlie can get used to be an indoors cat. If you post on the Think Like a Cat with Pam Johnson-Bennett board, also on ivillage, you will get lots of great advice. Pam has gotten her own cats, formerly feral, fully comfortable being indoors all the time. Anytime you have any cat behavior questions, I'd recommend that board.

Cynthia
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-02-2004
Tue, 11-02-2004 - 8:07pm
I have four indoor cats. Other than an occasional trip out onto our back deck, when one or the other follows me out when I go to sit at the table, they stay inside. They will go no further than the wood of the deck, and they usually want to go back inside after one minute. A multiple cat household can make for some challenges, but none that are too hard to overcome. Having many cats, they keep each other company and entertained, and they will include you in the fun if you let them :) . We have had some litter problems, but all it took was putting out one more open litter box where the problem occurred. Our 2 females do not get along the greatest, but every other couple gets along just fine. The 2 females sleep in seperate rooms, and eat in seperate dishes to avoid spats. Grooming is a fun time when everyone gets together in line. If I touch the grooming supplies, all of them come running from everywhere. They love to be groomed. I could not imagine having only one cat.
Avatar for blades31
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
Wed, 11-03-2004 - 11:30am
Hi,

Charlie started whining again this morning around 3 a.m., but I brought him into our bedroom and put him on our bed and he calmed down and rested. He and Bucky even slept near each other. He was probably hungry too since I couldn't feed him after midnight.

This morning I took him to the vet to be neutered. He's so funny at the vet. He gets all sweet and cuddly, probably because he's nervous.

B.J.

Community Leader
Registered: 03-24-2000
Wed, 11-03-2004 - 2:14pm

I'll be keeping Charlie in my thoughts and prayers today as he has his surgery.

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