Overwhelmed by kitties!
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| Tue, 11-02-2004 - 9:41am |
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.

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