Kutzy
March 17th, 2007, 01:48 PM
I had been trying for about 6 months to help a feral kitty that had suddenly appeared in our yard. I started feeding him and tried to get him to trust me so I could catch him, get him neutered, get his shots and try to move him in with our cat. If I got too close he would spit and growl. I named him Shadow, as he was solid black and always hid under the deck in the shadows.
It took several months to get close enough just to determine he was a male kitty! He finally started to come when I called him. He would come in the basement for food but any move to close the door sent him scurrying out in a panic. I finally taught him to come in trap door in a basement window. I fed him just inside the window on a shelf where it was a bit warmer and he did not have to fight off all the neighborhood cats that tried to steal his food. On cold nights he would sleep inside on the shelf where he was safe from the foxes and raccoons. He could not be convinced to venture away from his trap door that was his escape to the outside world. Even on cold days he preferred his little outside bed to his inside one. Shadow cat liked to lie on the deck and would watch us through the patio window but would run if we opened the door. He liked our company provided it was on his terms.
He occasionally had a runny eye and various sores that I assumed were from fighting. I would watch him closely to make sure they did not get infected. He came one night with a very swollen eye but he would not allow me close enough to look at it. Next time he came both eyes were swollen almost completely shut and one had a hemorrhage. He also had large swollen areas on his forehead above each eye. I was afraid he could not see well and worried that he would lose his vision. We decided we had to trap him. The vet said she would give him IV antibiotics, neuter him, give him his shots and we could take him home again.
They called back later to say he had both FIV and FeLv. The vet said he could not be allowed outside anymore and he could not live with our indoor cat as leukemia is too contagious. Our option was to keep him in a couple of rooms in the house away from our cat but it did not seem right to make him stay in such a confined space and I was afraid the stress of being inside would only worsen his condition. Wild and afraid as he was he had tried hard to be friends and it broke my heart to make the decision to put him down.
I expect my Shadow cat came to us for help in desperation because he was sick and suffering. It was a difficult decision for us, and we regularly have to reconvince ourselves that it was the right thing to do. At least for the last six months of his life there was someone who cared about him and sheltered him and protected him from his predators.
It took several months to get close enough just to determine he was a male kitty! He finally started to come when I called him. He would come in the basement for food but any move to close the door sent him scurrying out in a panic. I finally taught him to come in trap door in a basement window. I fed him just inside the window on a shelf where it was a bit warmer and he did not have to fight off all the neighborhood cats that tried to steal his food. On cold nights he would sleep inside on the shelf where he was safe from the foxes and raccoons. He could not be convinced to venture away from his trap door that was his escape to the outside world. Even on cold days he preferred his little outside bed to his inside one. Shadow cat liked to lie on the deck and would watch us through the patio window but would run if we opened the door. He liked our company provided it was on his terms.
He occasionally had a runny eye and various sores that I assumed were from fighting. I would watch him closely to make sure they did not get infected. He came one night with a very swollen eye but he would not allow me close enough to look at it. Next time he came both eyes were swollen almost completely shut and one had a hemorrhage. He also had large swollen areas on his forehead above each eye. I was afraid he could not see well and worried that he would lose his vision. We decided we had to trap him. The vet said she would give him IV antibiotics, neuter him, give him his shots and we could take him home again.
They called back later to say he had both FIV and FeLv. The vet said he could not be allowed outside anymore and he could not live with our indoor cat as leukemia is too contagious. Our option was to keep him in a couple of rooms in the house away from our cat but it did not seem right to make him stay in such a confined space and I was afraid the stress of being inside would only worsen his condition. Wild and afraid as he was he had tried hard to be friends and it broke my heart to make the decision to put him down.
I expect my Shadow cat came to us for help in desperation because he was sick and suffering. It was a difficult decision for us, and we regularly have to reconvince ourselves that it was the right thing to do. At least for the last six months of his life there was someone who cared about him and sheltered him and protected him from his predators.