Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

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Nyellox11
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Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by Nyellox11 »

Hello all, I hope I am posting this in the right thread. Anyway I'm hoping to get some advice about a stray cat I found outside my door.

So I am a university student living in London and I love love cats but I've never owned one myself, however I've been around them enough to generally know how to deal with them.

As soon as I moved in I noticed this ginger cat who would sit outside the kitchen door but as soon as I would open it he would run and it seemed like he slept outside our door everyday on a piece of cardboard he looked really rough but not unfriendly so I would slowly gain his trust by giving him bits of chicken and sometimes cat food pouches until he trusted me completely and now he comes into the kitchen and chills like he owns the place. He always rubs his head against me and rolls over on the floor showing his belly and plays with my hand. It's safe to say I'm in love.
However he won't let me touch his stomach until recently when he lets me pick him up for small amounts of time.

I must also mention there are many other cats in the area so they're always fight for territory and one time I was feeding him and another cat tried to take his food so I threw a potato at it and it ran away

So I'm worried if I leave him here he won't be safe. He's a very non confrontational relaxed cat even when I gave him a bath he responded well and only meowed a few times.

So fast forward to now he is very comfortable in the house and comes as far as the living room and sleeps there but whenever I leave the room for long periods of time he gets anxious and goes back towards the kitchen so I try to let him out but he won't leave and I always have to force him to go outside otherwise he would stay put.

As it's getting cold outside I think he wants to spend the whole night in the house but I always get worried if I go to sleep and leave him there on his own and what if he needs to poo or pee I don't have a litter tray and I don't know if he's trained to do it there.

My question is I'm moving house in a few months and I want to take Him with me but I don't know how I go about doing this how to introduce him to a new home and how to find out if he knows where to do his "business" and how general tips of owning a stray

Any help would be appreciated sorry for the long post

Nyellox
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by OHWS »

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Last edited by OHWS on Sun Nov 27, 2016 12:49 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by Ruth B »

i agree that a trip to the vet to get him checked over and scanned for a chip would be high on the list of things to do. I would also suggest putting a paper collar on him (check sites like Cats Protection, they probably have one you can download and print off) just to make sure that he doesn't actually have a home nearby, some cats are notorious for having several owners.

As far as using a litter tray goes, most cat are naturally clean and will happily use a litter tray. I have only known one cat that wouldn't, and he just would not go inside a house he had to go and use the garden. Make sure its a nice large litter tray and I would suggest a fine grained litter as they seem to find it good to dig in properly. The only other suggestion to try and ensure he knows what a litter tray is for is to buy a bag of compost and use that as the litter for a while, then change to a more conventional litter when he knows what the box is for.

I will also say that none of my cats have liked using a covered litter tray. At one point I had 3 trays for 3 cats (they also had access to outside), one was covered and the other two older uncovered types. After several months i realised i hadn't had to empty the covered one due to being used (just the regular disinfecting it), while the other two were being empied at least once a day, sometimes twice if the weather was bad. I decided I was just wasting litter with it and just put it away. Some adapt to them fine and they certainly are more pleasant for us humans, but if you find he is reluctant to use it covered then try leaving the cover off, or buy one with out a cover in the first place.

Lastly when you do move, make sure you keep him inside for at least 3-4 weeks, particularly if you move close to where you are now.

Thank you for making the effort to take care of him and i hope everything works out well for the pair of you.
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bobbys girl
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by bobbys girl »

You gave a 'stray' cat a bath and he still wants to be with you. :shock: I think you have your answer! :lol:

My darling Tommy (RIP) just turned up one day - very nervous and a bit 'hissy', but it didn't take long for him to settle in and become the laid-back cuddle-bunny that I miss so much. BTW he needed no training in using a litter tray. I have only had to train kittens to do that.

I agree with getting him checked out and neutered if necessary, but I'd only do it when he was settled with you. We have a stray we call Felix, he comes and goes as he likes. A few years back he had something wrong with an ear. We got him trapped and took him to the vets for treatment (our local vet works with an animal charity and they cover the costs of emergency treatment and neutering) That done, we took him back to our garden and let him go. He shot off and we didn't see him for weeks! He must know he is on to a good thing because he still turns up 2-3 times a week for his tea.

Good luck with Simba, you do sound made for each other.
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by Lilith »

It sounds as if you two were meant for each other! :D

I once rescued some 6-7 week old kittens who'd been living in a derelict shed. They'd never seen a litter tray in their lives - but they knew what it was. From the same feral community came 3 young females and later, the toms; all moved in with me and never made a mistake apart from one tom who sprayed indoors for a while after neutering, but that was just lingering testosterone. The other tom never sprayed indoors. I reckon your boy will be only too happy to use a litter tray.

If he isn't neutered, yes, he will need doing asap, poor chap, and it's in both of your interests if you can bring him in, with the cold weather coming and also because once the other cats in your area know that Simba is getting his grub with you, you'll be inundated, as you're beginning to find out. Even if they've got homes, they'll be turning up to compete with him.

Moving house is always an upheaval but despite the traditional belief I think cats are more attached to people than places, and by the sound of him, he'll want to come with you, no matter what.

I hope you and Simba have many happy years ahead of you :)
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by Mrs Kane »

If you really want to keep him I'd say first thing is to (as the others have said) get him looked at by a vet. But before you do that you need a carrier to take him. He obviously trusts you so I'd pop down to your local pet shop and get a carrier and start placing food in there and after a point maybe a blanket for him to snooze on. That way he'll get used to it and won't think of it as a "OMG I'm going somewhere terrible" vehicle.

As for a litter tray in the short term, I'd recommend the following:
1.Crisp Box
2.Cutting Utensil
3.Sturdy plastic Bag
4.Tape
5.Cat Litter

Take the box and cut off the top. Then cut off the sides down to about 20cm.
cover the inside of the box with the open bag. (make sure it doesn't have holes)
Tape the handles of the bag under box so they don't get dislodged.
Fill the bag with cat litter up to 5cm before the rim.
Hey presto, a cat litter box! You'll probably need to change the box every 1.5 weeks. You'll need to change the bag at the same time. Maybe before that. You'll need to "poop a scoop" every day. You can use a piece of defined cardboard for this, a trowel or a proper pet shop scooper. Just dump the poop/ wee clumps in the loo.
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bobbys girl
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by bobbys girl »

Mrs Kane wrote: Just dump the poop/ wee clumps in the loo.
Sorry to disagree Mrs Kane - not the loo! If that's what you have done then you are one lucky lady. Poo in the loo is OK, but ANY sort of litter material can cause mind-boggling, stomach-churning problems (sorry if you are having your breakfast! :lol: ) Not all of us have a bathroom waste system that can cope with that stuff. If you live in a bungalow (gravity) and the back of beyond (off mains, septic tank).......... I'll leave it to your imagination. :shock: :?
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by Crewella »

Oh how funny (ha flippin' ha) - I've just come to this post having spent an hour unblocking our ground floor loo ......... caused by Paddy having the squits and me trying to dispose of it quickly by chucking a scoop of 'mucky' litter down the loo ......... never again!! :shock: :roll:
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bobbys girl
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by bobbys girl »

I shouldn't laugh - but I will :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Sorry Helen, been there. :roll: Our house is in bog country (not a pun it IS 'Bog' country) so our septic tank is not that deep - too deep and the damn things can float back up :? So the 'fall' is not that good. We have to be VERY careful.... I'll say no more. ;)
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by Crewella »

One cup of coffee and a slice of chocolate cake (that I nearly balked at .... to be honest ...... had to be chocolate didn't it .......) later I can, finally, see the funny side! :D
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by Mrs Kane »

Agh! Sorry guys, I didn't even think about that.
I've always put both down the loo and never had any problems.

I live in the city in a flat so perhaps that has something to do with it? Stronger pipes? I know over here they're pretty hardy ever since kids started sabotaging them in protest back in the 80s. (disgusting way to protest if you ask me) Although if we get a toilet blockage I'll know the reason.
Just spoken to my BF about perhaps disposing things another way. He has (pardon the pun) poo-pooed the idea.
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Re: Litter Disposal [Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby]

Post by OHWS »

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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by bobbys girl »

I don't know how we got so far off topic, but I think it is an important thing to discuss - to prevent others making the same mistake. OHWS it all depends on the 'fall' from the house. Even wood pellets can block drains. Didn't have this problem in England - we lived on a hill. :lol:

Nyellox - how's it going, are you still with us?
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by OHWS »

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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by meriad »

Don't forget, Mrs Kane isn't UK based so most likely has proper decent width plumbing whereas most houses in the UK, esp the older ones, have narrower Victorian drains that clog up easier and even the newer builds; most probably still feed into those narrow drains. The hugest issue causing blockages however is baby wipes or moist toilet towel things. The odd bit of sawdust litter should be OK

But then saying that; I don't dare flush anything untoward down my loo as it would be a nightmare to try unblock.
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by Crewella »

It was a scoop of mucky wood-based litter that caused my blockage - problem is that it swells as it gets wetter. :(
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by Nyellox11 »

Thank you for your advice, it was well appreciated.

So updates on the simba story

He never used a litter tray and I had to resort to cleaning poop out of the carpet as well as him peeing in one of my pots Haha Needless to say I threw it away

After taking him to the vet it was found that he was a very old cat and had masses in his stomach which would need to be operated on. As I was in university at the time I had no way to pay for veterinary fees so I contacted a local animal shelter (they were kind enough to take him in and treat him free of charge but were very rude to me.) They wouldn't let me see him at all as it turns out he was the neighbours cat and she had left him and gone abroad for MONTHS without anyone there to feed him.

Everyday I would call and the people at the shelter wouldn't even tell me if he was alive or not but I got a call one day telling me that he had been put to sleep :,(
Rest in peace buddy.
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by bobbys girl »

Hello again. Thanks for updating us. I am sorry to hear about Simba, but it sounds like you did your best for him and a least he got some attention instead of wasting away on the streets, alone.

That's bad that the shelter were so rude to you. Do you think they thought you a neglectful owner just wanting treatment on the cheap? I'm sure that happens.
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Re: Stray cat advice needed - the story of simba the ginger tabby

Post by Lilith »

Aww poor Simba - I'm glad you could give him that love and care before he needed more specialised care.

Yes, I'm afraid a SMALL number of rescues do have this problem. You're not the only one to encounter rudeness. I once contacted a dog rescue when I was looking for a puppy, and after nuking me for admitting that I worked part-time (totally unsuitable) the damn woman went on to have another go at me about my name ... wouldn't believe I'm called Lilith. Well, I am.

And on another occasion a local cat rescue agreed to take on a litter of kittens if I would capture them from the derelict shed where they were living. Then they backpedalled so in panic I contacted the RSPCA ... wouldn't now. THEY took the attitude that these were MY kittens, born from my own neglected and unspayed cat. I did get cross at this point and raged, 'I'm doing your job for you!' Luckily in the end the kittens did go to a proper rescue.

But you could have done without this sort of thing when you were grieving for and worried about Simba. This sort of person needs to improve their 'people skills' and not go around thinking they can be rude just because they're self-appointed saints. But that is THEIR problem ...

Edit - I ought to add that the majority of rescues AREN'T like this - they're more interested in the cats than their own egos :)

And I hope karma jumps up and chews the butt off that woman who abandoned him :evil:

Good on you for rescuing and helping this poor boy :)
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