Welcome to PIF Tails Virtual Cat Community
Description Short Haired Silver Tabby and White Boy
Age Moved to the Bridge
Date of Birth 16th October 1993
Rescue Date 28th September 2003
Rescued From Our Garden with Infected Eye
Age When Rescued 10 Years Old
Date Moved to the Bridge 14th October 2003
Mr Stray was a bitey cat with lots of attitude was a very patient purry boy, sadly missed
I first caught sight of Mr Stray early September 2003. Following the growls of young Bramble, I spotted the reason for her distress a silver tabby with white was pressing his head against our cat flap. I have seen this cat once before a couple of weeks ago, I was stroking him and looking at a scratch on his ear, but he seemed well fed, so I let him be.
Later my neighbour told me she knew about THAT cat, he is a stray and vicious to boot; well he was gentle enough with me. Anyway I asked my neighbour and my Steve to keep an eye out for him and he never returned, until today. So I nipped out to feed him with dry biscuits and water this morning and took the top of the page and following photos of Mr Stray.
So what do we do in the long term ? I just keep thinking of sweet RB Caramel, Mr Stray is an intact Male is he more likely to be ill. If Caramel was sick, Mr Stray is likely to be too ? I can not fed him and get attached and have another cat PTS but alternatively can I let an intact cat with an eye infection wander the streets, fighting to find food in the neighbourhood.
I think our choices are as follows: -
Ignore him and stop feeding him.(As if this is going to happen)
Catch neuter and release him and continue to feed him.
Catch blood tests him and home him (We are full, so probably at the local cat shelter, were he can compete with the increasing kitten population)
What is it about owning cats which makes us a stray cat magnet ?
For those who did not know, we picked up a stray cat recently. We thought, he was owned locally but it turned out he really is stray. Which is good news as we can rehome him. I would love to keep him but it is not meant to be. We can not keep adopting cats; I think we have reach our real limit. (Though if Mr Stray was as nice to Steve as he is to me, it could have been a different story)
Poor Baby, he is been locked in our spare room between vet visits; He is very nervous and lashes out when upset but squeaks as well and he has quite a motor on him too. He ducks away from a quickly raised hand and reacts more nervous to Steve, though he is sweet with me. He does play well and likes to bat balls around and rolls around on his back. Awww. In conclusion he needs a patient owner with no children and the owner will have a wonderful companion for life. I have got him a place at Thornberry Shelter (40 miles away), which is where we took Brambles mum and siblings. This charity shelter is a no kill centre and any animal they can not home has a home for life with them. When we visited, there were several cats wandering around the centre. In fact I had to move one from the visitor book, they looked very happy to be there.
Here comes the fun bit.
Thornberry only has a place for Mr Stray if he is neutered first (Only has a free place in a Multi cat rooms)
Luckily the RSCPA have offered me a free castration and cheap blood teat for him, if his eye infection has cleared up.
He has been twice to our vets and staying at the Spare Room Hotel until his eye clears up.
So with any luck he will be going to the RSCPA for a blood test and operation, when we take our baby Tigs on the 14th Oct. End of a very long tail ;)
Sadly, Mr Stray was found to have Leukaemia and was put to sleep by the RSCPA, as it is the RSCPA policy to PTS cats with Aids/Leukaemia I have to ring and cancel his place at Thornberry. :( I gave him a kiss this morning and a cuddle, I told him to be good boy for the vets and that I would see him later.....He didn't come home. :( I need to start ignoring the cats which turn up on our doorstep, I can't keeping doing this, picking up cats and have them PTS, I feel like a murderer.
We have just uploaded the last photos in the broken camera and look what we found.
Mr Stray !!! :( :) Doesn't it look like he is smiling ? I like to think he looks happy here, even with his gammy eye.