Stray-nge love: girl meets cat
October 11, 2011 9:03 PM   Subscribe

How costly would it be to adopt the stray cat who has been flirting outrageously with me?

Here's the thing: I've met someone. His name is Cat, and he appears to be recently homeless. He was wearing a flea collar for awhile -- an old one that did nothing for him. The collar is gone, but Cat is still on the mean streets of Bed Stuy, developing mange and, if you ask me, not exactly rid of the fleas.

If it weren't for the mange, I'd think he had a home already. But he has no tags, and so far no one around here seems to know from whence he came.

But Cat keeps coming to meet me on my stoop whenever I get home. Sometimes (s)he meets me as I'm on my way out. We have lovely conversations. Cat really is one of those creatures you can spend time with in talkative moods and quiet ones both. And affectionate -- not too affectionate, not clingy. Just sort of vaguely interested in cuddles, especially those that scratch his flea bites.

Of course, love is complicated. The fleas and the mange mean that if Cat were to be taken in to the Humane Society or whatever, I'd be paying for ... what? How much more would I be spending, upfront, on cat health care than I would if I went the usual route and adopted a shelter cat? (I understand shelter adoptions cost about $350 in these parts.)

Are there programs in Brooklyn that provide affordable delousing and de-worming, and possibly also spaying or neutering? What happens if I take Cat to the Humane Society to get him checked out and find out he has some horrible cat disease and needs a thousand dollars worth of medicine a month?

Am I putting myself at risk just petting him? Should I tell him to hit the road? Should I call the ASPCA on his cat ass, and have him hauled off to kitty prison? Or is there some way to make this catmance work?
posted by brina to Pets & Animals (43 answers total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: There's no way of knowing what, if any, medical treatment the cat might need, so we can't really tell you how much adopting him would cost. But what you can do is take the cat to a vet or to the Humane Society to find out. No one will obligate you to adopt the cat if you change your mind or if he needs very expensive medical treatment. You may even discover that the cat is microchipped, allowing him to be returned to an owner who may be missing him terribly. But no matter what the endgame, by taking the cat to a responsible professional, you can ensure that he gets whatever care he needs, whether from you or from someone else. Catch the cat, take it to the vet, and go from there.
posted by decathecting at 9:09 PM on October 11, 2011 [10 favorites]


Best answer: Oh, and the New York ASPCA does offer low-cost spaying and neutering, if your new friend needs such a service. You can call them to find out more about their services.
posted by decathecting at 9:11 PM on October 11, 2011 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Not quite your situation, but check out the Feral Cat Initiative in New York.

Muffin's Pet Connection
can hook you up with low cost spay/neuter.
posted by brookeb at 9:14 PM on October 11, 2011


My cat HC cost me $85 to "adopt" (spaying and shots). She was feral, living in a parking lot. One day I took her home. That was 14 years ago. She still lives with me. She loves me. Cat loves you. 'Nuff said.
posted by jet_silver at 9:17 PM on October 11, 2011 [4 favorites]


I've adopted strays and helped folks do it, too. There are plenty of low cost options out there. So go ahead, take the leap!

If Cat once had a home, he/she may already be fixed.
posted by jbenben at 9:19 PM on October 11, 2011


Best answer: Responding to your tag: YES, THIS IS LOVE! Adopt that kitty because you know it's the right thing to do.

Seriously, karma is staring you right in the face. Love it. Embrace it. This cat needs a home and you can be it.

(I predict years and years of super-heavy cat love coming your way.) AND OMG I JUST LOOKED AT YOUR PROFILE PIC. Are you shitting me? Cat is YOURS and he LOVES YOU.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:22 PM on October 11, 2011 [6 favorites]


Best answer: If Cat isn't already infected with FIV or feline leukemia, you would be doing Cat a huge favor by giving him/her a home. I took in a stray that ended up FELV+, and now he has cancer as a result. I had him tested right away so I knew this going in, and feel better that he has a good home while he is still here instead of starving to death or getting run over by a car.

Fleas are easy to treat. To treat mange (most likely sarcoptic-so don't pet the cat so much, you can get it from him/her) is relatively inexpensive. Oral ivermectin (from your vet) should cost much, and there are other products as well that are inexpensive, like Revolution, which will treat the fleas as well.

Cat has chosen you. So I think that while you may spend some money to get him/her cleaned up and in shape, giving a stray cat a home = priceless.
posted by bolognius maximus at 9:23 PM on October 11, 2011 [2 favorites]


Also -- I hate to get obsessive on you but my mind is reeling over the fabulousness of this project -- Cat sounds so seriously socialized that he may not only be fixed, he may even be chipped. So the flip side is that you could possibly be able to return someone's beloved cat. (He may have wandered just far enough that you're not seeing flyers, and no one knows whose he is, but he sounds like he was raised in a home.)
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:24 PM on October 11, 2011


Oops...should read "oral ivermectin *shouldn't cost much".
posted by bolognius maximus at 9:30 PM on October 11, 2011


Best answer: I've worked at my local animal shelter as a dedicated volunteer for three years, so I probably have some insight on the issue.

For the things that you've mentioned, fleas and mange, they should be fairly inexpensive to treat provided that they aren't too severe (doesn't sound like it from your account). I'm guessing $100-200 at the very most if you want to use products that will cure both on a more permanent basis (flea collars don't work all that well).

Where you might want to be a bit concerned (as you've mentioned) is that cats are very good at hiding medical ailments, so he could have a whole host of problems from being on the streets that you aren't aware of that may require more expensive pet care. To confirm, you'll need to bring the cat into a vet for a check-up (once again, relatively inexpensive), but I figure that if you get to that stage, you're more or less going to be attached to the cat and feel responsible for its care anyway.

But I'd go for it, really. From my experience, and I've seen hundreds and hundreds of cats, beyond being a bit worse for the wear and ridden with fleas, it's fairly rare to have a cat with any major health problems. Whenever we had a stray in at the shelter, we would put it under observation in a private cage for a week and shuttle it off to the vet if we noticed anything out of the ordinary - and 90% of the time, we'd just let it join the general cat room because we would observe no problems whatsoever (and 90% of the 10% we wouldn't let join the cat room would be just isolated due to behavioral issues such as aggression or shyness, rather health-based issues).

Also - the really major problems tend to strike cats that are actually feral, and from your description, this isn't the case at all.

Let me know how it turns out.
posted by Conspire at 9:41 PM on October 11, 2011


Oh please please please take Cat in. He sounds like a lovely house beast.
posted by Maisie at 9:44 PM on October 11, 2011


Best answer: YOU AND MANGE-CAT ARE MEANT TO BE. I'm sure if you took little mangeface to a cat shelter and explained the situation, that you want to do the best by him but don't have oodles and oodles of money to spare, but you don't want him to be out in the cold and you want to give him a nice home, surely they would do what they could to help you out, inexpensively or less-expensively. That's what animal shelters and charities are for: to help animals.
posted by tumid dahlia at 9:45 PM on October 11, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: These are Oregon prices...

If you can commit to paying $300 a year in vet bills. If you can commit to paying $1,500 vet bill sometime in the 15-year life of the cat. If you can commit to paying $20-$30 a month in food/litter. If you can commit to paying $100 a year in cat-sitters when you go on vacation. Then do it! It might not be that much, but if you're ready for these costs then you'll be happy when they're less. Cats aren't free but they're worth every penny.
posted by pwb503 at 9:56 PM on October 11, 2011


Best answer: My friends found my cat. They paid for his neutering and initial exam because they wanted him to go to a good home and I didn't argue, but it wasn't more than $100. I was lucky because my guy was "the healthiest homeless cat" the vet had ever seen, but I already loved him so much that I would have been willing to put up with all manner of medications and weird issues. We were lucky. Bring Cat home! You won't be sorry. Maybe George Peppard will help you look after him.
posted by sweetkid at 10:15 PM on October 11, 2011 [3 favorites]


Also, I live in NYC, meant to add that but I was caught up in my Breakfast at Tiffany's daydream.
posted by sweetkid at 10:16 PM on October 11, 2011


If he's an adult cat and he's not yet living in your home, it is possible you could deal with the fleas just by giving him Frontline or one of those other topical flea treatments that you put on a spot on a cat's back and then giving it a few days before you take him in. (I'd still try to bathe him afterward, though.)
posted by needs more cowbell at 11:39 PM on October 11, 2011


Best answer: Not Frontline, please.

Revolution!

This is also a better option because it takes care of ear mites, too, which your Cat surely has. Revolution is safer and is more effective. I used to have links to studies, but google fails me.

Anyway. Make sure your vet gives you Revolution.
posted by jbenben at 12:37 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I've gotten a couple of stray cats off the street (in Bed Stuy too). The Humane Society offers low cost spay/neuter at their office in Manhattan. It cost $100-150, and they also give kitty a once-over. It's not a comprehensive medical exam, and they don't do treatment there. I believe they can also give kitty Revolution or Frontline. This was several years ago, so I'm fuzzy on the details.

For another kitty, I went the private vet route bc I was too lazy to do the Humane Society thing (which involves going to Manhattan very early to be near the front of the line). Don't do that unless you can spend hundreds of dollars. Kitty was preggers and needed an expensive spay/abortion.

I highly recommend rescuing friendly Bed Stuy kitties!
posted by Mavri at 4:32 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


[What if] he has some horrible cat disease and needs a thousand dollars worth of medicine a month?

No cat needs that. Sorry. I like cats and think you should adopt this one. In the highly unlikely event that turns out that s/he will die without thousands of dollars worth of medicine, it is a totally acceptable choice to give her/him a good but inexpensive life as long as possible, and have her/him put down when her/his quality of life gets too bad. But most likely all that will be needed will be worm stuff, flea stuff, whatever you need for mange, and maybe a spay/neuter. Got for it!
posted by Lebannen at 5:06 AM on October 12, 2011 [2 favorites]


Yes, one more person telling you this kitty needs you, give it a home. Fleas and mange can be treated (what looks like mange could be a flea allergy too). You already have lots of low cost spay and neuter suggestions. You will be repaid in purrs and love.
posted by mermayd at 6:12 AM on October 12, 2011


The Humane Society offers low cost spay/neuter at their office in Manhattan. It cost $100-150, and they also give kitty a once-over. It's not a comprehensive medical exam, and they don't do treatment there.

This is what exactly what I got with my cat. I had him checked again a few months later and he was still all good.
posted by sweetkid at 6:26 AM on October 12, 2011


Actually, if the cat is stray and you have fed it, then it is technically your cat.
posted by TheBones at 6:53 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


Oh for the love of God just adopt the damn kitty, you won't regret it.

Also, two words: follow-up pictures.
posted by WidgetAlley at 8:13 AM on October 12, 2011 [10 favorites]


Best answer: Also what you thing is mange might just be flea allergies or sores from scratching at fleas. My last cat, a rescue had what I thought was mange, turned out to be flea allergies, keeping him current on flea drops and a quick course of steroids cleared it up and he never had a problem with it again. The skin check for mange is easily done at the vets with a skin scrapping and a microscope.

Also like Lebannen said, you don't have to pay for thousands of dollars of medical treatment if there is something wrong there are a lot of options on the scale of do nothing to spend thousands, anything you do for him will be better for him than being alone and scared on the street. In all honesty though I am willing to bet cash money that there is nothing that some flea drops, some good food and warm place to sleep , maybe a bath, and a vet check and desexing if needed won't fix. I'd take him into the humane society to get him scanned for a chip though, there might be a very worried owner out there looking for him.
posted by wwax at 9:33 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


We took in a former stray who was crawling with fleas and had a few bald patches where she'd scratched herself in a frenzy trying to get rid of them. One dose of Frontline and it was like an army of fleas dropping off her and dying. (She had white fur, so it was really noticeable.)

We cleaned her right up with some baby wipes (you can get cat versions, too, but I think the same ingredient is aloe) and she was a happy, thriving cat a few days later. Her fur took a little longer to grow back in on the scratchy patches, though.
posted by vickyverky at 10:48 AM on October 12, 2011


Yep, Kitty is not feral: Kitty is lost or abandoned. Catch Kitty (in this case, it will probably mean a can of tuna fish and an open door) and GIVE KITTY A HOME!

Also, follow-up before-and-after pictures, please!
posted by jrochest at 11:38 AM on October 12, 2011


pwb503 is discussing worst case scenarios for money. If your kitteh is overall healthy, worming, mange treatment, treating ear mites, and neutering won't cost you too much. You've got info from folks on resources for this. If you're lucky, Mangy is already neutered. Beyond the initial expenses, I've had many, many healthy cats that have only required feeding, shots, and worming during their lifetimes. My indoor cats are on a two year shot cycle, and are wormed once a year. The darn things eat every day, though > o.o <

Lebannen is correct. If the cat turns out to have a major illness, don't get into expensive treatments. Either give him up to be kindly euthanized so he doesn't have to die on the street, or keep him with palliative care and then put him to sleep when his time has come, knowing you've done a good thing and made his final days good ones.

Betcha he's a healthy kitteh, though, and just needs lovens and skritchens.

Wash your hands after handling him, just in case he has ringworm, to add to his street cred.

Now get out there and getcher kitteh! Pictures will be awaited impatiently.
posted by BlueHorse at 6:33 PM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Update!

The Grey Lady, aka Lady Jane Grey, aka Cat, has apparently adopted me whether I like it or not. I'm going to take her to a vet tomorrow or Saturday to get her fleas and possible mange checked over, and also to see if she needs her lady parts fixed.

She came in out of the rain yesterday afternoon and took a nap under my couch. I believe she thinks it is a car, and therefore safe to sleep under.

Someone, somewhere, trained The Grey Lady, because she has not gotten up on the couch or the bed or even a chair since she came indoors. But she does hop up on windowsills, catlike.

I bought some dry and wet cat food, and some litter. I am not sure how to get her to recognize the litter box, though. Any advice on that front? Or on, like, anything else, considering how I don't know the first thing about cat care?

My downstairs neighbor said she took some kittens to a local shelter to be examined/taken in. They told her no one would take the kitties, and they'd have to be put to sleep. I do not want Lady Jane Grey, aka The Grey Lady, to be put to sleep. So I might take her to a "regular" vet, which apparently will only cost $80-ish, even with the delousing.

Any good vet recommendations in Brooklyn would be super-welcome.

My neighbor took a photo of The Grey Lady. Isn't she gorgeous?
posted by brina at 8:35 AM on October 13, 2011 [13 favorites]


Best answer: Just hold her in the litterbox for a few seconds. She will likely start to dig around and then you're good to go. For the most parts, cats are very easy. They just need food, water, litter and a lot of love. I am so touched and happy that you brought her into your home. You have embraced the small ways in which you can make the world a better place, and you are going to get repaid with a lot of love and affection. Kudos! :)
posted by corn_bread at 8:46 AM on October 13, 2011


WOW what a pretty kitty! Sounds like you've got yourself a serious winner of a friend. Enjoy your new companion and give her some head-scrubs (that thing where you rub your thumb vigorously on their head between the ears) from all of us!
posted by WidgetAlley at 9:32 AM on October 13, 2011


this has been a nice week for cats on AskMe.
posted by sweetkid at 9:57 AM on October 13, 2011 [1 favorite]


she is so pretty by the way.
posted by sweetkid at 9:59 AM on October 13, 2011


Best answer: ho-lee cow, is that a silver pointed tabby?! Adult cat with blue eyes = methinks you have a pointed one. What a gorgeous kitty! Congrats, it looks like she's found a new home :)
posted by lonefrontranger at 11:57 AM on October 13, 2011 [1 favorite]


She's a beauty! Congratulations on the newest member of your family.

(and yes, just put her in the litter box. It's an instinctive thing for cats: feeling litter under their paws gives them the urge to "go". They can usually also smell litter.)
posted by Pallas Athena at 2:08 PM on October 13, 2011


Oh, she's gorgeous! What a lucky kitty to have crossed your path.
posted by Lexica at 2:21 PM on October 13, 2011


Best answer: Yay! What a beautiful little girl! Hope all goes well with the two of you.

BTW -- in addition to litter, water, food, love and scritches, Lady Jane will need a cat-carrier to get her to and from the vet. All cats need carriers to transport them, as you cannot hold a cat that is scared and trying to get away. Getting her into it may take some patience at first (basic principle: stand the carrier on its end with the door open at the top, and drop kitty into it rear end first. Shut door quickly).
posted by jrochest at 2:10 PM on October 14, 2011


Response by poster: Update the second:

The Grey Lady Jane Grey is here to stay! We went to the vet today, and she was so good. So very good! No microchip, sadly for whoever was her person previously. She doesn't have mange, either, just some scabs from an infection that the doctor said would resolve on its own. (Which is good, because one thing she is very very bad at is taking antibiotics.)

She is one to two years old, eight pounds, and vaccinated!

Spaying still in the works: turns out it's free for all Bed Stuy cats at the ASPCA mobile clinic, but you have to camp out at like 6 a.m. to wait in line.

Here's another photo.

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement. I think this kitty has done as much for me, already, as I have done for her.
posted by brina at 7:51 PM on October 14, 2011 [4 favorites]


SO PRETTY.
posted by sweetkid at 8:03 PM on October 14, 2011


Oh, she's so lovely. YAY for non-mangy, well-behaved young ladycat!
posted by Pallas Athena at 12:53 PM on October 15, 2011


I just got a second kitten today, and I think the joys of this thread and Pallas Athena's Kitchen Kitten Rescue may have inspired me.
posted by sweetkid at 12:54 PM on October 15, 2011 [2 favorites]


Congrats to both of you! May you have a long and happy life together - she's a beautiful girl.
posted by mightshould at 5:42 AM on October 16, 2011


Best answer: Congrats brina! Rescue cats are the best cats! The mister and I got a rescue kitty as a Valentine's Day present last February, and he is also a colorpoint tabby (a very, very fluffy one, we think he is mostly, if not 100%, Ragdoll). He was about 18 months old when we got him, and he has just been the best cat ever. I grew up around cats and so did the mister - neither of us had ever seen a "lynx point" (colorpoint tabby) before - Siamese, sure, but they prefer to breed out the (dominant) tabby gene from what I hear. It's not a very common pattern but they make very striking cats. Your Grey Lady has amazingly beautiful markings. You've seen this big Cat Coat Color Guide, right? (it was FPP'ed awhile back). Also here are some curious legends about the distinctive tabby markings. We named our cat Marlowe, partly because his classic "Tabby M" on his forehead was so perfect.
posted by lonefrontranger at 9:15 AM on October 16, 2011


Best answer: Psst! Y'all know about the Cats of MetaFilter Flickr group, right? It could use some more photos...
posted by Lexica at 9:33 AM on October 16, 2011


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