Anyone here know someone wonderful to adopt an orange male tabby cat?

[Flaxbee]

I've posted this in the Lounge, too ... here's the full text:

There must have been a red, blinking "Cat Vacancy" sign outside my door that I didn't know about.

There is a beautiful, friendly, male 'creamsicle" (light orange/ cream) tabby on my front porch. Those of you who have read my posts before know that my sweet feral boy Jesse was very ill and by the time I caught him, he couldn't be saved. So someone else seems to want to move onto the porch. Stranger-cat has had 2.5 cans of food, dry kibble, fresh water, and there's a makeshift bed out there for him now. (I threw Jesse's away - made me cry to do it, to be honest - because he had FIV and I didn't want any remote possibility of any lingering FIV germs around the house).

Only Stranger-cat guy isn't feral, at all. He looks well-cared for, healthy, with a beautiful coat. No collar. Could be an indoor cat that has gotten out, but most cats know how to get back home. We live in a very rural area; he may well have been dumped. If he's still around on Monday, I'm going to see if he's got a microchip... and get him tested for FIV/FLV. I am out of town tomorrow but I'll leave food out and feed him every time he comes around...

It's just, I really can't have another cat. I have 5. I know that's not really a lot, many people here care for more, but we rent our tiny house, have no garage, no real way to integrate another cat easily and there is some very strong resistance from my husband. I love cats (all animals) and want to find this guy a home; I won't abandon him, but I just really don't think we can take him in. He has very obviously been someone else's pet so he can't just live rough if I supply food; he needs shelter and love.

If we had our own place, or had more economic stability right now, I'd take him. But life is just too precarious right now to manage one more cat (our current 5 have been together for 8+ years; 4 are related and the male cat was with us when we adopted the 4 - a mother and her three kittens).

Anyone along the mid-Atlantic looking for a good, friendly buddy? Will deliver!

[ginnyinWI]

1. he is probably someone's lost pet

I'd go see if he has a microchip, first thing. If no chip, try calling your local shelter to see if anyone has filed a missing/lost pet report. I hope most people know to check with local shelters if their pet gets lost.

Then if you don't know anyone that you are sure would give him a good home, find a good no-kill shelter to give him to, that will try to place him in a good home. That would be better than just running an ad and giving him to someone who hasn't been screened at all.

[Flaxbee]

2. No, I won't run an ad; I'll only place him with someone who has been carefully vetted

Our local aid group - "Dakota's Dream" is overwhelmed and can't take any more... I worked with them when they helped me with my sick feral.

I'll see what I can do; he will always have food and a bed on our porch, but he needs a family, to be an indoor pet. Some cats are aloof; he is a lover-kitty and he's either lost or been dumped ... we're very rural and a lot of people just think cats can live on mice, even if they've been raised from kittens in a household with regular food and love.

I'm going to see what some of our 'neighbors' (no one is very close) have to say this weekend, and then take him in to check if he's been microchipped on Monday.

[ginnyinWI]

5. maybe if you could post a picture of him here---

He sounds likes got good potential.

[Flaxbee]

8. I posted this in the Lounge just to give a general idea... I still don't have

batteries for my camera... but this cat looks like Stranger, except Stranger is much lighter and 'creamier' - his stripes aren't so distinct, and he has truly beautiful deep amber eyes.

I'm going to try to get a picture of him this weekend. Meanwhile, here's a kitty who somewhat approximates Stranger:

[ginnyinWI]

10. pretty kitty

I know the kind of ginger cat you mean--I call them a 'buff tabby". It's a beautiful shade of ginger cat.

Kind of like this guy?



This is a shelter cat I photographed not long ago for the shelter's website. He's since been adopted but I saved it on my computer because he was such a love.

[Flaxbee]

12. Stranger looks much more like this guy - but he's 'rounder' somehow - fuller face

but very close in the coloring. Stranger has gorgeous amber eyes, though...

What a love. I love orange tabbies.

[Curmudgeoness]

11. I have a photo of my Sammy in the pinned post

where we introduce our pets. He is post 10. Sammy looks like this one. I have no idea of whether Sammy would get along with any other cats. The rescue said that he stayed aloof from all the other cats when he was waiting for adoption.

I do hope that you can find where he belongs. It sounds like he is definitely a pet. Let us know what you find out when you can have him scanned.

[Flaxbee]

13. My Clarisse was also very aloof - when I adopted her the shelter said she needed to

live in a "one cat family" - lol. When I got married, though, my husband had a cat and she was a stinker for a while, but I think that was because at first we were all in my tiny NYC apartment. When we moved to more spacious digs, she got much better; at one point she was living with 6 other cats and was cool with it. So, cats adapt, for the most part. Clarisse never really snuggled with any of the other cats, but she didn't snuggle with me ever, either. She existed in her bubble.

I'm going to go house to house here in about an hour ... then this week will try to get the scan and the FIV/FLV test.

[virgdem]

3. What state are you in?

[Flaxbee]

4. Virginia

northwest corner, up near Winchester...

[Curmudgeoness]

6. You will deliver?

What a nice way to meet you! Only 250 miles or so!

I would love to help you, but I would have to have a cat that eats like a dog, or he would starve to death. My Sammy is an unusual cat, although I do wish he had a friend.

[Flaxbee]

7. Yes. It would take a bit of arranging

and I'd have to rent a car (our transmission is not behaving as it should) but to place Stranger in a loving home, I'll deliver.

He snarfs down a considerable amount of food - he's a good sized boy, with a looong tail. I have a photo of a cat that looks very much like him that I can email to you, but I didn't bookmark where I found it and can't paste it into DU b/c I can't find it again! Dangit! And I still need batteries for my camera... so no 'live' photo yet. I'll get the batteries tomorrow and see if Stranger will sit for a portrait tomorrow night. Meanwhile, you can PM me your email address if you want to see the lookalike photo.

He is super affectionate, and wants to be held and loved. My husband thinks he's someone's farm cat, but I think he's been dumped. He is or was someone's pet, not just a barn cat. He is in no way, shape or form aloof. This weekend I"m going to the various farms around here to ask, and on Monday or Tuesday will see if he's chipped and see if I can get him tested for FIV/FLV. Then wait a few days to see if anyone claims him (husband insists I don't just whisk away a cat that might have a home...)....

Do you think your Sammy would adjust to another male cat?

[Flaxbee]

9. OK, I just found out he is super gentle with humans...

I was out there petting him; he all but flung himself into my lap. He seems to love to have his face rubbed, but I started to scratch his back a little bit and he turned his head and very, very gently put his teeth around the side of my hand. Did not bite, just held my hand in his mouth for a second or two as if to say "please don't, I don't like my back scratched". Then he rubbed his face against mine and kept on purring.

Swoon. Whomever let him go is a damn fool.