[LilMizTinker]

Hola from España

Hey, I am in spain now and we are where we want to be. We went to a big shopping centre the other day and we went into the pet shop there and it was horrible. There was a white persion kitten in there kept in a small glass box with food and water and a litter tray. It looked like he or she hadnt had any human contact for a while or excersise. I look him or her in the eyes and he or she looked at me with difficulty. He or she looked really distressed and upset. There were also dogs kept in the same conditions but with more in the box and some were in cages. There were labradors and chiwawas (i dont know how to spell that). It was horrible and really upsetting. Also on the way down to this camp site ihave seen over 20 cats. On one site there was 12 of them - 4 adult cats and 8 kittens a variouty of colours. On this site i am on now there are 8 cats that i have seen so far 3 of them are kittens which are very friendly, only about 6 weeks old, one is white with grey tips and the other two are browny black, the mother is pure black and very thin and nervous of people. A ginger male- i dont know what thisone is like with people as i only saw him run past me. A blackand white male-he´ll only come up to me if i am on my own. A black cat with a collar- havnt seen thisone much. Anda beautiful brown medium haired cat-havnt seen this one much either. Most of the catson this site are stray but the mother with kittens are being fed by a family that we now know and they also give them shelter.

Nice to be back

lilmiztinker

 

[Wayne]

lil miz Tinker, doesn't Spain have any laws or regulations concerning the fosteringor the dislplaying of cats in such a store? It sounds to me that the Persian is stressed out because of having no place to hide. But at least, they are not running the streets.

......wayne

 

[Majicou]

Hi - it's nice to have you back.
It sounds as if most of those cats you saw were strays. Poor cats - but at least the mother and kittens are being fed by someone.

 

[Jeanie]

Hola uno vez mas! It's nice to have you back. Sadly, there are feral cats everywhere. I have heard it said that even if you have never seen a colony there is one nearby. Pet stores are no place for kittens, but this is really extremely cruel. How sad.

 

[catman]

welcome back

 

[Anita]

Hola from Espana

This disregard for animals is what prevents me from enjoying travelling. I do go to Mexico along the border from Texas. Hate to see the thin donkeys that are used for tourist rides in the city. Do not see many cats and dogs in the citiies but I hear the laws are almost non-existent as to animal welfare. At least if they are on the books, they are not heeded.
I believe USA and UK are the best countries to travel in as they do have and enforce animal welfare laws.

 

[LilMizTinker]

Well there arent any that i know of. There is a BEAUTIFUL kitten that we are feeding now but it is scared of us. I am not sure if she or he is a she or he yet because she or he wont come up to me. I got her or him to play with a stick that i was scraping across the floor but as soon as i moved she or he jumped back. She or he looks like that picture in your picture jeanie. Exactly the same. She or he is only about under a year old. Have any of you got any advise into helping this cat to trust me. We are feeding her a few times a day.

Any help will be apreciated.

And thankyou for welcoming me back. I am glad to be back.

 

[Anita]

Hola from Espana

It will lots of time and patience to get a stray frightened cat to calm down.We have a cat at the office, at first we only saw her in the distance (our office is in a warehouse office complex close to a bayou and some woods) She now comes close to watch us and waits for us to put her food out in the morning.. She will not come to the bowl until we are back in the office, we watch her eat through the window. Once she has eaten her fill we take the food up as a pack of stray of dogs wander over smelling her food. They are rather vicious and we don't want them around when she is there. We doubt whether or not she will ever get close to us, but we will of course continue to feed and water her. Good luck with your kitten.

 

[LilMizTinker]

thanx. Well i was playing with her with a stick so she will come close to play if shes in the playful mood but as soon as you move she will jump back. I am being very patient with her. She sleeps in the awning on the caravan next to our one. I am feeding her fish like tuna and stuff and i feed her at the same times everyday. If i cant find her then i just leave it there and when i go back it is usually all gone. I started off with small amounts because i wanted to know if she liked it and i didnt want to make her ill. If i can tame her i will take her in and she is a lovely cat and as soon as i saw her i just sort of had a feeling that it is meant to be. I dont know if any of you have ever had that with cats but both me and my mum had it. I would love some tips on taming her please or if there are any sites that you know of that could help it will be appretiated. Thankyou.

 

[Jeanie]

The best time to attract a cat is very late at night, when the world is at its most quiet. If you had her in the house, this would be easier! So I advise that you borrow or rent a humane trap so that you can do this in the house. The key word is patience, lots of patience.

Keep her in your room. You have to be very patient. Sit still in the room when the house is quiet. Keep the room very softly lit, not bright. A night light would be perfect. You can play music by Mozart very softly. It has a calming effect. (And it temporarily raises your IQ - according to some psychiatrists! ) Just sit in the same room and allow her to get used to your presence gradually. Even if she hides under the bed, continue doing that several times a day. If it's daytime, take your homework or a book with you. Just be with her often and let her decide when to move to another step. (If she has had a good home at one time, this stage might not have to last long; if she were a feral, you would probably have to do this for weeks.)

Put some very tasty food in that room. Do not attempt to touch her. She will decide when to allow that. After she is used to this situation, move the food bowl a bit closer, but not so close that she is frightened. When she seems to be comfortable with that, talk to her very softly, never making fast, sudden moves. Move the food dish a little bit closer, but don't rush things.

Eventually, try using a toy with several feet of length and and see if she will interact with you. (I don't think this will take long, because she is already responding to just a stick.) Continue that until she is no longer afraid to play or come near you. Don't make a move; let her make the decisions. You won't pet her. She will rub against you when she is ready. Wait until she starts rubbing against your hand on a regular basis--for some days. Never rush a stage.

The length of time this takes depends on whether she is a stray or a feral cat. It could take months for a feral. If she was a pet, who knows? It could be only days. Time will tell. From what I understand, the time varies drastically. I My guess is that she had a home at one time. I hope she soon makes friends. Keep us posted, please.

 

[LilMizTinker]

This morning i went out to find her and took her some food like i always do, she was asleep in next doors awning so i quietly tapped on the side of the awning and she woke up calmly. I showed her the food and took it over to the place i always put it. ( i have also started tapping the tin when i give her her food so that she knows that when she hears that it means food. ) She came out after about 15 minutes an started eating, i always sit about a metre away. ( i dont stare at her though because i feel that could frighten her). Then when she had finished i went and got some crisps to give to her out of my hand. But she wouldnt have them out of my hand so i put one half a metre away from me. She sat a metre away from me and just looked at the crisp and at me. I talked to her softly and eventualy she ate the crisp where i put it. I had a towel on my lap and held a crisp in my hand by this time she was sitting 2 metres away from me and she was looking at me. After 5 minutes she moved quarter of a metre closer. But then my sister came out and she moved back again, so i sent my sister in and tryed again. She was tired now so she went in to her awning which is next door. She sleeps in there at night aswell i think as that is where i find her in the morning.

Another thing you have to remember is that we are in a caravan, it is a big caravan with a big awning on the side of it. I am moving the food closer to the awning every day. I put a towel under our caravan which has my scent on it so that she gets used to my scent. I am progressing slowly but it is worth it. I know she has a good temperament as i can just see more of her personality every day. When i sit down and wait for her to come to me i dont move and i keep my hands in a fist as i read on a site that it is less threatening. I only have another week on this camp site so i am really hoping that she comes round. Even if she becomes a one person cat that will be ok because i have lots of time to be with her. I am doing school work at home and i will be for my last two years of school.

I am going to volenteer at a rescue centre in nerja or marbella when i am 16 or earlier if i can.

I really want to help this cat and if i have to leave her behind it will be heart breaking.

Thankyou for your help. I will keep you posted.

 

[Jeanie]

You're doing really well. If if becomes necessary to move, get the humane trap and take her with you. She is already showing trust, so she is certainly not a feral. She will not be as traumatized by being indoors. Great news! Keep it up.

 

[LilMizTinker]

Bad news im afraid. I cant take her in as my step dad wont let us have her. He doesnt like cats. Should i keep feeding her until we leave and will she be ok when we go?? [/b]

 

[Jeanie]

How terribly sad. I would continue to socailize her and feed her. I would also ask some kind hearted person to continue feeding her and to take up where you left off. I thought you had always had cats at your house. Of course, the decision is up to your parents. If no one will take over her care, is there a no-kill shelter where you could take her? The best of luck to you and your little friend.

 

[MCAT]

The old work place I used to work had 2 cats. Both cats lived and slept outside. As long as it can trust you coming back, it will stay. They loved to have people come over to pet them and it did not matter to them that they were inside or outside. Everyone loved the cats, so both cats stayed/lived there till they were so old and their wisker turned gray. They had been living outside the office for all their life > 10yrs.

It won't leave when the bond gets stronger. Don't worry even if the cat lives outside. It will come when it recognize that you are his/her friend.

Good lunk. Hope that it would stay.

Michael

 

[LilMizTinker]

Well i know that we have given her some more confidence and she has started exploring the camp site alot more and she is usually away somewhere. She was hanging around with another cat the other day which i also know. I am still feeding her but she is not coming to eat it as often so i think she is being fed somewhere else which makes me happy. She is alot tamer now and her personality shines through more each day. I am sure that some people on this camp site will help her. We met a family who tamed a black female who had had kittens and they helped her and took her to the vet and got everything done.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[LilMizTinker]

I havn´t seen her for a while now. I havn´t seen any of the cats. Me and my mum think they have all been poisoned as they did that last year to them all. Its horrible to think how they died. . They were all such nice cats. They were all the type you would pay over 300 pounds in england to get.

 

[LilMizTinker]

Hey. The siamese kitten has returned!!!! I saw her the other day so i know that she is still alive. I will put some food down for her when i next see her .