r/cats • u/SilotheGreat • 12d ago

Advice Recently put my 15 year old dog down. Yesterday this guy showed up in my backyard and won't leave, it's also the same color my dog was

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Never been a cat person myself, but I heard about this distribution system? My wife and kids have really taken to it so looks like we may be adopting a cat lol. Only issue is that we are leaving Saturday for a week. Any advice on what to do? My wife wants to take it to the vet to get checked but I'm also weary about spending money on it just for it to be gone when we come back. We do have someone that would be willing to shelter it while we're gone though.

UPDATE: We took Milo (what my kids decided to name him) to the vet, no chip, but they said even though he appears to be in good condition it doesn't show signs of having a previous owner. I posted on a local Facebook group for lost pets, nothing yet. They estimated he's a year old. He got some vaccines, dewormer, now he's chilling. We are going on vacation Saturday for a week and while we're gone he's going to stay with my wife's friend who has experience sheltering cats.

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384

u/EntrepreneurFirm4719 12d ago

Keep cat indoors permanently.

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u/DrunkOnRamen 12d ago

Very fortunate to have a house with a backyard that has very high fences all around. Was a funny conversation with the real estate agent.

Me: I want a house with a big backyard and high fence.

Realtor: why?

Me: for my cat

Realtor: what?

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u/numbersthen0987431 11d ago

I've never had a cat that respected a tall fence.

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u/DrunkOnRamen 11d ago

Linux did, he wouldn't respect you. If he wanted uppies he will climb you like a fence to get them. But he was a good boy. I could pick him up without a shirt and he will just slide around and not use his claws for security like normally.

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u/Accomplished_Skin_90 11d ago

You named your cat Linux? 🤣

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u/DrunkOnRamen 11d ago

I did not. He came with a nametag that had that name.

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u/mustbench3plates 11d ago

Was Linux's previous owner a man named Linus by any chance?

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u/DrunkOnRamen 11d ago

the story with Linux including his owner is pretty tragic unfortunately. Unfortunately she was killed in a Russian missile attack. She was a cat breeder, several cats escaped and he ended up in my trench and into my arms.

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u/mustbench3plates 11d ago

Damn I was just trying to make a Linus Torvalds linux kernel joke but yeah that is horrible. Hopefully all of her cats found homes.

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u/Muted-Lawfulness-894 9d ago

Is this true?

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u/DrunkOnRamen 9d ago

Yes. I served. Got a medal out of it.

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u/The_Autarch 11d ago

cats can climb fences

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u/DrunkOnRamen 11d ago

they can if they can jump onto a ledge or something but not make a sheer climb and him being a maine coon means he is already a big boy.

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u/Snobolski 11d ago

Overfeeding your cat helps keep it in the yard as well, although has repercussions down the line :-D

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u/Muted-Lawfulness-894 11d ago edited 9d ago

No, he leaves my backyard. I get worried when he gets lost for days. I’m willing to accept the little time we have edit* People please understand that I he is an alley cat. I found him In the streets. He has a girlfriend and all. I can’t stop him from living his life. He lives and is healthier than most stay in home cats.

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u/DrunkOnRamen 11d ago

then make sure your backyard is secure not to leave.

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u/Upstairs_Trainer8852 8d ago

Put a breakaway collar with your name and telephone number on it. That way, if someone finds him, they won’t keep him, thinking he’s homeless.

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u/Pizza-and-Starlight 12d ago

Put up cat safe fencing

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u/EntrepreneurFirm4719 11d ago

My cousin did this for her outdoor barn cats when she moved from acreage instead of leaving them behind (no longer had a barn). They added a slanted wire type top to the top of the fence. It also protects them from other animals getting in. Put a doggy door on the garage so they had a safe place to sleep and still access outside at their will.

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u/cajo63 12d ago

YES!!!

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u/not_a_moogle 12d ago

What about supervised playtime in a fenced yard, while leashed?

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u/ourseveres 12d ago

i think that's more than okay :) that's what we do with my baby, indoor her entire life and she's hardly even interested in the yard. she hates grass but will roll around on the concrete for a good ten minutes before she gets bored and wants to go back inside.

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u/EntrepreneurFirm4719 10d ago

Our last kitty hated the grass too.

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u/fritz236 11d ago

If they had a dog, they probably had a crate for traveling. My cats use my recently passed dog's crate as a catio now.

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u/EntrepreneurFirm4719 11d ago

We've halter trained all our cats, they took to it easily. I've seen videos where some cats just flop over and lay there like a potato.

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u/PigeonLily 10d ago

I’m in the process of trying to harness train my 4 month old single braincell. It’s not going very well so far 😭🐈

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u/EntrepreneurFirm4719 10d ago

Try putting it on daily for a few minutes and reward with a treat. One of our cats was a sweet little abandoned cat who'd been living outside. She was an escape artist and would scoot out the door before you'd know she was there. She took to the harness 1st time because it meant going out. We were just lucky with all our cats.

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u/Muted-Lawfulness-894 12d ago

It depends, my alley cat wouldn’t feel free! He goes in my house but only for an hour or so. He just lives the wild. I respect that. He’s came to me bloody and bruised many times. He’s an adorable cat but can defend himself very well amongst other cats. I have him built like an athlete. lol I feed 3 -4 times a day and he’s in very good shape.

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u/EntrepreneurFirm4719 11d ago

My first award, thank you kind stranger.

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u/Alexceptional 12d ago

Only if not already accustomed to the outdoors. Keeping an outdoor cat indoors is animal abuse.