any advice on this situation

ForeverYoungx

janmaree wrote: »

Sorry to butt in but perhaps the blankets in his kennel are getting damp in this weather and now that it's getting colder some insulation might work better. We have cut up some insulation boards, they're about 3" thick and one side has a foil backing, and wedged them into the base of their sleeping boxes. Our outside cats love them so much that they're worn down into sleeping cat shaped hollows and have to be replaced!

A covered litter tray is perfect for indoors and when well maintained, will be happily used. I would just say for your own sake, if you haven't done so already, treat him for fleas because if he has any and he's sleeping on your bed, you will be chewed up - good and proper! I'm going through this at the moment and it's no fun. Getting him neutered asap is a good idea too; he'll settle down and won't be prey to neighbourhood toms. Pussy-cat romance isn't pretty and neither is a tomcat fight when they're sorting out the pecking order.

You have my utmost admiration for being so caring of this little animal, sadly, many people miss the point and in the process deny themselves the pleasure of a cat's love and affection. Lucky puss and lucky you!

hey, thank you for the reply. i tried to find a litter tray in tesco but there was none, going to argos on saturday to look for one!

i have already got him a flea spray, he won't let me do it when hes awake so i have to be sneaky and do it when hes sleeping lol. It was expensive but he was grooming himself a lot so i was worried maybe he had them, but i think he just loves to clean himself:pac: did no harm to get it anyways and i have lots left to use on him every couple of weeks (i hope thats often enough?)

i do plan to get him neutered but its so expensive. i got a voucher to get it done for half price but its still over €20 and im unemployed so thats a lot to me..i do hope to get it done by xmas though. i feel bad about getting him neutered so i think thats kind of deterring me also..but i know its for the best as i had to bring him to the vet twice already over cuts from fights that got infected.

the blankets on the outside deck may be a bit damp now but his bed inside shouldnt be too bad, even during the summer when the weather was warm he wouldnt get in! is there anything from around the house i could use to insulate the kennel? im going away for 9 nights at the end of this month so he will be outside for that whole time and id like to have it a bit warmer for him.

thank you by the way - im so glad i found him. :P i just hope he was dumped, and not lost, even though he has been here for months i hate the thought of someone missing their little pet, hes a very loveable and affectionate little boy so i know he had caring owners at some point!

bluecherry74

Cardboard is a great insulator. Break up a few boxes and use them to line the floor and walls of the kennel. If you have one big enough for him to sleep in put it on it's side at the back of the kennel, facing sideways (as long as theres enough room to him to get in) and put his blanket in there. It'll be like a house within a house.

If you don't have any cardboard lying aroud, line the floor with plenty of newspaper. I think another poster mentioned polystyrene - that works really well too. Also make sure the kennel is facing away from the direction of the wind/rain.

Fair play to you for taking him in and looking after him so well even though your family aren't 100% supportive.

taytobreath

May I just add regarding the neutering, its not that bad an operation for the males. But more importantly it usually stops the behaviors they pick up such as spraying their urine to mark territories, your lucky now its the end of breeding season mostly. Also regarding the vets costs google vets for your area and price around, the costs of neutering cats can vary hugely. I know because I've done it, I rang about 10 vets and the the difference between the cheapest and the dearest was about 50 euro for each cat.
Also I think my male cat is now alot more playful now that he doesn't have sex on the brain all the time

janmaree

Neutering is vital, it really is, and as taytobreath said, it's not nearly as big a deal for the males as it is for the girls and it's a big part of the overall control of animal suffering. I would advise you to google Blue Cross and see what they offer; as you're not working, I feel sure that they will be able to help with the neutering and any other questions you might have. Their site is full of helpful information and if I were you, when you go for your appointment, I'd bring the flea spray with me and ask the vet for advice on how often you should use it. I'm not familiar with this kind of treatment and I'd be very interested to know a bit more about it as some of my outside cats absolutely refuse to sign up for the spot on treatments! Talk about running rings around me!!! :eek: Anyway, good luck and let us know how you get on, won't you?