As Lassie and others say, protocol for a stray cat would be quarantine and a visit to the vet, also to ensure the health of the cat they have. As it isn’t chipped and neutered it seems they haven’t. It could have fleas, worms (good chance of both, really), toxoplasmosis, salmonella and more.
As it is not neutered - and a stray - it might well be territorial. I got a dog no. 2, and it took a little while before the new was «housewarm» and started to play up and the fights begun. It could result in fighting but also peeing indoor to mark territory.
Personally, I think it is unfair to both the cats and you to do the sit like this. If you choose to take it, think through what is ok and what would make you give notice.
Have a good hygienic routine and be mindful of where you put your stuff so the stray doesn’t pee on it.
Thank you @Garfield and other people who’ve given advice and views. That’s extremely helpful to me. I am doing the sit, which starts tomorrow. I’ll certainly bear those things in mind.
We sat for a lovely owner who had just ‘took on’ 2 stray kittens in addition to their own 2 just a couple of weeks before our sit, and she naturally asked if we were okay with the scenario, which we were, we were totally fine with it.
But it’s very different in your scenario where she just decided to take it in ‘yesterday’ and expects you to be okay with it when there’s only 2 days before your sit starts.
‘Yesterday’ is obviously a fib, she’s obviously had it a little longer, no-one would choose to care for a stray a couple of days before they aren’t even going to be there to care for it, when it’s managed to survive this long anyway.
You could just cancel as she’s changed the scenario, but to help with your bird phobia, just remember, if a bird comes in, the cat will take care of the bird for you, it’s not likely to be flying about in the room, same with mice, the cat will take care of it, if it brings a gift home and you shooo the cat nicely, it will likely pick up it’s gift and take it outside. So yes you may need to deal with the odd dead bird, but you probably won’t have to deal with live ones. I know that’s not much help to you though
Mmm, our cat bought in a live bird once and dropped it under the table. Bird then proceeded to fly madly around the house while I ran madly around the house opening all doors and windows so it could escape. Our cats certainly bought in both dead and alive “gifts”.
Thanks, @ HappyDeb that’s useful to know. Last autumn the cat on a sit must have taken care of dead/dying birds in the garden, which I dreaded seeing again but didn’t. I also have a phobia of dead birds, which I’m trying to overcome. These comments about people’s experiences are making me laugh so that can only help!
Yes, probably they have just got round to telling me. It’s a shame when people don’t tell the truth. It’s a lovely place and spending 2 weeks there still appeals to me. They’re also not ‘in your face’ or condescending homeowners, which I’ve found difficult on some other sits. Heading there today and still looking forward to it while hoping I won’t regret my decision to not cancel in the next 2 weeks!
@Cathie Oh heck! Some people have good skills in carrying live birds which is admirable and certainly not in my skill set so far! I know many cats bring things in.
if an owner leaves their washing in the machine, it shows that they really dont give a stuff about you living there, and using the facilities. I would NOT do a repeat sit for them, for this reason alone.
The plot thickens. It turns out the stray cat does belong to someone but the pet parent messaged this person was neglecting the stray as she did a previous cat.
I phoned round vets yesterday to see if an appointment this week was available as the cat has watery, slightly gunky eyes. I was told the cat needs to be seen, without it being an emergency but the pet parent needs to register him online (and can then pay online) before getting an appointment. It was suggested I bathe his eyes with water from the kettle if he’ll let me (doubt it!). The pet owner has decided she’d prefer me to just do that and then only register him with a vet after she gets home (nearly 2 weeks away) if his eyes continue to be a problem despite the bathing she’s now expecting me to do.
He had very loose stools when I arrived, all over the litter tray, next to the dining room table (lovely!). I was asked to wait to see if this improved. He then didn’t use the litter tray for a couple of days but it was back to loose stools this morning, washed trays soaking in the garden at present. (The usual cat toilets outside).
I’m not sure where the H.O stands with him having an owner, even though he is microchipped and neglected, very thin and just not well looking. He is able to catch prey I’m sure. He’s a very messy eater!
Maybe a separate but common issue is pet owners seeming to want to avoid the vets while sitters and vet professionals are fairly sure the pet needs to. I’ve never had my own pets but know vets are expensive, but animals need their health issues to be addressed. I am NOT paying the vet bill all the same!
Not sure I can get advice from the TH vet advice line (which I’m guessing would be ‘take him to the vet’ as he’s not on the listing.
This HO is not doing the right thing for the cat if she is going to wait 2 weeks to get it to a vet, even knowing that it is ill. She complains about the registered owner neglecting the cat but she is doing the same .
Eye infections are usually easy to treat, but must be done early. Treating the eye infection now will be a lot less expensive for the HO than paying for an enucleation later, not to mention better for the cat Wiping the discharge with a warm (not hot), wet, cloth a few times a day will help, but the cat probably need ointment like Terramycin. If the cat has an upper respiratory infection, it might need oral antibiotics. x
For the diarrhea, you can try dding a little psyllium (like Metamucil) to wet food, and add a little canned pumpkin. It might just be a change in diet, but could be lots of infections or parasites. Where I live (Texas), we assume that every outdoor cat has worms, so we treat for that as standard protocol.
None of this work is what you signed up for, and is why I would have cancelled this sit once the HO added the stray cat. Please mention all this in your review.
I’ve asked Membership Services about whether you can use the vet advice line, and if there’s anything else they can suggest, as it sounds like you could use some more support.
It really does sound like the HO would be better registering the cat online - I’m assuming they’ve got internet while they’re away.
Keep us updated, and if I hear anything back from the team, I’ll let you know.
Update: the H.O did tell me her close friend could help if the cat needed a vet (or I could take him). I phoned the friend this afternoon and she’s now decided to take the cat into her summerhouse as soon as I can catch him (he’s out a lot) so she can keep him separate from other cats and monitor what he eats and drinks. She also had some great food ideas for him and is going to her local pet shop tomorrow.
As the cat already has an owner, the pet parent might not be able to register this stray with the vet. I suggested maybe if she registered her regular cat it could be easier but don’t know. The friend says she’ll take the stray to her own vet if he doesn’t pick up soon.
What I meant to say about the H.O is that she would register the cat with the vet before her return if the strays eyes didn’t improve after I bathed them a few times. (The friend managed to do this with both of us holding the cat down. It wasn’t easy). The cat already has a (neglectful) owner so the H.O might not be able to register him. The friend told me the H.O took her usual cat in as a stray and he was in a poor state then (not now). She’s obviously a very caring cat lover, as is her friend. The stray did turn up 3 days before my sit. I really have been out of my depth with a poorly stray I hadn’t agreed to sit for until 2 days before. Once he’s at the friend’s house I can go back to caring for the cat i sat for in the summer and he hopefully hasn’t picked anything up. Really glad the friend is taking over the stray’s care.
Many thanks for all the replies. I’ll have another look when all this is resolved!
This is a horrible situation, for you and stray kitty and regular kitty! HO has been, on the surface, very kind, but in the end very irresponsible. From my experience this guy sounds like he likely has feline herpes and FIV, viruses easily transmitted to other cats. I hope regular kitty doesn’t catch either. I’m glad the friend is taking stray kitty, quarantine is very important. Wash all your clothes etc before going to a new sit.
We have had several FIV cats and digestive and respiratory issues are common. We use Proviable paste for loose stools but I think it’s prescription. Doxycycline helps with the rest, but again it’s prescription. I hope the friend and HO figure this out so you can enjoy some relaxing time with regular kitty. PLEASE please review honestly.
Thanks Jenny. I will do. Just catching up on things at the moment.
Oh the stray came in in late afternoon yesterday and is at the very cat experienced neighbour’s summerhouse. She thinks he could be very old and may take him to her vet in the next few days after trying what she can with him.
Sorry didn’t update this yesterday. I was very tired and had a lot to do.
TBH giving credit for pet love to someone who has stolen a cat, lied to you, not doing the responsible thing getting a vet check before you came (for you and the cat, but also for her own cat not getting ill) that is credit she in no way deserve. Having a pet is responsibilities and expenses. “Love” is taking care of those responsibilities. If I can’t afford it, I need to get the pet to someone who can.
I’m not even a cat person as such, but even I know about the diseases cats can have both stray and not, - and also that they are easily treated and important to treat. I’m very happy that her friend came to the rescue.
we sat for.
.
Wiping the discharge with a warm (not hot), wet, cloth a few times a day will help, but the cat probably need ointment like Terramycin. If the cat has an upper respiratory infection, it might need oral antibiotics. x