Chicagoist: Ask Chicagoist: Home for Kitty?

sparky

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 21:29:31 -0600

My mistake. What I should have said was the cat should get vaccinated for rabies. I got a bad bite from a stray kitten once when I was 13. I was trying to rescue it from a window well at my grade school. They had to capture it and test it for rabies. I received a call a few weeks later saying that the kitten didn't have rabies. When I asked if someone will now be able to adopt it, the guy told me that they had to kill it and look at its brain to find out if it had rabies. I was devastated.

guest

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:24:28 -0600

Someone posted that the cat should be tested for rabies. That involves decapitating the animal. FelV and FIV can be tested using a blood test. The cat's rabies titer can be checked (which would indicate if the cat had been vaccinated) but that is usually a very expensive test. I'm also surprised to see the post by curmudgeon that Anti-Cruelty doesn't take strays. Usually the no-kills as well as the open admission shelters take *only* strays, on the basis that if an owner wishes to re-home their animal, they need to work on that themselves, but if you find a stray, it was not your fault the animal needs a home.

curmudgeon

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:59:03 -0600

I don't think Anti-Cruelty will take the stray. They had a policy change a couple of years ago. I used to send them money, but quit when the policy change took effect.

The Curmudgeon

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:16:37 -0600

I - The Curmudgeon - can be a bit of a hard ass around here, but if there's one thing I'm totally soft for, it's cats and kitties. I have a great cat that was given to my by a friend in 2001 after she wasn't able to keep her anymore. In a small studio apartment, she's all I can handle - we completely love and depend on each other but drive each other crazy just enough that any more cats would be chaos. But I hope this cat can find a good home. I might mention this to a coworker who has cats.

sparky

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:38:46 -0600

Agreed. FeLV is a threat to multicat households. But I was referring to Guest 3's post, above, who suggested it could jump to humans. I wanted to make sure people understood that the fear is most likely unwarranted.

leah

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:36:48 -0600

Don't rule out places like the Anti-Cruelty Society. While they are not no-kill, they will take kitty in. Providing he is adoptable, and they are very generous, he can go to the adoption room. Just b/c the shelter isn't necessarily no-kill doesn't mean you're taking kitty directly to the scratching post in the sky. I say this every time there's animal stuff here, but no-kill sounds awesome, but you are in the minority holding onto kitty. Even though they will keep kitty forever or until adopted, they turn away TONS of kittes for every one they take. & the majority of those end up back on the street. Kitty likely has a better shot at ACS or the pound & succeeding than getting into a no-kill. ok, off tha soapbox. Good idea, Bud Selig, on the pet of the week. Killer whiskers on this guy. And the slight Paris Hilton wonk-eye works for him. :) Good luck to you!

Every654

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:31:02 -0600

The warning about FiV was in relation to transmitting it to other cats (a real possibility in multi-cat households), not suggesting that it could "jump" to humans. wish I could take him... but I just took in a stray a month ago and I'm putting a 3 cat limit on myself. Hope the cat finds a good home.

Thales Exoo

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:55:27 -0600

If anyone has a lead and needs to contact Josh, I have his cell number. You can email me ask(at)chicagoist(dot)com, and I'll forward it on to you.

Bud Selig

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:42:34 -0600

Hey Chicagoist, Why not profile an adoptable dog and/or a cat in a shelter each week? These shelters have little to no money for publicity, and it seems like if people just saw these animals they might adopt one of them. [My suggestion obviously doesn't help this guy much, but it might work for future doggies and kitties] Those are some serious whiskers by the way.

sparky

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:26:04 -0600

There is absolutely NO evidence in the decades of scientific research that FeLV can be transmitted to humans, nor can is cause HIV. So, humans have very little to worry about in that regard. I would be less concerned about FeLV making the "jump" to humans. I would be more concerned about Toxoplasma gondii infection. Stray cats get it and transmit it to humans when humans clean out the litter box or otherwise come in contact with the feces. If you have a pregnant family member, make certain that they stay away from the litter box of a stray cat, or an outdoor cat for that matter. If the cat carries T. gondii, and the feces is exposed to the mother through inhalation, etc, then the child could be born with birth defects. I know you want to help, and that is great, but if you can afford it, make sure the cat gets tested for rabies as well.

guest

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:21:51 -0600

I will be sending this link out to my list of animal lovers. How does one contact Josh if they are interested in fostering or adopting this handsome kitty. channing@greene-shipman.org

Laura Oppenheimer

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:07:33 -0600

If he is housebroken, you might want to take him to animal control to get scanned for a microchip. Maybe he actually has a home, and just needs help finding his way back?

Julene McCoy

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:46:16 -0600

If my baby-girl-kitten wasn't so jealous and evil to other kittens - I'd already be on my way to crazy cat lady. Please someone - give this cutie a home. When I took in a kitten before while trying to find him a home, the Portage Park Vets http://www.portagepark.com/ totally gave me a discount for leukemia testing/mite cleaning, etc. because I wasn't keeping the kitten, but had another cat that would be at risk while I had him in the house.

guest

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:36:13 -0600

Might want to get that cat checked for RABIES. Anyone read dcist? http://dcist.com/2007/09/20/kitten_found_in.php Seriously, I would NEVER take a cat in off the street, you never know when feline leukemia is going to make the jump to people.

guest

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:13:41 -0600

how awesome are those whiskers?!

JuliaPorter

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:46:04 -0600

If I didn't have two cats and a dog in my two bedroom condo, I would absolutely give that kitty a home. People, PLEASE get your pets fixed. I am sure I'm preaching to the choir in this particular thread, but for crying out loud.