Cat dumped at my clinic this morning.

[kestrel91316]

Sigh. A perfectly healthy looking and acting spayed female cat (PUREBRED AMERICAN SHORTHAIR, NO LESS!!!!) was dumped at my clinic this AM.

The woman called for an appointment yesterday, came in this AM and set the carrier in the waiting room with what looked like her purse on the carrier. She partly filled out the client info sheet and then said she needed to go put change in the parking meter. After 10 minutes we went looking for her - she was nowhere to be found. The purse on the carrier was a decoy - completely empty.

How devious can you get?? I am angry. We have a middle-aged cat now with NO MEDICAL HISTORY.

If you can't keep your cat, people, at lease leave a note with it when you dump it at the vet's.

She's a very nice cat. I may have my new mascot.

[ceile]

1. People suck somtimes.

My vet is currently looking for a home for a dog that was dumped with them. Guy took her in for a checkup and never came back. They tracked him down- turns out he's a contestant on Top Chef and won't be back for her. Second time this dog has been abandoned and is heartworm +.

[kestrel91316]

2. Kitty is very calm and sweet. I think she is show quality. And her claws

had been clipped as neatly and precisely as I have ever seen.

The phone number AND name AND address the woman gave were all fake. I guess she really didn't want this cat, for some unfathomable reason.

[ginnyinWI]

3. I wonder if she was stolen goods?

And the woman in question had second thoughts/fears and decided to get rid of the "evidence". If it was her own cat and that well cared for, I don't think she'd just abandon it unless she was a bit nutty. Any shelter would take it, and she'd have been able to give them some history for their records. The shelter I volunteer for asks for a donation when someone surrenders a pet, but they don't require it.

[kestrel91316]

4. I think this woman knew the cat well. She could have left the cat info blank but

she filled in the details, got the breed correct, said she's spayed, and the age she put pretty much matches how she looks on exam.

It did occur to me that she might have gotten rid of someone else's cat out of spite. That could account for her knowing its age. But the claws were so neatly trimmed, and it had a little perfumey scent like she had been hugged close by a woman wearing cologne very recently.

It's possible a breeder is in financial difficulty and felt this was the best solution. Breeders tend not to have good working relationships with vets so maybe she didn't have one she could talk to about her situation.

[virgdem]

5. If she was a breeder..

it's quite possible that she could not afford the cat, wanted to get rid of it, but knew that dumping it at the Vet was a better option than dumping it at the shelter. My Vet has found a home for three strays that I fed (OK, I was one of those homes, but I digress). With the economy in bad shape, people will do crazy things. I'm sure that you will find her a good home or keep her as the office mascot. Good luck in finding a home for her.

[CountAllVotes]

6. boy that woman was a real piece of work

Well she brought the cat to you anyway. She knew that you'd take care of it is why.

As for these damn breeders (or whatever they are), they do not deserve to have any sort of living thing around them that may have to depend upon them.

How sad huh?

Maybe she couldn't afford to care for the cat despite her polished appearance?

In the meantime ... :mad: and :(

[hamsterjill]

7. Boy, she'd thought her plan out, hadn't she?

Wow. Sounds like she'd really thought this little caper through! But perhaps she was desperate??? Either way, it would have been better if she'd been able to just come clean with you.

I'm sorry that this happened to the cat, but I'm thankful that she dumped her with someone like you, rather than on the side of the road or something equally as scary.

I like the idea of the mascot! Thanks for caring about her.

[Zoigal]

8. Thank you, kestrel, for caring for the

cat regardless of the circumstances. Apparently the
lady chose you because she knew you would make sure
the cat continued to be cared for. Too bad she didn't leave
information though.....z

[iscooterliberally]

9. Thank you for taking care of the cat.

A few months back my wife and I found (or got found by rather) a young kitten, maybe 5-7 months old. We were at the dog park with our 3 big dogs, and she came running out to us crying her eyes out. She was a skinny little bag of bones. I took her to my vet to get her checked out. She had no microchip, but she was already spayed. Someone dumped her near the dog park. There's a feral cat colony right up the road. I now have 5 cats along with my 3 big dogs. People are dumping their animals all around were I live. At least this woman dumped the cat with you. This poor little thing was out there on her own. She's doing great now and has put on some weight. We apparently have a pet food bank in our area to try to prevent people from dumping their animals when they cannot afford to feed them. I hope that things get better in this country soon. We have truly gone off the rails. :yourock:

[spooky3]

10. Thank goodness the woman didn't dump her by the road. It doesn't make what she did right,

and doesn't lessen the burden on you (thank you for caring for the kitty), but what she could have done would have been even more cruel.

I hope a rescue group can help place the kitty in a loving home. As a purebred, she probably has a better shot than many middle-aged kitties have, especially because she is sweet.

[kestrel91316]

11. My assistant told me her fiance is demanding that they adopt this cat, lol.

I said yes. They are taking her for a test run this weekend; their other cat might not go along with the deal.

ETA: A client who has a couple of ASH's said since I have the alleged date of birth I might be able to track down the breeder through the Cat Fancy and go from there.

[spooky3]

12. good on ya!

I hope the test run works out!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. Good for you for taking care of the cat.

Any photos? Does she have those pretty bulls-eye tabby markings?

I am a bit curious about one thing - why would a breeder (if that's what the woman was) have had the cat spayed? I thought the bad breeders just made their animals reproduce for as long as possible?

One other possibility just occurred to me: since the cat was spayed and apparently well cared for, maybe the woman was once affluent enough to afford a purebred cat, but had lost her home to foreclosure and had nowhere to go with the cat. And maybe she loved her and wanted to be sure she would be taken care of, so what better place than a vet's office? Of course she shouldn't have done it under false pretenses, but maybe she was too ashamed of her situation to tell anyone. So maybe it's just another sad instance of someone in dire financial straits.

[kestrel91316]

14. Cat update: She apparently acts like she owns her new home, but is

very quiet and calm about it. Only mildly interested in the other cat, who is having a minor conniption fit about the usurper.

I told my assistant it sounds like everything is gonna be fine.

[virgdem]

15. That's great news....

I'm so happy that the kitty got a home. The resident cat will adjust in time - they almost always do. Thanks for the update.

[Mz Pip]

16. I do rescue/volunteer work

for a local TNR group. I feed feral colonies at our local race track. People are always dumping cats up there. We do the best we can in getting them spayed, neutered and adopted but there are just too many of them to find homes for all. About all we can do is feed them and build shelters for them.

There's beautiful Chocolate Point Siamese that lives by a creek under the freeway. After nearly two years he is becoming very friendly. It took a while to trap him initially and he fathered a couple of litters with females that were pretty trap savvy before we finally got him neutered.

I'm glad whoever dropped off the cat at your clinic did it there and not behind a warehouse or a race track.