Who might one call to help get a cat out of an abandoned house that is about to be condemned?

Just in case anyone might be jumping to conclusions, NO it is not my house.

Humane society.

Many shelters, Animal Control and rescue groups rent out live traps. If the cat is feral I would try to set a trap. If it is semi-tame I would try to lure it with food, start leaving food for it and getting it used to my presence. This is, of course, only if there is still some weeks til the condemning date. Poor kitty. :-(

So, if the cat didn’t come out for the can of wet food left for it yesterday… is there any chance that it is alive and/or not so sick that it can’t come out to eat?

This cat was not feral.. but might be getting damn close at this point.

I would try to get the cat out myself.

Can the cat get in and out without intervention? It might come out and get the food at night if it feels safer then. You may have to force a window (call the cops and let them do it) to give it a way out.

@Cinamingrl tried that. I need professional assistance.
@WestRiverrat I have a key. I don’t want to let the cat loose, I want to get the cat out. The cat has never been outside a day in his life.

Did some research, and apparently our humane society doesn’t deal with cats, either. They use a local shelter that does, though, and they have a fantastic reputation. I will try to contact them.

Thanks.

@ANef_is_Enuf

Awww…ship him to me, I’ll give him a great home!
Locked in a condemnd house, never been outside doing happy kitty things…:-(

Wait…so you have a key and the kitty is tame, right? Could you just sit in the house and read for a while until the kitty decides to come get some attention? Books are the greatest lures in the world for kitties that aren’t afraid of people.

@Coloma Not every kitty likes going outside to do happy kitty things. One of my kitties is eight-years-old and has just learned to like going outside in the past week. She converted quickly, though. Now she likes to be gone for over a day at a time. Maybe this is another kitty that just liked its house?

No. The house is not suitable for living things to be hanging around in for very long. Sitting down is definitely not going to happen.

I can’t get the cat out myself. Not without a trap. The cat is tame, but traumatized, and potentially sick or dying. Assuming he hasn’t already died.

Do you have any cat rescue centers near you? Most of them are run by concerned people that’ll do anything they can to rescue a cat.

You should be able to borrow a trap from a rescue center near you.

@SpatzieLover yes. I’m going to start calling rescues and shelters tomorrow morning. Thanks.

Wish I lived near you. I’d help with the pond and with the cat

@SpatzieLover thank you, it’s a nice thought anyhow.

Condemned structures can sometimes stand for a long time before anyone acts on the order. Do you know that the house is going to be brought down, and if so, how? If it’s by a process of steps and not total instantaneous demolition, won’t the cat have time to hear the noise and clear out?

If there are any feline rescue places like Forgotten Felines they will have traps to lend you and will also assist you in setting up the trap. If the cat is feral or just plain scared, it won’t come out no matter how long you hang around. In fact, if you hang around, it especially won’t come out at all. That’s how feral and stray cats survive, by not trusting humans. I owned a feral cat for about a year and a half and it still barely trusted me. So go that route.

Please post an update, as we’re all concerned.

JCA
The Update Lady

Okay, I will just explain the basic situation, maybe that will make it easier.

It’s my cat. The person who the house belongs to was supposed to be cat-sitting for me for 2 weeks, but then I wasn’t able to get ahold of them for almost 2 months. They moved out recently, and left my cat there. They claim that the cat is fed and watered daily, but they just don’t live there anymore. They say they can’t get the cat, because he hides. Obviously I had NO idea what the condition of the house was, or I wouldn’t have sent him. I have always known this person to be an animal lover, so I trusted them to care for my pet. Needless to say, THIS is not what I expected to find.

I have had the cat since he was a kitten (about 6 years now.) He is, and always has been, a pampered indoor cat. He is skittish by nature, he has always been that way. He hides when we have company, and he runs away from my husband. He is neutered, but not declawed. He has never been outside.

Now he has gone, I’m assuming, 2 months without human contact… because they said he has hid from them since the day they picked him up from my house. I have no idea what kind of condition he is in. He would not come to me in the times that I was in the home, although I wasn’t able to stay long. The air is not really… breathable. I wore a mask, but it didn’t help very much. There is also an insane insect infestation, mostly fleas and gnats… but the fleas completely covered my legs by the time I had walked out. (That is not an exaggeration.) I can’t just hang out in there and try to get him.

I left him a can of food and a bowl of fresh water yesterday afternoon, hoping that he would come out and eat when I left if he was just afraid. Then I would know he was okay.

He didn’t eat.

@Jeruba it hasn’t been condemned, yet. It is on the schedule to be checked out, but I have no doubts about the outcome. I have no idea how much time I have. My concern is that my cat is sick or dead, which is why I am in a serious hurry.

I should add that the feral cat that I owned for a year and a half was after feeding it in the yard for about 8 years. In order to “own” it I had to trap it. I was moving and felt bad having the cat waiting in the yard and me not living there any longer. So I had to trap it and took it right to the vet for a flea dip, and then I had it in the “old” house for a few weeks. Once I moved, the cat would not be caught so I had to move everything out of the house and set the trap and go back every day, and after about 4 or 5 days of the cat being in the empty house without food, it went into the trap and got caught. That’s how I moved the cat to the new apartment.

Long story short, the building I moved to was caught on fire, and I knew I could not catch that cat to take her out. The floor we lived on was not affected by fire, but suffered extensive water damage. When I was alerted to the fact that the building had a fire, and I had to gather my other cat and leave, I knew I could not get that feral cat. So I opened the windows in case she had to jump out. The next day, the firemen went around to all the apartments to get pets out and she was in the window. She jumped out the window (3 stories up) and they said she ran into the woods. I went back and called her for weeks, but in my heart I knew she was not going to come, as it was strange surroundings, and she had been traumatized by the fire. She could have been injured from the jump, but I hope not. I was comforted by the fact that they said they saw her run into the woods, and the fact that I knew she had vaccinations and was spayed, and also that I had given her food for all those years, and then she had the year and a half in my house, safe and warm.

@jca you’re amazing for trying so hard for that cat. Touching story.

@ANef_is_Enuf: Thank you. I try not to think of her too often, because I feel really bad. If I knew the outcome of the fire, I would not have opened the windows, I would have left them closed and then maybe I could have caught her myself. She was a sweet thing, very skittish from being feral, but I felt like I had given her a decent old age.

When is the last time anybody including you, saw your cat?

@jca you tried so hard, she was very lucky to have you.

I haven’t seen my cat since the day he left my house, which was about 2 months ago now. The person who was supposedly cat-sitting says they saw him about 5 days ago. I’m not 100% sure that I believe it, though. I don’t know.
I, personally, just finally gained access to the house yesterday. There was no sign of him, and the food that I left was untouched. Again, I have no idea if he is dead, alive, or sick or scared. I don’t even know if he snuck outside and ran away. I can only guess that they avoided me for so long and dodged my attempts to get there sooner because they were embarrassed by the condition of the home. I’m having trouble rationalizing what has happened.

@ANef_is_Enuf: Before 5 days ago, when was the last time she saw him? If the 5 days ago story is a lie, I am curious when the time before that was, because maybe that won’t be a lie.

By the way, I think this person would be seriously off my friends list very quickly, if I were you!

I haven’t asked. They just claim that they see him intermittently, and that he runs away. I will ask.

It is family, not friends. I can’t even put into words the emotional turmoil I have experienced in the last 24 hours. I feel like I’m in the twilight zone… this can’t REALLY be happening.

Did they accidently let him out of the house and are afraid to admit it?

@WestRiverrat I asked. They swear up and down that didn’t happen. I said it would be preferable to know, rather than sit here worrying that the cat is sick or dead. They insist the cat is in there. So I have no idea.

What I do know is that I am furious and heartbroken and worried sick. I don’t know what to believe, but I am hoping to get some kind of professionals in there with me to help turn the place inside out. Even if I find a corpse, it’s better than worrying that he is suffering or hiding somewhere being sick and waiting to die.

Best of luck to you, really, and you’re right – it is preferable to know than to keep searching, wondering, worrying, and with a broken heart.

@jca thank you.

@ANef_is_Enuf

I’m so sorry for your situation. Years ago I rescued a darling Calico kitten from a condemnd house full of cats and filth.

This was a riverfront property, 30 acres or more, probably worth about a million at the time and the owner was this crazy old man that had about 300 goats that had stripped the property. Eaten everything down to the dirt.

Everyone called him the crazy goat man. haha

It was not funny though. They took him away and the county spent weeks catching goats and trying to catch about 50 cats that were mostly feral.

I went into this house ( yes, I trespassed ) and you couldn’t even breathe for the ammonia fumes from the cats peeing. They were coming and going through windows, cats, kittens, it was awful! “Rebecca” was the most gorgeous longhaired calico, I gave her to a friend and she just died a few months ago at the age of 15ish we think. She had a good life after leaving the crazy goat mans place.

I sure hope you can get your kitty back! :_(

@Coloma awww! :( What an angel you are for going and trying to help them, seriously. I can’t even tell you what a big spot I have in my heart for people who put themselves in less than ideal situations to save an animal in trouble.
Sad story, but how awesome that Rebecca lived such a long and happy life.

If in this situation I’d just enter the house pick up the cat adopt it for a few days / weeks / months and if nobody wanted to take it I’d just keep it.
Doesn’t matter that I have other animals home it’s just cruel to let it die there with no one to take care of it.

Poor cat.

@Hibernate You might want to read @ANef_is_Enuf‘s further explanation.

@bobbinhood I haven’t read the replies when I posted. My answer stays the same for the first explanation from the question. Thanks for the notice ^^

Though in the given situation I don’t think the cat is there anymore. I mean what sane animal will live in those conditions when they had people to take care of them. I believe the cat ran away from there and because he was hungry and dirty he started to be more friendly with other humans. And while doing this a family could have adopted the cat when they saw he wasn’t any trouble.

@Hibernate: I think he may have left but not been adopted since he is skittish and afraid.

I really hope @ANef_is_Enuf finds her cat.

Hanging up signs can help. Getting an honest answer from the homeowner can help, too.

@ANef_is_Enuf You might try one of the pest control services that specialize in wildlife problems. They might be able to trap the cat so you can rehab it.

@jca environment changes a person easy and it’s the same for animals. Not to mention cats find people who they like really fast.

@Hibernate: a skittish cat will be alone and hungry before it befriends strangers. As I stated above, I had a feral cat that I fed for 8 years and lived with for a year and a half, and it was still not trusting of me.

It takes time but it’s doable.

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-solve-cat-behavior-problems9.htm

@Hibernate how many cats have you owned, personally? And how many of them were feral?

@jca I fed one feral cat in our yard for 3yrs. He refused to come inside, even in 22 below weather :(. I loved him as much as I could, but he preffered to live on his own. We’ve had numerous family members with barns have the same issues. Some ferals trust the only life they know. It appears some cats turn “feral” quickly once they are away from their human homes,too.

@Hibernate: this is not a behavior problem, this is this particular cat’s innate nature. Even if she were to work on the cat’s issues, she can’t work on them if she does not have the cat. Goal #1: to get the cat.

Well, this is day three without the cat having eaten or had anything to drink. I hate to admit it, but I think I am losing hope.

@ANef_is_Enuf: Have you hung up signs? Have you asked the friend again when is the last time she saw the cat before the last time? Not the time that may be a lie, but the previous time?

I’m sorry, @ANef_is_Enuf. It doesn’t sound good.

Have you visited nearby animal shelters to see if someone has already picked the cat up? If he did get out somehow, he might have been rounded up as a stray. It would be helpful if you had a picture of him.

@jca she has stopped responding to my messages today. She sent me a text saying that he is hiding in the rafters, but when I asked if she actually saw him or if she is guessing she never replied.

I did put up signs, with a photo. I just feel very hopeless, I think my cat is gone. :(

@ANef_is_Enuf: Cats are very strong and can survive in adverse conditions that many animals would not thrive in. You have seen shows (or videos, or on the news) of animal hoarders who are found with many cats living in their houses, and the filth, debris and animal waste that is there, and yet the cats will be all alive and maybe looking skinny, maybe looking dirty, but alive. So don’t give up. Go there and if you can stand it, walk around the house and just be in each room, still, but present, and listen and see if the cat comes out. Bring food with you and allow about a half hour to an hour to be inside.

@jca thank you, you are right. I am going to go back again tonight and try again.

I will deal with the house as long as my asthma doesn’t flare up. My biggest concern with the house is that I seem to be tracking fleas back with me, despite leaving my clothes outside before I come into my own home. (Yes, I have literally been stripping down in my driveway on a regular basis this week.) My pets are treated with Advantage, but I found two fleas in my bed today. I wish I knew of a way to be sure that I wasn’t carrying the infestation home with me. I fear that with an infestation that bad, that I am exposing my cats at home to disease.

Get some over the counter flea spray and spray your clothes and your legs when you arrive near your house. Then take the clothes off and leave them, and jump in the shower. You definitely don’t want fleas at home!

Call an animal rescue group and see if they can lend you a trap, and set the trap in the house, so that if the cat gets hungry enough, he will go into the trap. You might buy a trap, as an option, at a pet store. They’re called Have a Heart traps, and it has a plate on the bottom, you set the trap so that there’s food all the way inside so the cat has to go all the way in. When he does, he steps on the plate, which snaps the door closed, and he’s trapped in there till you come back. They’re probably not that expensive, as they’re just made of wire.

@jca yes I called and left some messages today about the have-a-hearts. I have used them before, I’ve done a lot of volunteer work with animal rescues in the past and I am familiar with the traps. I don’t own one, but I am in the process of trying to find one. No one has gotten back to me, yet, but I do intend to try the trap. Good advice, thank you.

I’ve never seen flea spray.. do they sell it in pet stores?

@ANef_is_Enuf: Walmart or pet stores have flea spray. They also have powder for the rug. They also have spray for the rug (I had fleas once, about four years ago, which is what brought me to Fluther – I tried everything. In fact I just saw something that appeared to be a flea on my bed and in typical flea fashion, when I went to touch it, it disappeared, which worries me).

I’d get some spray…and if you can find some cheapo flea collars, tie ‘em to your ankles. Since you’re concerned about your asthma flaring up @ANef_is_Enuf, maybe you could convince a friend or animal lover near you to go in with gear and have them do a good search?

Get some of the disposable masks to help reduce the irritants that can get to your lungs.

@WestRiverrat I have only been going in with masks since the first time that I went in and realized how bad it is. My biggest worry with my asthma is that the place flooded, and everything is very moldy. If it weren’t for that, I would be in there for hours… fleas be damned. I am just fearful that I will trigger a dangerous attack with the condition of the air in the home.

@SpatzieLover flea collars on my ankles is absolute GENIUS. Thank you, what a good idea!

@ANef_is_Enuf I lost count after 20. I had like 2 or 3 feral. I had a lot of issues with them because they scratched me a lot whenever I was trying to help. I rarely petted them because of their aggressive behavior.

I hope you get your cat back.

@Hibernate: So then you do know that a feral cat does not have “behavior problems.” It’s their nature, and unless you get them from kitten-age and start petting them, they’re probably not going to change. I am saying this in response to your earlier post about solving cat behavior problems. Feral cats will bug out if you try to even touch them.

If you put it like that then how can you say YOU OWN a feral cat? They adapt but not that much. They come when you call them and let you take care of some of their health issues.\
But this is beyond the point since you missed the idea and you just want to take it literally. By the normal behavior of them the cat went into a different place and it’s less likely to bother returning back to the owner.
Excuse me if I wasn’t clear.

@ANef_is_Enuf: What’s the latest with the cat situation?

@jca I was just coming to update, and ask a question. I was just informed that the house has been seized by the bank.
Does that mean that I will not be able to search any further on the property?

This is him, by the way.

Talk to the bank, you may get better response from them than your former friends.

@WestRiverrat alright, I will do that. Do you know how I might find out which bank? I have no idea how this works. I’m sorry, I’m naive about the procedures regarding seizure of property and condemnation (condemning?) of houses. I have no clue.

I would see if you could get in on your own. If the cops came, and you explained, they would probably just ask you to leave.

I’m with @jca. I don’t normally advocate trespassing, but honestly, who’s going to notice? Even if they do notice, who in their right mind would tell you not to help your animal? If you get caught and explain the situation, it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s a risk I would be willing to take for a kitty I loved.

Okay. I will do that. I’ll go over today.

Now she is telling me that he ate food that she left for him since yesterday… I think. She said he didn’t eat the food that I left, but that he ate dry food that she left him. I don’t know. We will see.

I have found dry food is a better lure as is fresh cold water.

@SpatzieLover I’m going to leave dry food and new water. The toilet seats are up in the house, so he has had access to water all along. I have been leaving water, too, though.

I think I have to wait until the sun goes down to go back over. It is 97F out right now, and I have to wear long sleeves and long pants to try to avoid being eaten alive by fleas in there. I have also been stripping down in my driveway before going into the house to avoid bringing the bugs with me, and I don’t have a fence… so I can’t do that in daylight. It’s a little easier to avoid shocking my neighbors when it is dark out.

UGH. I hate this. I just want my cat.

What if you close all of the toilet seats so that he has to go to your water? That would make your water much more appealing. Have you managed to get a trap yet?

No trap, no.
To be completely honest, I didn’t even look yesterday. When I heard the house has been seized I thought my time was up. It doesn’t help that I really have lost hope. I feel a lot like I am looking for a corpse, not a cat.

@ANef_is_Enuf Foreclsures take a lot of time before the bank gets the title to the house. Keep trying and keep hoping.

@ANef_is_Enuf: yes it can be years until they complete the legal stuff.

Alright, left him some dry kibble in a different spot tonight (closer to where she claims he is hiding.) We’ll see tomorrow, I suppose.

Everything is untouched today. I really do appreciate all of the support and encouragement, you all have been wonderful… but I feel like I am beating a dead horse. I have been looking for 5 days for a cat that hasn’t even come out to eat or drink. Is it even realistic to think that he is alive or even in the house at this point?

I’d rather not say because you won’t like it or others will just argue that I am not right. I might not be right because all cats are different but I’d suggest you go look at animal shelters for a new cat.

He’s home!!

Actually, he’s at the vet right now, but he has been found, he’s alive, and he looks like he is going to be okay. :)

Great news. Glad to hear it.

Thank goodness! Ohhhh…Lots of kisses & cuddles once he gets to be with you again :)

Yes, and he knows who I am, too. I called his name and he was headbutting the door of the carrier, and meowing at me, and nudging my fingers through the grate. What a massive relief, I had really lost hope.
Thanks to everyone who helped with this, with advice or emotional support. So happy to have my cat back. :)

Did you find him @ANef_is_Enuf or was he found by someone else?

I’m so glad to hear he knows you. Yeah! A happy ending!

I didn’t have access to the house anymore, it wasn’t me. My cousin found him by chance. I don’t even think she was supposed to be in there.
He is scrawny and badly flea-bitten, but he looks good overall. Eyes are clear, appetite is good, vet’s gonna check him out and give me some feedback.
Very happy news. :)

I bet he has several types of parasites then. We had this with the kitten we took in last year. It took over 6mos to clear her of all of the parasites :(

Other than that, I’d bet he’ll jump for joy after a few days back in his home.

@SpatzieLover yeah, definitely. The vet is going to treat him for fleas and do a dewormer.. and just generally look him over. Hopefully it is a quick recovery and back to being a spoiled housecat ASAP.

We noticed both of our “taken in” cats gain weight extremely fast. I’d bet in three weeks your cat will be back to “old” body size. Our kitten blew up like a balloon about three or four months ago. I de-wormed her again…Holy Moly! The worm was immense.

So glad this ended well for both you and the cat.

Hooray! I seriously think we should throw a party!

After some more consideration, I decided I really did want a party. Not just any party, but a huge party. So rather than keeping it exclusive to the followers of this thread, I started a party for everybody. And it’s not just for this good news, but for any good news that any jelly wants to share. If you’re ready to party, come on over.

Such great news! I so much love a happy ending for both cat and cat’s mother! I am so happy for you! (feeling a little teary as I congratulate you!)

@jca thank you! He is still quarantined, but I have to admit that I have spent most of today lounging on the chaise with him out on the enclosed porch. He is eating up all of the love, and I missed him so much. He is downright emaciated, so he needs to be eating up some food along with the love. My sister suggested that I “cook him a steak,” lol. Surprised, but thrilled. :)

Wonderful! Hurray! Thanks for the follow-up. What a seemingly hopeless ordeal, and how great that you didn’t give up.

Well good luck with him now.

P.S. Don’t give him again to neighbours when you have to leave home. Better give him to a shelter where you know they will treat him okay then return him home safe.

@Hibernate they weren’t neighbors it was family, I explained this above. Someone that I believed I could trust.
Thanks.

@ANef_is_Enuf: So he was in the house all along? How did the person that found him find him?

@jca yep, in the house all along. They said they happened to see him and they grabbed a towel and dove on him.

I have no idea if that is the truth. If that is the case, I don’t understand why he didn’t eat any of the food left for him over that span of time… and also why he is truly emaciated. You can see every bone in his little body, he lost half of his body weight since being out of my home. Doesn’t make sense. Just glad he’s home.

@ANef_is_Enuf: Again, all’s well that ends well! So glad for you and the happy ending! I wanted to PM you recently, but thought to myself “No, she’s not going to have good news and no sense reminding her.” That is one lucky cat that you did not give up!

Thank you for your dogged pursuit of the whole story, Update Lady!

A month later: how is kitty doing now?

He’s great! The household is completely back to normal, just like nothing ever changed. He is still on the little side, but he is definitely close to a healthy weight, and his fur has mostly grown in as it should. He has no signs of illness or psychological trauma. All’s well. Thank you for asking. :)

Thanks for this happy news. What a loyal champion he has in you. Lucky boy.

Sometimes I catch myself looking at him sitting on the counter, or generally misbehaving, and it is so surreal to have him back that I can’t bear to scold him. I woke up yesterday morning to him sitting on my head chewing on my hair, and it even made me smile in my sleep. Before I shooed him away, of course.
Thanks for asking about him, I’m happy to have happy news to report. :)

Glad to hear it’s all good now. I’m happy for both of you.