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One of our cats had liver cancer and had to be euthanized today. R.I.P.

In better days, Baby takes a selfie.

Ugh, that’s the worst. Condolences.
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One of our cats had liver cancer and had to be euthanized today. R.I.P.
Very sorry to hear about this Mark. I know the feeling all too well. It's heartbreaking. My wife and I have 6 cats at the moment. We have had many more in the past 30 years. Almost every one was a stray that showed up on our doorstep or my wife picks them up from the shelter occasionally.

I love cats. I love dogs too. In fact I love almost all animals -- except for humans.



My wife and I have taken in stray cats for 30 years now. We currently have 6 and this guy here is our newest resident. For several months this past winter he would show up a couple of times a week at about 3:00 AM and start meowing loudly. So one of us would have to get up and give him some food. He was skittish at first but finally warmed up to us enough that I could catch him. First trip for him was to the vet for neutering and shots. Anyhow, we started calling him Sylvester when he first started showing up and, as unoriginal as the name is, the name stuck. It's hard to tell from these pictures but he is a BIG cat. The vet guesses his age at about 5 years old.





Here he is on a Saturday morning not too long ago after we drank shots of tequila the night before.




My wife and I have taken in stray cats for 30 years now. We currently have 6 and this guy here is our newest resident. For several months this past winter he would show up a couple of times a week at about 3:00 AM and start meowing loudly. So one of us would have to get up and give him some food. He was skittish at first but finally warmed up to us enough that I could catch him. First trip for him was to the vet for neutering and shots. Anyhow, we started calling him Sylvester when he first started showing up and, as unoriginal as the name is, the name stuck. It's hard to tell from these pictures but he is a BIG cat. The vet guesses his age at about 5 years old.





Here he is on a Saturday morning not too long ago after we drank shots of tequila the night before.

Sylvester is lovely.

We have the same situation & history as you. I now have one inside cat adopted as a kitten in 2015. Outside we have numerous cats one of which, Calyx, is my prime cat. He is not adoptable since he is bitey swipey. If we can get them fixed, we do so, but not every cat can be trapped. I feed 4-5 outside, husband feeds others & there are several cats that come & go.

We didn’t plan any of this & we are tied down to the house because of it.

Do any of yours stay inside or are they all outdoors cats?



Sylvester is lovely.

We have the same situation & history as you. I now have one inside cat adopted as a kitten in 2015. Outside we have numerous cats one of which, Calyx, is my prime cat. He is not adoptable since he is bitey swipey. If we can get them fixed, we do so, but not every cat can be trapped. I feed 4-5 outside, husband feeds others & there are several cats that come & go.

We didn’t plan any of this & we are tied down to the house because of it.

Do any of yours stay inside or are they all outdoors cats?
All our cats live "indoors" but we have an outdoor run that is attached to the enclosed back porch which is then connected to the inside of the house with a cat door. The run is 80 ft long, 10 ft wide, and 8 ft tall. I'll post a pic.

Here where we live, outdoor cats (and dogs) are killed regularly by coyotes. They've even been known to lure large breed dogs out into the desert and gang up on them. There are also rattle snakes (I catch and move 1-2 every year) and poisonous lizards (Gila Monsters). Also the larger raptors and Horned Owls will pick off smaller cats.

Yes, my wife and I are pretty much tied down to the house and rarely go anywhere together -- and if we do we take separate vehicles to ensure someone is around to care for them.



All our cats live "indoors" but we have an outdoor run that is attached to the enclosed back porch which is then connected to the inside of the house with a cat door. The run is 80 ft long, 10 ft wide, and 8 ft tall. I'll post a pic.

Here where we live, outdoor cats (and dogs) are killed regularly by coyotes. They've even been known to lure large breed dogs out into the desert and gang up on them. There are also rattle snakes (I catch and move 1-2 every year) and poisonous lizards (Gila Monsters). Also the larger raptors and Horned Owls will pick off smaller cats.

Yes, my wife and I are pretty much tied down to the house and rarely go anywhere together -- and if we do we take separate vehicles to ensure someone is around to care for them.
The run is a nice idea. Some of our cats outside are totally feral & can’t be touched. I don’t think we have a single cat outside who would like to come inside. I thought Calyx might become a nuisance when he first came to our yard in 2019, but he’s not at all. Like I said, he gets over-stimulated & starts swiping at me. He is very happy with us. They all have their “condos” outside with thermal blankies & whatnot. We even have a crawl space under the back porch where they go when it’s really cold.

Unlike you, we don’t have coyotes (though they are in CT). We have an occasional skunk or raccoon & we can’t leave food out unattended.

Yeah, we can’t both leave the house at the same time & definitely not overnight.

So crazy: like I said, we didn’t plan this. Even if we wanted to sell our house we couldn’t leave the cats behind.



The run is a nice idea.
Here is our cat run. We call it LCC (Little Cat Country). Pics are taken from the center towards both ends:





Here is our cat run. We call it LCC (Little Cat Country). Pics are taken from the center towards both ends:


Fabulous. I hear this mostly referred to as a catio.

So your cats can be in the catio or anywhere in the house? How many did you say you have?



Fabulous. I hear this mostly referred to as a catio.

So your cats can be in the catio or anywhere in the house? How many did you say you have?
We have 6 at the moment -- all cats no one wanted. Yes, they can be anywhere: bedroom, porch, or out in the run.

We've had many cats over the 30 years we've been married. There are downsides, of course, but the biggest downside is that they eventually die and the heartbreak that goes along with that. Several of our deceased have been cremated and my wife intends to have her ashes and those cats together.

The rest end up here, on a corner of our lot:




We have 6 at the moment -- all cats no one wanted. Yes, they can be anywhere: bedroom, porch, or out in the run.

We've had many cats over the 30 years we've been married. There are downsides, of course, but the biggest downside is that they eventually die and the heartbreak that goes along with that. Several of our deceased have been cremated and my wife intends to have her ashes and those cats together.

The rest end up here, on a corner of our lot:

The corner lot looks lovely.

I’ve had so much heartache with cats. Worst was when my “foster fail” 10 months old kitten died post-surgery. The vet called to say he was fine. Five minutes later he was dead. The pain in my chest when the vet told me was so extreme I had to call him back later.



When one dies, it's usually at the hands of a vet -- euthanasia. For age or sickness. Since many of the cats we get were strays they are mostly male and many times 10 yrs old or more. Since male cats generally have a shorter life span (sort of like us) then sometimes they don't live here too long.

Cemetery duty (digging the grave, making the headstone) is a solemn, mostly drunken day for me.
It’s very nice you do this. Of course husband has buried cats in our yard (some beloved), but he doesn’t give them headstones. He’s asked me if I want markers, but I always say no.

A year ago for the very first time I stayed with a cat at the vet while she was euthanized. I had always chickened out before. It wasn’t scary at all. Both the vet & her tech were teary, but I remained my usual hard-to-read self. It was gratifying to see my poor tired cat finally delivered unto heaven.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

This cat looks very familiar. I think I've seen him in a cartoon, maybe a "Tom & Jerry" cartoon.

I can't find the cartoon online right now, but I have an image of him in my head where he's leaning down with his chin on the ground and his mouth wide open. He's pretending to be a tunnel or a cave so the mouse, (probably Jerry), will go inside.

I'll have to look for a picture of the cartoon version of him.
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This cat looks very familiar. I think I've seen him in a cartoon, maybe a "Tom & Jerry" cartoon.

I can't find the cartoon online right now, but I have an image of him in my head where he's leaning down with his chin on the ground and his mouth wide open. He's pretending to be a tunnel or a cave so the mouse, (probably Jerry), will go inside.

I'll have to look for a picture of the cartoon version of him.
Are you thinking of Sylvester the Cat cartoons?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_the_Cat



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Are you thinking of Sylvester the Cat cartoons?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_the_Cat

I'm familiar with Sylvester because I'm a Looney Tunes fan, but I don't think it's him. But I'm more of a fan of Marvin the Martian, Daffy Duck, and Bugs Bunny, so it could be one of the Tweety and Sylvester cartoons. I have most of them on DVD, so I'll have to watch some of them and see if I can find it.

If I remember correctly, in the scene I'm thinking of, the cat lays down with his chin on the ground and his mouth open, and I think he's pretending to be a night club with some type of musical entertainment inside. That's how he's trying to get his prey, (I thought a mouse, but it might be Tweety), to go inside.

The cat looks a lot like the cat in those pictures above.



Stirchley you remember this little guy I trapped a few years ago? He's still doing great in his forever home. I keep in touch.

Of course I do remember him. He looks a lot like my outside cat Calyx. So nice you keep in touch with the furever owners. It’s always nerve-racking wondering if they got a good home & are happy.