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Oh, she doesn't look too bad. Just a little on the thin side and a little beat up. She seems alert enough to have her photo taken. I bet you once she is cleaned up and fatten up, she is going to look like a different cat!
One quick note about the feeding. Go slow. I know it's tempting to dump a feast in front of her. But if she has been starving, or ate a lot of bad food prior, you will upset her tummy if going too fast and too much. Pate is good, but the gravy kind helps put some weight in her. Add some tuna juice to wet her appetite if needed. Feed in small portions, throughout the day, 4 -5 times. Then increase portions slowly, 3-4 times a day. You may also want to clip her back nails while grooming. Some older cats have trouble cleaning themselves, including peeling off any extra layers of nail that may get stuck in there. I use a regular nail clipper, clip the tip (white area), no need to clip too much. If there were layers stuck in there, by clipping the tip, you should see the layers coming out and you can gently remove them.
Stick to the pate, especially if she likes it. Much the best for her! I see they haven't been around asking have you seen their cat. Just confirms what I first thought, they put her out to die.
ITA with cheese nugget in starting slowly with meals. You probably want to get her blood work done too. And bring in a stool sample--she may have picked up a parasite from being outdoors.
Please keep the cat. The neighbors don't deserve her and have constructively abandoned her. You don't want her to end up like the dog did, do you? BTW, I've done the same myself, so I guess I'm prejudiced!
Roxy is an absolutely beautiful cat! She does have that look of Hope in her eyes, that she cannot believe her good fortune, and it is a well-deserved good fortune!
One more 'Keep the kitty' vote. Thank you OP for showing compassion, decency and common sense. Gave my own fur baby extra hugs and treats today after reading this. Not ashamed to say this made me cry.
I see they haven't been around asking have you seen their cat. Just confirms what I first thought, they put her out to die.
It could be. But to be 100% fair, the neighbor herself is apparently not home. Other cars have come for an hour or two and gone. Those are probably her kids, doing their laundry or something. And her one daughter has spent the night there. But the actual neighbor, we haven't seen. Certainly none of the kids has done anything about the missing cat, if they've even noticed. And it could be one of them put her out, or saw her go out and didn't care. But, hard to say at this point. They're only in their 20s and probably oblivious.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cheesenugget
One quick note about the feeding. Go slow. I know it's tempting to dump a feast in front of her. But if she has been starving, or ate a lot of bad food prior, you will upset her tummy if going too fast and too much.
Yes, the first night we had her she ate way too much and threw up. Since then, we've just been giving her a little bit at a time. It's hard when a cat gobbles up their food and looks for more, but you feel like they should wait a little while! I've had older cats, though none got to the age of 18, so I recognize some of the symptoms. She's very hungry and loves to eat, but is so thin and bony--probably hyperthyroid. And she drinks quite a bit of water on top of the wet food and urinates a lot, so her kidneys may not be so good. Today I saw her wash her face for the first time, but I don't think she's grooming herself much. The metal bristle brush we have seems to hurt her, so I'm going to try a softer brush. And the claw clipping is a good idea! We have a claw clipper for our other cats so I can use that.
Today we left the bathroom door open for a few minutes, and Roxy came slowly out into the hall, walked a few feet and looked into the kitchen, and made a U-turn back into the bathroom. But she is curious, that's a good sign.
Today we left the bathroom door open for a few minutes, and Roxy came slowly out into the hall, walked a few feet and looked into the kitchen, and made a U-turn back into the bathroom. But she is curious, that's a good sign.
Oh that is great news! Please keep posting updates. This thread is so heartwarming.
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And it could be one of them put her out, or saw her go out and didn't care. But, hard to say at this point. They're only in their 20s and probably oblivious. 
But she is curious, that's a good sign.
