4 December 2009

Stray cat found in Lyneham

| fox
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Buddy My partner and I have recently come across a stray cat living around our complex in Lyneham. Our Body Corporate has already sent out letters to other people in our complex about this cat, and as yet no-one has come forward to claim him.

When we first saw him, he was emancipated and very shy of people, but over the past month or so he’s come back to our door regularly for food and water, and is gradually accepting affection (and much needed brushes!).

We’ve nicknamed him “Buddy” and as you can see in his photo, he’s really quite the looker. He has no major white markings (i.e. bib, paws etc), and I’d say he’s no more than a year or so old. He has a very distinctive voice that almost sounds like he’s singing (off-key), and a single meow lasts for at least 30 seconds.

We’d love take him in ourselves but we already have two indoor cats, who are both jealous that we’ve been cheating on them with another feline. We will, however, continue to leave food and water out for him, and socialise him as much as we can with ourselves and our cats through the screen door.

If anyone can offer any information on who may own Buddy or if he’s been seen before, please get in contact with us. If we can’t find an owner soon, we’ll ultimately have to take him down to the RSPCA (he also needs to get the “snip”), and hope that someone adopts him.

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deezagood said :

I think this post is a very worthy use of the Riotact – disregard the negatives Fox – good on you for trying to find a home for this cat … and good on you to those folks who have offered a potential home.

Thanks – all I’m trying to do is make life a little easier on this poor cat, and provide as much food and water as I can to deter him from having to find it elsewhere (i.e. hunting). We’re creeping into what’s likely to be another sweltering summer too, so forgive me for taking pity on a living creature and making sure he’s nourished and well hydrated to deal with the heat.

Despite the negative comments from some participants on RiotAct I do, however, agree with some of the comments – in particular, those relating to irresponsible pet owners and feral animals.

I’m probably what most people would call a “crazy cat lady” and both my “children” are kept indoors. A lot of people tell me that it’s cruel to keep cats locked up, but I disagree. Ultimately, my partner and I are doing our bit to save wildlife in our area, as well as keep our pets healthy (limited to no exposure to other cats virtually eliminates the potential of FIV, FeLV, FIP and feline panleukopenia among others).

As long as you have all the mod-cons a cat would enjoy, and are willing to spend time playing with your cat inside, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t keep your her inside. You can also invest in (or build your own) enclosure for your cats that keep them safe, but allow them to move outdoors if they want.

It amazes me that a lot of cat owners haven’t realised the benefits of this – particularly when if anything, you’re doing your cat a favour by not exposing it to disease.

Benett – does your opinion only relate to cats? As far as I’m aware, there are a variety of introduced species that pose a threat to Australian fauna and flora. Dogs and foxes come to mind, and then there are rabbits, mynas, cane toads, goats, horses, pigs and even camels – not to mention the introduced plant life. What do you propose we do to reduce their threats?

ACT law expects that owners maintain “reasonable control of their cats at all times so that they are at less risk of harm and do not create a nuisance or danger within the community” (Changes to the Domestic Animals ACT from May 2008 – PDF, 112KB), but only enforces a “cat curfew” in newer suburbs like Forde and Bonner. I think the curfew (perhaps even mandatory confinement to the owner’s premises) should be put in place across Canberra, not just the newer suburbs. Afterall, every suburb in Canberra is only a heartbeat away from bushland.

Here Here Bileduct. I say we start with those who let their filthy animals outside the home to kill native wildlife.

Either the irresponsible owners or the cats need to be addressed. I’m not fussed either way.

What is the limit on the use of expletives on RA? I would like to add some to Mr Evils ‘tool’ description of benett.

benett said :

1. Cats should be completely banned from Australia
2. Existing cats should be humanly disposed of
3. Introduced species are having a huge impact on Australian native species
4. Specifically, cats are impacting in a massive way on native species
5. People still let their cats out at night
6. People still let their cats out to roam throughout the day
7. Cats, due to human, or should I say European stupidity, are (as I type, and you read) hunting and killing Australian wildlife in the bush all over Australia

The same applies to humans.

It’s time we started getting rid of them too.

Well said Mr Evil.

no room is too small to swing a cat, of course… ; )

I think this post is a very worthy use of the Riotact – disregard the negatives Fox – good on you for trying to find a home for this cat … and good on you to those folks who have offered a potential home.

Oh, and the RSPCA have a policy of only collecting animals that are already contained, as I discovered when a (very cranky) possum fell through our skylight at 2am on Anzac Day.

I don’t know him, but if he’s not ‘chipped, I’d also be interested in giving him a home. I’m in Lyneham and can give you a hand catching him, if you’d like.

Worst case scenario; we can pick up a cat trap from them, or they can come out and try to grab him themselves.

They won’t come out and help you with this IME – you’re on your own with the trap.

Still, kudos to you for trying to help with this.

Holden Caulfield12:38 pm 05 Dec 09

@benett, are you so open minded about all subjects, or do you manage to make an arse of yourself on other matters as well?

Mr Evil has nailed it on one.

I get the impression you’re not fond of cats, benett. I’m not a big fan of them either, but as long as they’re not let out to roam, I don’t have a problem with people owning them.

benett said :

Ah. What has the riot-act come to? Is this news? I don’t think this is news, it’s some rubbish story about some pathetic cat that apparently deserves respect. Really, what the hell has the riot-act come to?

Words almost fail me. You’re a tool

I agree wholeheartedly with Benett. In fact why stop at cats, lets humanly destroy all humans too, as we all know the damage humans have caused to the planet and its wildlife.

dvaey said :

Have you taken this cat to the RSPCA or a vet who can scan for microchips?

We haven’t been able to give him more than a few pats, let alone pick him up yet so we don’t know whether he’s microchipped or not.

I’ve called the RSPCA already, so they know that we’re trying to bring him in (if only to be desexed). Worst case scenario; we can pick up a cat trap from them, or they can come out and try to grab him themselves.

benett said :

Ah. What has the riot-act come to? Is this news? I don’t think this is news, it’s some rubbish story about some pathetic cat that apparently deserves respect.

This may not be “news”, but posting items like this has certainly happened before on RiotACT, and from what I have read, has led to results.

Clown Killer said :

Back in the day I would have said – lure him up cloe and pop the little fella in a sack, take it down to the creek and chuck the hole lot in – it’s not like we need another stray, whole male cat in the system … but I’m getting soft in my old age. If he’s still homeless by mid-January 2010 I’ll have him.

As soon as it’s possible, Buddy will be desexed. Nice to know you’ve turned soft – I will let you know if he’s still desiring a home in January 2010.

aww, if it wasn’t for the fact that you can’t have pets in rental properties then I would very seriously consider this.

Have you taken this cat to the RSPCA or a vet who can scan for microchips?

Also, cats can be smart little buggers, it may even be a local neighbourhood cat that knows where to get a nice feed and a bit of attention, so keeps coming back.

Clown Killer11:25 pm 04 Dec 09

Back in the day I would have said – lure him up cloe and pop the little fella in a sack, take it down to the creek and chuck the hole lot in – it’s not like we need another stray, whole male cat in the system … but I’m getting soft in my old age. If he’s still homeless by mid-January 2010 I’ll have him.

Holden Caulfield10:03 pm 04 Dec 09

Sounds very much like the way we inherited our cat. He definitely “found” us after living on the streets. He was a similar age to Buddy as well. That was 6 years ago and he’s now a bit of a porker. Very cute, though.

Good luck finding a home for Buddy.

Ah. What has the riot-act come to? Is this news? I don’t think this is news, it’s some rubbish story about some pathetic cat that apparently deserves respect. Really, what the hell has the riot-act come to? I have some thoughts which sprout from this particular post. Thoughts that look unkindly on cats. If you think cats deserve a riot-act post, you may be right in one sense. However, if you think that cats deserve tax-payer funded protection and human resources to boot, well then here are some points:

1. Cats should be completely banned from Australia
2. Existing cats should be humanly disposed of
3. Introduced species are having a huge impact on Australian native species
4. Specifically, cats are impacting in a massive way on native species
5. People still let their cats out at night
6. People still let their cats out to roam throughout the day
7. Cats, due to human, or should I say European stupidity, are (as I type, and you read) hunting and killing Australian wildlife in the bush all over Australia

Stray cats should be put-down without notice. All cats registered should be put-down. All the cats (which are no doubt mostly UNREGISTERED) that are now roaming the Australian bushland killing native animals should be destroyed!

I’m sure dogs & cats don’t like fireworks. People like fireworks. Australian wildlife don’t like….????????

The RSPCA sure has their shit together….If you wanted to be a hardcore animal lover, one would piss ‘the cat’ off, out of Australia.

Check out The Oils 1985 Album – Species Deceases.

http://www.midnightoil.com/releases/85species.do

Very good of you to look after him and fatten him up 🙂

I hope he finds a good home through you or the RSPCA

White an’ orange stray cat sittin’ on a fence /
Ain’t got enough dough to pay the rent /
I’m flat broke but I don’t care /
I strut right by with my tail in the air.

good luck Buddy!

piperdoon said :

emaciated maybe, perhaps emanicpated too as he was living free. 🙂

lol – Yes, I did mean to say emaciated.

blamanda said :

…what colour is the cat wandering around your complex?

He’s a ginger DSH (domestic shorthair). I’ve emailed the photo to Jazz so if he’s able to stick it somewhere that’d be great.

blamanda said :

Hello, I am a new user of this site, so please excuse me if Im asking a silly question but I cant seem to see the photo of the cat, I lost my cat several months ago, he is grey and black striped with some faint white stripes, what colour is the cat wandering around your complex? Thankyou.

Not a silly question. I had to take it out for the time being. It was being hosted on a server with security authentication so while the OP could see it, it meant that nobody else could without having credentials challenged (when loading RA). Will get it back up shortly.

“When we first saw him, he was emancipated and very shy of people:

emaciated maybe, perhaps emanicpated too as he was living free. 🙂

Hello, I am a new user of this site, so please excuse me if Im asking a silly question but I cant seem to see the photo of the cat, I lost my cat several months ago, he is grey and black striped with some faint white stripes, what colour is the cat wandering around your complex? Thankyou.

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