I would like to take the idiot that dropped a kitten off at our doorstep and hang him upside down from a tree and let the kids use him as a piniota(sp). What a mess this has created. Now I am trying to find a home for a cat. I don't have time for this. We have allergies in the house so we can not keep the cute little cat. It really makes me mad! The kids are upset that they can not have a pet and now I feel like the bad guy.

whatever you do, please don't give it to an animal shelter (SPCA) cuz I know in PA certain ones will put it to sleep right away which is horrible. I'm in the same boat you are, I have a full grown cat that's been at my back door for 1 1/2 months now and I would love to bring it in but it doesn't get along with my daughter or other cat. I feel bad for it cuz it's declawed too. The only thing I can suggest is post a flyer in a vet's office. That's how I found my cat now and I'm glad i looked at the vets

I'm glad he didn't throw them on the bridge. That is what someone here did, three kittens...no, they didn't make it. Do you have any rescue places there?? I know here there is a shelter that has "foster care" for animals until permanent homes can be found.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Don't be mad at the kitten. It can't help it that it had a scumbag for a previous owner. Maybe you can put up little fliers at the local stores and around your neighborhood or have the kids ask around. Someone's bound to want a kitten.

Do you live in an area where the kitten could live outside? My husband is allergic to cats but we have an outdoor cat (she wandered here and we adopted her and had her spayed after 2 litters of kittens). You could make her a house outside and give her her food and water outside and she would never have to come indoors. They're great at catching mice and moles for you. We used a small dog crate (you could find one at a yard sale), covered it in heavy dark plastic for insulating and making it waterproof, lined the inside floor of it with insulation and blankets. She loves it! My DH built her a brand new house, fully insulated with siding and everything and she wouldn't go near it!! She loves her 'old' house! LOL!

We have 2 outside cats, we call them our "redneck cats". They both came up pitiful, starving. Now they are fat and happy. We had them both fixed, and put feed and water for them out everyday. We've had one for 8 years and the other for 3. They love it, and are such good hunters!!

Do you know this kitten sets off your allergies? Some animals seem to be worse than others, for no reason I know.

I think taking in an animal that needs a home is worth serious karmic points -- but the same goes for finding one a good home. You might want to call a local vet to see if ads can be placed, or if the cat might be suggested to someone who's just had to put theirs down, or consider Craig's List. We've had success placing animals through the former.

People who abandon animals -- well, that would be criminal, but to put it gently, I don't feel kindly towards them.

Poor kitty! Don't you have any family members you can give it to or perhaps neighbors? That way your kids could visit them with the kitty actually being in your home.

Well, It looks like we are keeping her. No one wants her. I called the humane society and they are getting an average of 40 cats a day. They said that if I brought the cat in, they would keep it for three business days and then determine it it goes in the stray pile or if they keep it for a week and give it a chance to be adopted. Just that thought makes me sick to my stomach. I called vets today and got prices for the start up cost on the cat for the first year of shots. OUCH! Oh well, what do ya do? It is going to cost us about $300.00 for shots and spaying. This is one of those things in life that I am sick to my stomach with the $$$$ cost but very happy that we get a cat. My husband played with it a lot today and it didn't bother his allergies. I told him that once he says Yes and we tell the kids, we are in it for the long haul... just like a marraige so he better make sure because there is no turning back!

You can get the cat spayed at the shelter for much cheaper. I am sorry you cannot find a home for her. I would take her if you were close.

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Calling a illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant" is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist."

I get my amimals shots etc done at clinics. I took my dog and got her yearly shots, heartworm test and 6 months of preventative for 83.00.

When we took in a stray, our local shelter gave us a voucher for his shots and neuter for $55.
I'd ask around and see what you can find. Good luck.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

Thanx McCarty, I forgot to add shots at the clinic. We have a puppy and it will cost us $135 for all her shots and spay. She has had 2 rounds of shots and gets fixed on Tuesday.

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Calling a illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant" is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist."

Call around, lots of local shelters and rescue groups will help you get low-cost spaying and shots if you're keeping the kitten (they view it as one they don't gotta place!). I've gotten help getting some of my rescues done this way.

As a bonus - my husband who is allergic to cats, is NOT allergic to our 6 due to exposure. So fingers crossed for you

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Meddle ye not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crispy, and taste good with Ketchup!

I would really call around too. I got my cat declawed,neutured, and all of his shots up to date (he didnt have any) for less than $200.00. I called an animal hospital and they were the cheapest.

I have called and got prices. The cheapest in our area for start up cost for the year would be 400.00. That is the shot series for the year, spaying and declawing. It's expensive to live in our little town of Valdosta Ga. Oh, and I asked if I could use the voucher that you get at the shelter and combine it with the declawing and they said no. It would be the same price after the fact because then they would charge me ala carte on the declawing instead of giving me the combo price together. There is always a catch.

You might want to skip declawing. We do okay with trimming our cats' nails (I can explain how if you want), even though one's a polydactyl, and her thumb-claws would ingrow otherwise. I also had a cat when I was growing up who'd been declawed, become a stray, and ended up with some nasty behavioral problems by the time we ended up with him. He could do a great deal of harm using just his teeth, much more than cats tend to do with claws.

Our Petco has low cost shots for pets two days a week. If you have one in your area give them a call. Now our Petsmart has their own vet and is very expensive so watch out. I have been allergic to cats all my life. I never knew how bad it was until I got married and moved out of a house with cats. So for years I told my kids no cats. Then we took in a friends cat for a little while and I didn't sneeze. I thought it was just that cat. Then we adopted a rescue kitten and no problems. I started fostering rescue kittens and still no problems. So for some reason after 48 years I got over my allergies. We really have very little problems with the cats scratching the furniture. Get a cat post and that really helps.

I am cringing when people discuss declawing...its terribly cruel, and I would only ask you do some research before you subject the kitten to that. Part of the kittens actual toe is removed, the cat is left defenseless if it sneaks out and declawed cats are more prone to biting. I hate the thought of it...pet smart clips nails cheaply, you might want to do that if you decide not to learn how yourself
The Declaw Dilemna - What you should know about declawing

Please, Please do not declaw the kitten. I am not sure if you are aware but when they declaw a cat they do not just remove the nails they actually amputate the first knuckle of their toes. It is very very painful and alot of vets will not do it anymore. Aside from the pain from declawing and long healing process it can also cause behavor problems such as biting and also social disorders because the cat loses his first form of defense. There is alot of reading you can do on this. I have had many cats and also used to work for a vet. If you are worried about them clawing the furniture or your children you can purchase soft paws. They go over the nail and work very well. If you don't feel comfortable putting them on yourself your vet will usually do it for no charge.

I applaud you for taking the baby, thank you for not sending it to the shelter to be put to sleep. You can check with your town most have rabies clinics where you can get $10.00 vaccines and your local shelter should also have low cost spaying.

I am sorry to preach about the declawing. It is a subject I feel very strongly about. Please just research it before you decide to do it.

I just read in our local paper today, there is a national group called Alley Cat Allies. They have clinics that will take in feral and free-roaming cats for a course of medical treatment designed to combat overpopulation and health issues. The practice is called Trap-Neuter-Return. You might could qualify for this since the kitten just showed up at your door. You don't actually own the cat right now. It doesn't cost anything. Donations are accepted.

The website referred to is Alley Cat Allies .

I hope this will help!!

declawing is not much worse then getting ur cat spayed or netured! Whether you take their nails or you take their parts...it's all the same. I'd rather save my furniture and get a cat declawed then have them roaming around outside with no shots, no shelter, no food. Which would you prefer?? Sorry if you think im "cruel" but honestly i don't see a problem with it. My cat does not bite, does not have any social disorders. And he did not take long to heal. He's the same cat I've always had.

Declawing is much worse than getting a cat spay. It is amputation of a joint.

The info below is from

FAQs on Cat Declawing, Declaw Surgery and Feline Scratching Behavior

The term "declawing" implies the removal of the claws, but it is a misnomer. Declawing is not merely the removal of the claws. Rather, it is a series of amputations. The last bone of each of the ten front toes is removed, and tendons, nerves, and muscles that allow for normal function of the paw are severed. An analogy in human terms would be cutting off each finger at the last joint.

Declawing, also know as onychectomy, is not a minor procedure, but a potentially crippling one that robs an animal of integral means of movement and defense. Declawed animals may be at increased risk of injury or death if attacked by other animals. They are deprived of satisfying their instinctual behavioral impulses to climb, exercise, and mark territory. They are subject to the risks of general anesthesia and surgery, which include bleeding, infection, lameness, nerve damage, gangrene, extensive tissue damage, and death. A report in the January 1, 2001 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) by Yeon, et al., states that 33% of cats suffer at least one behavioral problem after declaw or tendonectomy surgery. Jankowski, in JAVMA (August 1, 1998), reports that acute complications "develop in up to a half of onychectomized cats. Long term complications of the procedure (are) reported for about a fifth of onychectomized cats." Martinez, in Veterinary Medicine (June 1993), reports 11% lameness, 17% wound breakdown, and 10% nail regrowth post-operatively in cats having declaw surgery.

Declawing is actually a very painful procedure. In DVM Best Practices, August 2002, veterinarian Kip Lemke illustrates typical levels of post-surgical pain using common surgical procedures. Declawing is associated with "severe pain," compared to spaying ("moderate pain") and neutering ("mild pain"). Pollari states in JAVMA (June 1, 1996), "Because these procedures are so routine, they are often trivialized by clients as well as veterinarians." "Declawing is very painful – there's no question about that…" says Dr. Katherine Houpt, professor and director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

There is ample evidence that declawing does result in increased biting and litter box avoidance, the behaviors that scientific researchers and shelter workers agree are the most common behavioral problems cited as reasons for relinquishment.


It is illegal in many countries sited as inhumane Declawing Cats and Humane Alternatives

If it came down to my furniture or causing pain to a animal well furniture is replaceable. And just because a cat is not declawed does not mean it is running around with no shots, no food and no shelter.

As I said earlier I have worked in a veterinary office many infact I have seen more than just 1 declawed cat. I have also volunteered at many animal shelters where I have also seen what a declawed cat looks like after it has been thrown outside to fend for itself and could not defend itself against other animals because it had no claws to fight back or to climb to get away from it's attacker.

I have seen the infections that happen because people declaw and don't take proper care of the wounds after the surgery. I have seen people surrender their cats because they became aggressive or their personality changed and all they did was hide after they were declawed. I have seen people come into the office and put perfectly good cats down because well they still had back claws and well the claws are putting scratches and marks in their leather furniture. This is more than one cat I have seen. You are very lucky that your cat healed quickly and does not have any behavioral issues that is not the case most of the time.

I wasn't directing my comments toward any one person, I was just stating my opinion. This time I also posted some info to support my opinion. I do not take this subject lightly that is why I suggested looking on the web and being educated about the decision.

Well I'm not gonna buy brand new furniture just for a cat to destroy. And maybe you misunderstood..... I would never take a cat in if I didn't get it declawed...the cat i have now use to be a stray...so yes it was running around with no shots, no food, and no shelter...the only way I would take it in was if I got it declawed. Well anyone who would pay to declaw their cat and then throw it outside REALLY has no heart. I have a cat outside that won't leave and she's declawed and that's just horrible. People are entitled to their opinions and if you feel strongly around it then you keep pushing it then. Me on the other hand, I don't see anything wrong with it.

I'll try to phrase this as delicately as possible.

You honestly don't see the difference between keeping an animal from reproducing and creating MORE unwanted animals that will be abused, neglected and likely suffer terribly during their short lives - and doing something that roughly amounts to hacking off its fingertips?

While its true that both require a surgery, one prevents an entire generation of animals from being abused. The other removes the cats ability to get away from danger should it need to (climb trees), defend itself from attacks should it need to (dogs, whatever), and can cause perminent lifelong pain and suffering to the animal involved. If people understood how often declawed cats require further surgery to take care of problems the initial surgery caused, how often they get infections in the new amputation wounds, and how often they have nerve damage and pain for their rest of their lives - people simply wouldn't do it. In fact entire countries, states, counties, cities and so forth have banned the practice as being cruel and unusual treatment of the animal. A partial list of places that have outlawed the practise or made it impossible to obtain without some sort of medical waiver (like in the case of my cat who has fused non-retractable claws that might have needed to be removed to prevent them growing into his own flesh - luckly they've grown in a way I can clip them insetad) include - England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and more.

My own vet likened it to chopping off the hands of small children because they might touch things and break things otherwise, as he puts it - pets, children or pristine furniture - pick what you value most because you simply can't have either of the first two and the third.

There are alternatives, we've used Softclaws before - which are small plastic pieces that are glued over the cats trimmed claws. They cost about $20 for a years supply (give or take). Of course we've managed to train 5 of our 6 rescued cats to not claw things that aren't on their allowed list (the scratching post, 1 rug, the doormat). The last one is a bit of a tough case, she's half siamese and doesn't seem to realize that her claws retract but we're still working on her. I'd still rather have her as God intended - with all of her toes intact, then cut them off for my own convenience.

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Meddle ye not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crispy, and taste good with Ketchup!