The continuing saga of Coko the fluffy stray

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Hendrick Cuddleclaw

Hendrick Cuddleclaw

Member Since 2022
Original thread here

[edit] We have renamed her Coko!

We took Taco (Coko) in to a local vet this morning. As expected, she is not chipped. She got a rabies vax and distemper and we are pending results of her FIV blood test. Vet said she is a healthy weight (7 pounds) and no obvious spay scar. She did a quick ultrasound and found no evidence of pregnancy in progress, but said if she was really early she probably couldn't tell anyway. As far as spaying goes we were told that we have two options -- just wait it out and if she comes in heat in a few months then there's our answer, OR get a hormone test done which they said could be as much as $150. I am leaning towards just scheduling an appt to get her spayed with the expectation that she is not. What's the worst that can happen, they go to do the surgery and discover she is spayed already? Which is not likely.


pic of Taco having a play. Such an adorable gorgeous kitty!
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Well, I’d hate to have you to put her through unnecessary surgery. Are you concerned about your male cat and her potentially not being fixed? She is adorable! I just recently took in a stray too, but vey confirmed she’s fixed. She’s also tiny and super loving. She’s still quarantined pending the results of a pcr fecal (she’s been having persistent loose stools), but I’d love any introduction tips you may have! Bobo had gotten used to being the only cat since Minnie passed in June. Sharing a pic too :cat:

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Just read through the original thread. So similar to my situation only I don’t have 6 cats ha! Is your backyard fenced? Any chance you can add on a cat fence? That’s what I did and both cats were able to enjoy being outdoors without ever getting out. Just a thought
 
Taco is beautiful. If she is pregnant you will know for sure in the next couple months. :cat:

Unless they shaved her, finding a spay scar can be difficult. I think most vets will also put a little tattoo next to the incision. If you do take her to get spayed, they may be able to tell if she was previously spayed when they shave her. That has happened with one of the cats I previously trapped.
 
Oh Lord what a beautiful cat! Every second more she spends in your home you're that much closer to making it forever.
I've only had kittens three times in my life. The first time we lived in a hippy house on a very busy street where the door never stayed closed. My second two were brothers I got in 1980 at the age of 23. If you had told me then I'd have one of those cats until I was 46 I'd have thought you were on drugs. We all were which makes the story even more unlikely, I couldn't conceive I'd ever be 30.
The third batch was the "But the vet swore they were fixed" story and it's how we got Noah and my GA Nigel.
I get a serious guilt trip thinking about all those old cats in shelters but I've done my part including taking home a 28 pound beast sight unseen.
Oh come on Kyle, don't keep us in suspenders o_O You know that cat is staying. Take lots of photos.
subliminal projections... Kyle, you need this cat, you want this cat, say no to drugs
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
Original thread here

We took Taco in to a local vet this morning. As expected, she is not chipped. She got a rabies vax and distemper and we are pending results of her FIV blood test. Vet said she is a healthy weight (7 pounds) and no obvious spay scar. She did a quick ultrasound and found no evidence of pregnancy in progress, but said if she was really early she probably couldn't tell anyway. As far as spaying goes we were told that we have two options -- just wait it out and if she comes in heat in a few months then there's our answer, OR get a hormone test done which they said could be as much as $150. I am leaning towards just scheduling an appt to get her spayed with the expectation that she is not. What's the worst that can happen, they go to do the surgery and discover she is spayed already? Which is not likely.


pic of Taco having a play. Such an adorable gorgeous kitty!
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Thanks for the update, she's too adorable, glad to hear she's healthy :cat:
 
What a beauty she is @Hendrick Cuddleclaw :cat: Great news that she's healthy and hopefully not pregnant!
If I were in your shoes I'd probably also send her to get spayed, seems unlikely her previous loser owners (generous terms) paid to get her fixed.
I have known a lot of cases of "believed to be spayed" rescues going into heat, but zero cases of "oops she was already fixed"
 
Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
Well, I’d hate to have you to put her through unnecessary surgery. Are you concerned about your male cat and her potentially not being fixed? She is adorable! I just recently took in a stray too, but vey confirmed she’s fixed. She’s also tiny and super loving. She’s still quarantined pending the results of a pcr fecal (she’s been having persistent loose stools), but I’d love any introduction tips you may have! Bobo had gotten used to being the only cat since Minnie passed in June. Sharing a pic too :cat:

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awww she is beautiful. Introduction tips? Ha, never done this before. We have twice successfully added a new kitten to existing multi-cat households but never a new adult cat

I honestly do not believe it is possible. These 6 cats already barely co-exist in this 1000 sq ft house, of those 6 one is a rescue that has to be kept separate from the others 24/7 and now we would have another such situation with Taco I'm sure. So if we try to keep her and bring her indoors, it is highly likely she will always have to be kept away from the others.

but we can try integration. Keeping her in a separate room at first where they can smell her but not interact, then maybe introduce one cat at a time very carefully. We shall see what happens but the best outcome may in fact be to find Taco a home somewhere else.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Pam Johnson Bennett is a cat behaviorist who has a great webpage and information on introducing new cats. She also has a Facebook page.

Taco bears an incredible resemblance to one of my Norwegian Forest Cats -- Gizmo.
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no way I just said that to my wife the other day, that I wondered if Taco had some Norwegian Forest Cat in her -- but I was under the impression they were very large cats and she is pretty small so I dismissed it!! She does seem exceedingly un-phased about the snow and cold.
 
NFCs are typically pretty big. My male weighs about 14 lbs. (He was bigger but needed to lose weight!) My female is still a kitten and I'm not sure what she weighs. They also don't reach maturity until about 5 - 6 years old. They keep growing until then. Depending on Taco's age, she may not have reached her full size. They also go through amazing growth spurts. You wake up and they seem to have grown overnight.
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
interesting thought! I will look into it ty
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The place I ordered it from was called affordable cat fences. They send you a kit with the metal brackets and the chicken wire, much stronger than the stuff you can get at Home Depot, and then you just have to install it. I suppose someone super handy could attempt to make the whole thing themselves but I’m not it ha! I can’t find them so may have gone out of business but found this site and a bunch of DIY ones too: https://www.purrfectfence.com/
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
this is true. it is an 8 hour drive to Maine from here, that I wouldnt want to do in the winter. But maybe in the Spring we can figure something out if the offer still stands!

first things first though: get her spayed
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Yes, I very much still want her and as soon as possible! There have been lots of cats, usually diabetics, who have found new homes because of this board. I've participated in transporting cats from Maine to Washington state, western Canada, all over the country really, so this would just be a day trip if we can get a transport set up. Just need to know where you are, plan a route and ask for volunteer drivers. DCIN used to have a list and there may people here willing to drive a leg.

Don't worry about spaying her first - I can take care of that. I can also reimburse you for her vet bill.
 
Deborah & Muffy(GA) & Wendall said:
Yes, I very much still want her and as soon as possible! There have been lots of cats, usually diabetics, who have found new homes because of this board. I've participated in transporting cats from Maine to Washington state, western Canada, all over the country really, so this would just be a day trip if we can get a transport set up. Just need to know where you are, plan a route and ask for volunteer drivers. DCIN used to have a list and there may people here willing to drive a leg.

Don't worry about spaying her first - I can take care of that. I can also reimburse you for her vet bill.
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You are a saint , god bless you :bighug::bighug:
@Deborah & Muffy(GA) & Wendall
 
Deborah & Muffy(GA) & Wendall said:
Yes, I very much still want her and as soon as possible! There have been lots of cats, usually diabetics, who have found new homes because of this board. I've participated in transporting cats from Maine to Washington state, western Canada, all over the country really, so this would just be a day trip if we can get a transport set up. Just need to know where you are, plan a route and ask for volunteer drivers. DCIN used to have a list and there may people here willing to drive a leg.

Don't worry about spaying her first - I can take care of that. I can also reimburse you for her vet bill.
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This is a very kind and generous offer, you are truly a kind soul who loves cats no doubt about it!! I am sure you would make a wonderful caregiver for Taco. However, I discussed with my wife and we intend to have a go at making her part of our family. If that doesn't work out and you are still interested in adoption I will reach out.

thank you for the offer!!
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
That's outrageous !
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that is what I thought so just wanted to get some other opinions. We are also asking our other vet what the charge will be -- the only downside to the other vet would be Taco has already been seen once at this "pricey" place so we would not need the initial exam part, they already did that last week. I expect that even if the actual surgery is cheaper at our other vet, they will first want an office visit and exam before they schedule, and then we'll have to pay for that so it could work out the same or more.

We shall see!
 
As opposed to a (vastly oversimplified) snip-snip for a male, females have an ovario hysterectomy. It was a big shock to us when we got our first female dog.
My mom had a hysterical-ectomy but it didn't take. Both my sisters are always in heat but it's more of that red in the face/bulging vein thing. :oops:
This is the cat house a former member had. Obviously any shape you want and I doubt raccoons have the strength to pull those bars apart. Probably not that hard to take apart and even reconfigure if you move. The gate is a nice touch. Bending that stuff requires a big brake way beyond what stepping on a 2X4 over chicken wire does.

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@Deborah & Muffy(GA) & Wendall you go through the express line in Heaven for this right? I read in the Enquirer all the baking and pasta is fat free up there and every morning when you wake up all your furniture is reupholstered. The litter is done too! ;)
 

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It’s recommended you do blood work before a surgery that involves anesthesia. Does that quote include that maybe? You can get a spay and neuter voucher from the city but then I think you need to take her to one of their locations. There are several low priced spay and neuter clinics too. Here we have a place called Fixnation where most rescue groups take their TNR cats
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
As opposed to a (vastly oversimplified) snip-snip for a male, females have an ovario hysterectomy. It was a big shock to us when we got our first female dog.
My mom had a hysterical-ectomy but it didn't take. Both my sisters are always in heat but it's more of that red in the face/bulging vein thing. :oops:
This is the cat house a former member had. Obviously any shape you want and I doubt raccoons have the strength to pull those bars apart. Probably not that hard to take apart and even reconfigure if you move. The gate is a nice touch. Bending that stuff requires a big brake way beyond what stepping on a 2X4 over chicken wire does.

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@Deborah & Muffy(GA) & Wendall you go through the express line in Heaven for this right? I read in the Enquirer all the baking and pasta is fat free up there and every morning when you wake up all your furniture is reupholstered. The litter is done too! ;)
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I just cat fenced my entire backyard so the cats have access and can’t get out. Do I go to the express line too?? Btw, cats get along with possums just fine. Minnie used to go up to them nose to nose and smell them. It was the most adorable thing. She also didn’t mind the ocasional skunk :bighug:
 
Shop around and contact your local shelter for places that do low-cost spays. For very young cat like kittens bloodwork is not normally done but is recommended for older cats. A lot of places can/will do blood work the day the surgery but it does cost more.
THe rescue that I foster uses a place that charges
Low Cost Spay/Neuter and vaccination services:
Canine spay/neuter up to 50lbs $75
Canine spay/neuter 50lbs-100lbs* $100
Feline spay $45
Feline neuter $40
w/o bloodwork and post-op pain mets are extra
For dogs, the surgery is as complicated as a spay, the testis come out through an incision into the abdominal cavity, not just a snip cat neuters.
 
honestly, it is probably more trouble than it is worth to us to shop around we are most likely going to stick with this vet because they can do it right away (next Monday)

I have made a few calls but all other options involve waiting until Feb or March just to save a few bucks, and we don't want to wait, she could come in heat at any moment. We can afford it I just don't like to be overcharged and this seems excessive.

and yes Dixon I am aware that spaying a female is more costly and a more extensive procedure, I've paid for female cats to be spayed before and it was like 300-500. But I've never heard of it costing $1000.
 
@Ale & Minnie (GA)
I'm pretty sure we're all going somewhere where you don't step in something warm and squishy in the middle of the night.
As for the biggest part of our fence my neighbor built a new one but his wife HATES anything green or anything with four legs or wings. They have a little girl but their yard is a concrete wasteland with no potted plants or a single flower. At the bottom of his fence there's another foot of wire mesh buried into gravel.
Except for one our cats just watch mice go by, we had a momma raccoon and four kitts feeding off our deck last spring and a few possums. It's like a big TV for cats.
Our previous dog chased bunnies and one day finally cornered one. She looked at me like "what now". She just wasn't a killer and off the bunny went.
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
holy #$%^ we got a quote from a local vet on getting Taco spayed

estimate is $766 on the low end to $976 on the high! Wtf!
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That was similar to the quote I received for Billie. Check with your local humane society or low cost vets in your area. I had Billie spayed at one and the total cost including microchip and pain meds was $90. Big difference
 
oh crap, just occurred to me...I hope there is no issue with getting a cat spayed during her heat cycle

[edit] Annnnnnnd Google says yes, there is an issue there can be complications, extra bleeding, and it can be more costly. But Google also says she might be out of heat by Monday as she has already been in heat a couple days.

we shall see
 
As far as I remember, you cannot get them fixed while in heat. Unless things have change in the last 20 years or so. I ran into that issue with my first cat
 
Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
As far as I remember, you cannot get them fixed while in heat. Unless things have change in the last 20 years or so. I ran into that issue with my first cat
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I have read a bunch of different things and the consensus is that it is just more technically challenging, more bloody, possibly longer in duration and potentially more costly.

It can depend on the vet. Some may want to postpone or reschedule. I left a VM with the vet so we shall see.
 
our vet said nope, bring her in heat or no heat!

so we did, it was $742 and she is done. She also has tapeworm! (we were working on getting a fecal sample to our vet for analysis but had not done so yet....well now we know)
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
our vet said nope, bring her in heat or no heat!

so we did, it was $742 and she is done. She also has tapeworm! (we were working on getting a fecal sample to our vet for analysis but had not done so yet....well now we know)
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Glad it's done with, poor Taco has a tapeworm, I hope what you're giving her will work . How's she doing
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Glad it's done with, poor Taco has a tapeworm, I hope what you're giving her will work . How's she doing
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well, firstly she is doing great. The incision is healing well and we're almost done with an entire week of wearing that stupid cone (she really hates it).

2nd, we have renamed her Coko. I need to edit the thread title!

side note....they sent her home from the spay with Onsior and Gabapentin. I had to look up Onsior it is an NSAID. Both seem like over-medication to me for a spay I don't recall our older female kitty, Roxy, getting prescribed anything other than R&R when she was spayed but to be fair that was 15 years ago.

my wife was all upset as she forgot to give her one of them last night but I don't think its a big deal, imo she probably doesn't need Gaba or an NSAID.
 
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