Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 4, 2012 - 10:02am PT
I really hate to do this, but it's the right thing to do...
We were at the Facelift last week and did some climbing. Came down from the Prow but couldn't carry everything and left some water at the base. Went back to get the water at the end of the weekend just before heading home and was greeted by a furry beast at the start of the Prow and South Face Routes. WTF?
Climbers on The Prow said it had been there since the day before. WTF? Met climbers on the way down who said the cat had followed them up all the way from the Ahwahnee Hotel 2 days earlier. Several people had seen it but no one had fed it or given it water; again, WTF? Two days without food or water at the base of Washington Column, so we scooped it up, fed it and attempted to find its home but were heading home ourselves and didn't have alot of time to spend. So the cat is now with us in SoCal.
We have 2 other rescued kitties that are well taken care of, so this cat has hit the lottery with us; the only better home would be with a vet. Our cats get premium, high-protein low carb food, including raw food combined with supplements developed for feline nutrition. They get regular checkups (including teeth cleaning) at a vet that specializes in cats only.
We'd love to keep this cat, but we also know how we would feel if one of ours went missing.
Pretty sure this cat is a valley local so any of you human valley locals might pass this info along. We are taking the cat to the vet tomorrow for a health exam and to check for a chip. We're hoping we get to keep it, but can't do so in good conscience without attempting to reunite it with its "owner". It's currently happy, loved, and playing with 2 new-found friends.
If you've lost a cat give me the details and we'll work something out (anyone intimate with this cat will be able to give me pertinent info about this cat).
Yay for a caring cat lover! Nice job, Thom. I do hope the cat has a responsible owner and that it was a freak occurrence that they lost the cat.
Nice going feeding your cats raw food. Our rescue will only deviate from Friskies if it is quality tuna and salmon. Real actual raw meat is completely ignored.
Well, just got a call from our vet to confirm the appt for tomorrow. She will check it over, scan for a chip, etc.
My better half (er, 2/3's) contacted the Ahwahnee and the Park Service; so far, no takers. Fine with us; we'd love to keep it.
Yeah, some cats don't care for raw food, mostly because they've been raised on dry "kibble" (e.g. crap). Our cats get only high-protein, low-carb canned food and raw food (ground rabbit & chicken complete with bones). The raw requires the addition of feline supplements since the cat isn't getting the whole animal so the nutrition would not otherwise be complete; kind of a hassle but worth it in out opinion. It also means we can't leave food out so when we go on vacation we have a pet sitter come in twice per day to feed them and check on them.
Anyway, this cat will definitely be livin' the high life if it manages to stay with us - maybe we should name it Lucky (afterall, it managed to dodge coyotes and Perigines for 2 days before we scooped it up).
Two paws up fer whutchya done Thom haulin' that bugger home.
If you find money missing from your wallet, check Lucky for lotto tickets; s/he might have gone out and bought one what with the string of luck s/he's havin'.
Met climbers on the way down who said the cat had followed them up all the way from the Ahwahnee Hotel 2 days earlier.
It had followed us to the base at 4:30am on Saturday, and we came back to look for it around 9:30 am on Sunday. We did not want it to follow us, but it did. Quite weird no one fed the cat even though they claimed it was there for 2 days.
Did you guys check with people in the hotel?
By the way, I was very sad you guys picked him up. Really wanted to take him, if no one claimed. Beautiful kitty. You guys did everything right though and it is nice you posted a thread about it too...
So glad to hear that you two stepped up & did the right thing. I sincerely hope you enjoy many years together with this lucky kitty. Hard to believe that nobody fed or gave it water for two days.
Your kindness to the little critter will be repaid tenfold.
Cheers!
Nice to meet you guys on the trail. Sorry, we got there first, nah, nah, nah, nah ,nah. (Just kidding, man).
Yes, once you guys told us the tale, we stopped by the Village Market for cat food then stopped by the Ahwahnee where no one knew anything about said cat. We couldn't leave it knowing the care we would provide and believing it would be better off with us.
Matisse - We are momentarily keeping all details about said cat under wraps to ensure that we can identify the true owner if they step up. No offense to anyone, but we don't want someone to claim it and have it end up livin' a dirtbag life in Camp 4.
To be honest I think the cat will be better with you guys than anyone else. Anything is possible, and maybe he just got lost, but letting your cat wander around Yosemite is never a good idea. I believe you two are responsible and would protect your cats with great care. I hope he stays in your hands..
:`(((((((((((((( If I ever visit SoCal can I beg to do a small re-union with him. Seriously was one of the nicest little things I have met in my life. Nice to meet you guys too.
Cosmics petulant display of insolence (in regards to cat's) was prollie fueled by memories of
Tweety Bird vs Sylvester, bitd (CC being a bird/parrot man)...
"I tawt I taw a puddy tat!"
Credit: splitter
edit: btw, i am also hoping that no one attempts to claim Mr/Ms Lucky!
hey there say, D'Wolf... very good to give the cat safty and still keep checking for its owners...
i know chappy had a cat for years in yosemite (yosemite west) and think? he said it was one of the few cats that survived all those years, as many do not...
he kept her in, i reckon, but of course, they like to go out and many folks DO let them out and come back in... she was a GREAT CAT, and when he moved he brought her to my mom (i was living with her at the time) ...
the cat lived ?about 2-3?? more years, not sure... but--she was about 20 +? years old... very thin and showing her age by then... but a wonderful cat... *she must hve known to stay close to home and avoid wildlife and strangers, :)
so--
you never know why that cat was roaming... so you are doing good to let the owner get a chance, and helping it out....
Thanks guys for all the well wishes. I don't know how much I believe in karma, but I know how we'd feel if one of our others somehow wandered from home (they are indoor only, as will be the new edition). We cannot keep this cat around no matter how much we want to without making some attempt to find the person who is probably experiencing what we would never want to experience.
Vitaliy - anytime man; shoot me an email when you're in town; we'll let you have supervised visits! (just kidding).
I want to be a lion
Everybody wants to pass as cats
Credit: Cosmiccragsman's Alter Ego
Mr. Jones and me staring at the video
when I look at the television, I want to see me staring
right back at me
We all want to be big stars, but we don't know why
and we don't know how
But when everybody loves me, I'm going to be just
about as happy as I can be
Mr. Jones and me, we're gonna be big stars...
Ricky - yep, cute little bunnies. Well, I don't kill and grind 'em myself; no way could I actually be the one to do it. I just try to accept that cats are obligate carnivores and cute little bunnies (amongst other cute little animals) are what they would eat in the wild. They're not vegetarians so I deal with it.
No offense to anyone, but we don't want someone to claim it and have it end up livin' a dirtbag life in Camp 4.
Thom
Hear, hear. +1,000
Lucky is better off with you guys. Quality food, care 'n' loving, regular vet visits, indoor livin' with two buddies......... and Vitaliy comin' for a conjugal ?
Speaking of color, if it happens to be a black cat, be extra careful this time of year (Halloween). We use to have two black cats (Momma Kitty & Boy Kitty/not very origional, i know), back in the 80's and every Halloween we would find a dish with cat food in it out by the corner of our lot/by the road the morning after Halloween...peeps were trying to kidnap them (seriously). By some of the responses on this thread, cud be a couple of them posting here! lol
edit: CC, looks to me like ya trained yer parrots as hitmen. any cat with at least a bird sized brain, would steer clear of them critters. ;)
btw, i believe "bird brain" is a misnomer, cuz parrots can learn to speak better than some people i have met.
Thom, you did a wonderful thing. That kitty sounds like it will have a wonderful life with you. And it's very kind of you to go to so much effort to find a possible owner. But I hope the cat gets to stay with you. Anyone who'd take a cat to Yosemite and have it go missing and not try to get the word out about it isn't a very good pet owner. And if it belongs to someone who lives there, I'd imagine they'd be trying hard to get the word out about the missing pet. Sounds like that hasn't happened.
Vitaly, good of you to care about the critter too. I hope in the end he/she ends up with a happy life here and you get to see the kitty again one day.
Love stories like this that end up with happy endings for the animals. Poor thing could never have survived in the wild up there.
Sorry for crashing the party.
Anyone want to buy some booty?
Credit: mouse from merced
Credit: mouse from merced
neebee's a saint. A-sayin' such nice things about cats and she lives in a robin shed. You rock woman...
Go figure Texas and you might as well run for president, said the Mouse.
Contacted the Ahwahnee, the Park Service, local LEO's, and this forum; also had the cat scanned for a chip. No one has contacted us. So, here's the scoop...
HE is 4-6 mths old (just lost his 1st baby tooth yesterday,replaced by a new incisor). He appears to be a Chocolate Point Siamese (possibly pedigree). Appears to have been neutered which indicates possible vaccinations have also been done; as a precaution, the vet gave him a booster rather than risk "over" vaccinating. Otherwise, this little guy appears to be in perfect health.
At this point, we're committed to keeping him around. He is very friendly, affectionate, and playful. The other feline members of the household have accepted him. Time to name him.
If someone can provide a link or instructions on posting pics, I'll put some up.
That kitty landed on his feet :) Congratulations. He sounds gorgeous. The possibilities for names are endless so looking forward to hearing what you come up with.
Matisse - Trango the Magnificent takes exception to Spike's chosen title and has instructed me to advise you thusly: Bring me the head of Cosmic's parrot and I shall allow you to live and consider changing my title to Trango the Terrible
I had a chocolate point Siamese for years and they are wonderful cats. So affectionate, curious, smart and CHATTY! My Kushka had her own language. From her vocal intonations I could tell if she wanted to be cuddled, played with, was hungry, wanted fresh litter. She was so vocal and wonderful. Sometimes she'd just wander around my house talking to herself (can't call it meowing cause it was her own little language).
Both you and your new kitty are so lucky to have each other. Lucky is a perfect name for him. For both of you.
The invitation remains: whenever in SoCal, look us up.
Fluoride - Trango is that way. He's been with me for 14 years (rescued from the mean streets of Torrance at 3 mths) and I know his language quite well; everything from feed me, to clean my litter box, to leave me alone right now. My other half has been around him for about 4 years and doesn't always know what he wants.
Bella is about 1 1/2 yrs (rescued from a park & ride in Chino at about 4 mths). We still don't have her figured out completely but we're getting there.
Thom, you are a great person and your pets are so lucky to have you. And nice to see you have another cat who fits right in at home. Makes your life a joy in so many little ways. They're independent creatures, but so sweet and in touch with those they love.
So nice to see such a wonderful outcome for both animal and human on this site.
SO nice to see a happy ending.
Cheers Thom and "Lucky." Best and happiest thread in a long time.
Awesome outcome, congrats! And wow, look at the size of them paws, he's gonna be a big boy...no wonder your two other cat's are
so nice to him. I also like/think 'Lucky' would be apropos. But also like Climbski2's suggestion of 'Prowler', or maybe a combo of both,
'Lucky-Prowler"! Regardless, KUDOS!
Trango the Magnificent takes exception to Spike's chosen title and has instructed me to advise you thusly: Bring me the head of Cosmic's parrot and I shall allow you to live and consider changing my title to Trango the Terrible
Spike has asked me to type the following (his typing sucks):
His Magnificence, Spike the Magnificent, wishes to inform Trango the Magnificent that he believes that the middle name "The" and the Last name "Magnificent" are of no consequence to him, as he contends his real name "Spike" should be enough for anyone, as it is for "Cher", "Bono" "Ice-T""Moby" "Pink" and "Voltaire" and "Henri".
Unfortunately neither Yahoo, where his email account resides, nor Facebook agreed and thus he is stuck with extra names which are used from time to time. He invites Trango as one of his black and white brethren to throw off the trappings of internet bureaucracy, and revel in his name of "Trango".
Bernice it starting to get WAY worked up by all the cat attitude being copped in the above postings. Here's photo proof of how agitated she is, and you know Calicos can just go off!
I found a young cat at Skaha once. It had perhaps wandered away from one of the nearby houses/farms, or been abandoned. Anyway, it was in the area of Plum Line when we hiked up in the morning, and still there in the evening. About 20 minutes hike, and in an area frequented by coyotes, cougars, and bears. Friendly fellow. I picked it up and hiked it down to the parking area, tucked inside my sweater - it purred and snuggled. I left it at Braesyde, and believe that it was adopted by Hugh and Genevieve.
Emerson just dreams of going climbing. I never take him out of his territory with the exception of vet visits. He is completly free though. cat door is open 24/7 and I live at the end of a dead end dirt road so not too many worries about cars. All the wild crittes out there he just has to keep his sh#t wired tight when he is out there in the food chain. So far he has enjoyed about 8 years of complete freedom. He chooses to live here. he does not have to.
here's another kitty that just got rescued yesterday. it was up in the rear axle tube of someones car in Florida for 3+ day's. they first heard it meowing when they were driving around. tried to get it out but couldn't since it was stuck in a tiny space, so they took it to a garage...
btw, one of the mechanics kept it & named her "Lucky Gatto" (Gatto's being the name of the garage)!
edit: the full story & video can be seen online just google "Kitten found inside cars axel"!
The title of the vid is "Gatto's And Tony To The Rescue"
If you watch or read the full story on Fox News (the first to tell it) or one of the other newspapers, etc., that picked the story up, it tells how a place called "Gatto's Tire & Axle" where who extracted the kitten. But, Gato (with one T) is Spanish & Portugese for cat. So it is indeed a very Lucky Gato! ;)
The lucky little guy has become known as "Astro", affectionately referred to around here as "Astrocat". Our pet sitter suggested "Turbo" after meeting him and we are inclined to agree with her assessment of his personality - he screams around the house at mach II terrorizing everything in his path from toy mice to shoe strings.
He has grown to 8lbs 10oz now and has settled in nicely.
Let us know!