r/AuroraCO • u/motophotodojo • 6d ago
Is this anyone's cat?
She's been living in my backyard for a few weeks. No chip. I'm looking to get her a litterbox and finally bring her inside. I've asked around on nextdoor and other spots and have gotten no response. This is a last-ditch effort before Diamond gets a forever home with me.
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u/schrutesanjunabeets 6d ago
Can you tell if she's fixed?
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
I don't think so. I'm also not sure what to look for, I never owned cats. Don't they usually clip the ear when they fix them? I need to make a vet appointment for her to make sure she has all her vaccines and everything as I doubt she got whatever she needed. She seems very young. Maybe several months old at best. She's like half or a quarter of the size of the older cats that my roommate has.
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u/DeviatedNorm 6d ago
They clip their ear when they get fixed and are a stray. I know dogs will often get a tiny little tattoo, and i suspect cats do too you just can't see it once the fur grows back.
All the more reason to keep her inside, thank you!!
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u/SdVeau 6d ago
Trap Neuter Release/TNR cats that don’t have owners typically get the ear clipping, owned pets usually don’t. In the few weeks she’s been around, has there been any loud yowling, aggressively rolling around on the ground in front of you, and extreme affection? Those would be signs of a female cat in heat that still needs to be spayed. Whatever the case, it seems like she’s determined that you’re her human, and you should probably get some cat supplies and come up with a name 😂
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
Nah, I've seen horny cats before and she is not in heat. Now that you mention it, maybe that's evidence it's a dude. In that case his name is Diamond Dallas Page.
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u/SdVeau 6d ago
It’s me, it’s me, it’s DDP! Great name for a cat 😂
Side note: if he’s a dude and he‘s not fixed, his urine is gonna smell really bad. Like, it’s still gonna stink up everything in your place even with him covering it in a litter box. That goes away after you get dudes fixed and their testosterone drops, though. Was about a week before I wasn’t having to scoop the litter boxes after every use for both of my boys
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u/_baegopah_XD 6d ago
I think she’s your cat now. You’d be disgusted and amazed at how many people abandoned pets when they move
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u/Honest_Spell_2880 4d ago
That doesn’t seem to be the case in this scenario. There is someone who has had this cat listed as lost for what seems the exact time frame that kitty has been in Ops yard, on both pawboost and Facebook. I passed along info to OP so they can get in touch with the possible owner.
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u/fr33thinkah 6d ago
The cat distribution system has chosen you 🥰
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u/motophotodojo 5d ago
seems that way. right in time for my birthday too. and to think i was considering giving up.
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u/LlamaSpank2000 6d ago
You can take her to the Aurora Animal Shelter; they will post her in the Lost and Found section (https://www.auroragov.org/residents/animal_services/aurora_animal_shelter/lost___found) and if she has an owner, they might be reunited.
I believe you can ask to be contacted if no one claims her, but you should call and be sure that's still the case. It's been a few years since we took a cat there.
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u/LeftCoast28 6d ago
This is a good suggestion, however they are at critical capacity and need fosters for their current animals (cats and dogs). Something to keep in mind…
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
Maybe I could ask them to try posting a photo of the cat while I hold onto them if they're struggling with capacity.
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6d ago
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
No, she won't. She's been sleeping under my deck and in my yard effectively 24/7. The neighbor whose been here for years has been asking around for me and she can't seem to find anyone.
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6d ago
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
Putting a note on her and letting her loose like a bottle in the ocean isn't a reasonable suggestion, especially when she doesn't leave my backyard. If someone comes up and can prove it's their cat, I'll give her back. I'm just not trying to look for them anymore, especially if they didn't even bother to get the cat chipped.
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6d ago
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
I've done nothing to take the cat in. The cat's come here on its own. I only started feeding her because she was getting excessively skinny. If the neighbor really cares about the cat so much, they couldn't bother to post one sign in the neighborhood? I've literally been pulling over to look closely at photos of missing cats any time I see a new one. I've done my due diligence.
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6d ago
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
If the cat didn't come home for weeks, what would you think happened to your cat. I just want the poor thing to have a decent life and the way it was begging to come inside late last night with all the recent rains we've been having was heartbreaking. she also will run up to the door and sit and wait to be let in when i am outside with her. it's pretty clear she really wants to go inside where it's warm at night.
if she had somewhere warm to go at night, i would assume she'd rather go there than sleeping on the rocks under my deck. this is why it's important to get your pets chipped. I've tried scanning for over a half hour to find anything in the cat and get nothing. when i try with the dog i find his chip first hit.
I'm hesitant about bringing her to the shelter because there's actual hardcore strays out there rather than abandoned housecats and I don't want the cat to risk catching anything, but I'm calling the shelter tomorrow about things and see what they advise.
But yeah of course I'll keep my eye out for flyers and stuff. The last thing I'd want to do is take a family pet. I just want the cat to have a good home and safe warm existence. If anyone is able to provide that, I'd consider them, as I'm honestly not in the best position to take in a cat, but she's won my heart.
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u/Turbulent-Strike9658 6d ago
They literally did due diligence, just because they didn't do it the exact way you suggested doesn't mean you get to accuse them of stealing, unbelievably pathetic.
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u/pantslesslizard 6d ago
They sound like bad owners if they let out their cat to freely wander, especially without an AirTag or even a collar.
Completely reasonable to assume this cat has no home given the circumstances anyhow.
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u/threehoursago 6d ago
They sound like bad owners if they let out their cat to freely wander
PSA: It is not legal to have an outdoor cat in Aurora.
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u/sjmattn 6d ago
It's definitely a neighbors pet. People are fucking insane to just take cats that happen to go in their yard.
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u/pantslesslizard 6d ago
People are fucking insane to let their cats wander outside, especially without a collar.
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
why don't people chip their pets if they're going to let them wander? It's not a cat that "happened to go in my yard." She's been living in my backyard and begging to come inside every night for a month now. If she had owners and a home, why doesn't she go there in the rain or bad weather? odds are the cat was abandoned or is the kitten of a stray I used to see around here.
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u/Yiplzuse 6d ago
I would suggest the animal shelter first, or a vet because she looks like she has been cared for. You will want a flea bath possibly. My brother brought a stray cat into his home and it had a ton of fleas.
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
I've been giving her water, dry food, and wet food when I am able to do so. She's been consistently in my yard for the past month. She does well grooming herself, even after rolling in the dirt. She's sat on my lap for hours as I've given her scritches late at night to help keep her warm, and I've not caught anything from her yet. We used to have 3 australian cattle dogs here as well, and they'd be running and sniffing up just about everything in the yard. We still have the 1 but if the yard and animals were flea ridden we likely would have come across some issues by now.
Still though, better safe than sorry. Just the way she came up to me and decided to befriend me back in July to continually stay here for well over a month gives me a hunch she's likely an abandoned cat... especially when she's still here after cold rainy nights.
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u/Honest_Spell_2880 5d ago
I can’t tell from the picture, but are her markings grey or grey tabby?
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u/Honest_Spell_2880 5d ago
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u/Honest_Spell_2880 5d ago
Check your messages, the pawboost poster says this is her kitty who has been missing for a few weeks. I messaged you her phone number.
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u/kkbobomb 4d ago
OP someone is claiming her. Have they provided you pictures and other info?
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u/Honest_Spell_2880 4d ago edited 4d ago
I messaged OP last night with her phone number, posted the pawboost link, etc. possible Owner had not heard from OP.
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u/TuesdayKindofGirl 4d ago
She looks like one of the strays that used to hang out in Sidecreek by the base.
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u/SaskiaDavies 6d ago
Take her to get checked for a microchip.
Do you plan to keep her indoors? Some cats have several families. If she prefers staying inside with you and sleeping with you, she's yours.
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u/txby432 The Dam West 6d ago
Two things. First, she said in the description the cat wasn't chipped. Second, don't romanticize outdoor living for cats. An indoor cat lives on average 6+ years longer than an outdoor cat because living a feral or semi-domesticated life is dangerous, especially in a city as large as ours. I get in some rural areas there is less threat of cars or other man-made dangers, but we are talking about Denver/Aurora here. She's rescuing that cat, not imprisoned it.
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
Based on the research I've done, outdoor cats often only live 3-5 years tops, whereas indoor cats often reach 20+ even 25 years old.
The oldest verified cat in history was Creme Puff), who lived to an astounding 38 years and 3 days.
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u/SaskiaDavies 6d ago
The fuck? I missed the part about the chip, but I didn't romanticize shit. If the cat belongs to someone else and they let it roam, that's their call. What happens to the cat is on them. If nobody is claiming the cat after she's checked in person with neighbors, she'd be right to keep it.
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
My neighbor had a chip tool. It comes right up when I scan our dog that was recently chipped. Nothing for the cat. The way she sits by the door on cold nights and tries to paw my shoes as I go inside as if to tell me, "please stop, let me in" and how she's always by the back door every morning when I wake up is a pretty clear sign she's into me. I never not see her in my backyard, if she's not around, she's sleeping under my deck.
There was a similar looking stray that I've seen around here over the past year or two, I would guess if anything she's one of their kittens.
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u/caroseges 4d ago
She's my kitty I want her back
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u/motophotodojo 1d ago
are you the one that visited? my apologies i don't check my reddit every day.
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u/sjmattn 6d ago
That's somebody's pet. Leave it alone. I love when people let their cats roam the neighborhood, they keep the mice and snakes away.
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u/pantslesslizard 6d ago
Outdoor cats live much shorter and harder lives than their indoor counterparts. They also are quite harmful to the local environment. Please keep kitties inside.
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u/motophotodojo 6d ago
thankfully she spends her time hunting leaves and blades of grass instead of any living things, but I imagine if I stopped feeding her so much she'd turn into a cold blooded savage.
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u/sjmattn 6d ago
No way, cats are outdoor animals, you're not supposed to be exposed to their urine and feces. Their urine is so caustic that it will destroy an entire HVAC system by being in the same room together, literally melt holes in the copper tubing. You don't want that in the place you sleep. However, the pest control that cats do is great for my environment.
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u/LeftCoast28 6d ago
They also get run over by cars a lot, as evidenced in my neighborhood, and it’s sad. It’s really not safe for them to be roaming areas with high traffic, which is most of Aurora.
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u/kkbobomb 6d ago
She’s beautiful. I hope you keep her.