The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 08:54:34 GMT

There's a news item in the Torygraph today about someone being cautioned by the police and handed a court order for taking in a neighbour's cat. Reading between the lines it sounds like there is some previous neighbourly disagreement involved but again the threat of reporting the old biddy to the law may have an effect.

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Julie Innes — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 08:53:08 GMT

At least you know where Dora is! Years ago as a student we had a woman bring in her cat for a check up, as it had gone missing for 2 weeks. She commented that it had gone missing for 2 weeks the previous year as well, and joked it had been on holiday. Something triggered in the vet's memory, and he recognised the cat: A man had brought the cat in to be vaccinated 3 weeks previously as he was going into the cattery! Turned out the woman put the cat out at night, and got it in in the morning, while the man put it out in the morning when he went to work and got it back in at night! Neither knew of the existence of the other, both believing it to be their cat, and when he put it in the cattery she couldn't understand where the cat had gone!!

cats are great

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Kate Richardson — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 22:32:33 GMT

Claim the vets fees as tax deductible/charitable donation as you are helping reducing the pressure on the NHS?

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Lucy Fleming — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 19:48:43 GMT

[quote user="Utlendigur"]

[quote user="Lucy Fleming"]

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]calling a cat 'Dora the Explorer' was only going to lead to trouble[/quote]

manifest destiny?

[/quote]

Nominative determinism

[/quote]

That's the bunny. I knew it was something with two words. Sorry for accidently implying the cat was a bit racist

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Utlendigur — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 18:07:01 GMT

[quote user="Lucy Fleming"]

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]calling a cat 'Dora the Explorer' was only going to lead to trouble[/quote]

manifest destiny?

[/quote]

Nominative determinism

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 17:01:13 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]

Write a terse note and clip it to the cat's collar?? [My son has a cat that lives somewhere else now]

[/quote]We had a diabetic cat which was overweight not for what we fed it (OK all clients with obese pets say that but I'm a vet - right!?) but because it was a Six Dinner Sid. I wrote a large note and stuck it to the collar saying, 'I am seriously ill and on a special diet. Please stop feeding me because you're killing me and then I won't be able to come round to see you at all'. That worked. That, or it lost weight because the DM got worse because I wasn't monitoring it properly (vets are the worst pet owners - right)!?

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Clare Tapsfield-Wright — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 16:52:29 GMT

Yes do pop over with a big smile and say ” now then what shall we do about the bill? “ , you probably wont get any money but it might feel good for a minute or so. Dora and the little old lady might be very happy together though, so you’re probably doing a public service , and ultimately thats cats for you, the ungrateful little gits.

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 16:46:47 GMT

Hm. I'd treat Dora and then "invite" the old lady to "make a contribution" to the cost.

Of course if she knows you're a veterinary surgeon she is likely to look puzzled and say "But you're a vet, how could it cost anything?"

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Lucy Fleming — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 16:44:43 GMT

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]calling a cat 'Dora the Explorer' was only going to lead to trouble[/quote]

manifest destiny?

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Neil Wheadon — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 16:37:15 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]Write a terse note and clip it to the cat's collar?? [My son has a cat that lives somewhere else now][/quote]

She knows how we feel about Dora.

Aside that she lives all over the village as far as we know, found in the pub, doctors surgery, she's a 'user'

We only have ourselves to blame, calling a cat 'Dora the Explorer' was only going to lead to trouble

Neil

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Julie Innes — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 16:31:53 GMT

I feel your pain with this one! Our old cat moved in with the neighbours across the road, although she was still officially "ours". One day they came over to tell me that Spigot had looked really unwell, but when they tried to get hold of her she shot across the road and in our cat flap. I found her in our heating cupboard! Took her into work, did hundreds of pounds of work on her, and although we never really got to the bottom of the issue (huge swollen kidneys, not eating, etc etc) after fluids/ supportive treament she made a miraculous recovery. I brought her home 10 days later....and she promptly moved back in with them!

We moved house a year or so later, and they looked so devastated I said she could stay with them. We kept in touch, she had another 3 similar episodes, and recovered every time ( they took her to their own vet, but I spoke to them on each occasion!) I eventually went to their house to euthanase her when she was 15.

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Anthony Todd — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 16:28:18 GMT

Write a terse note and clip it to the cat's collar?? [My son has a cat that lives somewhere else now]

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Bob Russell — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 15:48:46 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]

Give her better food; prawns or crabmeat are winners.

[/quote]

Or better still try Waitrose cat food especially the one with the single prawn placed strategically on the top of the tin! Seems to have magical palatability properties!

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Lucy Fleming — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 15:32:15 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"] c) shoot her and bury her in her own garden.[/quote]

The cat or the old lady?

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 14:45:26 GMT

If you know the children's story of Six Dinner Sid you'll know in short that he was a cat who was being fed by six different households, then got his comeuppance because when he fell ill he was taken to the vet by six different people and had to have six different lots of pills. This is of course where the story comes unstuck, the surrogate 'owners' are happy to enjoy the cat's company when it suits them but if it gets ill its suddenly not their responsibility.

Does the old bat know you are a vet? If so, I would give her the bill and tell her that if she stops feeding/kidnapping the cat and its stays at home you will refund her. If she won't pay or keeps kidnapping Dora, threaten her with legal action - you won't take it but she won't know that. If she doesn't know you're a vet tell her its not your responsibility as she's the de facto owner and to find a vet. I'd love to see the look on her face if she brings it to you. Alternatively you could a) keep Dora indoors; b) do what the old bat wants and accept the situation; c) shoot her and bury her in her own garden.

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Anthony Todd — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 14:05:38 GMT

Give her better food; prawns or crabmeat are winners.

RE: The chicken (cat) has come home to roost

Judith Archbold — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 14:00:23 GMT

I totally agree with you ... but we all know you’ll end up treating the cat / footing the bill for meds ... coz that’s why we’re vets. But I’d definitely give her “ the snake eye” when she collected the cat.

OR move house taking Dora with you! A more extreme pricey option though.