Okay, mom came by last night, Smokey was here. I guess that he went out as mom was leaving. We did not see him go out. I don't remember if I had seen him after mom left. I went to my bedroom, stayed on computer for a while, then went to bed. I left today, nearly 12:30pm, and came home at least an hour later. I didn't realize he was gone until few hours later, I went to check on their food. Smokey is gone!

I searched the entire complex and I even brought Fuzzy with me as I walked around. I went to get my mom, and we searched everywhere. My next door neighbor told my mom that she had seen a kitten outside around this morning. So, all day gone by, Smokey still can not be found. I have no clue how far he will go and I have no clue if he had fallen down somewhere or gotten out to the street or highway.

Smokey is 2 months old. He has tan body with dark brown on ears, nose, paws, and tail. His eyes is very blue.

My location is at the Eagle Point Apartments in Del City. If anyone seen Smokey or know of someone that has him, please call my mom at 672-9678. I'm willing to offer an award for his safe return.

I've found a similar pix to Smokey.

http://dream-pool.net/smokey.jpg

Mom is going to have flyers printed out while I'm at work and I'll start posting them. If anyone in the area willing to help me out with passing out flyers?

I hope he comes back safe and sound. Let us know.

I'm on lunch break, got to go back to work for another 2 hours.

I just told the office to have all those people to keep watch out for him and if anyone find Smokey, put him in my apt. I'm going to print flyers and post them door to door and surrounding places.

Well, so far, I've posted flyers at the complex only. I'm tired of standing on my legs and feet for 12 hours. So far, he was seen twice before I passed these info out.

oklahoma city lost & found classifieds - craigslist (http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/laf/)

Try posting an AD on Craigslist. It's free. Also, try calling the Del City Animal Control:

Del City Police-Animal Control

2800 Epperly Dr
Oklahoma City, OK 73115

(405) 671-2842‎

Oklahoma City Animal Shelter
Animal Shelter 405 297-3100

Try putting some cat food outside in front of your door.

Good luck!

There is food outside, but I'm sure another cat ate half of it.

There is one in Del City? All my life, I never knew there was one! The only closest was the one on 29th, just west of Bryant.

Someone told me that he was crying by a bush, which was a bit further away, so I'm worried he walkin the wrong direction and eventually get out of the complex. There is a creek on the west side of the complex.

Thanks for the link, I will go try to post one.

Is there anyone a pet psychic on here or know of anyone that is, please?

Anyone want to help me search to listen for any meow for me? I can't hear nothing at all. I really need help and I need him back.

Okay, I posted on two.

Lost Kitten - Tan/Brown - URGENT! - Del City (http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/laf/722564854.html)

OK 4 Free - Lost Kitten - Tan/Brown - Del City - Reward Offered (http://www.ok4free.com/listing.php?id=1194)

He has been seen by at least 4 people before I posted flyers yesterday. I should've been thinkin and got it done on Sunday, so I hope Smokey still around and hiding to keep cool.

Everyone should be taught to care for animals, no matter what. Especially kittens and puppies. They need to be taken in and brought to a shelter to be safe.

Just be persistent. He is probably scared and hiding, which is why when you call for him he doesn't stray out to greet you.

I would look under bushes, in tight corners under stairwells, and anywhere a little one like that might possibly hide. Keep your ears open for his crying. We're actually a bit lucky we got some rain, so he shouldn't be too dehydrated at this point. He might, however, be getting hungry and try to wander near dumpsters and/or other areas where he might try to find discarded food.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.

I actually can not hear. I did more search about 3 hours ago all over the complex again. I think I need to search much further and make more copies.

Can anyone make copies for me? I can drive out to meet if anyone can do that for me.

At this time, I think he left the complex...

Is there a local pet psychic???

He is back and still try to get outside. After the traumatic days he had gone thru, he still wants to go out?! He is getting a bit more crazier, chasing after me, unplugging the lamp, recently unplugged the booster line for Internet, and all over Fuzzy.

I can see it now... Fuzzy is gonna snap any day now.

You will definitely want to get him neutered. It helps with the whole roaming thing.

One of our cats is a bit of a flight risk, too. He's just curious. What we do is walk him on a leash/harness sometimes to give him the opportunity to get some supervised outside time. If you start Smokey early, he will probably learn to handle the harness and you can walk him like a dog.

I get the funniest looks from people in my complex when I walk Anchovy. But, he's happy so it doesn't matter ;)

I'm glad to know he's back. I've been thinking about him.

Yes, neutering him will definitely help.

You might try calling, or having someone call, Best Friends of Shelter Pets OKC for you.
Phone: 629-6795
web: Best Friends of Shelter Pets Oklahoma City (http://www.bestfriendsokc.org)

They provide low-cost spaying and neutering ($10 for a cat) for those who qualify for assistance. The criteria for qualification is listed on their website. They also provide $5 rabies vaccines at the time you spay/neuter.

Please check them out.

Thanks for the list. I'm safe with Dr. Rachael at Neel Vet. She is the doctor for all my babies. She neutered Fuzzy for free when he had Operation Declaw on all 4 paws. I was advised to wait until Smokey gets to 4 months. Oh, I love the time when he sleeps, so I can relax! LoL

Thunder, glad to hear Smokey is back. However, based on Smokey's interest in going outdoors, I would recommend you not declaw him, especially all 4 paws! Once you remove their claws, you have taken away their defense mechanism, and if he were to get out again and be attacked, he would likely not survive.

Also, I'm not sure if you're aware, but when you declaw a cat you are not having just their claws removed...the top "knuckle" of each toe is being amputated from their paw. (Think about the removal of your finger at the top joint.) It's a painful operation for the kitty and has the potential to lead to behavior issues later in life (my cat became a biter which REALLY stunk). Some people are unaware of what "declawing" is, and I thought I'd let you know just in case.

There are some alternatives out there when it comes to the annoyance of claws, but 2 of the best are as follows:

1. Get the kitty used to frequent toenail trims. It's good to start when they're young so they can get into the groove of how to behave when it's toenail clipping time. And it can be really quick and simple to do.

2. Softclaws. these are little plastic devices that slip over the kitty's claws and are glued in place. Think "Fake nails" for the cat. They will stay on usually up to a month while kitty's claws grow out. then it's time to give the nails a trim and put new soft claws on. I think these things are fabulous and helped deter one of my kitties from scratching on the furniture.

Congrats on him coming back home, and good luck with him!

Glad you're kitty is back!

sweetdaisy, I've heard of the stuff to put over the claws. It does cost money, but I'm not sure how much to do that each month. Fuzzy had the removal done in a new way that involves laser technology, not any of the old style removal. You can ask Dr. Rachael at Neel Vet on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday for more info on it. Fuzzy is doing just perfectly fine and his paws look normal.

Fuzzy was the same way when he was a kitten, and now he is scared to be outside. The longer Smokey is inside, the more he feels safe and only know the inside, then he would be afraid to be outside.

It is just my preference to have cats declawed.

Last year, there was one at PetSmart that I wanted, but it was put up for adoption by "humane group" and a lady was rude (bad representation) when mom questioned her on the phone about why it says no declaw on the paper posted. Plus, those people will force contract to be signed and force visit into the home, which I feel is a violation.

People is much better off getting free kittens or low cost at an animal shelter.

I have to disagree on it being a violation to "force" a contract and home visits. Personally, I think it would be rude to think I could get something and not expect to accept the terms being asked for, upfront. There are plenty of people out there who are interested in the meeting those terms. If you don't want to declaw, go somewhere else as you suggested.

Personally, I am glad people are standing up for animals. If your cat is going to get outside (clearly it has a history of that), it needs to be able to protect itself. It is not a stuffed animal.

When I bought my dogs (BOUGHT not even adopted) I had to apply much like it was an adoption. I have no problem with that. The terms insisted upon by the breeders did nothing but improve the chances for my dogs' safety and quality of life. If I couldn't make sure they were safe, cared for and loved, I don't have any business getting them. It is a huge, long term responsibility to take in a pet. Cats live even longer and that needs to be considered. A twenty-something getting a kitten may still have the cat in his forties. I'm not doing my dogs a favor - they are doing one for me. That's the way I feel about it.

Please do not declaw, Thunder. Even if there is a new "humane" way of removing the claws, you are removing your cat's only way to protect himself.

Get scratching posts, and spray your furniture with Boundary. We've also found that certain types of materials encourage scratching by our kitties, and so we stay away from it--nubby, soft materials, mostly. We have several leather pieces and they don't even pay attention to them. They sleep on them, but they never scratch. They go to the cat tree or other scratching posts we have in the house and take care of business there!

We also started trimming claws very early. Anchovy was 2 when I got him, and he learned to deal with it. Tolstoy was a kitten when we got him, so we could train him more easily.

Please reconsider. When I signed my contract for Anchovy, it said "inside only" because he's a flight risk. I didn't think anything of it. I wouldn't dream of letting him roam outside. I didn't feel like it was any kind of violation of my rights.

Thunder, while the laser technology is less painful than the original method, it is still an amputation and leaves your cat defenseless. And while Fuzzy's desire to go outside may have gone away, there are no guarantees that will happen with Smokey. One of my kitties ALWAYS wanted to go outside even though he was an inside cat.

If you're determined to have him declawed, think about doing his front claws only. The back claws are his most important defense and they actually don't get as long and sharp as the front claws. Plus, they don't scratch at furniture, etc. with their back claws.

BTW, one of the drawbacks to people offering free animals is that some people take them and use them as dog bait, animal testing, etc. That is one of the reasons rescues have contracts and charge a fee for the adoption. In addition, rescues spend a great deal of time and money on the animals for spay/neuter, vaccinations, foster homes, etc. so they want their animals to be in a good loving home. Home visits are not always done, but they want to have the ability to do so if they feel the animal is not being properly cared for. This is responsible, not a violation.

While you might be a great pet owner, not everyone is. There are some really irresponsible and not so kind people out there and the rescue is trying to help the animal have a great quality of life.

Yeah, I do not appreciate people getting bunnies for snakes. There needs to be a law aganist intentionally feeding animals to animals. People need to stop buying those Goldfish babies (sadly called as feeders) to feed Oscars! Those are animal cruelty. Something needs to be done.

I've got no problem buying animals for food when they are being sold for food. The original question was about whether it was appropriate to put restrictions on the recipient when they adopt (or buy) an animal.

I see a pretty big difference between using goldfish as food and not giving a safe environment to dogs or taking away an outdoor cat's ability to protect itself. Maybe it is just me.

There is no way I would pay money for an animal. Both of my cats were given to me by owners who couldn't take care of them and that's the only way I will get an animal. There are far too many out there that NEED a home for me to pay money for an animal just because it's cute. Off topic I know, but I hate hearing about these people paying hundreds of dollars to buy or adopt a pet when there are so many out there that they can get for free and save from a short or bad life.

Thunder, I am so glad you found your cat, I would go nuts if either of mine got out and i couldn't find them.

Um, I can say that I adopted my cats from a reputable organization--Pets and People. They rescue animals from shelters that euthanize. I most certainly think that I gave a good home to two good cats.

And currently, we do have a cat that I picked up off the street, thinking she was lost. No one ever contacted me about her, and now I'm trying to find a home. Do you want her, Mr. I only save animals from the street?

People who adopt dogs and cats from the local shelter do a wonderful service. I DO note, however, that many of them rarely miss an opportunity to advertise their good deeds which sort of takes away from it. They also frequently show a lack of appreciation or understanding that people who support a particular breed are working at the other end of the problem of throw away animals, i.e,, they are working to encourage responsible breeding practices to avoid the problem of throwaway animals in the first place.

I really wish local shelter rescuers wouldn't criticize those of us who focus on a particular breed when we are giving those dogs/cats good homes and being responsible pet owners. Of course it is important to give homes to throw away animals. It is also important to instill good breeding practices resulting in healthier, wanted animals. It is akin to having children by choice when you can afford it, emotionally and financialy vs. popping out babies year after year simply because you don't have anything else to do for entertainment.

You can focus on responsible breeding practices when you are working within a breed rather than focusing on rescuing animals that wouldn't exist in the first place if people were breeding responsibly. Until and unless there is a change in attitude about breeding, there will be a never ending stream of animals heading for the shelters and many of the dogs who end up there will have health problems that could be avoided with responsible breeding practices in place.

It is also important to instill good breeding practices resulting in healthier, wanted animals. It is akin to having children by choice when you can afford it, emotionally and financialy vs. popping out babies year after year simply because you don't have anything else to do for entertainment.

I just wish we could neuter and spay people like animals.

That would solve a lot of problems if stupid people couldn't create more stupid people.

One incident of proven child abuse, you're done. But, that's another topic.... sorry. I just hate irresponsible parents, those to children and pets.

People who adopt dogs and cats from the local shelter do a wonderful service. I DO note, however, that many of them rarely miss an opportunity to advertise their good deeds which sort of takes away from it. They also frequently show a lack of appreciation or understanding that people who support a particular breed are working at the other end of the problem of throw away animals, i.e,, they are working to encourage responsible breeding practices to avoid the problem of throwaway animals in the first place.

I really wish local shelter rescuers wouldn't criticize those of us who focus on a particular breed when we are giving those dogs/cats good homes and being responsible pet owners. Of course it is important to give homes to throw away animals. It is also important to instill good breeding practices resulting in healthier, wanted animals. It is akin to having children by choice when you can afford it, emotionally and financialy vs. popping out babies year after year simply because you don't have anything else to do for entertainment.

You can focus on responsible breeding practices when you are working within a breed rather than focusing on rescuing animals that wouldn't exist in the first place if people were breeding responsibly. Until and unless there is a change in attitude about breeding, there will be a never ending stream of animals heading for the shelters and many of the dogs who end up there will have health problems that could be avoided with responsible breeding practices in place.

We're getting there, East Coast Okie. I know it's frustrating, but keep in mind there are people on both sides of the issue who are open-minded and understanding. The group I work with has numerous volunteers who also have breed-specific interests, but when they represent our rescue, they are 100% on the side of the rescue (spay/neuter education, etc). There will always be those who are "die hards" and can be bad representations, but I think acceptance of other organizations, especially breed-specific rescues, is becoming more of the norm.

I'm also really pleased to hear that people like BradR are willing to take in those strays...we need people in this world who are willing to give those animals homes. It beats the heck out of those pets ending up in the shelter and possibly being euthanized. Some folks are willing to pay some money to adopt and some aren't...that's fine. I'm pleased we have both in this world when there are so many unwanted animals out there.

The passion you all have about your pets & the futures of other animals makes me smile. :) Thanks to you all for being so great!