That statement makes not sense.

Oh come on, spending a fortune on vets bills and having that time to
care for a special cat can't be compared with the cost of internet access.

Obviously this is a very special person who has done this much for him
already and probably homes strays often but a cat with these troubles is
certainly difficult to home.  Well done on his rescue I hope you find a
him the home he deserves.

Says the moron who can't take care of two stray cats hanging around his
apartment, yet who has the money for a "Radio Station for Cats".

Lotte, what you're doing is amazing and beyond commendable. Please don't
take Cat Protector seriously -- he's the official Village Idiot of
rec.pets.cats.health+behav -- with alarming regularity he makes asinine
statements with no forethought whatsoever. Do a Google search of his
posting history and all will become crystal clear.

I hope you find a home for your kitty.

eq

If I understand correctly, she doesn't wish to "exchange" him for a healthy
cat. Rescue people have X amount of slots available for rescues. She has
offered to free up one of those slots by taking a "healthy, adoptable" cat to
make room for her special needs cat. It sounds like she is desperately trying
to create a space in this world for this cat with less-than-desirable health
issues. She has already specified her requirements on the outdoor issue--which
are reasonable by far.
To the OP: Good luck with your kitty. Bless you for helping him. I shudder to
think where he'd be if you hadn't taken him in.
Sherry

In answer to all the questions:

"Outdoor" issue -- since he's incontinent, I think demanding that he
be kept indoors will limit his chances of finding a good home.  I have
seen a lot of creative outdoor enclosures for cats, as well as outdoor
situations that are safe for cats.  In the ideal world, I'd love for
him to live with someone who would keep him indoors at all times, but
I realize that in his case it's going to have to be a compromise
between ideal situations and reality.  As I said on the website, I'm
not going to give him to someone who's going to let him roam around on
busy roads, and I am ONLY open to him living outdoors provided it's a
safe situation.  I know that by living outdoors, even in a "safe"
situation, he will be exposed to dangers, but I have to balance that
with his situation -- I would not like to see him live his life out in
a 24 X 36 kennel, which would really have to be the case if someone
were going to keep him in their house at all times.  Now, if someone
wanted to dedicate a "cat room" in their house, and commit to cleaning
it, that might be an interesting idea.  I have also seen old
outbuildings converted to cat-houses, and it's even possible to build
cat-proof fences for the really dedicated.

On the "why don't you keep him" issue -- I would love to keep him, but
I have 3 other cats (all indoor-only, in our 700 SF house), one of
whom is elderly with extensive health issues, and I simply cannot take
on another one without their care suffering.  I owe them the best care
I can give them, and my funds, attention span and energy are limited.
Again, in an ideal world, I would have endless resources, and none of
this would be an issue, but, sadly, that is not the reality.  I have
already spent over $700 on his rescue, which is more than I have spent
on my other cats this year all together.  I haven't had a full night's
sleep since I rescued him, and my other cats are already showing signs
of stress and anxiety from not getting enough of my attention.  It's a
tough decision, but, for me, it's the right one.

Thanks everyone for reading and posting.  I will let you know how
things turn out --

Lotte

Oh, I forgot to answer one of the other questions -- I'm willing to
exchange him for a healthy cat, because I have a family that wanted to
take him, but could not because of his condition, and they suggested I
"swap" him and they would adopt whoever I swapped him for.  I did
something similar with an FELV-positive feral I trapped a year or so
ago -- FELV-positive kitty went to a shelter with a colony of other
FELV-positive cats, and I ended up keeping the "swap-ee" who is even
now demanding his dinner -- LV

I admire and support Best Friends but wonder that they claim to never turn
away a needy animal.  Surely they have no choice but to turn down MOST of
the animals brought to their attention -- like any "no-kill" shelter they
are always full, with requests for admission far exceeding adoptions.

Mind you, this is NOT meant in criticism of Best Friends, which is one of
my favorite nonprofits.  They are one of the few organizations that speak
out for the welfare of feral cats and even take in a few in their fraidy
cat sanctuary.

Sharon Talbert
Friends of Campus Cats

M.L. -- Best Friends has sent out a notice to their network members
within my state, and I've gotten a couple of responses.  I'm going to
wait a bit to see if any of them pan out, and if they don't, then I'll
ask B.F. to send notices out to all the states.  If THAT doesn't pan
out, then I'll start wheeling and dealing.  This might sound weird,
but I've been considering writing my will to leave my estate to a
rescue organization -- I don't have any kids, so I can't imagine a
better place for it to go.  Not like it's going to be a huge amount of
money or anything, once they pay off all my debts and vet bills, har
har!  Anyway, thanks for the suggestions, I'll keep it in mind if
things get down to the wire.  I'll keep the group posted on what
happens -- Lotte