I see that you just registered today - welcome to GardenWeb, brand-new poster.

Sounds like your father has no intention of taking the cat back. I suppose you could take him to small claims court, but there are expenses with that and no guarantee you would win anything, or if he would pay if you did. Do you have access to family counseling?

If you really truly cannot afford to care for the cat you may want to look for a rescue/foster group in your area that would take her. A Google search for cat rescue and the name of your state should give you some contact information.

Thanks petaloid! I feel bad for the cat ya know? He found her somewhere, then immediately brought her to me. The poor cat is deaf, so I feel horrid trying to give her up, but I truly can't afford her plus the 2 dogs I have. (along with vet bills for all 3)
I've tried to find her a home on my own, but it seems no one wants a deaf cat.
No I don't have access to family counseling, not that he would go if I did. (I should have known better than to let him drop her here, he's had a history of abandoning animals, but thats a whole 'nother story)
Thanks for the imput though, I'm going to check into it. Thanks again.

I'm sorry you are having family dynamics like that. There must be some sort of empathy in your Dad, or he wouldn't have rescued the cat in the first place. (Try to hold that thought, even though you must be really ticked to be taken advantage of).

Many people don't mind adopting a deaf cat. One of my children had a deaf, blue-eyed, white cat and I guess that's not too unusual for snow white cats to be deaf. Its disability had no impact at all on its ability to function or give love.

Yes, try to find a rescue group or shelter, and I give you credit for helping the animal out to this point and considering your ability to afford it in your decision. It's the responsible thing to do.

Yeah this cat is solid white with blue eyes. beautiful cat. I've heard that solid white cats carry the trait to be either blind or deaf.

When I was a kid we adopted the neighbor's cat. He was pure white with green eyes and completely deaf.

We named him Beethoven. He was friendly and a very good pet -- his deafness was not a problem.

I sure hope you can find some way to keep that kitty, or find her a good home.

Inside cats with disabilities can get along just fine. Have you seen the youtube videos of Oskar the Blind Kitten? He has no idea he has any kind of barrier.
Oskar the Blind Kitten
Oskar vs the Christmas Tree (Oskar wins!)

No k8orlando I haven't, but I am about to! I'm thinking that I am just going to keep the cat.....I've been thinking that, she's been here for months now, and is used to being here, used to me and my dogs, and gets along well with them. So I am saving pennies where I can to go get her shots and get her spayed....Still debating on having her declawed though...I've heard bad stories about having cats declawed. What is everyone's opinion?

Oh geez.....declawing is a very controversial subject here!
IMO, it's cruel and inhumane and there are other options if the cat is trying to use your furniture to sharpen claws.

Instead of putting your money in vet bills buy a couple of cat scratching posts (nice large ones!)and set them in areas the cat frequently strolls by or wherever she tends to hang out in the house. See the link below to see my cat's favorite.
If you want to keep her out of a certain area, check out the Scat Mats.

It may have been mentioned earlier, but try calling local rescues and Humane Societies and ask if there are any low-cost spay clinics in your area.

Here is a link that might be useful: Scratching Post

Please don't have her declawed. The only declawed cat I ever had (it was done by a previous owner) would bite really hard, and I hear that is a very common result.

My cats have gotten used to me trimming their nails every two weeks with my own nail clipper (they know they will get a treat aftewards). Small cardboard scratching blocks are cheap enough, and my kitties like them.

To me, having her spayed would be a priority. There may be a low-cost spay/neuter facility in your area, as annz suggested.

My cats over the years have always preferred just a sturdy corregated cardboard box for their scratching. I bought all the fancy stuff, and they ended up demolishing boxes I'd have around when doing household projects and peeing on their scratching posts, so even though it's ugly....they have a box handy. The up side is they're free and can be disposed of when they get gross. LOL.

So tell me, you've had this cat for months now....and you should know by now, is furniture demoliton an issue? If it isn't by now, it's not likely going to be.

Thank you for asking! Pls do not declaw - more than just the claw is removed, it would be like removing all your fingertips up to the first joint. More so than dogs, cats use their paws/claws a lot like hands - playing, grabbing things. Some cats have personality changes that aren't good. Some develop litterbox problems because they learn to associate digging in the box with pain in their paws (post-surgery). It's not uncommon to lose muscle tone in their backs because they are not stretching and working the back muscles as they should.

Instead - teach cat to enjoy having her paws carressed and massaged - press the pad to push claws in and out - work this into your cuddle routines. My boys from the shelter couldn't stand having their paws touched at first but now they just LOVE a good foot massage - who doesn't, really??? Do this before you attempt to clip the claws. After you get them tolerating claw clipping, you can keep the claws trimmed very short, but be very careful to never to cut the pink vein. This takes away part (not all) of the impulse to claw furniture, the other part of the equation is having something like a scratching post to use in place of the furniture. Not enough to just yell at the cat to stop - have to redirect.

Cats claw to leave their mark - there are scent glands around the claws so they are leaving their scent and I think a shredded couch actually looks good to a cat. In the wild scratches on trees would've been a warning to other cats entering their territory.

Around doorways is a favorite place to claw. Instead of using scratching posts we tacked up carpet on the wood framing of some door ways. Whatever you use, cats should be able to stretch full length when they claw or they won't like it.

Part of my strategy too fwiw - furniture that isn't so attractive to cats - eg bamboo couch/chair with smooth fabric cushions instead of a nubby texture upholstered couch.

Calliope: she hasn't torn anything up yet, but I do catch her sometimes using the furniture as a scratching post. I have one of those $3 wal-mart jobbies with catnip on it, and she does use that mostly. I just don't want to take a chance onanything getting torn up at all.

Sooo.....My aunt called me today. She says that she spoke to my dad and asked him if he was going to come here and get his cat, and he told her he had no intention of getting the cat back. Sooo....looks like I have a cat. No real surprise there.
BTW: Does anyone know how to post pics on here?

In addition to the post I linked to earlier, the other scratching post my cat uses is linked below. Its only drawback is it needs to be against a wall/door/chair or an over active cat can knock it over.
Those two posts, in addition to a couple of the cardboard scratchers, keep my cat occupied.
BTW, she won't go near a carpet scratcher so you may have to try different types to see what your cat prefers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Scratching Post

Annz: She seems to have taken an interest in my lamp shades. (all of them) And is one by one tearing them up. I have scratching posts and pads for her to scratch on.

I took Snowflake to have her fixed yesterday. After I brought her home, she was hissing at the dogs and acting like she was scared of me. This morning I opened the door to check on her (after she started hissing I put her and her stuff in the 2nd bedroom) and she was back to her normal self (thankfully :)) The vet told me that she was still in heat when she was fixed so she might still act like she's in heat for another week, but that she will come out of it and be her usual happy and cheerful self. I didn't have her declawed, I figured that if she ever made another escape she would need some sort of defense, and I am currently thinking about adopting another kitty. Just wanted to share that with everyone.

Thanks for letting us know. That's great that you had her fixed, and I'm glad she is calming down now.