Heartbroken cat can't move on after co-worker dumps her for being too expensive to move with, kind couple rescues her and tries everything to make her happy, but they end up in need of advice: 'What can we do to help her?'

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    "Need Advice: Saved a cat from e*thanasia and she’s heartbroken"

    Image of a cat in a pet carrier.
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    I've had cats before, so I'm not new to cats or anything, but I am in need of some very specific advice. Backstory is below.
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    A few weeks ago, a coworker of mine went around the office to see if anyone would be interested in adopting or fostering one of his cats. He's going overseas and since our company is paying for the relocation of two, he wasn't able to "justify"the funds needed to transport the third one.
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    Yesterday, I happened to be closing out some things towards the end of the day and saw him and asked, "were you able to rehome your cat?" And he said that he wasn't able to and he was unfortunately going to have. her euthanized because all (k | or no-k I) local shelters were full.
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    When he called, they had told him since they're at capacity he would basically be taking her there to be put down. He said that if I hadn't stopped to talk to him that he would've been on his way home to grab her. Serendipitous for sure. I asked him to stay for 20 minutes so I I can talk to my husband about it all.
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    If you frequent this sub, I think you'll know where this is going.... We spoke and agreed that we had to intervene and save her. We aren't in a position to keep her long-term, but even a foster is better than what was going to happen yesterday afternoon.
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    We don't have any other pets in the house and we were able to get her into our home safe and sound late yesterday evening. She's currently sitting in her carrier in our spare bathroom and expectedly, she's completely emotionally and physically shutdown. It's understandable. I know the 3-3-3 rule and I'm being mindful of it.
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    My question is what can we do to help her? I've never worked with a surrendered cat before and it's heartbreaking.
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    She's not spayed or microchipped and I'm wanting to do that as well as a general wellness exam as soon as possible. There's a low- cost spay/neuter place near me that does that and more, but I don't want to add to her distress.
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    TLDR; coworker surrendered their cat, I saved it, and am looking for advice to increase quality of life and security.
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    Image of a cat in a pet carrier.
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    babyeventhelosers_ I get the 3-3-3 thing, but trust if your intuition is telling you she would benefit from comfort. When my brand new kitten spent 8 hours tucked face-first into a corner of unpacked moving cr p in my living room, I gently removed him from there and sat with him on my lap. He let me pet him for quite some time (30 min?) and then I put him back in front of his corner when he started to move around more on my lap, probably wanting to hide again. And he did go back to his corner.
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    I went and set up the area under my bed for him to have more space and be near me but away from me. His food and litter box were placed nearby. Trust your instincts over your fears of what might happen if you fumble the 3-3-3. That's helpful information, but it's not a law and sometimes you need to go with your gut. She is heartbroken. You picked that up. Give her opportunities to find that she can trust you. She will come around, and she's going to love you for easing her fears after being aban
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    mightypint23 OP This is really helpful - thank you for taking the time to comment! I'm glad your lil man was able to come around too. It gives me hope! I'm just trying to do right by her and all the feelings I know she's feeling right now.
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    Image of a cat in a pet carrier.
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    brydeswhale Aw, jeez. I think the only thing you can do is be consistent, and let her approach you. She's going to be sad for a while, that's all.
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    mightypint23 OP I appreciate the advice! I checked on her this morning and gave her some very soft pets and spoke to her. She seemed okay with it for a little bit, but after a few minutes of me just sitting there and talking to her, she did the territorial whine/growl that they do in high- stress. Do you think I should keep the door closed for the first few days?
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    Image of a cat in a pet carrier.
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    FoxtrotMac Shes probably going to be sad for awhile. Her life just changed and it's going to be a minute to adjust. Also f that dude for deciding euthanasia was the best option. Thank you for saving her.
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    mightypint23 OP I know you're right, but I just feel so sadly for her. Yeah, dude definitely should have fought harder for this sweet girl, but fate intervened when it was supposed to and she's safe now!

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