I truely believe that, sometimes ... a pet chooses us.

If you're not open to it, you won't even notice.

Hi Dottie,

You may want to check into some of the low- cost clinics for getting the kitty fixed. They also offer shots- We have a mobile clinic that we can use for all of the animals shots now. Of course if anything were to happen we would take them to our regular vet.

Call one of the shelters in your area, they can tell you where they are.

Trish in SC

My cat goes outside but he is pretty much an indoor cat. The circumstances you describe are pretty much how I came about having him down to the two kittens and the stray mama. I had told my daughter I was thinking of looking for a couple of mousers and she was visiting her Daddy and his wife and his wife is the neighbor that gets all the strays and this cat had two kittens in their woodpile....so I said sure bring them on but they ended up only being able to catch one ...He is the love of my life...and a good indoor cat.

If you are thinking of doing this, do it ASAP. What if something happened to the cat in the meantime? That would be awful. Call a vet or a rescue and ask how to go about getting the cat adjusted to indoor life, I bet your neighbor would feed and scoop the kitty when you travel=-no kennel costs!

What are you going to name him/her??? ***grin***

Trin

Dottie we lost our treasured 21 year old siamese cat "Ming" just about 3 years ago. We were so devastated, he was older than two of my children! I too said no more but this past October I found two siamese kitten who are sisters and they stole my heart. We have a vet who recognizes that some people DO keep their pets indoors and so he offers reduced vacinations for those pets but does warn they should not go out. We will save up and have them spayed over the next year. It is costly but we have always had our pets spayed/neutered.
For me...it was the right time to get them I guess, they are really lovely personalities. Good luck with your descision.

I worked at a university in CA that had lots of feral cats on campus. Eventually the new administration said the cats had to go. Various employees trapped the cats and took them home as indoor pets. The folks I spoke with said the cats adjusted and became very loving.

Dottie--Undecided????? I think you made your decision! LOL

Culver would be a cute name!!

I had my darling Peaches put to sleep about 15 yrs ago & said NO MORE PETS! I'm now the proud owner of THREE stray cats! Love them to pieces!

Donna (^_^)

My kitten is one of a litter that was born in the garage at DD's former home. All found a home plus the mama. This one we couldn't catch. They had to move and we finally caught him and brought him. From then on he became more and more friendly.
As winter approached, I bought litter supplies and brought him inside.
I was shocked that he has NEVER gone to the bathroom anywhere but in his covered box.
Now that the family has moved out...he drives me nuts! Since I was the one giving him attention and feeding, he'd follow me around.
He is such a lap cat now, I can't hardly get him away from me.
He'll be a year in April.
He's long hair, gray, white, black.
Di

My one comment is that even if you decide not to take it, wouldn't it be better to have it fixed anyway? You know what's gonna happen!

That said, I too think "Culver" has chosen you. It's kind of wooded in your area isn't it? Remember the late Larry "Bud" Melmin of the David Letterman Show? His name was Calvert DeForest.... Culvert DeForest... is that a little spooky?????? More than a coincidence perhaps???

My sister had a cat come to her house and chose her. She made the poor thing weather a terrible winter before finally giving in to her the next summer. My cousin did the same thing. They were chosen. And it's an honor.

Think of it this way: This way if you're feeling "gray" it could be a good thing! Better than feeling 'blue"!

One thing, these don't sound like feral cats, especially with "Culvert" came up to you like s/he did. (BTW, the translation there was what's for dinner mom???) I'm sure they'll adjust to indoor life just fine. And I'm sure they'll like the furnace at this time of year. You might start with him/her in the basement if you have one. But I don't think you'll need to.

I have some pet food coupons I could mail you! :D

You are so kind. Couldn't you kind-of adopt the cat but keep it outside? It sounds like it trusts/likes you. Some people say with ferals the best thing is trap-spay-release. Just prevent them from reproducing. Enjoy it while you can. I know me-when my current cat goes (she's 17 and in pretty bad health) I will definitely get a kitten.

The first thing I would do is get the kittens blood work. If they have feline leukemia you might change your mind.
Dottie - go for it.
Kathy (waving catladylike - lol)

I also believe that pets sometimes choose their owners. My brother just had his kitten neutered at the local animal shelter and it was only $40.00 compared to over $300.00 at the vet.

As hard as it is to let a pet go - look at all the years of loving you'll receive.

Barbara

Oh, Dottie- we have three cats- we adopted one, Ara. Elmo adpoted us, and Stewie was left over from a litter whose mother adopted my grandmother. I think those cats have already adopted you and your neighbor. Cats know a "sucker" when they meet one.

Janie, who is a sucker with three furballs waiting on her to go to bed!

Sooooooo, Dottie..... any news???

OK, update.....I feel soooooo darn sorry for these two cats, in this frigid weather. Like I said our neighbor, Ray is the one who started feeding them last summer and is the one who regularly feeds them, twice a day. He has sort-of tamed one of them, but the other one is really wild. he said when they come out of the culvert they live in to eat and he can pick up the sort-of tamed one, it is nice and warm, so I think they are doing OK, there. I wish I could pay just to have them fixed and then let them go, but catching them would be a problem. We have decided we would not be taking in another pet. besides the Vet expense, we have the worry of what would happen if it out lived us. DH is almost 80 and I'm almost 73. That was a worry when our kitty, Baby was still alive, what would happen to her if we were gone. My Daughter said if nothing else, this spring she would take the one cat if Ray adopted the other one, but she lives in MPLS, and already has 8 or 9 cats. If we can catch them, we would pay to take them to a no-kill shelter in a city near here. So that is where it all is right now, at least for today, guess we don't know what tomorrow will bring. Thanks for asking, Cynic. Dottie

Hopefully, someone will be able to get them to a vet/clinic before they start having litters....There are so many different agencies that help with this...I went through Alley Cat and in turn found a wonderful volunteer run clinic near by that spays/neuters and gives shots, all for a donation...This is for anyone that can trap ferals and then return them to the colony...Right now, we are taking care of 3 ferals that now live on our back porch...And inside I have 3 that were feral born and run and hide at the sight of an open door....
I volunteered with a no/kill organization and helped in trapping many ferals and then taming them and what a wonderful feeling to give these fur babies a good life...
Dottie, I know how you feel, I'm almost 71 and do worry about these fur babies, but in the mean time, love every minute with them.....
Good luck and bless you for caring

Can you call your local shelter and ask if they know of any volunteers who might be able to trap the kitties? That's a tough situation you are in and I feel for you (and them!)