Advice about stray cat

16 years ago

There's quite a stray population in the neighborhood I live in now. I actually thought at first they were all ferals, as they would not let me come anywhere near them. But I met one maybe a month ago who isn't... He (I think) was trying to get inside the house of these two ladies who feed them in their garage. They leave the garage door open just enough for cats to squeeze in underneath. They can't take him in, but they offered him to me. I said no, I think my cat would like to be an only.

Well, since then, I see him fairly regularly, in the company of another cat who is much more skittish. He will come to me when I call him, and he will headbutt and rub against my hand or legs. And the last time I pet him, he tried to grab my arm and "bite"... that not really biting thing that cats do.

Maybe he knows that I've actually been thinking of adopting a second cat. Evil little manipulator : )

So, some questions. My kitty came to me by claiming me and deciding she was going to live with me (she wouldn't take no for an answer : ) Thing is, she'd been declawed by her previous owner. I'm fairly certain stray kitty is not declawed, as he's holding his own in fights. I will not have a cat declawed. Will this pose a problem to my kitty if he were to live here? Secondly, I know that my cat lived with another cat for a number of years. He was outside with her too, although he didn't try nearly as hard to come in. He wasn't around when my now ex-boyfriend finally consented to let my cat in, but showed up a week later. When we tried to take him in too, my cat was distressed. Not hissing or fighting but not happy. He decided to leave anyway (my neighbor eventually took him in). Does this mean she really doesn't want to share her space with another?

If I did decide to take him in, how would I even go about it? He would obviously need vet care, for one. I have no idea if he'd tolerate being handled, as in picked up. And how would I quarantine him while waiting to see if he had any diseases that could be passed on to my cat? He's been in fights, his face is often scratched up, and I think he's been outside for a while. But he seems to like people, and he's plumped up from being fed. Well, he seems to like me, and the two ladies who feed him. He's still inclined to be slinky and sneak away from other people.

Lastly, he appears to be the dominant cat, as I've witnessed him batting the other skittish cat to put him/her in their place. He's bolder, will approach me (while the other runs away), and all around gives the impression of more cat confidence. My cat is also very confident, and probably was the more dominant of the pair when she was outside with her former pal. Are these two likely to clash?

Eh, I have more questions, but maybe I'll wait till I get some answers first : )

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Comments (3)

annzgw
16 years ago
The dominant personality you're seeing in the male is because he's a Tom......IOW's, he's not neutered. I think there will be no guarantees as to how this cat will adapt to living inside, and I wouldn't even attempt it until he's first tested and then neutered.

Once he's neutered, he'll no longer be the dominate cat of the neighborhood.
irishdancersgram
16 years ago
This will take lots of patience...If you can get him in a carrier or crate, get him to the vets for a good over all and neutering...Now the fun begins! If you have a spare bed room, laundry room or any room that you can keep the door closed will work...Make him as comfortable as possible and has all the essentials...Also, important, it to spend as much time in that room as possible, playing with him, talking or just sitting with him. Letting him get used to being inside and around you...And while your doing this, don't let your other kitty feel neglected...She will know there's someone new in the house just by smelling his scent on your clothes...Let them "visit" under the door and it would be great if you could some how put up a screen or glass and they could see each other that way...After awhile, and it might take a while, put them together but be sure you're right there. There's always hissing etc., but usually after awhile, they will become best of friends. I've been rescuing and taming cats/kittens for years and there is really no set advice...Each one is different...Bless you for being so caring and wanting to help this furbaby...There's something about a rescued cat..I honestly think most of them are more loving and make great, lifelong pets....Good luck
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quinnfyre
Original Author
16 years ago
Actually, I don't know if the cat is even male. That would've required more attention to the cat's rear end than I've had any opportunity to have. : ) I'm only calling the cat a 'he' because the two ladies were referring to him as a male. I don't know if they paid any more attention to his rear end than I have, because I've only managed to talk to them that one time. Anyway, whatever I do, I'll have to consult a variety of people first... roommate, the two ladies, and the landlord... I'm cleared for one cat at the moment, and she's a laid back little girl. In any case, if I don't end up being the one to adopt him, I'd like someone to, because he's pretty friendly and awfully cute. An orange tabby and white, with ice blue eyes. Actually, I'd like someone to adopt the other one too, but that one seems more challenging, due to that one's skittishness.

The reason why I think he might adapt to living inside pretty well, is because he really seems like he belonged to someone at one point, and he was trying really hard to get into the two ladies' house. My kitty did the same thing, parking outside my door and meowing, and she clearly did not belong outside, although she was coping really well for a cat with no front claws.

Sooo, first step seems to be, talk to the two ladies about him, and see if we can coordinate a vet trip for well, both the kitties, I guess. No sense in taking in the one cat and not the other. Hmmm, I'll have to see how much money I have and how to go about this.

The one weird thing is that I haven't seen the bunch of strays that were around last year. There were at least five I saw regularly. They were not friendly at all. Someone else (not the two ladies) was providing them with a bit of shelter and some food, but I always heard them fighting and saw them hiding under cars. These two I've been talking about seem to be new, only started seeing them this year. So maybe they did belong to someone, who dumped them a few months ago. I wonder what happened to the other strays, though...

Oh, to make it easier, I'm going to start calling them by names. The ladies call the orange and white Freckles. The other one I'll call Gray (unoriginal - he/she's a gray tuxedo).

Advice about stray cat

Comments (3)

annzgw

irishdancersgram

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quinnfyre
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Advice about stray cat

Comments (3)

annzgw

irishdancersgram

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quinnfyreOriginal Author

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quinnfyre
Original Author