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- Feb 5, 2010
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I come seeking guidance.
I walked outside three days ago to find four pieces of cat poop next to my door. I thought that was strange, since our family cat, Cat, is an inside cat. Later that evening, the owner, I assume, of those poops came to my door crying. A cat who I've noticed around the neighborhood before was sitting at my door, meowing a very plaintive meow, looking up as though she were waiting to be let in. She wouldn't go away. Eventually the crying was too much for me so I put out some food & water and a box with some towels in it. She ate & drank & meowed some more but eventually either left or stayed quiet in the box.
The next evening at about the same time she was back. Gave her some more food & water but she continued to cry at the door for a few hours off & on.
Bright & early this morning, she's still there, still asking to come in. My heart is breaking for this little thing.
She looks well cared for, well fed atleast. She doesn't run away from me when I go out. Infact, I went to check the mail & she followed me to the mailbox & back. So she's belonged to someone; like I said, I've seen her in the neighborhood over the couple of years we've lived here. Why is she at my house now??
The reason we haven't brought her in, and all five of us really want to let her join our family, is we have an older cat, Cat, who came with the house when we bought it. She's a lovely lady, about 8 years old, who is so gentle and patient with my three children; even the toddler, who isn't always as gentle as we are trying to teach her to be. I worry that bringing another cat into the household will be too stressful for her. Her previous owner had her declawed, so we keep her in the house at all times. However, she escaped once and came back with a terrible bite that was quite painful and required some painful treatment. So she can't really even defend herself, should a new cat start a fight. I know that her previous owner had a small dog, so at one time she was sharing her space with another animal.
We want the let this cat, who my girls are already calling Elizabeth (don't even know if she's a girl, though. How can I tell?), into our family & out of the cold, but we're worried about our cat. Is it possible to introduce a new adult cat to our adult cat? Is it very difficult?
Assuming we are able to introduce the two & they can get along, will I be able to teach "Elizabeth" to use the litter box? Like I said, Cat came with the house & already had her potty place; she taught us more than we had to teach her!
Since Elizabeth is an outside cat, does she have to remain so? Is it cruel to keep a cat indoors? Can I let one cat out to play but keep the other one locked in?
Thank you for your help!
I walked outside three days ago to find four pieces of cat poop next to my door. I thought that was strange, since our family cat, Cat, is an inside cat. Later that evening, the owner, I assume, of those poops came to my door crying. A cat who I've noticed around the neighborhood before was sitting at my door, meowing a very plaintive meow, looking up as though she were waiting to be let in. She wouldn't go away. Eventually the crying was too much for me so I put out some food & water and a box with some towels in it. She ate & drank & meowed some more but eventually either left or stayed quiet in the box.
The next evening at about the same time she was back. Gave her some more food & water but she continued to cry at the door for a few hours off & on.
Bright & early this morning, she's still there, still asking to come in. My heart is breaking for this little thing.
She looks well cared for, well fed atleast. She doesn't run away from me when I go out. Infact, I went to check the mail & she followed me to the mailbox & back. So she's belonged to someone; like I said, I've seen her in the neighborhood over the couple of years we've lived here. Why is she at my house now??
The reason we haven't brought her in, and all five of us really want to let her join our family, is we have an older cat, Cat, who came with the house when we bought it. She's a lovely lady, about 8 years old, who is so gentle and patient with my three children; even the toddler, who isn't always as gentle as we are trying to teach her to be. I worry that bringing another cat into the household will be too stressful for her. Her previous owner had her declawed, so we keep her in the house at all times. However, she escaped once and came back with a terrible bite that was quite painful and required some painful treatment. So she can't really even defend herself, should a new cat start a fight. I know that her previous owner had a small dog, so at one time she was sharing her space with another animal.
We want the let this cat, who my girls are already calling Elizabeth (don't even know if she's a girl, though. How can I tell?), into our family & out of the cold, but we're worried about our cat. Is it possible to introduce a new adult cat to our adult cat? Is it very difficult?
Assuming we are able to introduce the two & they can get along, will I be able to teach "Elizabeth" to use the litter box? Like I said, Cat came with the house & already had her potty place; she taught us more than we had to teach her!
Thank you for your help!
