ok now I have a serious problem

i've posted this here as well as a few pics. But last year I had a cat come to my door. i thought he was thin so i started feeding him. he came back a lot. Then i was out side petting him one day and the neighbor drove up, I asked 'is this your cat' and she said yes. Turns out he's 13 years old, and she just lets him out all the time. Not a problem here because we're in kind of a rural area of Hot Springs and generally people are nice.

Over time I started to notice he was thin. i could feel all his bones in his back. I couldn't see hir ribs, but i think he's a maine coon or something. Don't know cat species well. So since he has long hair I can't see his ribs

Over time he began coming to me for all his food. that cat ate 3 cans of wet food PER DAY. I finally started getting him fattened up to where I felt he was healthy. Whew!!

I have surveilance cameras outside and I'm on my PC almost always. so when he comes around I see him and I'll run out to say hi, pet him and get the tics off him (every day he gets tics but I found some stuff that is a chemical put it on the tic and they back out.). Sometimes I'd miss them and they'd get as big as a grape before falling off!

Anyway, it got cold so i made a shelter. the neighber left him outside in nights where it was low teens. I can't take him in because i've got too many cats and it's hard enough. add a long hair scaring my wimpy cats to death and it just wouldn't work. But I did make a nice bed with a heated cat pad outside (an outdoor cat hours). He came in a lot.

once it warmed up I put more cushy stuff in and he comes in every day now. Sleeps there all day. it's strange. when his owners pull up in the drive way,. he backs in his cat house so they don't see him. They must be mean.

ANyway. i llove him, he's 13 so he's old but such a great cat.

Two weeks ago I noticed the neighbors collecting boxes and it dawned on me they were moving. It concerned me. I asked the lady and she confirmed it. They were leaving to a new house, about 15 miles away. She said she'd bring sebastian over to me so i could say goodbye. which I knew she wouldn't, and didn't. but i knew when they were leaving so sebastian and I had a long talk about how to be a good kitty and find food. He was left out for days at a time so I worried.

couple weeks went by and I started getting a new friend. He's a frail feral cat. no question he's feral. he's dirty, skinny, and HORRIBLY shy. he'd come by before, but sebastian would chase him away. id' go outside and hold sebastian off, and the feral would chow down two full cans of food in a few minutes. sit down, burp and fart for a while then run away.

Over time he's gotten much more trusting of me now, and he's sleeping in sebastians's old bed. He's frail but I can see he's getting better so i'm ok.

Last night sebastian showed back up. ugh.... I know what happened. he ran away because he got hungry and was left alone. a 13 year old cat found his way back to me. Now of course the feral is afraid again and won't come around. and i can't get sebastian in the house. I feed him and he's outside. I don't even know my neighbor's names, anf rankly it wouldn't matter. theyd pick him up and he'd just run back.

So I don't knnow what to do now. The rescue groups are full and won't take either of them, an d I can't....

ugh. going to be a long summer.

here's sebastian.



any advice is welcomed

He picked you.  Keep doing what you are doing.  It is working.

HUGS!

He is gorgeous..The two kitties will come to an understanding.  Keep doing what you are.  Sebastian went through a lot to get back to you.  I feed two ferals who actually have become best friends.  Perhaps this will happen with your two.  Then they will both keep warmer together.

You sure have a good heart to be such a friend to them.

I know it's a pain and expense, but could you set up two different shelters and areas so they would each have their own space?

Sebastian is one handsome cat!

He is beautiful --- and he must love you a lot to find his way back to you.   I hope you can make provisions for both cats and maybe they'll never get along, but at least they'll be safe, happy and well fed.

Thank you for being so caring.

He came back to you because he knows he can trust and rely on you. He has choosen you.  I think the feral and Sebastian will sort thngs out.

Now that the feral has been fed and comfy in Sebastians bed, he will not be so easily run off. They ARE both neutered, yes? Gosh I hope so.

If not, there is your answer

Territorial fights, FIV, no good. They have to be fixed.

Otherwise they will work it out, but try giving each their own space, especially for feeding. Good luck!

I once had a situation much like yours but I did something I'm embarrassed to admit, but what the hell...

The owner was so bad to this teenaged kitten that when they were about to move, me and the neighbor across the street catnapped this guy and hid him away until they were long gone.

Bless for taking care of these cats. They both need you. And since Sebastian has come back "home" I'd say he has chosen you. And thank goodness for that!

Catnapping. Well, that's how we got both Whisper and her sister, Bootser. Bootser came over to us first, followed a few nights later by her sister. We brought them both into the house....quite frankly, we just took them in the house, knowing that it would create a problem. The neighbor came over to us and there was a huge hassle about it. We denied everything, knowing full well that both girls could be seen outside from the bow window in the living room. We didn't care. They spent more time with us than with their owners anyway, their first family made them live outside and they'd come over to us, and we've never felt guilty about it at all. That was almost 18 years ago and both of them, now known as the Old Ladies, are still with us. Sometimes you just do what you have to do.

catwoman707 said:

Now that the feral has been fed and comfy in Sebastians bed, he will not be so easily run off. They ARE both neutered, yes? Gosh I hope so.

If not, there is your answer

Territorial fights, FIV, no good. They have to be fixed.

Otherwise they will work it out, but try giving each their own space, especially for feeding. Good luck!

I once had a situation much like yours but I did something I'm embarrassed to admit, but what the hell...

The owner was so bad to this teenaged kitten that when they were about to move, me and the neighbor across the street catnapped this guy and hid him away until they were long gone.

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I know Sebastian is neutered but I don't know about the feral. I don't even know if it's a boy. He's far too timid for me to even pet. I can get to about 15 feet from him/her but only when I've got a bowl of food . It's a process. Over time he'll get more comfy. he's already progressed a lot, just popping into sebastians bed. i was surprised he was that brave. poor little thing, he's tiny and when he meows for the food it sounds really graty like he's sick. But I don't think he is. his eyes aren't running and his nose is clear. that's about all I can see right now, but as I draw him in i'll put him in a carrier and have the vet give him/her a good health check to make sure he's ok.

Winchester said:

Bless for taking care of these cats. They both need you. And since Sebastian has come back "home" I'd say he has chosen you. And thank goodness for that!

Catnapping. Well, that's how we got both Whisper and her sister, Bootser. Bootser came over to us first, followed a few nights later by her sister. We brought them both into the house....quite frankly, we just took them in the house, knowing that it would create a problem. The neighbor came over to us and there was a huge hassle about it. We denied everything, knowing full well that both girls could be seen outside from the bow window in the living room. We didn't care. They spent more time with us than with their owners anyway, their first family made them live outside and they'd come over to us, and we've never felt guilty about it at all. That was almost 18 years ago and both of them, now known as the Old Ladies, are still with us. Sometimes you just do what you have to do.

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I'll tell ya, if I was in a different living situation I'd have brought him inside months ago. But I can't. My sister got sick with Cancer a couple years ago so i prolonged my stay at my mothers to tend to the family. After she died I told my mom I was going to move and she got real upset. I'm the only child she's got left and my dad is long gone. SO i figured I'd stay and keep her company until she passes. She's 70 now. I pay most of her bills and it makes it so much easier for her. basically I just pay things like it's my place. but it's hers.

Anyway, she has asthma and is allergic to cats. I had already lost my two, but once I got settled in here I found out they were both sick and not eating at the rescue I put them in. sp through a coordinated effort and a long haul (3 different drop offs and pick ups) I drove 400 miles to pick them up after the other people got them to me. From Phoenix to Hot Springs ar is about 1200 miles.

since it's not an ideal situation I decided I'd put them in the room and not let them around my mom. So both adult cats are kept in my office/bedroom. There's just no way I could add another cat to that, and sebastian being a long hair, it would be too hard on my mom.

here's the closest I can get to him. he hides under the car too.

Both cats are beautiful  I think he's telling you, his home is with you

Ok he's totally stinkin cute...handsome devil. Jeez..

Feral is very unlikely fixed, he would surely have an ear tipped so people would know.

Female, only a matter of time, male, still driven by the hormone thing.

I don't know if he will ever go into a carrier like that, you would need to use a trap.

As for Cute dude in the pic, is there anyway you might create a way for him to go in and out of your room, or are your 2 indoors only?

BTW, how impressive driving all that way to save your 2 kids, you rock! 

I agree with everyone else; Sebastian chose you---now you're stuck with that handsome guy.

The 'new' feral might decide human contact is great, he/she might not.  At least he/she knows where there's food and shelter, and that's wonderful.  Keep doing what you're doing; Sebastian and the feral will adapt to each other.

I do have to add that Sebastian is extremely lucky to have reached his teenage years.  It doesn't sound as if his original people really gave a hoot about his welfare.

What a beautiful boy?

OH WOW, first off Sebastian is just a gorgeous kitty.... and that red tabby kitty is STINKIN CUTE :lol3: I agree with Catwoman707 !!! I would do what you can for them. I think Sebastian is there to stay and you have been chosen. Much luck with your plans to rescue both of these beautiful cats. :rub: :rub:

catwoman707 said:

 

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I agree! That's all I have to add.

Wow...this cat loves you. I agree that the two ferals will work it out.

Thanks again everyone. It's a labor of love but you know that.

I also help the TNR efforts around here for the ferals/strays. the really only bad part is you start to wish you could take them all in.

I know they'll both be ok. i am a little concerned today. the feral started coming around much more, and was eating a ton of food which made me happy. but he's not come around for almost a day. I'm sure he just found an adventure to go on, I just hate that I don't know how he is.

cats are pretty awesome. Actually dogs are too, ferrets and everything else. i love ALL animals. if I had a nice big back yard I'd have dogs too, but it's just not feasible.

I hear you - my feral boy has only been here twice this week. He's not coming enough right now that I can even trap him to get him vetted/neutered! (Once that's done then he can have all the "adventures" he wants but I really want to get that taken care of ASAP).

They are both beautiful cats! Bless you for helping them both.
 

It is tough on our hearts when they disappear like that. Your really are an animal lover and I wish you much luck with these kitties. I really, really hope that you can get them rescued :cross: More of these coming those kitties way today.....