- Joined
- Jul 2, 2012
- Messages
- 62
- Purraise
- 1
My Question:
I don't know how to make the stray I'm caring for happy by meeting his needs to roam while being safe (which is making it very difficult for the humans to sleep), I don't know if I can get a hold of his registered owner - who's listed number lead me to a very suspicious phone call and I can't tell if I'm being tricked into giving the cat to wrong person in a divorce, and I don't really want to bring him back to the local Humane Society shelter because I know how hard it is for an adult cat to get adopted. I'm torn because part of me really wants to keep him but the current situation isn't working while the other part of me wants to reunite him with his right owner but I can't tell if that's the right decision for him. Another part of me wants to update his shots, let him back out to his territory and bring him in during bad weather or whenever he wants but there's so many concerns with that idea.
Any ideas on what I should do or how I can safely cater to his needs? Open the windows is out because he tries popping out the screens and the balcony isn't safe for him because he keeps jumping on my banister and I'm on the 3rd floor. I give him supervised visits to the balcony but I can't do that at night. Also, I have 2 cats who are adjusting to him being there but he can't fully roam the apartment. They are giving him more and more opportunity every day though, so maybe he can in a week.
History:
I live in an apartment complex and my building is nestled in the edge of a forest, by a large dog park, and next to the garbage and recycle dumpsters. You can imagine what kind of animals lurk, or don't lurk, in my area.
One night about 6 weeks ago I decided to call a cat who's been watching me and see what he did. He came running towards me and rubbed himself madly against me - basically he was petting my hand with his head - and even kept asking for a tummy rub!! I lead him back to a unit I thought was his (in a different building) and the woman seemed happy to see him. She said his name was "Buddy" and that he had adopted her family when they moved into the unit. When I got back to my unit I found both my hands were black even though he's half white.
Up until last week I would spend time with him and periodically bring Buddy home when it was late and the winds were stormy. Each time a new person would answer the door and be less enthusiastic about me bringing Buddy back than the last. Then last week I saw Buddy out all day waiting by their back door, except when I went to take out the garbage. I thought that maybe they'd finally let him in. The next morning my roomie told me that Buddy was still out at 11pm during stormy winds. He appeared to be waiting for someone in our building.
We were pretty mad about that so we set up my roomie's bedroom and joining bathroom for Buddy. I got him into my unit fine and I scheduled a vet appointment for him to make sure he didn't have FeLV, fleas, etc.
He's healthy, other than a few fleas which is now treated, and he has a chip. I called the chip registration company and found out he was adopted in 2007 as a kitten to a Chelsey, who lived at a very different address. They couldn't reach her and she didn't have voice-mail. I can have the cat transferred to me, but its best to get a hold of Chelsey first. I called yesterday and got a hold of a person who gave me "Chelsey's husband's number". She seemed pretty calm, almost unconcerned, about the news I gave about the cat. Chelsey's husband's voice-mail is full so I can't leave a message.
While I've been doing this, Blue - turns out that's Buddy's original name - has been struggling to adapt to an indoor-only lifestyle. He (very loudly) mournfully cries at night at the windows and doors. I think it's because he wants to roam his territory. I have no idea how long he's been a stray, but he struggles with a lot of what should be normal concepts for an adopted cat. He's perplexed by grain-free, 95% meat wet food and grain-free dry food alike (I don't have raw in the house at the moment). The male cats have adjusted surprisingly quick to each other, but a fight nearly broke out last night because Blue's antics at the window freaked out my female cat.
I do have a balcony that is set up for my cats to roam about and they are allowed unsupervised visits to the balcony during the day and evening. My roomie and I give Blue supervised visits to the balcony but he keeps trying to jump on the banister and we're on the 3rd floor.
I'm struggling to sleep because I have a very upset kitty who's either crying to be outside or freaking out my female cat so I periodically have to lock him back up, which is making him very lonely. Blue is locked up in my roomie's room, which wasn't a problem until the crying started so now my roomie is unhappily sleeping on the couch. Blue is super sweet, loving, social, and trusting cat but he's confused and while he's happy to be around my roomie and I, he's still sad.
Much thanks to any advice!!
I don't know how to make the stray I'm caring for happy by meeting his needs to roam while being safe (which is making it very difficult for the humans to sleep), I don't know if I can get a hold of his registered owner - who's listed number lead me to a very suspicious phone call and I can't tell if I'm being tricked into giving the cat to wrong person in a divorce, and I don't really want to bring him back to the local Humane Society shelter because I know how hard it is for an adult cat to get adopted. I'm torn because part of me really wants to keep him but the current situation isn't working while the other part of me wants to reunite him with his right owner but I can't tell if that's the right decision for him. Another part of me wants to update his shots, let him back out to his territory and bring him in during bad weather or whenever he wants but there's so many concerns with that idea.
Any ideas on what I should do or how I can safely cater to his needs? Open the windows is out because he tries popping out the screens and the balcony isn't safe for him because he keeps jumping on my banister and I'm on the 3rd floor. I give him supervised visits to the balcony but I can't do that at night. Also, I have 2 cats who are adjusting to him being there but he can't fully roam the apartment. They are giving him more and more opportunity every day though, so maybe he can in a week.
History:
I live in an apartment complex and my building is nestled in the edge of a forest, by a large dog park, and next to the garbage and recycle dumpsters. You can imagine what kind of animals lurk, or don't lurk, in my area.
One night about 6 weeks ago I decided to call a cat who's been watching me and see what he did. He came running towards me and rubbed himself madly against me - basically he was petting my hand with his head - and even kept asking for a tummy rub!! I lead him back to a unit I thought was his (in a different building) and the woman seemed happy to see him. She said his name was "Buddy" and that he had adopted her family when they moved into the unit. When I got back to my unit I found both my hands were black even though he's half white.
Up until last week I would spend time with him and periodically bring Buddy home when it was late and the winds were stormy. Each time a new person would answer the door and be less enthusiastic about me bringing Buddy back than the last. Then last week I saw Buddy out all day waiting by their back door, except when I went to take out the garbage. I thought that maybe they'd finally let him in. The next morning my roomie told me that Buddy was still out at 11pm during stormy winds. He appeared to be waiting for someone in our building.
We were pretty mad about that so we set up my roomie's bedroom and joining bathroom for Buddy. I got him into my unit fine and I scheduled a vet appointment for him to make sure he didn't have FeLV, fleas, etc.
He's healthy, other than a few fleas which is now treated, and he has a chip. I called the chip registration company and found out he was adopted in 2007 as a kitten to a Chelsey, who lived at a very different address. They couldn't reach her and she didn't have voice-mail. I can have the cat transferred to me, but its best to get a hold of Chelsey first. I called yesterday and got a hold of a person who gave me "Chelsey's husband's number". She seemed pretty calm, almost unconcerned, about the news I gave about the cat. Chelsey's husband's voice-mail is full so I can't leave a message.
While I've been doing this, Blue - turns out that's Buddy's original name - has been struggling to adapt to an indoor-only lifestyle. He (very loudly) mournfully cries at night at the windows and doors. I think it's because he wants to roam his territory. I have no idea how long he's been a stray, but he struggles with a lot of what should be normal concepts for an adopted cat. He's perplexed by grain-free, 95% meat wet food and grain-free dry food alike (I don't have raw in the house at the moment). The male cats have adjusted surprisingly quick to each other, but a fight nearly broke out last night because Blue's antics at the window freaked out my female cat.
I do have a balcony that is set up for my cats to roam about and they are allowed unsupervised visits to the balcony during the day and evening. My roomie and I give Blue supervised visits to the balcony but he keeps trying to jump on the banister and we're on the 3rd floor.
I'm struggling to sleep because I have a very upset kitty who's either crying to be outside or freaking out my female cat so I periodically have to lock him back up, which is making him very lonely. Blue is locked up in my roomie's room, which wasn't a problem until the crying started so now my roomie is unhappily sleeping on the couch. Blue is super sweet, loving, social, and trusting cat but he's confused and while he's happy to be around my roomie and I, he's still sad.
Much thanks to any advice!!