I've just moved to a big city. The day I moved in I noticed a beautiful ginger cat lying in my garden. It ran away, though, when my husband approached it. For the next few days I didn't think about that cat. But then, one morning, when my husband opened the curtains covering our front door, which is a glass sliding door with large glass windows when he heard a strange knocking sound. He was confused because he didn't see anyone knocking. When he looked down he saw the same ginger cat we had noticed when we were moving in standing on its hindlegs knocking against the glass sliding door with its front paws. We both went outside. The cat immediately came up to us and allowed us to pet it. A few hours later it sat on my lap, happily purring. It has a lovely personality, very friendly, and not aggressive. It didn't even react with aggression when my husband stood on its paw by accident one time. Since the day it was first trying to get our attention it has been hanging around our house almost constantly.
A few days later we talked to a neighbour. I asked him if he knows who the ginger cat belongs to. He said something like "Oh, you've noticed the ginger cat. It's the one with the fluffy tail, right. It's a stray. I feed it along with other strays. There are a lot of them in this street." I'm reasonably sure he was talking about this particular ginger cat since it has a fluffy tail, and I have not seen any other ginger cat with a fluffy tail. I was quite shocked to find out the cat is apparently a stray.
Since we are renting and it's stated in our rental contract we are not allowed any pets, nor any visiting pets we assumed we would not be allowed to keep this cat. However, yesterday, my husband spoke to actual owner of this house. She rents it out through a rental agency which is who we had been dealing with until now. She told my husband the rules we were given are just the standard rules the rental agency uses for all their rental houses and that she does not mind us having cats.
Now my husband and I are trying to make sure the ginger cat really is a stray cat. This cat appears to sleep in our garden and our basement to which it has access since there is a cat-sized opening below the front stairs.
However, during the past few days a second cat, this time a black-and-white one, has been showing up at our house. It is constantly hanging around our house, even a little more than the ginger cat is, and is very attention-seeking. Just like the ginger cat it is very friendly. It's only annoying habit is to playfully nibble on our fingers and try to suck our toes. We are trying to get the cat to stop this behaviour. It's never aggressive, though. The two cats get along great for most of the time. When one gets too close, though, the other one will hiss, and attack the other cat for a short moment. They don't injure each other when they do this. Often the two cats will lick each other's faces, which is really cute to watch.
In Auckland, New Zealand where we live the RSPCA lacks funding to take in any more cats. I've done some research and have found out that the RSPCA, as well as other pet charities, have the policy of neutering healthy stray cats, and put them back right where they found them.
My husband and I would love to keep both cats but we are both relative beginners when it comes to having cats. Also, our money is tight at the moment but we could still afford cat food. The problem is that while we could easily afford to have one cat two cats is where it becomes difficult. My husband is going to ask his sister if she would like to keep the black-and-white cat. If she doesn't want it we'll try to find it a home somewhere else.
Yesterday we've put some paper collars on the two cats on which we've written "I'm worried this cat is a stray. If this is your cat, please contact me on ... (phone number)". We are not sure what to do next to determine if the two cats really are strays. Of course we dont' accidentally want to take away someone else's cat.
For now we have called the two cats Ginger and Mittens, since the black-and-white cat's feet are white. Therefore it looks as if it's wearing mittens.
A few days back we broke down and started feeding them. The cat food we've been feeding them is a dry food by Whiskas called Meaty Selections. Do you think this cat food on its own is fine for them? The ginger cat asks to be fed a lot. Is that normal behaviour for a cat?
Any tips on what would be most important to buy for the two cats would be greatly appreciated, as would any tips on other ways to determine if either of the two has an owner.
Right now the two of them are lying on the same couch, sleeping.
Sorry about the length of this post.
A few days later we talked to a neighbour. I asked him if he knows who the ginger cat belongs to. He said something like "Oh, you've noticed the ginger cat. It's the one with the fluffy tail, right. It's a stray. I feed it along with other strays. There are a lot of them in this street." I'm reasonably sure he was talking about this particular ginger cat since it has a fluffy tail, and I have not seen any other ginger cat with a fluffy tail. I was quite shocked to find out the cat is apparently a stray.
Since we are renting and it's stated in our rental contract we are not allowed any pets, nor any visiting pets we assumed we would not be allowed to keep this cat. However, yesterday, my husband spoke to actual owner of this house. She rents it out through a rental agency which is who we had been dealing with until now. She told my husband the rules we were given are just the standard rules the rental agency uses for all their rental houses and that she does not mind us having cats.
Now my husband and I are trying to make sure the ginger cat really is a stray cat. This cat appears to sleep in our garden and our basement to which it has access since there is a cat-sized opening below the front stairs.
However, during the past few days a second cat, this time a black-and-white one, has been showing up at our house. It is constantly hanging around our house, even a little more than the ginger cat is, and is very attention-seeking. Just like the ginger cat it is very friendly. It's only annoying habit is to playfully nibble on our fingers and try to suck our toes. We are trying to get the cat to stop this behaviour. It's never aggressive, though. The two cats get along great for most of the time. When one gets too close, though, the other one will hiss, and attack the other cat for a short moment. They don't injure each other when they do this. Often the two cats will lick each other's faces, which is really cute to watch.
In Auckland, New Zealand where we live the RSPCA lacks funding to take in any more cats. I've done some research and have found out that the RSPCA, as well as other pet charities, have the policy of neutering healthy stray cats, and put them back right where they found them.
My husband and I would love to keep both cats but we are both relative beginners when it comes to having cats. Also, our money is tight at the moment but we could still afford cat food. The problem is that while we could easily afford to have one cat two cats is where it becomes difficult. My husband is going to ask his sister if she would like to keep the black-and-white cat. If she doesn't want it we'll try to find it a home somewhere else.
Yesterday we've put some paper collars on the two cats on which we've written "I'm worried this cat is a stray. If this is your cat, please contact me on ... (phone number)". We are not sure what to do next to determine if the two cats really are strays. Of course we dont' accidentally want to take away someone else's cat.
For now we have called the two cats Ginger and Mittens, since the black-and-white cat's feet are white. Therefore it looks as if it's wearing mittens.
A few days back we broke down and started feeding them. The cat food we've been feeding them is a dry food by Whiskas called Meaty Selections. Do you think this cat food on its own is fine for them? The ginger cat asks to be fed a lot. Is that normal behaviour for a cat?
Any tips on what would be most important to buy for the two cats would be greatly appreciated, as would any tips on other ways to determine if either of the two has an owner.
Right now the two of them are lying on the same couch, sleeping.
Sorry about the length of this post.
Good to hear that your landlord will allow the kitties! 
, and have them check for microchips. That is a free service from most vets I know. If no chip, then they are yours if you so wish them to be. There are better choices nowadays for kitties to eat and I would suggest a higher end canned food for them. Even Friskies canned pate or Authority from Petsmart, if you are able. Not sure in the least what pet stores you have in New Zealand, though. They might come down with a bit of loose poops for now if they are not used to eating properly. Their systems will need to adjust to the new food. You can add a probiotic to the food too. People probiotics are fine, just sprinkle a capsule on their food once daily. Are you going to keep them inside for now? That would be best if you can. Put them in a small room with litter box, bowls and kitty beds for now until you find out if they have microchips. The collars you put on them are a good idea but usually they will just come off if they rub against a bush or they could get caught on something and break off if they are made of paper. Let us know how this turns out. It is obvious the kitties are friends and will stick together. Would be wonderful and so very kind of you to offer them a forever home. Let us know what happens!!! You are doing the right thing by them. :nod:
