I can't decide what to do, and I am hoping some of you can offer advice.
For the past 10 months or so I have been feeding two feral kittens and their mother, and later a male who hangs around and may or may not be the father. They seem to be a little family group or something. They come by every night for food and sometimes during the day as well. I started feeding them when Momma showed up with 2 month old skinny kittens, and one of them tried to eat birdseed.
Momma and Bob (the male) are definitely feral, but the kittens are only semi-feral by now. Lucy and Charlie will come running when they hear me outside and they are usually waiting for me on the back porch staring in the window looking for me when I get home. Lucy rubs on me and asks to be petted, but she's not so good with being picked up. Charlie comes inside and hangs out and plays with me and my cat's toys every chance he can get, but shies away from petting attempts.
My housecat, Pangur, seems to have gotten more used to the little interlopers over the past year. She will only hiss at them if they get within 2 feet of her, and no longer hunts and chases them when they come in. She even lets them eat her cat food with no complaints. All 5 cats can peaceably occupy the back yard (and even just the patio) at the same time, and do so every night.
I would be more than happy to go on like this for quite some time, but I am in the process of buying a house. If the purchase goes through, I'll be moving into a larger 2-story townhouse. I will be free to have 3 cats if I want, but I can't figure out what will be best for all the cats involved.
1. Pangur may hate having housemates, or she may miss them and get lonely. But I could get her another kitten if she acts lonely in the new house.
2. Momma and Bob may miss the kittens, but they can make more if I can't get Momma caught and spayed in time.
3. Lucy and Charlie will probably be very freaked out at first but may adjust well to indoor life. Or they may not and be terribly unhappy the entire time. Or they could starve to death if I don't take them. Can they hunt successfully, or did I ruin them by feeding them so early? They certainly eat enough to support their metabolisms at my house. What if none of the neighbors will take over feeding them? Or maybe they have a whole network of people who feed them. What if those people consider them to be their cats and will miss them if I take them?
I'm probably making this more difficult than it needs to be, but I do want to do what is best for all the cats involved. I keep changing my mind. Any advice?
For the past 10 months or so I have been feeding two feral kittens and their mother, and later a male who hangs around and may or may not be the father. They seem to be a little family group or something. They come by every night for food and sometimes during the day as well. I started feeding them when Momma showed up with 2 month old skinny kittens, and one of them tried to eat birdseed.
Momma and Bob (the male) are definitely feral, but the kittens are only semi-feral by now. Lucy and Charlie will come running when they hear me outside and they are usually waiting for me on the back porch staring in the window looking for me when I get home. Lucy rubs on me and asks to be petted, but she's not so good with being picked up. Charlie comes inside and hangs out and plays with me and my cat's toys every chance he can get, but shies away from petting attempts.
My housecat, Pangur, seems to have gotten more used to the little interlopers over the past year. She will only hiss at them if they get within 2 feet of her, and no longer hunts and chases them when they come in. She even lets them eat her cat food with no complaints. All 5 cats can peaceably occupy the back yard (and even just the patio) at the same time, and do so every night.
I would be more than happy to go on like this for quite some time, but I am in the process of buying a house. If the purchase goes through, I'll be moving into a larger 2-story townhouse. I will be free to have 3 cats if I want, but I can't figure out what will be best for all the cats involved.
1. Pangur may hate having housemates, or she may miss them and get lonely. But I could get her another kitten if she acts lonely in the new house.
2. Momma and Bob may miss the kittens, but they can make more if I can't get Momma caught and spayed in time.
3. Lucy and Charlie will probably be very freaked out at first but may adjust well to indoor life. Or they may not and be terribly unhappy the entire time. Or they could starve to death if I don't take them. Can they hunt successfully, or did I ruin them by feeding them so early? They certainly eat enough to support their metabolisms at my house. What if none of the neighbors will take over feeding them? Or maybe they have a whole network of people who feed them. What if those people consider them to be their cats and will miss them if I take them?
I'm probably making this more difficult than it needs to be, but I do want to do what is best for all the cats involved. I keep changing my mind. Any advice?
