I have been in a deep depression now for almost a year. I lost all 3 of my elderly dogs last year, and then, a few months after my last dog passed away, I found a feral cat and kitten in my local park. I trapped for the kitten, and the feral cat was in the trap with the kitten.
The feral bit me (hard), and it has been a long, hard battle to get him to where he is now...a sweet but scared guy. He jumps on my bed, asks to be brushed, but still does not let me pick him up. He is very low key during the day...and comes out at around 6 pm to get fed, brushed, and play with the kitten.
The kitten is bossy, social, vocal, and sweet. He seems bored at my home...because the feral basically goes into hiding during the day. I have set up bird-feeding stations outside, got him a cat tree, toys, etc... I've never had a cat before, so maybe his behavior is normal. But when I come home from work, he is all over me. It makes me feel so guilty and eventually, I have to peel him off of me. The kitten is about 7 months old, the former feral is about one year old.
To refresh everyone's memory, I did not want either cat. However, I had no luck trying to find them a good home...so I will keep them because I do love them.
However, I am still depressed, and I think it is because I am the type of person that must have dogs in order to be happy. This is the first time in 25 years I have not had dogs.
I have been looking at adoptable dogs at local shelters, and have found many that are good with cats. I am ready to adopt, but still so terrified of doing this to the cats. I feel like not having dogs for the next 20 years (until the cats pass away) would be torture for me, though. I honestly don't think I can do it. Sometimes, when I think about it, I just want to crawl into a hole and die.
I purchased a baby gate with a cat door built in. I've already set it up in the hallway, basically blocking any dog from entering the cats' primary room. The cats are already using the cat door I've set up, even though I still do not have any dogs.
What else can I do before I bring dogs into my home to make this transition work? I am so worried the cats will start spraying because they are unhappy sharing their space with dogs. (The cats have been neutered and have all their shots, btw). I have OCD, and cat urine will be the death of me. I honestly don't think I could handle it. As it is, I clean the litter box at least 3 times a day, and I clean my entire house at least once a week.
Also, if I want two dogs, should I get two right away, or get one at a time?
A friend of mine said when she got dogs, she did not see her cats for 5 months. Now, she says, the cats and the dogs are fine with one another. I cannot imagine having my cats hide from me for 5 months! But my friend says that is just part of the transition, and I should not be upset if that happens. When I had dogs, my dogs all go along, and we had a very happy, balanced home. I want the same again! The stress of this is killing me.
I hate to shoot so many questions...and I know there are others on this forum with more challenging issues. But this forum was so helpful to me when I first took the feral in...I thought I would ask for everyone's help again.
Thank you
The feral bit me (hard), and it has been a long, hard battle to get him to where he is now...a sweet but scared guy. He jumps on my bed, asks to be brushed, but still does not let me pick him up. He is very low key during the day...and comes out at around 6 pm to get fed, brushed, and play with the kitten.
The kitten is bossy, social, vocal, and sweet. He seems bored at my home...because the feral basically goes into hiding during the day. I have set up bird-feeding stations outside, got him a cat tree, toys, etc... I've never had a cat before, so maybe his behavior is normal. But when I come home from work, he is all over me. It makes me feel so guilty and eventually, I have to peel him off of me. The kitten is about 7 months old, the former feral is about one year old.
To refresh everyone's memory, I did not want either cat. However, I had no luck trying to find them a good home...so I will keep them because I do love them.
However, I am still depressed, and I think it is because I am the type of person that must have dogs in order to be happy. This is the first time in 25 years I have not had dogs.
I have been looking at adoptable dogs at local shelters, and have found many that are good with cats. I am ready to adopt, but still so terrified of doing this to the cats. I feel like not having dogs for the next 20 years (until the cats pass away) would be torture for me, though. I honestly don't think I can do it. Sometimes, when I think about it, I just want to crawl into a hole and die.
I purchased a baby gate with a cat door built in. I've already set it up in the hallway, basically blocking any dog from entering the cats' primary room. The cats are already using the cat door I've set up, even though I still do not have any dogs.
What else can I do before I bring dogs into my home to make this transition work? I am so worried the cats will start spraying because they are unhappy sharing their space with dogs. (The cats have been neutered and have all their shots, btw). I have OCD, and cat urine will be the death of me. I honestly don't think I could handle it. As it is, I clean the litter box at least 3 times a day, and I clean my entire house at least once a week.
Also, if I want two dogs, should I get two right away, or get one at a time?
A friend of mine said when she got dogs, she did not see her cats for 5 months. Now, she says, the cats and the dogs are fine with one another. I cannot imagine having my cats hide from me for 5 months! But my friend says that is just part of the transition, and I should not be upset if that happens. When I had dogs, my dogs all go along, and we had a very happy, balanced home. I want the same again! The stress of this is killing me.
I hate to shoot so many questions...and I know there are others on this forum with more challenging issues. But this forum was so helpful to me when I first took the feral in...I thought I would ask for everyone's help again.
Thank you
