- Joined
- Feb 5, 2017
- Messages
- 31
- Purraise
- 2
Hi, this is my first post here, so I hope this is the right spot for asking for advise.
Please bare with me, as I describe my thoughts and situation with lengthy detail.
Firstly, I already have an indoor cat I've had since she was a kitten adopted from the humane society. Her me is Patches. She's been an only child since we brought her home in Feb. 2012.
We live in a one bedroom apartment.
Now on to the story of the stray. I tell Patches her buddy is outside. Buddy has now turned into the stray's name. She even responds to it well. She's been living in my apartment complex eating out of the community garbage. When I first met her, I called her with meows and trills. She came over but stayed very distant. I put out food for her. And if I stayed far enough away she would eat it. I would only feed her when I saw her which was only a couple of times a year. This has gone for about 5 years. Each time she would come a little closer to me.
This winter it changed. She got too thin. I think people were closing the garbage so she couldn't eat. I feed her, and she showed up the next day,and the next day. She continued to show up for about two weeks. I put out a crate to get her used to crawling in for food. Then I got a cat trap from animal control and took her to get spayed and vaccinated a d flea treated. I forgot to ask for deworming. I was afraid I'd break her trust and she'd never come back. But like clock work she was at the door that night.
After another couple of weeks of feeding her and sitting beside her while she ate, I slowly started reaching out, trying to get her used to human touch. About a week ago she learned humans give scratches in hard to reach places and now she making up for years of lost petting time.
Last night she curled up in my lap on the porch and proceeded to snuggle and purr for 30 minutes. The temperature dropped down to below freezing, she has a box with some minor insulation and a self heating pad, she used that after I went inside.
I see her peeking inside when I open the door to go in. I wanted to give the whole story before asking advise on bringing her inside.
Patches watches the stray from the window. They do not cry or show any aggression through the window towards each other. However patches does seem to get "jealous" if I am outside on the porch too long. I've tried positive association through giving Patches treats when she smells the outdoor stray cat on my hands. Patches is already very particular and very spoiled, and lonely since my husband and I work 9-10 days. I am little idea how she would handle sharing her space.
I want to open the door and see if the stray walks in. Before I do, I need to treat her for worms (again, she's been flea treated and every thing else).
If she does come inside, what should I prepare for? It's winter so I can keep them separate, so they can acclimate to each other until the spring/summer introducing them slowly and supervised, if it takes that long. However, the space is very small, it's a one bedroom I share with my husband and our indoor cat Patches. The choices are, a very small bathroom, a small bedroom, and a small living room. I don't think it's ideal for two cats to live in a tiny space.
I am thinking long term. Sure, right now she can stay outside, she's at least five years old and has survived many a winter and summer. However, I would prefer to bring her in. I am currently saving for a purchase of a first home, haven't even started searching for a home, because I want the deposit saved first. I am thinking in two years I will be relocating. I want to make my outdoor Buddy a permanent member and have her come with us.
I am unsure if bring her in at this point would be good or bad for both cats.
My questions are, if she does come in, what should I prepare for? What additional adjustments can I make? What do I need to do for Patches to make this comfortable?
Should I wait until I move to introduce both cats to a neutral indoor environment?
What are the downsides of relocating and moving an outdoor cat to a new territory? (Ideally the home I'm my mind would have a small fenced in back yard if she wants to stay outside.) I am trying to consider all options and be as responsible and caring as possible for all cats involved.
Thank you for any and all advice and suggestions. Hopefully I've remembered to cover everything, if not I'll answer any questions as quickly as possible.
Please bare with me, as I describe my thoughts and situation with lengthy detail.
Firstly, I already have an indoor cat I've had since she was a kitten adopted from the humane society. Her me is Patches. She's been an only child since we brought her home in Feb. 2012.
We live in a one bedroom apartment.
Now on to the story of the stray. I tell Patches her buddy is outside. Buddy has now turned into the stray's name. She even responds to it well. She's been living in my apartment complex eating out of the community garbage. When I first met her, I called her with meows and trills. She came over but stayed very distant. I put out food for her. And if I stayed far enough away she would eat it. I would only feed her when I saw her which was only a couple of times a year. This has gone for about 5 years. Each time she would come a little closer to me.
This winter it changed. She got too thin. I think people were closing the garbage so she couldn't eat. I feed her, and she showed up the next day,and the next day. She continued to show up for about two weeks. I put out a crate to get her used to crawling in for food. Then I got a cat trap from animal control and took her to get spayed and vaccinated a d flea treated. I forgot to ask for deworming. I was afraid I'd break her trust and she'd never come back. But like clock work she was at the door that night.
After another couple of weeks of feeding her and sitting beside her while she ate, I slowly started reaching out, trying to get her used to human touch. About a week ago she learned humans give scratches in hard to reach places and now she making up for years of lost petting time.
Last night she curled up in my lap on the porch and proceeded to snuggle and purr for 30 minutes. The temperature dropped down to below freezing, she has a box with some minor insulation and a self heating pad, she used that after I went inside.
I see her peeking inside when I open the door to go in. I wanted to give the whole story before asking advise on bringing her inside.
Patches watches the stray from the window. They do not cry or show any aggression through the window towards each other. However patches does seem to get "jealous" if I am outside on the porch too long. I've tried positive association through giving Patches treats when she smells the outdoor stray cat on my hands. Patches is already very particular and very spoiled, and lonely since my husband and I work 9-10 days. I am little idea how she would handle sharing her space.
I want to open the door and see if the stray walks in. Before I do, I need to treat her for worms (again, she's been flea treated and every thing else).
If she does come inside, what should I prepare for? It's winter so I can keep them separate, so they can acclimate to each other until the spring/summer introducing them slowly and supervised, if it takes that long. However, the space is very small, it's a one bedroom I share with my husband and our indoor cat Patches. The choices are, a very small bathroom, a small bedroom, and a small living room. I don't think it's ideal for two cats to live in a tiny space.
I am thinking long term. Sure, right now she can stay outside, she's at least five years old and has survived many a winter and summer. However, I would prefer to bring her in. I am currently saving for a purchase of a first home, haven't even started searching for a home, because I want the deposit saved first. I am thinking in two years I will be relocating. I want to make my outdoor Buddy a permanent member and have her come with us.
I am unsure if bring her in at this point would be good or bad for both cats.
My questions are, if she does come in, what should I prepare for? What additional adjustments can I make? What do I need to do for Patches to make this comfortable?
Should I wait until I move to introduce both cats to a neutral indoor environment?
What are the downsides of relocating and moving an outdoor cat to a new territory? (Ideally the home I'm my mind would have a small fenced in back yard if she wants to stay outside.) I am trying to consider all options and be as responsible and caring as possible for all cats involved.
Thank you for any and all advice and suggestions. Hopefully I've remembered to cover everything, if not I'll answer any questions as quickly as possible.
