- Joined
- Aug 28, 2014
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I'm really in need of some advice from seasoned cat owners/lovers - I'll try to keep this brief.
We have a 2 year old girl, Truffles, who has always been exclusively an indoor cat. She's very friendly but also timid - when we got her she didn't come out of her safe room for 14 weeks and even now she spooks easily although we've had her since she was 4 months.
The stray: For the past year and a half we have noticed a beautiful tuxedo cat in our neighborhood. We have assumed that he had owners so far as he has looked well cared for in the past. About 6 months ago he disappeared for 3-4 months and we discussed that perhaps his family moved. Well, 14 days ago he came back, and he's skinny, needy and hungry. I started feeding him at regular hours a week ago, and I haven't been able to locate owners in spite of my efforts. He has been camped out by our entrance since then, is very friendly and clearly in need of love and care.
Yesterday things took a turn however. On my way out the door I talk to him, pet him, and suddenly see for the first time a HUGE infected wound under his tail. I called our vet immediately, got him in a pet carrier (surprisingly easy) and took him. He's now being treated/tested there, should be out by tomorrow.
- He's a 5-7 year old male, very friendly, lets people pick him up, all-round good tempered guy
- He's not chipped as I feared he wouldn't be. :-(
- Vet said that he believed he had had the wound for a long time but would recover and seemed otherwise in good health.
Now, we're discussing his future. I want to take him home after the vet and let him recover for a couple of days in a spare room of ours. He won't come in contact with Truffles (she's neutered, vaccinated, chipped by the way). He on the other hand probably won't be vaccinated as I think the vet will wait with that until he's recovered - Is it a bad idea to take him in for a while like this? I just feel that the vetinary care will be wasted if he immediately goes out and rips his stitches, gets in a fight etc.
Right now my idea is to let him recover in a spare room for 3-4 days and see how that goes (have a feeling it will go well), then let him out again, continue to feed him and then take him to be neutered/vaccinated when he's recovered from the wound at a clinic for strays. After that I would take him home again and hopefully keep him for good this time.
-Truffles has sniffed my hands after I've petted him intensively, there was no hissing, only much curiosity and sniffing - very positive!!!
-We have the time and space to allow for an ideal, slow introduction and have already discussed getting a second cat many times.
-We won't be able to let him go out as we live on the 3rd floor. We have a large, secured balcony however and many great window sills.
-The alternative is to find a shelter where he can go. We live in a country with a huge amount of strays and competition for adoption is fierce. So many kittens - I think he would have a hard time finding a family and feel his best chance is with us.
Can I make him a happy indoor cat? Am I over thinking this? He has completely stolen my heart and I want to do what is best for him. My boyfriend feels it would be torture to keep him indoors. I feel it would be torture to leave him outside, and that he has nothing to loose by moving in with us. If it really didn't work out we'd find a no-kill shelter for him where he would probably wait for a long time for a new owner.
If you read through this, thank you. Any words of wisdom will be much appreciated!!!
We have a 2 year old girl, Truffles, who has always been exclusively an indoor cat. She's very friendly but also timid - when we got her she didn't come out of her safe room for 14 weeks and even now she spooks easily although we've had her since she was 4 months.
The stray: For the past year and a half we have noticed a beautiful tuxedo cat in our neighborhood. We have assumed that he had owners so far as he has looked well cared for in the past. About 6 months ago he disappeared for 3-4 months and we discussed that perhaps his family moved. Well, 14 days ago he came back, and he's skinny, needy and hungry. I started feeding him at regular hours a week ago, and I haven't been able to locate owners in spite of my efforts. He has been camped out by our entrance since then, is very friendly and clearly in need of love and care.
Yesterday things took a turn however. On my way out the door I talk to him, pet him, and suddenly see for the first time a HUGE infected wound under his tail. I called our vet immediately, got him in a pet carrier (surprisingly easy) and took him. He's now being treated/tested there, should be out by tomorrow.
- He's a 5-7 year old male, very friendly, lets people pick him up, all-round good tempered guy
- He's not chipped as I feared he wouldn't be. :-(
- Vet said that he believed he had had the wound for a long time but would recover and seemed otherwise in good health.
Now, we're discussing his future. I want to take him home after the vet and let him recover for a couple of days in a spare room of ours. He won't come in contact with Truffles (she's neutered, vaccinated, chipped by the way). He on the other hand probably won't be vaccinated as I think the vet will wait with that until he's recovered - Is it a bad idea to take him in for a while like this? I just feel that the vetinary care will be wasted if he immediately goes out and rips his stitches, gets in a fight etc.
Right now my idea is to let him recover in a spare room for 3-4 days and see how that goes (have a feeling it will go well), then let him out again, continue to feed him and then take him to be neutered/vaccinated when he's recovered from the wound at a clinic for strays. After that I would take him home again and hopefully keep him for good this time.
-Truffles has sniffed my hands after I've petted him intensively, there was no hissing, only much curiosity and sniffing - very positive!!!
-We have the time and space to allow for an ideal, slow introduction and have already discussed getting a second cat many times.
-We won't be able to let him go out as we live on the 3rd floor. We have a large, secured balcony however and many great window sills.
-The alternative is to find a shelter where he can go. We live in a country with a huge amount of strays and competition for adoption is fierce. So many kittens - I think he would have a hard time finding a family and feel his best chance is with us.
Can I make him a happy indoor cat? Am I over thinking this? He has completely stolen my heart and I want to do what is best for him. My boyfriend feels it would be torture to keep him indoors. I feel it would be torture to leave him outside, and that he has nothing to loose by moving in with us. If it really didn't work out we'd find a no-kill shelter for him where he would probably wait for a long time for a new owner.
If you read through this, thank you. Any words of wisdom will be much appreciated!!!