I Don't Know What To Do With A Friendly Stray Cat

[Spikey1549]

So, I flip houses all the time. One of the houses I recently got had a very friendly stray cat near it. It came meowing to me and just wanted some attention and love. I didn't even give it food or anything! I saw where this cat sleeps, it's underneath an abandoned car. Now whenever I go to that house, I feed the cat. I am going to sell the house soon. I don't know what to do with the cat. There is no one in that area that wants to feed the cat. Should I relocate the cat. I don't own any cats inside my house. I believe my house would be a better home, but I don't think the cat would just hop in my car and go with me. And if I did relocate the cat, would she not want to stay in my backyard? Help!

 

[Sarthur2]

You would need to keep the cat inside your home for a few months while it adjusts to you and the new location before ever letting it outside.

You can feed the cat inside a humane Have a Heart trap for a few days but without setting it. When you are ready to take the cat home, you would close the trap door. You can use a pet taxi instead if you want.

Have a cat friendly room set up and ready to go at your home with food, water, and litter box.

The spare room will allow the cat to feel safe while it gets comfortable. A vet check will let you know if the cat has a chip or is spayed or neutered.

The cat sounds like it will make a sweet pet! Thank you for caring!

 

[Spikey1549]

You would need to keep the cat inside your home for a few months while it adjusts to you and the new location before ever letting it outside.

You can feed the cat inside a humane Have a Heart trap for a few days but without setting it. When you are ready to take the cat home, you would close the trap door. You can use a pet taxi instead if you want.

Have a cat friendly room set up and ready to go at your home with food, water, and litter box.

The spare room will allow the cat to feel safe while it gets comfortable. A vet check will let you know if the cat has a chip or is spayed or neutered.

The cat sounds like it will make a sweet pet! Thank you for caring!

I don't know if the cat would really like indoors. The cat would walk into the garage, but any movement would cause it to run away. Even if I stood up. When I would sit back down she would come back inside the garage. I can stand up and walk with her when I'm outside the garage in open space. She is on high alert when she is indoors. I feel like she would hate me if I trapped her using a trap. A trap would probably cause a lot of stress as well.

 

[Sarthur2]

Can you get her into a pet taxi? You would need to in order to get her to your home.

When you move a cat they need to stay indoors for a good month or they try to go back to their old home.

If the cat were inside your home it would calm down. It's skittish right now because it is afraid.

What do you plan to do?

 

[orange&white]

A trap will cause stress, but cats don't hold grudges. She'll be better with you either as an indoor or outdoor cat (or both).

I trapped a feral in January who is now my house cat; she would be absolutely terrified to get set outside now. A few months later I TNR'd a fairly wild cat who has now moved in apparently permanently to my back patio and yard. I open the door when the weather is nice and sometimes she does a "walk through".

Neither cat hates me even though I trapped them both. Not to worry.

 

[DreamerRose]

I agree with everybody. Both my cats were found out in the wild, and they are now happy and contented house cats, although Mingo does like to try to escape out the door. (He's overwhelmed when he does get out and just collapses on the ground.)

By all means take your stray home. You can get a soft carrier quite inexpensively on Amazon. He or she will adapt and you will have a loving pet.

 

[lavishsqualor]

I'm in agreement with everyone else. Take the cat! Yes, it will be rough going for a short period of time but she'll acclimate, and you will probably be saving her life.

Indoor cats live vastly longer than outdoor cats: compare seventeen to twenty years to two to five years for an outdoor cat.

TAKE THE CAT!

 

[maggiedemi]

Is she friendly enough that you could just put her in a carrier? I got mine at Tractor Supply, it's actually a dog carrier. Wear gloves of course just in case.

 

[Spikey1549]

So today was the first day I fed her in a carrier. She came and happily ate the raw meat in the carrier. About half way through her meal kitten came out... The kitten was really scared of me. It wouldn't eat unless I was 10 feet away. I only saw one kitten. I think the cat is the mother but the kitten is all black and the possible mother is a tabby. This is the first time I have seen the kitten.

 

[orange&white]

Awww. So how big is the kitten? Do you want two cats? If not, have you checked into TNR services or no-kill shelters? The kitten can probably be socialized by a foster (or by you) and be adopted quickly. Older cats have a harder time getting homes.

 

[Sarthur2]

This is great news!

You'll want to feed the kitten and try to catch it too. It's probably her kitten. The pregnant stray tabby that I took in and kept gave birth to a solid black kitten. It's all about dominant and recessive genes and who they mate with.

It sounds like you'll have no trouble getting the mom since she went into the carrier to eat.

Can you tell from her nipples if she appears to be nursing?

 

[Spikey1549]

I think the kitten is around 10ish weeks old according to what I looked up. I couldn't tell if she was nursing.

 

[Sarthur2]

Hopefully it's her only kitten and you can get it too.

 

[lavishsqualor]

Definitely take the kitten too! It will make the transaction go that much smoother. Mom will adjust much quicker with her kitten there too. Just be sure that there's only one. I would hate for you to take them and then have another kitten show up, not knowing where Mom and sibling were.

In a year's time you're not going to know what you did before the furkids came into your life. Trust me, I know.

 

[Spikey1549]

Alright, I'm going to take in the kitten as well. I will update you guys on what happens. Thanks for all the advice to help me make this decision.

 

[orange&white]

Usually by 10 weeks a feral kitten will be fully weaned and the mother cat may be starting to shun it to go on its own way. The kitten may or may not be the older cat's kitten. It probably is, but you may also just have seen two cats out of a colony of neighborhood ferals. If that's the case, you may want to see if there is a local feral rescue who can help if need be.

At this point a lot depends on what you want, and how much responsibility you want to take. If you're up to it to relocate the two cats to your house that would be wonderful. I would try to trap the young kitten first since it is more skittish. Sounds like you'll be able to get the older cat easily since she is loving and willing to walk into the kennel for food.

Do you have a spare room where you can move the cats? I socialized my indoor feral in my master bathroom for the first week and since she was good with the litter box, she got access to the bedroom and bathroom very quickly, then the rest of the house later. Even a garage would be all right if you don't have a room inside.

My outdoor feral was too wild. I kept her in a temporary outdoor catio for one night and the next day after the shelter spayed her, then I released her. She was born in my neighborhood so I wasn't trying to relocate her to new territory or I probably would have needed to find a way to keep her captive longer than I did.

It would be a good idea if you could have the cats spayed/neutered first, then take them to your house. They'll be much less likely to roam.

 

[orange&white]

Well, good on you then! I was typing while you posted. That's great news.

 

[smokem]

Do you want a cat/cats???Take both to the vet and have them vetted if you can afford it.and then if you are not able to be a pet owner you will have made it easier for someone else because the medical stuff is taken care of

 

[Spikey1549]

I want the cats, and I can afford taking care of them. I am going to trap them tomorrow.

 

[Sarthur2]

Hooray! I hope it goes well. Mom should be easy. Is the kitten coming up to you now?