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- Oct 24, 2007
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Sorry for such a looong post but we have quite a pickle here. I found a kitten that was only a couple weeks old and abandoned and brought it home to raise. For about 7 months it lived indoors and SLOWLY built up a trust with us. Never really wanted anything to do with us during the day unless we were feeding, but each night would lay in bed with us. Still would hiss at us occasionally but never bit or even swiped at us, but never wanted to be picked up.
Well, it got out accidently and I could not get it back. I set a cage out and got it back 4 weeks later. It doesn't look like he was suffering at all. I was shocked how big he had gotten and showed no signs of ware. He does not have front claws so i think someone was feeding him or he had found some food source. I brought it in the garage (we were scared about fleas or any other diseases it might have caught and might give to our other cat). In the garage I opened up the cage, and within a minute and jumped on the garage counter and head butted right through the screen taking out the frame and everything and is now lost again.
Here is our problem. We definitely want a second cat because our other one loves the play partner and now we feel guilty leaving him alone. But I don't know if it is worth trapping the other one again. He never came back and we had to lure him back with a food and trap to get him, and as soon as we did, within a few minutes he had found a way to get back out. My wife and I have no problem letting him be an outdoor cat, but if that was the case, it would be full time and we don't know if that is possible in Michigan with the harsh winters we can sometimes have. But we also don't want to abandon it if we feel there is some way to domesticize it once it is caught again.
So in a nutshell, do we just go to the humane society and get a new one and let then one run free and enjoy the free lifestyle. Or will this eventually kill him in a winter environment like MI. But if we do want to save him, is it unrealistic to think we can get him to love our home? Remember, the other part of the occasion is our 6 week old infant boy. Not sure if that matters but it was worth sharing. If you have any thoughts or expert advice it would really be appreciated and if you need more info let me know.
Well, it got out accidently and I could not get it back. I set a cage out and got it back 4 weeks later. It doesn't look like he was suffering at all. I was shocked how big he had gotten and showed no signs of ware. He does not have front claws so i think someone was feeding him or he had found some food source. I brought it in the garage (we were scared about fleas or any other diseases it might have caught and might give to our other cat). In the garage I opened up the cage, and within a minute and jumped on the garage counter and head butted right through the screen taking out the frame and everything and is now lost again.
Here is our problem. We definitely want a second cat because our other one loves the play partner and now we feel guilty leaving him alone. But I don't know if it is worth trapping the other one again. He never came back and we had to lure him back with a food and trap to get him, and as soon as we did, within a few minutes he had found a way to get back out. My wife and I have no problem letting him be an outdoor cat, but if that was the case, it would be full time and we don't know if that is possible in Michigan with the harsh winters we can sometimes have. But we also don't want to abandon it if we feel there is some way to domesticize it once it is caught again.
So in a nutshell, do we just go to the humane society and get a new one and let then one run free and enjoy the free lifestyle. Or will this eventually kill him in a winter environment like MI. But if we do want to save him, is it unrealistic to think we can get him to love our home? Remember, the other part of the occasion is our 6 week old infant boy. Not sure if that matters but it was worth sharing. If you have any thoughts or expert advice it would really be appreciated and if you need more info let me know.