Hello! This is my second post (first one is here Looking for some advice on stray cat socialization) about the same stray cat in my neighborhood. Pretty much a stray cat has been coming around my apartment complex and I have been feeding him since mid July. Since I posted the first time, he has completely stopped scratching my hands and has become totally comfortable with me petting him. He will rub against my legs, roll around and purr, and play with me with cat toys. He will even grab my hand and lick the fingers sometimes. He comes around at for at least an hour every day, sometimes more. He also has an ear tip and has been through the TNR process but seems very young - I think about 9 months.
We are planning to move (about 15 minutes away) as early as mid-September and I am seriously considering bringing him with us, but I'm concerned about if that would be best for him. I've seen him outside and he looks really happy hanging out in the courtyard and I suspect other people may feed him as well - though I did post on Nextdoor about it and no one replied saying he was theirs or they were feeding him. I also see him hanging out with other more feral cats and I think he is part of a colony. I think that if we left him, he would survive... but I would be very concerned about his well being once it gets colder. The other thing is that I have opened the door for him recently and he has come inside for food or to explore and then wanted to go straight back out. He's much more comfortable playing under the screen door than coming inside himself. My boyfriend thinks it means he doesn't want to stick around and would rather be outside but I'm just not sure.
My plan if we did take him would be to put some food in a cat carrier and trap him a couple days before the move. We could set him up in the empty office space with some food & water, litterbox, blankets and hides. That room would be largely unused unless we're working and would serve as a great place to socialize. We also would have a yard that I would consider letting him out after 4-6 weeks so he could still enjoy being out there.
Any advice would be appreciated! I go back and forth every day over whether to take him or not. The last thing I would want to do it bring him with us and cause him to be depressed.
We are planning to move (about 15 minutes away) as early as mid-September and I am seriously considering bringing him with us, but I'm concerned about if that would be best for him. I've seen him outside and he looks really happy hanging out in the courtyard and I suspect other people may feed him as well - though I did post on Nextdoor about it and no one replied saying he was theirs or they were feeding him. I also see him hanging out with other more feral cats and I think he is part of a colony. I think that if we left him, he would survive... but I would be very concerned about his well being once it gets colder. The other thing is that I have opened the door for him recently and he has come inside for food or to explore and then wanted to go straight back out. He's much more comfortable playing under the screen door than coming inside himself. My boyfriend thinks it means he doesn't want to stick around and would rather be outside but I'm just not sure.
My plan if we did take him would be to put some food in a cat carrier and trap him a couple days before the move. We could set him up in the empty office space with some food & water, litterbox, blankets and hides. That room would be largely unused unless we're working and would serve as a great place to socialize. We also would have a yard that I would consider letting him out after 4-6 weeks so he could still enjoy being out there.
Any advice would be appreciated! I go back and forth every day over whether to take him or not. The last thing I would want to do it bring him with us and cause him to be depressed.
