Should I Take A Feral Cat Home Or Release It Back Outside?

[kittyfan101]

Me and my family have been taking care of a feral cat that we named Charlie for 2 years, and today we decided to take it to the vet to finally have it vaccinated and neutered when we found out Charlie had an eye infection. )Unfortunately Charlie's mom and dad didn't survive and we fear that both were killed perhaps by a neighboring dog) We were able to trap Charlie and finally get him to a vet, and now he's in his cage in the garage for the day until we finally decide what to do with Charlie. The vet told us we could keep Charlie in the house and take care of him, adopt him to another family, or release him back outside. My dad and I would love to have Charlie come into our home along with our other 2 cats, but my mom is worried about taking care of a 3rd cat, and more vomit and cat litter our family is going to have to clean up, and Charlie adjusting to my other 2 cats. Both my dad and I don't want to see Charlie go to another home, he's a part of our family, and we gave him a name, and we are so used to seeing him in our yard, and the thought of Charlie away from us, and in another home makes me cry. Releasing him outside makes me worried he could be killed like his mom and dad. I'm conflicted about what we should do about Charlie. Should I convince my mom to try to have him come in the house, or release him outside?

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Thank you to you and your family for caring for Charlie.

How feral is he? Can you touch him? Or would he need to be completely socialized?

It is definitely safer for cats to be inside only, but I also see your mother's point about the extra cost and cleanup. Maybe you and/or your Dad can offer to help out with litter box/vomit cleanup.

As for your other cats, Charlie would need to be kept separate from them, so a slow introduction could be done.

Here are some TCS articles that might have some helpful information for you.

Handling Feral Cats
The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside

Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 

[Kat0121]

Hi there and welcome!

Thank you for caring for this sweet boy!

I would keep him in the house. It does not sound like it is safe for him to be outside if it is a high traffic area and there are aggressive dogs in the area. Since he has become part of the family, he would be better off inside. Having a third cat really does not make that much of a difference when it comes to scooping the boxes if you keep on top of it.

As far as Charlie getting used to your 2 other cats, we have a very helpful article about how to introduce cats to cats.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

If they have met and it did not go well, we have one on how to fix an unsuccessful introduction

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction

 

[foxxycat]

Thank you for taking Charlie in! I think another cat would be a good thing. For many years I always had 3 cats. How friendly is charlie? Does he hiss or is he a lover? One never knows how the other cats will take a new comer but you may be surprised. Especially if Charlie has been around for 2 years-the other cats probably already aware of him. Just an adjustment to coming in. '

The best thing is to keep them separated for a week to see how they react to the smells of each other. You need a towel or tshirt they lay on-all 3 cats=then daily swap those towels where they sleep. Cats are very smell orientated and if the smell of new cat is slowly introduced it should be easier to intermingle.

That would be the first thing I would do-it's called scent swapping and it's the first step to integration.

Let us know how it's going with Charlie-can you pet him?

 

[Willowy]

How about a middle ground---build him an enclosure in the yard? That might be acceptable to all parties.

 

[msaimee]

Is he a true feral cat or a stray who has adjusted to living outdoors? If you can pet and handle him , then he is likely a stray, and he would easily adapt to living indoors. When it comes to adult feral male cats, many do adjust to indoor life, but some don't. You have nothing to lose by giving it a shot. Since he's neutered now, he will become calmer. If you're open to the idea of keeping him inside, you'll want to remove him from the cage and give him a safe room to himself, away from your other cats. Feral cats especially get very stressed when confined in a cage. In his safe room, provide him with dry food 24/7, a water bowl, some catnip toys, snd places where he can feel safe like an open closet with a cat bed or pet carrier in it, a cat tree with cubby holes, or even a box with a blanket in it. Provide him with a litter box. Sometimes it's helpful to mix soil from the outdoors in with the litter for a while. He may cry the first few days, or he might hide and be very quiet. There will be an adjustment period. However, if he cries and caterwauls all night , scales the walls and windows, and is desperate to get out, then you may want to release him back outside and continue to care for him in that way. It is worth the effort to give it a shot though. In my experience, it is much less stressful caring for a cat who is indoors than a cat who is outside. There are too many things to worry about when a cat is outside. I hope you and your family will give him a chance to live indoors, you have nothing to lose by trying.

 

[trudy1]

So what about Charlie? Did you move him in or not?

 

[StefanZ]

If he was a friendly tom the intro to residents should go easily. He will prob be submissive. BUT if he was territorial tom you must keep him away from residets several weeks so his hormones will level out.

Offer momma to do some extra chores and or work good in school. This will be your arguments in the hazzle.

 

[kittyfan101]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Thank you to you and your family for caring for Charlie.

How feral is he? Can you touch him? Or would he need to be completely socialized?

It is definitely safer for cats to be inside only, but I also see your mother's point about the extra cost and cleanup. Maybe you and/or your Dad can offer to help out with litter box/vomit cleanup.

As for your other cats, Charlie would need to be kept separate from them, so a slow introduction could be done.

Here are some TCS articles that might have some helpful information for you.

Handling Feral Cats
The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside

Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 

[kittyfan101]

My dad is able to pet him when he's eating while he's back is turned, and he's pretty friendly, he always come by the window and plays with us by the window when we tap our window door.

 

[kittyfan101]

We didn't do it yet he's still in our garage, the issue is me and my dad want him in the house, but my mom. Although normally this would be a majority rules situation, my dad wants every party to be happy and wants everyone to agree to have Charlie in the house.

 

[StefanZ]

Was he a territorial tom?

 

[kittyfan101]

Kat0121 luckily we live in a suburban neighborhood so we don't that many cars in your neighborhood other than the occasional car going by, but we do have a lot of aggressive dogs with owners who don't check up on their dogs as well as they should.

 

[StefanZ]

A territorial tom will beat up the residents.

That is why its necessary to isolate several weeks till the hormone niveu is down...

 

[kittyfan101]

@

 

[kittyfan101]

trudy1 we haven't brought up into the house yet, I would like to, along with my dad but my mom isn't crazy about it, and normally it would be a majority rules situation but my dad wants everyone to be happy

 

[kittyfan101]

StefanZ I have a new job at the moment and in September I'll be going back to college, I can try to convince my mom to have Charlie come in the house

 

[kittyfan101]

rubysmama my dad hasn't been about to touch him much other than the occasional touch while he's he has his back turned while eating. The other option my dad suggested was to wait until my other cats get used to him since they still hiss at him from time to time, and maybe my dad said we can let him into the house.

 

[kittyfan101]

Is he a true feral cat or a stray who has adjusted to living outdoors? If you can pet and handle him , then he is likely a stray, and he would easily adapt to living indoors. When it comes to adult feral male cats, many do adjust to indoor life, but some don't. You have nothing to lose by giving it a shot. Since he's neutered now, he will become calmer. If you're open to the idea of keeping him inside, you'll want to remove him from the cage and give him a safe room to himself, away from your other cats. Feral cats especially get very stressed when confined in a cage. In his safe room, provide him with dry food 24/7, a water bowl, some catnip toys, snd places where he can feel safe like an open closet with a cat bed or pet carrier in it, a cat tree with cubby holes, or even a box with a blanket in it. Provide him with a litter box. Sometimes it's helpful to mix soil from the outdoors in with the litter for a while. He may cry the first few days, or he might hide and be very quiet. There will be an adjustment period. However, if he cries and caterwauls all night , scales the walls and windows, and is desperate to get out, then you may want to release him back outside and continue to care for him in that way. It is worth the effort to give it a shot though. In my experience, it is much less stressful caring for a cat who is indoors than a cat who is outside. There are too many things to worry about when a cat is outside. I hope you and your family will give him a chance to live indoors, you have nothing to lose by trying.

 

[kittyfan101]

msaimee I'm not sure how truly feral he is, but he's only 2 years old, and he came in the same litter as his mother and father that passed away. I would love to have him come in the house along with my dad, it's my mom I would have to convince. One of my fears is that Charlie could die just like his mother and father, or he can get hurt by an aggressive dog in the neighborhood.