- Joined
- Apr 11, 2018
- Messages
- 22
- Purraise
- 19
Hello all! Figured this was the place to come for advice from knowledgeable cat lovers.
Sorry, this is a long one....
To start with, I'm have a cat allergy and have therefore never spent enough time with cats to know even the first thing about them. So when porch kitty showed up when I was moving into my house last fall, I was tickled at the attention, but did nothing to encourage her. I was moving boxes in little by little over several weeks and she'd often show up, rub all over my pants legs, and try (and often succeed) to follow me in the door while I was carrying the boxes. I didn't really pet her (except with a leaf or a towel occasionally) but I'd talk to her and laugh at her antics. Then one day I showed up at the house with my large dog. She gave me the dirtiest look a cat can muster and ran off. I barely saw her at all for the next 5 months or so. Occasionally I’d see her on the porch of the house two doors down when I’d walk my dog. She would shrink down when she’d see my dog and just sort of watch us walk by, but that was it... Until about 2 weeks ago.
Suddenly one evening she reappeared on my porch. Over the next several days I went from:
1. just saying hello
2. to petting her with a soft object
3. to taking (multiple) allergy medications so I could pet her with my hand for 5 or 10 min
4. to leaving a bowl of water out for her
5. to peeking outside multiple times a day to check on her
6. to letting her snuggle every evening for an hour or more
7. to buying her cat food and feeding her once a day
8. to setting up an insulated box for her to sleep in
9. to buying a cat toy and playing with her daily
10. to feeding her twice a day and giving her turkey treats
So that escalated quickly!
Anyway, as for any human owner, I'm not really sure what the situation is yet. I believe she is what you would call a "community cat". I know that the one lady two doors down puts food out in a tupperware bowl occasionally, but she's told other neighbors that while she sometimes feeds the cat, the cat isn't her's. There's another neighbor two doors in the other direction who feeds several cats every day. I asked her if the kitty is hers and she kind of said "yes, I feed all of them" and told me that that particular cat came to her for food when she moved to the neighborhood 10 years ago. This really surprised me because the cat does not at all look 10 years old, but I'm no cat expert, so I'm not sure what to make of this.
Anyway, the next time I see the neighbor that feeds all of the cats I will try to find a way to figure out if she takes the neighborhood cats to the vet and gets them fixed and vaccinated. If she says no, I'll ask if she minds if I take Porch Kitty to the vet. Her response may also give me a better sense of whether she'd mind if I sort of adopt the little cat as my own.
But I'm wondering if, even if everyone is ok with me taking over her care, whether that is the right thing to do?
The problem is, she definitely seems like she wants to be an indoor cat. Here's why:
1. She keeps sticking her nose in the door even though she won't go in because she knows my dog is sitting right inside the door.
2. When I first moved and she got into the house a few times she would rub her face all over the house, which I believe may be territory marking behavior?
3. When another cat comes around my porch (more on that in a minute) she sits right by the door like she's desperate to get in. Actually, she sits by the door a lot, which makes me feel really bad.
But there are a few problems if she is looking for an indoor home. First, I have no idea whether she and my dog could be trusted together. It seems really risky and I have no experience in this area (someone I know just had a tragedy in that department and it freaks me out a little). Second, I don't know the first thing about training a cat not to tear up one's antique furniture and houseplants. I've heard horror stories on this subject. Third (and possibly the only real dealbreaker) I've invested in 24 hour allergy medicine and steroid nasal allergy sprays to cut down on the worst of my allergy symptoms, but am still a little congested/wheezy so I'm concerned that if she were to become an indoor cat I'd be setting myself up for major trouble.
So, would it be wrong to "adopt" her as just an outside cat? I could take her to the vet, treat her for fleas and worms, and get her a kitty condo and figure out a way to heat it for next winter?
My second issue is cat #2, who showed up on my porch yesterday. I'm having a hard time determining whether the two cats are friends or if #2 is antagonizing Porch Kitty. I call cat #2 "Bobblehead" because he/she has a gigantic head and feet on a small skinny body. He/she is also missing their tail (just a nub). Anyway, I've seen Porch Kitty and Bobblehead hanging out near each other in the neighborhood before. Not super close- maybe 6 feet apart. I assumed they were friends? But when Bobblehead appeared yesterday he/she came up on my porch and stared at her (and me) with big eyes, very intensely. Then he/she kept trying to get closer to Porch Kitty- usually by approaching her from behind, which she didn't seem to like at all. Porch Kitty seemed intimidated, but I'm no expert on cat psychology. The one time Bobblehead approached her from the front she hissed really loudly. I finally ended up chasing Bobblehead away with a broom because Porch Kitty seemed really tense the whole time Bobblehead was there. This made me feel really guilty, of course. Bobblehead is a lot skinnier than Porch Kitty and seemed to be breathing heavily so I wonder if he/she is unwell. I don't want Bobblehead harassing Porch Kitty or giving her any diseases, but I also don't want to be mean to a sick kitty or break up a friendship (if there is one) either. I mean, it is entirely possible they've been friends for a long time and my presence has turned Porch Kitty selfish and possessive, right? She doesn't seem to be the antagonist here, but it is really hard to tell. So honestly, I don't know what to do about Bobblehead if he/she shows up again tonight. I know he/she gets food elsewhere, but maybe he/she needs better quality food and some serious veterinary care as well.
Does anyone have any advice?
Thanks so much for reading this far!
Sorry, this is a long one....
To start with, I'm have a cat allergy and have therefore never spent enough time with cats to know even the first thing about them. So when porch kitty showed up when I was moving into my house last fall, I was tickled at the attention, but did nothing to encourage her. I was moving boxes in little by little over several weeks and she'd often show up, rub all over my pants legs, and try (and often succeed) to follow me in the door while I was carrying the boxes. I didn't really pet her (except with a leaf or a towel occasionally) but I'd talk to her and laugh at her antics. Then one day I showed up at the house with my large dog. She gave me the dirtiest look a cat can muster and ran off. I barely saw her at all for the next 5 months or so. Occasionally I’d see her on the porch of the house two doors down when I’d walk my dog. She would shrink down when she’d see my dog and just sort of watch us walk by, but that was it... Until about 2 weeks ago.
Suddenly one evening she reappeared on my porch. Over the next several days I went from:
1. just saying hello
2. to petting her with a soft object
3. to taking (multiple) allergy medications so I could pet her with my hand for 5 or 10 min
4. to leaving a bowl of water out for her
5. to peeking outside multiple times a day to check on her
6. to letting her snuggle every evening for an hour or more
7. to buying her cat food and feeding her once a day
8. to setting up an insulated box for her to sleep in
9. to buying a cat toy and playing with her daily
10. to feeding her twice a day and giving her turkey treats
So that escalated quickly!
Anyway, as for any human owner, I'm not really sure what the situation is yet. I believe she is what you would call a "community cat". I know that the one lady two doors down puts food out in a tupperware bowl occasionally, but she's told other neighbors that while she sometimes feeds the cat, the cat isn't her's. There's another neighbor two doors in the other direction who feeds several cats every day. I asked her if the kitty is hers and she kind of said "yes, I feed all of them" and told me that that particular cat came to her for food when she moved to the neighborhood 10 years ago. This really surprised me because the cat does not at all look 10 years old, but I'm no cat expert, so I'm not sure what to make of this.
Anyway, the next time I see the neighbor that feeds all of the cats I will try to find a way to figure out if she takes the neighborhood cats to the vet and gets them fixed and vaccinated. If she says no, I'll ask if she minds if I take Porch Kitty to the vet. Her response may also give me a better sense of whether she'd mind if I sort of adopt the little cat as my own.
But I'm wondering if, even if everyone is ok with me taking over her care, whether that is the right thing to do?
The problem is, she definitely seems like she wants to be an indoor cat. Here's why:
1. She keeps sticking her nose in the door even though she won't go in because she knows my dog is sitting right inside the door.
2. When I first moved and she got into the house a few times she would rub her face all over the house, which I believe may be territory marking behavior?
3. When another cat comes around my porch (more on that in a minute) she sits right by the door like she's desperate to get in. Actually, she sits by the door a lot, which makes me feel really bad.
But there are a few problems if she is looking for an indoor home. First, I have no idea whether she and my dog could be trusted together. It seems really risky and I have no experience in this area (someone I know just had a tragedy in that department and it freaks me out a little). Second, I don't know the first thing about training a cat not to tear up one's antique furniture and houseplants. I've heard horror stories on this subject. Third (and possibly the only real dealbreaker) I've invested in 24 hour allergy medicine and steroid nasal allergy sprays to cut down on the worst of my allergy symptoms, but am still a little congested/wheezy so I'm concerned that if she were to become an indoor cat I'd be setting myself up for major trouble.
So, would it be wrong to "adopt" her as just an outside cat? I could take her to the vet, treat her for fleas and worms, and get her a kitty condo and figure out a way to heat it for next winter?
My second issue is cat #2, who showed up on my porch yesterday. I'm having a hard time determining whether the two cats are friends or if #2 is antagonizing Porch Kitty. I call cat #2 "Bobblehead" because he/she has a gigantic head and feet on a small skinny body. He/she is also missing their tail (just a nub). Anyway, I've seen Porch Kitty and Bobblehead hanging out near each other in the neighborhood before. Not super close- maybe 6 feet apart. I assumed they were friends? But when Bobblehead appeared yesterday he/she came up on my porch and stared at her (and me) with big eyes, very intensely. Then he/she kept trying to get closer to Porch Kitty- usually by approaching her from behind, which she didn't seem to like at all. Porch Kitty seemed intimidated, but I'm no expert on cat psychology. The one time Bobblehead approached her from the front she hissed really loudly. I finally ended up chasing Bobblehead away with a broom because Porch Kitty seemed really tense the whole time Bobblehead was there. This made me feel really guilty, of course. Bobblehead is a lot skinnier than Porch Kitty and seemed to be breathing heavily so I wonder if he/she is unwell. I don't want Bobblehead harassing Porch Kitty or giving her any diseases, but I also don't want to be mean to a sick kitty or break up a friendship (if there is one) either. I mean, it is entirely possible they've been friends for a long time and my presence has turned Porch Kitty selfish and possessive, right? She doesn't seem to be the antagonist here, but it is really hard to tell. So honestly, I don't know what to do about Bobblehead if he/she shows up again tonight. I know he/she gets food elsewhere, but maybe he/she needs better quality food and some serious veterinary care as well.
Does anyone have any advice?
Thanks so much for reading this far!
The kitty might start following you inside, friend the dog, all kinds of things can happen. 
The landscaping is fantastic and apparently extremely functional as well! Love the shelter you built and am more than a little jealous of the plants you can grow in your climate too! 
). They are very wary around each other, but show no overt aggression at all. And what gives me hope is that Porch Kitty definitely thinks it is worthwhile to hang out on my porch despite the fact that I have to pass by her with my dog when I take him on walks. Starting two nights ago I began bringing my dog onto the porch and sitting with him by the steps for about 10 minutes so she can see he's not so scary. She kind of hides under the furniture, but doesn't try to run away. Maybe I'll keep doing this for a while and see if there's any progress. 
