momto3innc Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 So...my daughter has always wanted a cat. I really like them myself, but my oldest son is allergic (but not wildly so), we have a dog who is not crazy about cats, and we have a bunch of stress right now and don't need another pet. We live in a metro area and the lady next door ("Crazy Cat Lady") leaves out cat food 24/7 in front of both of her houses. Super annoying as we have masses of feral cats in the area who all flock next door. Generally we just try to ignore the cat fights, random cats on our roof, etc... About 6 weeks ago we saw this really sad, super skinny cat by our van. My daughter begged to feed it and we happened to have tuna in our pantry that my mom left here last time she visited (we hate tuna). So the cat ran right up and ate when she brought it out. This happened again, about 1-2 times a week, for a few weeks. Then...we crossed a line I think :huh: . For the last few weeks, we have been feeding it every day. It sits on our doorstep waiting for us in the morning. It's plumped right up and is SO friendly. Purrs constantly, super cuddly. If we let it, it would march right into our house. It is definitely a cat someone dumped and not a feral cat like all the other cats in the neighborhood. Somewhere in there, I grabbed cat flea and tick treatment at Petsmart and used that on it so that it wouldn't end up spreading fleas to our dog. Now, I am trying to figure out what to do. This cat loves us. It still roams the neighborhood, but spends maybe an hour or two a day on our front porch. I'm considering if I should find a low cost spay/neuter (another thing...totally don't know the gender of this cat...think female but not certain) and take it in (our city does the TNR thing and I know there are vets that participate...my vet is WAY too expensive). But what would I do while it recovered from surgery? I'm sure it would need to rest. And then I'm thinking if it was there, I would probably have them do a rabies shot. What else? Where do I then cross the line that this cat is our cat? I really wouldn't mind it being our outdoor cat, but all this is complicated by the fact that we are moving at some point in the next three-six months. Still don't know where--job hunt underway (hence lots of stress and not great timing for a new pet). My kids think the cat should come with us. My husband will fall over in shock if I tell him this. And really...that would be weird right? To take an outdoor stray cat and move it to another outdoor area? Like stick it in a carrier and drive it to some other random state and leave it outside our house and keep feeding it? That just sounds nuts. If we just left it here, it would constantly have food supplied by my next door neighbor like all the other cats. I've mainly been thinking about it not having kittens on our front porch or passing diseases around so helping it be healthy while not actually adopting it. Is this wistful thinking? When I started buying cat food did I obligate myself for life? :lol: Sorry this ended up rambling. Basically, what would you have done at a vet if you were me and managed to find a carrier, get it in, and take it to a vet? And can it still not actually be "my" cat? Can I just be a good samaritan? Thanks for any help! Oh, and this is the only cat in the neighborhood our dog doesn't bark at. Which is totally not helping my desire to not adopt a new cat when we are getting ready to move. One more tidbit. So we are in Houston. When we evacuated for Harvey, my son made it a shelter on our porch. Yeah, when we got home 6 days later (after 4 feet of water on our street), the cat was waiting for us on the welcome mat. This was when I began to realize we might have a problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 I don't know much about cats, but I would definitely take it to the spay and neuter clinic. Let them know it's a stray you have been feeding, they may tip the ear. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in FL Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 The cat loves you. :001_wub: Been there. Done that. More than once... They're all still here and I'm still married. :coolgleamA: You can make this work.... Hey, the cat was waiting for you after Harvey, just tell your husband, "it's a sign"... :tongue_smilie: Good luck! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 One more tidbit. So we are in Houston. When we evacuated for Harvey, my son made it a shelter on our porch. Yeah, when we got home 6 days later (after 4 feet of water on our street), the cat was waiting for us on the welcome mat. This was when I began to realize we might have a problem. Aww, sounds like the kitty has adopted you as his/her family. I'm the wrong person to ask about this because I'd have that cat living in my house already. :) Since you say the cat is super friendly and adorable, maybe you could try to find a good home for it? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 I have had a couple cats that just refuse to be indoor cats. And we moved them and they were fine with it. Kitty chose you, I see no options. :lol: Have your kids make a plea on the cat's behalf. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3innc Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 I don't know much about cats, but I would definitely take it to the spay and neuter clinic. Let them know it's a stray you have been feeding, they may tip the ear. I definitely want to do this/am planning on it. Just trying to hunt down a low cost clinic. Main one I've found does not have availability til December--think due to all the Harvey related chaos. Aww, sounds like the kitty has adopted you as his/her family. I'm the wrong person to ask about this because I'd have that cat living in my house already. :) Since you say the cat is super friendly and adorable, maybe you could try to find a good home for it? Also considered that. But all the local FB/pet pages are overrun with offers of cats, particularly since the storm. And it's just worse since Harvey. And since I don't actually know how it would do inside (or really anything else about it), I also am a little hesitate in case someone gets it and it goes poorly. But yes, also considered doing the vet thing first and then advertising it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 This is your cat. You gotta either rehome it or take it with you. Sorry, but you crossed that line with the flea medicine. You should take the cat in to the vet and have it checked for a microchip before you have it altered and vaccinated. (And you should definitely get a new microchip put in if it doesn't have one!) Kitty will need between 3 - 10 days indoor recuperation after surgery depending on its sex and how likely it is to lick the stitches or run around. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in FL Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 Your dog doesn't bark at it. Tell your dh that this is also "a sign"... :coolgleamA: You can probably easily find a carrier at a thrift shop or secondhand store or the flea market if you have the time to look. Definitely spray or neuter. One cat and one dog is not like you are stocking an ark! :lol: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooCow Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 So, does your new Kitty have a name yet? ;) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 You don't have a problem, you have a cat :P You can definitely take it with you when you leave and keep it a mostly-outdoor cat, that would not be weird; and you can also use that time to make it an indoor-only cat, or mostly indoor cat if you want. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 I just wanted to say congrats on your new addition. <3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 (edited) nm didn't see update Edited September 21, 2017 by heartlikealion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 We do only outdoor cats. We feed it outside and our cats never come in. We've moved only outdoor cats too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3innc Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 I have had a couple cats that just refuse to be indoor cats. And we moved them and they were fine with it. Kitty chose you, I see no options. :lol: Have your kids make a plea on the cat's behalf. I think it would actually love to be an indoor cat. If it's on our front porch and we open the door, it marches right in. We are just not ready for that (my son's allergy, not sure about it with our dog, not sure how it would do as far as scratching furniture/litter box, and we are in a rental and would need to clear it with the landlord). So...outdoor cat it is :) So, does your new Kitty have a name yet? ;) Hotly contested. Boys want to name it "that cat". Daughter wants Oreo. I have been strenuously trying to avoid naming it due to my fear of this becoming our cat. We do only outdoor cats. We feed it outside and our cats never come in. We've moved only outdoor cats too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Good to know. Just trying to fathom moving however many hours in a van with three kids, a large dog, and a stray cat in a carrier. Feels like like crossing into the land of crazy. If only it hadn't looked so radically sad that first time we saw it and fed it tuna... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3innc Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 Really at the moment I'm thinking I'm going to get the first appointment I can into a lower cost clinic and then make a valiant effort to have it adopted. But really, the reality of that is super small right now in Houston. Sigh. Thanks for processing and confirming my fears. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 (edited) Allergies are tough :( It might not be urgent to get the cat fixed if it is male. If it is an unaltered male, that's pretty obvious - it'll have some balls! An altered male is slightly tougher, but so long as you occasionally have a chance to glance at its butt, you can still identify if it is male - males have a round hole for their genitals that is clearly separated from the anus. Females have a keyhole shape without much of a separation from the anus. Many people think it is difficult to sex cats, so they don't even try, but with a little practice you can do it even before puberty, as soon as they stop immediately clutching their tails to their tummies whenever you pick them up. (It's a reflex of feline infancy.) Alternatively, the name "Oreo" suggests to me that it is primarily black and white. If there's any yellow or orange or brown fur at all on this cat, not just black and white, then it's almost certainly female. (But if it's just black and white, there's no way to tell. The genes for orange and black are both carried on the X chromosome, but the gene for white isn't.) Here are two links on the subject. This one provides a diagram. This one is an image of two kitten butts. Unaltered males are more likely to wander than altered males and females (altered or otherwise), but they don't get pregnant. my son's allergy, not sure about it with our dog, not sure how it would do as far as scratching furniture/litter box If this is a friendly cat, he might already know how to use the box - and even if he doesn't, most cats adapt quickly, or they adapt to going outside to do their business and coming back in for snuggling. Scratching is a potential problem - if kitty doesn't let you trim his nails (or you're scared to!) you can ask the vet to handle it when you bring him in. Do NOT do this if you intend to let him stay an outdoor-only cat - he needs to be able to defend himself! Either way, you'll want to invest in a scratcher. Hands down, the one we get the most use out of is the el cheapo cardboard scratchers that come with catnip. Edited September 21, 2017 by Tanaqui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 (edited) Get it basic medical care (checkup, vaccines, spay/neuter) if you can, and then build it an outdoor cat shelter. To do this, you can use 2 plastic storage bins with an opening cut out, with hay or Styrofoam between the bins as insulation for winter. Bed it with hay - not towels because they freeze in cold weather - and it will be sufficient for winter, unless you are in the very coldest parts of the USA. Patterns are on the internet, but can be done for less than $20. If things go well and you want a permanent cat, you can always bring the cat in. I wouldn't bring it in and then abandon it again if you move, however. The local SPCA, 4-H, or cat rescue can help with low-cost spay/neuter or vaccines. Edited September 21, 2017 by reefgazer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 Congratulations on your new cat. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 You can name it TC for "that cat..." Congratulations on your new cat. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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