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He is a sweet black kitty who doesn't belong to anyone and is pretty skinny. I think he's a boy but I'm not sure. He looks pretty young; maybe 6-9 months old or so. He has a scar on his back from I don't know what. He comes up to us meowing and wants to be petted and we always oblige him and he spends his days under our truck for shade. After he had done this for a while, I decided he needed to be fed and asked my wife to buy him a bag of cat food which she did, so he eats every day now and is looking better. Our friend made fun of us and said now that we feed him he's our cat haha. Now he climbs on our truck and leaves little pawprints. I wasn't a cat person but I really like him and every time I go outside I look for him to see if he's OK. He never goes out in the street but just hangs around our yard.
My wife and I are thinking about really making him ours and bringing him inside eventually, slowly of course, since he is quite tame. Does anyone know how to do that? I don't know if he has ever been inside a house. If we are successful, we would get him shots and fixed and he would just be a regular cat. He needs a home and not just living under a truck in the hot outdoors, although that's not terrible, but definitely vet care at least. We have two huge Great Danes but they are very old but they haven't been around cats much at all. I don't know how that would work. But how do I even get him inside to try it? And the litter box? Does anyone know? I have had cats before but they have always started out as indoor kitties so I didn't need to train them to come inside.
Do you have a pet door? That's how we adopted a feral cat. Once she learned to use it, w would find her inside at night. Eventually we put her in a cat carrier and had her examined and fixed. Penelope has been with us for 11 years now.
If it were me, I'd call my vet and ask them as well. You also don't want to put your dog's life in danger from disease or whatever. You don't know how this cat will act around dogs so your vet may be able to help you introduce the cat to your current pets.
You also want to consider if you will make this an "indoor only" cat or if you're going to let him out regularly as that changes things too.
Do you have a pet door? That's how we adopted a feral cat. Once she learned to use it, w would find her inside at night. Eventually we put her in a cat carrier and had her examined and fixed. Penelope has been with us for 11 years now.
We do but it's a 31" tall double flap giant door in the backyard for the Danes and he never goes back there. He always stays in the front yard. Maybe we can lure him inside with fish or canned food.
Can you pick up this kitty and hold him? If yes, you can put him inside of a carrier and bring him to the vet for a check up first. He'll likely need to be neutered, get vaccinations, get checked for fleas and parasites, etc. Expect that he'll need a couple doses of de-worming medicine and he may have ear mites too.
If you can't pick up this kitty, you can borrow a live trap from most humane societies. Bait it with a stinky fish cat food or sardines. Cover the carrier with a towel to calm him and get him to the vet.
I'd suggest first keeping him in one room by himself, so he can acclimate to your house. Add a litter box with fine-grain litter and he should automatically start using it. If not, you can add some sand or potting soil on top of the litter to entice him. He'd probably like a tall cat tree to climb, and don't forget about some scratching posts. If he likes catnip, use that to encourage him to use the scratchers. Play with him using some wand toys--he'll likely love to play.
A couple of years ago, we brought in about a two-year old female cat who'd been left behind by former neighbors. (We used a live trap because she was wary at first.) She was an adult and we weren't sure if she'd like living inside, but to our surprise she is content and hasn't tried to escape.
Best of luck to you, and thank you for taking him in.
If it were me, I'd call my vet and ask them as well. You also don't want to put your dog's life in danger from disease or whatever. You don't know how this cat will act around dogs so your vet may be able to help you introduce the cat to your current pets.
You also want to consider if you will make this an "indoor only" cat or if you're going to let him out regularly as that changes things too.
Just my two cents.
Good ideas also. I personally think cats should not be let loose outside. There is too much danger, especially from cars. So if we can get him inside we would keep him inside once he gets used to the home.
He is a sweet black kitty who doesn't belong to anyone and is pretty skinny. I think he's a boy but I'm not sure. He looks pretty young; maybe 6-9 months old or so. He has a scar on his back from I don't know what. He comes up to us meowing and wants to be petted and we always oblige him and he spends his days under our truck for shade. After he had done this for a while, I decided he needed to be fed and asked my wife to buy him a bag of cat food which she did, so he eats every day now and is looking better. Our friend made fun of us and said now that we feed him he's our cat haha. Now he climbs on our truck and leaves little pawprints. I wasn't a cat person but I really like him and every time I go outside I look for him to see if he's OK. He never goes out in the street but just hangs around our yard.
My wife and I are thinking about really making him ours and bringing him inside eventually, slowly of course, since he is quite tame. Does anyone know how to do that? I don't know if he has ever been inside a house. If we are successful, we would get him shots and fixed and he would just be a regular cat. He needs a home and not just living under a truck in the hot outdoors, although that's not terrible, but definitely vet care at least. We have two huge Great Danes but they are very old but they haven't been around cats much at all. I don't know how that would work. But how do I even get him inside to try it? And the litter box? Does anyone know? I have had cats before but they have always started out as indoor kitties so I didn't need to train them to come inside.
First of all, thank you for being concerned about this little guy. Half of your battle is already won, you are able to pet him/her..........most ferals are deathly afraid to come near you, let alone be petted.
Let me give you my experience as a roadmap of what you might do. I've told the story umpteen times on here about our kitty at our shop, Mama Cat. For about 6 years, we fed her every night, and she would stay 10 feet away, and only eat when we moved off. Then, we saw she looked pregnant, so we put out a trap and caught her, and moved her into the shop office. After she had her kittens (who we got homes for), we took her to a vet and had her spayed and checked over.
We moved her back into the shop office, but for about a year or so, she would hide and not let us pet her. Then, one night, my son called and said "guess who I just petted !" From that point on, she got friendlier and friendlier, to the point all she wanted to do was lay on your lap and purr.
She is also the cleanest cat ever, never missed the litter box in the 3 years she has been inside the office. So, I think your kitty will also learn what it is there for.
My only concern is about your dogs. Not sure how she will take to them, or vice versa. That might be a problem. Maybe start her out in one room where the door is closed all the time, and then, as time passes, slowly introduce them to each other.
Oh, and I agree with others that this cat should be strictly indoors from now on. Much safer for the cat and for your other pets.
You have the opportunity here to give a poor little guy a better life, and thank you for wanting to do that. Sounds like he/she has been around people because, normally, ferals stay way away from humans. Good luck and keep us posted.
It seems a bit strange that this cat doesn't want to go in your backyard. Perhaps he's not going to want to live around your dogs.
I haven't seen the cat go in anyone's backyard, not even the next door neighbors', and they have no pets. I don't know if he would get along with the dogs or not, but I don't think they are the reason he doesn't go in the backyard.
Take to vet, get vaccines, him/her fixed, dewormed, checked out, even if you cannot keep him inside.
If no dogs, it is easy, just bring him inside.
With dogs damn tricky, because, well,do you know your dogs' reaction to cats? Not only is it a cat, it is much smaller. Really, with the dogs, it is a difficult thing with no experience, and maybe impossible because the dogs may just have a problem with the ct, plus the whole trust thing even if they do get along, like would you trust them to be together alone.
But in any case, you cannot jsut throw them together to see what happens, even if you had other cats and no dogs. You put the new cat in a spare room for a while, like a few days, then you keep the door cracked some so they can exchange smells, looks, etc, then slowly gauge the reactions. Once the aggressiveness like growling and wailing is over, you do a slow supervised release, and each time together make it for a longer and longer period.
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From that point on, she got friendlier and friendlier, to the point all she wanted to do was lay on your lap and purr.
