Strange happenings

JMJimmy

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We live on a ground floor apartment and there have always been a fair number of cats in the area.  In the past they just walk by on top of the fence and we think nothing of it.  However, in the past week things have gotten really weird.  It started with one tabby coming to our patio door and meowing at me.  I opened it up expecting it to bolt or just to give it a pet and instead it walked right in, immediately claiming me/the area.  Over the next week it kept coming back up to 6-7 times a day.  Finally we broke down and fed the poor thing and it essentially moved in with us staying for the past few nights.  We let it out whenever it wants but it never leaves for more than an hour.  We figured it was abandoned. 

The strange part happened today when the cat was meowing at the door, this time from the inside.  I figured it just wanted out but instead a second tabby cat comes running in.  The second cat makes itself right at home, eating/drinking and snuggling up in a cat bed we bought.  I'd seen the second cat following the first before and they get along well so we're thinking they know each other.  Then only a few hours later a 3rd cat shows up meowing at our door, rolling around outside.  We've seen this cat around a lot and it's very skittish.  the other cats were really interested so we opened the door.  It immediately comes in and, while not friends with the other cats (dominance displays from the first cat and submissive from the third), it lays down on the carpet and hasn't left for about half an hour now.  There's also been a fourth black cat hovering around but runs away whenever the door is opened.

What the heck is going on!?
 

Columbine

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Hmm...all I can think is that they may be related. I've had cats turn up and ask to move in before, but never quite like this :lol3: Obviously these cats have decided that you're going to be their humans from now on. It would be a good idea to get them checked over by a vet, scanned for microchips (in case they're lost), spayed/neutered if necessary (especially if you don't want to hear the patter of tiny paws ;) ), and treated for worms and fleas. Cat guardianship can get quite expensive. A few litter trays and scratching posts would be a very good idea too.

I know this is a lot. If it's something you don't want to get into, then you can always contact the humane society or a no kill shelter for help with rehoming. These cats certainly don't sound feral, as they're way too trusting for that. At least it's nice to be popular :lol3:
 
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JMJimmy

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Thankfully the third one moved on after it stuck around for several hours just relaxing on the carpet.  The second cat spent the entire day with us then decided to head out around dinner time so we're not sure if he's just interested in the first cat, has a home & is just too friendly, or simply hasn't decided to officially claim us yet.  The coming days will tell.

We're mostly setup now and we're posting found cat listings, putting up flyers, etc.  No idea how we're going to pay the vet bills or get them to the vet, we'd been putting off getting a pet due to financial reasons and even then we were going to get a rabbit as they're far lower cost.  Life has different plans guess
Kitty #2 (uber friendly)


Sauna

 

luna tuna

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My cat's a bit of a lazy one, she's 10 and she's almost always asleep either in my bed or hers. She always explores new places, though she does usually pick a spot to sleep and stick to it. There's also the possibility kitty #1 is more active at night.
If you can't afford to have the kitties, I would contact local no-kill shelters (not all humane societies are no-kill but if yours is, great). I adopted from my local humane society and they put a lot of money into visits to the vet for her (spay, microchip, multiple dental extractions, several checkups) so you may find that you don't have to foot the bills for your surprise pets. If you can, at least find out if they're chipped! That's a lot easier than lost cat posters.

Is that first kitty fat? She seems a little on the large side in your pictures but it's hard to tell. If not, there's not much reason to be concerned about how much she sleeps.
 
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JMJimmy

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We're definitely getting them checked for chips, we couldn't feel any but just in case.  The big challenge will be getting kitty #1 crated without destroying all the trust we've built.  We checked our shelter's policy and figure it's about $200 per cat to get all the basics done.  It's actually really reasonable, just really bad timing income wise.  Getting a bit ahead of myself though, first thing is to make sure they don't have homes.

They're a great pair though, a couple trouble makers.  They managed to locate the catnip inside a closed cabinet (no idea how they got it open) and tore through the multiple bags to have a grand old time this morning while I slept.  They also finally used the litterbox!  Very exciting morning.

As to boss kitty's weight, she's actually a little lean for her frame but very much a large cat; very muscular & large frame.  You can tell from her interactions with the other cats that she was always the dominant one (a few battle scars to prove it)
 

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You won't necessarily feel a microchip. It's great that you're getting them checked out :)

With crating, a little extra smelly and yummy treat (such as tuna or mackerel) can work wonders. Failing that, just stay calm and matter of fact about the process. It's rare for a cat to get to get traumatised or loose trust for long (though sulking after a vet visit is fairly normal :rolleyes: ).

Great news on using the litterbox too :clap: They're definitely settling in and making themselves at home - love the 'sauna' pic :9:
 
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JMJimmy

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artiemom

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Awwww....I was going to say that the word went out about your guys...That sometimes happens in the cat community, although in your case, it is extreme...never heard of that though..

I know my mom always had cats come to our back door, looking for food and leaving her presents in return..yeas, field mice....

My mom was always feeding the cats..it seemed that as soon as one came and was fed, the word went out, and we got another one.

Your 'presents'/ "visitors" are beautiful.....They decided, for whatever reason, karma, decided to adopt you.. You must be special and your vibes so vibrant that it attracted them....

((hugs)) to you and your new family...
 
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JMJimmy

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I could use some advice on kitty #3.  It's inside for the third day in a row, she's currently making her way up the stairs at the back of the apartment.   Boss kitty will do a dominance display whenever kitty #3 comes around.  Kitty #3 shows the appropriate respect/submission then boss kitty backs off and allows her to enter, usually going back to sleep. It's hard to tell if kitty #3 a stray though, her fur is a little unkempt but she seems to have a decent weight.  I see her at all hours of the day/night along the back of our building.  She's somewhat timid but very curious.

Today we decided to put out some food to see how much kitty #3 would eat and while she was hesitant to start eating once she did she gobbled down everything that was there (~1/3rd of a cup).  After exploring half the bottom floor she moved on (~30mins inside).
 
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JMJimmy

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This situation gets more bizarre by the day.  Kitty #4, the black one I mentioned in my first post, came by earlier today and was checking out our garden, Boss Kitty went out and it bolted.  This cat is very fast to bolt but not overly timid.  Anyway, later on I opened the door to check for Kitty #2 who was out on his nightly prowl and low and behold Kitty #4, hops up on the fence right next to me. I walk back inside and it follows me in without any prompting!?!  Boss Kitty was sleeping and didn't notice right away so it had some time to explore the entry way, she then wakes up and trots after it.   Kitty #4 runs outside with Boss Kitty in tow.  I hear some chuffing/growls and I'm thinking 'crap this is going to be a cat fight'.  To my complete bewilderment Kitty #4 re-enters moments later while Boss Kitty sits down and does the 'squinting/head turn' a few feet outside the door.  Almost as if she went to collect it to add it to her pride.

30 mins later Kitty #4 leaves after doing about the same amount of exploring as Kitty #3 did earlier.  I could understand if there was some food prompting Kitty #4 didn't even show interest in their food bowl as he was exploring (casual sniff but immediately moved on).  Same with Kitty #3, only fed her the 3rd visit and only after she'd been inside for a while.

I'm completely at a loss as to why this is all happening.  Initially we thought maybe Boss Kitty was in heat but they're not showing that kind of interest and we're pretty sure 3 & 4 are female as well. 

I think the worst part of all of this is worrying that these are someones pets.  Do we try to encourage Kitties 3 & 4 to move in or assume they have homes and leave them be/discourage them if they look in reasonable condition?

 
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stewball

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Has anybody put up fliers for missing cats?
Have you checked for fleas? You don't want your house infested.
Do they let your touch them and do they wash themselves? Looks like you've been adopted.
 
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JMJimmy

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Has anybody put up fliers for missing cats?
Have you checked for fleas? You don't want your house infested.
Do they let your touch them and do they wash themselves? Looks like you've been adopted.
Kitty #1 & 2 are free of fleas as far as we can tell and they let us pet them (especially #2).  Grooming is getting better with each passing day (they were dehydrated initially - they drank 0.25gal in a day).  We've posted found cat listings on HelpingLostPets.com and Kijiji, checked the obvious spots for flyers (bus stop, library, building bulletin boards, etc), put out flyers of our own.  We're in the process of acclimating them to the carriers and decided to take them to get scanned for microchips on Friday since the building management has pest control coming in.  Better to have them out of the apartment for that event.

It's really #3 & 4 where there's questions on what to do, if anything.  They haven't adopted us, being far more timid/flighty, but there's obvious interest from them to enter.
 

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I'm interested in what the vet has to say. Ask him to check for fleas. Are they girls or boys?
 

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Anything in particular?  I'll make a point to ask (since I've never owned cats before I may not know what to ask). 

#1 Suspect a female
#2 Obvious male
#3 Longhair, can't tell, possibly female by behaviour
#4 Almost surely female (looks like it's had babies before)

I was able to confirm that #4 is almost surely a stray.  Aside from the behaviour differences I went out at 2:30am and watched it hunting in a snow storm.

Edit: #4 is back inside again - Boss Kitty and her seem to have an understanding
would
They obviously have worms. Check ears for mites. Too expensive but blood tests would be good.
Are you going to keep them all? I would
 
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JMJimmy

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would
They obviously have worms. Check ears for mites. Too expensive but blood tests would be good.
Are you going to keep them all? I would
We would love to, unfortunately we're not doing too well ourselves so I doubt we could care for them all, at least not properly; assuming we could entice all of them to stay & they don't have owners that is.  We'll do what we can whatever happens, even if we go without.
 

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We would love to, unfortunately we're not doing too well ourselves so I doubt we could care for them all, at least not properly; assuming we could entice all of them to stay & they don't have owners that is.  We'll do what we can whatever happens, even if we go without.
You could keep two of themy maybe?

Are you up early or late? It's 12.42pm here.
 
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