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- Jul 3, 2018
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I took in a stray male cat last Sunday and he's currently residing in one of my guest bedrooms. He had been coming around for about a year and I would leave food and fresh water out for him. He is pretty friendly but wouldn't let me get too close. I had been planning on trapping him and bringing him inside before winter. I live in the Detroit area and the temperature has been dropping the past few weeks. Then, after getting home from the grocery store last Sunday morning, a neighbor told me she saw a coyote running down the train tracks behind our condo complex. Not fifteen minutes later, he showed up on my front porch bleeding from his backside. I took that as a sign that I couldn't wait any longer. I waited and waited all day Sunday but he never showed back up. Before heading to bed around midnight, I set a trap for him on my front porch. I woke up around 3:30 and checked the trap and, sure enough, he was in it!
I will be getting him to the vet either this week or next to be neutered and vaccinated. I have three cats already, and one really bossy female, so I'm not sure I can keep him but I'm going to try. If not, I've been in contact with several local shelters about getting him placement. He cried a lot the first few days but he's settling down now and will let me pet him. He's doing pretty well, all things considered.
I guess I have a few questions. If I put my other cats in my bedroom, should I let him out to explore for an hour or so? Could he transmit any type of disease or fleas to my cats just by him walking around my condo and rubbing up against things? He doesn't scratch himself or look uncomfortable and I've checked his ears and it doesn't appear that he has any ear mites. He is the first cat I've rescued off the streets so I'm kind of uncertain as to if giving him access to the rest of the condo will cause issues for my other cats even if they don't come into direct contact with him.
My second question is while he is using the litter box now, I think he peed somewhere the first night he was in the room. I have cat urine cleaner but my problem is I have no idea where he peed. We have nasty dark blue carpet and stains are hidden relatively easily. That's part of the reason I'd like to let him out so I can get in there and clean the carpet to get rid of that smell. It's not the litter box either because I replaced all the litter last night and the smell remains.
Thanks for the help!
I will be getting him to the vet either this week or next to be neutered and vaccinated. I have three cats already, and one really bossy female, so I'm not sure I can keep him but I'm going to try. If not, I've been in contact with several local shelters about getting him placement. He cried a lot the first few days but he's settling down now and will let me pet him. He's doing pretty well, all things considered.
I guess I have a few questions. If I put my other cats in my bedroom, should I let him out to explore for an hour or so? Could he transmit any type of disease or fleas to my cats just by him walking around my condo and rubbing up against things? He doesn't scratch himself or look uncomfortable and I've checked his ears and it doesn't appear that he has any ear mites. He is the first cat I've rescued off the streets so I'm kind of uncertain as to if giving him access to the rest of the condo will cause issues for my other cats even if they don't come into direct contact with him.
My second question is while he is using the litter box now, I think he peed somewhere the first night he was in the room. I have cat urine cleaner but my problem is I have no idea where he peed. We have nasty dark blue carpet and stains are hidden relatively easily. That's part of the reason I'd like to let him out so I can get in there and clean the carpet to get rid of that smell. It's not the litter box either because I replaced all the litter last night and the smell remains.
Thanks for the help!