Adopted an adult stray

Sarthur2

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Good grief! He’s acting out all right. Put him on the porch after his neuter with much less litter in his pan and pee pads for easy clean up. You might still need the broom and dustpan though. He’s just confused and reacting right now but trust me, his behavior will improve and you’ll be able to let him outside again eventually.

I went through this with a stray, intact male cat last year and he is now the most docile blob of fur you could imagine. He was crazy initially and would spray if he came in, even after I had him neutered. But fast forward a few months and he’s a huge sweet baby-man who goes in and out and never causes a problem with anything anymore. He even mothered the two stray kittens I later took in.

Bottom line: Give Midnight a chance. Exercise undue patience. He is a hostage to his hormones right now. He will come around. (And I’m fussing now, but he should have been neutered a few weeks ago.) He’ll come out the other side beautifully in a couple of months!
 
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anticus

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I know it's not his fault. I can't say I would be any better if I was confined. I hated it as much as he did. He is now at the vet, he's been vaccinated and awaiting his surgery. I agree it should have happened weeks ago, but I didn't win that fight.

Why do you suggest putting him on the porch?
 

Sarthur2

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I suggested the porch because it sounds like a pleasant place for him to be separated from Pumpkin for now. You said you do not want to let him outside right now, nor does he enjoy being in the utility room, so the porch sounds like a nice alternative.
 
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anticus

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It was naive of me to think everything was going to be fine once Midnight returned from being neutered. First - he is NOT out of it at all. He is active and there is no sign of anesthesia so it apparently has worn off. He is not a fan of the carrier so he peed in it nearly from the moment the car started until we got home. He was drenched in urine. I thought maybe we could let him in the house because he probably won't want to mate with Pumpkin tonight. But not now. He sprayed us from in the carrier so in the time we settled him in and went to shower, the entire downstairs smells of urine. Ugh.

I paid for a long-acting pain reliever shot post-surgery to get him through the night. He is just yowling away like today didn't happen.

I'm kind of at my wit's end.
 

Sarthur2

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He’s just freaked out from being in a carrier all day and being at the vet and being handled by strangers. Males do not come home out of it because they are only under anesthesia for just a few minutes. Hoping once he realizes he’s home and things are familiar and he can eat and not be in a cage he will calm down and return to normal. Cleaning up spray and urine is no fun! Sorry you have to deal with this. It will get better soon!
 
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anticus

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Thank you Sarthur2 Sarthur2 - he has been clawing at the door to outside. I let him in for a moment and he sprinted for the front door (reeking of urine). Pumpkin came over to greet him and enticed him to mount her. He started to before we stopped it then I took him back to the utility room - the only secure place in the house. I thought she would be out of heat by now but apparently not. I absolutely HATE confining him. He doesn't understand and I suspect he hates us now that we locked him in a room and not let him outside, then took him to the vet, then put him back in the room. Ugh. I hate it.
 
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anticus

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That is funny!!!

We let Midnight inside the house again this morning. He bypassed food and went straight to the front door and yowled to be let out. Pumpkin came over and put her ladyparts in his face and he tried to mount her. Then he went to the front door again - he would rather escape than mate. So back in the utility room. I hate it. I try to engage him in play but he's not interested. He only wants to escape. I headbutt him, gave him pets, and slow blinked at him to let him know I love him, but he turns away. The stress is wearing me down.
 
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anticus

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He has escaped from the porch before - pulled the screen from the door frame and slipped away. A pit bull from somewhere in the neighborhood or adjacent one escapes her yard frequently. Last week she mauled a stray cat to death that my neighbor was feeding. In front of him. It must have been sickening. He's lived 4 years outside with only bad head and ear injuries but he's been lucky (if you can call that lucky). We certainly can let him out and allow him to live the way he has been: Live fast, die young.
 

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He’s got street smarts, but he’ll roam less once his testosterone decreases. My former stray who calmed down stays in the yard and on my block now when he’s out. He even stays inside quite a bit now.

It’s clear Midnight wants to go out. It’s your call, but as stressed as you both are, you might consider letting him out.

Do you know who owns the pit bull? Was animal control called? We have laws about dangerous dogs running loose.
 
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anticus

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I don't know who owns her. She has been in our yard several times. Fortunately Pumpkin & Midnight were elsewhere. She killed the cat in the yard across the street so there isn't a safe place outside.
 
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anticus

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Midnight spent the night in bed with Dr. Wifey and me. Mostly. Six hours. Which leads us to believe that he really was an indoor cat early in his life. Dr. Wifey then had a revelation: she suspects that he belonged to the former owner of the house who might have abandoned him when they moved to another country. When we first saw the house in early 2018, they allowed a feral cat to have kittens in their garage. When we moved in, the garage reeked of cat urine. So maybe Midnight was one of those kittens and they allowed them in the house. The vet told us that he is 3-5 years old, so the timing is right - and it also explains why he was so comfortable inside the house when he first showed up. The first time we invited him in he didn't hesitate and moved around like he owned the place.

So we figure he can remember how to be an indoor kitty. Pumpkin is no longer in heat so that stress is gone. Yesterday Midnight groomed one of the kittens, which surprised us.
 
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It seems like some toms have their hormones leave fairly quickly, and some take longer. Under the circumstances, I'm very glad he's one that had a fast improvement!

I think most "feral" toms were housepets when they were kittens, and got thrown out (or left) when they started showing hormonal behaviors. Just from my own experiences anyway.
 

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So we figure he can remember how to be an indoor kitty. Pumpkin is no longer in heat so that stress is gone. Yesterday Midnight groomed one of the kittens, which surprised us.
That is actually rather common in neutered males or if it's their own offspring whether they are neutered or not, moreso if they have a close bond with the mother.
 
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