Hi...i Need Advice..to Take Or Leave Chotu Behind

I started to look after my stray feral in october. He was the runt of the litter. Hes been vaccinated and lives outdoor and is about 6 months old. He is very affectionate with me, prefers playing on his own and is extremely independent except when it comes to food. His name is chotu...which translates to little one...
I am relocating to canada in june 2019 from india and am unsure of what is in the kittens best interest...take or leave him.
The trauma of a flight that will last 24 hours and a new home with 2 dogs (husky & beagle)...with a kitten that is not socialized too much and different weather conditions? Or leave him in delhi...with food for a few months ... and let go of him? And trust that the house staff will feed him and let him be free.

This is a huge expense and i tried to raise funds as it will cost a few thousand dollars to get him out of india to canada...and even if i could get the money. Is it fair to the kitten. He has a buddy and a sibling he seemingly hangs out with. And its breaking my heart to leave him behind. But i dont want to traumatise him... what are your thoughts? I need to decide urgently on this as time is running out...

If he depend on you for food, it would be cruel to leave him behind. Do you have any friends who would care for him? Is there a no kill shelter where you could take him? Most cats will learn to adjust to new surroundings. The long flight would be difficult, but not impossible.

The biggest thing is that these cats need to be spayed or neutered. If not, he will continue to breed as well as his litter mates. There is an old saying "If you feed, they breed".

If you do have to leave him behind, please do your best to have him neutered.

Here are my thoughts. I would make a list of pros and cons. If you leave him, is there a person you completely trust to take over his care, both feeding him and taking action if he needs medical or other help? You mention "house staff" who might feed him, but sometimes if a few people are "in charge," even if they are really good people, the ball gets dropped and no one really takes responsibility. Do you have a friend or family member in India who could adopt him?

Who takes care of the buddy and the sibling that you mention? You? If so, who would take over the feeding and care of them? If it is someone else, maybe they would also take care of Chotu. (And as shadowsrescue mentions, they all need to be spayed/neutered!)

It sounds like you really care about this little guy. The trip would be tough, but he would get over it quickly. You would keep him in the cabin with you (NOT in the cargo hold) and perhaps a vet would give you a slight sedative for him. The change in weather is no big deal because hopefully you would keep him as an indoor-only cat.

Keep us posted and good luck with your decision!

the update is that i found the sibling in the alley way - and it seemed that a rock had been thrown at her therefore fracturing her spine and might have caused paralysis.

as a result of this - i have decided to go forward with neutering chotu however here are a couple of new issues that i cannot seem to wrap my head around.
1. chotu being an outdoor kitten - howls if i keep him indoors when he wants to to go out strolling in the garden - he doesnt go very far thankfully but is still worrisome post what happened to his sister.
2. sedation for sure for the 25 hour long haul flight.
3. my fiance has a blind husky and a beagle - not sure how chotu will handle that (actually i am probably more scared about it) - any suggestions here are super welcome
4. chotu is frightened of everyone but me - and is super familiar and comfortable in my apartment, so wondering how i can make him adapt more comfortably ....

i am researching the relocation aspect and living with two strange animals and how to socialise them.

First of all, thank you for caring for this cat. Even if they are outside street cats we tend to bond with them, and they to us, so I know it is not easy for you in case you decide to leave him behind, no matter if he is left with a person you trust or to a shelter.

I go with taking Chotu with you, unless you have somebody you trust and can take over in caring for him. It seems he has become dependent on you for his food, so it is no longer an option to leave him behind. At least that is my opinion. I do hope you can be able to come up with the necessary expenses that you will need in relocating him, though.

Ferals can be trained to be strictly indoors. I had several I fostered before and by the time I handed them over to their forever homes they have already adjusted to life indoors. I had one worst case before but she ended up being the sweetest lap cat I have ever known in my life. Of course he will not be able to adjust overnight. There will be crying and yowling but soon he will be relaxed.

If introduced correctly, I am sure that he will get along with your two dogs.

As for the flight, if there are no health issues then I believe there will be no problems with Chotu in a long flight. I have friends who have relocated their pets on long-haul flights and encountered zero problems.

Goodluck. I hope things work out for the best, especially for Chotu. Thank you for doing this, or at least considering his welfare. You have a good heart.

I totally understand being nervous about the prospect of taking Chotu with you, but I believe the final result will be worth all your worries. There are tricks and tips for making a feral or semi-feral cat more comfortable indoors, including playing quiet music (feral cats are supposed to like harp music!), and using Feliway as a plug-in or spray. Getting him neutered will also be helpful to calm him down. I am so sorry to hear about Chotu's poor sibling. Can you get her to a vet?

Avery said:

I totally understand being nervous about the prospect of taking Chotu with you, but I believe the final result will be worth all your worries. There are tricks and tips for making a feral or semi-feral cat more comfortable indoors, including playing quiet music (feral cats are supposed to like harp music!), and using Feliway as a plug-in or spray. Getting him neutered will also be helpful to calm him down. I am so sorry to hear about Chotu's poor sibling. Can you get her to a vet?

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i did - to a vet to wasted my time and money and then my mum intervened and told me about friendicos which is the only place that has a big heart and no money - and the doctor admitted her - and when i went yesterday to visit skittles - the doctor told me she had died on monday morning - needless to say no more pain for the little angel. i have attached a picture of her....

chotu is getting neutered and microchipped tomorrow - i need all the tips and tricks to keeping him indoors - i am guessing there must be a place on this site that will help guide me?
thank you for writing

Psybug said:

i did - to a vet to wasted my time and money and then my mum intervened and told me about friendicos which is the only place that has a big heart and no money - and the doctor admitted her - and when i went yesterday to visit skittles - the doctor told me she had died on monday morning - needless to say no more pain for the little angel. i have attached a picture of her....

chotu is getting neutered and microchipped tomorrow - i need all the tips and tricks to keeping him indoors - i am guessing there must be a place on this site that will help guide me?
thank you for writing

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Personally, I think a good part of the solution to keeping him indoors is to catify your home. Make sure your cat has plenty of things to play with, on, and inside. It doesn't need to cost a lot of money: just think like a cat. Mine love to bat around a piece of paper that I've crumpled up and tossed on the floor, or an ice cube that I've dropped. For a month, two of them played with a box that I happened to sit on its side and forgot to put away. Our feral likes to jump up on our window ledge and watch the birds and squirrels outside. His favorite is to lay on the stairs or run up and down them at full speed. Cats love to "hunt" and explore. Just having a sofa pulled away from the wall a little bit gives a cat a place to lurk.

I think you should try to bring him if you can, I think that having him with you in a new foreign place would be good for you too. I personally wouldn't trust anyone to take care of my boys. They are my responsibility and will be to the end. Good luck on your travels. I hope you like Canada, I have many friends that came from India and love it here, I hope you will too. Where are you moving too?

FarmersWife24 said:

Personally, I think a good part of the solution to keeping him indoors is to catify your home. Make sure your cat has plenty of things to play with, on, and inside. It doesn't need to cost a lot of money: just think like a cat. Mine love to bat around a piece of paper that I've crumpled up and tossed on the floor, or an ice cube that I've dropped. For a month, two of them played with a box that I happened to sit on its side and forgot to put away. Our feral likes to jump up on our window ledge and watch the birds and squirrels outside. His favorite is to lay on the stairs or run up and down them at full speed. Cats love to "hunt" and explore. Just having a sofa pulled away from the wall a little bit gives a cat a place to lurk.

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hi, sorry i seemed to have purraised but not responded to you.
yes we will catify the house in canada and will take his toys also- although the options are limited in india - and he loves playing with makhana - (google it).
however having said this - with the trauma of his sister and vets - he is more keen to be outside in our garden in delhi - and tends to stay out of trouble more or less - canada however i will not allow him out at all - i just hope it doesnt kill his spirit as he is only a baby and loves watching the grass grow and pouncing on unsuspecting insects...

zed xyzed said:

I think you should try to bring him if you can, I think that having him with you in a new foreign place would be good for you too. I personally wouldn't trust anyone to take care of my boys. They are my responsibility and will be to the end. Good luck on your travels. I hope you like Canada, I have many friends that came from India and love it here, I hope you will too. Where are you moving too?

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i missed your post also - so yes paper work has been completed - we fly out in 5 days - I will be moving to barrie and getting married - as my partner is canadian - so as much as i am excited - its a big change for both chotu and me. I have been to canada a few times and enjoyed it very much but there is always a difference when one is vacationing and one is moving lock stock and barrel. Thanks for writing zed...it would be great to meet you since you are in toronto right?

Psybug said:

i missed your post also - so yes paper work has been completed - we fly out in 5 days - I will be moving to barrie and getting married - as my partner is canadian - so as much as i am excited - its a big change for both chotu and me. I have been to canada a few times and enjoyed it very much but there is always a difference when one is vacationing and one is moving lock stock and barrel. Thanks for writing zed...it would be great to meet you since you are in toronto right?

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Good luck on your trip and wedding!!! I am so glad you are bringing Chotu, He will hate the trip but it is only for a short period of time, but then he will be with the person he loves, for the rest of his life. It is always nice to meet a fellow cat lover. Let me know when you are in the Toronto area and we can meet up for a coffee or tea.

Psybug said:

i did - to a vet to wasted my time and money and then my mum intervened and told me about friendicos which is the only place that has a big heart and no money - and the doctor admitted her - and when i went yesterday to visit skittles - the doctor told me she had died on monday morning - needless to say no more pain for the little angel. i have attached a picture of her....

chotu is getting neutered and microchipped tomorrow - i need all the tips and tricks to keeping him indoors - i am guessing there must be a place on this site that will help guide me?
thank you for writing

Click to expand...

I just red this post, I am so sorry that your sweet little Skittles passed.

Condolences to you all on poor Skittles. I am glad that she knew your love.
You might be able to set up some sort of catio/portable enclosure for Chotu in Canada. I have a friend who lives in her R.V. and travels the West from Alaska to the Mexican border and she keeps portable fencing on top of the RV and uses that to keep her 6 cats corralled.
Best wishes for all happiness in your upcoming marriage. My former husband, God rest his soul, was from Flin Flon, Manitoba; he had the same easy-going attitude that I have encountered on vacations to Ontario - friendly, respectful, trusting.

How did the trip and wedding go? how is Chotu doing ?