A Cat Adopted Us.... Help!

[Thatswhatshesaid]

We recently got adopted by a cat, and we are almost certain it’s a neutered male. In my opinion, it’s obvious he was someone’s housecat. For example, we found him crying in our bushes, and he came right up to us. He answers to “kitty” from practically anyone. He is very needy, and loves to be pet. And really this makes it obvious— we have some small rock next to our pool house outside, and we discovered that he has adopted this as his “go” spot... much to our dismay. Recently, as he has grown more comfortable to us and our inside dogs(who hate him), he tries to sneak in our door. He’s been successful once. I feel so incredibly guilty because I feel he should be inside someone’s home. He is precious and sweet, but he cannot come into our house. I just can’t do another animal indoors at this time. Even if we worked out the logistics of it, we cannot give it the attention it craves. I’ve posted him on various sites, and no one has claimed him- it’s been two months at least.

We feed it and water it like it’s our own, and every night we give it tuna. We regularly de-flea/tick with meds from vet. I also got him a cat house to put on the back covered terrace, but he rarely (if ever) gets in it, and just waits to see me through the glass door. I am so worried about when the weather actually turns cold, and I’m not sure if he will be ok? What can I do to make him comfortable outside? I’ve never owned a cat before. We don’t mind keeping him, just not indoors.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. And thanks for caring for this sweet cat. He does sounds like he was probably a former house pet. Possibly strayed away from home. Or more liked dumped.

Here's a TCS article that might be helpful: A Feral Cat Or A Stray Cat? How To Tell The Difference

Could you take him to a vet to have him scanned for a chip? If he's been neutered, he may have been chipped at the same time. And he might have owners who are worried about him.

If he's a former housepet, he probably isn't conditioned to living outside, especially in winter. If you can't bring him inside, are there any no-kill shelters in your area who would take him and find him a home?

If you should decide to bring him inside, TCS has articles to help you socialize him with your dogs. Here's the links:

Introducing Cats To Dogs | TheCatSite
Caring For Cats And Dogs | TheCatSite
How To Safely Introduce A Cat And A Dog | TheCatSite

BTW, just reread your post, and see you've never owned a cat before. So one thing you may not be aware of, is that most cats are pretty independent, and don't crave/need attention as much as dogs do.

Here's another article that might be helpful:
First-time Cat Owner's Guide

 

[Furballsmom]

So one thing you may not be aware of, is that most cats are pretty independent, and don't crave/need attention as much as dogs do.

This is true, some play time, lap time, a cat tree, some toys can go a long way towards a content cat.

 

[walli]

Are you able to build it a catio of some sort for the winter, if it gets really cold you could get a heated cat house, there are various things you can do for the cat for when it gets cold, Socialize with him the best you can and try and find him a home? Use all the resources you can Next door app-rescues etc...

I was talking to someone on Next door and they found a home for their difficult to home cat, yours doesn't sound difficult!

 

[Buffster7]

Hi there, I just wanted to pop in and thank you for being so kind and caring for this little guy, even when it's not particularly what you want to be doing.
I was also not a cat person at all - have always had dogs. I got adopted by a stray who found the doggy door into my garage. I nearly came out of my skin one morning when he bumped up against my leg in the garage - went inside and had to google, "Where to touch a cat....where not to touch a cat....what do cats eat?" I was that clueless.

I let him live in my garage for the summer and fall, and then it turned cold. Long story short, I vetted him and brought him inside. No one was more surprised than me when I fell for this guy. Cats are so intelligent and very low-maintenance. If you decide to take him into your family, he would probably add so much joy to the mix. And even if you aren't able to give him much if any attention, it's still better than what he has right now.

If you simply cannot bring yourself to bring him in, you can buy outdoor cat shelters on Amazon, or you can make your own very inexpensively. Lots of instructions online to be found. Regardless of what you ultimately decide, you are a fantastic human to do what you have for him, and to take the time to come online looking for answers. Big hugs to you. Please keep us posted.