Getting ready to move soon, coming across a dilemma

[kaitie09]

Hi everyone! I am soon going to be moving away from home for a job. Right now my family has 9 cats. I have one (Stella) that is attached and will definitely be coming with me. I already pay for everything for her. She has always been around multiple cats so I don't know if she would like being alone while I'm at work. My dilemma is that I'm in between two of the cats. One is Nancy, my 7 year old cat with an amputated paw. The other is Oscar, Stella's brother, and he is a little "slow".

The apartment I have found only allows 2 cats, and I don't think 3 could comfortable fit in there, so I have to make a decision.  Nancy has always been an indoor/outdoor cat. With her amputation, she has been inside much more and has become attached to me (sleeping with me, follow me around). Her and Stella are not best friends, but they tolerate each other. I would like to bring Nancy so that I can transfer her to becoming an all indoor cat so when she get up there in age, she will take it easy instead of running around outside with three legs. 

Oscar (3yrs old) is Stella's brother and they get along great. I'm not overly attached to him, but he is a bit "slow" and tends to get into trouble outside. He does not seem to have any sense of balance. He has gotten stuck in trees, fallen of decks and balconies, burned his whiskers off by sticking his face in a candle, and rolls off the couch on a weekly basis.

I'm kind of stuck deciding between the two, and am looking for some more opinions.

 

[mani]

I don't envy you..it's a tough choice.  Ideally in a new place it would be good to keep them as indoor cats, especially with apartments, as they tend to be in more built-up areas. 

Would Oscar handle being an indoor cat? It definitely sounds like he needs to be.  (Has he been looked at by a vet, by the way?  It would be good to know whether his clumsiness is because of a medical condition.)  For Stella's sake, he would be a good choice as they get on so well. 

Having said that, Stella and Nancy may become closer as only cats, but there's certainly no guarantee.

Are either of them very attached to any of the other cats?

 

[kaitie09]

Whoever I bring would be all indoor. Oscar and Nancy both have been going outside since they were 6 months old. Stella is also allowed outside, but she chooses to stay in. Both Nancy and Oscar do well inside during the winter, but once spring rolls around, they are climbing and howling to get out. I think they would adjust once they realize they can't get out.

Oscar has been checked over by 3 different vets and has had every test short of a CT scan. They have never been able to find anything wrong with him. We handraised him and his littermates from the time they were 10 days old and as soon as he could walk, he was falling. He burned his whiskers off at 8 weeks old.

Stella and Nancy have done really well. In October (when Nancy starts wanting to come in) her and Stella would not even get on the bed at the same time. Last night, they were both asleep on either side of me. I think if they were thrown together 24/7 they would learn to really adjust.

 

[mani]

Whoever I bring would be all indoor. Oscar and Nancy both have been going outside since they were 6 months old. Stella is also allowed outside, but she chooses to stay in. Both Nancy and Oscar do well inside during the winter, but once spring rolls around, they are climbing and howling to get out. I think they would adjust once they realize they can't get out.

Oscar has been checked over by 3 different vets and has had every test short of a CT scan. They have never been able to find anything wrong with him. We handraised him and his littermates from the time they were 10 days old and as soon as he could walk, he was falling. He burned his whiskers off at 8 weeks old.

Stella and Nancy have done really well. In October (when Nancy starts wanting to come in) her and Stella would not even get on the bed at the same time. Last night, they were both asleep on either side of me. I think if they were thrown together 24/7 they would learn to really adjust.

Just reading through what you've written, I think you're really keen to have Stella and Nancy.  If that's your gut feeling, I'd go with it.  Also, if Nancy chooses to stay in, you have one less that is wanting to go out, and it may even rub off a bit on Stella.. at least Stella and Oscar wouldn't be egging each other on.

Is there any way you can go to the place early and put their scents around?  Also consider a Feliway diffuser.  New homes and cats are not always an easy combination.

Whatever decision you make, you have very loved cats, so it will work out, even if it takes a bit of time.

 

[kaitie09]

I would not be able to go very early, but I would pack everything and then bring them. I'm only moving a couple hours away, so it would not be hard to get the apartment in order and then go get the cats. Stella has anxiety issues and gets stressed very easily. We already have a few Feliway diffusers around the house. They work really well with her so I will definitely be buying new ones and putting them in place first.

I think I am leaning toward Nancy too, but just wanted to get some more opinions. I think that she would benefit more from becoming an all indoor cat, but she won't do that unless forced. I currently live on a farm with a couple hundred acres, so we need the cats to be able to go outside in order to take care of the moles and mice. We also have the room for them to go out if they choose.

Oscar would also benefit from being an indoor cat, just because I think he will get into more trouble outside and he is only 3 years old. Him and Stella have been together since birth, and they even went off to a new home together, only to come back together. However, since coming back, Oscar has become more attached with one of our other cats.

Stella is more of a people person, not really attaching herself to any other cat. She like to play alone and when she is not playing, she is trying her hardest to crawl onto my lap.