Might be silly but I'm not sure what to do

[tylerkitty]

My cat Ty has been an indoor/outdoor cat for the past year, previously he was strictly indoors. We have been staying with my parents for almost a year and in that time he has brought home a stray male cat. The stray has been living in the shed in the backyard ever since and is very afraid of humans. I've only gotten close to him a few times in the early morning when he and Ty are cuddling on the chairs outside. We are moving to an apartment soon and will be taking Ty with us but I can help but feel bad for splitting them up. Am I being ridiculous? It's in Ty's best interest that he come with us because if we leave him with my parents he will not be allowed on the house at all and will receive no attention and I love my kitty so leaving him isn't an option for me. What do I do about the stray? Is it silly of me to feel like this? I'm hoping I'm just being too dramatic and that the stray will carry on living in the backyard happily without Ty.

 

[Norachan]

Hi Tylerkitty,

Welcome to The Cat Site.

It's sweet that Tyler has made a friend. He must have been lonely out in the back yard. The best thing you could do for this stray is to take him with you, but I understand this might not be possible. Is there a food source in your parents backyard for him? Does Tyler get fed outside? Would your parents be willing to keep putting food out for this other cat once you move away?

If he has regular meals and somewhere to shelter he would probably stay there even without his buddy. I'd recommend getting a Humane Trap from somewhere. Vets often have them, or you could ask Alley Cat Allies or any groups that do TNR in your area if they could lend you one.

You should get the cat neutered if he hasn't been fixed already. Make sure you have him scanned for a micro chip as well. He might be someone's lost pet.

Thank you for trying to help him.

 

[tylerkitty]

My parents will continue putting food out for him because we have several outdoor cats. We rescued a feral cat about 8 years ago and she had kittens so we had them all neutered and placed as many in homes as we could but a few ended up staying with us and they live outside but they are not friends with the stray so they will not be good company for him.
If we were moving to a house where he could continue living in a backyard I would take him but we are moving to an apartment. I don't think he would do well indoors because the only time I was able to lure him in the house he appeared very stressed out. I think the only reason he even stayed in was because it was freezing outside and the sound of the hail on the shed frightened him.
Thanks for the advice about looking for a microchip. I am pretty sure he is not someone's pet but I'll see if I can get him in a carrier tomorrow and take him to the vet. If not then I'll ask the vet for a trap. I just don't want to stress the guy out

 

[tylerkitty]

Also, does he need to stay indoors after being neutered? It's been so long that I honestly can't remember what we had to do for our other cats for post op care.

 

[Norachan]

Also, does he need to stay indoors after being neutered? It's been so long that I honestly can't remember what we had to do for our other cats for post op care.

Boys don't need to stay indoors as long as girls do, it's a much simpler operation. I've had quite a few feral cats fixed. I usually take them into the vets in the morning, they're blood tested and fixed in the afternoon then given a vaccine the next morning. I pick them up after they've had their shot but leave them in the cage, covered in a quiet spot, until evening.

I wait until it's dark and there are less people around before I let them go as I think it's less stressful for them.

Most vets give a long lasting antibiotic shot to cats that are going to be released straight away. One over night stay to make sure they've completely come round from the anaesthetic is all they need.

Are there any groups doing TNR in your town? They might be able to lend you a trap and recommend a low cost spay and neuter clinic.

 

[tylerkitty]

Thank you for the info! I'm not sure if there are any rescue groups around here but to have cats fixed at the sspca here is only $50 so that is doable for us. As far as the trap goes, I think I will be able to get him into our cat carrier on my own if I catch him early in the morning while he is sleeping with our cat. if he tries to run off then I will look into getting a trap.