Ok To Let Stray Cat Out After 1 Week?

[Avery]

Herman is one good-looking orange cat! I hope the other cats are going to get along with him.

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

Herman is one good-looking orange cat! I hope the other cats are going to get along with him.

Me too. I'm a little nervous though. My vet said he is pretty young, about a year and a half, which makes him a lot younger than my trio who are all about four. He's got a BUNCH of energy and he is already bigger than Ralph and Bear and about twice the size of Prinnie. If worse comes to worst, I know I'll be able to find a local no-kill shelter to take him but I'd definitely prefer not to do that. I feel connected to the little guy.

In other news, Maver is still coming around and the outdoor cat shelter is completed so hopefully she will try it out tonight.

In other OTHER news, I've got some responses on my NextDoor post about Herman and it seems like there are several stray orange cats in the immediate area who look like Herman who need to be trapped and found homes for. I've offered assistance in both cases so we'll see where that goes. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE GOTTEN MYSELF INTO!! LOL.

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

And literally just as I posted that, she shows up! And there is Bear trying to make friends with her. He LOVES other cats and is dad's little helper with the strays in the neighborhood, always on the lookout.

 

[ArchyCat]

Beware! If Mavin is a dumped female, there is a good chance she is pregnant. That's oner reason to dump cats. Good luck on trapping her!

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

Beware! If Mavin is a dumped female, there is a good chance she is pregnant. That's oner reason to dump cats. Good luck on trapping her!

I know. And that's why I want to find out if she is. I don't want her to have to give birth outside. We have a winter storm moving in tonight as well. I might just have to trap her and get her to the vet to find out for sure. But at that point, I'm not sure what to do if she's not. I'll just have to keep taking it day-by-day I guess.

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

Another cat, who I named Ghost, keeps returning as well. He seems feral to me. He has been making the rounds for about as long as Herman was. I normally only see him once every month or so but he's been coming back the past few nights.

 

[saleri]

I know. And that's why I want to find out if she is. I don't want her to have to give birth outside. We have a winter storm moving in tonight as well. I might just have to trap her and get her to the vet to find out for sure. But at that point, I'm not sure what to do if she's not. I'll just have to keep taking it day-by-day I guess.

I live near detroit as well, so let me know if you need any help.

I would trap her asap, do you have a cage and everything setup? But if you do decide to trap, I would recommend keeping an eye on it since you really don't want a cat staying in a fixed place in these temperatures.

Rain all weekend in michigan....

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

I live near detroit as well, so let me know if you need any help.

I would trap her asap, do you have a cage and everything setup? But if you do decide to trap, I would recommend keeping an eye on it since you really don't want a cat staying in a fixed place in these temperatures.

Rain all weekend in michigan....

Thanks for the offer. I have a large pet cage that is in Herman's room currently. I don't keep him caged in there but I have his litter box in it. I can take it out of that room if need be. She seems a lot like Herman when he was outside. Friendly and food motivated but very hesitant of me. Do you know of any local shelters that would possibly be willing to take her? I'm in Clinton Township but could definitely transport here locally if necessary.

 

[saleri]

Thanks for the offer. I have a large pet cage that is in Herman's room currently. I don't keep him caged in there but I have his litter box in it. I can take it out of that room if need be. She seems a lot like Herman when he was outside. Friendly and food motivated but very hesitant of me. Do you know of any local shelters that would possibly be willing to take her? I'm in Clinton Township but could definitely transport here locally if necessary.

No Dog's Left Behind | Sterling Heights, MI 48310

Their at sterling heights, I got my first cat from there. They may be able to help.

 

[saleri]

Thanks for the offer. I have a large pet cage that is in Herman's room currently. I don't keep him caged in there but I have his litter box in it. I can take it out of that room if need be. She seems a lot like Herman when he was outside. Friendly and food motivated but very hesitant of me. Do you know of any local shelters that would possibly be willing to take her? I'm in Clinton Township but could definitely transport here locally if necessary.

How many cats in total are you worried about? The potentially pregnant female and that new male?

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

How many cats in total are you worried about? The potentially pregnant female and that new male?

The male isn't new and I think he is feral. He looks pretty young but he has been coming by for about a year here and there. I see him once a month or so, sometimes a little more. He is VERY careful about coming by and will bolt if he sees me at the door. I highly doubt that he is adoptable but he needs to get fixed at the very least. And I'm totally guessing on his gender.

I'm most worried about the (assumed) female. I want to be 100% sure she is not pregnant. That outcome will ultimately decide how I proceed. I guess I will have to trap her and get her to my vet to get everything sorted out. I'm willing to do that for her, I'm just not totally sure on a timetable.

I've seen approximately 10 stray/feral cats around here since January. Other than these two (and Herman), I've seen the other ones very sporadically. I'd like to trap more eventually and get them fixed, even if it's only in a TNR capacity.

I will be in New York for a week for Christmas, which complicates things, but my wife will be home and leaving food out. I don't want to burden her with another cat inside but she will do it if it's necessary.

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

Well, here's another UPDATE.

We've been letting Herman out for an hour or so every day with the other cats put away to get him used to the rest of the house. He's been doing pretty well.

Maver and Ghost keep coming by pretty much every night. I'm doing more networking to see if either of them have homes. I snapped some good photos of Maver yesterday (which are above) around dusk but I still don't have very good ones if Ghost. I really think he is feral.

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

I have one final update on Herman. Earlier this week I contacted a local cat shelter I trust about having them help me find a forever home for Herman. It became apparent to me that Herman needed more than just a few hours per day devoted to him. He's very active and requires being able to roam the entire house. He wasn't happy being in the guest bedroom for 22 hours each day. Introductions to my two other male cats didn't go great either, like I thought they would, and I didn't even attempt to introduce Herman to Prinnie, who is territorial to the extreme. He just needs his own place and to be the only cat for a while. I see the potential in him. It's just after getting home from work every day, cooking dinner, cleaning all the litter boxes and the house a little, I had very little time left to integrate him with the other cats. Selfishly, I really, really, really want to keep him. But I have other cats that keep returning every night that I need to help too. That shelter put me in touch with a very sweet young lady who is a student at one of our local colleges who came over to meet Herman this afternoon. She is over-the-moon about Herman and is going to foster him until he finds his forever home, if not keep him for good. I hope she ends up keeping him because I think she will provide a great home for him. I have helped Herman for over a year (seeing him pretty much every day in that time) and this is pretty hard for me to do but it is the right thing to do for Herman. I'm dropping him off to her sometime next week. I will miss my little buddy lots.

 

[Avery]

I'm so sorry that things aren't working out with Herman. I totally understand how hard it will be to give him up, but it sounds like the right decision and you are not making it lightly. You have done a really wonderful thing for him by rescuing him, and Herman now has the chance for a safe and happy new life. It is sad that his life will not be with your family, but you are considering what is best for him and that is a lovely, unselfish thing to do.

I can't help voicing one concern... I work at a college and I worry about students who adopt pets. Some try to keep them in the dorm and the animals end up being dumped at the end of the semester. Of course, there are many super-responsible and loving young people so I don't want to sound completely negative about this! I'm guessing that the shelter requires an application, asks questions, maybe even does a home visit so if they recommend this young woman, you can be sure Herman will be in a good place. It sounds like she already loves him, but then who doesn't love orange cats?!

Good luck with Maver and Ghost and any others that you are trying to help. Keep up the good work and keep us posted!

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

She is a Master's student who works at the college too but lives in a two-bedroom apartment about twenty minutes or so from campus. I spoke with one of the directors who works for the shelter for about a half hour the other night. She said she had fostered two kittens for them in the past and she had a cat for 17 years when she was younger. I truly trust this shelter completely and when I met this young lady, it felt like the perfect person to foster Herman.

It's not really Herman that is the problem either. He's doing great when he is out. He REALLY loves my wife too. It's the other three resident cats.

 

[Avery]

Thanks for the extra info! My fears are totally unfounded! She sounds like a great person to foster Herman and maybe adopt him permanently!

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

It's Herman's last night here (insert crying cat face emoji). I will miss him so much but I know I am doing the right thing for him. It was fun having another cat in the house for the last two months, even though it was also very stressful. I know he will do great with his foster and I really hope she ends up keeping him. I felt like I made an instant friend with her and she said I can come visit Herman whenever I want. Godspeed, little buddy.

 

[Avery]

Herman is such a lucky cat that you took him in and are giving him a holiday gift of a new, loving home. You done good!

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

Herman is such a lucky cat that you took him in and are giving him a holiday gift of a new, loving home. You done good!

Thank you. I needed that. It was so sad to drop him off and walk out the door. I've seen him almost on a nightly basis for over a year. His foster mom is awesome though and I know he will thrive with her. I'm taking off for Christmas week to New York but when I return I plan to start working on Maver. I have a vet appointment scheduled for her on January 3rd so hopefully I will be able to trap her before then. After that, I will try to get Ghost but I'm sure that will be trickier.

 

[DET_CAT_DAD]

Herman was adopted by his foster! She absolutely LOVES him! I am so happy for the both of them.

About two weeks later, I saw a post on a local rescue group's FB page. Someone had found a tiny kitten with no mother or siblings around in a carport a little bit north of us in the country. I agreed to take that cat in and we named her Felix, before we knew it was a girl. Less than a week later, Metro Detroit got brutally cold and I don't think Felix would have made it if the rescuing didn't trap her. A couple is coming to meet her this weekend and it sounds pretty promising. Felix has SO much energy and is a lot of fun. I'll miss her when she leaves too!