Outdoor Or Shelter

[Tabbyboys]

A cat had showed up in the spring. He was skin and bones,full of fleas the poor boy was barely alive. We took him to the vet and got him taken care of. He is now staying on our front or back porch. The problem is that winter is coming and he is afraid every time we go out the door. (Except when I go to feed him then he waits). We have a heated house on a covered porch on the front and just a small house on the back not heated. So far he will be in the heated house at night but goes in the back during the day. We can’t take him inside we have two other cats that wondered to our house and we really have all we can handle. My question is since he is so scared is it better for him if he went to a shelter (I don’t think he’d get adopted as the vet said he was 12 years old) or should we let him stay on the porch. We named him Bentley. Thanks for any ideas
Barbara

 

[surya]

In some parts of the country there are no kill shelters where an older cat might get adopted. Where I live, in Houston I would not want to take him to a shelter. His chances of getting adopted would not be good. So I would leave him where he is or try and turn him into an indoor cat.

 

[Tabbyboys]

I guess what worries me is his being in a cage for along time at a shelter. He could stay on the porch that is screened that we will put plastic over the screens till we can buy windows for it. But he runs every time someone opens the door except at mealtime

 

[Notacrazycatlady]

I have four ferals that live in what I call Hobo Cat City on my patio--a couple of shelters and a feeding station separated by a small brick wall that serves as a windbreak for the shelters. Of the four, it took several months for one to warm up--he figured out that he got first dibs at the food if he was brave enough to hang around when I was out there. One of the girls I named Myst because all I ever saw of her was a grey streak whenever I opened my front door. Over the past year, all four have been TNR'd and, while none of them flee when I open the door, Ambrose (the first to befriend me and the reason I created Hobo Cat City in the first place) is still the only one to let me pet him and put flea treatment on him. Clarence, the other tom has gotten to where he'll stay right at my feet as I'm putting food dishes down but he'll give me a token hiss to remind me that he's a bad*ss street cat before diving into the food. Boop will follow around at my feet but won't let me touch her at all and Myst waits about 3 feet away until I go back inside.

My point is that it's taken me a year to get them this acclimated to my presence. If your Hobo Cat has a shelter and regular access to clean water and food, then he's already better off than he was before he found you and eventually he'll be less skittish even if he never warms up to the point of physical contact.

 

[Tabbyboys]

That is a good name for him, Hobo cat. Thanks for the reply. I quess I will just leave him. I’ve hated to put him in a shelter anyways but was worried about the cold weather.Right now he is on the porch sleeping in the cat house of course no one is out there now.

 

[fionasmom]

You have provided a home for him and he probably knows where the heated shelter is and when to use it. In LA he would not have a chance in a shelter either at that age and at least semi feral or scared. Admittedly it is not that cold out here, but I have had true TNRed ferals who lived for years knowing when and where food would be and knowing when to take shelter.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I had my feral boys living outside on my deck during Ohio winters for 8 years. The first year they only had microwave heat discs to keep them warm. The next year I had some heat pads and it all evolved from there. My DH built them heated houses using Hound heaters and I still used heat pads on the bottom. They survived 2 extremely cold winters. They developed thick winter coats of fur. I was sure to feed them mostly wet food to keep their energy levels high. Also a heated water bowl for access to fresh water.

I think your feral will do well as long as you can continue to care for him.

 

[Tabbyboys]

Thanks he should be fine then. I’m in N Alabama so the winters are not as bad as Ohio. I just worry too much. Sometimes he seems a slower then other cats plus always running when someone goes out the door but maybe he’ll get used to things after while. Thanks for everyone’s help and encouragement.