Relocating Friendly Stray Kitty

[asl472]

Hi everyone!

For the last few months, I have been taking care of a stray cat that sometimes visits my yard. I first noticed her in the winter, when she was looking quite sick and had some drool and snot around her nose and mouth. She does not associate with the ferals in my neighborhood (I live near a fairground and there is a large population of feral cats) and tends to be a loner. I am convinced that she is a stray because when I first went out to give her some food she came closer to me little by little and let me pet her a bit. Now, she is much healthier than she used to be, aside from some sneezing here and there. She also comes to my yard almost daily and will rub against me and absolutely loves affection and good scratches.

Unfortunately, I am selling my house and moving to another state (about 12-14 hour drive). I want to take her with me but I don't really know how and I don't think the new owners will want to take care of her, so I don't want to leave her here. She is a small cat and she has some matted up fur on her back and her tail. She has willingly entered my house before and sniffed around and took a short nap before leaving again, so I do think she trusts me enough to enter a carrier. I just don't know if she would be okay in a car for a long trip.

Another issue is that my boyfriend is allergic to cats. He loves her a lot but I don't think we can keep her inside for an extended period of time when we move, so I don't know how to go about getting her used to her new surroundings. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[trudy1]

Sounds like the best plan would be to get her into a carrier and take her to the vet for a health check and spay. If she is ok then take her with you. Put her in a carrier with one of your old worn shirts, litter box, water and some food. Cover the carrier with a towel or light blanket.

How allergic is your bf? A cat that is brushed and kept off his pillow, etc. shouldn’t be that much of a problem. Frequent vacuuming helps. My spouse is terribly allergic to cats. Shots, inhalers, etc. But it can be done . We have 3 inside.

If you just take her to you’re new place and turn her out I’m almost sure she will be gone before you close the carrier. There are subject experts on this forum who I know can provide great info on adjusting her to new surroundings.

Certainly reads like she selected you for her forever buds! Please keep us posted on how things go. Because she can’t I’m saying thanks!

 

[kittychick]

She definitely sounds like she's had a home before, since she cozied up to you and trusted you fairly quickly AND she seems happy to come inside and rest. It definitely sounds like she's already picked you (and it sounds like you're happy she did)! She just sounds like a love! It also sounds like the feral colony at the fairgrounds isn't really allowing her to be part of the colony - -which would make it extra hard for her to survive without someone like you to care for her.

I think trudy1 is right - - since you feel like you can get her into a carrier my first step would be to get her an appointment to have everything done at once ----- they can give her a basic exam, test for any major issues, given the vaccinations, etc. that she needs, be flea treated (if she needs it) and then have her spayed immediately. That way she'd have everything done at once - and she can avoid the stress of a second vet trip just for spaying. I'd also use that appointment to talk to the vet about advice on how to make the long car trip to your new little family's new home as stress-free as possible. trudy1 described the way we do it when we have to have a cat in the car for an extended period of time - - as large a carrier as possible, with something soft that smells like you (the soft shirt advice is perfect), food, water, and a small litterbox (you can even cut down a small cardboard box - just cover the bottom of it with a layer of saran wrap, topped with a few layers of newspaper, with litter as the top layer - if you don't want to invest in a small one, only to have to buy a "normal" size for use in your home). And once in the car - cover the carrier with a towel, at least to start out. That will keep her more calm during the trip - - you can always take it off if she's handling the drive well. Please please please don't just let her run loose in the car (many people think that's 'more fun for the cat') - - - it's dangerous for you AND for her. All it takes is an opened car door when you stop for gas and she could bolt....or she can get under the driver's feet and make braking and accelerating a huge issue. Not to mention if you have to brake quickly - she can be launched, which is dangerous for her. So please use a carrier! (I speak from experience of a friend of mine - I begged her to put her cat in a carrier, but she didn't want to "confine her" - - she ended up in a small fender bender, but it shattered one of her car windows, and the cat was gone in a flash and never found).

And if she ends up being not as easy as you expect to get into a carrier, what I do with alot of our more timid foster kitties is get a little laser pointer, play with her with it for a bit and get her running after it - - then get her to chase it right into the carrier and shut the door- -sneaky - but works 99.9% of the time for us!

And trudy1 stated it perfectly - if you do take her with you (which we hope you do!!!) - you can't just let her out. It's highly likely she'll be off immediately, and try to get back 'home.'

And again (I know - I should just say "just do everything trudy1 said ) - - talk to your vet AND your BFs doctor about allergies and how to help keep any issues for your boyfriend at bay. Lots of us live with cat allergies AND cats - - I can't touch any of our cats and then touch my eyes - I puff up like a balloon. But there are many ways now to help keep allergy symptoms minimal on both BFs side and on the kitty side (shampoos, vacuuming often, etc).

Please do keep us posted!!!!! It sounds like this little girl loves you and you love her. And what better way to get adjusted to a new city than with a new kitty that already loves you .