Hello Cat People! I have found some similar posts on this forum, but not the exact situation so I am hoping to get a few more ideas, suggestions and some needed advice. I'm sorry this is so long, but I don't know what is important or not. Thanks in advance for reading this!
Here's how it all began:
Our friend seems to be a stray and feral cat magnet.
About 4 years ago, a male cat showed up at her house and joined the group of other strays/ferals she was feeding. She started calling him "House" because it seemed that "all he wanted was a house."
Within a short time, House proved to be a very affectionate, sweet cat... but only with people. He eventually and aggressively ran off all the other cats, male and female, babies and mother's, kittens and adults.
A tiny feral kitten showed up a few months ago and at first everything was fine between House and the baby. But about 6 weeks after the kitten arrived, House suddenly brutally attacked the kitten and ran him off.
It was really upsetting to our friend who had taken a liking to the baby. House had run off every cat and she had hoped the unusual bond House had developed with the kitten was a good sign, but it didn't last for some unknown reason.
At some point, long before the kitten showed up, House was trapped and taken to the vet to get neutered and vaccinated.
He was always kept outside because she has 2 indoor cats and a large dog, and bringing him inside would have been a disaster.
Our friend says he is probably around 5-6 years old now..
I've grown fond of House who was always in her front yard whenever I went to visit, and he was always friendly and affectionate. He's a very smart cat too.
2 weeks ago, my friend sold her house and moved out, and is staying with us while waiting to move into a much smaller house.
Initially, she wasn't going to take House with her due to his aggressive behavior with other cats. She's disabled and the thought of having to deal with this aggressive cat in the new property was overwhelming to her. She thinks that there's a feral cat colony on the property she's moving to.
Well, I couldn't stand the thought of leaving House behind: he's bonded with her and in the last 4 years has become dependant on her for food and security. His outdoor cat house was set up in her driveway next to her front door. He had become a permanent fixture!
The old house she just sold is going to be torn down soon, and all I could think about was House showing up for his breakfast, lunch and dinner, only to discover nothing was there, it was dark and silent, no cars pulling into the driveway, no voices from inside the house, and he'd realize that no one was coming home, and that his Mom had abandoned him, and once again his people had just moved on without him, and one day soon there'd be bulldozers tearing up the property he had known as his own for the last 4 years! Where would he go? How would he eat? Would he be tortured by evil people? Would he get sick, injured, or killed? Would he ever be loved again? Would he ever again be seen as the wonderful, loving and trusting cat he is? Would he be trapped and dumped at the local high-kill "shelter"? Would he end up back with the feral cats, of which there are thousands roaming in this city? These thoughts were driving me crazy and tearing my heart to shreds.
I convinced her that he could not get left behind. She put it on me to trap him because she really didn't believe he could be trapped again after the last time.
When they trapped him to take him to the vet, he yowled and cried the entire trip and urinated all over himself and the inside of the trap and car. It was very traumatizing for him.
So, thankfully (!) I have more ingenuity and tenacity than most cats, and after 48+ hours, no sleep and several trips to the old house, I finally figured out a great way to trap a wary, suspicious, nervous and wiley cat! I was so relieved and elated to have finally caught him! And the ride to my house went smoothly: he was calm and quiet the whole time!
Now that that was over with, the newest problems have only just begun!
None of this was planned: 2 days before moving out of her house, our friend asked if she could come stay with us because she had just been told her new place wasn't ready. So she sent her 2 indoor cats to stay with a friend, and she temporarily moved in here with her 160 pound Mastiff and of course, House.
At first, I was going to put House closed up inside my German Shepherd- sized dog crate with his bed, a litter box, etc, and keep the crate inside our garage.
But brilliant, overly confident me, after having outsmarted the untrappable House, screwed up while trying to transfer him from the humane trap into the crate. Who outsmarted who? At least I was smart enough to close the garage door first!
The transfer plan failed so I never did get him into his new crate-home. Instead, he ran and hid under the metal tool rack in the back of the garage. He finally emerged late that night and has since taken residence inside the entire 3 car garage.
My husband is a "garage-dweller" plus does a lot of work outside with a lot of tools and equipment. Not being able to open the garage door for over 2 weeks was causing some problems. Carting tools and equipment out of the garage through the house was getting tiresome.
Since our friend will more than likely be here until the end of the month, keeping House cooped up all alone in the garage, no sunshine, bored to tears I'm sure, was making me feel awful. He was being fed inside the open crate, and he knew his "mom" was here and so I decided to go ahead and open the garage door two mornings ago. I knew he knew he was "home".
It was probably not the brightest idea I've ever had when I decided to open the garage door allowing him to go outside. I had been feeding him inside the crate so I could have simply closed the crate door while he was eating. I just felt sorry for him being alone and cooped up, and knew after 2 weeks of garage freedom, locking him inside the crate would have been punishment for him. And that would have been the last time he'd ever allow himself to get trapped in the crate. He would have been stuck in there for about 3-4 weeks if my friend is taking him with her.
As expected, he crept out of the garage, into the sunshine warming the drivdway, and he stuck close by. That night he came in and went to bed on the chair in the garage where he'd been sleeping for the past 2 weeks. I closed the garage door, the noise freaked him out so he tried to escape before it closed but didn't get out. He's smart and won't let that happen again.
Yesterday morning I let him out again, keeping the door open about 8" so he could get back in to eat and sleep.
I really believe that once upon a time, House was an indoor/outdoor cat and was probably the only cat. I think his owner dumped him since that is common practice for heartless people who own cats. Far too many cats are so thoughtlessly discarded.
My friend said he doesn't like to be picked up or heldh but for some reason he lets me pick him up, carry him and hold him. He once had someone who treated him well and took care of him. The night she moved out I carried him into her empty house and he acted comfortable being indoors. (I wanted to get him inside to try and get him into a carrier. But just at the moment he was going into the carrier, someone opened the front door and he flew right out the door like the devil was on his tail!)
We have 3 indoor-only cats. Trouble - that's his picture (avatar), is 9, easy going, likes everything and everyone. He is 100% a Mama' boy and we are inseparable.
Then there's Mr Bingles, a really goofy, super cute, odd little Bengal. He's probably 11. Up until 3 months ago he'd always stuggled with a deep-seated identity crisis. He would act domesticated and affectionate one minute, and the next he'd remember he's a wild beast and run in fear for his life! Before the big personality switch, he'd pretty much been a loner.
After having him 9+ years, he's suddenly become a little love bug, sleeping in our bed with the other two cats instead of alone in one of his many hiding places. I don't know what helped him decide we aren't out to kill him! He is a submissive little cat who can easily get bullied. I'm afraid he would be a target for an aggressive cat like House, who is a bully who even attacked helpless kittens.
The third cat is a 13+ year old Snowshoe, Little Girl, and she's a Diva. She can be very bossy, a bully, and is pushy and can act somewhat aggressive towards Mr Bingles and Trouble, even towards our dog if she's in the mood. She also acts sweet and cuddly with them, especially Mr Bingles. She will swat at Trouble out of the blue, probably because he doesn't care what she does. She's loves people once she gets to know them. Otherwise she will hide for hours if strangers come in.
All are spayed/neutered.
A few days after House got here, Trouble, who plays this game that he finds amusing (cat humor!) where he hides then as you open the door to go outside, he will come flying from out of nowhere and dart out the door, then will literally freeze in mid-stride (like a cartoon character!) the second I yell out the word "Coyote!!!" ran out the door and into the garage. Suddenly, he found himself face to face with no coyote, but an intruder named House! He advanced on House as House turned to retreat. If my husband hadn't grabbed Trouble just as House spun around to face Trouble, there's no doubt there would have been a fight!
I've had all 3 of my cats since 2009. They are and always have been indoors-only, but we're in the process of building them a big fancy catio on the back patio.
Our friend still hasn't decided on whether House is going with her or not. If not, finding him a good home along with the hundreds of other cats that need a home sounds impossible to me.
So I'm really against allowing a cat to live outdoors for all the usual reasons. It makes me feel irresponsible, and every day and night I would be worried wondering if the cat would make it back alive or in one piece. In the last couple of days I'm like a mother hen worrying about House, checking outside every chance I get. I don't want him to get hurt, and most certainly don't want him hurting another cat!
House's second foray into the neighborhood was a lot different than the first. Once the garage door made that loud noise when it opened, it spooked him. He took off and disappeared for awhile. He finally came back but hangs back if I am in the garage with him.
Then last night, my husband said House was on top of the neighbor's car when one of the neighborhood cats walked by. She's been around for a while. She has come into our garage in the past, snooping around like a nosey neighbor. She's an overweight, mature, long haired tortoiseshell and has come to our front door trying to antagonize my cats through the screen door. She is the Queen of all the Neighborhood cats.
As soon as House saw her strutting by, he started yowling and hissing and from there we don't know what went on because my husband came in to get me. By the time I got out there, House was gone.
Last night I learned that there are several (at least 5) outdoor cats living on our quiet, dead end street. I had no idea there were so many outdoor cats here! They all have homes on our street. There's 12 houses on our street.
Later on in the night, my husband heard yowling again, and House had another neighbor's cat trapped underneath their car. He tried to shoo House away from their driveway and away from their cat towards our house, but House wasn't having it.
Later, my husband chased off another cat that had come into our garage to eat House's food. Then he chased off the Queen of the Neighborhood eating his food, stepping all the way into the dog crate since the food is in the back. (House hadn't eaten all day or night!)
Then 2 more cats I'd never seen before were slinking around in the street in front of our house. And a few minutes ago I came out to the garage to see if House was there, and the Queen of the Neighborhood was back in the garage eating House's food again, and another cat I'd never seen before came running out from the back of the garage! I chased them off. But the Queen brazenly returned, and it was a challenge getting her to leave again.
House is now back and finally eating, but he's skittish again. I can tell he's wary of the other cats and concerned they will come try to pilfer his dinner! He won't come near me in the garage now. He's afraid the door will close and somehow he knows I have something to do with it closing!
Earlier, he came to me when I was sitting on the front porch and he was rolling around and playing with me and generally acting like a clown.
So, with such a cat-aggressive cat as House, and my Diva cat who can have such a bad attitude, and Mr Bingles who is so vulnerable, and Trouble who now I'm unsure of how he'd react, is there any hope of integrating him with my 3 cats, indoors? Or is House destined to be an outdoor cat, constantly battling with the local thug cats roaming the neighborhood?
I don't want to put my indoor cats into any type of dangerous, vulnerable or uncomfortable situation. This is their home and secure little world.
I introduced each of my cats to each other years ago, slowly. I was almost doubtful Little Girl would work out because she was so aggressive to Trouble. Mr Bingles hid in my office for 3 months, terrified. I finally put Trouble in the room with him and like magic, it drew him out. All the cats started off in my office with the door closed for however long it took to get them acclimated. I got Trouble first, then Little Girl, and Mr Bingles last.
I just know how many cats House has attacked and run off. And he's already starting his thuggery here.
If he's destined to be outside, how do we keep these other cats out of the garage or out of his food? How do I keep him from being so aggressive? Is that even possible?
He's laying down on the porch next to me right now, rolling around and getting me to scratch his belly like a dog! He's so cute! If he was a dog I would know exactly what to do! Cats can act like dogs sometimes, but dogs and cats are so incredibly different.
What should I do? I wasn't planning on having another cat! I don't really want another cat. 3 cats is the perfect number of cats for us. But I can't abandon House if my friend can't take him with her. (I could never ever work at a shelter. I'd become a cat and dog hoarder, and then be featured on one of those reality shows.)
I'm actually allergic to most cats, except for Trouble! And I am a DOG-person! I am a dog-personI! I am a dog-person. What's going on here??? Lol.
Here's how it all began:
Our friend seems to be a stray and feral cat magnet.
About 4 years ago, a male cat showed up at her house and joined the group of other strays/ferals she was feeding. She started calling him "House" because it seemed that "all he wanted was a house."
Within a short time, House proved to be a very affectionate, sweet cat... but only with people. He eventually and aggressively ran off all the other cats, male and female, babies and mother's, kittens and adults.
A tiny feral kitten showed up a few months ago and at first everything was fine between House and the baby. But about 6 weeks after the kitten arrived, House suddenly brutally attacked the kitten and ran him off.
It was really upsetting to our friend who had taken a liking to the baby. House had run off every cat and she had hoped the unusual bond House had developed with the kitten was a good sign, but it didn't last for some unknown reason.
At some point, long before the kitten showed up, House was trapped and taken to the vet to get neutered and vaccinated.
He was always kept outside because she has 2 indoor cats and a large dog, and bringing him inside would have been a disaster.
Our friend says he is probably around 5-6 years old now..
I've grown fond of House who was always in her front yard whenever I went to visit, and he was always friendly and affectionate. He's a very smart cat too.
2 weeks ago, my friend sold her house and moved out, and is staying with us while waiting to move into a much smaller house.
Initially, she wasn't going to take House with her due to his aggressive behavior with other cats. She's disabled and the thought of having to deal with this aggressive cat in the new property was overwhelming to her. She thinks that there's a feral cat colony on the property she's moving to.
Well, I couldn't stand the thought of leaving House behind: he's bonded with her and in the last 4 years has become dependant on her for food and security. His outdoor cat house was set up in her driveway next to her front door. He had become a permanent fixture!
The old house she just sold is going to be torn down soon, and all I could think about was House showing up for his breakfast, lunch and dinner, only to discover nothing was there, it was dark and silent, no cars pulling into the driveway, no voices from inside the house, and he'd realize that no one was coming home, and that his Mom had abandoned him, and once again his people had just moved on without him, and one day soon there'd be bulldozers tearing up the property he had known as his own for the last 4 years! Where would he go? How would he eat? Would he be tortured by evil people? Would he get sick, injured, or killed? Would he ever be loved again? Would he ever again be seen as the wonderful, loving and trusting cat he is? Would he be trapped and dumped at the local high-kill "shelter"? Would he end up back with the feral cats, of which there are thousands roaming in this city? These thoughts were driving me crazy and tearing my heart to shreds.
I convinced her that he could not get left behind. She put it on me to trap him because she really didn't believe he could be trapped again after the last time.
When they trapped him to take him to the vet, he yowled and cried the entire trip and urinated all over himself and the inside of the trap and car. It was very traumatizing for him.
So, thankfully (!) I have more ingenuity and tenacity than most cats, and after 48+ hours, no sleep and several trips to the old house, I finally figured out a great way to trap a wary, suspicious, nervous and wiley cat! I was so relieved and elated to have finally caught him! And the ride to my house went smoothly: he was calm and quiet the whole time!
Now that that was over with, the newest problems have only just begun!
None of this was planned: 2 days before moving out of her house, our friend asked if she could come stay with us because she had just been told her new place wasn't ready. So she sent her 2 indoor cats to stay with a friend, and she temporarily moved in here with her 160 pound Mastiff and of course, House.
At first, I was going to put House closed up inside my German Shepherd- sized dog crate with his bed, a litter box, etc, and keep the crate inside our garage.
But brilliant, overly confident me, after having outsmarted the untrappable House, screwed up while trying to transfer him from the humane trap into the crate. Who outsmarted who? At least I was smart enough to close the garage door first!
The transfer plan failed so I never did get him into his new crate-home. Instead, he ran and hid under the metal tool rack in the back of the garage. He finally emerged late that night and has since taken residence inside the entire 3 car garage.
My husband is a "garage-dweller" plus does a lot of work outside with a lot of tools and equipment. Not being able to open the garage door for over 2 weeks was causing some problems. Carting tools and equipment out of the garage through the house was getting tiresome.
Since our friend will more than likely be here until the end of the month, keeping House cooped up all alone in the garage, no sunshine, bored to tears I'm sure, was making me feel awful. He was being fed inside the open crate, and he knew his "mom" was here and so I decided to go ahead and open the garage door two mornings ago. I knew he knew he was "home".
It was probably not the brightest idea I've ever had when I decided to open the garage door allowing him to go outside. I had been feeding him inside the crate so I could have simply closed the crate door while he was eating. I just felt sorry for him being alone and cooped up, and knew after 2 weeks of garage freedom, locking him inside the crate would have been punishment for him. And that would have been the last time he'd ever allow himself to get trapped in the crate. He would have been stuck in there for about 3-4 weeks if my friend is taking him with her.
As expected, he crept out of the garage, into the sunshine warming the drivdway, and he stuck close by. That night he came in and went to bed on the chair in the garage where he'd been sleeping for the past 2 weeks. I closed the garage door, the noise freaked him out so he tried to escape before it closed but didn't get out. He's smart and won't let that happen again.
Yesterday morning I let him out again, keeping the door open about 8" so he could get back in to eat and sleep.
I really believe that once upon a time, House was an indoor/outdoor cat and was probably the only cat. I think his owner dumped him since that is common practice for heartless people who own cats. Far too many cats are so thoughtlessly discarded.
My friend said he doesn't like to be picked up or heldh but for some reason he lets me pick him up, carry him and hold him. He once had someone who treated him well and took care of him. The night she moved out I carried him into her empty house and he acted comfortable being indoors. (I wanted to get him inside to try and get him into a carrier. But just at the moment he was going into the carrier, someone opened the front door and he flew right out the door like the devil was on his tail!)
We have 3 indoor-only cats. Trouble - that's his picture (avatar), is 9, easy going, likes everything and everyone. He is 100% a Mama' boy and we are inseparable.
Then there's Mr Bingles, a really goofy, super cute, odd little Bengal. He's probably 11. Up until 3 months ago he'd always stuggled with a deep-seated identity crisis. He would act domesticated and affectionate one minute, and the next he'd remember he's a wild beast and run in fear for his life! Before the big personality switch, he'd pretty much been a loner.
After having him 9+ years, he's suddenly become a little love bug, sleeping in our bed with the other two cats instead of alone in one of his many hiding places. I don't know what helped him decide we aren't out to kill him! He is a submissive little cat who can easily get bullied. I'm afraid he would be a target for an aggressive cat like House, who is a bully who even attacked helpless kittens.
The third cat is a 13+ year old Snowshoe, Little Girl, and she's a Diva. She can be very bossy, a bully, and is pushy and can act somewhat aggressive towards Mr Bingles and Trouble, even towards our dog if she's in the mood. She also acts sweet and cuddly with them, especially Mr Bingles. She will swat at Trouble out of the blue, probably because he doesn't care what she does. She's loves people once she gets to know them. Otherwise she will hide for hours if strangers come in.
All are spayed/neutered.
A few days after House got here, Trouble, who plays this game that he finds amusing (cat humor!) where he hides then as you open the door to go outside, he will come flying from out of nowhere and dart out the door, then will literally freeze in mid-stride (like a cartoon character!) the second I yell out the word "Coyote!!!" ran out the door and into the garage. Suddenly, he found himself face to face with no coyote, but an intruder named House! He advanced on House as House turned to retreat. If my husband hadn't grabbed Trouble just as House spun around to face Trouble, there's no doubt there would have been a fight!
I've had all 3 of my cats since 2009. They are and always have been indoors-only, but we're in the process of building them a big fancy catio on the back patio.
Our friend still hasn't decided on whether House is going with her or not. If not, finding him a good home along with the hundreds of other cats that need a home sounds impossible to me.
So I'm really against allowing a cat to live outdoors for all the usual reasons. It makes me feel irresponsible, and every day and night I would be worried wondering if the cat would make it back alive or in one piece. In the last couple of days I'm like a mother hen worrying about House, checking outside every chance I get. I don't want him to get hurt, and most certainly don't want him hurting another cat!
House's second foray into the neighborhood was a lot different than the first. Once the garage door made that loud noise when it opened, it spooked him. He took off and disappeared for awhile. He finally came back but hangs back if I am in the garage with him.
Then last night, my husband said House was on top of the neighbor's car when one of the neighborhood cats walked by. She's been around for a while. She has come into our garage in the past, snooping around like a nosey neighbor. She's an overweight, mature, long haired tortoiseshell and has come to our front door trying to antagonize my cats through the screen door. She is the Queen of all the Neighborhood cats.
As soon as House saw her strutting by, he started yowling and hissing and from there we don't know what went on because my husband came in to get me. By the time I got out there, House was gone.
Last night I learned that there are several (at least 5) outdoor cats living on our quiet, dead end street. I had no idea there were so many outdoor cats here! They all have homes on our street. There's 12 houses on our street.
Later on in the night, my husband heard yowling again, and House had another neighbor's cat trapped underneath their car. He tried to shoo House away from their driveway and away from their cat towards our house, but House wasn't having it.
Later, my husband chased off another cat that had come into our garage to eat House's food. Then he chased off the Queen of the Neighborhood eating his food, stepping all the way into the dog crate since the food is in the back. (House hadn't eaten all day or night!)
Then 2 more cats I'd never seen before were slinking around in the street in front of our house. And a few minutes ago I came out to the garage to see if House was there, and the Queen of the Neighborhood was back in the garage eating House's food again, and another cat I'd never seen before came running out from the back of the garage! I chased them off. But the Queen brazenly returned, and it was a challenge getting her to leave again.
House is now back and finally eating, but he's skittish again. I can tell he's wary of the other cats and concerned they will come try to pilfer his dinner! He won't come near me in the garage now. He's afraid the door will close and somehow he knows I have something to do with it closing!
Earlier, he came to me when I was sitting on the front porch and he was rolling around and playing with me and generally acting like a clown.
So, with such a cat-aggressive cat as House, and my Diva cat who can have such a bad attitude, and Mr Bingles who is so vulnerable, and Trouble who now I'm unsure of how he'd react, is there any hope of integrating him with my 3 cats, indoors? Or is House destined to be an outdoor cat, constantly battling with the local thug cats roaming the neighborhood?
I don't want to put my indoor cats into any type of dangerous, vulnerable or uncomfortable situation. This is their home and secure little world.
I introduced each of my cats to each other years ago, slowly. I was almost doubtful Little Girl would work out because she was so aggressive to Trouble. Mr Bingles hid in my office for 3 months, terrified. I finally put Trouble in the room with him and like magic, it drew him out. All the cats started off in my office with the door closed for however long it took to get them acclimated. I got Trouble first, then Little Girl, and Mr Bingles last.
I just know how many cats House has attacked and run off. And he's already starting his thuggery here.
If he's destined to be outside, how do we keep these other cats out of the garage or out of his food? How do I keep him from being so aggressive? Is that even possible?
He's laying down on the porch next to me right now, rolling around and getting me to scratch his belly like a dog! He's so cute! If he was a dog I would know exactly what to do! Cats can act like dogs sometimes, but dogs and cats are so incredibly different.
What should I do? I wasn't planning on having another cat! I don't really want another cat. 3 cats is the perfect number of cats for us. But I can't abandon House if my friend can't take him with her. (I could never ever work at a shelter. I'd become a cat and dog hoarder, and then be featured on one of those reality shows.)
I'm actually allergic to most cats, except for Trouble! And I am a DOG-person! I am a dog-personI! I am a dog-person. What's going on here??? Lol.
) - - and it gave us all a good, complete picture of what you're facing. This site is full of wonderful people with great ideas - - - I'm glad you came here!!!
