Should I keep the homeless cat?

Question

I have this sweet young cat coming to my garden and into my house, i guess he's around 1,5 years. He likes to get petted and sometimes sleeps over. Since he seems really hungry, I started feeding him, lately on a regular base. I like him and would like to keep him, he is friendly and not afraid. But I have a few worries:
I threated my house against fleas, and it seems to be OK now, but after that it is as if he got more distant to me. I guess he got scared by the strange smell, and the thing I put on him, and also I couldn't let him in to the house while spraying.
Now he often stays away the whole night; -can it be that he has another house and just comes to me "for fun" ? He does seem really hungry though, and he is not fat.
-will he ever be able to become a "housecat" and not a "gardencat" if I for example move to a house without garden?
What about castration and all that; isn't it terrible for the cat? How much money can I expect to spend on the cat on a monthly or yearly base?

Answer 1

The probability is that the cat has a main point of residence, and you are included on the cats rounds, in fact he more than likely calls on other houses as well. They are pretty quick at figuring out where the quiet places and food are. I have 3 cats all Maine Coons, and the silver tabby is well known in our part of town, often people will say, oh hi there, I had Ziggy around a couple of days ago, he was just visiting, looks for treats, and settles down a while. We had a small tabby do exactly the same here, and she would sleep over in a regular place, and eat as well with the other cats, and then move on. Eventually left for good when it got a bit noisier in the house, I know where she lives now, and there were small children in her house at the time she slept over, so it was probably staying out of the way of the kids, they like peace and quiet to sleep. If you are curious as to the origin, put a safety collar, if he lets you, on the cat, loosley remember in case it gets caught, and attach a brief note to it, maybe the owner will read it, if not, well then it could be a genuine stray, or abandonment.
The point you ask on house cat / garden cat, is most cats are up for roaming around and establishing a territory, he won't become a house cat unless you lock him in, and that would be a bit cruel after he has already taken to the big outdoors, unless you live in a busy traffic area and there is a high risk of being run over.
It's not cheap to keep a cat, but they are worth it, you can take out an insurance policy for him for future vet bills, it's pretty cheap to do, and saves being faced with a big bill if the need arises. as for neutering, don't do it until you verify the cats ownership. If as I said it is a stray, well it's not so bad for the cat, and makes things a lot easier for both of you in the long run. In truth it is probably done sooner than later as a young cat will recover better and quicker than the older cat. Much of the roaming around he is doing can be down to the fact he is intact and checking around for a mate, and marking out his territory, which believe smells terrible, and is very difficult to get rid of!!
So there you are, food for thought so to speak, by the way get some dry cat food, they love that and it's good for their teeth, might need to try a couple of brands, and give him plenty fresh water, preferably not from the main supply as it is full of chlorines and stuff, although some cats will drink it I find they prefer water from the bathroom taps that come from the water tank on site, it's not treated as much as we are not supposed to drink it, which I'm sure you know anyway. You might know already that milk is actually bad for them, my cats don't like it anyway, so that can be left out. Maybe some of this might help. Adios

Answer 2

So far it seems the cat's decided to keep you ;-))
Here's the thing; Cats make wonderful but very independent pets, and they're very intuitive. If your'e uncertain about keeping the cat, that ambiguity transfers to the cat and it will make it tentative and cautious in it's dealings with you. You've fed it and it accepts petting and friendship from you so the decisions already been made. It's up to you to define the terms of the partnership now.
The factors in transitioning an independent cat are
1/ Trust_ You already have the cat's trust
2/ Acceptance of habitat_ cats are territorial, so although it has accepted you as a friend, it is uncertain about the place (that's why the environment change brought about some anxiety in the cat). To introduce a cat to a new habitat you use a little animal psychology. Carry the cat to where you want it to consider it's safe place_ play with it while you allow it to explore, when it com es back to you to continue the play, you rub some butter, cream or bacon or beef fat on it's paws. Cats only groom when they are emotionally secure, but the greasy feeling on there paws drives 'em nuts so they will compromise. It'll groom because you have assured it that this place is safe, and from then on that place will always be safe. If you move, this is the same technique to use to introduce it to it's new home. It may take a few reps, because cats miss their old homes, and if they don't like their new home, they can and will kill themselves trying to get back to the old home.
3/ Personal Habits _ The main reason people end up rejecting feral (independent living) cats is House Training: Feral cats don't know the house rules about where to toilet and they end up soiling inside the house (cat doo smells reaalllly bad and most newbie cat hosts are driven crazy by this) but there's an easy way to fix this.
The simple method for house training is find where kitty goes to toilet, rub a piece of newspaper several sheets thick in the old doo, attract the cat's attention, by petting and play, NOT with food, get it to smell the odorized newspaper, and let the cat see what you're doing when you move the newspaper from where it goes to where YOU want it to go; this may be a litter box, a corner of the yard or even YOUR toilet. Leave the newspaper there until you are sure the cat has accepted the new toilet area and then get rid of the newspaper. Cl;ean the old toilet area with something that gives a clear NO signal to the cat eg really smelly household bleach or smelly ammonia.
4/ The pitter patter of little feet_ So far you imply that your cat's a him and not a her_ but yeah neutering is important, causes little psychological harm, (it makes boy cats fat, lazy and unwilling to explore, female cats become more aloof and less affectionate. Gender differences in cats are significant, that's why I talk about IT rather than him/her), and doesn't give you the stress of a popultatio that can show a growth rate of 2500 % compound interest. (If you kept all your cats' offspring in perpetua, a pair of cats would turn into a population of 62/64 cats in 2 years). SPAY OR NEUTER unless you REALLY like kittens.
5/ Understanding the relationship: If you live alone, and work all day, you should allow your cat more outdoor freedom, unless you live in the heart of a city: You don't btw, you wouldn't have asked your options if you did.
Independent as cats are, they often fall in love with people and if they do, and you are lucky enough for a cat to do this( and I think yours has, you can't have a more loyal friend and it will literally and i MEAN literally kill itself for you.
You don't own a pet: what you have is a friend, and a true friend at that.
KEEP THE DARN CAT

Answer 3

Keep this cat; he is alone and frightened, and you are the only person left that he can turn to; he has CHOSEN you, so do what you really know you should, and take him in. Many agencies offer help with neutering, which is by far the best for the cat (neutered cats can live three times longer than those wandering the streets in search of mates, and vunerable to cars, dogs and perverts.) You need to keep him indoors with you, with a clean litter tray and plenty of food and cuddles, and catnip goodies, and he will certainly become a housecat- have him neutered after about a month, and then keep him indoors where its safe. Bless you for caring.

Answer 4

ring your local rescue centre to ensure he is definately homeless and keep him if you can! cats don't cost all that much to keep on a monthly basis, just food, litter etc. I'd say about £20 per month. Annually he'll need vaccinations (approx £30) and to castrate a tomcat costs about £30. You might be able to get some financial help with funding his castration from cats protection league (in the UK) its better to castrate as a lot of people are not as kind as you and there are many many unwanted kittens.
He may never become a total housecat as hes used to his freedom but Im sure over time he will become more dependant on you and will show more affection. Good luck!

Answer 5

Cats can cost quite a bit of money over the years, but the pleasure they give is well worth it. Be prepared to pay for yearly vaccinations, flea treatment, food, toys and unexpected veterinary treatment. I can't wait to adopt another cat when I get somewhere more suitable to live.

Castration seems harsh, but is necessary to keep down the number of unwanted cats around - and it cuts down the cat's instinct to wander too far looking for a mate, and get into trouble through fights and traffic. They soon recover from their operation, and it is less severe for a male cat than a female. If you adopt him, and keep him in most of the time now he will be used to it, and be less stressed. Go for it, from your question I think you'd be a great owner as you have thought about the consequences!

Answer 6

If he hasn't been neutered it is more likely that he would be out at night. I don't think neutering is very painful. In my experience, they hardly seem to notice and recover quickly. He should become more of an "at home" cat after being neutered. When cats are used to going outside they usually want to continue having that freedom, but could probably get used to being inside. They can be insistent though. Most cats are terribly afraid of anything that has a spray can sound, if that is what you used, and that could have made him stay away. It shouldn't cost much to feed the cat and unless he has vet fees there shouldn't be much expense. I hope you continue to feed and care for the guy. Best wishes!

Answer 7

You are right on with the strange smell. Once that wears off the cat will act normal again. It doesnt cost very much money to own a cat. They get shots every year or so which is like $75. Then cat food ranges from $2-$? depending on what kind you buy. Same with litter. If this was my situation I would just let him roam free outside and inside as long as he is not causing a big mess. I would take him to the vet and make sure he's healthy. Also, I wouldnt get him declawed if he is going to be inside and outside. As far as neutering him, I would just because if you dont then he could get other cats pregnant and possibly cause unwanted kittens that wont be properly taken care of.

Answer 8

keep the lil kitty. Cat food is relatively cheap. Kroger has those Friskies cans 3 for $1 just get abit of that, sum biscuits and make sure u put sum milk and water. He doesnt seem lke he is going to be an "inside" cat all the time so u might not need the whole litter box thing, but get one in case. cats arent so troublesome, i had about 8 cats, got 4 at the moment. My favourite cat used to just come for food and sleep on my bed a little while then he used to do his "business" outside. Seems like thats what this kitty's gonna do. get him a basket to sleep in during the night and keep it on ure porch or sumthng.
kittys are sweet, keep the cute bugger, u will be blessed!!!

Answer 9

Yes, keep the cat. He is obviously attached to you. You can get sofa covers for your sofa and then try letting him in. That way you don't have to worry about fleas.

Another way to treat the fleas that might be more agreeable to him is to get Revolution for cats from your vet. This is an ointment that comes in a tube like toothpaste. All you do is squirt the entire tube onto the back of the cat's neck where he can't lick once a month. The ointment will spread itself over the cat's entire body via the cat's body oil, which serve to protect his skin. This medicine kills fleas, flea eggs, heartworms, mites and a few other things as well. One 6-dose package costs $82.00. (That's a 6-month's supply.)

Maybe then he will decide to stay in your house.

Before deciding on whether or not to fix him, first give him a chance to decide if he wants to stay inside more often..

Answer 10

From personal experience, most stray cats are hard to turn into housecats, especially males. They already have the taste of freedom. Castration varies in price but is usally under 100 dollars. This doesn't guarrantee that he won't spray. That may already be a habit. It is very important for an outdoor cat to be tested for feline leukemia and then vaccinated if the test is negative. I spend 175 dollars per cat per year for vaccines, exam, and meds (flea). Keeping the cat free of fleas will keep him free of tape worms.