Black stray kitty

[moosmom]

I was visiting my friend's house yesterday. Her neighbor who has ALOT of cats (more than me) has a stray black unneutered male kitty that's been hanging on her from porch. She's been feeding him and actually went around the neighborhood asking people if he belonged to them. No takers. She remembers walking her dog and seeing a black cat sitting in the window of a house but doesn't remember what house.

He's a great kitty, young (about a year or year and a half old). She's thinking about taking him to WAGS, a rescue organization in the Michigan area. I would LOVE to take him, but already have 6 cats (2 neutered males).

Having that "oh just one more won't kill me" thought in my head, I can't stop thinking about him. Kathy said that when her cats came to the door and he saw them through the glass, he hissed, growled and beared his claws. So I'm not sure if he'd be okay with other cats.

Please try to talk me out of this. With Halloween coming, I'm very worried something might happen to him. I keep saying "no more!!!!" but my heartstrings are tugging away. :(

[czicat]

i feel guilty, but i'm not going to try to talk you out of this, quite the opposite! with apologies--

it's entirely possible that this little black guy will settle down after neutering, and with a little extra special tlc for all concerned and a careful introduction, i bet he would work in nicely with your kitties. i have 7 black neutered males, and they seem to be the lovingest and most laid back of my herd. all of them love kittens--Omar, Midnight, Tissot and Foo Foo actually let them suckle. they're real daddy cats! Omar in particular has been a godsend with feral kittens--a couple hours with him and they are so gentle. he's a miracle worker. Midnight had been a farm cat all his life, though neutered since age one, and adjusted quite well to a life indoors starting at age 11. all these black kitties have a fine sense of humor, too.

i share your concern about black cats and Halloween.

cat^..^

[lizbud]

Moosmom,

Hi. I don't know anything about WAGS, but if they are
a rescue group (no kill), then I would help your neighbor
trap him and try to get him to the rescue group. I know
what you mean by the "just one more" thinking. I do it
myself somtimes. First maybe you guys could just work on
trapping & neutering him, and then ??? Best of Luck on this.

I have an all black SH kitty that I took in after some
neighboors moved & left him behind.:mad: He is the
most mellow one in a group of four.Blackie is actually
the "peacemaker" in the group. Liz,

[moosmom]

Liz and Cat,

What's there to trap??? He's the most friendliest cat! Not the least bit feral. He was definitely someone's pet. I suggested to Kathy that she put an ad in the paper indicating he was found. But then again you don't know WHO you're going to get responding to the ads.

Kathy said she was going to put him in her garage with food and water on Halloween just so he's safe.

I just don't know.....:confused: :confused: :confused: . I'm going to give it more to time think about it. But I just can't get him off my mind or out of my heart. :rolleyes:

[jenluckenbach]

I hate to be another person who is NOT trying to talk you out of this, BUT.....
I have 11 house cats, 8 of which are males (ALL are neutered). The last of these was a stray male, unneutered at the time and I was worried about fighting, and spraying, and learning to use a litter box for the seemingly first time in his life, but I felt compelled to do it. Even if I only fostered him until I could rehome him with a new family. Well, needless to say, he stayed and he has been the biggest joy of all time. I had no more problems introducing him to the resident cats then I would have with any other newcomer. I hate to add this, but he is a little black (tuxedo) cat.
Go with your conscience, it will not steer you wrong.

[

[Cataholic]

.....and the winner is........HEARTSTRINGS.....take him in, what is one more? They are sooo small, and I know he will be a good kitty!:D

[toughCookie]

there is so much I could say, warn you, about "just one more". but I won't. take the kitty in, and keep him safe for halloween and always! you could alwys place him in a good home later if it didn't work out,(yeah right...LOL) but at least he'd be safe for now!

[gini]

Oh, Donna, you need my two cents like you need a hole in your head.

Black stray male unneutered kitty.............I know all about it.

Mine I named Magic..........and he was my little soul mate for over 13 years. I love Rascal to pieces, but I will never have another Magic.

[Nomilynn]

I think you should follow your heart too, but with Casey having stresses would he be able to take it? If he would welcome a new brother, and you are able to take him in, maybe you should do it! :D

[moosmom]

Casey is my one concern at this point. While he's doing okay in the bedroom, using the kitty box and eating, I'm just not sure he'd be open to another strange cat in my house, especially in new surroundings. I know Kathy will care for Boo and not let anything happen to him. So that's why I'm not in a rush to add a new kitty to my brood.

I supposed I COULD foster him. But the last time I did that, my cat population went up to 6 (and holding steady, so far).

I'll keep you posted if things change.

[AvaJoy]

The first and foremost necessity is to have him neutered. Then, you can either follow your heart strings and keep him, or set him free . . . if you do not decide to keep him at least you can rest easy knowing there will be no more unwanted litters sired by him, and you will have made a difference in helping to reduce the numbers of homeless kittens.:)

[moosmom]

Avajoy,

Absolutely! I would never have any pet that wasn't fixed. But for now, I've decided it's best to keep with my 6 cats and let Kathy care for him. I don't want to upset the applecart, if you know what I mean. Plus MooShoo has an upper respiratory infection so I don't want to add to it.

[wayne0214]

Moosemom, I know what a difficult decision it is to make, but personally, I'd take him in to be your 7th furkid. It is only 14% extra. Of course, I know that math figures don't cut it when dealing with one that has stolen your heart. So many times I have often thought of, "what if I had taken that cat"? If you feel so drawn to him, take him in, and get him neutered, and then he will calm down. At any rate, it usually take about 10 days for new cats to become acquainted with each other. None of mine fight with each other, they all get along just fine. I have one black kitty, named Nightshade and he has some Abyssinian breed in him, as can be seen in the shape of his head and eyes. He is strictly an indoor cat. I don't recall ever having to chase him down to bring him back inside. He often sleeps on the bed with me.

...........wayne

[moosmom]

Well, I told you I'd keep everyone posted if things change. They have.

I went over to my friend's house and talked to Kathy about Boo (that's what we named him). We're splitting the cost of having him tested for Feline Leukemia and Aids and having him neutered. He is being neutered on Thursday. I am picking him up on Friday and bringing him to my apartment to stay till a home can be found. (yeah, right!!)

I am joining HEADS (Helping Every Animal Down River Society) and have already talked to the animal coordinator about him. I told her I would foster him if they were willing to look for a home for him. It's all set. At least he will be off the street and safe.

I'm going to keep him in my middle bedroom unless my cats welcome him with open arms. We'll see,

So that's the scoop! Boo will be my roomie for a while. :)

[lizbud]

Donna & cat,

Congrats on the new roomie !!!:)

[moosmom]

Thanks Lizbud! We'll see how it goes.

[Cataholic]

You couldn't ask for a better roomie, could you? Congratulations and good luck! I think it will just work out fine. It might take time for the others to accept him..but if momma can love one more, surely they can too, right? :D

[moosmom]

Absolutely!!! I mean, what's one more poop in the box, right??:rolleyes:

[NoahsMommy]

Yay!!!! Boo has a place to rest his head!! :) I know it's a hard decision to bring in another kitty, especially when you could possibly disrupt your balance at home. You did the right thing...and now its up to God...what's meant to be will be. :D

Keep us updated on Boo's surgery, tests and behavior. Can't wait to hear all about him! :)

[moosmom]

Boo had his surgery today. He tested negative for both Leukemia and Aids. His surgery went fine. The vet said he's about 2 years old and small for his age. he also said that he's a very healthy cat and will make someone a great pet. He's staying at Kathy's in her garage until Sunday. I'll be bringing him home Sunday night. He'll be in my middle bedroom until I can get rid of the upper respiratory infection that's running through my house (3 cats are on meds). But, if all goes well, he can come out and mingle with my cats eventually till a home can be found. At least he'll be off the streets on Halloween.

[Logan]

That is good news, Donna!!! Thank you for watching out for one more precious kitty (especially on Halloween). :)

[moosmom]

I stopped by Kathy's house today to look in on Boo. He's doing wonderful! He's the most loving, affectionate kitty. He loves people and couldn't stop rubbing up against me and "talking" to me. I think he was telling me "Pleaaaaaase take me home Mommy, please???" So, I'm in love with Boo-Boo Kitty. That's his name. He's all black with green eyes. And he's coming home tomorrow. :D :D :D

[moosmom]

Here he is!! As lovable and friendly as ever, although he's hiding under the bed right now. But that's to be expected till he gets used to his surroundings. He has stolen my heart :rolleyes:

[moosmom]

Here he is again. His eyes are a deep green even though the picture doesn't show it.

[AmberLee]

What a handsome young lad. Delighted to hear what a wonderful personality he has.

[nsweezie]

What a sweetie! I love it that he looks right at the camera when his picture is being taken.
Bless you for opening your heart to help another cat.

[toastco]

He's just beautiful:) I think you will keep him as number 7:D
I know he thanks you for taking him in. I have a black one that I took in and he is the sweetest guy. I think strays sometimes are better cats because they know what it is like to be on the street and the appreciate having a home.
Mom to six furballs

[jenluckenbach]

Oh, Boo is so great. He is a lucky #7. Lucky for both of you. He really is a "looker", no wonder you could not resist.

[Vermontcat]

Boo is a cool looking dude!:cool: I noticed your signature line has changed from 5 furballs and one bald dude to 6 furballs and one bald dude.:) Now I know why. I hope he gets along with your other cats when you introduce them, he is a handsome boy.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Donna, he's gorgeous. I'm so glad that you took him in. :) My black cat Pepper is also the sweetest loving cat and very easy going too. I'm so glad that he'll be safe for Halloween. :)

[moosmom]

Your Pepper reminds me so much of my lovey kitty Marina Mar. She was my baby!! She went to the RB last November. I miss her alot. I miss her long fur and her unique purr. *sigh*

Boo is doing great. He's really a great cat. I just hope he gets along with my other cats. It'll be a while before I let him out though. I'd hate to have him catch the URI that 3 of my cats have.

[moosmom]

Boo DEFINITELY needs a home with no other cats. He hates my cats and went after poor Moo to the point of drawing blood. It scared Moo and the scratch isn't bad (I cleaned it out with Hydrogen Peroxide). But I am not going to put any of my other cats at risk. Boo can stay here till a home can be found. Then he will be posted on Petfinder.com through HEADS (Helping Every Animal Down River Society) in the hopes he can find a pet only home. He wants to go outside so bad and yowls alot. I was so hoping this would work out, but things happen for a reason.:( I guess it was God's way of telling me that 6 is enough. I feel so bad.

[czicat]

moosmom,

i know this has been through your mind a hundred times, but any chance Boo could settle down? sometimes it takes a while after a neuter for a male cat to get his "home legs." and Boo's having to fend for himself outside for an unknown time--maybe he could still come around, with a lot of private space he could retreat to when he feels threatened.

it's so distressing and i'm sure you've put yourself through a ringer, but is it possible Boo is just overwhelmed? i mean, someone treating him nicely has to be kind of new to him, he has an unending supply of fresh food and water, and now he has other kitties who he has to establish a place with, as well as having to forge new relationships, human and feline. perhaps his aggression is just misplaced, because he hasn't realized yet that he doesn't need it anymore.

my little Jazzman was the same way when he came to live with us, and i was beside myself with worry, but he has worked things out with everyone, and now we coexist harmoniously. he even has buddies!

i apologize for playing devil's advocate, but i so wish every kitty could have a warm place to live, with kibbles aplenty, and friends to play with, and windows with sunbeams to spank.

at any rate, you have a golden heart for trying. thanks for that, from Boo and all us cat people...

cat ^..^

[krazyaboutkatz]

Donna, you shouldn't feel bad at all. Even if things don't work out you are providing Boo with a very nice temporary home. Some cats are just meant to be in a single cat home. Good luck. :)

[jenluckenbach]

Both points of view can be true. Some cats DO need to be "only cats" but some cats just need more time to adjust.
1) How long has Boo been inside?
2) how long before the first meeting of one of your resident cats and Boo?
3) How long ago was he neutered?
4) How old do you suspect him to be?

Now here's why: The older he is the more set he will be in his ways. Therefore, the longer it may take to settle in to a new routine.

Some cats need WEEKS if not MONTHS before they can be left alone with another cat that is strange to them.

Hormones will take a while to dissipate in the body system, so a male cat that at one time may have been a dominant cat, will need time for the feelings to wear off.


And last but not least, find him a new home if you must, but don't be hard on yourself. Just because THIS cat was not a match made in heaven, doesn't mean that there isn't another one down the road that will fit right in.

One more question: Did he draw blood with claws or teeth? Many a time a paw with claws that are too long accidentally draws blood. It may have been more accident than viciousness.

Keep us updated.
Good luck

[moosmom]

It's been 2 weeks since he was neutered. He LOVES having attention when I go into the room to feed him and sit with him. The only blood drawn was with his claws, not his teeth. He's been an inside kitty for about 3 weeks. The vet says he's about 2 years old and in perfect health. He has the eyes and shape head of part siamese/oriental and is VERY verbal. The vet said it would take about 2 weeks post neutering before all the testosterone is out of his system. I tried putting him in a carrier and letting my cats come up to it to see what happens. He hisses and spits profusely! I'm going to give it more time and see what happens. My main concern is for my cats safety.

[jenluckenbach]

With Boo inside the carrier he will feel more threatened, because he will feel trapped. And it is not only the testosterone levels that I am thinking of. It is learned behavior. He has learned to be cautious of other threats (in this case foreign cats) to his territory and his safety. Has he been in YOUR home for 3 weeks?
What I have done in the past is give the newcomer a room of their own. When they are comfortable in their environment I will allow 1 cat to enter while I am in the room, usually on the floor between them. I only allow 1 cat in and I try to pick the cat that would be the least threatening and at the same time the least afraid. (Which cat accepted the other cats the most readily?)I allow them to act as normal as possible. Depending on the personalities there will be hissing and growling and posturing But they need to figure it out on their own. (make sure nails are clipped short) But do not leave them unsupervised. If they physically fight then maybe you picked the wrong cat to introduce first. And when I say fight, I don't mean just batting, I mean down and dirty rolling on each other. Make the meetings short and sweet and reward them with love and treats if you like. Best of luck. I'll be holding my breath until I hear more.

[moosmom]

Jen,

I tried it again today. I put all my kitties in one of the bedrooms and let him roam for a while. I let one of the girls out. He cornered her. Let's just say fur flew. I am not taking the chance with my cats safety. He does have his own room with a radio and nightlight. He gets lonely and I go in and play with him. But he needs to be an only cat. He's VERY aggressive towards my other cats. He HAS been at my house for 3 weeks. :rolleyes:

[jenluckenbach]

You can feel satisfied that you gave him all his chances. If he loves attention as you say he does, I am sure that someone would be more than happy to adopt him. Are there many shelters in your area?One (or more) might be willing to post him on petfinder.com? (One of the ones in my area would have done that for me, had I not decided to keep Biddy)

[Cataholic]

Moosmom- I didn't know you were having such problems with the new cat. Has there been any change? I hate to add to your stress level to keep suggesting other things...and you know when you have done all you can...but I have had some luck with the spray Feliway. It makes everyone smell the same, hence lowers the strange odor problem. Like JLB, I would do the one cat at a time introduction. It does sound like the new cat is attacking out of fear.

Keep us posted, and I am sorry it is so hard for you.

[wolflady]

Oh Boo is one handsome guy! I'm so sorry things aren't going as well as expected with your current fur-family. At least he will be safe over the Halloween holidays and if everything you try fails, don't be discouraged. Some cats really can't learn to get along with others, while some cats will do so eventually.
I've had experience with both scenarios.
I tried to introduce a cat I rescued from a (to be polite about it) not so bright woman who was going to dump the cat because her boyfriend didn't like cats :mad: Stupid, huh? Anyway, I took the cat, which was a 7 yr old female siamese. She had never been around other animals and didn't want to be around other animals. At the time, my boyfriend (now husband) had Scooter and he was just a kitten. Scooter is about as harmless as one could be at that time, and he was curious about Samantha. Everything seemed to work out, because Sam was living with me in an apartment at college and Aaron had brought Scooter for a "visit" to see how they would interact. Sam didn't much like Scooter, but they seemed to co-habitate OK. We thought that was pretty good. Well, how wrong we were! All hell broke loose as soon as Aaron took Sam back to his place to live with him and Scooter. She literally scared the you know what out of Scooter when she moved there. He would be running from her and drop little turdletts while running. It sounds funny now, but it wasn't at the time. Poor Scooter. Sam would attack Scooter for no reason and just terrorized him. Aaron tried separating them and slowly reintroducing them with the scent and separate room technique...but alas...to no avail. Sam absolutely didn't want any of it. It's just strange that she was fairly tolerant of Scooter while at my summer apartment, but as soon as she moved in with Aaron it just didn't work. We had to give her to a friend who had no other pets and she's doing great now!:)

Now, after that horrible experience, Scooter just didn't trust or like to have other cats around. This proved to be a bit of an obsticle when Aaron and I were engaged and I had my cat Marius and he had Scooter. Neither of us would give up our cats, that was set in stone. We were going to make it work. Luckily, Marius is just about the most mellow cat you'll ever meet, so during the whole adjustment process between Marius and Scooter (which lasted just over 6 months!! :eek: You wouldn't know of the troubles if you saw them today! LOL), Marius just sat there while Scooter screamed at the top of his little kitty lungs, hissed, spit...fluffed up...you name it. We did everything in those six months. Started out by keeping them in separate rooms. We would pet one cat, then go into the other room and have the other cat sniff our fingers. Then it went to rubbing towels on each cat and putting the towels in the other cat's area...this was just to adjust each one to the other's smell. We did this for a long time. (Marius could have cared less...:rolleyes: LOL). Then we would let the cats see each other to get used to the other's presence. We did this several ways:
1. There was a screened in porch where we put Marius, and we put Scooter in the laundry room where he could look out the window (the door to the screened in porch from the laundry room has a long window in the middle of it)at Marius on the porch.
2. We actually did do the cat in the carrier technique. I put Marius in a carrier in the laundry room (since he was so laid back and really didn't care what was going on) and let Scooter observe Marius in the carrier. We also did this for a long time. After several sessions, we would try to have both in the same room on a leash, but Scooter kept up his testy ways...so we just basically continued with this until Scooter calmed down a bit.
3. When we got really frustrated, we'd put both cats in a carrier and face them at each other! LOL
I'm lucky that my cat was so tolerant. Finally after 6 months of trying, Scooter finally adjusted and they're just great now! Like regular siblings, they do have their spats every now and then, but otherwise they get along fine and play together a lot. It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get those 2 together, but it was worth it. This is also an extreme scenario. Both my husband and I did not want to give up our cat...so we forced them to work out! LOL ;)

Go with your instincts. This cat may just be like Sam and would do great as an only pet. Don't be discouraged if this is so. You did a wonderful thing by taking him in and trying it out. If anything, you rescued a baby from the street and are a great Foster mum for him until you can find him a purrmanent home! Good luck! Do let us know what happens!

**hugs**
Karen

[2kitties]

Moosmom, Boo Boo Kitty is gorgeous. And you're so sweet for taking him in, even if its just until you find him a good home.
I will tell you, though, that when I first put my two together, I though I'd made a huge mistake. It took a couple of weeks of them living in completely different rooms. Then just supervised visits. I rigged up a screen door after 2 weeks to separate them- one in a bedroom, and one in the rest of the house. Then I began feeding them on each side of the door. Then, one day, I gave them some catsip in two bowls. They ate together. I'm attaching the first peaceful moment between them.
It was short lived! Back to fighting. I just knew the little one was going to get squashed.
At any rate, my neighbor is a vet tech. She came over and recommend I supervise the fights and let them go at it for a little while. I did this for days. Then, during one supervised fist fight, they got so tired that they fell asleep together. Friends since.
Good luck to you whatever you do. Although it eventually worked out for me, I do know that there are some cats that genuinly prefer to be singles. And that's okay too. Especially since you've found him and are committed to finding him a good home.
Congrats to you.

[moosmom]

2 kitties,

What a great picture!! Some cats just aren't meant to be with other cats. He's a great cat and is very affectionate. His picture will be posted on petfinder.com in the beginning of November. I'm sure he'll find a great home. Thanks for some great advice everybody.

[jenluckenbach]

Donna
How is Boo??
Have you tried to see if there is any progress in his behavior?

[moosmom]

Jen,

Boo really wants to come out of the room bad! He scratches on the door. I go in every night when I get home and sit on the floor while he eats. I'm becoming very attached to him. But I really don't think he's going to take to my 6 cats (he may feel a bit overwhelmed). MooShoo has a huge scratch on his front leg from the 2nd episode. An organization I'm joining (HEADS-Helping Every Animal Down River Society) is going to post him on Petfinder.com in November. I will foster him until then, or until a spot becomes available at PetSmart. I hate the thought of that precious boy being holed up in a cage. He's truly an indoor/outdoor cat. We'll see what happens. I'm very disappointed that he's not going to become a part of my fur family. :(

[boscibo]

This is breaking my heart. From 1987 to 1996 I had a beautiful black neutered male named BooBoo. He had lymphatic sarcoma and passed away on Valentine's Day, 1996. They look alike. I miss my Boo every day. I'd take him in a heartbeat, but I have 3 other cats now. :( :(

[jenluckenbach]

Just look aropund you Boscibo, MANY MANY MANY people here have more than 3 cats.;) What's one more????:D
You never know, it may ne a match made in heaven:o

[boscibo]

Yeah, I know. I have had more than 3 at a time, but she says her Boo need a home without other cats. :(

The city I live in has these silly laws, too. We a full up for our dog limit, I think it is 3 dogs max, and 4 cats, max. Cats don't require a license, so I could probably sneak more in. But I wouldn't be able to provide him (Boo) with an only cat environment.

[jenluckenbach]

I know,:( :( :( I just felt some how obligated to say it :rolleyes: