Apparently, We Have a Cat
I’m highly allergic to cats. My husband, Rick, doesn’t like cats. Not even cute little kittens. He’s a really nice guy, he just doesn’t like cats or kittens (not even cute ones).
But it appears that we now own a cat. Or the cat has adopted us anyway.
We started noticing “this cat” hanging around our work shop about 2 months ago. We would occasionally see him wandering the hills nearby, or resting in the shade on our patio. When Riley and Stella would spot him, he would skitter away as they barked their loudest, letting him know he was within their territory. It wasn’t very long before we noticed the cat consistently returning to the work shop, and we found where he was sleeping beneath it.
We still thought he would eventually wander away. Well, it’s been 2+ months, and he hasn’t.
Rick….. you know, the man who doesn’t like cats…. told me last week that he feels really sorry for the cat and wanted to give him food and some water. We talked about the pros and cons of this.
Cons:
- Leaving food out could attract other wild animals. (So we talked about when would be the best time to put food out and then take it away, rather than leaving it 24 hours).
- With a consistent food source, the cat would never leave (although he doesn’t appear to have any plans to do so anyway).
- It makes it more difficult for us to let Riley out, without being on a leash. Riley will stay near our house and just wander around smelling things or sitting in the sunshine; but if he saw the cat, we know he would chase it. Refer to You Were Right for just one reason that isn’t a good thing to have happen.
Pro:
- The poor cat is hungry and thirsty. Well, we think so anyway. He can probably feed himself by hunting, but it would be hard for him to get water.
- The cat will keep away mice from our house.
This morning, when we saw him wandering around on the patio. I grabbed a handful of dry dog food and a small dish of water and quietly opened the door. It startled the cat and he ran away, but before he got too far, I said, “Kitty, kitty, kitty.”… And he stopped dead in this tracks. He turned around and looked at me, and when he saw I had food and water, he slowly walked toward me. I set the dishes down and went back in the house. We watched from the window as he, first, drank the water, and then ate the food.
So our thoughts now focus on what we should do next. I’m certain that some of you have had this experience. What do you advise? Feed or don’t feed? Why or why not?
Rick named the cat Felix this morning. So it’s not just a “stray” anymore. Whether we like it, want it, or don’t want it, it appears we have a cat. Now, just what do we do with it?
Update: 3 days after original post
THANK YOU everyone for your comments here on the blog and on Facebook regarding Felix. The information you have shared has been very helpful.
This morning I was able to get Felix to come to me by calling, “kitty, kitty.” He let me pick him up, but just for a minute; then he jumped down. But I was also able to get some pictures of him that I have posted in 4 different local neighborhood groups. We are hoping a family that is missing him will see the picture and claim him as their long-lost-pet. We’ll give it a while, and then will take Felix to a local vet to see if he is chipped. If not, we’ll find a shelter for her that will provide an adoptive family until a forever-home can be found for him. This plan was formulated as a result of YOUR input, so thank you!!!
(Doesn’t he look sad, like he is really missing his family?)
Comments (24)
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OMG, totally enjoyed reading your story…well, except for the part that you are highly allergic to cats and Rick doesn’t like them! lol I LOVE let me say LOVE LOVE cats!! Soooo much easier than a dog and well, for me, more loving/cuddle-able! That is something for Felix to turn around and go for the food you put out so quick! Thank you for doing that!! <3
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…well now you’ve fed it, so it wouldn’t be right ‘not’ to feed it again. We have feral cats in our neighborhood. We ignore them and they ignore us. I suppose it is possible someone feeds them, as they appear healthy enough. A neighbor on the next street was trapping and taking to the humane society to be neutered and then I think released again.
I’m not a cat person. Our ‘grand-cat’ doesn’t like us. I was a doggie person, but now a non-pet person.
Best of luck…y’all have a cat.
Could it be a cat that is lost. It seems to me that he is familiar with people and may be somebody is missing him or she.
Regarding feeding, my head says no, my heart says yes. Perhaps you should call a shelter.
He must have been familiar with “kitty, kitty, kitty” and he appeared to need food and water. So, as you say, you probably have a cat. We have a “stray” cat story and she turned out to be the best pet. She was our first cat and dad was by far a dog person and didn’t really like cats. He had since come to deeply love several cats we had and they ARE much easier. The last one was a pure godsend for him with Alzheimer’s.
If you can deal with the allergy thing, keep it. Glad Rick softened up on cats…at least that cat. I hope this turns into a “great pet” story.
If you’re going to feed the cat, it needs cat food not dog food.
The kitty sounds like it would like a home and would adjust well. Perhaps the best thing would be to find an animal ‘rescue’ place. These amazing people, mostly volunteers, gladly take in animals, provide the necessary shots and find a permanent home for them. My daughter has two beautiful little dogs from such a place and they are adorable and loving there new home.
That is a wonderful suggestion, Connie. Thank you!!! I will be posting an update on the blog in just a few minutes.
haha looks like you now have a cat and are the proud adoptive parents of Felix…too late to go back now you’ve named him :D..DOn’t worry about the dogs chasing the cat they’ll get used to each others company and become best of friends…we’ve had dogs and cats together for years and they are so good together…
LOL! Gosh, I hope we can find his parents. We’re not ready to adopt!
Well, first of all, I LOVE cats. Cat always adopts you, so Felix must have thought that you would be good for him. If you can put him water and food when you’re at home and remove it when he finishes eating, it would give him some idea what the “rules” are. Now, dogs are a little bit more “work”. Since you’re allergic, you probably can’t cuddle with cat to show dogs he’s OK. if your dogs can see that you don’t see Felic as intruder, they will try to get friendly with him. At least I hope. Ask your husband to try get near cat very slowly sometimes, once he will succeed and then try to pet him on head and neck.
And good luck with new pet!
Have a great day
Thanks, Andrea! Felix did let me pick her up this morning, but only for a minute. She hissed and then jumped down. But it’s a start….
I love your kind heart. We have had numerous pets over the years that have picked us for their family. They have all worked out with minimal adjustments and I loved them all. What ever you do will be right for your family.
Thanks, Sherry. I am going to post an update on the post in just a minute.
Ohhh look at that beautiful cat and yes, he/she looks quite sad…it almost brought tears to my eyes! So glad to read what people posted and that you’ll seek out more info to see if a family is missing this pretty kitty as much as it looks like the kitty is missing them!! GOOD LUCK!!
Thanks, Glori! I will keep you all updated!
You and Rick are great. Love how you fed Felix. My daughter and her husband are both allergic to cats and they have rescued many feral cats who are now their pets. Seems their allergies are not as bad as they once were. Lisa’s eyes and face would just swell up so much that she almost looked like her eyes were ready to pop off her face. I don’t know what happened to decrease the horrible effects she use to have – maybe her body just adjusted. For two people with allergies to cats, they now have five cats they rescued as members of the family. Lisa is definitely a cat person where I am more of a dog person.
Glad you came to that conclusion. I was willing to tell you our long story, but see you have reached the right decision.
[…] A stray cat adopted us a few months ago. She wasn’t a feral cat. She was someone’s pet who either was abandoned or got lost and couldn’t find her way home. (For the backstory: Apparently, we have a cat.) […]