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Catseyes · May 21, 2006, 02:25 PM

Hi guys,

For a couple of weeks now, my in-laws have noticed a big male cat ( not neutered yet ) running free in their neighborhood. They asked if the cat belonged to somebody. Nobody had seen that cat in the neighborhood before.
They started feeding him : this cat is very affectionate. My in-laws like cats, but they don't want to adopt it, as they want to be able to go on vacation without worrying about a pet.

I already have a cat : female ( spayed ), 3years old. She is very spoiled. My husband and I were thinking about adopting the cat. But we worry about our cat's reaction.

What do you guys think? Should we take it ?

valinors_sorrow · May 21, 2006, 02:47 PM

If you do, be certain to have your vet give a complete physical to the new cat before you bring him into contact with your cat as there are some wicked contagious cat diseases out there.

Merging new animals into a household (we merged a dog with two cats) is a slow process that needs to keep everyone reasonably secure throughout it.

One end of our house was "cat city" and the other "dogville". We let one side or the other have free reign over a period of a month on the advice of our vet.

We never saw anything that suggested there would be serious bodily harm so eventually we put away all the good lamps, crossed our fingers and let 'er rip. They met in the kitchen and anybody behaving got a treat. It worked and a natural hierarchy has been established with only one or two minor scratches on a very forgiving dog's nose.

It's worth a try if you are interested but I believe even in the best of circumstances some animals may remain incompatible. If it's a no go, then you would need to find mr. tomcat a good home.

Tommyp!972 · May 21, 2006, 03:42 PM

Your inlaws shouldn't feed it if they don't plan on keeping it... catch it and give it to the local shelter and somebody will adopt it especially if its as affectionate as you say... get it off the street ASAP or else she may have kittens or end up with some disease or worse... if they really like the cat do the cat a favor and give it a chance to have a warm caring home where it won't have to wander the streets looking for food anymore

Animals are like people.. they too should never be homeless

Catseyes · May 21, 2006, 05:25 PM

Sorry Tommy, but you do not seem to have understood : I plan on being the loving home ! Would you prefer that my in-laws leave the poor thing starving and without a bed (they put a blanket under the porch, and he sleeps there )?

I love cats. But I already have one, and I don't want her to feel betrayed or anything.

So, I was looking for inputs from people adopting animals when already having some. So thank you valinors-sorrow for your help.
And of course, I will do my duty as a pet owner if I take the tomcat ( meaning bringing to the vet for vaccines and... an operation ! :D )

valinors_sorrow · May 21, 2006, 05:37 PM

Originally Posted by Catseyes

So thank you valinors-sorrow for your help.
And of course, I will do my duty as a pet owner if I take the tomcat ( meaning bringing to the vet for vaccines and .... an operation ! :D )

You're welcome.

PS I wasn't thinking you weren't a responsible cat lover too... I just didn't want you to make the same mistake a friend of mine did in bringing home the newcomer before stopping at the vets.

She had plumb forgotten about feline leukemia in her enthusiam. :eek: We both freaked until the test results came back negative!

SO have you picked out a name? :D

Tommyp!972 · May 21, 2006, 06:09 PM

Didn't mean any bad feelings... if you want to be the adopting parents then just take into account what it will involve... just like valinors said... some cats carry diseases... better to be safe and take to vet and get a full exam done if you don't mind spending the $$ and not knowing yet if your cat will like the company... ours personally almost KILLED a new kitten we brought home from the shelter... it was so affectionate we didn't want to give her up but my 2 other cats just beat her constantly no matter what we tried to do to stop them... hope that doesn't happen to yours... good luck and sorry about the other post if I made you come across as not a caring cat person... what you are doing is great but there are risks to every good gesture