What should I do about this stray cat? (Cleveland, OH)

So I just moved to Cleveland over the weekend. I’m moving into a house together with my boyfriend. As in, he’s moving and I’m moving, and we’re both moving into the same house. His apartment (a studio on the top floor of a house) is just way, way, way too small for me to have moved in with him. There is a cat that has been living next to the garage by his current apartment for a while. He sees it every day. It meows loudly and is desperate for affection and attention. He knows the downstairs neighbors have been putting food out for it, but it’s not “theirs” and they have no intention of taking it in. The downstairs neighbors think it was out there all last winter, too. Anyway, we feel bad leaving it to fend for itself. Not so much right now, but once winter comes… yeah it will probably survive, especially if the neighbors keep feeding it, but living outside in a Cleveland winter has to suck for a cat. It’s extremely friendly and affectionate… I wish we could just keep it but I have two cats already, one of whom is 17 years old and it really wouldn’t be fair to bring another cat into the home. I don’t know if it’s male or female, and officially we can’t be 100% sure it’s a stray… though if it does have a home, it must not like it very much since it spends all of its time here by the garage. Literally every time you pull your car up, the cat comes running around the corner and wants to be petted.

So… what should I do? Should I try to find a home for it? I would never take it to a shelter because it would end up living in a cage or being euthanized–it’s got better chances on the street. But I might be able to find a family for it. Should I try? Or should I just say it’s not my responsibility and move on?

(I probably won’t read/reply to this thread immediately–we don’t have internet access at the new house yet. I only get online a few minutes at a time when we run back across town to Dan’s apartment to pick up stuff.)

You could put up some shelter for it, something with a platform that keeps it off the ground. Once the cat is used ot the shelter, you can maybe think about putting old towels etc in it to make a cat nest.

Put some tuna in there to get it used to going inside, but make sure you only do it when the cat is around, or you will attract other company, other cats and maybe vermin.

Feed it at a very regular time, cats like routine, once this cat is used to a routine, it will know when to turn up.

You might try find out if its male or female, because you don’t want to end up with lots of kittens, and you don’t want a tom fighting and spraying the area.

It would be a good idea to trap it and get it neutered/castrated some animal charities will do this for free on strays as it controls numbers, keeps them healthier, males dont fight as much, females are not breeding uncontrolled.

I guess I didn’t explain well enough: We will not be around to feed it or do anything for it. The cat is at the garage of my boyfriend’s apartment, which he is currently moving away from. We’re moving into a house together, quite a long ways away. I am wondering if we should just shrug and say oh well or if we should try to find a home for it. There is no option of us taking care of it in any fashion, as we will no longer live anywhere close to this part of town.

Send it across the lake to Canada? I hear they love cats…

Brendon Small

OpalCat, there are no-kill shelters in Brooklyn and Parma, neither of which is too from where you are.

There’s a Brooklyn in Ohio?

I don’t see the problem here:

  1. You have, in the past, owned more than two cats.
  2. You have, in the past, taken in strays (hi Cory!).
  3. Ding got used to Cory well enough.
  4. zOMG, the stray is blue-black! How can you possibly not take in a blue-black cat who looks at you through such adorable eyes?

Can we start a kitty bucket brigade somewhere?
(How was the move, by the way?)

He could be the twin of my Chloe! Welcome to town! When will you need help unloading, or is it done?

As for the cat…well, either take it to the no-kill shelter, or tie a note around its neck, asking the owner to contact you (if there is one.) I did this with a tom that moved in with us for a few days, trying to romance my (fixed) Muffin. But he had his own collar. I attached a note explaining where he’d been for the past few days, and sent him on his way. He never came back.

As long as the downstairs neighbors are feeding him, he should be fine. But if they are okay with you taking him to a shelter, do so. A pretty Russian Blue like him will get adopted. If Chloe weren’t such an old brat…wait, no! I’ve already turned down a cat from Lillith Fair. No more cats for me! (practicing saying no, no, no…I need a break from cats, and there are 4 other cats and a dog amongst my children…no, no…)

i introduced Turk to Murphy when he was 17 and they did fine. Turk was a baby, no more than a year old at the time.

At the other end of the spectrum Turk didn’t get along all that well with Speck when she first arrived, and he is only 3 now.

So, when you gonna change your location?

If the people living in the house don’t mind feeding the cat you could ask if you could build a shelter for the kitty for the winter before you finish moving out and maybe make them a donation of some cat food for him. It is possible he is owned if he’s so friendly but maybe he just doesn’t get enough attention at his home?

It is not a stray cat. It is your cat ,you just donj’t know it yet.

Does it have cat class and cat style?

  1. it’s not my-cat-and-I-don’t-know-it-yet, because I’ve never even lived at that house. I’ve seen the cat three times. My boyfriend has seen it much more than that, of course, but he definitely doesn’t consider it his cat.
  2. I will not be taking this cat. Period, end of story, not happening, no debate. Yes, I have had more than two cats before. I have also had a house that reeked of cat pee and that is absolutely never happening again. Two is enough. More than that is too many for me to keep up with, litter-box wise. I don’t even WANT that many even if it was guaranteed not to stink–I don’t want the additional responsibility. My 17-year-old cat got along with the new cat I got when I moved to Atlanta, yes, but that was an amazing fluke. She is terrified of most people and animals and when I lived in VA with 4 cats, all of whom she had grown up with, she spend most of her time hiding, miserable, under the bed because she was afraid of the others. I don’t know this cat’s medical history (I have lost 4 cats in the past to feline leukemia, don’t care to bring potential risks into my house). I don’t know if this cat sprays, etc. I can’t afford to keep up veterinary care for 3 cats. So for a multitude of reasons, NO. We are NOT taking the cat. Attempts to talk me into keeping it will be considered rude disregard for my stated decision.
  3. aw crap. I started a list thinking I had more to say. This is my downfall, and how the whole 3. Hi Opal business started… you’d think I’d learn after all these years…

My main concern about taking the cat to a shelter is what if it ends up living in a tiny cage for the next 10 years?

Thanks for reminding me :slight_smile:

Statistically speaking, once you go beyond 2 cats in the same environment, the likelihood of having behavioural issues skyrockets. My advice for a cat owner with 2 cats is very rarely “get another”.

If someone is currently offering food to the cat, you could buy a 20 pound bag of mid to high end food and give it to them.

Surely that cannot be likely for such a good-looking cat? :slight_smile: I hope not.

It really is a good-looking cat. I’d leave it at a no-kill shelter with a clear conscience.

I also like kittenblue’s idea of attaching a note to the cat somehow. If it has a proper family already, they’ll find the note and take some sort of action.