Then go get him and bring him in! Today. A 13 year old cat is a senior cat (and he might be older than that). The poor guy doesn't have that much longer, especially living outside. Stop it with the "Oh, I just want to get him to trust me first" nonsense. The cat already knows you and recognizes you as someone who feeds him. It's hot outside, and he needs to be wary and alert all the time outdoors. And he's old. The poor thing. Once you just bring him in, he'll be so happy and relaxed in a few days. Please don't just go away without bringing him in first. Let this poor old cat spend his remaining time in comfort and safety. |
I am okay with tolerating the “community cat” people because we all do things that harm the environment and we all think differently.
But omfg, the idea that they do rodent control is so funny. |
How cruel to rip a senior cat from his ennvironment and force him indoors. |
People who think cats only beling indoors have zero understanding of cats |
People who think that outdoor cats are not decimating natural populations have zero understanding of cats. I like cats, a lot. But they are an invasive species and our songbird and, yes, even our owl populations, are being decimated by them. |
Cats have been living among humans for millennia. They are in no wise “invasive.” |
You're not supposed to feed these cats. Do the research op you're harming them not helping them! |
Living among humans is one thing. Living in Montgomery County, MD, they are. This is not made up, they are very, very, very bad for the bird population which is already struggling because of lights, pesticides, hunting, etc. I love cats, seriously, but they're predators... keep them inside and if you have a "community cat" help find it a home. |
Cats living with humans in the area is FAR more normal dogs living with people in the area. |
I've got no problem with cats living with humans. I have two cats living with me! I don't let them roam freely outside. And I think we can all agree that if people let dogs roam freely and if there were "community dogs" we would worry about their impact on the local wildlife among other things. |
I take care of a small colony near my house. If you want to bring your cat inside, then you should trap the cat or put it in a carrier, and then take the kitty directly to your vet. The shelter will lend you a trap if you need one. If you already have cats, then your feral should be tested for FIV and FeLV before bringing him inside. A cat being FIV+ is actually okay, so long as it doesn't fight with your existing cats. I have FIV+ cats indoors. FeLV, however, is a dealbreaker. Your vet can also provide pills for deworming, flea medication, etc. It sounds like your cat will adjust to being inside. Given its age, if it just disappeared one day because it got sick, would it break your heart? Oh, and P.S., feral cats living in urban areas are typically only active at night. They sleep during the day because they are afraid of people. There aren't many birds out at night. It is my observation that the indoor-outdoor cats are the ones killing the birds. |
Indoor outdoor may be worse, but none are good and we’re at a crisis point with birds. |
We are also hitting a crisis point with rats. |
Not like the one with birds. |
, Owls, and other birds, and foxes are being decimated via secondary poisoning (rat poison). If you actually care about these animals, you should walk around to the restaurants and talk to them about properly disposing of their food waste. Rather than just setting out poison. |