Awwwww omg so cute! Good for you! One of my cats was a feral rescue... she was rescued as a kitten and is now 4, is skittish around strangers and sometimes pees on my laundry but otherwise is a wonderful and sweet girl.
Awwwww omg so cute! Good for you! One of my cats was a feral rescue... she was rescued as a kitten and is now 4, is skittish around strangers and sometimes pees on my laundry but otherwise is a wonderful and sweet girl.
My heart just melted! Awwwwwww, what a cutie pie!!
Congratulations!!!! Lovely, lovely, lovely, all around!
Every single word of this has been a repeated thought of mine. It's a difficult decision. And truth is I've actually grown a bit attached to her, especially watching her taking care of the kitten. It's been a privilege to see.Originally Posted by abitbroken
Thing is she's *really* feral. Not violently, but just that's the extent she's never going to get along with humans. It's actually a bit surprising considering she's a Manhattan cat. She'll trust me with the kitten and after like half a year has just now gotten to where she's willing to walk within five feet of me so long as there's a meal in it for her. It's been a genuine toss-up as to whether all the trauma of travel would be worth such a dramatic change in scenery. Adding to it is that we're transitioning with a cheap house (big backyard, though) while we develop the land a bit further out that will become the homestead. The kitten's very attached to me and is young enough to condition with some sense of an outdoor perimeter, but the same issue of there being some ***hole is a concern of mine should she wander through 100 backyards of people more accustomed to it being *their backyard* just because that's what the mama knows to do. For as much as I'll rail on people in New York for being jerks, your life here is going to be pretty miserable if you can't at least tolerate cats being around. My instinct is that the odds would be better in her favor here.
If we were talking a 9 or even 90 mile move rather than a 900 mile one, it'd be a different story. Unfortuantely, due to an eye injury in the Army, I can't drive, so I couldn't even provide her the relative luxury of caging her and tossing her in the back for a straight shot. I've gotta navigate a train and some buses due to the kitten being too young for most airlines to fly. Adding her to the mix unfortunately complicates things that much more. Again, if i were convinced she'd enjoy her life better, I'd jump through all the hoops necessary. But I just don't know.
You and I are definitely on the same page emotionally, though. It'll hurt a bit having the kitten without the mama around, and if she did take to it, one more cat to look out for the crops certainly wouldn't hurt. Maybe (hopefully) I can come to some epiphany that would rationally justify it, but for now I think the best I can do is get her spayed and let her live out the only life she's known. Feels good to write this all out because it really has been a moral conundrum for me.
Last edited by j.man; 07-23-2019 at 07:19 PM.
For what it's worth, as you're looking for that epiphany to justify what sounds like a hard, but rational, choice: my cat was so clearly over being a mama after about 4 weeks. She nursed, and so on, but then she'd go hide someplace where the little ones couldn't find her. When they whined enough she kind of cat-sighed, revealed herself, and made herself available for feedings.
When I talked to the vet—when I was absurdly contemplating going from being a man with zero cats to a man with six cats—he said that's how it goes, that cats don't really have the same kind of interest in their kids as we have imagining them being interested in their kids.
Anyhow, I love this story, whatever choice you make.
Oh my god, I predict a barn full of cats within the year! Lol
Soo cute, and thanks for looking out for the little guys. It's nice seeing some positive posts !
So cute! Cats are awesome. Wishing you all the best with whatever decision you make.
Last edited by greendots; 07-23-2019 at 07:32 PM.
Cute, cute cute!
Awww! Love this! And I love that you're such a softy.
How old is the momma?? She may be an old feral, but man, they are excellent to have on a farm for rodent control. TAKE THEM BOTH!!! My hubs would do a double-take it he heard me say that. I let him adopt two rescues, and I'm mad allergic to them.
That kitty is so cute
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