Post by craftedbys on Sept 20, 2022 15:54:19 GMT
I posted last year about finding a tiny 2 week old kitten in our backyard barn (shed) and bottle feeding him etc. He is Mando the foundling aka Asshole cat.
So last summer/fall we had seen a grey/white tabby cat being followed around by a smaller black cat that looked just like Mando, so we assumed it was his mama and sibling.
In January when we had cold and icy weather I made a shelter out of an old cooler and put it in the barn and left the door ajar. The blankets inside showed signs it has been used at some point.
Later this spring I saw the mama cat with two small kittens (one grey and one black) so I started leaving water and kibbles so she would have some nutrition.
I had also seen some dead birds so I figured this extra food might stop some of that.
One time we saw a huge black cat laying out in our yard so we figured it was Daddy Cat. Only saw him a few times, mostly just walking through the yard.
Then we saw another smaller black cat that we figured was Mando's litter mate from last year. He actually came up to us and let us pet him. He looked pretty sad, scrawny and horribly rough dry fur.
So pretty soon every day Mama and the babies and the sad black cat were showing up every day. Until one day we stopped seeing the grey kitten. (Sad)
Of course we had to name them all. Mama cat became Judy (family joke), Mando's litter mate is Rex and the tiny playful black kitten is Gizmo.
I was so upset when the grey kitten disappeared. I have to tell myself that it was taken in by someone because it hurts to think that it got killed.
So now I feed the barn cats daily and Rex and Gizmo come up onto the patio and meow at us (we open the window the first thing each morning so we can talk to them and Mando sits there and watches as well). Judy watches from the side of the barn, although she will occasionally come up onto the patio.
Rex and Gizmo are very sweet and let us pet them and give scritches, although Judy is still standoffish, but she will now go into the barn to eat while I am still outside where before she would sit and wait for me to go back inside and close the door before eating.
Anyway, so I really want to bring Gizmo in the house and give Mando a playmate. Our two older cats (one is 11 and the other 4) have never had any interest in Mando, never taught him how to cat or would play with him.)
Mando spends most of his days following us around wanting attention and getting into trouble. He is such a handful at times because he just wants to play and have some interaction.
In my opinion, a playful young cat would be the perfect companion for Mando. The kids think I am the crazy cat lady and that our other cats would never accept another cat, but I think they may be grateful for something to keep Mando from bugging them.
DH is resigned to me getting my way, LOL.
So cat lovers, please weigh in. Would I be crazy to bring another cat into the house? Would the older cats revolt? What is the best way to go about bringing her in?
If you made it this far, thanks. Advice is much appreciated.
So last summer/fall we had seen a grey/white tabby cat being followed around by a smaller black cat that looked just like Mando, so we assumed it was his mama and sibling.
In January when we had cold and icy weather I made a shelter out of an old cooler and put it in the barn and left the door ajar. The blankets inside showed signs it has been used at some point.
Later this spring I saw the mama cat with two small kittens (one grey and one black) so I started leaving water and kibbles so she would have some nutrition.
I had also seen some dead birds so I figured this extra food might stop some of that.
One time we saw a huge black cat laying out in our yard so we figured it was Daddy Cat. Only saw him a few times, mostly just walking through the yard.
Then we saw another smaller black cat that we figured was Mando's litter mate from last year. He actually came up to us and let us pet him. He looked pretty sad, scrawny and horribly rough dry fur.
So pretty soon every day Mama and the babies and the sad black cat were showing up every day. Until one day we stopped seeing the grey kitten. (Sad)
Of course we had to name them all. Mama cat became Judy (family joke), Mando's litter mate is Rex and the tiny playful black kitten is Gizmo.
I was so upset when the grey kitten disappeared. I have to tell myself that it was taken in by someone because it hurts to think that it got killed.
So now I feed the barn cats daily and Rex and Gizmo come up onto the patio and meow at us (we open the window the first thing each morning so we can talk to them and Mando sits there and watches as well). Judy watches from the side of the barn, although she will occasionally come up onto the patio.
Rex and Gizmo are very sweet and let us pet them and give scritches, although Judy is still standoffish, but she will now go into the barn to eat while I am still outside where before she would sit and wait for me to go back inside and close the door before eating.
Anyway, so I really want to bring Gizmo in the house and give Mando a playmate. Our two older cats (one is 11 and the other 4) have never had any interest in Mando, never taught him how to cat or would play with him.)
Mando spends most of his days following us around wanting attention and getting into trouble. He is such a handful at times because he just wants to play and have some interaction.
In my opinion, a playful young cat would be the perfect companion for Mando. The kids think I am the crazy cat lady and that our other cats would never accept another cat, but I think they may be grateful for something to keep Mando from bugging them.
DH is resigned to me getting my way, LOL.
So cat lovers, please weigh in. Would I be crazy to bring another cat into the house? Would the older cats revolt? What is the best way to go about bringing her in?
If you made it this far, thanks. Advice is much appreciated.