All of my cats have been ones that I either adopted as feral kittens or private adoptions from people who found themselves with more kittens than they could keep. One was one that someone, who never came forward to admit it, shut up in my closed (but unlocked) porch one day while I was at work. All of them were kittens because I like the idea of being close to them throughout their lives. However, if I should ever get another cat, which is unlikely, since Ella might even outlive me, given that she's only eight now, it would be because I believed that Bubba didn't like being alone, given that Ella is likely to pass before Bubba, it would be a senior cat. That unlikely cat would probably be an older cat. The only time that I considered getting a cat from a shelter, the negatives far outweighed the positives. For one, they were already vaccinated for a bunch of unnecessary stuff, likely shortening their potential life span. Plus, the shelter actually required that I sign an agreement to feed them nothing but Science Diet, which is insane because I feed my cats much better than Science Diet. They required a home visit, and yearly visits after that, and the adoption was going to be expensive. I could tolerate the expense, but none of the rest of it. There were probably some other requirements, but I left before they were done going through their list. I much prefer the negotiations to go like this... "I have a couple of kittens that I'd like to find a home for." "Great, I'm looking for a kitten, but I can only take one." "Here it is." After that, a trip to a veterinarian who doesn't go overboard with the vaccinations, and I'll gladly pay to have any illnesses cleared up, as we did with Bubba, and the cat will live to be in its 20s.
Today my phone lost my camera app. They put up two phone apps and no camera. I had a good picture of my silkie rooster riding shotgun in my car. Sadly, I had to put him down because the rooster at the farm injured one of Jeffrey's eyes and he had no depth perception so he could not eat , even if he pecked away. But this youtube of a bull riding shotgun, I found equally interesting. Uh oh. Bull riding is brought up again.
It is interesting that I do the same with zucchinis that your neighbors do with kittens. Close them in a vestibule and run away. Only kidding. I don't have kittens.
the feral cats we feed have become very friendly...my husband had built winter shelter equipped with cedar shavings under a large rug...beds..heat lamp...area for food..2 exits..in the dry.. the cats have moved into the big gazebo nearby ...they have a large fan in there... there's no female cats now so the population will dwindle...
I don’t know your living situation but if you’re concerned about your fuzzy companion’s welfare, there are apps you can get that require you to check in some time every day. If you fail, it will send out automatic notifications to individuals you select that can come to the rescue.
The feral cats in my yard fight over my lap. When one sits in my lap & another one looks up at us as if he's considering joining us, the one in my lap spits at him.
wow...these would scatter...hide when I first started feeding them...now 2 of them let me put ear mite meds...flea stuff
Mind only let me get a couple of feet from them for the first couple of weeks. Then, they'll start trusting you more & more. I'd stand a few inches from them while they ate at first. Then, I'd gently pet them while they eat. That speeds up the trusting process.
I quit trying to get closer to the ferals I feed. I had gotten so a couple of them would let me touch them a few times, and one even let me pet him once. But these are cats who fight seriously, and if I got closer to them, I'd want to bring them in during the winter, and there is no way that this would be fair to Ella. She's still angry about Bubba. She and Bubba get scared just listening to the ferals fighting outside since it's so much different from what they do. It wouldn't be fair to Bubba, either. Although he's bigger than both of the ferals, he's never been in a real fight, and I don't particularly want him to have that experience.
I loathe this crap. With all the critters in dire need of a home, these shelters set the bar this high to intentionally drive down the adoption rates so as to deepen the need for their "services." I tried to get a rescue dog a few years ago and also bailed on the process. It's all about the guano-crazy rescuers. Back in the 70s, I worked with an animal rescue place. I ended up with a puppy, and then a kitten, and then I had to quit (for the obvious reasons.) I fed them both nothing but Giant Grocery Store house-brand wet and dry food. They both lived to their early 20s. They got their annual vet visits and the emergency visits and any meds they needed. I'll be darned if I'd adopt a animal if it came with an obligatory Karen.
They're used to being outside. And I wouldn't bring them in, unless I had a room that I didn't mind being destroyed. They'll mark territory & make a mess.