Advice on letting abandoned cat move in

For the past two years we've been taking care of an abandoned cat. (Actually until a few months ago there were two of them, but we had to put one to sleep.) She lives in an insulated shelter on our deck but since its gotten colder (and she is alone) she shown more interest in coming inside the house. Today she came in and walked through the living room before getting nervous and running out.

Most of the advice online is about turning a feral cat into an indoor cat permanently.

Any thoughts and/or experiences with letting an abandoned cat come in and out? We're fairly certain that she has lived inside before.

If you have been looking after the cat for two years, the cat is hardly abandoned any more. If the cat feels comfortable enough with you and your family to wander into the house however briefly, especially if you sense this cat has lived indoors before, allowing the cat inside on a more regular basis appears doable. Have you ever taken this cat to the veterinarian? A check-up to determine the cat's state of health would be a good first step, assuming you can safely get the cat into a cat carrier.

I rescued our cat from an abandoned apartment in Newark. Someone had posted his picture on FB. He had just sort of been wondering around, that was over a year and a half ago. He had no problem becoming an indoor cat and is a delight. I say go for it. Of course he had to completely explore the house the first day.Took him to the vet the very next day, he checked out to be healthy and has no problem with the cat carrier, now that was a surprise!

I have two cats that lived outside for an extended period of time. Both are good cats but not totally warm and fuzzy. The older one (Tempe) lived outside for about a year before her foster brought her in when she was pregnant. She is a little skittish but so cute. The younger one (Sasha) was brought to my house by her mother, along with her sister. I could not bring three, or even two (more) cats in. Fortunately for her, unfortunately for her sister, her mother disappeared and her sister mysteriously died--just found her dead in the driveway one day. She came in during the Christmas blizzard we had five or six years ago. She is a great cat but does not like to be picked up--I do it anyway and make her give me a kiss before I put her down. I could never do that with Tempe. Neither ever had a problem with using a litter box, or not using it.

They are a joy. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Tempe is the tuxedo; Sasha is the tabby. Sorry for the poor quality of pics.

Oh and Sasha was about five months when she came in.

Randomly placed cardboard boxes can sometimes help. If she has an outdoor shelter, I wonder if maybe having a similar shelter indoors would give your kitty a bit of ease.

@marylago I can almost hear your Sasha purring in that last photo! That pic reminds me of my tabby Manx. She was 20 years old when she walked over rainbow bridge this year. It has been months ago and I still find myself missing her. My true mate.

@CompassRose Aww! So sorry about Manx. Yes, Sasha purrs all the time, even when she is eating. Silly cat!

Definitely take her to the vet and get her checked out and vaccinated. And I like the idea of providing some indoor boxes for hidey-holes. A scratching post or two would be smart, too. Then let her guide you as to her comfort level. See what she will tolerate. At first you might just let her in to warm up from time to time. I would be very uncomfortable letting her spend nights outdoors in particular, as the temperatures drop. But if she has already stuck a toe in the water, so to speak, I don't think it will be very difficult to convert her.

Thanks everyone - I appreciate the good advice and love the stories of the cats who came into your lives.

She has a very nice insulated shelter so we don't worry about her in the winter. Although on very cold nights I put a special microwavable heating pad inside.

@Compassrose - my sympathies on your loss. Cats may be small, but they leave a large hole in our hearts.

For the vet, when we brought in an outdoor cat we took her to People for Animals, they were excellent and very affordable.

marylago said:

Oh and Sasha was about five months when she came in.

They are adorable and I love their names!

So, @EBennett , do you have a Christmas Cat? It is said that cats choose their humans, not the other way around. If you decide to let her in, make sure you have a designated area for her that can be her retreat. Please keep us posted (and let me know if you think I can help, in any way)

Did it. She was so grateful to come in from the cold. At first she was skittish and not wanting to cross paths with our then-12-year-old indoor-cat. We acclimated her in our little powder room for a long while which sounds mean but I know what I know she was fine and warm and not freaked in there. Now she has the run of the place.

breal said:

Did it. She was so grateful to come in from the cold. At first she was skittish and not wanting to cross paths with our then-12-year-old indoor-cat. We acclimated her in our little powder room for a long while which sounds mean but I know what I know she was fine and warm and not freaked in there. Now she has the run of the place.

Yay! I think putting her in the powder room was a good idea; not mean at all.