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Hello everyone. I posted previously about a stray that has been adopted by me, Rory. Rory is doing quite well! However there is a second neighborhood cat who pretty much lives in our backyard. His name is Bones. Bones can't live with us because 1) I'm allergic to cats to begin with and he has short but thick, woolly fur like a German Shepherd and it drives me insane and 2) We already have 2 cats who already feel kind of cramped by eachother (Bf's cat Sox, and my cat Rory). Because of this, we have been trying to find Bones a forever home. His temperament is incredible - he's a purr machine, a perfect angel, not overly hyper or playful, and just wants to curl up in your lap. Despite being an outdoor cat he does remarkably well indoors - we've never had him inside long enough to see his litterbox habits but he's calm and nice, doesn't scratch or try to destroy anything. However, he's at least 1.5 years old, maybe 2, and is an unneutered male. Friends and no-kill shelters won't take him. In desperation I posted a Craigslist ad and got a bite! Bones may have a forever home soon. There's only one problem. His final night is coming up with us (hopefully) and the bf and I can't agree on how to introduce him and his possible new owner. Do we leave him outside, where he's comfortable and in his own "stomping grounds", and have the adoptee come over during meal time and bribe him over with treats outdoors? Do we bring him inside that morning? Or do we bring him inside the night before and have the new owner meet him when he comes to visit inside the house? I vote have Bones inside, and my bf votes to leave him outside. Bones is a fairly bold and extremely friendly cat, but my fear is that the adoptee comes to say hi to him and he does the typical cat reaction to seeing a stranger: bolt away. If he's inside, he'll have "no escape". I think he's bold enough to NOT run but who knows? My bf's argument to keeping him outside is this cat has never been inside for long periods and that might have him stressed out before the adoptee even shows up, which means he may be less nice upon first contact. That would be a disaster too, for obvious reasons. What would be less stress on the cat when the big day comes? Please accept payment for advice in the form of cute pictures of him:  
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Nov 2, 2017 05:14
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Well this thread never got any attention but figured I'd update anyway. My idea won out after a lot of arguing, and Bones was kept inside that morning after being lured in with treats. It was a good thing too because although treats and petting managed to keep him calm while inside, when the prospective owners came in he FREAKED OUT. He ran around in the tiny laundry room and made that long, deep meow cats do when they're deeply distressed. Despite this, he let the prospective owner hold him (a stranger he never met before this) and actually stopped crying. Everyone in the room knew they were meant to be then. Bones went to his forever home and I haven't heard from the new owners since, which probably means everyone is happy.  I snapped one last photo of him clawing up my leg in a happy kneading fit before letting him go. Anyway, all that's left now is the bittersweet mourning. Both me and my boyfriend miss the little guy quite a bit, but we're comforted by the fact that he's probably much happier where he is now. The other two cats who were our actual adopted cats, Sox and Rory, each had very different reactions. One of the reasons Bones had to go is because Rory basically has PTSD from when he was an unneutered, fighting tom himself and HATES confrontation with other cats. Bones, becoming of age while unneutered, was doing his big man on campus thing and it turned Rory into a flighty, flinchy ball of anxiety. Now that Bones has gone Rory has turned back into a happy, loving cat. Sox on the other hand, had the opposite reaction. Sox was deeply bonded to Bones and the two would have all-day cuddle fests where they laid down and licked eachother. Since Bones left, Sox has gone from being confident to anxious and 'submissive' himself. We're actually seeing less and less of him (he's an outdoor cat) and it worries the hell out of us. Either way, life is moving on and Bones was given the best possible fate we could give him. I hope he's happy.
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Nov 17, 2017 00:14
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Sorry you didn’t get much advice in the way of Bones OP. He looks lovely and almost exactly like the cat my coworker lost to coyotes last year. You did right by the boy and thanks for caring for him.
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Nov 27, 2017 23:47
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