My wife and I are moving to a new house (PNW) in just under a month and I'm worried about leaving my little feral cat buddy behind. I would like to relocate him if it's in his best interest, but it's an emotional thing for me and I really need a dispassionate assessment. My biggest concern is his safety, and while there are some raccoons and aggressive dogs out here, I'm not sure what the threat profile would be for him at the new place since it's a little more rural (but with more safe places to hide on our new property).
The facts:
- He's probably about two years old, I assume a TNR because of his clipped ear
- I've been providing him food and water for about a year and a half
- He's been solitary since his two siblings vanished around about a year ago, there other neighborhood cats but he's hostile towards them
- My wife and were gone for ten days last July and when we got back he appeared to have lost a considerable amount of weight
- He is not interested in any kind of contact, though over time he has allowed me to put food down directly in front of him and walk within a few feet without him flinching
- He
is sort of attached tohas sort of trained me in that he waits outside my door for me to get home, comes out to greet me, and rolls around on the porch to show off after I get inside the house - The new property has a couple safe sheds that could be made accessible to him, the surrounding lots are mostly residential but there is a large wooded area adjacent to us
I just want to do right by the cat. I feel like he'd be too anxious and at higher risk at the new place, but at the same time I'm concerned I've made him too dependent on his extravagant feasts of chicken treats and Rachael Ray kibble. My instinct is that I should leave him behind and that he'll figure it out before he starves but it makes me very sad for him.
So, could I reasonably provide a better life for him at the new place? Is he likely to just flip out immediately and disappear into the woods? Will he starve if I left him behind, or can I wean him off his luxurious diet by starting to ignore him now? (So far he has not been a fan of this last one).
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/b4g0zr/can_i_take_the_feral_with_me/
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