Long-time (and current) dog owner here. Never owned a cat. Have no experience taking care of one. Last fall I noticed there were some stray kittens in my alley (I live in an urban area). Now that it's winter, I've noticed at least one of them hugging up against the basement windows of mine and my neighbors houses, presumably to get warm. My two dogs normally bark at other animals from the window, yet are nice to them when they are up-close and can smell them (admittedly they've never been that close to a cat).
At least once this cat has seemed to want to approach me when I am entering my house, and I have been tempted to let it in. Since it is an alley-cat, I know that it's feral, and has likely been surviving on mice and garbage. Is it worth the risk of taking it in? What ARE the risks? Even if my dogs accepted it, what beyond that?
I feel sorry for the poor thing, but I also don't want to invite problems into my life that I can't afford (vet bills) or properly take care of (unknowns, since I am inexperienced with cats). Is it better that I just leave the poor thing on the streets?
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/l8jodo/what_are_the_risks_of_taking_in_a_stray_cat/
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