Hi everyone,
There’s an adorable cat living in a courtyard near my apartment complex. She comes by in the early evening every night and stays around for several hours. Some people have started feeding her, but there’s been talk in the building of someone adopting her (we live in New York City and colder nights are already here). I’m sad at the prospect of taking her away from the outdoors that she seems to like, but she also seems to be 5-6 months old and thus probably doesn’t have any experience living outside in the winter and would likely be happier inside in the cold. Since it seems like a given that she will be adopted by somebody, I would love to take her in. I’d plan on trying to walk her on a leash and harness in a nearby park on a daily or every-other-day basis if she likes it, so that she has a balance of indoors and outdoors.
She’s really pretty friendly and will run up to me, roll over and nudge her head against me, let me pet her for a few seconds, then run off a few feet and come right back to repeat the routine. She’s a little skittish around humans but clearly not scared of them and seems to enjoy getting pets. When she sees dogs, she arches her back but doesn’t hiss or move away: she holds her ground and stares at them. She’s such a brave, fierce, playful little cat!!
Since I first saw her, I was planning on watching her and seeing if she could fend for herself before bringing her in, but after a conversation with other people in my building today, it seems like several people want to adopt her imminently and that timeline seems to be moving up. Since it seems like she will be adopted by someone in my building, I’d rather be the one to do it since I’ll be taking her outside on walks.
I have two main concerns: 1. How do I get her safely/ happily up to my 10th floor apartment? All the websites I’ve seen on how to invite a stray cat into your home suggest leaving food outside your door and letting them in when they meow. Obviously, that’s not possible with an apartment. 2. I know that if you get scratched/ bitten by a stray cat, you need to go to a doctor and there’s a chance that the cat is killed for a brain biopsy. Obviously I would do anything to avoid that, and I would worry that by bringing her into my apartment (especially during the transition period when she’s pretty likely to scratch or bite a bit as she gets acclimated and we get to know each other), I inadvertently put her in danger. How much would I have to worry if she scratches or bites me?
I’d love any guidance on these questions or any general advice.
She doesn’t have a collar and of course I would take her to the vet as soon as I could get an appointment and check her for a chip. She definitely seems to have fleas too.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/pwjplw/really_want_to_adopt_a_stray_cat_but_need_some/
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