Three weeks ago I trapped a feral tom that I’d been feeding outside for a few months. I guessed he was about a year old, largely because he didn’t show up even earlier. At the vet’s for neutering and shots nope, vet says he’s around 8 years old.
So, I’m trying to figure out whether it’s fair to this guy to try to make him live indoors or whether he should be released after his 2nd set of shots later this week, now that I know he’s much older and used to his freedom.
Here’s the “for”: he is a mellow guy who used to sit outside the door, looking as though he wanted to come inside. He hung out around my indoor cats and doesn’t fight with them now that he’s inside, other than a few minor initial skirmishes. Every day he gets tamer–he has the run of the house and hides but when I’m sitting down he will walk by, getting closer each day. He now makes brief eye contact. He has learned to use the litterbox. He doesn’t seem unduly stressed although I leave him alone.
More “for”: There are coyotes, who got the barn cat who was here when I moved in. Winters are cold. There is another tom who comes around periodically, a big intact guy (I’m planning to trap him next and have him neutered, but he will definitely be turned out after) who fought with this cat and dominated him (probably responsible for an abscess he had when I took him to the vet). So, outdoor living here is precarious and has real risks.
The “against”: He’s a lot older than I thought and might be set in his ways–he used to roam a pretty big chunk of my property. Now, at night he roams the house and calls out (often waking me up). I think he misses his territory and former freedom.
I think he will continue to get tamer but don’t know how much. Does it seem wrong to keep him indoors given that he’s used to his territory and freedom, or is it better to give him a safer home by keeping him indoors?
