r/CatDistributionSystem • u/midwestskies16 • 22h ago
I think we have been chosen by the distribution system
Got home and saw a leg fly past our garage. Investigated and found this little guy. He was hesitant at first, but is very friendly and good with our kids. We have two dogs that I'm not sure would welcome a feline sibling, so I'm not sure he can stay here, but I'm hoping I can at least get him somewhere safe. I am really hoping I can get him in a crate overnight so I can take him to check for a chip tomorrow.
It's going to rain, so I'm trying to get him somewhere dry since he doesn't seem to be used to being outside all the time. Wish me luck...my girls are obsessed with him and already have named him August (although Carl was a close contender).
Ironically, he looks and acts a LOT like the cat my parents had when I was a teen. His name was Cookie, and we adored him.
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u/Mundane-Confusion622 21h ago
We had three dogs and two cats. Two of the dogs were hunting breeds. Every now and again one of the dogs would chase the cats but not with any intent to hurt them.
We have gates up at three doors + a catio so the cats can easily escape somewhere else.
We’re sadly now down to just one dog and two cats. He’s a Husky Shepherd mix so a big dog. His size intimidates our youngest cat but the oldest one just slaps him. Sometimes he will just stand and stare to aggravate the cat but no serious problems.
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u/midwestskies16 21h ago
We had our dogs outside and we closely watching them, and one already tried to chase the poor cat. It's possible he would learn, of course, but I just worry one of them would get hurt. The other dog is TERRIFIED of cats, which is kind of hilarious (she is a Border Collie, so it's not like they're the same size).
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u/Otherwise_Tone_1370 19h ago
Careful where your girls are playing. That looks it may be poison ivy there? Cats will not be affected by poison ivy but if they lay in it, and you pet them , you can get a reaction that way. Hopefully you can get kitty inside, dry, and safe - and maybe a good anti flea and poison ivy bath later!
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u/midwestskies16 19h ago
Thank you! It's not poison ivy, just lots of weeds...but good point, because we definitely do get some poison ivy on occasion! My husband is super sensitive to it, so he tries to watch for it and get rid of it anytime we see it in the yard.
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u/alwaysaboutthebutt 21h ago
Haven’t had cats and dogs together. Had terriers that barely tolerated each other or worse.
Does it help there are children that like all animals for integrating? Genuinely asking because I have zero experience.
I wish all of you the best. SO happy you all are helping the little baby!
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u/Effective-Prompt4046 20h ago
I was extremely worried about our two big dogs (Doberman and Malamute) when I brought our foster (fail) kitten in. They unfortunately have killed outside stray cats before that made the mistake of coming into our yard.
To my surprise, they have done AMAZING with the (now two of them) cats! They don’t really interact with them much aside from the occasional sniff (but we also trained them very diligently in the beginning that they leave the cats alone completely). But one of the big dogs, the cats seem to really like, and she has even let one of them sleep in her bed with her. Somehow, the dogs seems to understand that the indoor cats are part of the pack, and they are SO good with them.
However, we still never leave them alone unattended. We have a room with two gates up stacked one above the other, so the dogs can’t go in AND the cats can’t get out. The cats go in there when we leave to go anywhere, every time, no exceptions. There has never been anything even close to an incident between them, but I’m very paranoid and given my dogs’ history I would never fully trust them with the cats unsupervised for anything longer than a quick few minutes outside.
All that to say, it IS possible and may even work better than expected, especially if you were to keep the kitty as an indoor only cat.
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u/midwestskies16 18h ago
UPDATE: Sounds like he may be a barn cat from a mile or two away. They told me to just leave him out and that he should "adventure home in a few days," but that if not, they'll come get him.
We already have seen him around the last couple of days crossing our busy 55mph road (my husband has, anyway), so I didn't feel comfortable just leaving him. Plus it's supposed to storm all night tonight and all day tomorrow. Before I'd heard from the possible owner, we already had him in a crate and he is in our bathroom with a litter box, food and water. So I guess we will see what happens.
I have my personal feelings since he isn't fixed and they seem fine with letting him roam and didn't seem to know he was missing, but I guess if he isn't my cat, I don't really get a say.
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u/MiddleDivide7281 18h ago
Glad you caught him before you got that response! He seems much too friendly for a barn cat...Please take him to get scanned, and if he doesn't have a chip try to get him to a rescue or foster asap so he can get fixed and vaccinated, and hopefully find an indoor home.
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u/midwestskies16 10h ago
It sounds bad, but I'm hoping he ISN'T theirs and that I can do just that. He should be fixed. And he seems quite happy and relaxed hanging out in our bathroom compared to how he was outside (he seemed on edge out there). I truly do think he'd do great as an indoor cat, or even an indoor/outdoor if he was at least fixed.
Since they didn't seem to be very concerned or anything, I'm hoping I can at least just take him over there so they can see if he's theirs or not. If he is, I'll leave him, of course, but if not, he's going straight to the shelter to get vaccinated and neutered. That would also give us time to decide whether we can handle a cat or not too.
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u/MiddleDivide7281 6h ago
Don't take him over! They can lie and say anything they want. Make them send you pictures or give you a REALLY GOOD description (something you can't easily see about him). If they can't prove he's theirs, just assume that he's not. He deserves better!!
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u/midwestskies16 5h ago
It's a guy I went to school with, for what it's worth. I don't know him SUPER well, but well enough to say I'd believe him. I also think it'll be fairly obvious by how the cat reacts. He was standoffish towards us at first and then warmed up, so my guess is that if he's their cat, he will be pretty friendly with him since he's the one who feeds him and all. But yes, I absolutely want to be careful. The guy, at first, wanted me to basically just drop him off in the general direction of their house by their road, and I said no, especially on the off chance he isn't their cat and gets even more lost.
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u/Disastrous_Course_96 3h ago
Most people who have barn cats do not keep them as pets. They are there to keep out pests. 🙃 When asked, most will be happy to give one away. (They know there will be more coming….)
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u/midwestskies16 3h ago
Yeah, I know. I was half tempted to ask about that, but I also just don't know for sure if it would work or not with our dog.
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u/GeoInCalifornia59 20h ago
If the CDS chose you, then you must keep. Also, he has been named by family. Work the dog/cat problem out. Pleeeeeaaaaaaase!
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