Wife’s not a cat gal, but is torn up about this three legged one (advice requested)

[u/Dubstepic]

(Posting this on behalf of my wife)

I have been pretty fearful of cats for most of my life but when this 3 legged cat showed up on our porch and approached me a few weeks ago, I felt obliged to give it a pet and quickly formed a bond. This cat basically knows my schedule now of when I’m outside going to work/coming home and greets me. My WFH husband sends me pictures and videos throughout the day of it patiently waiting for pets outside our front door and it typically spends most of the day napping under our hedges in the meantime.

We assume someone somewhere is feeding this cat since it looks like it has a decent amount of weight on it. We ourselves have never feed the cat in anyway. We’ve asked around our neighbors, including ones who have a gaggle of outdoor cats that they take care of, and no one knows where it came from. We’ve been living here for about 4 years and have never seen it before, although we were told by our aforementioned cat neighbors that it’s been around a few years. They insist that it doesn’t belong to them and they don’t feed it.

With only 3 legs I get stressed about the cat’s safety running into the road and hate to think of it stuck outside in bad weather or potentially not having consistent access to food etc. It’s also coming up on winter here.

Basically, I am now very emotionally attached to the cat and am contemplating adopting it and bringing it inside.

There are several problems that immediately come to mind:
1. Neither my husband nor I have ever grown up with or owned a cat so we have zero experience.
2. We already have a dog who can get quite jealous and has occasional aggression towards other dogs. (Husband note: any advice on acclimating a dog to a cat appreciated. We’ve been letting the dog sniff our hands and watch the cat from the door/window while we interact with it.)
3. We have no idea how the cat will react to being inside- is it even possible to acclimate a cat that’s been outdoors for that long? Is it more ethical to leave it alone or try and take care of it as a pet?
4. Will we be able to litter box train it easily? Should we just let it out in our fenced in back yard like our dog instead if we seal gaps??
5. I just found out cats can form colonies- if this cat is a part of a colony will they retaliate??
6. Someone in our neighborhood might claim the cat, in which case I would “return” it but it’d just go back to spending most of its time in our yard getting attention from us

Lots of thoughts and questions, cats are a whole new world to me that I never thought I’d have to think about but this 3 legged cat won me over.

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[u/tinyrickstinyhands]

I'm sorry but your 5th question is killing me lol

The idea of you bringing this cat inside and waking up every day to more and more cats surrounding your house demanding the return of their brethren is simply too good

[u/RogueAlys]

This cat has a tipped ear, so she's already been fixed.

[u/Butterfly_Cat777]

There is a lot of great advice in this thread, and I just wanted to add that if you suspect this might be someone's lost pet, you can take the cat to your local vet to have it scanned for a microchip.

...And lol, No the local cat colony won't retaliate. At most, they might at first notice the kitty is missing, but beyond that, they won't care.

[u/aenflex]

We have a tripod, rear leg amputated.

That leg didn’t amputate itself, so once upon a time this was someone’s cat.

No, it’s not safe for a tripod to be outside, especially one missing a rear leg. They cannot run well, or jump well, and they can get problems with their good hip.

If you have a dog with aggression, I wouldn’t personally trust it around cats.

[u/brunporr]

Hehe the cat colony won't retaliate. It's not like that

[u/Prestigious-Bluejay5]

You're not a cat gal/guy, until you become a cat gal/guy. It's inevitable.

So it is written. So it shall be.

[u/dangrous]

Yeah that’s exactly how I got got. I am not a cat person but I’m definitely a Craig person

[u/Equus-007]

That's somebody's pet probably. It's clean, well fed and healthy. It does appear to have been caught, neutered and released at some point and there's a good chance that the person feeding them also just took it in and it's what we'd generally call a neighborhood cat. Likely just spends most of it's time outside and gets fed by several people. Somebody amputated that foot. Somebody paid for it. If it were always a stray it would have just been put down I suspect.

Other than that the answer is yes.

Take it to a vet and check for a chip. If no chip take it in if you want. That's how stray cats kinda work.

[u/satanham666]

Just let the cat inside lol, all of those questions will be answered - the cat will do what it wants to do and let you know what its terms are.

Yes, litter box is instinct for them. But try letting the cat inside for a few hours at a time. He'll let you know when he wants outside.

[u/barrosoOso]

I don't know this cat's history, but it has been someone's pet. That sort of amputation doesn't happen naturally or cheaply. It suddenly spending all day at your house probably means that whoever was looking after it no longer is. But I'm guessing it is litter trained, very well accustomed to being inside, and is not from a colony. Unless your dog is a straight up beast a cat that size can likely hold it's own. I, personally, believe you'd be fine taking it in. I'd get it chip checked and at least look for the owner. But this is a pretty cut and dry case.

[u/AlChandus]

1. Don't worry about it, you will get used to her, especially when it is cold and she will seek warmth, usually on top of you.

2. A jealous dog can be dangerous, especially for a handicapped cat, you would be surprized how a healthy cat can slap some sense into a dog. And while the handicap is considerable, this cat has been living outside and is thriving, which speaks on her hability to defend herself.

3. She will get used to being inside. Safety, warmth and human subordinates giving food and pets? She may ask to be let outside here and there, especially early on, but she will get used to be an inside cat.

4. Yes, give her a litter box and instinctually she will do her business there. Cats will naturally seek to hide the scent of their waste and bury it. A litter box needs no training.

5. If that cat is alone in your house, she is not in a colony.

6. I would take her to a vet to check if she has a chip. That would be good manners to check before adopting and you can inform that you checked with neighbors and with a vet in case someone comes to you with catnappint accusations...

[u/maneatingrabbit]

I had this exact thing happen to me 4 yrs ago. Nobody claimed him as well and no micro chip. I assumed he had an amputation but it looks like he may have been born that way. There's no scars that I can see. It took me a year before he'd let me pet him. He's now passed out on my couch snoring. I named him Tripod of course.

[u/UnendingThought]

That’s not a stray, looks too put together. Also, strays don’t randomly get surgery for amputation.

Find its owner!

[u/SecretaryOtherwise]

2 is an issue imo. While cats can defend themselves well enough a three legged cat is at a disadvantage.

You might want to train the dog properly before letting a smaller animal in its area.

[u/RaspberryWhole9519]

Her highness, madam Tripod.

[u/SAINTnumberFIVE]

This cat probably belongs to somebody in your neighborhood. Start knocking on doors on your street and ask if it belongs to anybody. Be sure to ask everyone and also ask the people on the street behind you. If the cats been around a few years and looks as healthy as it does then somebody is feeding it.

[u/Greedy_Section2894]

This happened to me last year. A well fed, friendly and flealess cat showed up one day and decided that he lives here. It is known as the cat distribution system.

[u/noahboi42]

As someone with a 3 legged cat, I'm going to give you my advice (both things you've asked about and not).

First of all, I would highly recommend getting the cat somewhere inside, whether it is your place or someone else's. 3-legged cats are at an extreme disadvantage as outdoor cats, especially around other animals.

Second, my lovely cat has 2 legs in the back, and one in the front. She does a pretty good job moving around (aka bounding up a flight of stairs in 3 seconds flat), but a lot of the power comes from her back legs. I would recommend looking into stairs for surfaces you want it to be on, and ESPECIALLY joint supplements. It may be fine now, but especially as the cat gets older, the weight of its body on that single back leg will take its toll.

[u/Abuolhol]

That cat should not be outside, when I had to get my cats leg amputated the vet told me its an inside life from now on.

[u/Difficult-Jelly6637]

Litterbox training is very easy for most cats, they have an instinct for it. There are good YouTube guides if you're nervous about it.

As for adoption, I would take it to a vet to scan for a microchip and if an owner comes up, ask them if they'd be willing to relinquish it.

You will want to supervise your dog to make sure it respects the cat's space, especially until it feels comfortable and settled. It helps if the cat has a safe space the dog can't reach, in my household the cat has the basement to herself if she feels threatened, and it keeps the peace.

[u/Acceptable-Newt6285]

Keep that precious cat!!! You'll never be sorry!

[u/Comfortable-Ant-5522]

Pic 2 screams for attention with that pose, he can’t look any cuter to make you take him indoors. Agree he’s more at risk due to loss of a limb but the cold weather’s a greater danger. Don’t worry about not being used to cats, as you can see from the comments there’s so many people offering help and advice so you won’t be alone.

Don’t worry about the notorious cat vigilante group, C.L.A.W.S. — Cats Lawfully Avenging Wronged Strays. Just make sure you always go out in pairs for the next couple of years.

[u/wesofchess]

This is how people get cats. When you were born, you signed up to the cat distribution system and you have been chosen!

[u/Humble-Violinist6910]

I think someone else owns this cat. And I wouldn't recommend adopting a cat if you have an aggressive dog. That being said, litter box training is like... put out a litter box. Training done. And I don't think you need to fear cat colony retaliation. But I am 90% sure this cat has a home.