Need some helpful ideas

[catlover4ever]

As some of you may know, Mark and I have sold our house and will be moving back in with my mom for 6 months while our new house is being built. Mom and I have worked out a plan of action when it comes to her kitties and my kitties but here is my dilema....Merlin.

If anyone remembers I have had a beautiful black male kitty hanging around my house for quite some time. I named him Merlin. He has an aggression problem. He gets very aggressive towards all my kitties and can get very aggressive towards me when he is over stimulated.

I feel so guilty now that we are moving away....just this morning he came by for breakfast and I almost broke down in tears that we will be leaving.

Here are some of my thoughts on what to do with him.

1. Ask the new owners if they are "cat friendly" and if they would continue to take care of him.

2. Go back to the house after we are all moved into our new house and take him then....but there is no guarantee that he will still be there or that he will even be approachable to me seeing that I will not have seen him for 6 months.

3. Ask a shelter to come and rescue him and I could go and see him everyday....and the shelter could help to socialize him...when I'm in the new house I could bring him to the house and pray that he stays with us.

4. I'm still not 100% sure that he is a stray....he looks and feels very well fed.....what if I take him and he really belongs to someone....they would be heart broken.

Can anyone think of anything else that may be an option.....the option of taking him to my mom's is out.....she has 8 cats and I have 7 for a total of 15 cats. It is going to be stressful enough for all of hers as well as mine....let alone throw in the mix of an unfixed Merlin.

Any ideas, thoughts, comments etc are all welcomed. Thanks in advance for any and all help. --- Meg

Here are a couple of pictures from last summer of Merlin.....you can see why I don't want to leave him.

[catmandu]

I know,that when I have to leave,one day,and get an apartment,that I too,will be worried,about the cats,that comearound,for meals.Some,of them,are neighborhood cats,but thereare a Few Cats,that are Strays,and Hungry Ones,at hat.I would try,and have him,caught,and then neutered,and then,when he is socailized,and you,are in your New Home,then maybe,you could adopt him.if he,is a neighbors Cat,they dont deserve him,if they havent had him,neutered
and let him,roam ,loose!

[QueenScoopalot]

Meg, if Merlin's not neutered, that could be the reason he's aggressive. Is there a shelter, or Animal Control willing to loan you a trap to catch him and get him snipped? He's gorgeous and sleek like a panther. Does mom's home have a basement that Merlin could be kept in perhaps in a cage? The other possibility is get him snipped etc. and provide food for the new home owners to keep feeding him. Chances are he'll stay there if food's provided, and his aggression will diminish once neutered.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Is it possible to some how clip a note on him? That way if he does have owners, they will know that he has been visiting you and that you are concerned about him. He obviously doesn't have a collar on, but could you maybe get one or somehow otherwise get a note on him? Of course, if they don't returnt he note or call you, you will never know if they got the note or if it just fell off in Merlin's wanderings.

Otherwise, you could try talking to the new owners of your house, explain the situation to them and tell them you'll come back for him once your house is built. You might even offer to pay for the food they leave out for him to make it that much easier. Hopefully they won't have a big cat-aggressive dog that will scare him away.

Tough situation but I know you'll figure something out.

By the way, not to change the subject or anything....but....we haven't seen those adorable babies of yours lately. I'm sure they're looking all grown up by now.

[Laura's Babies]

As I have seen done on here, try making a paper collar to put on him to see if he belongs to anyone with your phone number on it... I agree, that aggression is probably from him not being fixed.. Can you get him fixed and see if that calms him down?

I also agree that if he has owners, they are not doing right by him not having him fixed and leaving him out to roam and reproduce. He is one that needs to go "poof", even if he has owners.

This shelter.... it is not a kill shelter is it?

[Mad Mags Moo]

I agree with all the above suggestions! Can you ask around and see if anyone knows who he belongs to....you probably have done that already!
If I lived anywhere near you.....well in the same country!!! I would love to have Merlin....he is beautiful!
Good luck and keep us posted!

[catlover4ever]

Thanks everyone. I have spare collars in the house and if Merlin should come by for dinner tonight I am going to put one on him with a note asking if he belongs to anyone to please call me.

I have a friend at work who has been helping at a shelter for quite some time and she informed me that she is planning on opening her own shelter. She is in the process of buying a 40 acre farm so she has offered to help me out and I'm hoping that she may be willing to help socialize Merlin. I know that if she will take him in...I will have him fixed (as I do with all of mine) and I will most certainly visit to help socialize Merlin and when the time comes take him back to our new home.

[rg_girlca]

Merlin is absolutely gorgeous.

Good luck with this guy. I pray that all will turn out well for you and for Merlin.