About 18 months ago we got our first cat, a very very elderly boy rescued from a neighbour who had moved out.
At almost exactly the same time, a pale ginger fuzzball started living in the garage. Very wild, no chance of a stroke, hissed while you put food down etc etc. Clearly feral.
In October our dear old boy had to be pts, and the house felt sad and cat less so we got another from a local rescue. He is lovely and friendly, the size of a small house and had been abandoned at the tip.
The garage cat was still pretty wild at this point. But I am bonkers an animal person so we kept on feeding him, and one day in December I managed to stroke him (I basically left my hand in front of the bowl so he had to push my hand out of the way to reach the food).
He has now become, in 2 short months the fussiest cat I have ever known. I cannot go outside without being accosted for a stroke. SconeDog (elderly unwell Labrador) cannot go for a wee without being caressed. He has put SconeSpaniel in his place, and follows us when we go for walks. He will come in the house but is very unsure at the moment. I suspect time will cure that pretty quickly.
Sounds wonderful and idyllic, but he frightens our rescue cat to pieces. He will run at full tilt the length of the garden to escape him. So I think it would be kindest to find Apricot Cat (so called because he is that shade) a proper home.
I am in rural West Midlands, what would you all suggest?