Not sure what to do with this lovely little cat...help!

[Alabasterangel6]

I won’t dripfeed so apologies for the long backstory.

I had a cat for 22 years. I am a cat person. DS was born when DCat was 20, so for 2 years he was around cat, touched cat and grew up with a very furry environment.

When DCat died we said no more pets for a while. A year later, at 3, DS went into the home of a dog and with no warning at all had an acute and severe asthma attack. A&E blue light job. It isn’t the only dog he is allergic to because he has less severe but obvious symptoms if we even go in a car where a different dog has been. We are very very vigilant to avoid dogs (due to the acute and severe nature of the attack) and DS is now 8. We’ve always wondered if he is the same with cats but a) hoped not due to earlier exposure and b) daren’t risk finding out. Note we lived in the house that the cat had lived in for another 2 years but moved when DS was 4.

Minding our own business, going about life, and for reasons unknown to us this little cat arrives. She is small, fed (as far as I can see), clean, very used to humans and for some reason is also very very very determined to get into our house. We have NEVER let her in or fed her, not even once. DD (10) will stoke her if she’s playing in the garden but the cat is very affectionate and absolutely adores DD. When we come home from school Cat comes running miaowing. She spends hours every day miaowing on the kitchen windowsill or at the kitchen door. She stares at us through the door all evening and scratches at the living room door all evening (see photo!!). If DD or I go out to her she will literally jump from the wall or garden table to DDs shoulder. As I speak she is outside miaowing at the door.

I’ve been round circa 25 houses in the direction she most commonly comes from and everyone sees her but no one knows who owns her. So....

What do I do to locate her owner? I don’t want to take her to a vet, I don’t have a pet carrier for a start.

Should I put a note on a collar and put it on her? Would that work?

In light of the above, I don’t want to claim her as I am 80% sure she is owned but if she was your cat wouldn’t you want to know she was trying so badly to invade ours! I want them to know i haven’t fed her or tried to steal her!

DS has allergy testing at the end of Oct, but IF (if if if if) it turns out she’s a random, what are the chances of him being allergic to dogs but not
Cats?

Thoughts on the above, please?

The catchat website has a list of rescues in Staffordshire. Not sure if one of them could help.

The cat charity will have her eventually if we can’t keep her. However if they have her they will move her on quickly, within a week, they can’t use up space ‘holding’ her till the end of the month.

She’s bloody starving. She’s eaten 4 pouches of felix in 3 hours and hasn’t left our boundary since so tonight I am going to feel awful.

I’m calling the hospital on Monday to see if they can bring DSs appointment forward at all.

We’ve moved anything of value out of the shed, put a cardboard box with a fleece in it for her, and this evening I’ll prop the door a few inches open.

However I feel horrible. I know I’m probably projecting human thoughts on her and she’s probably been out for nights and nights and nights, but there are another 2.5 weeks till these damn tests and there are fireworks already being let off and the nights are getting colder.

No idea what to do. The poor thing.

Sounds like you are doing everything you can. Hope it all works out.

Well I guess compared to sleeping under a car or a bush this is luxury. I’m going to put a hot water bottle under the fleece in the cardboard box later. Tonight we will prop the door ajar. If she stays in overnight DH is going to take the corner of the bottom plank off so she can get in and out (yes, he’s willing to deface the shed for the the cat!!) when we opened the shed she was in like a shot and on the old duvet and purring. I so so badly want to take her inside and let her have a kip in front of the log burner.

Awww ♥️

We have a cat flap in our back gate.

You've provided her with food, water and shelter. You've done all you can for time being. She's lucky to have you looking after her.

Fingers crossed, in a few weeks she'll be happily stretched out in front of that log burner.

🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

Oh I'm in SW London.

Oooh lots of vibes for the hospital. She is so adorable

Well done. @Alabasterangel6 she looks very settled. That will be lovely and cosy for her. Dry and out of the wind is perfect.

Honestly I need to give my own head a wobble. I’m in the middle of some really stressy work exams and my head is full of cat rather than contact law which it should be.

Since the 5* cat shed hotel has opened, and since the 4 belly fulls of felix, she’s stayed in there all contented and happy and purry. I’ll check on her before bed but frankly I think she was in desperate need of a good feed and sleep.

Now to the bad parenting confession.....

Cat was having a lovely wash on the duvet. DS was in the garden. I gave cat a rub and love right where she’d been licking her fur and then went straight out and gave DS a hug and a kiss and held his cheeks so my furry cat saliva hands were all over him.

Nothing has happened. I watched like a hawk.

I know that’s a crap thing to do but his reactions to dogs are 50/50.

He wants pip to stay as much as we all do

If you’ve named her it’s game over.

I think we all want Pip to stay as well! She looks so comfortable in her new accommodation. Fingers crossed it all works out.

Aw, OP, I think you’ve acquired a cat! The little soul has decided you’re the ones, and when cats do that resistance is usually futile!

I've been keeping an eye on this and I hope so much that your son isn't allergic. I think she has chosen you.

Ah you and your family sound lovely op 😊

Pip has definitely chosen her forever home, I really hope the allergy tests have a good outcome, your little experiment sounds like it may well be a positive outcome 🤞

Has to be very frank with DC about likelihood tonight. Pip has been in the shed for hours and now has a hot water bottle under her duvet. All she does is purr in appreciation and doesn’t flinch when you arrive. DD has had proper tears (in the shed) because she just wants to keep her.

DS has complained (for about 5 mins) about itchy eyes so i suspect the worst.

I’ll change the hot water bottle at 10ish and push the door right too.

Bloody cats and bloody emotions.

I'm so glad she found you. The shed and food must be absolute luxury compared to what she has had in the past.

Fingers crossed your son's tests come back ok for cats. The no reaction from your contact is a good thing.

I have also read about allergy treatment where you are exposed to tiny amounts of the things you react to so that over time you no longer have an allergic reaction. Great trials have been done with peanut allergies. Perhaps the same can be done for cats?

He feels awful tonight as he’s absolutely aware this is his reaction. He made this sign and asked me to put it on the shed door.

I have so much dust in my eyes.

Your lovely son. ❤

Pip is warm, fed and happy because of you. There is no need to feel bad at all!

What will be will be, either way she won’t be living rough in minus temperatures, pregnant and starving.

I hope you can keep Pip. We had a visiting cat, and he is now ours but he is an older cat and they didn't want him anymore. He is 11 and been with us since the start of the year.

This is my 22 yo cat before he died. She looks so much like him apart from the white nose. I was distraught after loosing him I’d had him since I left home at 19. He came with me through uni, one failed marriage and 5 house moves. I’m a wreck tonight it’s madness.

He’s stroked her in the shed and seems okay but I think he’s sick of me asking ‘are your eyes itching?’ Which I’ve done C.226 times.

If you have a cat allergy and stroke them would it show? Would that be enough??

With photo!