Sorry for the long post. I have the option of keeping Temporary Cat permanently but don't know if it's the right thing to do.
He's been staying with me for some months now. He was due to be relocating abroad in a few more months but now she and her family are having second thoughts and have suggested he could stay with me long term. I do love him and would consider it BUT there are some real pros and cons to both options and I want to whatever is best for him. (My friend wants to take him, it's her husband and kids who are getting worried as they are already living there and pressuring her and now she's wobbling).
Issues:
-He was an outdoor cat from kitten to nearly 3, living on a little country lane with hardly any traffic with loads of garden and even some woods to explore. He doesn't really know what a busy road looks like.
-I live in a flat, 2nd floor & no balcony. It is spacious and with lots of trees & birds out the windows for 'cat TV' (plus stray cats & foxes which get him a bit worked up)
-He's taken to being an indoor cat surprisingly well but is starting to seem bored & frustrated (despite lots of playing with him every day and having heaps of toys) and it's hard to give him enough exercise when he has spells of lots of energy to burn off.
-He's not a breed known for being inside e.g ragdoll, he's moggy but with a 'probably' part-Bengal grandparent
-Lately has been meowing to go out the flat door into the hallway (let him go out a few times but always anxious a neighbour will open their door and he'll bolt inside their flat!)
-He's far too nervy to even try on a harness & lead to take for a walk in the communal gardens, he'd freak out. He also panics at loud sounds, even everyday ones like motorbikes, also heavy rain and hail - runs to hide somewhere dark.
-I've been working from home 4+ days a week but that will reduce to 2-3 days at some point, meaning less company for him in the week
However his family are now worried that his new house won't be suitable.
-they live in a suburb with fairly busy roads and can't keep him in the garden (I keep suggesting cat proofing but it's not realistic apparently)
-due to his lack of roadsense, general nervy nature and tendency to bolt/freeze when scared they think he could get hit by a car more easily than most 'street smart' cats.
-in suburbia there will be lots of roaming cats and as he's not used to that and is quite territorial, but also scared of other cats, it could lead to lots of fights. Or him running away and getting lost.
-if he ran away he would be hard to find due to being so nervous and tendency to hide. He's not food focused so rattling a pack of Dreamies won't bring him running.
So dilemma is what's the best life for him? Stuck inside with me or possibly being frightened/bullied by cats/lost/run over at his new home. That's putting aside the very long and stressful journey to get there which he'll hate. He's very sweet and affectionate and playful - I'd be very upset to hear he'd gone missing or been hurt/killed by a car. But being with me might be a life of boredom. Thoughts?