Is this unkind? My neighbor moved and abandoned their two cats last winter. They had an outdoor house there for the cats and kept them outside. By the time my husband and I discovered them it was dead of winter and they were starving. We bought them a heated outdoor house, fed them top quality food and took them to the vet. He believes they are 6 and 10 years old. After minor tooth surgery on one, they started to thrive and now they’re healthy, well fed and spoiled! They have obviously had homes in the past. I already have a dog and two indoor cats. I really don’t want them outside in the rain and cold this winter, so I want to bring them in but seperate them in our finished large basement. They try to come in all the time. We don’t spend much time down there but I don’t want to add two more animals to the rest of the crew upstairs. I know it sounds silly, but is it mean to keep them separate in the basement or should I try to incorporate them in the whole house? I will let them in and out if they like. I just want to do the right thing for these poor babies and the indoor animals too. I’m probably overreacting and their life will be better regardless, but would love opinions from other animal lovers.
I think it is very kind that you took on the responsibility that your former neighbors didn’t. As far as having them in your house with the rest of your pets, part of that depends on how they all react to each other. Keeping them separate at first would be a good way to introduce them. You may be surprised and they might integrate well into your household and you might end up doing just fine with everyone altogether… but you’ll probably need a new swiffer? In all seriousness, in my opinion with cats especially, they’re so self sufficient in so many ways that having more is usually not a big deal. The only thing I am not a huge fan of is the extra litter boxes – which I have delegated to the kids. Best of luck!!