Should I try to move our "porch cat" with us?

Post date: 2023-05-10 03:48:57

We (along with other neighbors) were feeding a neighborhood stray at our old house but now we're moving. I figured she'd be okay staying in the old neighborhood where I know at least one other family are looking out for her, but an encounter with her today is making me feel sad about leaving her.

Where we live there are loads of stray and feral cats and it's common for people to participate in the care of some of these so-called porch cats or community cats by leaving out food and water and maybe, if they have the means, get them fixed or get them emergency vet care when needed.

We started leaving out food and water at our old house for a friendly neighborhood stray we'll call Buttercup. The guys across the street do the same. But now we've moved across town. I stopped by the old place today to pick up an errant package and found Buttercup on the porch and she was all over me - extremely affectionate and acting like she wanted to come with me, milling around my open car door. Maybe it was just a ploy for food but it broke my heart. I felt like she waiting for us to come back and was just so happy to see me. She looked a little a skinny too (she is an older girl, though).

Now, I'm considering scooping her up and taking her with us to the new house/neighborhood but there are some reasons I'm hesitant.

1) We already have four damn cats in a three person household. I feel like I'm veering close to animal hoarder territory and they all already have expensive food and vet bills.

2) The guys across the street might miss her. They have a fancy food and water dish just for her on their porch so I know they're at least somewhat invested

3) Converting her to house cat status might be hard or impossible. We tried to take her inside our basement once when a violent storm was forecasted and she howled until we let her back out.

4) Our new neighbors have 4 extremely aggressive pitbulls. Though they are behind a tall and secure fence and I assume Buttercup is fairly street smart - I'm definitely worried about that and the fact that I might be taking her to a place that is less safe/familiar for her. Do cats know to stay away from aggressive dogs or yards full of them?

What would a sensible but kind person do in this situation?

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