I now have two cats. One is approx. eight years old (female), the other (new black male) is approx. 8 mo old.
The time for adopting the new one suddenly came. He found us and was determined to be adopted. He just stayed on our property, came out from the bushes every time we went out of the door and came back from outings, then purr rolling on the ground. He didn't hesitate to come inside and sniff around as if saying "I'm home!".
It was obvious that someone owned the kitty. We tried to identify his owner but nobody in the neighborhood recognized him and he has no chip. I think someone just drove and abandoned him because of his naughty behavior. He is a digger. I lost 2 pots of cuctus, and he once used a plant pot as his litter. I understand he is used to use soil since he came from outside. He also loves to play with pins. All of my pin cushions are now in containers with lids. It took a while for me to get used to what he does, clean the mess he made, and modify the home interior.
My biggest concern was the relationship between my older cat, Que ("Q-w-e-y"), and Sunny. Que was very unhappy for the first week. She was upset even when I touch her. He was separated and lived in a room for a while and gradually gained freedom. Paying more attention to Que was a must so that she could feel her life wouldn't be changed due to this stranger, then when she identified Sunny as not a competitor, her attitude would soften. After a month, she accepted him as a friend. They now go out together and come back home together. They are often in and out during the daytime and are kept inside during the night. They sometimes lick each other on the bed. Nice!
When he started to live on the property, it was at the beginning of September. I wasn't going to adopt him so asked people around me if they know someone who might be interested in adopting Sunny. My friend who owns two black cats suggested I better wait to advertise him online because Halloween was approaching. There are cruel people who want to use black cats for Halloween decorations or sacrifice for a religious (?) ceremony. I thought he might miss the best time for adoption if I wait until the end of October (two months) because kitties grow quickly. I could take him to a shelter but I heard black cats are not popular and end up euthanized. There is a shelter that says no killing, but that means he would have to live in a small cage all day. I thought, if no one wants him, it would be better to free him after neutering than take him to a shelter. I didn't mind feeding him outside.
I thought, just in case, I need to prepare him to become a strong guy who can survive outside. He loves climbing. I heard male cats love to hunt.
I started to give him rich food in animal protein. I wanted to build his body healthy with strong muscles for hunting; also healthy mind would be helpful if he encounter someone who may be interested in living with him. As well as human development in childhood, I think later cats' life is also somewhat determined by the environment and how they were treated by humans.
My friend who takes care of eight cats gave me the information on how to build a shelter for a wild cat.
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(The images are from: Feral Cat Focus)
Well, after living with him like this for a while, one day, I noticed he IS already MY CAT!
Luckily, my husband really enjoys life with our cats. He said he cannot take his time to play with Sunny before Sunny became a part of our family - he plays with Que a lot so didn't want to take more of his time for playing with cats -, but he does. I often think what I learned from a psychology class is true; women tend to care more about satisfying basic needs such as eating and sleeping while men tend to care more about intelligent needs such as playing and thinking, and both activities are necessary for human development. Well, our cats receive a lot of playtimes and talking from my husband and I take care of the basic needs.
Also, it was again so lucky that the two get along well. Sunny sometimes irritates Que with his naughty behavior though. Que prefers a quieter environment, but it looks like she is getting good excitement from him. I still need to monitor them at feeding times. Que is a slow eater, and Sunny comes to steal her food after finishing his share.
Well, with these cats, my life is still good :)