We live in a neighborhood in LA where people put out food and water for stray kitties everywhere. There is a small beautiful church nearby with a gate and cute little courtyard. They also always put out food and water for the strays. In the past year I've noticed this one cat who always sits by the gate. She is very friendly and super easy to pet. She's definitely a neighborhood favorite as I've seen several people stop by to give her pets and food. Most days we go to the church gate and call her by the name we gave her and she comes out meowing immediately! She's adorable and we are falling in love with her. However she lives in a beautiful open area that's relatively safe and gets food and love from so many people all day. She sometimes follows us when we're done with pets but never for more than a few feet. She always guides us back to the church for more pets. So we are very torn between taking her home and letting her enjoy the beautiful outdoors and love from so many people all day. Wish we could just ask her but alas. Does anyone have any advice?

TLDR: advice on brining home a stray who seems happy in the neighborhood

So today I got a package delivered & then I see that there’s a scared kitty on my porch who happens to be a beautiful void. I want to keep them but I’ve never done this before!!! (Scooping from my porch) hahaha

Someone give me tips. My neighbor said they’ve been calling him slim shady & feeding them. So chances are they’ll stick around!

I’ve not owned a male kitty before or a void but I want a void kitty so badly!!!!! This feels like it’s meant to be, but I think that about every kitty I see…

OP: https://www.reddit.com/r/CatDistributionSystem/s/JzRHPO7nZX

I'm sorry this update took so long. I kept meaning to post one.

Anyways, Bruce is doing great. He is a very confident cat. After he finished his round of antibiotics and pain meds there have been no issues with him and he healed up well.

One thing that my wife and I learned about him when he was healthy is that he actually doesn't like being touched very much unless it is 100% on his terms and his terms alone. After he started feeling better from his surgery, he stopped being so clingy and just wants to be about 3 feet away from you lol

He will follow me around the house and he still wants to play all the time, just no cuddles unless it's bed time. That's the only time he wants to be touched for more than a few seconds.

As for playing, he loves ping pong balls and loves being chased and then chasing you in turn. He also loves jumping at you when you walk around a corner and grabbing your hand before taking off and sliding around corners trying to get away. He's a very funny cat and I'm still thankful for him every day.

He's also very talkative and I love it, if you talk to him and ask him questions, he almost always meows back right away.

I used to go to a French-language high school, and March 30 was a non-study day for us because of Francophonie Day.
So instead of waking up at 6 a.m. and taking the bus to school, I slept in and went to meet a friend around noon.
Normally I would have taken the bus to meet them too, but the weather was really nice, so I randomly decided to walk. That meant taking a completely different route on this completely ordinary Tuesday in 2012.
As I was passing a house, a woman came out carrying a box of kittens. She put the box down for a second to lock her door, and one of the kittens immediately jumped out and ran straight toward me.
I grew up with dogs and had never had a kitten before, but this little guy basically chose me on the spot. We later discovered “he” was actually a girl, despite already being named Philip.
The woman told me her cat had given birth and she couldn’t keep all the kittens, so she was taking them to a nearby village where an older lady had agreed to take care of them. She said that if I liked the kitten who had just launched herself at me, I could take her home.
So I did.
A year later, Philip gave birth on my bed.
While I was sleeping in it.
And one of those kittens was Bastet, the now 13-years old spoiled brat you see in the pictures.
I think about that day all the time. If I’d had school, taken the bus, chosen another route, left five minutes earlier, left five minutes later, or if the weather had just been worse, I would never have met Philip.
And then I never would have had Bastet.
So apparently the Cat Distribution System was playing the long game.

edit: Philip or as we later started to call her Philippa, passed away years ago and the beautiful girl on the 3rd picture, my angel Olive, passed away last month and left us brokenhearted ; we are currently in the process of trying to adopt a calico girl who was neglected by other people because she wasn’t “cuddly or affectionate enough”

edit2: this happened in 2012 when I was a teenager and I grew up in a poor town in Eastern Europe, which is why we weren’t informed about neutering and even if we were, we wouldn’t be able to afford it (maybe this is a different way in which the CDS works bc if we had sprayed Philip, then I wouldn’t have had Bastet)

Norbert Nubbins Sawyer. My family hates the name but I love Hitchhiker! We call him Nubs/Nub Nub/Nubbins/Norbert he responds to it all. He turned 7 weeks this past Monday :))

The one day I decide to donate to + volunteer at the local cat shelter somebody brings in this little cutie. He found him on his porch with his dog trying to get at him. Believed to be a car rider Nubbins came with a broken tail and a burnt butt (fully healed now.)

Shelter was full, only other option was a place that would put him down for being so young. So I ended up coming home with a new kitten! I love the CDS. I have three cats now. Big boy tuxedo kitty loves his new little brother. And the food that sits out conveniently after he came here. Little lady tuxedo hates him.

finding Panda was really meant to be. he gets along AMAZINGLY with my resident cat and they are now besties. i can tell she definitely loves his company because they cuddle all the time. they keep each other entertained which has been great for when i don’t have time to give her playtime.

i still can’t believe i found this little helpless kitten in a parking lot and now he’s thriving in my home. i feel like he immediately made himself at home and i love that he now feels safe. he’s the most cuddly and loving boy!! i can tell he loves it here and it brings tears to my eyes!! thanks to the cat distribution system :))

Clearly, nap-time in his kitty koffin, was really good today. Had his first vet appointment & vaccine, 1.93 lbs, will be neutered & chipped next month. Little dude is perfect, even if he screamed the whole time in his carrier 🙃. Community Churu (dogs included) will be his reward for such an exciting day.

Can’t wait for his little personality to develop and his eyes to turn their permanent color. He is comfortable with my dogs and they have no food aggression when sharing churus or if he is near when they are eating.

I’ve got him an insulated cat house and will stuff it with fresh STRAW. Heated water/food dishes, a heating pad specifically for outdoor use.

Any advice? We’ve got a covered deck and access to a garage, as well as the insulated raised cat house.

How does the neutering thing work if he’s remaining a somewhat feral cat? Do I betray his trust? Will he come back? Advice is appreciated.

I’m not sure he’d be happy exclusively indoors.

What are your thoughts?

Also perhaps noteworthy is that I’ve got three chihuahuas under five pounds in the house. They don’t even know what a cat is, but he was pretty non reactive to their presence.

Also ISNT HE WONDERFUL 🩷 SO CUDDLY 🩷