Well we can't live like this much longer.
Ok, that's a little
overdramatic, but nights are getting very difficult. He comes by about 4 times each night, the last time usually around 4AM. So it's getting impossible to sleep because we're always braced for the Indy and Zoe freak-outs. Then when Indy and Zoe kindly alert the whole
neighborhood the he has arrived with blood-curdling screams, we have to put our cats away in a bedroom to separate them and they calm down. Then we can either hope the cat still has some dry food outside and wait until he goes away, or get up, get him food and feed him inside. I can't look at the skinny dirty little thing and not get up. So then we get out the food for outside kitty and wait tiredly while he decides if he wants to come in and eat. (He comes in and out a few times before deciding it's safe enough to eat).
He's still really scared of us but he'll eat inside now with me sitting about 5 or 6 feet away from him. If I move though he'll take off.
We're trying to decide what to do now. We can keep doing this until he decides he's a little more comfortable in the house and coax him into his room. He's so scared of us though, and doesn't even seem curious about us. It's eat and run, only coming in because he has to to eat. So we're thinking this will take a long time. Tonight I'm going to try putting his food further inside and see how far he comes in.
Anyway, taking a long time would be fine if he was neutered and safe outside, but he's not. I'm feeling irresponsible letting him leave 4 times a night out into thunderstorms, traffic, and other cats to fight or mate with. He's definitely the only cat around here that we've seen that's so scared of people.
Anyway, the dad is away for the weekend, but we found out the city rents out humane traps and we were thinking we'd try to trap him on Monday. Don't know if this is a bad move though. We don't know how much he'll panic or if he'll be aggressive or how on earth we'd ever get him into a carrier to get him to the vet. And then what?
Anyway, I guess I'm saying it seems like we have no good options.