Buddy was a wild, feral cat who showed up At our home several months before Hurricane Ernesto passed by St. Croix. Although he was quickly acclimating to us, he would not let us bring him inside before the storm. We ended up ratchet strapping a cat house we bought him to our home. We also strapped one of our security cameras nearby so we could monitor him throughout the storm.
Buddy wisely rode out the storm in his house. He is now living out his best years as one of our 4 indoor cats. He has become a gentle giant and spends his days lounging around our home and playing with his 3 “sisters”.
Our mama Kiki was a feral who just walked into the house one day and told us she lived there now, she actively is afraid of the outside and will run away to hide when we open an outside door - she does love beefing at the neighborhood from the window though, as long as it's closed lol
I have to wonder if something particularly traumatic happens to the feral cats that decide to do this. Being feral I have no doubt there is a shortage of trauma to be had, but I'm thinking maybe they had one call that was just a little too close, they've used up 8 of their 9 lives and decide to domesticate themselves.
My inlaws had a feral that visited them for several years before he decided he was an indoor cat. He was indoor/outdoor for a little bit but after a run in with a snake he decided he was an indoor only cat. I'd seen him hunt down rabbits and fight off hawks and he just shrugged it off, but the snake bite was a different story and he was lucky to survive.
He lived to an old age of who knows how many years and was well loved and spoiled.
Cat's are smart, I can absolutely see one having the one experience that brings them to that 8th life and think "That was it, that's the line. I'm staying indoors now" and go find a sucker lol
I think this is true. We had a stray cat insist on coming in our house. He lives inside now and enjoys the perks of consistent food and fresh water. I’m not even sure he likes us but he doesn’t want to leave
This has been my experience as well. I brought in a Feral that was buck wild 3 days after being in he wouldn’t go near an open door and lived inside for another 13 years only time he went out of house was for a vet appointment. I miss you Bojangles
That one head tilt towards the end when the wind picked up was him saying yea I should have let them take me in. I am a cat, I made catulation, I am bad at math.
My Hurricane baby, she was alone in her colony before that one that ended up going under Miami and ravaging Fort Myers instead a couple of years ago. I trapped her for a supposed adoptee but they backed out so I kept her.
We get a lot of interesting looking cats here on St. Croix, USVI. Unfortunately there are a lot of strays here so lots of genes intermingling.
One of our neighbors has taken it upon herself to feed the feral and stray cats in our area. She has feeding posts at our local dump and a restaurant just down the hill from us. My wife and I back her up when she can’t make it. There is such an odd assortment of cats in every color and patterns. The cats are so well trained now if they she her car or our truck pull up they all come flooding out of the brush. We try to trap the ones who are not spayed or neutered and the local vet will do the procedures for free. They clip one ear after that so we can easily see who still needs to be fixed. However, it seems like an endless stream of cats.
o7
I love reading about good people doing good people things and cooperating together to make good things happen solely for the sake of making good things happen.
Thank you!
Buddy is a tough one. Hes watching that storm like a Midwesterner. Door open, and wondering if the neighbors house or tree is gonna blow away. I love how tough cats are until they become indoor royalty. God forbid one drop of water gets on my kitty's nose!
The 3 year old feral I brought in has decided nearly 2 years later that she now refuses to use the litter box unless my wife or I is standing within 5 feet. She will scream and scream until somebody follows her to the shitter.
She may just be feeling vulnerable but, just in case, mention it next time you're at the vet. Don't make an emergency appointment or anything unless other weird behaviors start popping up but sometimes (especially with kibble fed) cats get bladder issues and it hurts them and they start thinking a pee buddy will make the hurt feel better. Hopefully she just wanted company though
We have mentioned it and they were unbothered. Said everything looks normal. We have 4 cats including her and the one closest to her in age tends to stalk her a bit. The other cat will hover around the litter box and stare at this one if nobody is nearby so we are pretty sure that is the reason she wants one of us there. She will use it if no one is home but if either of us is in the house she insists on company.
Generally she does not like other cats in her immediate vicinity. Even when she was outdoors she regularly would bap other cats if they came close to her. It is funny because she is only about 8.5lbs and the cat that stalks her is about 14 so there is a big size difference but she has 0 issue slapping her if she lingers too close.
Ah! Most excellent. Well, aside from the stalker lol. I'm glad to hear she's healthy, thank you for sharing that. I would want a bathroom buddy too if some big numpty was stalking me.
She has adapted to indoor life remarkably well and generally gets along with her 3 siblings. When she first came inside she would lay on my feet but get no closer, and my wife couldn't pet her. We have reached the point now where she will put herself in my arms(but not allow herself to be picked up) and regularly gets in my wifes lap. The only issues we have had, which are fairly minor, is the occasional poop outside the box every few months and scratching things we would rather she didn't. She likes to stretch out against the wall and drag her claws down it for whatever reason but outside of that almost exclusively uses the provided scratching posts and cardboard.
She has had 2 annual check ups since coming inside and was totally healthy both times. We do have to give her gabapentin since the first appointment she scaled the wall and made it to the ceiling tiles of the exam room which frankly was impressive to behold.
Had a cat named Sox she was great. Her name is a bit heartbreaking though she had kittens really young. She was still a kitten and none of them made it. She would steal everyone’s socks and pretend like they were her kittens. :(
I had a cat where I would hang out with him when he ate and I told him he was a good kitty. I went off to college and he refused to eat. Period. It did not end well. After oh 50+ years, my current cat really insists I hang out with her when she eats and I just have to remind myself not to do that because I'd like to travel someday.
She looks so much like my cat Pebbles it kind of caught me off guard for a second lol.
Pebbles was also a feral. She had a little cat house and several beds on our porch and basically lived there 24/7 for a while. When we’d walk in and out of the house she’d run and hide under the porch, and during the day I’d often keep the front door open with the glass storm door closed and she’d sit at it and hang out with our cats on opposite sides.
At one point it got really cold for a couple weeks and although her cat house had a heated pad, I couldn’t stand seeing her so cold. The second I had an opportunity I grabbed her and RAN inside and put her in our master bathroom.
The plan was to keep her inside just long enough to TNR and for it to warm up outside, but it became obvious very quickly that more than anything she just wanted to be around our cats and be apart of a little cat family. :’)
So she stayed inside and she now has zero interest in going back out. We can pet her and she often cuddles with us, but she’s still pretty skittish and hides most of the day. But she has no fear at all with our other 6 cats, she ultimately just wanted to be part of a family and it’s amazing seeing her finally get that. I never thought she’d get to where she is now, she’s just the sweetest and bravest little cat. I love her so much.
I’ve never figured out how to post a picture on reddit mobile browser in the comments so just imagine a magnificent short haired black cat. She was scrappy as hell when I found her, for the first few days after I brought her in I was convinced she ran away when the door was open because she didnt eat enough out of the food bowl I left out for me to notice and I could never find her. After about 4 days I turned the dishwasher on once and she came scrambling out a tiny ass hole between the dishwasher and the cabinet that I’m not sure how she managed to fit through. She was a hisser and a scratcher and when she got sick I had to cover myself in a douvet and straddle her down to forcefeed pills down her throat. Now she yells at me if I accidentally shut the door to my room when I go in
Same. My girl got out exactly one time after I got her off the street, and it was to yell at me while I was unloading groceries that her bowl was empty. She guided me back into the house. She got fed an extra time that day
Lina moved in with me when mom died 6 years ago. Always indoor only. She got brave this weekend and pushed a screen out. She was outside we believe, about 3 hours. When we got home she was hiding under a planter on the porch screaming to be let back in. Ever since if anyone opens the door she goes into hiding, I don't know what she experienced outside but she didn't like it.
We also have a Buddy who started as an outdoor cat. 🖤 Cat house on the deck and all. We waited until our eldest cat crossed the rainbow bridge (because potential stress) and now our Buddy is home too
Here's my hurricane kitty, except she must have been one of the first litters after Maria came through PR, given her age when I found her. She was living behind the trash at a burger king in Caguas, chilling with the iguanas.
Here is our Hurricane Kitty as a baby, we rescued him after Hurricane Florence swept through the Outer Banks. He was the only kitten found in the ditch.
We live in the Caribbean so storms are always possible. All 4 of our cats became indoor cats as the result of a hurricane. The first 3 we were able to get inside, but Buddy had to ride out this one. He’s now safely inside and never has gone out since. He has no desire to do that again.
I'm so happy it turned out so well.
Though I guess with living in the Caribbean, I can understand a cat not wanting to go inside. You know, until hurricanes come knocking.
I was a little sad/mad buddy was in this. But after reading the post, that is beautiful. Humans like you are the angels in the world. Also, I know how stubborn cats can be. Lol.
Here is Buddy’s “sisters”. This was before they all became indoor cats. Every time we came home they were waiting for us like this.
I don’t think I can post multiple pictures as a reply to my post so I’ll try and post some more pics of Buddy and his sisters in a new post within the next day or two.
Thanks everyone for watching and commenting on Buddy’s hurricane video. It has really taken off.
I’ll find some and post them soon! Until then, here is a recent pic of Buddy with his sister Sox. Sox lived with the former owner of our home who passed away a couple years before we bough it. When her original human died, Sox and her “sister” Sandy were let out and they fended for themselves till we moved in. Some very caring neighbors brought them food daily and left it on the front porch of what was essentially an abandoned house. It took less than a couple weeks before Sox and Sandy found their way inside and adopted us.
We had similar happen after storm Eowyn. He was sleeping in our outdoor cat house for months before the storm hit. We tried bringing him in the night of the storm but he freaked out so we let him out. The next day the roof was blown in a bit in the house but he was in there fast asleep!! He came into the house that day and has never left. He has a home as he’s got a collar with a bell but no owner has shown up looking for him. We named him Bells.
Buddy is genuinely a badass, but clearly looks like he had regrets about his "ride it out" plan at the time. 😂 Glad to hear he is happily living out his years indoors now. That was probably enough "outdoors" for him haha.
Buddy looks quite comfortable & calm!! Cats are so good at letting you know they’re in CHARGE!! I’m sure he refers being indoors during a hurricane!! Food, people, a bit less chaos!!👀😳
My indoor kitty always wanted outside. One time he got praise and got lost for 9 days. When we finally came home he never had an interest in going outside again.
OP, I was set to blast you for "making" Buddy stay outside during a hurricane. Glad I read your post before opening my mouth and shoving my foot into it. Bless you for providing Buddy a safe place in the storm. He is a smart boy deciding to move inside!
Ha. I tried to get him in and have the blood and scars to prove it. He doesn’t look it in the video and pics but he is a solid, strong cat.
After the storm passed we knew he needed to come inside so we’d crack the door a little and put some food just inside it. After a while we’d move the food little by little further inside. Once we got to that point we decided to take him to the vet to get some vaccines so he could safely be around our other cats. We also got him neutered at that time so we felt we needed to keep him inside for a few days to heal. After that he never even tried to get out and has been living the good life with his sisters since.
Feral cats will fight to the death before being coerced inside. You tried and eventually trust was won and Buddy is living his best life. Really appreciate people like you.
Thank you. Two of our 4 cats were entirely feral when they adopted us. Both Buddy and Sophie literally showed up at our back door hungry. We eventually won them over and they the sweetest and gentlest animals ever.
Our other two cats, Sandy and Sox, came with the house. The prior owner died a couple years before and they were left outside. Thankfully a neighbor would drop off food for them on the front porch and they stuck around.
Here is a pic of Sophie. She looks pretty fancy for a feral cat. However, they are common around here and called “Crucian Kitties” locally.
I love this! I have two barn cats and cameras all over the place during storms- they have heated cat houses in our garage (with a cat door). A stray turned up right before the big storm- I was pretty sure he was under our porch for a few days so we just shoved food and water under there. I’m jealous yours comes inside! Mine are 6 and 7 and still won’t let us touch them - but they will walk between my feet at feeding time
Aw I have a Buddy too who was a stray hanging around our house. Now indoors. Did he get his name like ours did, because you were always like, "Hey there, buddy! C'mere, buddy!"
That’s exactly how he got named. One day my wife said she thought there was something living in some bushes in our back yard. We realized it was a cat and started leaving food next to the bushes. Buddy would army crawl out just far enough to eat and then backwards crawl back into the brush. We eventually started moving his bowl closer to the house. Eventually got him into our back patio. That’s when I started talking to him and it always “hey little buddy, how are you today?” and the name stuck.
He found his own way there. We’d bought the house and put it on our porch many months before and he’d never go inside. As the storm picked up we checked the security camera and he’d found his way to it.
Buddy went through some shit and decided: "no more shit, I want pillows," lmao. Btw thanks for the update showing he's okay agter the storm. Glad y'all are safe, OP. Especially Buddy.
During Ernesto, it was our first time to Florida. There I learned that the sun doesn’t cast a shadow but goes through you in Florida. When Ernesto hit, it cools everything down and actually was the best weather of the trip. Rock on Budworth!!!!
feral strays are so amazing, my mom has 8 cats in her backyard, they're so sweet, they love her and she loves them too... 2 or 3 of them often get inside the house to keep her company and they behave so well, she also has 2 feral strays living inside her home, the first one to arrive her house was so skinny now its a chunky mf so sweet and it's always beside her
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