The Midnight Decision

We had a family meeting to discuss Midnight, what we want, and what is best for him.

When it comes to bringing him with us there is, of course, the joy of having Midnight as a member of the family, albeit an outside member of the family. (We have to remember that he is a feral cat, no matter how friendly he acts.) There is the security of having Mom and Dad to look out for him, a fenced back yard to play in, no roaming fox to threaten him, and a constant food source.

On the downside, we would be transplanting a feral cat away from his established territory where he has already established himself as an alpha cat (even fending off the roaming fox, which our neighbor says he saw, and which is why he had the neck injury from last spring). Also, he would have to re-establish himself in the new neighborhood, and deal with the numerous dogs and fences. Mom and Dad also fear he may try to return to his old stomping grounds only about five miles away, which would have him crossing two major roads and an interstate.

In the end, after many tears were shed, we admitted that it is in Midnight's best interest that he stay here when we move. Dad has talked to the neighbor upstairs who also feeds Midnight to ensure that he will be looked after (a very nice man who even treats Midnight with stinky goodness every now and then...). Midnight is among what Mom and Dad refer to as The Four -- four cats who have seemingly been here since we moved in. Midnight is well established in the apartment complex with woods to roam, cars to sleep under or on, and many neighbors to treat him. There are pros and cons with either situation, but when weighing it all out, this is best.

I hope you can all empathize with how difficult this call was for us to make, and I hope no one is disappointed with our decision. Unfortunately, the right decision isn't always the decision you want to make.