Stray cat

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Sorry for the following wall of text.

Last night, my brother and his boyfriend found a stray kitten roaming around our porch with no tags or anything. It's been essentially living on our porch for a day. I'm excited because I've never had a cat before and this may be the first time we're getting a cat if my brother and I can coax our parents to take her.

We did ask around the neighborhood first to see if it was anyone else's lost kitten. My brother fed it tuna last night, and we bought cat food today.

I don't know what the probability of this is, but we have two dogs already, and one of them is a medium-sized Blue Heeler/Border Collie mix who my parents are afraid might hurt the kitten. We've been doing some online research of how to get older dogs to be used to new cats.

My parents don't even think that we're going to have it as a pet (if we did, my Dad and I would have to take medication because we're both allergic). Something funny is that my Dad hated cats but he seems open-minded about this one. Really open minded. Anyway, my brother and I hope that it eventually just become our pet. Although it's pretty unlikely. We've been spending most of today trying to get people to take the cat, but couldn't find anyone.

Sorry about all of the talking, I'm just really excited to have a cat friend; regardless of whether or not it will be our pet (it probably won't).

P.S. My brother named her Jiji after the cat from Kiki's Delivery Service. (I know it's ridiculous that we already named it, but my brother was incredibly excited at the time).

UPDATE 8/10/2014: Our parents say the cat situation is officially maybe.

If your brother and you like the kitten so much and you cannot find someone to take it, why don't you keep it? Well, I hope you end up keeping it.

But please be very careful not to let the dogs hurt the kitten. It takes only a very brief moment for something like that to happen.

If you're allergic to cats, you're allergic to dogs.

A kitten (on the large side) once came up on the back deck here, but it ran when I came close, and later on I heard it stalking through the brush. A wild kitty. I never heard or saw it again.

I hunt for it now and again.

I hope it turns out well.

Allergy might be a problem but I know a few people who are allergic to cats and have cats so it is possible to keep one if you are careful. If you give it a bath every now and then, brush its fur and have some medicine prepared just in case it should be fine.

Also dogs are not something impossible to deal with. They are herd animals, all you have to do is apply the cat to the herd. Who is the "leader" in your home? Who usually gives orders to the dogs and they respect him the most? After the cat is used to your family get the cat to the "leader" and make him show the cat (by holding the cat) to the dog (better if you do it one dog at time, dog on leash) and confidently say something along the lines "It is our cat. Don't touch it.". Than let them sniff each other for a short time if possible. Any of them might get aggressive when they see the "opponent". Don't force them then and don't let a friendly one come to an aggressive one etc, only let them sniff if they all look friendly. And then take the cat out to its save place without making a fuss about it. They should get the idea. Dogs are smart. But for a first few weeks everytime cat and dogs are in the same room (dogs on leashes if possible) watch what the dogs do and if they start doing something dangerous/scary to the cat say :"<dog name> don't! Come back here." and when the dog come to you pet it and say "Good boy." as a praise. They will learn soon enough that they are not allowed to bother the cat.

Good luck. : )

I like cats. All the best with making this one a pet, with the dogs and everything. It is possible.

I hope if you have money to spend on this cat, that you will care enough to take it to the vet and have it checked and neutered/spayed at least.

You can try introducing them through a screen door, that's how we do it with our big dog when we got a new pet.

If it seems tame, and could be someone's pet, you can take it to the vet and have it scanned for an ID chip. These are very common here in the US and will lead you to the original owner. I'm in the same situation right now.