Feral Cat - Should I keep her?
I live on a street with several feral cats. There are probably around 30 or so cats in the neighborhood living in different yards and on porches of the neighbors who feed them. I have been working on TNRing the cats in the community when I can get an appointment. Last Saturday I took a female to an appointment. When I picked her up from the neighbor's yard she let me know that she was always super sweet and friendly, even though she is a feral cat. I brought her in, and since she seemed okay, I took her out of the trap and let her stay in the large crate we have set up for their recovery. She immediately gets in the bed and starts making biscuits and purring. She laid down and was content just being in the crate. I take her for her appointment and get her home to recover. She is taking the surgery VERY WELL and gets back in the crate and continues making biscuits and purring. She recovered for a couple of days in the crate and never tried to escape. I was going to take her back outside 72 hours after her surgery but she was so content I wanted to give her a few extra days to rest and recover. The neighbor also let me know she has had 5 litters of kittens in the last year or so and they have all died. She had kittens 4 days before her surgery and they all died. I figured she was enjoying the rest and gaining some of her strength back. I did open the crate and put her bed on the floor of the bedroom she is staying in. She immediately transitioned from the crate to the bed on the floor. I have been leaving the door to the room open and she has not tried to leave this room all week. I opened the curtains to the windows so she could see out and she does not seem to care about returning to the outside at all. She just lays in her bed all day, eats, and purrs when I pet her. She seems so content being in the bedroom. I am currently debating if I should keep her since she does not act like a normal feral cat. I am torn because I currently have a 70lb dog. The dog is friendly and has always been around other animals from when she was a puppy. However, she developed a resource guarding issue that we have been trying to work with her on. She walks past the room (with the door open) and has no problems with the cat. Her problem is with other animals walking past, smelling, or looking at her things (toys, treats, food, water, etc.) I am concerned of the potential dangers for the cat. I would introduce them correctly and never have them in a room alone together. I would make sure to have them separated and give each time to freely roam the house. I am worried of a door accidentally not being shut fully or us not watching once and the cat getting attacked just for meandering around the house with the dog's things out. This all gives me extreme anxiety thinking of potential dangers I could be putting this cat into. However, when I go to grab her to set her back outside, I feel so guilty. She always looks so content in the bed she never leaves - she will flop and show her full belly, purr, and ask for pets. It makes me feel like she will always be content with a room and a bedwe and will not need full access to the entire house or us at all times. I am so torn and unsure what to do. Should I keep her and make it work?