What's best for my skittish cats: home, shelter, or dirty house?

That's a tough situation for you both to be in! In my opinion, I think it would be best splitting the cats. While it may be tough at first for them to be apart, the stress of moving them back and forth between homes would be even more stressful. They would adjust easier to having separate homes than be moved around all the time, and if either become lonely, you can get another cat to keep your cat company. Another option is one of you take both of them for good, but that may not be feasible. I hope this helps!

If they are friendly you could trot take some pictures of them yourself and try to put them on social media to find them a home. Also, you could look for a no kill shelter in your area so you know they wont put a time limit on their adoption. I hope this helps!

I would not recommend such a journey in an older cat especially if her routine will be changed from a free ranging cat to an indoor cat as this would provide an ongoing environmental stress even after the journey. Contact local humane societies and shelters to see if they can help provide a foster home for her or inquire of your neighbours if anyone is willing to monitor her and take responsibility for her ongoing care and health needs as she gets older.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that you are considering giving away your cats. I would advise contacting your vet office and see if they can help you place them. They often have a list of clients seeking pets. Other avenues would involve your local humane society, pet rescue groups, etc. These groups often screen potential adopters and would be a great resource. I know this is very tough for you, but if you get the right people involved, everyone will feel better in the end knowing that they were placed into good homes. Good luck

Most cats will adapt to a new home if kept indoors for 4-6weeks then allowed out supervised for 2-3weeks and can be quite an undertaking for a new owner once cats have been acclimatized to fending for themselves and you should check to see if the new home is in a position to take this on

Please take Marvin to an animal shelter if you can no longer care for him. If he has always been a pet, he will not be able to take good care of himself in the wild (find his own food, be aware of predators, etc.) It is the best thing you can do for him, and he may be adopted by a loving person or family who can give him what he needs.

I am so sorry to hear about your kitties! I would recommend getting some Feliway multicat diffusers https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-MultiCat-Diffuser which are a pheremone releasing product that can help these situations. A calming supplement such as Zylkene can also be helpful. Ensure the cats each have places they can hide/get away if needed as well as adequate numbers of litter boxes (one more than the number of cats in your household), water and food available where they can eat/drink without being disturbed by the other cat. If they are still fighting despite this, some training may be needed. You can read this article by a veterinary behaviorist for details on this: https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/feuding_felines/