Just getting back from Roatan and the Wife fell in love with an island cat. We paid to have it go to the vet there and found it is about 10 years old. Very friendly and my wife wants to have it sent to us to live out its years.

Anyone have experience with something like this?

I'm probably not the one to reply, but my ex was a cat freak who wanted to save ALL the cats. And she tried...despite her husband being allergic to them.

I really don't have anything against cats as I had them and enjoyed them, but they're pretty much available everywhere.

No offense.

No experience, but I would ask if it looks like it has lived a hard life, barely scraping by? Or does it look like it has enjoyed the first 10 years of island life? If the latter,I’d leave it in peace.

SIGforum, meet "Boneless".

Bought a house in Arkansas.
Saw a cat walking about the property every week or so. Always at a distance of about 100 feet or so from the house.

House is 2 miles from town, rural, and I see a few stray dogs from time to time, and a host of other critters, smaller than a wild hog, and not any bigger'n a mouse.

Then I noticed this cat in the spring, about May, and lookin' like his ribs are showing, so I started putting food out.

Food is disappearing, but I am not seeing the cat, so I put out a game cam to see if he is getting the food, or some other varmint(s).

Looked at the images and I see a mouse, rat, possum, raccoon, another cat and "this guy".

A whole entourage And this guy lets everyone else eat first.

Feed him though the fall, then start wondering is maybe he might have lived here and was abandoned.

So, I think I'll trap him, take him to the vet, get him fixed and what not, and bring him inside.

Every time I saw him outside and opened the door, he would run and hide. Take a day or two before he would show again.

Was putting food in the "Have a Heart" trap (zip tied the door open until he was used to eating from the trap before I was going to trap him) and while I was sitting next to the trap and putting the food bowl in the back, this cat walked up, crawled into my lap, laid down, belly up and started purring up a storm.

So, I sat with him for a while, then brought him into the house to keep him overnight, and called the vet for an appointment the next day (and with-held food and water overnight).

Took him in the next day, got him neutered and shots, left him overnight and picked him up, brought him in the house, and he was right at home.

He acted like he paid the bills and bought the groceries.

3 years later (Jan 26 2026) I woke up, went to check on "Boneless", and found him hiding halfway in a cardboard box in the Den, I called him and moved towards him, and he started to get up, and move towards me, but I noticed his back half was not co-operating.

I knelt down and started checking him out, and realized he had something wrong with his legs not working, and I gently felt along his spine.

He made no movement or noise as if he had any injury, so I progressed down his back legs and feet, and noticed his rear paw pads were purple, and then checked his front and saw they were pink.

I thought maybe he jumped/fell off a cabinet that he liked to get up on that is almost 5 feet above the floor, as well as the loft above that which he climbs the ladder then jumps to that cabinet to get down.

This was a day or so after the heavy snow and ice storm we hade with several feet of snow, then freezing rain, then some more snow on top.

So, we were "snowed in" in the area.

I called the local vet, got an answer (forwarded call) but they were not open. They told me a vet in Ft. Smith was open, but that was an hour drive.

I called them and talked to them and told them what I thought it was, and that I could be there in an hour.

Went to pull my truck out of the garage and got stuck in the snow about the time I cleared the garage.

Spent the next two hours digging and working the tuck back and forth, and then getting it turned 90 degrees to drive to the road (300 feet away) on a slight incline, and it took about 20 minutes to get the snow packed and able to get momentum to reach the road, whish was not completely cleared, but had some traffic, so I figured if I could get up to the road, I would have a good chance to make it to the vet.

After trying 2/3 dozen attempts, and having the stop for oncoming traffic, I made it to the road, and parked the truck, then went back and got the cat in a carrier and headed to the vet.

A normal 50 minute drive was three hours due to the ice on the road. (about 90% uncleared) in regular 2 wheel drive standard road tires.

Vet looked at him and confirmed he had "saddle thrombosis", a blot clot in the artery from the heart to the back legs, which is a narrow passage and can be one side, the other or both.

When the prognosis was given, and knowing he was over 10 years old, having very bad teeth, and most likely heart issues, I told the vet I did not want to be a "bounce-back" in a few months, and if he could not expect recovery of both legs and not suffer quality of life, I would not put him through misery.

So, I elected to put him down.

I don't know if we get weaker as we get older, but this one has been a hard one.

He was such a sweet, cuddly guy that only wanted love and food.
(I used an auto-feeder set for every hour, just a small amount, round the clock, because he would eat all his food, then "fret" until his next meal, twice a day.

Letting him have a small amount over time, seemed to keep him less frantic about eating.

But I would hear the food drop, and then "thump" as he jumped off his perch on the cabinet and scramble to the food.

Sometimes he would "camp" a foot away from the feeder, waiting for it to "drop".

I am certain he had a watch in his pocket, that he checked often.

So, yeah, rescue a cat. But realize God wants them all back, eventually....


Boneless*

I called him "the Bonus Cat", that came with the house I bought.

My granddaughter said: "Boneless? Why did you name him Boneless?"

That stuck.


I just wish my other cat Paddington, would not have been afraid to interact. Boneless was just very gentle.

(Paddington came from a "hoarding" enviornment of more than 30 cats, 7 dogs and various chickens, ducks, other birds)

He just has a lot of issues with other animals.

But he knew "the cat" was no longer in the house, and now he spends a great deal of time in that area.

One of these days, I will read the card the vet sent me, with his nose and paw prints.

I have tried a couple of times.

Apologies for the wall of words...

^^^^^
Awww… nice story.

If it’s lived 10 years, it’s not “feral.”

They do get under your skin and work their way into your heart.

This is the last of 6 kittens momma cat blessed us with October 2025. We sheltered, fed and watered them all winter. 5 have been re-homed as barn cats. Really considering keeping this young gal as a yard cat. As soon as the decision is made, off to the vet. I just ordered a cat house so she can sleep on the deck.



She'll be ready for perimeter duty soon.

Sounds spensive



We are down to 5 cats from 7, had to put down one of our Maine Coons Tuesday. He had a tough time with an auto immune disorder and then starting having bad seizures, bloodwork cam back clean, Doc says brain tumor

Can’t be worse than the dumpster cat I have that is an absolute menace.

I will give my take on cat adoption, from my experience as a lifelong cat owner and once owned (or was owned by) thirteen cats. Long story!
1- Often a cat will just show up and adopt you. That accounted for seven of my thirteen. Saves adoption (often outrageous) fees but not Vet bills.
2- Any cat can have costly health issues that only come to light after you adopt. Doesnt matter where the cat comes from, even from adoption service organizations. This may apply to your island cat.
3- You cant take at face value what you are being told about an adoptable cat. Example: my current cat was presented to me by an adoption service as being "sweet and lovable". Nope. On the ride home he yowled every inch of the way at a volume level that rivaled a B-2 afterburner takeoff. He then hid under the furniture for nearly a month, only coming out at night when I was in bed. A couple more months passed with him sitting a distance away from me and if I moved, he disappeared under the furniture. Turns out he was a feral who was never socialized and he was terrified after being caught and put into the shelter. Took a while, but he has gotten to the point where I can pet him. He will briefly sit in my lap and even purr. If anyone visits the house, including outside, he immediately disappears. My cat sitter has never seen him. He trusts only me. That said, he is an excellent house cat with good health and litter habits. He doesnt even scratch on my furniture! If he loses all his nine lives, I will be much smarter with his replacement. Would I adopt an island cat as you described? Probably not.

There are also many cats here at home that need adoption.

If you like and want the cat badly enough and are willing & able to go through the issues with shipping a live animal on a plane and its importation into the US, I won't talk you out of it.

I have plenty of strays that show up by themselves.

Haven't went looking for more.

Look up “Flight Angels Roatan”

https://youtu.be/8VzBjG1reW4