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Pets and stray cat question

Posted: Mar 3, 2011

I will try and not make it long, wanted to ask people who have had more experience with this what they think. There is a neighborhood cat that has been around for a year or so. Always walking yard to yard trying to catch a bird here or there. Sweet little thing, never thought much of it as there are are a few cats that wander around. Anyway...last week we've been having bitter cold temps (around the 10 degrees and below). One morning we found her curled up on our chair on our back porch, which is partially enclosed for privacy but open on the end. Poor thing must have been freezing through the night, but luckily the chair was up against the wall and hopefully the wind was minimal. We've tried petting her but as soon as she sees anyone she is scared and runs. We move very slowly if we see her so as not to scare her. As it was so cold outside, DH fixed up a little shelter thing for her to keep out of the cold, with blankets and cushions so no wind can get to her.

Well...we have an indoor cat that absolutely no doubtly hates all cats. The couple time she has seen this one she has made a run for her (luckily the glass door was closed), but I feel sad for the cat. We have not fed it yet as we might be moving in a few months and first, if she is owned by someone I certainly do not want to encourage their cat to be here (I'd rather the cat be inside a nice warm home at night and fed). We've looked at the cat but cannot tell if it's starving or not. Second we dont want to start feeding her because we might be moving once the weather gets nice and don't want her to think food will always be here if we move.

But the poor things seems to be in our area a lot. In the mornings I tap on the door so it will leave our yard so our inside cat can go out in the back without seeing the other cat, and it upsets me to think that the cat might be hungry or lonely.

What would you do. Do you think it eats during the days. We don't know where it goes off to, but it does leave for hours at a time, just sleeps in our area at night, which is fine because I won't let it be out in the cold. Once it warms up we will start taking the bedding down a little at a time.

Anyways...wanted to get your thoughts.

;

Maybe it goes to other homes and gets fed. We live rurally - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
and strays pop in all the time, people either dump them or when they move they leave them behind. I personally would feed it, but that's me. My indoor cats don't care for the outsiders either but that doesn't stop me from making sure they have food, water and somewhere warm and dry to sleep. How does it look in comparison to you indoor cat? Outside cats tend to be leaner/more muscular since they are most likely hunting for food while the indoor cats (at least mine!) tend to be fat, happy and lazy! You're a good person to be so concerned.

Thanks for your reply - sympathetic cat woman

[ In Reply To ..]
Our indoor is like yours...fat and lazy. The one from what we can tell looks lean. I don't think it looks starved. We been trying to see if we can see bones, but I don't think so and when she sits it fills out a little. I sure hope she is fed and loved by someone. We would absolutely love to have more cats but this one will hear nothing of it.

For now we will keep her a bed to stay out of the wind and keep looking to see if she is thin like she's starved. I'd also feed her in a second but my dad (who also loves cats and always feeds stays) said unless you plan to do it all the time if you move that cat will think food is always going to be there and when it isn't that would be worse.

As for us moving..I don't know when or where, but this town has nothing for us and we need to move. I'd love to feed it while we are here, but if and when we move that would be worse for the cat.

Thanks for your reply.

I have a lot more experience than I wish I - Pamela

[ In Reply To ..]
had having worked at a rescue and just last week my neighbor "saving" a cat and then giving it to me to taken the responsibility but she can feel good now that she has rescued a cat.

That cat is not a stray but a dumped cat. It is probably skittish because it has had to fend for itself and people have been mean to it. You say you tap on the window to get rid of it. It does not sound like a feral cat and probably if rescued would warm up once it felt safe. The memory would still be there. It does sound that since it has been out for so long that it will probably die before that happens as cats that have to find for themselves only average a life outside of about two year.

One of my neighbors was trying to kill a cat last year. I guess he got it because I have not seen it for a while. I did find six dead squirrels in my yard that week.

Yes, it is hungry. It is cold and it has to watch its back all the time.

Thank you for your reply - it is bring tears to my eyes - sympathetic cat woman

[ In Reply To ..]
I will talk to my husband. I cannot stand to think of a cat cold or hungry. I wish so much that we could try and get it to not be scared of us and come in our house to be warm and fed, but this one would get into it with her. Just don't know. Makes me sad. I'm going to start talking to the neighbors and see if they know anything about it.

I'd like to find all the people who dump or harm or try to kill animals and give them the same they give to the poor defenseless creatures. How can they do that to a living creature. I just don't understand. Wish I had a magic want to make them disappear.

I would at least offer this cat - food and shelter outside

[ In Reply To ..]
and let her be your outdoor kitty. Is best if you can trap her/him and make sure it is neutered.

I just took in a gorgeous snowshoe cat that someone had abandoned near my house. Too beautiful not to take in! My old tom did not like her one bit at first and they scrapped and hissed and fought. Before long it turned into play and they have a ball chasing each other 6 a.m. before they settle in for a nap about 9. I think he has come to see her as his little sister.

Bless you for caring about strays!

Stray Cat - Pearl

[ In Reply To ..]
This is long. I put food in my garage for the strays. There are some cushions, heated water bowl, and ltter box. I was adopted this fall by two who later moved inside. One was a kitten with feces hanging onto his long hair and the other is an adult. The cat is probably hungary. Unless you can handle it there is no way to be sure. These two wolf down their food as if they are afraid it will be taken from them. They have since been to the vet for worming and neutering. These are the most affectionate cats I have, I have several more mostly due to being dumped out.

We had a stray that lived in the garage for a year. Could never get close but he was fed and was out of the weather. He eventually disappeared as he had a bad hip and a cough the whole time he lived with us.

I also have a neighbor that believes the best cat is a dead cat as several have disappeared. Living in a rural area we have no shelter to take them to and the farmers like poison better than taking care of a cat.

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