Cat in my backyard!

af_thefragile

So for the past few days there's this cat that has decided to spend most of its day in my back yard. It had a look of desperation over itself peering through the window into my room all the time it spent in my backyard and so i decided to give it a couple of pieces of meat to consume. I don't know if that was a great idea cuz since then it keeps coming everyday and sits by the window peering though it all day.

Now i'm not sure what to do with this cat. I'm not sure if it belongs to someone either cuz it has a cat collar but its not a very nice one, its a black rubber strap with cracks all over it and it also looks like its a little too tight for the cat. I think its a not very young cat either cuz its not very active and all it does is sits by my window. It is a very loving cat though and melts your heart cuz every time it sees me you can see the excitement on its face (hence why i felt so compelled to feed it!).

So i'm just not sure what to do with this cat. It could be a feral cat cuz it doesn't look very well looked after. Its coat is not very clean. Its even got a displaced/damaged tooth (one of its front bottom canine, it juts out from its mouth a little) and the first time it came in my backyard when i was around it bought a rat along with it which it consumed a moment later.
But then its got a cat collar which is not a very fancy one and if the cat is someone's pet, then i don't think its owners are doing a great job with such a loving cat...!

So can anyone advice me what i should do with this cat?
Cuz it won't leave my backyard and i don't wanna give it too much attention considering it could be someone's pet...

babychuckles

Dear af_thefragile,
Worst case senario the cats owner may be elderly:may have been put in a home or died and the cat has been forgotten by the relatives. Elderly cats do tend to get forgotten and when underfed get too hungry to clean their fur. Me i would keep feeding it everyday, twice a day if you can, with a sachet of wet cat food each time (esp if the teeth are bad). plus give it a bowl of water so that it helps it stay hydrated. Elderly cats tend to have tooth problems so soft food is best for them.
The fact it has a collar suggests that it is or was someones pet. Have you been able to stroke its fur without it going all hissy on you? if yes then its tame and just needs someone to look after it.
Im in Cork so i do not know what cat charity to direct you to for advise. Perhaps the blue cross might be able help or be able to direct you to other charities in the Dublin area. They may have a veterinary system for seeing to its tooth but as i said being from Cork i dont know how they can help but it cannot do any harm to ask.
They are at www.bluecross.ie where they say their numbers are Tel: 01 416 3030 Fax: 01 416 3035 email is info@bluecross.ie
Good luck

The Sweeper

Collars mean nothing, except that someone once owned an animal for long enough to put a collar on it, which takes precisely 30 seconds. The cat can't take the collar off, but the fact that it's still there doesn't attest to any level of care or upkeep of the animal.

Ask around locally to see if someone owns it. If nobody bites, then if you can catch it, try taking it in and bringing it to the vet or a local shelter to see if it's microchipped and belongs to someone in the general area. If it's not microchipped, you can either take it in yourself, or leave it with the shelter for hopeful rehoming.

af_thefragile

My main concern is that i'm not sure if it belongs to someone. So i don't want its owners to get pissed off it i start feeding it and even call some sorta animal protection guys to look after it. I have stroked it and it seems to quite like it. It also keeps inviting me to play with it at times (i think!).

Another this is it lately has been hanging (is that the right word?) around with another cat. Its quite younger i presume cuz its smaller and much more active (doesn't stay still for a moment). This cat looks quite well looked after cuz its fur looks quite clean and the cat itself looks quite healthy. It also has a nicer collar on it and wouldn't eat any raw meat which i actually put for the other cat (i didn't have any cooked meat at the moment). So i believe this other cat is definitely someone's pet as it looks healthy and wouldn't eat raw food.

But the one thing that tricks me is that my sis pointed out the young healthy cat could be the bigger, older cat's kid. They do have identical coat though the younger one has some white to go along with it and the young one has round eyes while the older one has almond shaped eyes. The young one looks like a slightly different breed too (it has a different shape to its face), but apart from that the two of them have quite identical coats (same color and pattern for the most of it) and they hang around together a lot (looks like the younger one usually follows the older one around).

So if that is true, the older cat should belong to the same people as the younger cat. But then again thats only a speculation. I think i'll just keep feeding the cat and see how it goes along... I'll also try to look around to see if anyone owns it. If not i'll call some animal protection guys to take a look at it.

Thanks for the advice guys!

sorella

Awwww. so many move and leave the cats behind.... if they are happy outdoors, can you not just feed them?

and raw meat is fine; we feed ours raw chicken wings.

af_thefragile

Well, today the cat came back (As it does every morning nowdays!) but today it looked much cleaner than yesterday and its fur felt much softer too. Also i noticed someone had moved around its collar.
So i'm down to thinking again it probably does belong to someone as it looks like it got a bath sometime between yesterday and today.

Also this cat is quite picky with what it eats... It refused to eat the smoked salmon i fed it yesterday (i know fancy food but no one was eating it anymore!), and today it didn't quite like the sausage either (though it did eat 3 pieces of it but refused to eat any more). It seems to like raw meat with fatty bits quite a lot though and also pieces of chicken...

gerkeo

The rubber collar you speak of is almost certainly an old flea collar, they dry up and crack after a few months. Signs are somebody loved it enough once to put one on it. Any knicks or V cuts gone out of its ears? normally a sure sign it has been spayed.

As long as you give it grub, you'll have a friend, They'll give you the saddest eyes on earth to get you to feed them too. They will keep bringing 4 legged "presents" to you too so prepare for that if you keep it around. Other than that, having a cat around is never a bad thing.

20goto10

I think asking the neighbours if they know who owns it is a good start. After that you could bring it to the vet to check if it has a microchip. They'll also give it the once over. I wouldn't just assume its been abandoned. You never know what has happened.

af_thefragile

gerkeo wrote: »

The rubber collar you speak of is almost certainly an old flea collar, they dry up and crack after a few months. Signs are somebody loved it enough once to put one on it. Any knicks or V cuts gone out of its ears? normally a sure sign it has been spayed.

As long as you give it grub, you'll have a friend, They'll give you the saddest eyes on earth to get you to feed them too. They will keep bringing 4 legged "presents" to you too so prepare for that if you keep it around. Other than that, having a cat around is never a bad thing.

I think it does have a cut on its ear... Also now every time i go in my backyard, its only a matter of minutes before it's there by my feet chirping at me!
I don't think it really needs the food much as it is really picky with what it likes to eat. Though it does keep giving those sad eyes... I think it wants me to play with it or something than just giving it something to eat...

sorella

Many cats adopt a second home. I was visiting neighbours once, who had told me one of mine had been a-calling, and yes they had fed him...and there he was at the front, sitting there.

He is huge; and well fed, and very sociable. Just being friendly...

Blessings - and at least you have a new friend!

af_thefragile wrote: »

I think it does have a cut on its ear... Also now every time i go in my backyard, its only a matter of minutes before it's there by my feet chirping at me!
I don't think it really needs the food much as it is really picky with what it likes to eat. Though it does keep giving those sad eyes... I think it wants me to play with it or something than just giving it something to eat...

artieanna

sorella wrote: »

Many cats adopt a second home. I was visiting neighbours once, who had told me one of mine had been a-calling, and yes they had fed him...and there he was at the front, sitting there.

He is huge; and well fed, and very sociable. Just being friendly...

Blessings - and at least you have a new friend!

I agree with sorella cats can adopt a second home, there was a fella around here who regularly stopped to sleep and eat at at least three houses all within a three mile area. Unfortunately he got killed on a main road which he crossed carefully often, but was unlucky. So many people missed him including me....He was owned by nobody but we called him Pa'..

I would say give the kitty a bit of food and pet him, you just got yourself a new buddy.

af_thefragile

Cheers everyone for the advice.

I think i've come to the conclusion that the cat has a owner or atleast an adopted home as yesterday i saw it made its way into another house in the area to be welcomed by some guy who could possibly be its owner. So i think this one just decided it's gonna adopt my home as its second home and likes to spend its day here.

Well, as the cat was even much clear and in a better shape yesterday, it is probably being looked after by someone. I guess i need to stop worrying about it for now and just embrace my new friend!!

sorella

Happy ending; great....

We used to feed ferals at some places we lived in Ireland. Once one came in through the bathroom window.. to stay. She was literally dying and wanted to be cared for.

So we made her a bed, kept her warm, hydrated etc, loved her those last days, until she simply fell asleep.

Cats know who will care for them; they choose well always... enjoy the cat....Blessings....

sarahirl

sounds like that cat is keeping it's options open!! our cat arrived at our front door one day and never left. when neighbours call to the house they'd always remark how friendly she was when she visited them. she does her rounds and visits the elderly - great little community worker! once you've fed them, that's it they own you