Looking after deceased neighbour's cats

Crock Rock

A neighbour in our estate passed away suddenly and left behind several cats. I don't know how many he had. They were outside cats if that makes sense. The windows of his house are still ajar at the back and his family with whom he was very distant only comes up once in a blue moon to check on the cats.


I've taken it upon myself to buy some wet food. I got the cheapest I could find, 10 packets for €2.89. I don't want the poor creatures to starve and I also want to discourage them from attacking birds as a food source, because I love my feathered friends. The cats are quite tame and let you touch them.



How often do the cats need to eat? Probably a stupid question.


Should I leave water or do cats get fluids from other sources?


Any other advice what to do?

KingJeremy

If you go by the instructions on cat food they should be fed several times a day, but I think leaving food out for them once a day is enough if you’re playing the Good Samaritan. I would feed our cat 3 times a day but when we’re away the neighbor feeds her once a day...we were out of the country for almost a month last year and she was fine with one meal a day....she also supplemented this by keeping the rodent population in check in the nearby fields! Water is all they need to drink.

Cats are very resourceful and will find food and shelter.

Crock Rock

KingJeremy wrote: »

If you go by the instructions on cat food they should be fed several times a day, but I think leaving food out for them once a day is enough if you’re playing the Good Samaritan. I would feed our cat 3 times a day but when we’re away the neighbor feeds her once a day...we were out of the country for almost a month last year and she was fine with one meal a day....she also supplemented this by keeping the rodent population in check in the nearby fields! Water is all they need to drink.

Cats are very resourceful and will find food and shelter.

I want to keep their bellies full, if they go after mice, the likelihood is that they'll go after songbirds too.

KingJeremy

Hmmm...the thing is cats are predators by nature and love hunting down birds and mice. Our little tubby tabby still goes a-hunting even on three meals a day AND when there is food in her bowl. I don’t mind the mice but I hate it when she gets the birds too...even with a bell on her collar! I was absolutely livid when she left a kingfisher at the back door last summer. Didn’t talk to her for a few days after that >:-(

janmaree

Thanks to you for your efforts and concern, it's really kind of you. You can't do much about the hunting, I don't think it's so much to do with food as it is an instinct that's hardwired into all cats. Ever watch Jackson Galaxy transform problem cats with his flying feather toys, because that proves it, to me anyway! Mine never have empty dishes but they still hunt sometimes, I'm actually grateful to them because our old house hasn't had a sign of a mouse in 15 years (we could time their arrival by the calendar before) and we never see a live rat anymore either, just dead ones that they proudly leave for me to admire (we live in a rural spot).

If it's possible to keep the rain off it, I would subsidise the wet food with a large dish of dry food, Go Cat is my cats preference. It will give them backup food and give you a bit of breathing space when you can't go there straight away. As long as they have nuts and a big bowl of water, they won't perish! A vet friend of mine recommends dry food only but my cats don't agree, therefore we compromise with both!!! Good on you, there's something really nice hardwired in you too

Zapperzy

Your doing a good deed by looking after them. Have the family indicated what's going to happen to the house, if its sold on or rented to new people they might not appreciate taking on a family of cats.

While in the short term your keeping them alive by feeding them you need to decide do you want to take on these cats? At some point they're going to need more than a tin of food every day, will you be prepared to bring them to a vet when needed or pay for routine things like worming tablets? Do you know if they've been neutered, if not they'll start multiplying come late spring/summer.

Chances are if they've never bothered the local bird population they'll not suddenly start, fed cats generally hunt for fun rather than survival. Feeding guidelines will be on the back of the tins/pouches, usually something like 2-3 pouches a day per cat or 3/4 tin. I'd feed morning and night if possible, get them into a routine so that they know when to expect food, otherwise your leaving food outside and if they're not around it'll attract vermin.

As for water, you can leave out something that'll gather rainwater, tip it out and give it a wash now and again. Cats generally will just drink from puddles or containers that have gathered rainwater. Don't bother buying a fancy bowl, they'll never use it. Cats don't drink a whole lot anyways unless in heatwave weather like we had this summer. Don't give them milk either, upsets their stomach.

Crock Rock

Thanks for all yousr input everyone.
My neighbour was living in a council house. The house is in quite a state of disrepair and needs a lot of work done.


I have contacted the <snip> who said they may initiate and trap, neuter, return programme on the cats, so natural wastage will take its toll on them, especially if winter 2019 is a bad one and the house is still unoccupied (which I'd say it will be).


I'm not a cat fan exactly, but I'd hate for a living creature to suffer.

SozBbz

Just to add, not all cats hunt. My cat certainly doesn't, to the extent that I've seen birds sit beside him while our on the step.

Some are natural hunters though, and as others have said, no amount of feeding will turn that instinct off where its strong.

skallywag

Crock Rock wrote: »

I want to keep their bellies full, if they go after mice, the likelihood is that they'll go after songbirds too.

I don't think you can stop them doing that.

We've had many cats over a period of many years, and they have always been fed very well. Never stopped them from bringing home mice, birds, frogs, baby rabbits etc.

Stratvs

skallywag wrote: »

I don't think you can stop them doing that.

We've had many cats over a period of many years, and they have always been fed very well. Never stopped them from bringing home mice, birds, frogs, baby rabbits etc.

Ah but do they bring the mice so fresh they play catch me if you can with them in the kitchen when they drop them :eek: like our tabby does.

Ps no mice were harmed in the making of this post, I usually manage to catch them and let them go down the woods.

skallywag

Yes, mice are very often still alive when they are brought in, the frogs as well. The birds are always dead though.

acequion

Fair play to you OP,you're doing a very good deed. I echo the advice of another poster. A large bowl of nuts out of the rain, if there is a ledge somewhere you can put the bowl under. Plus a bowl of water and at least you know they won't be hungry, poor little mites.

looksee

One of our cats caught a bird and came to the glass door with the bird in her mouth. As I watched she saw me and opened her mouth to miou a request to be let in, whereupon the bird (wagtail) fell out of her mouth and immediately flew into a nearby tree where the giving out was only mighty. It kept it up for a good while too!