Looking after deceased neighbour's cats

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.

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 >:-(

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.

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 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.

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.