possible stray cat, dont know what to do for best...

loulou123

Hello any help or opinions on following....please

For the last year or so we have occassionally seen a black cat in the street outside our flat, we would see her maybe once or twice a fortnight.

In the last few weeks though this cat is ALWAYS outside our flat, it even sits curled up on our doorstep (much to my cats digust!) We have never encouraged it to hang around us. We have scaffolding up at moment outside and the cat has taken to sleeping up there all night and feels very cold in the mornings.

As she is always there anyway, despite not encouraging her, we decided to feed her on Tuesday evening, but she refused the food, we left it in garden with her and she didn't touch it. Surely if she was a stray and hungery she'd have ate it? Also she is very long haired and her coat is in surprisingly good condition - odd leaf etc in it, but not matted and she doesn't feel underweight when stroking her.

As weathers getting colder I feel sorry for her sitting up the scaffolding all night, but don't know what to do (having her indoors temporarily not an option as my cat doesn't like other cats.) As I don't know if she's stray or not.

I've asked all the neighbours and they all see her, but no one knows if she has a home - any suggestions? As I'm debating calling RSPCA but then doubt myself as she seems so happy!

Grimbal

it's a bit of a long shot, but can you call your local cats protection league - they can come out with a scanner to see if she's chipped. otherwise a paper collar with a message to her owners might be worth a go?

Dollardog

Please don't send her to the RSPCA, black cats are harder to rehome and she may get put to sleep.
If she has to go anywhere, Cats Protection is much better.

picklepick

Put a paper collar on in the first instance. Just a little note asking the owners to contact you because you're worried she might be a stray.

Janey1968

we had a lovely little ginger that used to hang around. It got to the point where I thought he had adopted me and I was just about to buy a coller etc when one of the neighbours beat me to it! They put a paper collor on (as someone else suggested) saying to get in touch if it was your cat. After a couple of weeks the cat turns up with nice new coller, had been "done" *it was a boy!! and hopefully living happily ever after!

loulou123

Thank you for replys, I had heard of the paper collars but forgotten all about them, so will give it a try.

She seems so happy and seems to be "coping" well if she is a stray and the last thing I want is for her to be pts or spend months in a rehoming centre just because she's a black cat, if she was underweight or seemed poorly the decision would be easy to make.

I will give the paper collar a go and if that doesn't work I will try calling the cats protection to see what they suggest.

podperson

If its not taking food and its coat isn't matted (and if it has really long hair then they tend to get in a mess fairly quickly!) then it sounds like it does belong to someone. Maybe it just gets put out at night, or even prefers to be outside most of the time. I would second try the paper collar before thinking about calling a resuce - tbh I know the RSPCA at least won't do anything unless the cat seems injured anyway, we called them once for a stray kitten and they wouldn't come out unless it was actually hurt.

loulou123

Podperson - I feel the same about its coat, someone somewhere must be brushing it, as it has very long fur - nearly to the floor!

I'm just puzzled as on fireworks night it was asking to come in my flat as it seemed a little nervous of the noise, if it had a home surely it would've gone there? As we've never let it in, apart from once when I left front door open and it strolled in, but was soon chased out by my cat. Before we had the scaffolding up it'd sit in our front garden staring in window some evenings!

I had heard the same about RSPCA - not coming out unless the animals in danger.

peachyprice

Please don't let the RSPCA take her away, she's not hungry and she's well cared for, chances are she's someone's loved pet who just likes being outdoors.

I have tortie like that, she's outside in all weathers, talking to people in the street. She's never far from home, always comes in for dinner, but goes straight back out again. She has a cat flap so is never, ever shut out, she just prefers it. If I tried shutting her in when it was cold she would go ballistic. Shes' the happiest friendliest cat (for a tortie) in the world, known by everyone locally, she just loves the great outdoors. I would be heartbroken if someone had her taken away because she was out.

Dunroamin

You could take her to the vet to check whether she's been chipped as there wouldn't be a charge for this.

podperson

loulou123 wrote: »

I had heard the same about RSPCA - not coming out unless the animals in danger.

We rang them a few years back when there was a tiny kitten that had been going up and down our street for about 2 days mewing constantly - it didn't even look old enough to be away from its mother. I rang them on the second night as it was absolutely freezing, frost on the ground, and they refused to come out unless the cat was actually injured. I ended up bringing it inside myself in the end as I had horrible visions of a wee frozen body on the doorstep in the morning
I think some of the independent ones tend to be a little better, but again they try not to take possible strays a lot as they're usually full as it is.