Apparently neglected cat - best thing to do?

lazer

GustyGardenGalaxy wrote: »

A friend of mine (who lives over 100 miles from me) owns two cats and her neighbour owns one. Her neighbour's cat is never allowed inside her owner's house, instead she is left outside on a permanent basis (irrespective of the weather), apparently with no shelter whatsoever. Because of this the cat is often to be found huddling underneath a tree in my friend's garden.

The neighbour owns a dog which IS allowed inside his house.

This cat is apparently always hungry and often gets into my friend's house via her cat flap and snaffles the food put out for her cats (my friend doesn't mind this and she does of course ensure that her cats get enough).

I've met the cat and she's a lovely thing - she is a tabby, her coat looks good, she's not apparently underweight and she seems alert and very friendly (but she is easily startled). She also comes when called.

Unfortunately my friend doesn't get on at all well with the neighbouring cat owner, so it's difficult for her to approach the neighbour on the matter.

My friend's idea is to find out if one of her friends would like the cat then (somehow) ask her neighbour if he would be prepared to let the cat go to another home. Unfortunately my friend can't take in the cat as one of her cats doesn't like the neighbour's cat!

I can't adopt her as I have a few dogs and couldn't afford to look after another pet (I have owned cats before, but they are both very sadly deceased due to old age and illness).

Another option is to approach the RSPCA I guess, but even if they do anything the poor thing will just end up in some kennel and no doubt be put to sleep if not adopted.

Can anyone think of a better option/approach? Would the Cats Protection League be a better choice?

I hate to think of the poor thing huddling outside in all weathers, especially in winter.

Thanks

I have a cat house outside for my cats, so they do have shelter, but they don't use it, sometimes they can be found under trees, under the shed, under the car etc, cat's make their own shelter.


Just because a cat is outside does not mean its neglected.

Mrs_Optimist

I agree with the above posts. Our cat is very much an outdoor cat - he cries to go out at night - whatever the weather - and is outside more than in. he sleeps under a great big evergreen tree in next doors garden - we had the cat flap taken out as other cats were using it to get into the house but he never used it - preferring to sit on the back step by the French doors (easily seen) when he wants to come and go! He is very much loved, fed & watered daily and is very healthy and happy.

I would be livid and offended if a neighbour approached me to ask if they could have him as they thought he was neglected. Don't jump to conclusions.

meritaten

my second cat Nicki was a cat who I came across when I was working in a neighbourhood. he used to run up to me, and loved me to pick him up and cuddle him. he was so affectionate. I used to share my bottle of water with him. I found out where he lived and watched him for a couple of weeks. I saw that he never got let indoors, his food dish was usually empty (eaten by the dogs who roamed around) he rarely had water. he was emaciated, his fur was horribly matted and he had fleas, bad breath and hardly any teeth (yet his food was dry food).
So, on my last day at work in that area - with my boss's help I stole him. we just drove up, I called him and he came to me and I scooped him up in a towel and we drove him to my local vet. on the way I felt a collar round his neck which was so tight my boss had to use his Swiss Army Knife to cut it off! It was so tight I hadn't even felt it before and it left a PERMANENT weal on his neck. The vet diagnosed him a couple of days later as FIV and gave him a couple of weeks to live.
Do I have a guilty conscience about stealing him? NO - his owners obviously didn't care.
He spent three and half years with me and my family, and was cherished as the very special cat he was. EVERYBODY loved him - he was such a loving gentle soul.

and the moral of my story? Do as your conscience tells you.

Froglet

meritaten wrote: »

my second cat Nicki was a cat who I came across when I was working in a neighbourhood. he used to run up to me, and loved me to pick him up and cuddle him. he was so affectionate. I used to share my bottle of water with him. I found out where he lived and watched him for a couple of weeks. I saw that he never got let indoors, his food dish was usually empty (eaten by the dogs who roamed around) he rarely had water. he was emaciated, his fur was horribly matted and he had fleas, bad breath and hardly any teeth (yet his food was dry food).
So, on my last day at work in that area - with my boss's help I stole him. we just drove up, I called him and he came to me and I scooped him up in a towel and we drove him to my local vet. on the way I felt a collar round his neck which was so tight my boss had to use his Swiss Army Knife to cut it off! It was so tight I hadn't even felt it before and it left a PERMANENT weal on his neck. The vet diagnosed him a couple of days later as FIV and gave him a couple of weeks to live.
Do I have a guilty conscience about stealing him? NO - his owners obviously didn't care.
He spent three and half years with me and my family, and was cherished as the very special cat he was. EVERYBODY loved him - he was such a loving gentle soul.

and the moral of my story? Do as your conscience tells you.

Thank you.If only more people were like you and didn't walk on by,either not bothered or thinking someone else would help,there would be fewer poor creatures suffering in silent misery.

This cat needs help.Please get your friend to do what she can,OP.

Pollycat

Froglet wrote: »

Thank you.If only more people were like you and didn't walk on by,either not bothered or thinking someone else would help,there would be fewer poor creatures suffering in silent misery.

This cat needs help.Please get your friend to do what she can,OP.

But does this cat need help?

I agree 100% with the action taken by Meritaten and would probably have done the same.
But that cat was emaciated, his fur was matted and he had fleas.

The cat the OP is talking about is not apparently underweight and her coat looks good.

Just because a cat is 'apparently' hungry (2nd hand information from the OP's friend, I guess) doesn't mean it is neglected.
My cat would have eaten the entire stock of my cat food cupboard if I'd allowed him to.

There have been 4 posts saying that - from their own personal experience with their own cats (mine included) - just because a cat is outside in all weathers it doesn't mean that it has no choice other than to be outside.

When my old boy wanted to go out - rain or snow - he would have trashed the house if I'd tried to keep him in.
I'm sure some people may have thought 'poor old sod, chucked out in awful weather' - but they'd have been wrong.

We don't know that this cat is suffering in silent misery.
The OP has the majority of the story second-hand from her friend.

Yes, if it is suffering in silent misery do something about it - but be clear on the facts before trying to rehome a cat that is not actually being neglected.

valk_scot

Up till the end of last year we "owned" a garden cat. She lived in a cardboard box in our shed and we fed her but she was very much a free spirit, she wouldn't come inside further than our utility room and you could only stroke her when she was in the mood. She seemed happy enough though and I sneaked in flea and worm treatment and she got enough to eat, we've got three house cats so there's plenty of food around. She was female but as we never got any kittens I'm assuming she was neutered, her ear was notched so it might have been done at a rescue,


I did ask the vet's advice once and he said if a cat had shelter from the elements, enough food, didn't look underweight or in poor condition and no underlying health issues then the chances were that the cat was perfectly happy where she was, especially if she's turned down offers of coming indoors. Certainly the cat seemed contented enough, I'd see her every day going in and out the shed, she'd come up to say hello, have a sleep and a meal and be off again. Last summer though her visits started to get less frequent and then they just stopped. We asked around but no one had seen her. I assume she had either moved on or found another "owner", or got killed somewhere.


So I would provide the OP cat with an outside shelter somewhere, provide food, keep an eye on it for health problems and then just leave well alone. You can't just go around stealing cats, especially ones who aren't visibly in distress. Cats do live perfectly happily in outside conditions, look at farm cats who never go indoors but who spend their lives living in outside farm buildings like barns. If the OP cat was very unhappy where she was she'd have found herself another home by now and moved in with the old lady on the next street, plenty of cats do move themselves out for all sorts of reasons.

ineed

It's lovely that you care about this cats welfare and want to help it but I agree with those saying to be careful in this situation and get your facts 100% right, which I'm sure you and your friend will . You say this cat looks in good condition, I myself have two very healthy cats (bright eyed, nice teeth, thick soft glossy fur, etc) who love being outdoors and would hate someone thinking they were neglected, just because sometimes they refuse to come in, when in fact they are far from it. The vet actually says they're spoiled .

meritaten

if Nicki had been in good condition - I would NEVER had done what I did. He was so obviously sick and desperate, I had no choice really. its a judgement call. and you have to do what your own conscience can live with.

Pollycat

meritaten wrote: »

if Nicki had been in good condition - I would NEVER had done what I did. He was so obviously sick and desperate, I had no choice really. its a judgement call. and you have to do what your own conscience can live with.

I believe you, Meritaten - and said I'd probably have done exactly the same thing as you in those circumstances.
And you made a neglected and ill cat very happy for his last few years.

But from what the OP has posted, this cat is not at all the same.

I think posters are right to urge caution before action.

If anyone had considered my old boy to be neglected because he was out in all weathers and taken it upon themselves to find him a 'better' - in their opinion - home, I would have hunted them down and tore their heads off.

Beckyy

The only thing I would query would be why the cat looks in such great condition if he/she if neglected, it could be like others have said that he just likes to be out all the time and cats being opportunists would likely snaffle another cats dinner given the chance.

I would see if there are any local cat rescues you can get in touch with? Maybe they could make a courtesy call to your neighbour to test the water.