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We have one cat already that isn't a big fan of other cats. When our 2nd cat died 2 years ago, she has had the run of the house. For the past two days we have had a cat in the yard. We thought it had an owner because it had a collar... but it became obvious it's now a stray because it ate all of Mimi's special food, gulped down water, keeps meowing and follows us around. It's latched on. We would love to keep it, but with Mimi... we can't. I contacted a no kill cat shelter (where we adopted Mimi and Olivia from), so I'm hoping it can take the stray. If they can't, what would be the next best bet? SPCA?
Have you actually made an attempt to locate the owner? Start there. Make posters, put a found ad on your local Facebook lost and found pets for your area, etc.
If it has a collar, it might be chipped. Can you take it to your vet for a scan? I'd also put signs up on telephone polls, in your library, at your supermarket, etc. Call the police and ask if anyone reported their cat missing. Police help connecting finders with owners in my area. Maybe they do the same there.
I'd wait a little while---like a week or two---before sending it to a shelter. It might just live right down the street. The owner might have gone on vacation, and the cat might have escaped the house when someone stopped to feed it. The fact it has a collar means it probably does have an owner who would like to find it.
Well, the Kitty Cottage (no kill cat shelter) is run by vets and they can check to see if it does have a chip. My guess is the cat is a year, so it might (all our cats had/have) chips. My guess is if they get back to us, they will. Sadly, our cat is freaking out, so I'm not sure if we can keep it longer than a few days. I work at a library here and it's next to a police station, so tomorrow when I go to work I can visit the police and see if anyone did report a missing cat. It's pure black and we worry about people getting strange with the colour. I took pictures:
Also, my mom took pictures and placed them on Facebook (I deactivated my account, but I put a picture on Instagram).
What's the problem with letting it stay outside and just making sure you feed it meals each day? I'm only suggesting you give it time in case the owners are out of town.
There was a really sick looking cat that came onto my porch. It's a darn good thing I didn't "save" it and take it to a shelter because it turned out that it was my neighbor's elderly indoor cat. He sometimes gets out and takes a little walk around the neighborhood. He ate like he was STARVING too. Meanwhile he has a home, is very loved, and gets fed regularly
That's silly about worrying about people being weird about it being black. The poor cat should have a fighting chance regardless of its color.
Since it's wearing a color, that cat has a home. Don't take it to a shelter too soon. I'd go knocking door to door in your neighborhood. It has to be from nearby.
What's the problem with letting it stay outside and just making sure you feed it meals each day? I'm only suggesting you give it time in case the owners are out of town.
There was a really sick looking cat that came onto my porch. It's a darn good thing I didn't "save" it and take it to a shelter because it turned out that it was my neighbor's elderly indoor cat. He sometimes gets out and takes a little walk around the neighborhood. He ate like he was STARVING too. Meanwhile he has a home, is very loved, and gets fed regularly
That's silly about worrying about people being weird about it being black. The poor cat should have a fighting chance regardless of its color.
Since it's wearing a color, that cat has a home. Don't take it to a shelter too soon. I'd go knocking door to door in your neighborhood. It has to be from nearby.
That's true. My mom is now pawning it off on my cousin's girlfriend if it's here for another week. That upsets me, but mom is one of those people you can't talk to because she's a certain way and has to be boss. Tomorrow I will go to the police with the pictures, then go door to door. We're not sure where exactly the cat came from, like the direction. But, I will knock on doors around here, in my neighborhood and the next one.
You're good people for trying to help this stray. Hopefully you can re-unite him/her with the owner if there is one. I suppose it won't matter much if the cat ends up in a shelter or rescue (or it's own home), but I really hate seeing a buckle-type collar on a cat. Hope it gets changed for a break-away type somewhere along the line. Much safer.
Good luck.
edit to add;
Looked at the pics again and I agree with Hopes, that cat has a home someplace (probably close by). By the coat & body condition it doesn't look like the cat has been out on it's own for very long. Wouldn't be surprised if somebody isn't missing/looking for it.
I am thinking exactly the same thing about that collar, please remove it so the poor cat doesn't hang himself ! Years ago we had one of those flea collars on Sniffy and one morning I found the collar hanging on a bar stool, luckily, it had broken and Sniff didn't choke. The one in the pictures won't give the cat any chance of getting loose if it gets hung up.
The collar was actually around its leg and dad had to move it. I will remove it because I'm worried about it. My mom thought that it might be a case where the owner is on vacation and couldn't find it before they left and it's searching. Maybe if we take it to the shelter, we can make flyers and say it's at the Kitty Cottage. I'm waiting to hear back from them. If an owner is home and was looking, would they report a missing cat to the police?
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That upsets me, but mom is one of those people you can't talk to because she's a certain way and has to be boss. Tomorrow I will go to the police with the pictures, then go door to door. We're not sure where exactly the cat came from, like the direction. But, I will knock on doors around here, in my neighborhood and the next one.
Years ago we had one of those flea collars on Sniffy and one morning I found the collar hanging on a bar stool, luckily, it had broken and Sniff didn't choke. The one in the pictures won't give the cat any chance of getting loose if it gets hung up.
