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Worry not; I wasn't considering any sort of 'capture'.
However, it's become clear in recent days that I have to stop feeding him: He has learned the sound of our garage doors (the big one and the regular door on the side) opening and will come running if he's anywhere in earshot. Forget about being able to leave the garage door open, even when needed (the garage is too small for a car and so it's used as a workshop and for garden tools etc) because Shadow now wants to come in -- he knows that is where the food's been served from. Because the last thing I need is cat protein in any area that I spend any time in, or anything I touch, this now poses a problem. Not only for me but for him because we have glue boards placed on the floor along the walls during "cricket season" which is early Sept into mid December here. They are chemical-free but very sticky and it would not be good for him to come into contact with any of those, even if I didn't have the allergy issue.
Today pretty much put a button on it: Our unfinished basement has an outside entrance, which is handy even though we rarely go down there. However, I had to bring some things in for the winter and so I had to leave the door open for just a couple of minutes while I carried them in. When I turned back to the door, there was Shadow waltzing in as if he owned the place and wanting to investigate. Not a good thing, but luckily as soon as he saw me head toward the door he assumed I was going to get food for him and ran after me (and out) lickety-split, LOL
I am guessing/hoping that after a few months of me no longer feeding him, he will lose interest and we'll be able to do things like open the garage door again without having to dash in and out furtively. In my defense, I honestly thought he was a feral or stray at first and never dreamed he would ever become friendly/importunate enough to present a problem.
The good news, I guess, is that if I go about my business in the yard and don't feed him, he will eventually wander off a bit but continues to keep an eye on me. The bad news is that if he sees me walking toward a door he is right there underfoot; and if I come out of the garage without something for him to eat, he literally makes himself a 'roadblock' directly in front of my feet so that I have to stop walking. He must think I'm incredibly stupid and is trying to tell me that I need to turn around immediately, go back into the garage and bring out food. If anyone ever saw the crablike dance I have to go through to get past him at those times, they'd probably have me committed!
I don't know BBC, he/she could very be a lost pet. It sounds like it is really insistant on you to care for it, which I understand you can't really do.
Have you asked someone to try to put on a collar with a note? That for sure would get you an answer if it's owned. Otherwise try getting someone to live trap it ( or someone pick it up and put in box or carrier) and bring to shelter, they might have one to borrow. It sounds like it would be an adoptable cat, probably a very young cat too I have a feeling. It's only experienced kindness from you so not afraid of people yet.
I don't know BBC, he/she could very be a lost pet. It sounds like it is really insistant on you to care for it, which I understand you can't really do.
Have you asked someone to try to put on a collar with a note? That for sure would get you an answer if it's owned. Otherwise try getting someone to live trap it ( or someone pick it up and put in box or carrier) and bring to shelter, they might have one to borrow. It sounds like it would be an adoptable cat, probably a very young cat too I have a feeling. It's only experienced kindness from you so not afraid of people yet.
It really does sound like the cat has a real home and is just visiting BBC for the treats. It's been coming around his place for two years, isn't starving, isn't disease-and-flea infested, and is probably neutered or it would probably be dead by now at the hands of other tomcats because of its small size -- or at least pretty beat up. Trapping it and taking it to a shelter would likely be a death sentence. It's this simple — there are too many "adoptable" cats in shelters and not enough people who want them. As the old saying goes, if it's not broken, don't fix it.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 12-01-2018 at 07:43 PM..
Worry not; I wasn't considering any sort of 'capture'.
However, it's become clear in recent days that I have to stop feeding him: He has learned the sound of our garage doors (the big one and the regular door on the side) opening and will come running if he's anywhere in earshot. Forget about being able to leave the garage door open, even when needed (the garage is too small for a car and so it's used as a workshop and for garden tools etc) because Shadow now wants to come in -- he knows that is where the food's been served from. Because the last thing I need is cat protein in any area that I spend any time in, or anything I touch, this now poses a problem. Not only for me but for him because we have glue boards placed on the floor along the walls during "cricket season" which is early Sept into mid December here. They are chemical-free but very sticky and it would not be good for him to come into contact with any of those, even if I didn't have the allergy issue.
Today pretty much put a button on it: Our unfinished basement has an outside entrance, which is handy even though we rarely go down there. However, I had to bring some things in for the winter and so I had to leave the door open for just a couple of minutes while I carried them in. When I turned back to the door, there was Shadow waltzing in as if he owned the place and wanting to investigate. Not a good thing, but luckily as soon as he saw me head toward the door he assumed I was going to get food for him and ran after me (and out) lickety-split, LOL
I am guessing/hoping that after a few months of me no longer feeding him, he will lose interest and we'll be able to do things like open the garage door again without having to dash in and out furtively. In my defense, I honestly thought he was a feral or stray at first and never dreamed he would ever become friendly/importunate enough to present a problem.
The good news, I guess, is that if I go about my business in the yard and don't feed him, he will eventually wander off a bit but continues to keep an eye on me. The bad news is that if he sees me walking toward a door he is right there underfoot; and if I come out of the garage without something for him to eat, he literally makes himself a 'roadblock' directly in front of my feet so that I have to stop walking. He must think I'm incredibly stupid and is trying to tell me that I need to turn around immediately, go back into the garage and bring out food. If anyone ever saw the crablike dance I have to go through to get past him at those times, they'd probably have me committed!
I'm glad to hear you won't be taking the bad advice you've been given here about taking the cat to a shelter. I agree that you need to stop feeding him, but please have patience. You've trained him to associate you and your home with tasty treats, and it won't be easy for him to unlearn that.
You asked upthread about how those with indoor/outdoor cats feel about others feeding their cats. Well...I think this thread is pretty indicative of why it's not a good idea to start feeding a cat unless you're prepared to take on responsibility for it in case it actually is homeless.
People often think that cats that come around looking for food are "starving," but unless there's visual evidence of that, they aren't. As I said before, it's hardwiring. Cats evolved in a desert environment where it was in their best interest to have as many food sources as possible; a cat roaming the neighborhood looking for food is acting on instinct.
If the cat truly doesn't have a home, that's a different story, but everything you've said here indicates otherwise. Even if it was a matter of a few kind neighbors leaving out food, there would still be signs of scuffles, fleas, and disease. If his appearance declines drastically after you stop feeding him, that's when it will be appropriate to contact a rescue. Keep in mind, though, that most are overloaded.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 12-01-2018 at 08:06 PM..
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Not only for me but for him because we have glue boards placed on the floor along the walls during "cricket season" which is early Sept into mid December here. They are chemical-free but very sticky and it would not be good for him to come into contact with any of those, even if I didn't have the allergy issue.
