The Cat Thread

My tuxedo Maine coon overwhelming his sisters bed .

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My oldiwonk Toppy looking beautiful today...

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Interested to hear cat owners opinions...

There is a cat/big kitten that spends an incredible amount of time in our garden. Pretty much most of the day, every day (she's in the garden now in the drizzle). She drinks from our bird bath and it pretty much here when I get up with the kids and when we go to bed. The kids love playing with her and have named her.

When she first rocked up she didn't have a collar, so I posted on our st. whatsapp. A neighbour said she was his and not to feed her. But now she's bigger, she seems quite thin. From sleuthing the chat thread, I can see he's got at least 3 cats (probably 4, maybe more). I can only assume that she doesn't like the other cats and maybe they eat her food.

Any suggestions or ideas?

I don't want to feed her, but the rest of the family do. I know you never really own a cat, just look after it, but I can't help but feel that if they don't want to go home the owner isn't doing a great job. Equally it's hard not to judge someone with more than 2 cats, so I might just be being unfair.

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Ah bless her.
As a cat owner I would say don't feed someone elses cat but as a cat lover I would say take her in and give her somewhere dry to hang out and something to eat if she's hungry.

Having multiple cats is always a risk. Sometimes they get on well for years but then one of them gets bullied and excluded. I've seen it happening in two households. In one case a young cat grew and started challenging the ageing one. In the other case a cat was away for a few weeks recovering from injury and the others wouldn't let it reintegrate. The owners don't concede that they've created the situation until well after everything's gone wrong.

How about posting vids and clips on the whatsapp every time this cat is in your garden, while repeating the message over and over again that she's your neighbour's cat and therefore you and your kids would never feed her? You don't want to make him feel that you are stealing her. So your kids should use the cat's original name. Don't feed her, not even once. That really would be tantamount to theft. (There was a court case....the feeder was ordered to stop.) You don't have grounds to intervene on welfare grounds because she isn't starving and looks well cared for. If she felt compelled to ask your family for help she'd be very demonstrative. There'd be insistent, desperate pleas.

Eventually your whatsapping will prove that the cat has a new life with your family. Maybe the owner will feel obliged to do something in the cat's best interests...maybe give her to you, or give you permission to feed her, or get rid of the cat which is bullying her, or resolve some territorial tensions. Sometimes it's enough to feed rival cats in separate areas or give them separate catflaps or additional litter trays.

Cute cat!
Hard to say if 4 cats is too much, in a big place they could maybe get along in theory, but I get how one might think that's borderline cat hoarding.
Where do his other cats hang out?
Maybe it's ok for cat at her home, but hanging out in your garden is just what she prefers.
Also what Phil says.

Not sure where all of the other cats hang out. One of the younger ones comes to our garden sometimes, but isn't spending all their time here.

But the ones I think are this owners other cats mill about a bit more. Our garden is a thoroughfare for foxes and cats so we see plenty.

I'm not really up for the passive aggressive WhatsApp posts.

I think I'll suggest we just carry on co-owning her without any of the cost and hassle. And keep an eye on her weight. I'm allergic to cats anyway so she's never going to live with us. I guess if she starts to look unhealthy I can always drop a msg and ask if she's OK? And ask the question about other cats bullying her.

I'm definitely not going to mess about finding out her real name and breaking it to my kids that they have to change her name.

Cheers all.

Cats don't gas what you think their names are (ime), so i wouldn't worry about that.

Found this little one last night. She’s dehydrated, hungry and definitely an indoor cat. No microchip, found in e3 in a block of flats.

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Oh no! Poor wee cat

Looking for some litter tray suggestions from the forum hive mind.

Our ragdoll is generally quite good at using her litter box, which is a standard hooded one with one entrance on the short side. However she has a behaviour of going in and not turning around before doing her business, so poops just inside/outside the side of the tray and doesn't cover it. Typically she then decides that the tray is dirty as the entrance is dirty, and then doesn't use it again until its cleaned, this way she will only use the tray once before deciding the rug is better for pooping purposes.

Any suggestions to fix, has anyone tried a top entrance litter box? or can we try something behavioral?

This little sausage turned 9 today. Now she’s in excellent health as far as we’re aware and not overly chonky.
Maybe I’m being paranoid but now she’s middle aged is there any preventative supplements or similar we could be giving her to keep her happy and healthy?
I do worry about her joints in future(I grew up with a Labrador who suffered badly with his hips in later life) as she tends to land with quite a thump when she jumps off stuff. She’s always provided with an easier way down but she does love tombstoning off the top of stuff.
She’s on a restricted diet anyway as her digestion is a bit hit n miss but she’s been on her current food a couple of years with no issue.
So yeah, she’s fine but just want to make sure we’re doing all we can for her.

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9 years!

I remember you getting her. Christ.

She was already 2 when we got her if that makes you feel any better?

I had a similar problem. Replaced the tray with a pair of lidless ones like this. Less risk of a half-in half-out shit because the cat climbs completely into the tray. If she smears shit on the side she can use the other tray next time, which she likes a lot. Not having a lid probably sounds like a revolting stinky eyesore. But at least it makes cleaning quicker. And the smell is hardly ever an issue because World's Best Cat Litter is so good at neutralising it.

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Never thought this would be my second cat experience, but as I keep being told: the cat distribution system is at work!

She is so skinny, no chip and dehydrated. Currently keeping her confined to my room which is difficult but manageable. She has been poorly but her health is improving! We had our very first 5 min play today. My sphynx wants to play with her (much better than the anxious vom whenever he smelt her). Hoping they’ll get on in the long run as I’d hate to let her go/will try and make it work. So far - she hisses at my sphynx cat who then hisses back in retaliation. No scuffles have broken out! Scents are being tolerated.

Meet Barbs (short for barbarian). She’s incredibly sweet, confident, VOCAL and a godsend.

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Good on you. She's looking better already.

Cool cat!
Hope she'll be back to good health soon, and that the two get along.. 🤞

Stunning looking cat! So pointy looking, part Siamese perhaps? Might explain the noisiness.
Top work on bringing them in and care :)

be prepared for a month or so of aggro before they settle down, once you get past the segregation phase.

Barbs looks lovely, hope it all works out.

I'm allergic to cats anyway so she's never going to live with us.

Sorry, I had it all wrong...I thought you were considering adopting her.

Wife and kids may disagree and say take a pill and get over it.

Sooooo fluffy.

Maybe cat isn't getting enough attention at home. Who knows.

But cat out in the drizzle isn't good.

If the kids and wife like the cat, you have a cat in the day and no need for the expense of feeding nor vet. Sounds like a win.

More concerned about the lack of chip tho.