Neighbour's cat (a bit neglected?) is becoming a nuisance - WWYD?

[whippet]

A family live across the road. Have had cat for about 3-4 years. Our kids sometimes stroke/play with it when it comes in the garden. It used to be sweet and friendly.

Sadly the parents are divorcing. Mum takes the kids every school holiday, and Dad stays here with his girlfriend. He is often away on business too.
The cat has a cat flap to their house, and someone comes to feed it every other day, if necessary (we see this happen).

I don't think this cat is hungry etc, but I think it is very bored and lonely.

When they family/Dad are away it always comes straight to out house, and mews incessantly outside. We try to ignore it. We don't feed it. But it is becoming a nuisance.

Over the last few days it has been hot and we've had the doors and windows open.
I have found the cat in out house several times. Once it was sitting on top of the hamster cage . We've chased it away, but it keeps coming back.
Yesterday it started scratching the leg of one of our leather dining chairs.
In the past it has even climbed up onto the roof, and climbed into our loft room when it heard the kids' voices .

I feel sorry for it, but it is becoming a pest.

Yesterday I was hanging laundry out, and it was there, mewing for attention, rubbing around my ankles. I just kept ignoring it, and then it seemed to get angry, and bit and scratched my leg

What should I do? How can I persuade it to leave us alone?

[whippet]

Oh dear - perhaps I posted in the wrong place? If everyone here is a cat lover/owner you may not be sympathetic to someone who's not too keen on them (DH has an allergy)?

[girlywhirly]

I think you should have a word with the owner, let him know what has been going on. Personally every other day isn't enough for someone to feed it, even with dry food. The cat sounds really bored and starved of attention, I doubt the owner is even aware of this.

I don't know how you can get it to leave you alone, but the owner needs to address the problem, if he isn't meeting the cats needs it might be better to try and re-home it. Easier said than done when so many animals are given up for re-homing due to separation and divorce.

[whippet]

Thanks Girlywhirly
I think the problem is that it was the mum who had the cat, and since she has now moved into a flat she hasn't taken it with her . I'm not sure the Dad cares really. And every holiday the Mum takes the kids away (for up to 6 weeks in summer) and then the cat is bored and lonely (and perhaps hungry too, then?)

We really don't want a cat, so I don't want to feed it. But I don't think the Dad would be interested in hearing about it.

[girlywhirly]

Give him the contact details for Cats Protection, RSPCA etc tell him he needs to sort it, or his ex does, clearly the cat wants to live somewhere else, or it wouldn't keep coming to you. Tell him that it attacked you because you didn't want to encourage it, and that you can't take it yourself because of DH's allergy.

If nothing gets done, you could call the RSPCA for advice, especially if you suspect neglect.

[whippet]

Oh dear, it was here in the garden all day yesterday. We had a BBQ and it was pestering us, devoured a piece of chicken which fell off the BBQ. So perhaps it IS hungry? I gave it a bit of tuna, which it also ate, and it was drinking water out of the bird bowl .

Cat was still there, mewing at 11 pm last night when I locked up, and she woke me up at 5.30 am this morning, mewing outside .

DH went to neighbour's house this morning - there was nobody there (house looked empty last night - no lights/car etc). Dh looked through cat flap and saw a bowl with water, but food bowl was empty.

What should we do? I really don't want it to adopt it, but nor do I want it to starve! What do cats eat anyway? Is there soemthing we should buy to 'tide it over' until owner comes back?

Am fed up with this - it won't leave us alone. Every time I open back door it zips into the house

[girlywhirly]

You could buy some dried food as a stopgap, but I would put a note through the door and state what has been happening. If you get no reply and you know he is there call the RSPCA and say this cat is pestering you because it isn't being looked after. They may decide a visit is in order to speak directly to the owner, and advise about cat care. There is no need for a cat to go hungry, especially as you can buy covered feeders with timers to open at intervals, even if another cat ate the food in it's dish there would still be another lot locked in the feeder until it opened. I bet the person who comes just leaves a heap of food to last two days and when it's gone or scoffed by other cats the cat comes to you hungry.

It doesn't sound as though the guy is that bothered, and certainly ignorant of what is necessary. A cat fed every other day when he's away is really inadequate, I wonder if the cat is wormed and treated for fleas regularly, and vaccinations are up to date. At least RSPCA will make him aware of these things, and may give him the option to sign the cat over to them if unwilling to look after the cat properly.

[whippet]

girly - I'm pretty sure the cat is vaccinated etc and otherwise well looked after, but it's just that they have a slightly different attitude (the mum is French) - I think they believe cats can be more feral /

It has been pawing at out windows all this week .

We felt so bad for it that we bought some dry food - it just about knocked us over trying to get to it when we put the bowl out

I e-mailed the Dad at the weekend, but have had no reply. I texted the Mum (who is abroad) and she said 'don't worry - someone is looking after the cat - she is probably just bored and lonely'

I am getting so fed up - it is ALWAYS there, outside. The minute we open a door or window it is trying to get in.... somehow this has suddenly become OUR problem..

I don't want an F**king cat !!!!