Crazy cat ladies-advice wanted pls!

[Autumn777]

I really would appreciate some advice from all you lovely cat lovers please. So went on holiday & there were 2 stray cats in the hotel restaurant.

They we’re not friendly and hid under chairs if anyone went near them. I love cats, I have 3 rescue cats myself. I asked the English waitress ‘Susie’ about them. Susie said she feeds them every night around the back of the restaurant. She feeds them chicken & sausages & not to worry about them. She also said another lady in one of the apartments feeds them. They didn’t look skinny or ill. Susie said she rescued a kitten left in a dustbin & is a cat lover herself.

i ordered chicken every night in the restaurant & Susie took it out to the cats.

i can’t stop thinking about these cats. I contacted a cat rescue and they said they would go to the restaurant & check on the cats, trap & neuter them. They also said all restaurants close at the end of October so they need to talk to owners & Susie.

knowing what the owners of the restaurant are like, they would not take kindly to a rescue going into their restaurant like that. I fear they might get rid of the cats if they are a nuisance. Susie feeds the cats discreetly round the back and says she has a routine.

So should I leave the cat situation alone or give the cat rescue details of the restaurant? WWYD?

No, that’s one I’d leave alone.

i know what you mean though. I still think about the skinny little ginger cat I fed in Morocco.

In countries like Greece it's not unusual for hotels or restaurants to have a couple of cats they feed as they are vermin control for free for them. Though as a cat lover I find it sad and wish more neutering programmes would take place to reduce strays. You could try and take them over here but it's a lengthy and pricey process.

Thank you Skinnermarink. I keep thinking of them. I have my 3 cats here it seems so unfair. I think why doesn’t Susie call a cat rescue? I don’t want to make things worse for these cats or have them sitting in a cage.

what happened to the ginger kitty in Morocco?

I'm a cat lover and I wouldn't do anything in this case.
I've just returned from southern Europe and there were stray cats everywhere. I saw dozens. Cats are very clever and will find people to feed them or they'll hunt. My own cat was a stray until he was about 2. No one fed him but he survived by hunting and scavenging. He was a really healthy weight when we adopted him.

I don’t know, I was there for three weeks. There were a hell of a lot of cats. The riad and many others sort of had their resident cats. Nothing in the way of rescue programs that I could find. He was just a sweet cat I fed, but then had to say bye :(

Thank you Fundays12. I did think of adopting them. I asked the rescue and they said it was £255 plus vaccines & passport per cat! I also have 3 cats at home so not sure how it would work with them.

they we’re not friendly or used to humans but didn’t seem feral either.

I’m not sure if they have their own thing going on or whether to intervene & help. I feed a feral cat here in UK and he would hate having someone say like RSPCA collect him and put him in a cage.

He is not socialised so would be at risk of being pts if that happened. He comes & goes as he pleases, let’s me feed him from a distance and hates humans. Been feeding him for years, he has the life he has chosen. He would hate to be domesticated.

I don’t know whether I’m meddling or whether to speak up for these cats. I want to do what’s right for them.

Personally a life in the 'wild' is their home. Imagine a rescue took them and couldn't rehome. Is a life in a cage for them any life at all? May make you feel better but doubtful they would be happy.

In other countries they can see cats and dogs as we see chickens, cows, pigs - underserving of consideration, there to be used.

It's wrong for any animal to be seen that way.

But you can't mess with their culture, they won't like it.