Neighbours asking me to “cat sit”

[Fire9636]

Neighbours a few doors down have asked me to feed their cat whilst they’re away. Not really put out by this happy to help although don’t have any pets of my own. Anyway they’ve gone for a week and it transpired last night when they came to drop the food off that the cat will be outside the whole week and they want me to feed it outside? They don’t have a cat flap and the cat has no access to the house.

I was to shocked to say anything last night but went looking for the cat when this awful weather started and found it crying at the door of its home to be let in. I’ve managed to coax it to mine.

is this reportable or am I out of touch and this is fine for cats?

Cats aren't waterproof and they need warmth, their body temperatures run higher than ours.
Unless it's genuinely feral and they just feed it that cat needs decent shelter.
I have outdoor cats, in the summer they pull allnighters but during the winter they have boxes or blankets over their beds all round the house for extra warmth and they're welcome on the sofas or our beds.
A cat is a 20 year responsibility if you're lucky.

What assholes.

Thank you for keeping her warm & snug.

My cats are ex feral and I know they would be absolutely fine if they were locked out of the house and left to fend for themselves. I live in a village and there are plenty of places they can shelter. I know if I left them without any food or water they would also be fine.

However I still don’t go away and leave them without shelter food or water. When I’m away I do shut the cat flap to the house but they have another cat flap to the conservatory where they have raised beds, food and water plus my neighbour keeps an eye on them too. The reason I close the cat flap to the house when I’m away is that I went away for a weekend in the summer last year and came home to find they had been murderous and there was maggots everywhere 🤢 which I don’t want in the house. The conservatory is much easier to clean up if that happens.

Leaving it with no shelter when it’s usually inside is a bit mean though. Yes it will survive and it will be ok, but that’s not really the point is it?

If you can't access the garden where are you supposed to be feeding the cat?

Sounds like you have a cat now!

they've arranged the very bare minimum care for their own cat to avoid giving a neighbour access to their home by the sounds of it.
I would say to them when they return that you were uncomfortable leaving the cat outside and that they should be providing better arrangements in the future. Or better yet, rehome the cat if they don’t care.

Is this a joke ? What on earths the point in having a pet cat if this is the opinion of the owner

Thank you for caring for this cat OP. I think id be having strong words with the owner when they get back!

You’re so lovely for caring. My childhood cat was an ex-stray and often preferred to be outside. My Dad put a cat flap on the shed door for her and we put a bed in there for her too. We would never leave her without shelter.

Text them this. It might make them think twice. Or they will just do it again

They have left their cat to adapt in a week with October storms. I have just let my cat out and the bucket I use for weeding is full to the brim with water.

These people are awful

This is horrifying. Keep the cat.

Yep exactly this, I was assuming that post was a joke but my cat comes running in the second it rains and would never catch its tea, its scared of mice and let's his brother chase mice whilst he's up as high as possible! The other cat just plays with the mice, they are totally domesticated clueless cats! They wouldn't even wee outside a litter tray either.

That is an offence in law and breaches the required 5 freedoms based on basic welfare you can report it to the police and rspca who will probably do very little than chastise them on their return, you can contact a local rescue and ask them to foster the cat until owners return they can bill appropriately or you can book it into a cattery and the owners will need to settle the bill on their return another option is to take it to a vet if it’s not chipped they’ll have rehomed it when they return or you can keep it in your house and avoid neighbour conflict but be warned cats are good at picking greener grass and will settle very quickly given a chance hence I have 20 plus now lol

Have they specifically said the cat can’t get inside, Or are you just assuming because you can’t see a cat flap? Just asking because I feed a cat outside for someone who’s cat can access the house through a mystery hole in the back of the house that accesses the wall spaces, no one really knows how it does it but it appears in a cupboard inside their house as if by magic so they just leave the cupboard door open and the cat can get in and out. He cat is quite often sitting outside crying when I get there to feed it though just because it knows that’s where the food will be.

I would definitely text her back and say that cats absolutely do not adapt to be left cold and in the rain, the weather is horrific at the moment! My dog won't even walk out in in and my cats haven't left the house at all.

I can't believe how awful your neighbours are!

If you have their number, text them that the weather is awful and not appropriate for the cat to be outside. Ask if they have left a key anywhere. At the very least, the message might make them think about what they’ve done and feel embarrassed in the face of your disapproval. Perhaps they won’t do it again as a consequence.

Did you say that it’s not happy and mostly living at yours?!?

The bastards. I had a neighbour like that. I kept the cat at my house for the week, and gave the people a right bollocking when they came back.

I wonder if they have done this before to other neighbours. Have they had the cat long.

This happened to us years ago! The exact same thing! We were horrified. Anyway the cat ended up being our cat within a few months…. 🤣 prior owners were happy we were happy.

That’s awful, what a horrible thing to do to a cat! Thank you for looking after the cat 😻
My cat won’t even step outside in the rain or cold, she likes her comforts.

Domesticated cats used to living indoors will struggle with being left outside. It’s a cruel thing to do.

Make sure you tell the owners that it was crying to be let in again, otherwise they will continue to believe that they are right.

Hopefully they'll be recognised as the neglectful gobshites from this thread and posters will tear them a new one!

Domesticated cats used to living indoors will struggle with being left outside.

Yes, and domestic cats don't originate from the UK. They are desert animals designed for hot climates. They are not adapted for cold damp weather.