Need advice from a cat whisperer!

[allthingsinmoderation]

A beautiful cat has been coming to my garden/house for weeks now,he is quite thin and doesnt have a collar. He is begging for affection,crying a the windows ,doors and catfalp. We didnt feed him or encourage him at all. After a while we wondered if he was lost or stray so took him to the vet to be scanned for a microchip. Vet said he was chipped and owners live locally but wouldnt give any details about owner. First thing this mornings it back crying at the windows and catfalp ,begging for attention. My cat is very territorial and is distressed and some aggressive standoffs have occurred in the garden. Im worried violence will ensue! Whats the best course of action?
Would it be unreasonable to try to find the owners ?

Did the vet contact the owners when you took him in? Did they do a health check

I'd feed the poor bugger first of all. He's obviously hungry and very unhappy with his circumstances. The vet should have called the owner to let them know. You could put up a few posters asking if anyone knows this cat, and on any websites for local info.

Is he out at night?

Yes the vet contacted the owners and thye can to collect him. Im not sure if they did a health check.

The vet advised us not to feed him as he may be on a special diet and it might harm him. It was really difficult to resist feeding him though. The vet called the owner and they collected him. My daughter put a picture on the local community page and a few people said that the cat visits them too but no one knew the owner as of yet. He comes round at all times of day and night. Cata waulling to wake the devil and my cat shouting back at him.

The vet should definitely have contacted the owners. Sadly with cost of living etc more and more owners are struggling to look after their animals (I work in a cattery and we work closely with Cats Protection). Posts on local Facebook groups may help. Poor cat.

It’s a shame really, because if you knew a bit more then you would know whether or not he was ok for your cat to be around and could attempt to socialise them to reduce the stress for yours, and the risk of fighting in the future.

Sorry I haven’t got any ideas on keeping him out of the way though

If the vet has already contacted the owners, it appears that they don't give a toss about the poor cat. Can you ask the vet whether they got any response, and if the cat's name was registered with the chip.

In your situation, maybe feed the poor thing, try and keep your own cat in for a couple of days, and contact Cats Protection. Explain to them what has happened so far and ask for their advice.

Editing to say I misread the whole thread 🤦🏻‍♀️

You could use a local facebook or WhatsApp group to post a picture of the cat and appeal for the owner to keep him in at night. He may have a medical condition causing hunger such as an overactive thyroid. If you express concern it could lead to the poor cat getting care it needs.

Equally it could just be a chancer who enjoys eating out frequently!

The vet did contact the owners who came to collect him,they just wouldnt tell us who the owner was just said they are local. It's a beautiful cat looks a bit like a snowshoe with the brightest blue eyes and seems desperate for affection.

Oh, scratch half of what I said, I wrote half my post, went away for 10 minutes and came back without seeing posts since. Seems the cat has decided that it does not want to live with its current owners.

We have tried the community fb group but i can see how keeping an outdoor cat in might be difficult. Tbh he seems more affection/attention motivated than food .
My main problem is my cat is very territorial and she seems stressed by him.

Since your cat is bothered by this one, I think you need to chase him off and not encourage him.

My cat was a real flirt and convinced half the neighborhood he was homeless. He was very skinny because he was really active but also due to thyroid issues. He had a lot of people buying very nice food for him despite also eating well at home. Eventually he relocated to a lady round the corner who would give him roast chicken.

I'm so sorry your cat cheated on you and left you for another woman.
This one may be of that ilk ,but i'm worried about the emotional distress and potential violent clashes between him and my cat as she is not receptive at all!

A cat that has not been ‘done’ will create a noise to attract a mate. It might be that.
I think the vet could have been a bit more helpful as in saying he is on a special diet, not may be on one.
Out first thing suggests out all night, or peckish. Or looking for lurve….

Is your cat ‘done’ OP ? I would make sure she is.
Violence is usually handbags at a distance. A lot of noise, a bit of ruff stuff and all over. Cats are very territorial and you cat will not like having this one turning up on her patch. They do not respect human adult or legal boundaries. And share distances amongst each other at particular times of the day.

Yes my cat is "done". She is very territorial and is an only cat and has lived at my house longer than i have! She's really stressed puffed up like an adder ,screaming like a banshee and swiping at him.

My cat has been done and it looks like the other cat (a male) has too.
The vet said "might" when i first called for advice at which point they didnt know anything about the cat specifcally so was just giving general advice i think.

If she has been done then that would normally be enough for him to look elsewhere. If he has not been. All cats will be territorial. Ensure you have the sort of flap that opens only for your cat, not his.

You still seem unsure if he is neglected and undernourished. Contact the vet again for reassurance.

After that, you need to do something, assuming all is well, to ensure he won’t want to return to your garden. Nothing to hurt him. A large saucepan of cold water might do the trick.

I'd put some food down the far end of the garden where it can maybe eat without your cat duffing it up, but perhaps that would be wrong of me, I don't know.

I think as you're not in a position to give the little thing any human company you'll just have to hope it finds it somewhere else. There's lots of people who like kits but don't have a territorial one of their own. It'll be ok.

Cats can be excellent actors and very good at convincing people they are neglected and starving when they are nothing of the sort. If you know this one has a home I would ignore except for a bit of fuss if you want to.

I quite agree with the vet not to feed it.

If you think your cat is going to get into an actual fight with him, though, I would actively chase him off and/or water gun.

My cat is also extremely territorial and can't stand other cats in his garden. They usually run away from him because he's quite big but he's been in a few fights with tougher male cats and it can be a big hassle and expense to deal with the injuries, depending on how badly they come off. Definitely try to avoid this!

I'd pop a paper collar on with your phone number asking for the owner to call you.

Does he go home or elsewhere at all or is he always in your garden?

He does come and go but hes here numerous times a day ,crying at the windows ,door and catflap, if my cats outside theres a stand off with catawauling and a bit of swatting. yesterday we took him to the vet at 4 pm to see if he was chipped,they kept him until owners collected him.6 oclock this morning i was woken to screaming from him and my cat.We brought our cat inside with difficulty and he eventually left.Later, he got into the house through a open window,all hell broke loose again. Then returned again mid afternoon and again at 6pmjust crying and butting the catflap.Its exhausting. The paper collar is a good idea .im thinking of calling the vets again and asking if they could pass on our details to the owners (as they cant give us their details) and explain the difficulty. although to be honest i dont know what they can do to help.

We have a similar visitor that comes to our gsrden as well. Always out in the rain unsure if it has an owner or not. Sometimes sneaks into the house through the window. Breaks my heart when he is out in the rain. Luckily my cat likes him so I feed it every time he visits. I also wonder if he has any owners and if they let him inside the home or not.

How would you find out? Can't follow a cat home?