Cat seems to have adopted us. What can we do?

[BettySpaghettiOnAJetty]

A little cat appeared in our garden last week, she seemed thirsty so we gave her some milk. Since then she's been around a lot, staying for hours, sleeping on a cushion, generally making herself at home. I do not think she is a stray, she looks too healthy. We kind of like having her around on a part time basis even though we aren't cat people.

My question is, as cat People, as you all are on here, is this a problem? Should I put up some kind of notice locally asking who she belongs to? We do feed her sometimes as she stands at the fridge and mews. Is it bad form to feed someone elses cat? Would you be upset if you found out your cat had another family they visited? Am imagining her owners walking past my house and seeing her sitting in my window sunning herself!!

Have I done something wrong by encouraging her to come here?

What should I do?

for a start you should not give her milk as it can couse diarrhoea and you should not be feeding her.

i had no problem with my cats visiting people but i hated when they fed them as they had special diets and got ill if they were fed other stuff.

I'd put a snap release collar on her with your details on the ID tag asking for the owner to call you. If she tolerates a collar some get distressed and you have to take them off.

Vets will check a stray cat for a microchip free of charge. Other than that put posters up locally asking for the owner to get in touch.

No to the milk most cats get tummy upsets from it, water is best.

Taking on a "part-time" cat is a bad idea. If she does belong to someone else, they may be wondering where she is going and why she isn't eating when she comes home.

If she is a "stray", e.g. she has been abandoned, she will need more than a part-time home. Being a responsible cat owner means providing food and shelter 24/7, vaccinations, worming and flea treatments, microchipping, organising a cattery or other care when you go away, etc.

Try to find out who she belongs to by asking around the neighbourhood. If she doesn't have a home, think about all of the above before you take her in full-time. If you feel you can't commit to that, call a cat shelter to have her taken in with a view to finding a permanent home.

Perhaps someone has gone on holiday and not bothered to organise care for her. You may find she visits you less when they come home.

I've had cats all my life and every single one of them has been a cheating hussy. As far as I can tell having a few families on the go is pretty normal cat behaviour - they go where they know they can get the most food and cuddles. My cats were always very well treated at home but weren't allowed in the house during the day while everyone was at work/school so they always found alternative arrangements and came home in the evening for dinner. Never bothered me one bit - cats are independent creatures who like to take care of themselves. My two current cats often come home smelling of perfume. I like to think they're making some old lady very happy while she doesn't have the responsibility of taking care of them :)