Thinking of offering a home to a stray cat - please advise!

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

My friend has asked me if we would like to offer a home to a cat that she is pretty sure is stray. It roams round her aunty's road - has been around since the summer when she was an oldish kitten. Apparently the cat gets fed by all the neighbours and goes into their houses when she can and is very friendly but my friend (who already owns a cat) thinks she is definitely a stray - she has checked with all the neighbours. None of the neighbours can take her in permanently and neither can her aunty because she has alzheimers, so my friend has asked me if we would like to take her in before she takes her to the RSPCA at the weekend as she is worried about the cold winter coming and the cat having no permanent home.

Let's say that DH agrees (he's always said no to having a cat, being more of a dog person, so this may not get very far anyway!), what would we need to do? Presumably take her to the vet and first of all check that she isn't microchipped and just a missing cat? I would hate to think that we are taking in a cat that is somebody's much-loved pet.

I will check back later after speaking to DH about it! The kids will be made up if he says we can have her but don't want them to get attached to a cat that may turn out to belong to someone else so would have to go cautiously.

if hubby does say yes, take her to the vets to check if she has a chip, and ring up rspca and local rescues and register her as a found cat as they usually have a data base of lost and found cats also put notices up without too much info in local vets offices along the lines of cat found but dont give too much info as the real owner if shes a lost cat will know thier own cat

I wouldnt take a cat to the RSPCA, they put them down pretty quickly.

I've bought stray cats home before now, lets say DH wasnt overjoyed and our own cat was livid with me but once they are there looking all ill-kept and gratefull theres not much to say is there?.

I think it's a lovely thing for you to do.

Well, dh said its a definite No from him. So I can't do it unfortunately. Thinking about it, Fluffy, I have seen a picture of the cat and it doesn't look all unkempt etc - its fur looks a bit long and doesn't appear at all matted so surely it must be getting groomed regularly?

And it is very friendly apparently - surely a stray would be more timid? And surely it would have been having kittens by now if it was a proper stray? But my friend seems so sure it is a stray - but I've seen too many threads on here from owners annoyed that other people seem to be feeding their cat and that it doesn't often come home.

Anyway it's out if my hands now . I won't bring any animal into the house that isn't 100% wanted by each of us cos that wouldn't be fair. I think my friend has got a couple more people she can ask anyway.

Thanks for the replies.

Just as a last update, it turns out now that this stray cat is pregnant - it wouldn't be put down if handed to RSPCA would it?

I dont know.

I wouldnt give any animal to them tbh, they do seem to have a high put down rate.

You need a no kill shelter, but as microchips are usually inserted while the animal is still under from the anaesthetic when neutering I dont imagine this animal is owned.

Strays can be very friendly as they learn this is how to get humans to feed them, she must be starving if she is pg.

I wonder where she slept on the frosty nights we had last week.

We implant microchips at second vaccine so there is a chance it is microchipped. Cats protection would be the best option.

Small local cat charities are your best bet.

I am currently feeding a little black beastie that's hanging round my back door, begging. He doesn't belong to anyone in the street, but three people are feeding him now and my neighbours opposite have made a bed for him in their outhouse (which is heated and has a cat flap in it anyway as the old neighbour's cat used to sleep in there.)

There was a brief discussion about taking him to a charity but we've decided to all chip in for his food (he has my cats' leftovers) and he seems happy enough where he is.

They do tug at your heartstrings, don't they?

Aldi cat food is good, we use if for our cat and the vet always comments on how nice his condition is.

Although last time he said "he's obviously very well cared for" which is code for a "a bit overweight". Vets dont seem to understand Bengals are muscular.

Will you all chip in to neuter him? at least then he is less likely to be in a RTA.

Is that the wet food or dry food, fluffy?

He has pouches as he is intolerant to maize.

It's all muscle honestly. No, really it is!.

Pic on profile.

Ah, thanks. Cozieseniorboy only has pouches so I'll try them if I'm up there next week.

They do a senior, it's the orange box.

One of mine was picked up from a pub car park. I had been feeding her for months and she had been living in a old shed in the beer garden. She had kittens but sadly they all died when she was still there a week later I rung cats protection and they said that as long as I had her they would spay, vaccinate, flea and worm her and make sure she had no underlying illnesses.

Shes been with me 4 years now and prefers to sit on your lap and purr than go outside