WWYD? Cat outside 24/7

[MonsterThighs]

There is a cat that seems to be outside my house 24/7, rain or shine, day or night. He's very friendly but I have noticed he is becoming very skinny, unkempt (he's long haired) and I've had to save him from cars a few times now as he seems to be losing his awareness of the traffic.

I'm not sure where he lives, but I'm sure he doesn't live in my row of houses.

He's yowling at my door, tries to get in at any opportunity. I'm worried about him but I have two cats of my own, and I know it's not the 'done' thing to feed other peoples cats. He has no collar.

What would you do?

I would take him in, feed him and get him scanned for a chip. Can you tell if he's neutered? If he's not he's definitely stray.

It's terrible that 'it's not the done thing to feed other people's cats'. That's part of the reason that so many cats end up basically dying of starvation. Sure, don't feed a cat if you know it belongs to someone, but otherwise, if in doubt and certainly if it appears to be in a bad way, then the kindest thing is to feed it at the very least.

That is one cat that I would feed, personally. Poor thing he sounds in a bad way. Please see if you can help somehow

Feed him. Butchers choice is a good food and not expensive.

I'd feed a hungry cat waaaay before I would a human though.

The first thing I'd do is feed him. It sounds as if the poor lad is stupid from starvation.

Have you got an outside shed or something similar that you could maybe give it to him in - preparatory to boxing him and having him to the vet for a chip check?

How do your cats get on with him?

He's not black and white, with a very bushy tail, is he?

Out cat is rarely in. He goes out for days at a time (though he is around, comes to see us in the garden etc) and doesn't come home for meals. I try to shut him out in the day, hoping he'll come home at night, but it doesn't always work. I don't think he is skinny or in bad condition though, despite regularly getting fleas from the local farm cats (he is treated, but that doesn't stop new ones jumping on). He doesn't wear a collar as he loses them within hours of me putting them on.

If I were you, I'd put some good out for him outside. If it is my cat (!) then I wouldn't mind that, but encouraging him inside would be out of order).

Good luck!

Forgot to say, my cat lies on the white line in the middle of our road, and always has done. He is not stupid from lack of food, he's always done it :(

I think putting out a dish of food = nice

Putting out bowls of smoked salmon & keeping cat = out of order.

Feed outside & Take him to get microchipped.

Thank you for responses. My two cats hiss at him whenever they see him unfortunately. I might go and knock on a few doors in the next road, see if anyone knows where he lives. He's such a lovely boy. I've fed him, he gulped it down so quickly that I'm now feeling guilty I didn't do it sooner!

Well done. Poor boy - he sounds as if he might be a housecat who has got himself thoroughly lost and hasn't a clue how to hunt/steal to make a living.

You could put a paper collar on him with your phone number & "is this cat owned" on it.

He does sound thoroughly lost though. One of ours scavenged but he weighed 14lb and was obviously cared for.

Poor boy. Did you manage to find out if he has a home, Monster?