I moved into a new flat last year. It's a nice flat and my neighbours are lovely. I have a cat, so it's wonderful to have a big communal garden. The neighbours either side of me have cats so there's no problem with my having one.
The one problem is there is an old cat who is homeless and lives in a hedge in the back garden. He's a lovely cat, if it weren't for my own cat, I'd have taken him in. He is totally deaf (always has been), is going blind, has an untreated dislocated hip that has formed a false joint, is very stiff and just seems sad and tired.
My neighbours have been feeding this cat since he was chucked out as a three-month old kitten. He almost starved to death, as he doesn't seem able to hunt, possibly because of his deafness. So he's been here for almost a decade. He's never been to a vet, he's obviously un-vaccinated and hasn't been neutered. He's been seriously injured at least once, probably by a very aggressive cat, which caused the dislocated hip and also caused a huge wound on his face.
Obviously, the first thing I did on moving in was suggest getting Cats Protection to rehome this poor soul. Then the neighbours started saying that he was "quite happy", that another neighbour would be very upset, etc. Basically, I was given lots of reasons why he couldn't go. I backed down because I'm the new girl and I don't want to cause problems. I help feed him but he's nervous due to being mistreated and also because my big, furry twerp of a cat is trying to chase all the other cats out of "his" territory.
The situation really upsets me. A few weeks ago, we had snow one night, I was sobbing thinking of this poor cat out there trying to stay warm and lying on cold, hard ground with his sore joints. I'm saving up to get him a little shelter but there's no guarantee he'll use it. Plus, he must be in a lot of pain, and might have other problems, so he needs to see a vet. He's a lovely cat and deserves to spend what remains of his life in a nice home, lying in a soft bed in front of a fire, with a loving owner there to cuddle him. I wish I could give him that home but my cat would never accept him.
What do I do? Should I phone Cats Protection and ask for their help? One neighbour is going away for a few days and that might be a good time to trap the cat, as she said she couldn't bear the thought of this cat being in a trap all night as he'd be frightened, so she'd let him out. However, I don't think CP would have a space for him. I'm also worried that they might decide that the branch couldn't afford his medical bills and would put him to sleep. He's not going to be easy to home, he's 10, he's deaf, going blind, is arthritic and he's the most unpopular colour: black. He'll need to go into a foster home and they'll be overrun with kittens.
I have Asperger's Syndrome so I struggle with understanding how people will react in a given situation. What should I do?