Advice re cat at door

[PrettyFlyForATightGuy]

Hello lovely people, I just want to pick your feline-loving brains about our visitor. Today a gorgeous cat came into our front garden and DD and I gave it a stroke. She's a gorgeous thing that seems well fed, beautiful coat and has a collar on with tag but nothing on the tag but the local council number (we're in Oz). This was 6 hrs ago and she's taken up camp on our front doorstep, is scratching the door and pushing herself up against the window every time I speak and despite trying to shop her away she's showing no sign of budging. I have seen her in the neighbourhood before but not for a couple of months and I'm not sure what to do. We can't bring her in because DH is allergic and anyway she looks too well cared for to be a stray but she's breaking my heart! Any advice? I'm tempted to see if she's still there in the morning and if she is call someone but I'm not sure if that's the right path or if she's just after some food and a new bed for the night!

It sounds as if she's lost. Do you know of anyone in the neighbourhood that has moved away recently? (Well in the relevant timeframe.) and do you have a vet nearby that you could contact and maybe check for a chip etc? (Forgive that I don't really know the setup in Oz.)

This is how we ended up with our cat...

I'd be soo tempted to keep her but having had one of mine disappear I'd be ever so grateful if you made some sort of effort to find the owners. Often a quick trip to a local vet can scan & relocate cat within a few days.

In an aside, I now don't like visiting my sis, she took on a kitten & every time I visit I want to take it home but that's crazy cat lady talk because I think we could look after her better (and the kids love their kitten)

Don't feed it unless it's still there tomorrow and I don't mean it just comes back. It could well be a 6 Dinner Sid and just trying his luck and as you said,he looks well feed atm.

You could pop a paper collar on her asking her owner to let you know that she has a home to go to. They can be printed off the internet.

If she's still hovering 24 hours later I'd ask a vet or rescue centre to check her microchip. Ask to borrow a friends cat carrier if you do this, don't risk taking her in a cardboard box.

I've taken a cat to the vet's and it was chipped and given back to the owner.

The other one wasn't and he's moved in and never left

It's just that it's Oz, Dame. I don't know the setup there.

Do you know any cat owners who might be able to lend you a cat carrier, OP? (Or have a nearby shelter or rescue organisation that could do it? ) Just to get the cat to the vet if needs be.

I think in some states it's a legal requirement for cats to be chipped in Australia. Also enforceable cat curfews in some places, so she might get rounded up tonight! Have you got a local lost and found on Facebook or similar?

She may be lost. My cat went wandering and got lost, this is what she did, she found a nice lady on the street who stroked her and made a fuss she followed her home and tried to get in her house and Meowed and purred and sat on her doorstep, until they eventually let her in and phoned us (details on her tag). She never wandered again, and stayed close to home after that

She had been missing a few days by then, so she must've been hungry and cold and quite desperate to go looking for strangers to help her.

www.rspca.org.au/campaigns/responsible-pet-owner/micro-chipping

Thanks, Dame. Interesting.

Thanks everyone, sorry it's taken me so long to reply, I misplaced my phone again. She's still here and has taken up residence between the front door step and the bush next to it. I've fed her this evening as it's been over 24hrs and managed to get hold of a vet on their out of hours number. He says I can bring her in to him in the morning and he'll scan her and then sort her. I can't decide whether to sneak her into our laundry room for the night tonight if she's still there at bedtime or if it's best to leave her out in case someone's looking for her.

Someone mentioned upthread (sorry I can't scroll back up to check names ) that I shouldn't take her to the vets in a cardboard box. I don't know anyone around here at all so can't source a cat carrier, why is a box so bad? It's the only thing I could think of other than our big picnic bag!

Probably because they can break their way out if they panic?

Poor thing, must be lost.

I know Dame. It's such a gorgeous thing too. Full of love and just wants to curl up on you. If it wasn't for the sneezy DH she'd be curled up with me on the bed by now. Fingers crossed she's got a chip and they can reunite her with her home.

Here she is

I hope she's got a microchip.

Does he get used to cats if he's around them lots?.

Your DH has a sort of allergy doesn't he, Fluffy?

Soooooooo such a gorgeous cat!

Petalcleanse is meant to be good for allergies. or you could just LTB and move the cat in

** soooooooo sweet - got all carried away with fluffy gorgeousness!

he's allergic to cats and now has two inhalers for asthma. his allergy reduces when he's exposed to cats.

i didn't force the cat on him. must find out why his ipads against capital letters

My phone doesn't capitalise either

For God's sake don't take her anywhere in a cardboard box. She will claw her way out and you will lose her. Surely someone on your road must have a cat. Can't you knock on some doors?

Failing that a carrier here only costs around £10. I imagine they can't cost too much in New Zealand either. It would be better not to take her anywhere than to try to take her in a cardboard box.

Update - she's at the vets and she's chipped and lives a couple of roads away. The vets are going to try to get in touch with them to let them know she's there. They couldn't tell me their exact address for confidentiality reasons otherwise I'd have gone and knocked and explained. Hopefully they're there and not away or having moved and she was just being a pickle and trying her luck. She spent two nights sleeping on our porch though - DH came and went from work three times overnight and she was curled in a ball next to the door. Fingers crossed it all works out and it wasn't a mistake taking her there. Thanks for your advice everyone.

I hope she is reunited with her owner.

My vet recommended taking my cat in one of those laundry nets with the zips. I was a bit horrified at the thought but can see how they are safer than a box.