A funny thing has happened to us

[lisalisa]

We seem to have been found by a Cat.
Actually she found our neighbours first and started hanging around in their garden so they fed her the odd tin of tuna . Their young son is a bit roughwith her though so she crossed through to my garden ( we have a gap between fences ) and played with my children a bit .
I could tell she seemed hungry one morning and think the neighbours may not have fed her that morning so I put a can of tuna out and she ate the lot.
She then regularly appeared at our steps for food so I fed her .over the last ten days I’ve been feeding her twice a day and she’s come in the house and slept in a blanket we folded on the floor as well
As on our soft chairs .
I think she’s a kitten as she seems quite playful but also so sweet and helpless .

I don’t know what to do as she’s got no collar and we have no st box to take her to the vet to see if she’s microchipped .

I know literally nothing about cats but my kids are dying to keep her.
She’s ever so sweet and loving but I’m also scared of taking on too much and not being able to manage ( I have a lot going on in my personal life right now ) and don’t want to let down an animal

How old are your children?

You really need to check for a chip and advertise her before you make any decision about keeping her.
You'll be gutted if you decide too and actually she's owned by someone down the road.

Sorry. Advertise as in "cat found" not sell her on.

My children are between 8 years and 21 years .
I can advertise yes . I’m
Just a bit worried someone may come forward who doesn’t own her but wants to sell her for profit or hurt her etc . I won’t know will I ? There’s no way of knowing - I’d just have to take whoever’s word for it ?

Any cat owners phone is full of cat photos. Full of them. 300 cat photos and one of a four year old in a new school uniform by a door.

Do you know any cat owners who could lend you a box?. Wilkos do cheap boxes.

You shouldn’t be feeding a cat and taking it in without even trying to find an owner.
Many cats don’t wear collars. They’re a choking risk among other things.
Cats often say they’re hungry. Maybe tuna seemed preferable to actual cat food.
Get a paper collar and put your details on it. And stop trying to steal a cat.

300 cat photos and one of a four year old in a new school uniform by a door.
Oi, how did you get my phone?

A bit of a side point but you're not still feeding it tuna are you? It's not really suitable for every meal, more an occasional treat and then only in spring water.

wolfie harsh!!!

How exactly was she supposed to advertise it as found and not feed it? She hasn't got a cat box to take it to the vet so I imagine she didn't want to spend money on one if cat would just vanish the next morning...

@Wolfiefan got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!
Most cats, especially kittens, won't just eat for the sake of it so she probably is actually hungry.

OP do you have any local Facebook groups you could put her on? Speaking from experience if one my fluff bags was missing I'd be looking on there

They don’t call me mystic fluffy for nothing utterly.

You can get cardboard car boxes. Not ideal but only a couple of pounds and would do one journey.

Hopefully if she is just a kitten she’s isn’t homeless, it’s getting cold at night and younger ones shouldn’t be out. Take her to a vet or cat protection for a scan. Ask about. Whoever owns her might have no idea she is breaking hearts up and down the street!!

www.petplanet.co.uk/product_group.asp?dept_id=743&pg_id=2523

Make a collar out of paper with your phone number and a message to ask owners to call you. Fasten with cellotape, not too tight, just about one finger space under it. Hopefully you will hear from owners...

If she's young and friendly she could be lost or abandoned but definitely has had a home. If you advertise on your local social media pages ask for proof of ownership as others have said - photos, vet records, that sort of a thing.

If she's young she might not have been spayed (neutered) yet so it would be important to act quickly before she gets pregnant...

Not all cats are chipped.
Mine would happily eat tuna instead of actual cat food.
I can’t understand why anyone would take in and feed an animal without making any attempts to check for an owner.
We have a ginger visitor. I know it has an owner and is well loved. It approaches us as if we are the only people to have ever shown it affection. It’s trying it on. We cuddle it but it can’t come in the house and we don’t feed it.
I would be bloody cross if someone had been feeding old girl as she had special dietary requirements and they could kill her. Stupid thing to do.

Ok thank you all . So :
1 we haven’t been feeding her tuna every meal . I bought some cat food from Sainsbury’s so she’s eating that too

2 I don’t understand the paper collar idea ? I want to find her owner so if I make her wear a paper collar with my details how will that help ?

3 local social media pages good idea . How do I find them ? Go in to Facebook and put my town name in search bar and see what comes up ?

4 get a cat box and put her in and take her to vet to see if she’s microchipped ?

If she isn’t microchipped and no one comes forward to claim
Her and we decide to keep her - really not sure on that front yet - is there any way to train her to not go upstairs ?

Any cat owners phone is full of cat photos. Full of them

Yep

Stop feeding it. Cats should not regularly be fed tuna, it is especially tasty-so of course it’s coming back for more-but it can leave them malnourished. I know someone is feeding my cat as despite us weighing out all food he is getting fatter and fatter. Infuriates me. He isn’t starved just bloody greedy. They won’t be paying any weight related vet bills!

Check out local Facebook pages for lost cat and contact local vets, if someone is missing it you can say it’s in your area and IF they ask you to keep it in so they can collect it you can entice it in with food.

Why have you decided this cat doesn’t have an owner? Nothing you’ve posted suggests it hasn’t got a home.
Paper collar saying the cat is visiting you. Searching for owner.

You can print out a paper collar, if it has an owner they will see it when kitty goes home and can ring you. If you do take it to the vet for a micro chip check they or you can call the owner and say it's at your house. I wouldn't keep feeding it, it's very tempting but just gice it a little bit, if it does have an owner then it needs to go home. There is a website called find my cat where you can post a pic, you can put up posters on lampposts, through doors, at the vets, on social media. If no one claims it and you want to keep it then get it sexed, neutered, flea and worm treated, buy a fluffy blanket and put it in a cardboard vox for a bed, litter tray, litter, food bowls. The cat protection website has loads of info for new cat slaves. If it has got an owner then if you want a cat do look at rescue sites, don't buy one.

You cannot train a cat to not go upstairs, they rule the home, that's part of their charm. You might be able to train a cat to play a few games but that's about it

If you are going to keep,her you will need a box to take her to the vet for injections and a checkup to start with. Can you afford vets bills or insurance. I dont think you can stop her going upstairs. We tried stairgates which didn’t work, they jumped over them. Think about what you are taking on. The vet will then check for a chip

At our old house we had a cat that tried to move in. It belonged next door and I knew for a fact he was adored and very well treated. I once paused to stroke a cat upstairs on a bed as I walked past and realised it didn’t feel like my cat. (He looked like the neighbour’s cat!) The cheeky interloper looked at me and purred. I had to explain this wasn’t his bed. And warn the neighbours if they ever lost him he might be at ours and let us know. Cheeky little black and white kitty.

OP, this is kind of how I acquired my first cat. She was hanging around our back garden (but very skinny, full of fleas and not spayed - which I think is important to note.)

We took her to a vet but she wasn't chipped. So we reported to the local Cats Protection and RSPCA (SSPCA as in Scotland) and left a description and location with them.
They asked if we could keep her in the meantime until her owner was found. I said yes and left my phone number... that was nearly 10 years ago. No owner ever came forward looking for her.
She has since been spayed and is now living out her retirement from street-cat life as a spoiled house cat

You need to borrow a cat box and take her to a vet to be checked for a chip and given a general health check. Then report it to your local rescues in case there is an owner out there looking for their cat.

It is quite possible to have cats visiting regularly without intending to feed them. I have at least 1 comes through my cat flap. I occasionally spot it retreating. I suspect I get another one but haven't caught it in the act. Pretty sure they both have homes. My old boy used to wander into at least 3 other houses where I used to live. The householders both came round when he stopped to check he was OK. He was fine, just stopped one day. Please advertise in local shop windows/face book pages and get it checked for a chip. I lost a cat 5th August 2016 and FB or checking a chip would have found me. I still cry over her and just hope someone took her in.

If she's young then she could very well have wandered and become lost and hungry, I'd be grateful if anyone fed my hungry cat!

You can download a paper collar from the Cats Protection, it says that the cat has been visiting you and you are worried that it may not have an owner and to call you on your phone number, which you write on. This only works if the cat is going home!

Google Harveys Army, there may be a volunteer in your area who can come out and check for a chip for you. If not most vets will lend you a carrier, please don't use a cardboard carrier, they really aren't safe and a determined cat will escape.

Post details of the cat on local facebook and Animal Search uk. Alo notices/posters in supermarkets or local shops can be useful.

Otherwise if all the above fail then you've probably got a cat, but a rescue may be able to take her on a waiting ist if you're unable to keep her. Fwiw I've known several cats that have turned up whose owners could never be traced, it isn't that unusual unfortunately.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_litter_tray/2138803-If-in-doubt-feed