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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Would this be suitable for a stray cat I'm trying to take in?

25 replies

MunchMunch · 16/02/2019 12:36

Also how long would you keep the cat in there for (per day)?

I've been feeding him for a few weeks and now he's comfortable coming so far into the house for a little while, one day it was for a few minutes before scrabbling at the door to be out then the next while the house was quiet he stayed about an hour snoozing on a pillow with me next to him on the kitchen floor.

Unfortunately we've noticed 4 other cats hanging round with him but the look in good condition and at least two of them seem to be in heat females so the last couple of days he's been awol and hasn't been fed by me but has been showing up and hanging round with the other cats for a while. They all seem to like going behind my shed.

I'd like to get him in the house and keep him in so I've been looking for a suitable cage for him as I don't really have any rooms I can block off for a few weeks while he settles in and gets neutered.

Would this be suitable for him?

Would this be suitable for a stray cat I'm trying to take in?

OP posts:

Wolfiefan · 16/02/2019 12:39

NO!!!
How do you know it’s a stray? Have you had it microchip checked? Tried a paper collar?
I would be prioritising getting help to check out the females in heat and trying to get them neutered or your problem will soon spiral.

thecatneuterer · 16/02/2019 12:42

I really don't understand. He probably is a stray - there are millions of them around. If he's hungry and unneutered then he probably is. But why do you want to put him in a cage? And how come there are unneutered females where you are? Are you outside the UK?

Marcipex · 16/02/2019 12:42

I think it would be cruel to keep him in a cage.
How do you know he's even a stray. Most cats will hang around someone who feeds them.

thecatneuterer · 16/02/2019 12:43

Oh I see what you're saying now about the cage. But you don't need to do that as he is already getting used to you and already regards this as he territory. The only time you will need to confine him is for a few days immediately after neutering. Could you perhaps just shut him in your bathroom or similar then?

chickhonhoneybabe · 16/02/2019 12:45

God no! The cat will go mental in a cage! Try the paper collar thing first, and then take him to the vets to check if he’s chipped and then get him neutered if you want to keep him, but please don’t lock him in.

Coffeethrowtrampbitch · 16/02/2019 12:50

Please check his chip before you regime him!

My cat has been taken by a family who did this and unfortunately the vet didn't try to contact me despite her being microchipped. They have had her for 6 months and I need to involve the police to get her back. I've been assured as she's microchipped they cannot refuse to return her without being charged with theft, so please make sure he is really a stray!

Original poster

MunchMunch · 16/02/2019 12:50

I can't check for a chip until I can get him to the vets. If he isn't someone beloved pet who has been lost then I would bet my life he's a stray, he's scruffy and flea/tick infested, eats like he's never had food before and hasn't been neutered, whereas the others all look clean and well cared for. Once he's been checked for a chip and of he's someone's cat I'll gladly hand him back. To be honest I really didn't want any other pets but I can't leave him in the state he was especially when it was freezing and snowing.

OP posts:

Coffeethrowtrampbitch · 16/02/2019 12:50

*regime not regime!

thecatneuterer · 16/02/2019 12:55

If he's unneutered then the chances of him being chipped are vanishingly rare - I would bet my house on those odds. I'm pretty sure from the description that he is a stray. Of course check for a chip but it's not a priority as there won't be one.

Actually keeping cats for a short time in a cage is a recognised way to introduce them to a new household, particularly if there are other cats around. It's a method I use. But you need a cage that has enough floor space to fit a bed, food and a litter tray. A large dog pen is good and is what I use. But, apart from confining him immediately after neutering, the OP doesn't need anything like that.

But why are there unneutered females around?

Original poster

MunchMunch · 16/02/2019 12:56

Yes I'm in the uk. I think where I live it's a case of people getting cheap/free cats and won't spend the money on neutering.

The reason I was thinking of putting him in a cage was I've got a dog and 2 kids who I couldn't trust to shut doors etc. It wouldn't be a permanent thing just while he got used to the house/noise of a family in a quieter part of the house with time in an enclosed room for playtime.

OP posts:

Original poster

MunchMunch · 16/02/2019 13:00

Obviously I'm not certain the females are unneutered (or even females!) but judging by the noises and the queue of amourous toms all waiting and sneaking round the two that I suspect to be in heat females.

thecatneuterer thanks for the advice, I was starting to feel like I was being cruel or an idiot for even entertaining the cage idea

OP posts:

Honeyroar · 16/02/2019 13:00

Lots of charity and rescue type places have chip readers. I know two people just in our local village alone that would scan a stray cat. Contact your local rescue and ask for advice on how to check for a chip?

But absolutely not, the cage would be incredibly stressful for any cat, let alone a stray.

You’d be better to keep feeding him and building up his confidence over a few months.

Original poster

MunchMunch · 16/02/2019 13:08

Thanks honeyroar I'll have a look for a charity who could scan him.
I agree it might stress him out and that's one of the reasons I was unsure whether a cage would be suitable but I was thinking how the rescue charities/vets would house them and I was thinking it wouldn't be too different.

OP posts:

thecatneuterer · 16/02/2019 13:20

Here is a photo of a cat in a cage (large dog pen from Pets at Home) being introduced to my houseshold

thecatneuterer · 16/02/2019 13:27

However in the situation the cat is already used to the territory so I'm not sure it would be useful, but perhaps for a short time to get him used to the dog and kids, and certainly for a few days post neutering.

Don't stress about getting him scanned for a chip. Of course they will do that when he goes for neutering, but it's not worth bothering before.

I have collected probably over 2000 stray cats in my life. Of those 5 were unneutered but chipped. And I know the number exactly as it is such an unusual occurrence. Of those two were female and three male. Three were chipped as kittens by a charity, and two as part of a vets package scheme. Of those three had since been given/sold to other people and the chip wasn't changed, one was uncontactable, and one just didn't want the cat back. So a grand total of zero chipped and unneutered cats have been returned to distressed owners...

Original poster

MunchMunch · 16/02/2019 13:33

Ah wow looks like you've got your hands full there!
Well done on helping so many cats, such a lovely thing to do. It's so sad that these cats are just abandoned. They all look happy though and warm and fed. Are they all house cats?

OP posts:

thecatneuterer · 16/02/2019 13:43

I'm a volunteer rescue worker with a London charity. That's how I do so much. My cats (30 ish) have a cat flap so no, they're aren't indoor cats.

Which is a point .... the only way to get nervous cats happy to be indoors is to have a flap. That way they never feel trapped and so become relaxed enough to spend a lot of their time indoors - they know they can always escape and so are happy to be inside.

Original poster

MunchMunch · 16/02/2019 13:43

This is "my cat" (white) and the rest are the cats that have been hanging round. I suspect the smokey grey and all black are females.

OP posts:

thecatneuterer · 16/02/2019 13:45

Are the females tame?

Original poster

MunchMunch · 16/02/2019 13:53

Can't really say at the minute as they haven't been too close. When I open the door they look a bit panicked but don't always run off. The black one and ginger one spent the day in my garden, my cat was nowhere to be seen until later in the afternoon then he disappeared behind the shed with the ginger one while the black one stayed in the garden. He showed up again later at about 7:30pm with the grey one when the three of them sat on the fence. He still hasn't been back since last night but the last few weeks was always in his makeshift bed and being fed at regular times.

OP posts:

thecatneuterer · 16/02/2019 13:57

It sounds as though you may need a charity to trap the females then. If no one does anything you will soon be overrun. I recently did a trapping job where there were 56 cats and and kittens in the space of a few gardens. The problem had begun only two years before with just one unneutered female.

Original poster

MunchMunch · 16/02/2019 14:02

I think this might be too much for me to handle!

OP posts:

Fluffycloudland77 · 16/02/2019 14:11

Crikey I'm surprised the grey one strays far from the food bowl.

Original poster

MunchMunch · 16/02/2019 14:13

Haha is it fat or pregnant though?! Well I'll probably find out soon enough 🤦‍♀️

OP posts:

Fluffycloudland77 · 16/02/2019 14:18

Pg ones look like they’ve swallowed a barrel when they sit down.

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