I think that 2 cats have been dumped in my garden

[Swifey40]

For a week or so we have noticed cats around in the garden which is strange because we've lived here for nearly 3 years and have never seen one! For context we have a couple of acres, some wooded areas and some outbuildings. The cats have been coming closer to the house, and today I left some food out and they gobbled it up, but won't let us very near them. They aren't feral because they seem to be in fairly good condition of a little thin. I have just been outside and they are hiding in the garage (it's open) crying. I have pit some more food and water and a warm bed in there for them and will see what happens tomorrow. Any ideas or tips? We can keep them if they have been dumped because even though we have dogs the cats can sleep outside in one of the barns, they are warm and dry, and when/of they feel more confident they can come inside.
I have put their pictures on Facebook and asked my (very few) neighbours and as yet no one recognises them.

THEY HAVE EAR TIPS!! Sorry for the shouty caps - but this is important.

The top of the left ears are cut. This means they have been trapped, neutered and returned as ferals by a charity. This is only done when they aren't friendly enough to be homed. So obviously, for some reason, they have decided to leave where they were previously living (perhaps the feeder has stopped feeding) and are looking for new lodgings - which they have now found it seems:)

So there is no point in retrapping, scanning or anything else. Even if they have chips it won't help as they have been returned to where they had been trapped from and have left there for some reason. So if they were taken back they would just leave again. They aren't anyone's pets.

And just because a cat is in good condition it certainly doesn't mean that it isn't feral. The fact that they are crying though makes me think they are becoming tame as they only do that to communicate with humans and that's something properly feral cats don't do.

Hello thecatneuterer that's fascinating and I didn't even notice!!
Well hopefully they will stay around and in return for keeping down the mice they can have a nice dry bed and food and water!!! Thank you again!

@thecatneuterer I am plagued by an unneutered tom, who somedays looks in good condition and other times unkempt but who won't eat food I've left out. Doesn't respond to a pspspspsp, doesn't meow (just calls) or want strokes - would you say feral, stray or just neglected?

[quote SometimesIFeedTheSparrows]@thecatneuterer I am plagued by an unneutered tom, who somedays looks in good condition and other times unkempt but who won't eat food I've left out. Doesn't respond to a pspspspsp, doesn't meow (just calls) or want strokes - would you say feral, stray or just neglected?[/quote]
It's impossible to say. He could be any of those things. If he isn't hungry then, at the very least, he has a feeder. If you can get close to him then he won't be properly feral.

I think they’ll decide their not feral when it gets cold.

A very good point about the ears. The only thing I would say is the my friend’s cat was a stray and has been adopted, by my friend. She has had her ears tipped but is now a very loved pet.

They are lovely. I agree with the others, capture and check for microchips. If nothing then you now have two cats!

The ear tips mean they have been neutered, but definitely don’t mean they won’t be chipped and/or be someone’s pet. I’ve been around many many ear tipped ferals that domesticate and get rehomed. Of course they could be ferals only now learning to be friendly, but still best to get them scanned to check just in case. If they don’t belong to anyone, then it sounds like they landed on their feet with you and I’m sure will love a warm bed and a little care in exchange for pest control.

I sort of disagree with the posters above. Yes of course, they are almost certainly chipped - most N & R charities chip. But the chances of them being someone's lost pets are very slim indeed - both because of the ear tips and because they aren't friendly.

While it would be nice to know what information the chip can give you, I would wait until they really need to be trapped for some other reason. At some point, if they become sick or injured, they will need to be trapped to see a vet, and the more often they are trapped, the more difficult this will be. Cats become trap shy and it's best to only trap them if it really is necessary. So in this situation I would wait until, at some point in the future, one or other of them finds themselves needing to see vet.

Secondly of course rescues are very busy. They don't even have the time to deal with all the pregnant cats, injured cats and large colonies that are brought to their attention. And as you would need the help of a rescue to trap them you will almost certainly find that they have other priorities.

However, if you can gain their trust and find that you can get very close to them, when they are eating for example, you could borrow a scanner from a vets or rescue (or even buy one on Amazon). That way you will be able to find the chip details without having to trap the cats or call out a rescue.

Agree with TCN, trapping now would be counted productive, all these two need are food, water and shelter, with the addition of wormers/flea treatment in food if needed.
If they were trapped I'd be inclined to keep them in and tame them, it can take a while, but I've done it successfully over a dozen times now.

Here's one of our feral farm cats 6 years later...

@Swifey40

Only just came back to check this thread!! Thank you for all your kind messages! Yes, I have put water out, and gave them some cat treats yesterday too!! They can get our of our garden, and apart from the road past our land it's all open farmland and woodland out the back. Yes we do have an aga 😊 and a boiler room, they will just have to agree with the dogs who gets first dibs!! I'll show you some pictures I took yesterday. If they stay my boys want to call them Smokey (grey and white one) and Bandit (black one) 🤣

Well, duh! Obviously the new overlords get first dibs on the Aga. If your poor dogs don't understand that yet, I'm sure the conquering army will make it pretty clear to them on the first frosty evening...

What lovely cats, and what a lovely person you are @Swifey40 !