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

Original poster

Cat desperate to come in - what to do?

91 replies

TurnipTales · 04/09/2021 09:39

We moved house in the last month, and saw a friendly black cat hanging around. It came into our house one night and was miaowing like crazy, so I gave it some tinned tuna on a dish outside.

Ever since then, it has been desperate to come inside, hanging around outside windows and miaowing. It got in this morning through a small downstairs window and we had to physically put it outside. It's currently sat on our living room windowsill outside, staring at us with sad eyes.

It (not sure if he or she) tries to come inside even after being fed so it's not food related I don't think.

What should we do?? Are we now cat owners?

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 04/09/2021 09:40

Could you get it checked for a microchip?

Original poster
TurnipTales · 04/09/2021 09:41

@dementedpixie

Could you get it checked for a microchip?
Yes I've wondered this. I've never had a pet before, how do I do this?
OP posts:
violetbunny · 04/09/2021 09:42

Yes, try and get it checked for a microchip. Or at least, put a paper collar on it with your phone number to see if it has a home somewhere. If it's friendly but desperate to get in, I'd be worried it could be lost.

dementedpixie · 04/09/2021 09:43

A vet could check for a chip

violetbunny · 04/09/2021 09:43

You can take it to a vet to get it scanned. There shouldn't be any charge.

tootiredtobother · 04/09/2021 09:43

hi
has it been dumped by previous owners ?
let it come in but dont feed it tinned tuna, that causes health problems, even though cats love tuna.
then catch it somehow and off to a vet for a scan to hopefully find the chip and go from there

AltitudeCheck · 04/09/2021 09:46

Post on your local FB page or ask your neighbors if they know who's it is. Alternatively pop a paper collar on with your number and a message for the owner to call you.

If it's friendly and looks well fed then quite likely it has an 'owner' and possibly several other houses it visits for snacks and attention! Our village FB page is testament to what disloyal creatures they are!😆

NorthernPlights · 04/09/2021 09:47

Ask around - the neighbours probably know whose it is. Cats can do a good job of looking like they need another warm house and food provider when they already have their own... Does it seem underweight or not cared for?

If you can't get any answers from neighbours then taking it to a vet for a microchip scan is the next port of call. If no joy from that then, well, yes, you have a cat Smile

And in my experience it's the unloved strays that find you in their time of need that are the most wonderful, loving creatures 😍

Original poster
TurnipTales · 04/09/2021 09:57

Ok, I'll take it to a local vet and ask the neighbours.

It seems healthy and well fed. It's also very friendly and just wants strokes and keeps head butting us. I'll try and get some cat food today too.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 04/09/2021 10:00

You’ll need a proper carrier, a card board box won’t work.

Wolfiefan · 04/09/2021 10:02

You let it in and fed it tuna. Of course it’s pestering to come back in. Confused

Mabelface · 04/09/2021 10:03

If it's healthy and well fed, don't feed it! It's trying its luck with you to get second/third/fourth breakfast.

Theunamedcat · 04/09/2021 10:07

Could be lost neighbours cat got on a van ended up in Coventry no one thought anything of it at first because it was well fed and looked cared for till it started to get cold desperate and a bit scruffy and thin they put a call out on Facebook and a local scanned her found the chip the owners were happy to have the cat back

There might be someone local with a scanner put a shout out on Facebook if you can

Mumdiva99 · 04/09/2021 10:19

Put a post on the local next door group, or on FB or ask the neighbours.

Please don't feed it Tuna.....it will definitely come back for more....also Tuna can be high salt so too much isn't great.

If no success then get I scanned for a chip. But cats do wander.

NautaOcts · 04/09/2021 10:26

Reminds me a bit of when we moved house, very friendly black & white cat, darted in at every opportunity
Didn’t look that well fed, no collar or anything

Did ask a coupe of neighbours either side and no one knew of him

Ashamed to admit I did feed him once or twice as he seemed so hungry Blush

Then I got to know another mum who lived nearby but not that close, she came round with her kids abs one of the kids saw cat in the garden and said ‘that looks like Misty!’

And turned out it was their cat who they’d been very worried about 😬
Was kind of awkward when my kids let slipped they had named him
Then they were leaving and trying to get cat to follow them and the child said ‘why doesn’t Misty want to come home with us mummy’

Felt awful! So no… I would not feed another cat

Brollypackedforscottishholiday · 04/09/2021 10:43

Don't be a dcat napper op..

bamboocat · 04/09/2021 10:47

Some cats are just greedy and can spot a sucker a mile off.

Perhaps the previous occupants of your house used to feed it and let it in. Ask around all the neighbours and see if you can find out whose cat it is.

thecatneuterer · 04/09/2021 10:49

Yes you will need a proper carrier - don't use anything else. Checking for a chip is the first step, and then a paper collar.

But there are so very many lost, abandoned and stray cats out there that there is a very high chance he is one of them. Yes there are some chancers, but if people didn't feed or care for cats just in case they in fact have a home, that would cause a lot of suffering. If there is no chip and no response to a paper collar then it doesn't have a home.

thecatneuterer · 04/09/2021 10:52

@bamboocat

Some cats are just greedy and can spot a sucker a mile off.

Perhaps the previous occupants of your house used to feed it and let it in. Ask around all the neighbours and see if you can find out whose cat it is.

Yes some cats are greedy, but a study (can't remember who by, but a respected organisation) estimates that there are more stray and feral cats in the UK than there are owned ones. The advice to always ignore a cat that isn't yours will lead to a lot of unnecessary suffering. Of course checks should be made, but the first course of action should always be to feed first and ask questions later.
thecatneuterer · 04/09/2021 10:54

@NautaOcts

Reminds me a bit of when we moved house, very friendly black & white cat, darted in at every opportunity Didn’t look that well fed, no collar or anything

Did ask a coupe of neighbours either side and no one knew of him

Ashamed to admit I did feed him once or twice as he seemed so hungry Blush

Then I got to know another mum who lived nearby but not that close, she came round with her kids abs one of the kids saw cat in the garden and said ‘that looks like Misty!’

And turned out it was their cat who they’d been very worried about 😬
Was kind of awkward when my kids let slipped they had named him
Then they were leaving and trying to get cat to follow them and the child said ‘why doesn’t Misty want to come home with us mummy’

Felt awful! So no… I would not feed another cat

And the moral of this story is that they should have chipped him and you should have had him chip checked. That's it. The moral from this is not to ignore hungry cats.
LemonSwan · 04/09/2021 10:56

You can tell from looking at a cat whether its stray or not.

In all likelihood if your willing to let it in the house - its not a stray.

Please contact the previous owners to see if they had a cat. The little one might be confused and got lost and come home. They can track up to 6 miles. They are like homing pigeons.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 04/09/2021 10:57

It thinks it's going to get more tuna of course it wants to come in!!

Don't feed it and don't let it in,ask the neighbours if it lives there before . If you want get it checked for a chip but otherwise leave well alone as it'll be a Six Dinner Sid. My cat does this,it's like he's never been fed in his lifeHmm

NapoleonOzmolysis · 04/09/2021 11:00

Look on FB for your local community groups - they will have loads of "is this your cat" posts. Or Nextdoor. Then try all the "lost cats in your town" or RSPCA or CPL FB pages - because the owners might not be on the lost cat pages if their cat is not lost, just trying it on. Someone will have a scanner or will recognise the cat.

thecatneuterer · 04/09/2021 11:01

@LemonSwan

You can tell from looking at a cat whether its stray or not.

In all likelihood if your willing to let it in the house - its not a stray.

Please contact the previous owners to see if they had a cat. The little one might be confused and got lost and come home. They can track up to 6 miles. They are like homing pigeons.

No you can't! Some that have been stray and not been lucky enough to find a feeder for a long time obviously look thin, and unneutered males, which are usually stray, tend to look battered. However if it's recently been abandoned/got lost, or lost it's feeder, then it will just look like a normal cat. And what has coming in the house got to do with it? No one has suggested it's a feral.
lifeissweet · 04/09/2021 11:05

My (now deceased) dcat went missing a whole.

I have no idea where he had been. I wish he could have told me. He was dropped off at a vet, who gave me a call.

Someone had clearly been feeding him and I am so grateful to whoever that was. He was rubbish at navigation. He was a house cat after that.

Feed first, but do investigate. If someone had scanned my cat sooner my DS would have been spared a lot of sad, worried, tearful nights that year.