Stray cat turning up, but already have a cat

[GonnaGetGoingReturns]

Not my issue but my mother’s! I said I’d ask here for her for advice.

She has a female rescue cat who’s about 8 years old, no issues and had a sister apparently and has lived with my DM for the past 2 years.

A new cat locally who she thinks is either feral/stray or doesn’t have a home has turned up over the past few months at a rough guess he looks 2 years old. He looks and acts sort of like an un-neutered tom cat when I’ve seen him, is friendly but wary of people but she can stroke him now and he has a cat bed that he’s slept in overnight in the porch and he gets fed regularly. He had fleas which she’s treated.

On her local street WhatsApp group no one seems to know him and he may have been abandoned due to people not affording to feed him.

I keep saying she should take him to a vet somehow and see if he’s microchipped.

Her cat has hissed at him if she sees him through the French windows.

Would you let a cat shelter take him or try to introduce gradually to her cat? I can’t take him and already have a cat. I’d just hate for him to sit for ages in a shelter. What would or could she do?

She needs to put a paper collar on him asking if he has a home with her phone number. If there is no response in a few days the cat needs scanning for a chip. If she can't get the cat to a vet are there any local charities who would come out to scan? They won't do this until a paper collar has been tried first though.

I’d paper collar too.

If your DM was my next door neighbour she would tame the cat until she could catch it and take it to the vet, and then if no microchip, have it neutered and join her other cat.

My cat hangs out at a few houses in our village - and it turns out they are all owned by elderly ladies who have rescued strays the same way.

My cat knows a soft touch when he sees one and pops round theirs for second breakfasts.

Thanks all for your ideas! I’ve asked her but he doesn’t wear a collar so how would you get a paper one on him?

Good idea re getting a charity out to scan him, I’ll tell her to google or ring them.

He’s a good looking cat, black mostly with white underparts and green eyes. Certainly not unattractive and has this plaintive (I think mating call?!) meow!

Wrap the paper collar round his neck and tape the ends together. It needs to be strong enough to not be tore off easily by the cat, but obviously not so strong the cat couldn't get it off in an emergency. I've never actually done it myself and it's probably not an easy job, but the cat charities round here won't come out to scan unless this has been tried.

It sound like you're taken with him 😻 it would be a shame for him to go to a rescue if he does indeed turn out to be homeless.

We are all taken with him, even most of DM’s neighbours apparently like him! He’s a character!

I’ll get my DM to try this paper collar on him but no idea if it’ll stay on or if he’d let her put it on him. Thanks for the heads up re charities not scanning unless this has been done. 😺

It’s a shame I can’t have him (one cat is enough for me) but he likes my DM’s area and garden (lots of interesting things there plus a pond and field mice!). I just see tend to him when I pop round to see her which is twice a week and alternate weekends. He’s won over my DStepdad and some other neighbours, and even my DB when he visits! He really is an appealing cat. I might try to get a photo my DM posted to the local WhatsApp group and put it here. She calls him “Fred!”. 😻

I think either if he remains an “outdoor” porch cat or moves in with my DM (he’s tried to cross the doorstep, looked in through her French windows) that’d be the best outcome rather than go to a rescue and away from his local “patch”. I also heard from a friend who’s got a cat that they’re inundated with cats at rescues right now so would hate for him to stay there for ages (he’d probably be snapped up though!).

I agree a paper collar is a good idea if your Mum can get it in him. He might get scared. If your Mum and Step Dad like him I'd ring the Cats Protection League who will come out to scan. If he has not been chipped and does not wear a collar and is always about, especially as he had fleas I'd take him in and get him neutered. He would calm down and be more of a home cat then. He will probably always enjoy going outside though. I don't think he'd be happy being a purely indoor cat. Your Mum's female cat would likely get used to him over time especially if he was neutered so not bothering her all the time. A cat flap would be good so he could come and go.

Ask a local rescue to scan for a chip, or take him to a vet to be scanned. I found a cat last year who was allegedly being fed by people. But was actually very I'll and neglected. A local rescue took him. And he lived another two months in comfort and warmth.

I don't think many cats would keep a paper collar on! And its useless if he's miles from home if he has one.

This is the entire point of a paper collar. If there is no response in a couple of days then it's clear the cat does not have a nearby home and is lost/ stray therefore it needs attention.

Or has ripped off the collar.

Update, DM texted this morning to say that her cat and this one (Fred) had a stand off in the garden earlier this morning , her cat was hissing and growling at him and he was unfazed and non aggressive! He’s probably thinking “women eh?! I’ll bide my time until your owner adopts me!” 😹😸

She’s thinking about the paper collar!

I read up on the paper collars and they’re a really good idea, who knows what cats are really up to!

I also read up on strays/feral/community cats and he’s definitely either a stray/community cat. Not feral as my DM thought.

Will update as and when anything happens!

This cat is very local to DM’s house.

What happened was either December/January, she feeds foxes near her front garden, and this cat was elbowing his way through them to get to food.

He’s slept in her porch (kept slightly open so he can escape) overnight a few times. Sadly I do think he might be a cat that either owners moved away and left him/couldn’t afford to feed him/got tired of the cute kitten stage. I’d be surprised if he’s neutered or microchipped.

Oh he's definitely thinking "women eh?"

This sounds like my girl cat and new male Street cat.

Girl cat is very territorial and soon told him who was boss.

He was quite happy with this and is delightful with her, but carried on being the neighbourhood thug outside our garden.

I think your mum needs to accept that she now has two cats. She has made many mistakes. She's given him a name, left doors open for him, and fed him. This is how they work. Like many abusers who start off as charming and handsome your mum has been sucked in and is now high on his list of people who can be taken advantage of. You could approach a cat charity to trap him, neuter him and release him back in the area. Your mum's cat may be more accepting once he's been done. I speak from experience as we have seven cats and they all chose us 😡

😂Our male cat has 2 other homes (at least) and they've all given him names as well.

Your mother can't just rehome a cat without checking properly if he has an owner.

The first place to look is a lost cat local Facebook page which has more reach than a WhatsApp group. There are also people on those groups with scanners who can pop round and check him.

How does he look apart from the fleas? Was he a normal weight? Was his fur n decent condition?

All these questions!

@Gingerkittykat - as far as I know my mum has posted about him on FB etc and no one says he’s theirs.

He’s slightly or more underweight but put on weight since she’s fed him, fur wasn’t great but has got better since she flea treated him, a few scratches from fights. He seems to wolf/bolt down food some days which is why she’s thinking he is a stray.

@Yourmumhastwocats and @AnnaMagnani good to hear both your stories and I keep telling her everything you say and did before. When I drove over to visit and first saw him I warned her do not feed him, name him etc but he won her over and then gradually us… he is very appealing and cute which is part of his charm!

Trust me I didn’t want her to adopt this cat as I don’t like taking cats away from their owners. In theory he could’ve been coming round most of winter but December/January was the first time she saw him. It’d be better if we actually knew eg an old person had had him and then gone into a nursing home or something,

I don’t want to stress my mum but am going to encourage her to get him scanned and find out if he does belong to someone maybe put posters on lampposts with his photo and details to see if that works.

UPDATE:- after I spoke to my mum she straight away printed out and put up a photo of “Fred” the same day on local lampposts and has had several messages saying he’s a stray. One person thinks a couple had him but moved without taking him.

Anyway he has still been coming round and I popped round after work for something and he was there. Mum fed him and I can stroke him and he’s definitely a stray, you can feel his spine and shoulder blades a lot, poor cat.

Which cat charity is the best to approach to get him scanned or should I do it with our local vet? I’m concerned the vet will just charge us for the scan and then a check up, they’re expensive anyway and have been more so since they were bought out 2-3 years ago. I said I could help my mum with taking him if my stepdad can’t manage it with her.

Poor cat.

He may look bigger there but us definitely thinner since and he’s a long cat. He looks big on her bin!

The vet will do it. You need a proper carrier not a cardboard box. He looks thin over the back legs.

Thank you! My mum has a cat so already has a carrier.

I have one too as I also have a cat.

God I hope he’s ok… sickens me that apparently his owners moved and just left him behind.