Help please - not my cat!

[Pokethedot]

I live in a small area, I know all the cats around here, I see them pootling about doing their thing.

Anyway, Christmas Eve I spot a tortie in my garden. It’s raining, it’s cold, dark and windy and she’s trying to eat the ‘reindeer food’ my toddler had sprinkled outside (all wildlife friendly don’t panic) I open the door thinking she could come inside until it stopped raining and she ran off.

this evening my back door is open. The same cat has come in and has curled up on my sofa. What do I do?

I don’t want to tempt her away from a loving home but neither me or my neighbours know where she’s come from. She has no collar and seems really hungry and is wet and cold so I’ve just let her chill for now.

I will get her microchipped if I can, I’m thinking she might just wander back out but I can’t leave the door open all night.

Not microchipped obviously - will check if she is microchipped 🙈

You should be able to feel a microchip. It's usually between the shoulder blades and feels a bit like a grain of rice

You could check local lost pet sites to see if she has been reported missing

I'd give some food - sounds like she needs it.

And set up a shelter for her - just in case she goes outside again and then she'll have somewhere dry.

Post a photo on your local Facebook page, feed her and keep her in overnight (update your Facebook post to say she is safely indoors overnight). If no-one has claimed her by tomorrow, find out if she’s microchipped.

You can get a scan Angel to come to your house and check if this cat is microchipped. Put it on FB and Neighbours websites to see if anyone claims it. Feed if hungry and offer shelter.

The wind had blown the door to so I went and opened it and wedged it open. She took one look at me and went and hid under the sofa. I can’t reach her and don’t particularly want to try to when she’s obviously feeling quite content.
I wasn’t sure about feeding her because I’m worried someone will be missing her and she’ll want to stay but she was trying to get the tiniest crumbs out of the carpet so I’ve given her a little food and some water. She’s asleep under the sofa near the wall purring away now.

Don't put her photo on Facebook. Any CF will try to claim her.
She has chosen you.

Aww I love that, it’s been a really difficult time recently and I spent all of last night crying. It was so lovely to have her curled up next to me earlier just enjoying a bit of love 🥰

Feel a microchip? utter nonsense.
Im a scanner and you cannot feel it, also they can easily migrate hence a full scan is needed.

She's a chancer - all cats are chancers and will eat available food. The confident ones will make themselves at home on your sofa or bed, too.

Nothing here to suggest she's neglected or a stray...don't feed her or encourage her. Feel free to put her out when she comes in.

Oh silly me. My cats chips are figments of my imagination.

There’s easier ways to get food though rather than scrounging for bits of seeds and raisins in the pouring rain I should think. It’s a bit late now as she has had a little bit of fish and some water. I can’t bring myself to chuck her out when it’s cold and wet 🙈 will make sure she can get out if she wants to and get her scanned if she’s still here tomorrow though.

She’s likely not a chancer, any sensible owned cats inside in this cold weather. Not wandering into strangers houses.

She sounds stray, I would always feed something plain like chicken in this situation. She’ll need water too.

Get the cat scanned - it is the only way to know what to do for the best. Do NOT put a photo on facebook as PP said.

Get her scanned, check local FB /social media sites if anyone has posted about a missing tortie. You could also ask local vets if they recognise her if there aren’t too many, responsible owners will have registered her with a vet.

If you do all these checks and no owner materialises… you have a late Christmas present…

Cats always act hungry, mine will act hungry next to a full food bowl. They will also act homeless even when they have a perfectly good home. Please do not decide that this perfectly healthy cat has chosen you.

will she let you put a paper collar on with a note saying, if this is your cat then call xxx?

I’m not in the business of cat stealing and will get microchip checked and I’ve already checked a lost pets website and will check Facebook.
As I said before she was in the pouring rain eating raisins and seeds off the patio last time I saw her - there’s acting hungry and homeless and then getting drenched eating stuff that wouldn’t normally be a cats choice?

Get her scanned - there'll be someone who can come out to you.

Check social media for any posts about missing cats, and contact rescues and vets too in case the owner is elderly or not on social media.

If she's not chipped and there's no sign of her being missing then congratulations on your new cat

I agree with you OP. I've rescued three strays over the years and all three have eaten rotten apples and plums but the multiple homed cats that visit my garden don't give the fruit a second glance. I'm now looking at my fourth possible stray. He's eats the peanuts from under the bird feeder. You can just tell.

For the previous strays I've put posters up on lampposts, fb cats protection lost and found, scanned for microchip. Fortunately the local cp adoption centre took them to rehome. Hoping they will take this one too. Good luck!

Raisins are toxic to cats, so best to clear any remaining ones away. You sound very kind and I hope there’s a good outcome for this tortie.

We had new neighbours move in a few years back and didn’t meet them for a couple of weeks due to work schedules. When we did the mum told me about the sad stray cat that was always in their garden sitting under a bush, often in the rain, and how they were going to trap it and get it scanned. Poor thing! Their DC were giving it snacks because it looked so hungry.

Our cat, obviously. Never out overnight but in the summer has to be dragged in for bed, rain or shine. She’s not exactly skinny (at one point the vet put her on a diet) and is pure white and very fluffy so groomed daily. If they’d got her in a box - good luck - she’s obviously chipped to us. She looks hungry because she’s greedy.

I hope you get a happy ending for you and the cat, OP!

Thank you, as soon as I saw her and she’d ran off I swept the raisins and stuff up. They were in our reindeer mix as I figured the birds would like them. It never even crossed my mind that a cat would have them! I didn’t see her between then (Christmas Eve) and tonight so figured she’d gone home although she seemed really scared when I opened the door and just bolted so maybe just too scared to come back? Then today she was so soggy and cold and maybe her wanting to get warm was overtaking her fear? Either way she’s dry, warm, had water and a bit of fish and is asleep on the sofa now.
Tomorrow I’ll be checking Facebook and hopefully get her scanned as well 😊