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.

She’s lovely, but I’d still put a paper collar on her to see if she’s got a home.

Definitely a paper collar or preferably a check for a microchip - she still could be lost.

Definitely, I will be trying to find her owners 😊

In this weather suggest covering the paper with clear tape before you attach it to her or it will be a soggy mess very fast.

She does look and act much more like an owned cat than a stray… Perhaps she got locked out by accident on Christmas eve and now has you sussed as a nice second (or third or fourth) home. My cat definitely has many homes 🙄

Good grief, don't do that!! If she gets it caught in a bush or hedge she will strangle herself to death. It has to be rippable or quick release.

Oooh good point! Sorry, I sometimes attach a paper note to my cat’s quick release collar, and put tape on it - I was extrapolating the tape point without thinking about safety. Whoops

I think it’s a good idea in this weather, perhaps if the op just leaves a 1cm gap , so the tape doesn’t fully meet, it will easily tear if ‘cat’ gets caught on something.

This is my not my cat, he's been turning up since 2019. He does have a home but is shut out at night, and also isn't keen on his home

Sometimes he just comes in the front window and exits out the back window as a short cut
Sometimes he sleeps here for 12hrs if it's cold, in summer I get frantic as he doesn't appear for weeks then strolls in like "what's the fuss?"
I flea treat him as he's often infested
He turned up once with an abscess and shoved his face at me all "LOOK. Bleeding here" and let me sort that for him

Oh he’s so cute!
Cat seems to be coming and going as she pleases at the moment. I’ve spoken to some neighbours to ask around and will attach a paper collar as soon as I can 😊

Ime dcats do happily have more than 1 home. We shared a stripey fellow with a non dc inhabited home. . Eventually he stopped coming home.. He stayed with the couple where the lady had a long term serious health issue. I am happy he stayed in the best place... Another dcat we had moved to live with a lady who had a huge peach updo... She also had a huge peach poodle. Quite a sight walking her ddog with our Bob trotting behind them.. They passed our window every night at 9pm sharp.. Dcats do seriously have it good.

That’s so funny, can imagine him 9pm sharp, tail up, sneaking a peek in your window as if to say ‘look mum I’ve made it!’ 😂