Neighbour’s cat living in my garden - what to do?

[AchillesLastStand]

I’m not a cat owner and never owned a cat. I have a problem that’s been going on for over two years now. A neighbour’s cat that lives across the road from me started visiting my garden, As time went on her visits got more frequent and longer. We petted her but didn’t feed her at all.

It’s now got to the point where she is living full time in my garden. Last winter she was living under the canopy by my kitchen door, where she’d get cold and wet. I found it very distressing seeing her everyday and on a few really cold nights I let her spend the night in my kitchen.

I have been over to the neighbours numerous times and told them where she was. I gave them my number, but they didn’t seem that concerned. They have been over to get her about three times in the last two years. In September I put a note through their door giving them permission to come down the side of my house to get the cat from the kitchen door and gave them my number again (they’ve never contacted me). I’ve heard them come over twice to the side of my house, but now they’re not bothering at all. They never came looking for her bonfire week when we had three nights of fireworks. I let the cat in my kitchen.

I can’t go through another winter with her in my garden with no shelter so I’ve set up an insulated cat kennel for her which is keeping her dry and hopefully warmer. I’ve also started giving her food because she was living off a neighbour’s bird table and was very thin.

She’s an extremely nervous little cat. In winter she loses all the fur on her rear end and belly. This year, so far, she’s kept all her fur maybe because she’s less stressed because she’s now full time in our garden with shelter and she gets fed at regular times now. It’s been freezing this week and I’ve been so worried about her.

I don’t know what the long term solution is. The cat’s owners have two male cats which she doesn’t get on with, they also have two dogs that visit. They’ve also made it to clear to me that she’s their cat. A photo of kitty’s set up in my garden. Any advice gratefully received.

She's definitely chosen you.

Let her get settled in with you. It may be worth contacting a local rescue in a few weeks for some advice. They may be able to contact the family on your behalf and ask if you can adopt her - they may be more receptive to a rescue doing the asking - especially if they think they may get into trouble for neglecting her.

It's also worth getting her scanned for a chip - a rescue can do this for you too. It's been a legal requirement to have cats chipped since June 2024, so if she hasn't got one, that would indicate that they haven't been taking her to the vets for an annual check up or vaccinations, which the rescue can use as another argument in your favour for adopting her.

Rescues tend to be very good at persuading people to give up cats where it is better for their welfare!

I would just let her move in with you, she clearly wants to. Normally I wouldn't suggest this - I had a cat that moved into another house and I did everything to keep it at home but it was nervous of our young child who had arrived after the cat - but these people don't show any signs of caring about their cat at all. If the cat is unhappy in its own home it likely won't go back there, and it's very cold outside.

Congratulations on your new cat. Your choices seem to be acceptance or move house!

Exactly this!

If the cat isn't looked after well with even the basics of fleas, I doubt it's chipped, nor vaccines kept on top of. You could ask local rescue to borrow a scanner? Then can go from there! If not chipped then vets no prob, could prob chip her to you, lol.

Thanks for looking after the cat, I'd just let her live indoors with you tbh, now winter is here.

You have been chosen and must (you already are) step up to the plate.

Kitty must be so happy to be on a warm blanket inside in this weather ❤

Congratulations. Cats know where they are loved and cared for! She’s beautiful!

I wasn’t able to ask if I could take her, since they never answered the door when I knocked (though clearly in, and neighbours confirmed they were there). I did take her to the vet shortly before moving house because she had an upset tummy. Explained the situation to them and they notified the owners (through microchip) and agreed it would not be ok to move house and take someone else’s pet with me. So I do not feel bad about that. Thanks for your concern.

That's really rubbish 🤨 (of the 'owners' - not you).

We've got four cats, all rescues, and have taken in and rehomed a fair few strays over the years. As much as I love mine, if they decided to move out and choose another home, I would be gutted, but I would allow it because I love them and want what's best for them.

I can't abide people who think their wants and needs outweigh those of an animal when they are clearly not meeting their needs appropriately 😢

She obviously wants to be with you so
I would take her in. If the neighbours want her back they know where you are.
at least you are caring about her, which they obviously aren’t.

She’s so cute, thank you for looking after her 🩷

I’m sorry about my comment upthread, I didn’t realise you wanted to keep her. It appears she has chosen to live with you so I would just carry on as you are.

A situation similar to yours is how I ended up with a couple of cats and also, my parents as well.
You are a good kind wonderful person. You see that this poor creature has no home and you're making sure that she has a quiet safe dry warm place as well as food and you are very kind.

I completely understand the conundrum of, now what?
Because you could provide the shelter and the food but what about for instance flea medication? Now you're pretty sure that the other people aren't taking care of her but what in the off chance that you treated the cat for fleas and the other person treated the cat for fleas, two treatments at the same time could be toxic. And what if she had some sort of medical problem. Who's going to bring her to the vets and if you bring her to the vets I don't know about your vet, but my vet checks for microchips and if she happens to have a microchip and it happens to say that someone else owns her, the vet can't do the work.

And yet, would you really want to call the local humane society because they would take her away, which would be stressful and would be yet another mouth to feed for them for who knows how long because an awful lot of shelters can't keep cats forever and if they don't get adopted out, you know what happens to them?
So at least staying where she is she knows the territory, and she knows that your yard is safe.

The shelter that you purchase looks lovely. Did you say that it was heated and insulated? I've seen those, they look really cozy but even if it's just insulated, it looks lovely for her.

Would suggest talking to the neighbors to talk about the situation but you've already said that you've tried that more than once and they don't seem interested. It's a terrible shame that our rules and laws and procedures that we have in place still don't reach far enough to cover victims.
And the cat is a victim here. A victim of a system in which one person can claim ownership but not provide any type of shelter food or care. They shouldn't be able to claim ownership but, the police won't do anything, the shelters can't do much, they're just aren't enough rules in place.

I think what you're doing is a very good thing. If you can continue to give her food and water, flea treatment if needed, shelter, I would be very tempted to make sure she has her vaccinations but how on Earth would you find that out? Unless you live in a small enough town that there's literally only one veterinarian, that would be pretty tricky. I'm sure that the neighbors won't tell you her vaccination information.
Keeping the wonderful person that you are, this isn't a great situation that you're in because you're sort of in limbo, but at least the cat has you and that poor cat doesn't have much, so you're doing a good thing.

If she’s staying outside swap blankets for straw it’s much better as blankets can freeze. Secondly drives me crazy saying that she’s picked you she’s now yours etc….this is why people loose their cats when someone decides the cat must have picked them and then they keep them indoors. However in your case she’s clearly been neglected by the owner. I wouldn’t say approach them/write a letter and ask if the would consider transferring ownership (if that is what you want of course) and try and go from there

Sounds like they are hoping you take her on they sound like terrible pet owners. It’s not an excuse for them having two other cats and two dogs - they should have found another home for her if she wasn’t able to live there or they’re not bothered to look after her
sounds like there's too many animals unless they live in a massive house
they are not caring for their cat. They are not feeding the cat otherwise she wouldn’t have got thin and they are not looking after the cat otherwise it wouldn’t have got thin and allowed it to be in poor condition , not look for her when she’s out in the cold and provide her with vet care regarding the fur
Isounds like it’s also under a lot of stress as well. Cats don’t like the cold they don’t like being wet and they don’t like living in gardens so clearly it’s having a horrible time. Thank you for putting up that lovely cat house. I would speak to the neighbours and say the cat is clearly not happy with them and you’re happy to take it and it doesn’t look like it’s been looked after either. I will definitely say that someone needs to call them out . I bet they will be extremely happy to hear you are willing to unburden them with the cat . Scrotes .

I have a not my cat. Advantage flea treatment is good and you can get that without a prescription
I flea treat mine, feed him, have water available and he stays with me as long as he wants. He asks to leave when he wants to go
luckily the worst has been an abscess which I treated at home, he turned up to show me he was hurt so I did pain relief and salt water on him
it’s been 6 years now and I can’t get rid of him

the black one is mine, the black and white is not my cat

Let her move in with you…it’s getting very cold and she needs somewhere warm to sleep indoors. I bet once you take her to the vet and the owners would otherwise have to pay the vet bills they will be happy for you to take her! Poor little thing - she clearly has chosen you and wants to be with you.

Thank you for caring OP. her owners are awful, neglectful people and clearly don't give a sh*t. she may well not be microchipped. I'd personally take her to the vets and double check. If she isn't it makes the situation a whole lot easier legally. Can you reach out to a local rescue to help? I foster for our local small charity & we would absolutely help in a situation like this. At the very least we would be happy to provide free food etc. your local one might do similar. My cat had FAD when she was found as a stray. It goes away but only with proper vet prescribed flea treatment - please don't use Bob Martin etc or similar. Honestly get her scanned for a chip 1st then take it from there.

The hair loss may well have been due to a severe infestation of fleas - can also cause anaemia.

The neighbors have abandoned the cat. If you are willing to take it on, bring it inside, get it any needed medical care, and just forget about them. If they weren’t neglectful, this problem wouldn’t exist.

Cats do definitely decide where they want to be. I had my friends cat while he went on holidays up my house, two miles away from owners house. He went back, went missing instantly then showed up at my house five days later 😂 he was on a mission and obviously he lives here now. They can say it's their cat but there aren't bothered, stop mentioning the cat to them and take him in. They won't even notice by the sounds of it.

Thank you for the responses. I’m going to try and keep the cat if possible. My mum actually has a microchip scanner. She’s not local to me, but I’m going to borrow it when I visit next month.

I’ve posted a photo of the state the poor cat was in last winter and I very nearly reported it to the RSPCA but I was afraid of them taking her away and putting her through the stress of rehoming. It really upsets me looking at it (the owner told me she had cat anxiety), but I’ve kept it as evidence of the terrible state she was in. She looks like a completely different cat now. She is a really lovely cat with such a sweet loving nature. I really hope I can give her the life she deserves.

Please just keep looking after this dear, poor cat. Thank goodness you care. Forget the original owners, they clearly don’t give a damn. I’d be amazed if they ever came searching for her based on the background you’ve given.

A family member got her cat this way. The cat was in her garden more and more and the owner came with all its stuff for her to keep the cat.