Cat in my garden

[Chefpig]

There's a beautiful cat who is in my garden most days. I don't mind at all. He's usually on my lounger sleeping. He has a collar on and looks a healthy weight.

I'm worried he doesn't actually have a home now as he's in my garden so much. I wanted to give him some ham but then thought against it incase his owners don't want him to have certain foods. I have put some water out. If he has a collar, he will have a home won't he?

Yes he has a home. Please don’t put anything out for him, including water. If you are that bothered you could post on local pages but honestly a healthy looking cat in your garden is very unlikely to need your input.

Thank you 😊

We have the same, cat from next door loves to sit in our garden basking in the sunshine, but now he’s started coming into the house ( I have the back door open a lot for the breeze and the dog to go in and out)
now having to keep it closed even when I pop out to grab washing etc or he’s straight in my house on the sofa!
not sure how to stop him!

If he’s healthy and wearing a collar then he has a home - cats wander a lot, especially in summer - mine is almost never home at this time of year.

I have my own cat and my neighbour's cat is also sleeps in my garden everyday and even comes into my house...

So not unusual for cats to use other gardens and 'cheat' on their owners :).

I disagree that you shouldn’t put water out in this heat.

I’m sorry but what on earth is wrong with putting out water?

When we had new neighbours about ten years ago our last cat was almost taken to the vet to be scanned for a chip - she just liked hanging out in their garden! She didn't have a collar (nor does our boy we have now) but was a chonky white girl who was never out overnight, and couldn’t have looked less like a stray.

Our local community facebook page is full of fat, shiny, happy cats just sat on bins or out for a stroll with people posting about them being lost. (And then comments of “poor baby, I will have him”)

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with putting out water tbh. I have a ceramic water dish out at this time of year which I imagine hedgehogs drinking from in a Disney movie fashion - but is open to anyone.

In fairness I can’t see the issue in them being taken to be scanned - a super healthy looking cat near us was scanned recently and it turned out she’d been lost for 12 years!

I took am puzzled by the 'don't put out water' comment. @Chefpig please do as wildlife will also benefit in this weather.
I put out a water dish because I know hedgehogs visit my garden, I have seen them drinking from it (very cute and surprisingly noisy!). The local cats who visit my garden (puts on hard hat: I don't chase them away), much prefer the manky green water that has collected on top of a storage container Perhaps that's what that poster is suggesting.....

Great to hear of a happy ending, but our cat would have been really distressed to be carted off to the vet and scanned! I’m glad I ran into the new neighbour and mentioned that she was often under a particular bush in their garden or on their patio furniture before they did.

Mine too! Unfortunately it’s one of the downsides of them going out to roam 🫣

Cats Protect League recommend leaving water out for roaming cats. And of course the local wildlife will find it of use (especially in this weather)

No water?
I have water out for small animals/birds and neighbouring cats often have a drink.

OP, If you want to know where he lives, you could put a friendly note on his collar. The owners might like to know where he hangs out anyway.

He has a home, is well fed, and no you can’t steal him. As happened to me. Water is fine, though.

I agree with pp , there is nothing at all wrong with putting water out , but please don't feed him/ her , esp not ham it's to salty and processed for cats.
You can get paper collers for cats that you can put a note on saying something like
I sleep in x garden , the home owner doest mind.
That way if the cat goes out for longer than normal the owners will know where s/he is likely to be.

Just be happy a to have a beautiful visitor. If he looks well fed and healthy let him be. Don't feed him he already has a home.

i leave bowls of water out for all animal visitors to my garden.

FB is getting out of control with people posting pictures of perfectly healthy cats visiting their gardens. Cats roam. It's what they do.

If the cat is thin and looks ill please help it but otherwise just enjoy/

Definitely leave water out.

Keep an eye on his condition, he sounds fine right now but it's a good idea to monitor just in case. Wearing a collar does not mean a cat is not a stray and can mean the cat goes longer without help if they need it. If you haven't already, can you get a look at his rear end and check for troublepuffs? If he's not neutered the chances are higher that he's straying.

I don't want to steal him at all. I have rodents as housemates, not pests. Wouldn't be a good mix.

I will just enjoy him visiting my garden then. He's an absolute beauty.

Fair!

Just because he isn't officially your cat has taken up temporary residency in your garden .

So you know what that entails !
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You still have to pay cat tax😺 !

I can't have a cat of my own so happy to pay cat tax (does that include scooping the poop?)

It's just the Litter Tray jargon for saying we need a picture of him(or her)!

Troublepuffs! 😂 Love it!

(Assuming it's a euphemism for testicles?)