Do you think this cat is homeless / stray??

[FlowerPot87 10]

Sorry it’s a long one, but here goes…

 

I get a lot of neighbour’s cats in our garden, but have recently noticed a very timid / jumpy female Calico cat visiting morning and evening nibbling at the birdseed and frequently having drinks from the water bowl in the garden.

 

I slowly approached her yesterday to check if she was wearing a collar, and she is extremely, extremely timid of any human contact – she scurries to the nearest corner of the garden and lets out high pitched vocalisations in fear if you go too near (although no aggression whatsoever). She has visited again today a couple of times trying to eat bird seed. I approached her this time very slowly and crouched down to her level with a few pieces of cat kibble and she ate the lot – she was very hungry. Although between every mouthful she was constantly looking around and jumping even at the slightest sound.

 

She seemed to trust me more today and even allowed me to gently stroke her back, although her body remained very tense whilst I did. I managed to see that she was not wearing a collar, her backend and legs were soiled with her own waste and when she ate I could see that her teeth were quite brown. I also think I saw a flea crawling in her fur near her neck – so I’ve come to the conclusion that she is either not receiving very good care if she does have an owner, or she is a stray / lost. Also, when she does leave the garden, she always runs through a gap between a particular set of garages (whether she’s staying in an actual garage – I’m not sure).

 

I’d appreciate any suggestions as to what I should do next – if she is a stray she so deserves a chance to find a loving home, or if she’s lost, to be returned to her owners. I’ve already looked on the national pet register website under ‘lost cats’ and haven’t found any matching her description. Is there anywhere else I could look?

 

One website I’ve looked at suggests attaching a paper collar around the cat’s neck saying “if this is your cat, please call this number (my home telephone no) ” and if a response is not received in 24 hours, then the cat is likely to be a stray or lost. The only problem is, I think she is far too timid for me to attach a collar, and if it’s paper, couldn’t she easily scratch it off? – is there any other method I could use to find out if she has an owner?

 

Thanks!!

[FallenAngel6 10]

Im guessing with the messy back end this could be either, its mating frequently or its just had a litter of kittens, cats tend to be quite mucky round their back ends when they have had kittens and it takes them a few days to properly clean.

 

I dont know if this would be possible but is there a chance you could try and follow where it goes, see if it goes back to a house or goes in one of the garages. There might be kittens in there and 5 cats can turn into 30 in a year if they are not neutered.

 

I wouldnt suggest trapping it or anything in case it does have a litter because then it cant get back to them. Does her teats look quite swollen can you see them??? Try win her over and see if she lets you get a closer look see if shes injured at all.

 

Also thinking about it, if she has a really bad worm infestation, that could be causing he to become messy.

[Greavsy 10]

Im guessing with the messy back end this could be either, its mating frequently or its just had a litter of kittens, cats tend to be quite mucky round their back ends when they have had kittens and it takes them a few days to properly clean.

 

I dont know if this would be possible but is there a chance you could try and follow where it goes, see if it goes back to a house or goes in one of the garages. There might be kittens in there and 5 cats can turn into 30 in a year if they are not neutered.

 

I wouldnt suggest trapping it or anything in case it does have a litter because then it cant get back to them. Does her teats look quite swollen can you see them??? Try win her over and see if she lets you get a closer look see if shes injured at all.

 

Also thinking about it, if she has a really bad worm infestation, that could be causing he to become messy.

 

 

Exactly what Fallen said.

 

I would follow her as much as possible. If she has got a litter then she'll need all she can get to eat to make sure the kittens are fit and healthy.

 

Just incase she has got a litter, would you be able to feed her a bowl of food? She will need as much protein as she can get.

 

Maybe feed her for a couple of days and follow her.

 

Check her teats if you can get close enough to her. Her belly might be quite bruised if she is feeding a litter.

 

If there is no sign of a litter around in a few days and she is going thin then maybe trap her?

 

Any chance you could search the surrounding area? I know it's not your problem but better to be safe than sorry.

 

I hope she isn't injured

[vwkittie 10]

Poor girl, she certantly sounds like a stray, I can't imagine anyone allowing a pet cat to get dirty like that in the home.

 

If she's eaten with you there and allowed you to touch her she will probably be back for more, poor little mite

[berlingo 10]

Aww poor little thing eating bird seed :-(

Try and feed her and as the others have said try and see if she's had kits.

Would have though if she was a true feral she wouldn't have let you anywhere near her, so possibly belonged to someone once and maybe you will earn her trust quickly.

[Arula 10]

ooh, I'd just come on to post something similar.

 

I'm staying at my mums at present, while I recover from surgery. My mum has 2 cats, who spend most of the day sleeping in the garden. However, they've been joined by another cat.

 

This cat has a collar, but with no ID attached and appears to be in good health (if a little underweight) and just hangs around constantly. Whenever I let our cats in, she tries to follow them in and I actually feel guilty about not letting her in, but I'm reluctant to feed her as I don't want to give her any more reason to keep coming back.

 

She doesn't appear to be a stray (she's pretty friendly), but I am concerned about the sheer amount of time she spends around our house - would it be worth putting some 'lost cat' type posters about?

 

PS, the guilt got the better of me this morning and I gave her a few biscuits. I think I may regret this later!

[FlowerPot87 10]

Thank you so much for the advice guys

 

She came early this morning to nibble at the birdseed again, bless her. I slowly approached with a little bowl of kibble – she was quite frightened of me but after a few moments gratefully accepted it – she even broke off to come and rub her face up my knee, so it seems she has started to trust me a little more.

 

Her backend and legs were much cleaner today, so I think she must have cleaned herself since yesterday. She is a long-haired cat – underneath her tale and back legs are quite matted in places, but the rest of her fur is surprisingly tidy – this is why I can’t feel 100% sure that she is a stray.

 

I watched her this morning again and she is spending an awful lot of time near a certain garage, so I’m definitely going to try and find out whose garage it is and if she’s keeping kittens there. Due to her long hair (and with her being quite frightened) I couldn’t see if her teats were red / swollen, but will persevere until she feels comfortable enough to let me. Thankfully she isn’t injured anywhere though.

 

I think I might try the collar with my number on in the next few days, just to make sure she doesn’t have an owner and it’s no trouble at all to feed her a few times a day and keep fresh water out. Will keep you posted and thanks again for the advice!!

[medusa 16]

Can I suggest that if you're going to put a collar on her you remove the bell and any other dangly things first? They do tend to scare them if they're not used to wearing a collar. A pale collar with a message written round in marker pen may well be better than a collar with a message in the tag anyway.

 

The other thing to note is that with long haired cats the fur on their backs can look very well groomed whilst both being very matted close to the skin and being very matted around their tummy/chest and their back ends. Don't let the visible bits of the coat fool you into thinking that it's in good condition.

 

In terms of finding out whether she's had babies recently, it's worth feeding her and then slyly picking her up. Your fingers can find out the answers on her belly much easier than your eyes can and if you can feel her teats prominently then there's your answer, without having to turn her over or part the fur enough to see. You can use this moment to also get her collar on.

 

If she's got fleas then she's also got worms and if she's got babies then so do her babies- and fleas can kill tiny kittens, so if you can find her babies and also do your best for them then that would be saving their lives.

[FlowerPot87 10]

Thank you Medusa – that’s really great advice.

 

You’re quite right I would imagine a collar with a bell on would be frightening, especially if she hasn’t worn one before. I’ll also choose a smooth plain one so that she can’t get her paws caught. Considering what you said about her fur, I think you’re right again– the top part seems to be smooth, but underneath near her skin and around her tail is more matted.

 

If she’s had kittens will her teats just be enlarged or will there be any hardness to feel for aswell?

 

She usually visits on an evening, so will keep a special look out for her and get a pale, plain collar as soon as I can. I hate the idea of her having fleas / worms and her kittens too (if she has them). I’ll do all I can to help

[medusa 16]

With a cat who's never had babies the teats are usually pretty hard to find and if you happen to find one they're just like little skin tags- no feeling of the glands or swelling under the surface at all.

 

If they've had babies previously and are all done with feeding then the teats are slightly more prominent but with no mammary swellings. If you can see them they're larger than if they haven't had babies at all but they're normal skin colour.

 

If they've got an active litter then the entire surface of their abdomen will be palpable as having mammary glands, so the teats are quite easy to find when your fingers trace where the glands are active and they've got proper 'boobs'. The teats themselves are much more prominent even than if they've previously had babies and are usually very warm because of the increased blood flow to the area. If you see the teats they're also usually very pink because of the increased blood flow and they usually have little flattened (or absent) rings of fur around them where the kittens have suckled.

 

If she hasn't got babies then she may well be pregnant and if you combine that with her hunger and her coat condition then I think she should be a priority for getting in to a rescue centre. If she does have babies and you can find them then they should together be seen as a priority for getting in to rescue (or into someone's house) for medical attention and to get them brought up with lots of human contact as friendly cats rather than ferals as they would end up if they grow up outside and away from humans.

 

Don't try to touch the coat BTW- it's very likely that the only treatment for the matting is to have her sedated and shaved anyway and that's a job for when she's inside and not going to struggle with the cold after that's happened.

[FlowerPot87 10]

Thank you again – that’s really helpful and I feel much more confident in knowing what I’m looking / feeling for now. I’ll do this the very next time I see her and do my best to find out if she’s keeping a litter nearby, as they’ll definitely need attention as soon as possible. Will keep you updated

[jojo-boo 10]

this cat wouldn't be in the S5 area would she??? mines been missing for 2 weeks now :-(