kitty question, not owner but neighbors cat

B

Blessed

Well-known Member
I went out earlier, I saw a cat underneath my car. Mind you the heat in Texas is horrible right now. I called to the cat, it came right out to me. She did not seem thirsty but she did seem thin. She had on a flea collar with a bell attached. She came right up, let me pet her head and started what I call the lovey dovey. I went in the house to get her some water and she was waiting right there but did not drink.

I knew the neighbors got a kitten some months ago. The 14 year old grandson came out to grab his bike. I called to him and asked him, is this your cat? Yes it was their's. She did not seem
happy being an indoor cat so they let her stay outside. Mind you, they also have 3 large dogs that are house dogs but they had no issues with the kitten.

What I am concerned about is that she seems to thin, he assured me that they feed her all the time but she is not home much. She is running the neighborhood. My dogs go crazy sometimes at night when I let them out for business. I am so worried that it has been her in my yard. If my 90# chow gets her I would be heartbroken.

How do I approach the wonderful neighbors about my concerns for the safety of this cat. She is not eating enough and roaming where a dog might get her or get run over by a car. Maybe she is not happy in the house because of the dogs, they loved her as a kitten, does that change when they grow up? Should I just keep my mouth shut and at the least make sure there is water on my porch for her.

I will say that when I got back from my errands she was right there laying on the neighbors porch happy as a pig in mud.
 

Perhaps she is thin because she needs to be wormed. If you feed her, she will be 'yours.' - Cats adopt people who give out free food! Personally, I'd check to see if animal control in your area would pick her up and take her to a no-kill shelter. There, she would be wormed and checked for other health problems - and hopefully adopted by someone who really wants her.
 
See, that is where my problem lies, these neighbors of 30 years, are known to be animal lovers. They take very good care of their pets. I know they love her, she has a collar on, and was very comforable laying on their porch. I will not feed her, my dogs are not cat friendly so I don't want her to think this is a safe place for her.

I thnk I will just have to share my concerns and let them decide what to do. If I thought she was a stray I would call, on any animal I think is a stray I have called. Our city shelter is very good at rehoming. I just do not like to see an animal that could be suffering. That even includes wildlife, squirrels, birds and owls. I have had them all that had to be taken to wildlife rescues.

I am so silly that I have been bitten by what I thought was a stray dog, he lived the next street over. I have been bitten by a squirrel and taken a baby owl to work until I could get him to the right people. I guess I am lucky I don't live in florida, have not have to rescue an alligator. LOL
 

I've known some cats and dogs that were very thin, but it had nothing to do with not being fed enough. Cats & dogs can have hormone problems and other illnesses just like people & some illnesses can cause them to be underweight.
 
She may just look super thin because she shed her winter coat because of the heat. She may not be eating much cuz she's too hot. Sounds like you have some choices to make.
1. Mind your own business.
2. Take the cat in and take care of it.
3. Tell them their cat needs tending to and see if you can turn them into enemies in 30 seconds.
I love animals too but if they're not mine I don't have a responsibility to them. If you feel they are being neglected there's places to call about that. Animal Control maybe.
 
@MarciKS , I don't want to make them angry by anything I do, they are wonderful neighbors. I would be happy to take the cat in but I allergic and have 3 dogs that are not cat friendly. She is a beautiful sweet thing.

My first thing is mind your own business but I have been here for thirty years. I have given help and support to many on my own block during illness and death. It was not my business but I still took food, groceries and spent time with the widows. They knew I was right there if they needed something. They treated me with the same grace when I went through it. Right now it is all widows, it has been widowers as well. Somethings you should not mind mind your own business, You do not need to be intrusive, but they are delighted to find a bag with fresh fruit or veggies hanging on their mail box. They all know if they need something night or day they can call. The oldest in her 90s would call for chicken broth all the time. I kept a stash just for her.

Lastly, we all are are responsible to all living things that might be in danger. It is only a matter of what I should do. Your answer actually hurt my feelings to be honest.
 
Blessed said:
@MarciKS , I don't want to make them angry by anything I do, they are wonderful neighbors. I would be happy to take the cat in but I allergic and have 3 dogs that are not cat friendly. She is a beautiful sweet thing.

My first thing is mind your own business but I have been here for thirty years. I have given help and support to many on my own block during illness and death. It was not my business but I still took food, groceries and spent time with the widows. They knew I was right there if they needed something. They treated me with the same grace when I went through it. Right now it is all widows, it has been widowers as well. Somethings you should not mind mind your own business, You do not need to be intrusive, but they are delighted to find a bag with fresh fruit or veggies hanging on their mail box. They all know if they need something night or day they can call. The oldest in her 90s would call for chicken broth all the time. I kept a stash just for her.

Lastly, we all are are responsible to all living things that might be in danger. It is only a matter of what I should do. Your answer actually hurt my feelings to be honest.
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well i didn't mean for it to. good grief. why is everyone on this site so touchy? i'm sorry. i'll just leave again. *sigh*
 
MarciKS said:
well i didn't mean for it to. good grief. why is everyone on this site so touchy? i'm sorry. i'll just leave again. *sigh*
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Don't leave, I am not touchy, if you were my next door neighbor I would care about you just as much. I was just trying to figure out what to say when I went to talk with them. I have had a previous experience at another home where my dog did catch and kill a cat, it was horrible.
 
Do you know if the cat is microchipped, if so and you take the kitty to a shelter on the sly the neighbors will be contacted and will have to pay to get the cat back. If not you would be assured it would go to another home with responsible pet parents.

Or they just get another kitten putting you back in the same position. Hopefully not.
 
No I would not do that. I would prefer just to have a honest conversation with them. I don't know how long the cat has been made an outside cat. I don't go outside very often. As far as I know she may have just been outside a couple of weeks. I am sure she is chipped just like the family dogs. I just need to suck it up and find out why she is outside. Is she just not happy inside with the 3 large dogs, if that is the case then she needs to be rehomed. If they are fine with pets in the house, which they have always for thirty years had indoor dogs, it should not be a problem. When we first bought this house they had a cat, Milo, he was indoors and outdoors, came and went as he wanted. He was in most of the time.
 
Blessed, you are in a bad situation. Hopefully the conversation will bring results. You mentioned that they had a previous cat who roamed so they may feel this is ok for them and should be for you, I hope not.

I know from experience though that once a cat is used to being outdoors it is extremely difficult to adjust the cat to being an indoor kitty only, they are very adept at sneaking out at the slightest opening chance. Forcing them indoors can bring on behavior problems such as spraying also.
 
My daughter had a dog that was always too thin in my estimation. But the vet said he was perfectly healthy. I guess it's just the way some animals are. I wouldn't worry too much about the cat's weight. I'd worry more about that collar the cat is wearing outside. I know of one cat that hung itself on a fence while wearing a collar. Sad.

Anyway...I agree with the poster that said it might be worms. Very common.
 
I appreciate the advice and insight you all have given. Maybe I should stay out of it. I just hope if one of my dogs hurt her they understand that they made the decision to let her roam. I never thought about her collar being dangerous to her. I have not had a cat since I was a child. I am sure she has vet care, they do that for their dogs.
 
Blessed, I hope this makes you feel a little better. I had one cat that was Skinny Minny. She passed away at the ripe old age of 21 and ruled the roost till the day she died, the two younger cats knew better than to cross Tilda cause she could give one hefty swipe of her paw to keep them in line.
 
I agree with some other posters that the cat is probably not happy at home so eventually, it will find a new food source. Maybe another neighbor will take it in before it gets hit by a car or attacked by predators.
 
She is so pretty and loving. If I could take her in if I would. I don't know a lot about cats but her base coat is white and then she has copper and black areas all over, the most beautiful golden green eyes.
 
MarciKS said:
well i didn't mean for it to. good grief. why is everyone on this site so touchy? i'm sorry. i'll just leave again. *sigh*
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I've noticed people upset at the site for the last few days. Online people seem to misunderstand each other more easily. I haven't been making the same observations in person. I hope you stay at the forum. Often you seem to be one of the few people at the forum late at night.
 
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Blessed said:
I appreciate the advice and insight you all have given. Maybe I should stay out of it. I just hope if one of my dogs hurt her they understand that they made the decision to let her roam. I never thought about her collar being dangerous to her. I have not had a cat since I was a child. I am sure she has vet care, they do that for their dogs.
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You appear to be a very caring person where animals are concerned, I would feel the same way as you. You speak of your neighbours in a positive tone so obviously you get along well with them. Why not just have the conversation to ease your own mind? Let them know your concerns and hopefully they will be able to allay your fears. Good luck.
 

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