How do you solve the problem of a stray cat? How can you tell if they are? Firstly are they friendly? If so then in all likelihood they may have a home where they're loved and better to let them be. But what if they're not friendly. Then the possibility is that they're probably homeless.
We have a cat that turns up routinely everyday without fail. Our stray is a bad tempered badass, or maybe just not from a very loving home. I'd like to think it's the former, better a badass than an neglected cat.
We have a cat that turns up routinely everyday without fail. Our stray is a bad tempered badass, or maybe just not from a very loving home. I'd like to think it's the former, better a badass than an neglected cat.
We feed him wet and dry food but he especially loves milk, he prefers it to anthing else. Tom, that's the adoptive name we've given him (I know original but very apt) is a scruffy soul. He's a black cat, I'd say about 8-10 years old, he doesn't have any signs of illness but does have an unkempt look about him and he doesn't like me touching him. At first he'd hiss (he's not the type to mess with) but now he just quickly moves out the way as if to say, what do you think your doing! He has entered the house unbeknown to us on hot summer days, when we leave the back door open to let some cool air in, he'll amble in leaving his beautiful scent - having his full tackle is another clue that maybe he is a stray.
But sometimes we mistake him for Marsbar our beloved black cat as at first glance you can easily mistake them for one and the same - like twins.
Question is do we keep feeding him indefinitely. I don't think we've adopted him so much as he's decided we're now his family but it's the effect it has on our other cats, it causes territory problems, no real problems yet just a bit of hissy fighting but we don't want our boys upset, they want a home to feel like their home and not intruded upon by some chancer. Do we take him in, shall we have him neutuered, what if he's happy roaming? It's a toughie.
I don't know what the outcome will be but we will help him all we can.
Marsbar & Tom, on the right - last year.
This isn't our first encounter with a stray about two summers ago, again leaving the back door open, this cat walked in, as he caught my eye, I looked at him and I have never been so shocked at what I saw, emaciated, patchy fur, he had a tumor on his face the size of a golf ball. I opened up a can of tuna gave the lad some milk and took him to the vet. He's having a long sleep now. Do these poor cats just get lost, or do people just not care.
