Some advice, Please!

OK, most of you on here know me as a very passionate animal lover so please have an open mind when offering any advice for me  :smiley:  I have a problem with a former neighbours’ cat.  They moved and the cat keeps coming back to his old place but unfortunately has decided that walking across the road and taking up rez at my door and crying and scratching at it is his daily routine.  He was out there in the rain the other night 11:30 so YES, I KNOW, I gave him some food in hopes he would then go home which he did, I guess. But the cat came back and my fella and I actually drove him back to his house last nite and he is back today ! He is a beauty, very affectionate, and I would like to take him in but I have an indoor cat who is very territorial.  I am so pissed at this, not to mention the hassle it has become but why have animals, they have 3 cats, if you let them wander the neighborhood.  This poor cat was almost hit by a car a few weeks ago and I am at my wits end.  I don’t want to take him to the SPCA as they are full of beauties already.  What do any of you suggest and please be kind.?  Should I just keep feeding him a little or what? I would feel like crap if I just left him without grub  :cry:

keep feeding him,if you can

I would not be just mentioning the cat as you have been but mention the owner or owners, either by HTMF user name or the person’s real name. This would let other individuals know that he or she are shitty pet owners. 

if it was me i would keep feeding him…cause thats the way i am but seriously if you want him gone stop feeding him and he will eventually go home

You are an animal lover and that is commendable. 

You must not feed this cat if you don’t want him returning to your porch; cross busy streets and possibly get injured.  The cat will stay home if there is food there.  Let’s hope the owners accept this responsibility.

Animals are not human and shouldn’t be treated, psychologically or physically as a human.  So don’t take on guilt for this.

I agree with you JC but they know who they are as I have PM’d them on far too many occasions with the assumption they cared about their pets  :| and would like to know where they were.  I agree with futureprincess too but maybe I will cut down on the food a bit in hopes he will go home.  Got some good advice from our shelter, keep driving him home, drop him off and leave him there with some food so he will eventually understand his grub is there !      Good idea, but now I see another problem, I will be driving over there on a daily basis feeding their cats!    When will it STOP ??   :confused:   LOL

My crazy cat actually tried to get into my neighbours house through an open window - she is ubber nosey!
My neighbour sprayed her with some water and she ran away, to my knowledge she hasnt tried to get in their house since then…she still eats bugs off of their patio door though  :smiley:

give it a little squirt of water (i know it sounds mean, but really it wont hurt them) it will scare the cat back home.

take the cat to the wildlife shelter, they take cats.  They have a whole lot there.

I’ve been in a similar situation, and I know for a fact that it wasn’t because the owners were uncaring, the cat just wanted out of that house, I sprayed this cat with a hose, my dog chased it, we didn’t feed it. We would call the owners and they’d come pick him up and bring him back home, where he would cry and catterwaul at the door, and hang off the screens in their windows. The second he was let out, he would trot the four hour journey back here.(we know it was four hours because the owners came back and waited for him a couple of times.) This was five years ago, the cat is still here. We took him in and gave him a good home because he didn’t want to stay at his former house. He’s in his twenties now, so we think this is his retirement home, where he has a labrador, just like when he was a kitten. He’s also near where he used to live.

Cat’s are weird creatures. When they decide that they want to stay somewhere, it’s hard to keep them from doing it.

It’s just natural for them to go back to their old territory unless you break that habit by keeping a cat inside for the first few weeks. That should solve the problem.

I have asked them to do that and apparently that didn’t work. I thought of the wildlife also but given that he sort of has a home, I feel wrong about giving him away. Maybe I should look at it as " Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t" and I will end up with a playmate for my cat, that way I will know he is OK !!  OMG, tough to be a parent  :smiley:

There are two kinds of people out there:

**The first type:**People that will feed a feral cat over a long period of time, care for it wherever and however they can e.g.: make-shift shelter food and water/medical care if the animal can be handled at all.

**The second type:**People that won’t do anything.

Some people just don’t like the idea of helping an animal if it’s not all cuddly and affectionate; some people cannot due to living arrangements; some cannot afford the cost.

I’ve fed quite a few feral cats myself. The first time I put down food it’s because of my conscience for “Life-In-Need.” But it’s a conscious decision and with it I understand I am taking responsibility. Not easy - but compassionate.

Keep feeding it if you can take the responsibility.

I am actually a little offended by this because the owners that you are referring to are actually my family.  And for you to make the assumption that they are uncaring pet owners is ridiculous as I know that my sister loves all of the animals that she has in her home.  Her cat will not stay at her home and short of her tying the cat up, what would you suggest she do?  The cat has never done this before, of course I am only assuming because no one has offered to feed the cat before.  Since you have made him so comfortable I doubt there is any way that he will leave.  And I can tell you that the cat doing this does not make for bad pet owners, maybe a stubborn cat at the most.

Tell your sister to keep the cat indoors for a minimum of two weeks, it’s not that hard unless she has a cat door, then close it off.  SHe has a responsibility to make the move with the animal and do whatever it takes to make the relcoation possible.

Are you actually trying to blame me now because I have made the cat “so comfortable”?  Get real here and I agree with laxking and I have even suggested this to your sister to keep them in, she has 3 that wander the neighborhood BTW and dammit, yes, if you truly care about your animals ALL the time, then you would make sure they are safe and cared for. This poor thing is dirty, has a huge mat under one leg, so God forbid I try and make sure it is fed, that is my nature and I am glad I can afford the little it takes to do this but this is NOT my responsibility, it is your sisters’ !  At least leave some food outside for them  at their house if you must let them out. Maybe they will know then to go home !

Agreed…If u have ever watched Seinfeld…Jerry fed Kramer once and he never ever ever left his fridge.

But seriously, we had a cat b4 and we moved…way across town; took him a couple of weeks b4 he realized that we were gone, then he was at our door once again.   :smile:

Well I am part of the family who is stuck with this cat which is in question here and to get to the basics , the other two keep coming around as well. This little guy is not entering the house but sits on the porch and cries maybe because it is hungry and cold, we brought it home a few nights ago and it still found its way back. When your sister went to Mexico the person responsible to feed the pets messed up. If you had a child who got lost or locked out and the neighbor fed him or her, are they to blame because someone cared for your young one. So someone should get real here and maybe try some of the ideas mentioned here about keeping the cat-cats home for a week or two. The little one is getting matted and is at risk , the other two are also in the area running with a group of punk cats.

Where did the owners move?  Out of town?

No they presently live in Rupert .

Well bitchcakes, I now have 2 of your sisters’ cats on my doorstep and this is heartbreaking !  If you are in touch with her, please ask her to come and get them and advise her to leave them in the house for awhile as others have suggested she try.  My cat is on the inside of the door going absolutely nuts and this is NOT fair. Look after your pets or don’t have any.  You say that having cats and allowing them to roam the neighborhood is good owner behavior, I beg to differ ! And I was told that the one who is at my door daily is not fixed, great, just great ! And no, I will not put food out for this one too as I am sure that my landlord who lives next door is not going to be too impressed with his “cat lady” tenant !  :angry: