[Travelinglady]

We have had a cat (about 6 months old, I guess) evidently dumped in our neighborhood, and the pitiful thing is now often lying around in our yard. The first time I saw it was maybe three days ago.

I tried to approach it today, but it ran away. It's skinny as a rail and even has a damaged eye, which looks like it might be blind now.

What would be the best thing to do?

Feed it, trap it, have it fixed. If it's "humanized" it may be adoptable.

[LiteraryLark]

You could either take in it, feed it knowing it would likely keep returning, or take it to the shelter or humane society. That really depends on what you think is best.

If a cat came to my house like that, my parents would not let me take it in and probably wouldn't want me feeding it. They'd want me to leave it be.

[lizardlady]

Payne, sappy me would start putting out food for the kitty and see how socialized to people it is. If history is any indicator, I'd end up with yet one more cat eventually.

If you don't want to adopt if yourself, I see two options. Call your local animal control and see if they will come get it. Or you could see if animal control will loan you a trap and you can trap it yourself, then take it to animal control.

BTW, eye injuries in cats heal up nicley. Kitty might not be blind, just need some treatment.

[Nammu]

Where I live we have a trap & release program for feral cats, but you said that this was young yet so it might still be adaptable yet. The trap and release program here gives out traps to folks who will set out the trap and then bring the cats in for treatments and a Spay or neuter so they can not breed. Then return them to a safe place. It's a free program.

[happiedasiy]

Dear Payane,
I agree with george and lizardlady.
I think it is horrible that people disregard animals to fend for themselves.
Mother cats in the wild care for their kittens by teaching them how to catch food and survive from predatators. Kittens stay together as a group with mother untill mom sees they are ready for the world.
This kitten seems to have been abandoned and in the need of medical care.
Eye infections can be cleared with antbiotics, or the eye may need to be removed.
I adopted a deaf cat as a kitten, she was with me for 17 years, she went outside with me everyday and had a beautiful life.
Cats have an innate ability to survive outside.
Placing water and food out for this kitten is a good thing but also brings others around for a free meal.
I hope you keep us informed.
Happiedasiy

[Travelinglady]

I called Animal Control and they will do diddly. Cats are allowed to roam at will.

At last check, kitty was in our neighbor's yard.

We are scared to try to grab it.

I know we had a cat that got trapped under our neighbor's canoe (in another town) years ago. She emerged, really skinny, when the neighbor lifted the canoe. This event happened after she had been trapped for about a month.

If we do opt to try to feed this abandoned kitty, then I remember from that last experience that she needs to be fed just a little or something. Anybody have thoughts on that?

I really think hubby will not want me to take this one in. But I'd hate to see it starve. Maybe if we feed her, she will tame down and we can go from there......

You would make it harder if you tried to grab it. Cats don't much care for being grabbed, especially by strangers. You will lose hope of gaining trust that way. A trap is best if you plan to have the cat spayed/neutered. I can walk you through this if you wish. It's something I have some experience with. If animal control had come out and been able to catch the cat it would have been euthanized immediately.

As far as food... the cat will know how much to eat. You don't need to feed it small portions.
Water is very important also. It actually may even be harder for a stray to find water than food

[girlwithbrownhair]

Poor thing. That's how I got my cat, showed up in my yard. Animal Control offered to put him to sleep (2 month old kitten from the hoarder across the way). After checking around, I got in touch with the head of our local SPCA, who paid for him to go to the vet's. Paid for his shots and antibiotics. Now he's an indoor kitty...very spoiled. I sure hope your local SPCA can do that too. If not, I would put out water and food (in a way that doesn't bring in bugs or rats or racoons), and a box with a blanket (on or under a porch)(preferably plastic). But remember, you can't "half heartedly" take in a cat, and in some jurisdictions, doing so is proof of ownership. He may never be friendly, or he could have come from an inside environment (poor thing) and just be scared witless. I hope you can do something for him...and thank you for caring!!

As for the specifics, I agree with the poster who said fresh water could be more important. As for food...I would get a box of dry kitten food, maybe some Temptations treats (go for the hairball formula). You can bet he/she has worms, but try a little something anyway. Not too much at first, you don't want to make kitty ill, maybe a few treats, a couple tablespoons of dry (or less if wet, just otmake sure it doesnn't go rotten in the heat). Cats also seem to like scrambled eggs, but well done whites are a must...and not preferable in any rate to cat food.

You should be able to get it spayed for free whether you keep it inside or not. And if your SPCA can offer kitty vet care and a no kill shelter, I really would go for the trapping. That's just me, I know some people wouldn't. But without help, feral cats' lifespans are heartbreakingly short outside...as little as 2-3 years. And you really would want kitty to get a rabies shot if its in your yard (and dewormed). Good luck!!

[Travelinglady]

Cat is now officially in neighbor's yard. I will try to call SPCA or the Humane Society tomorrow, if he/she is still around.

My son tells me there is a cat hoarder in our neighborhood. Maybe an escapee?

[eskielover]

I would try to feed it & get it into a trap. Trying to grab a 6 month old kitty would cause trauma to both kitty & you I'm sure.

At that point if you don't have the money for the care it needs, I would definitely find a no kill shelter & they will take care of kitty's vet bills & then if you would want to adopt later.

When my daughter was in highschool, this lady had a bunch of kittens on her disaster of a ranch out in the desert...this little kitten had a bad eye that ended up being blind.....my daughter took that kitten & my mom even helped with the vet bills......that kitten & my daughter were so close....sadly, she lost him to kidney problems a few years ago.....but he was her special buddy all through her senior year of high school & through college & even moved with her to Colorado.

One never knows how special those little strays can end up in our life.

[happiedasiy]

Originally Posted by PAYNE1

Cat is now officially in neighbor's yard. I will try to call SPCA or the Humane Society tomorrow, if he/she is still around.

My son tells me there is a cat hoarder in our neighborhood. Maybe an escapee?

Dear Payne,

Lots of good advice here, I would suggest sardines, tunafish, salmon in a trap. Fresh water by the trap.
Never grab a wild kitten with your hands. I made this mistake trying to get a kitten out of tool shed, well she scratched me pretty good, my arm swelled up and was on antibiotics for weeks.
Worms, mites, ticks, eye infection, and shots along with vet bill.
Or putting out the food/water suggested and let nature be.
Either way you are a good soul.

[Yoda]

My vet lends out humane catch cages.

[Tulela]

It's a very nice thing that you want to help the cat. My first cat was in a very similar situation when I found her, except that it happened in the middle of winter. I had no previous experience with cats, because I was a dog person, but I managed to grab her without her being able to scratch me, though she was fighting hard (beginners' luck, I guess).
I gave her food and water and locked her up in a small room, because I had to leave for a few hours. When I got back, I let her out of the room and intended to go to bed. I was sitting on my bed, when the cat suddenly came in, jumped on my bed, walked onto me and curled up in my lap. I was quite surprised. I guess she escaped from somewhere, but I never managed to find her previous owner.

[healingme4me]

I used to live in a neighborhood, where there was a 'colony' of abandoned cats. It's how I ended up with the cat I have now. She's going on 12. There was another cat, looked like her, perhaps her older sibling cat, but with an injured eye, like you describe. She fit in the palm of my hand, when taken in. She tested negative for feline HIV. Thank goodness for that. She changed my perspective on cats, as she is a gentle cat, and has been wonderful with all the kids.

Don't know, how you can save the cat in your neighborhood. It's up to you, if you feel like leaving food. Some ferals can't be home-broken.

to your compassionate soul

Add: If you are planning to grab, I'd recommend heavy duty gloves, the natural inclination with be to be scared and scratch. Work gloves, work.

[Travelinglady]

I don't see her/him around this afternoon--but I will try to plan ahead just in case she/he comes back.

[Perna]

My neighbors had an indoor cat and an outdoor (stray) one. If you have a garage or shed or something, you might could turn it into an outdoor cat okay, get it to get to know you and then take it to the vet's for spay/neutering and shots? Their outdoor cat was fine (we took turns feeding each others cats when we'd go away) and not a bother. Their indoor one they got as a kitten and leash-trained it so they could walk it outdoors.

I got my girl cat from them, a stray kitten found on a shelf in their garage! I brought it inside but was not equipped to deal with it yet (and the elderly neighbor lady opened the box to take a last look at it and it got out) and it was easily spooked and farting up a storm :-) I ended up taking it to my vet's to have a thorough checkup and get rid of fleas, worms, etc. and THEN let it be spooked in the house :-) She eventually got a bit better but too clingy, I couldn't work on the computer because she was either on it or in my arms, etc.:



So, I naturally had to go out and get another cat to help calm her down and give her something else to do besides bug me :-) The two are both 12 next month and doing well.

[Travelinglady]

I fed him/her today and put out water. A humane catch device will not be available until next week.

At least the cat didn't run away from me. I guess the cat smelled the food as I was bringing it.

[girlwithbrownhair]

Originally Posted by PAYNE1

Cat is now officially in neighbor's yard. I will try to call SPCA or the Humane Society tomorrow, if he/she is still around.

My son tells me there is a cat hoarder in our neighborhood. Maybe an escapee?

Smart kitty...

[lizardlady]

Payne, here's another idea!

[Travelinglady]

I talked to our next door neighbor today, and he said they had been feeding the kitty, too. He said the kitty had been healthy at some point, and is looking better. We haven't seen the little one today......

[roads]

No matter how tame kitty may seem, please use the humane trap. This cat is still a bit feral and may scratch or bite if frightened, and resulting medical bills (not to mention the pain) for the person involved can be substantial.

If you've got a good SPCA or Humane Society in your area, they are the cat's best chance for being tested and socialized. It's already been around people too much to probably be accepted back into a feral community.

You've been great to sustain it as you have so far. It'll probably be fine, because obviously it's a tenacious little thing.

[Travelinglady]

Actually, our neighbor said he had picked the cat up, and it was actually tame. It slept on his front porch during a big night storm.

I now see it in the bushes in the side of our yard.

The neighbor seems okay with both of us just feeding it. Ever heard of a kitty shared by two households?

[healingme4me]

Awesome!!! 'kitty shared by two household'

Glad the kitty is doing alright!!

Originally Posted by PAYNE1

Actually, our neighbor said he had picked the cat up, and it was actually tame. It slept on his front porch during a big night storm.

I now see it in the bushes in the side of our yard.

The neighbor seems okay with both of us just feeding it. Ever heard of a kitty shared by two households?

That's great but one or the other co-owner should have the cat spayed/neutered. Otherwise you're going to have complications