For the little black (stray?) cat that hangs around my garden. I though it looked a bit skinny and it often sits looking hungrily at the fish in the pond. So a couple of weeks ago I bought a tin of cat food and left a small plate full out side the back door. Five minutes later there’s scruffy licking the plate clean. This, I though was a bit odd, I’ve cat-sat for other people a couple of times and their cats just picked at their food, this cat ate more like a dog (dogs always seem to eat like this is the last food they’ll ever see).
Since then I’ve been buying a tin at a time thinking that this will be the last because scruffy’s owner will start feeding him/her again. and I don’t have any use for spare cat food. This week I got a bag of kibble, looks like I’ll be feeding scruffy for a while.
I have one theory, that it belonged to the previous owner of the house, which might explain why it spends so much time in my garden – it has a sort of nest under a bush. It also sometimes sleeps in the garage. That doesn’t explain how it has survived for the last few years.
So, cat-people, what’s going on here? Is the cat just not going home, what was it surviving on before?
The cat could have been abandoned by someone who didn’t live near you. It has probably been surviving off of carrion, what it can catch, and trash cans. It may have belonged to the previous owner of the house - some people just don’t think abandoning an animal is wrong.
If you check with your local Humane Society, there may be a program that will help get Scruffy spayed/neutered for you, or at least at a reduced rate, and get shots for the little one. If you talk to him, he may eventually come to you.
Thank you for feeding him. I can’t stand to see a pet starving.
I don’t think I have ever posted here before, but I am a cat person and thought I might add something. A relative of mine, also a cat person, is feeding a lot of strays. She told me that they ate like crazy but were skinny and sickly looking. I asked her what cat food she was buying and she said the store brand of a well-known supermarket. I told her to buy a name brand of chow and she did. Now these cats have shiny coats and good weight. I am surprised that a well-known supermarket would not be sure their name was attached to a better made product, but evidently the stuff was full of filler and the cats were eating but starving.
On that note, check any number of cat threads around here for recs on brands. Our Mistresses get a mix of Purina One and Iams Weight & Hairball Control for dry, and they share an envelope of Nature’s Choice wet every night.
Where are our pictures!? :dubious: We require pictures. It could be a kitty someone here misplaced. (although, pretty unlikely, it sounds like a good way to get the pictures we deserve. )
I don’t have the technology to get pictures on the web, and the cat is pretty skittish, you’d just see a blurred tail disappearing round a corner.
misplaced in Seattle, that would take some doing.
nefer I’ve bought all sorts of food, whatever was in the shop I happened to be in, I’m sure it’s good stuff one way or another quietly ignoring the day I got dog food by mistake (Scruffy didn’t seem to mind).
One more question from a non cat person. I know dogs get to know to the minute when feeding time is. Are cats the same, or do you just leave some food out all day?
Can you pet Scruffy (there’s a name for you there)? If so, I suggest you get some worming fluid - there’s a handy new kind you can get from the vet that goes on the back of the neck (so they can’t lick it).
Also, bulk dry food from the vet is more cost-effective than supermarket stuff. Make sure there’s plenty of water available or he could get kidney problems.
Hahah, that is the way I got my CelynCat! Cat food just took to jumping off the shelves into my basket when I was shopping. Then one evening , it started to rain, and I though"hmm, cats that have choices don’t stay out in the rain. Perhaps I’ll just take a walk to see if the cat is still under the bushes. Perhaps I’ll just happen to take some food and big bag with me."
Cat’s will breed to the level of their resources - You may just be enabling a feral cat to have kittens. Please find a way to grab that kitty and get is spayed, if you are to continue feeding it!
Oh, and thanks for taking care of it… I’m a kitty fan, too!
This is how we wound up adopting Nubia, our first cat. First she would come to our apartment for food, then she’d let us pet her, then she started coming in when the weather was bad. Pretty soon, she knew our schedule and would be waiting for us when we got home from work. Eventually she decided to just move in. 14 years later, she’s still queen of the household.
She was a scruffy little black cat too. I’m glad to hear you’ve received your Black Cat Society stamp of approval.
Kitty will breed (if she’s not spayed) no matter if she is fed or not. The difference is reasonably healthy/surviving kittens or dead ones, or a mother with no/insufficent milk.
Spaying/neutering is the best idea, because even starving animals will breed.
