# Update on the cat that hangs out in my yard **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 12, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891 "2010-04-12T22:26:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/1 "2010-04-12T22:26:12Z")
Update on a thread I mad a month ago or so about the cat that comes to my door and begs for food. I nicknamed him Morris because he looks like Morris the cat from the old 9 lives commercial. For awhile I didn’t see Morris. We fed him from the uneaten cat food that our four cats left. I was sure he had an owner at the time because the first time I saw him (almost a year ago) he had a flea collar on and looked well kept. He’s friendly enough. He won’t run from people and as long as you don’t scare him won’t hiss or anything. Morris would be waiting in my driveway when I got home from PT because he knew that is when I fed our cats (and thus put the old food out). He would be there in the evening because he knew I would come home to fed our cats again. But for days, maybe just under 2 weeks I didn’t see him at all. I figured his owners were keeping him indoors or something, though he no longer had a flea collar when I last saw him. However, there are other roaming cats that come around. We nicknamed them, of course. Theres: \*\*PJ: \*\*A female that is very scared around people. She won’t come near anyone, but she has been less frightened of me in the last few weeks. Still, she’ll come eat the food we put out, but if you open the door she bolts. My wife thinks she is pregnant (and indeed, I caught her and another cat in the act one night. I thought it was Morris, but it was dark and I can’t be sure). I’m not so sure if she’s pregnant. How long do cat pregnancies last? (our cats are all fixed) \*\*Cow: \*\*I named him or her (probably a her) Cow because it has the black and white spots of a cow. Cow is firghtened of people too. She’ll run as soon as she sees you. Cow wouldn’t come near the house when Morris was around, but began appearing more lately. One of the reasons I thought Morris was gone. I see Cow around the neighborhood but until recently she stayed away from the house. **Sasquatch:** Now, Sasquatch has to have an owner. He has a collar on, and he’s a big fluffy cat. He only appears at night and he stares into the windows from outside…but only every so often. Sasquatch loves to stare into the window of our bathroom from the ledge, because \*Jet Jaguar \*and _Patches_ sit there on the inside at night. They just sit there and stare. There have been a few times when he’s scared me…because I’ll go use the can at 3 AM and see him in the dark sitting there. Sasquatch doesn’t seem afraid of people, but since I’ve never seen him other than night I’ve never been in a position to come too close to him. (I have seen him around dawn walking down the street with **PJ** and **Cow** following him!) Sasquatch is Banshee’s arch enemy though. Sometimes he’ll stare into the pation glass door and Banshee likes to sleep there. She goes ballistic when he does that. But back to Morris. He showed up this weekend. As always he wants to come into the house, but I can’t let him in. But he looks a lot scruffier and dirty. I looked him over and he has a few scratches as if he’s been in a fight or two, also. I’m certain someone abandoned him. I feel so awful for him. He is a friendly cat, and pretty too. But I can’t afford another pet. I think I may need to start looking into finding a place that won’t euthanize him, but help find hom a home. ---
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/2 "2010-04-12T22:30:11Z")
Aww, poor Morris! I hope you have luck finding him a home. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/3 "2010-04-12T22:54:22Z")
My experience with neighborhood cats has not been positive. They love to crap in my flowerbed. Nothing like a fresh turd to ruin my day when I’m planting flowers. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/4 "2010-04-13T00:58:10Z")
Makes for good fertilizer tho… ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/5 "2010-04-13T01:01:38Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > My experience with neighborhood cats has not been positive. They love to crap in my flowerbed. Nothing like a fresh turd to ruin my day when I’m planting flowers. These cats seem to do no more than hang about and wait for food. But its not like they’re ALWAYS in the yard. Morris was outside an hour ago. I stepped out to get some air and he was on the hood of my jeep. Its a place I usually find him. As I said, Morris is friendly…he’ll let you pet him and he purrs if you scratch his chin. But he has nipped at me before if he thinks I’m going to hurt him. He did so tonight when I tried to check one of the nasty cuts he has acquired. The poor guy has been living rough for awhile. He’s such a sweet cat, I don’t know if I’m\ helping or not. He needs a home. I wish I could give him one, but I really can’t afford it. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/6 "2010-04-13T01:26:41Z")
Do you have a Petsmart in your area? They have cat adoption centers in their stores that usually work with particular local cat rescues to rehome kitties. You can find out there how to contact the rescues, or how to get Morris on the adoption list. If he’s friendly like you say he just needs a little help getting cleaned up and to find some new peeps. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/7 "2010-04-13T02:08:22Z")
I love the mental image of Sasquatch staring in your windows, I’m sorry to say. Haha! And yeah, nothing is quite so huffy as a cat whose territory (even if said cat is indoors only) is being infringed upon. Good luck with Morris. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/8 "2010-04-13T12:41:49Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Makes for good fertilizer tho… Not to mention [toxoplasmosis, crytosporidiosis, salmonella infection, various parasites](http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/ZoonoticDisease.html) etc. And feeding feral/neighborhood cats encourages them to breed, to prey on birds and other wildlife in your neighbors’ yards and to crap all over them too. Maybe as an alternative to indiscriminately feeding all these cats, there’s a group that arranges neutering to keep the population down. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/9 "2010-04-13T13:08:44Z")
**Jolly Roger** - I’d be happy to paypal a little donation to vet and feed Morris if you want him. StG ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/10 "2010-04-13T13:30:58Z")
I’m in the same situation with my Blackie. He was a neighbor’s cat, but they moved off and left him to fend for himself. I can’t let him in the house because I’m afraid he’ll pass something on to my spoiled rotten Wonton and Miso, but I don’t mind feeding him and giving him a scritch on the head. He seems so loving, but he’s obviously old so I can’t find anyone with any interest in him. I don’t want him to die and he seems so content sunning himself on my porch. He’s no problem, and the neighbor kids like to snuggle him sometimes. Recently he brought a girlfriend home and let her eat all his food while he watched. It’s not that great a pic but here’s a shot of their dinner date: [Blackie had a girlfriend over for dinner. | bellabrigido | Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellabrigido/4517954510/) ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-cat-that-hangs-out-in-my-yard/535891/11 "2010-04-13T13:37:58Z")
Also… see how sweet he looks with my little girl? How could I resist that charm? [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/4032/4517982448_a6545aaeef_z.jpg "Bella and Blackie") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/bellabrigido/4517982448/)