I’m after some advice: a neighbour in my block of flats passed away, leaving behind his cat. We don’t know its breed, age or sex, and nobody has come forward to take it in. It's still living in the communal gardens but doesn't have a proper home. My family and I can’t take it in as we’ve already got a male Labrador. With winter on the way and the temperature dropping, the cat is constantly meowing at passers-by for food and seems starving. My family and I have been giving it half a 160g tin of tuna a day, but it doesn't feel like enough; it's quite low in fat (which I reckon is important for a cat living outside in winter) and isn't very varied. Plus, another neighbour’s cat is always bullying it (he’s much bigger and stronger, unlike this poor stray) and keeps eating the food we leave out. How can we help? What’s the best thing to feed it, and in what sort of quantity?
Thanks for any advice.
Louis, 18
Translated from French
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Hi Louis, it's a lovely thing you're doing, feeding that poor kitty. The RSPCA is often completely overwhelmed and there’s a real crisis with adoption rates at the moment; a local rescue will likely look after him much better (I’m not blaming them, of course, they do their best with the resources they have). Dry food and water are perfect for now, but with the cold and winter on its way, it won’t be enough. Plus, being outside, he risks catching all sorts of diseases and parasites, which won’t help matters, not to mention other cats—territorial fights and all that. Like Blue Cat said, if he’s with a rescue before Christmas and he’s in good health, he’ll definitely be able to find a loving forever home. All the best to you, and I hope everything works out for this cat.
It's the least I can do to help the poor thing. Thanks for the advice, I’ll get in touch with a rescue straight away.
Have a good evening.
People really need to stop thinking that rescues just put cats down, you know. We’re not killers – quite the opposite, we’re the good guys. We spend all day, every day, clearing up the mess left by people’s stupidity...
Hi Louis,
It's a great thing you're doing, feeding that poor kitty. The big shelters like the RSPCA are often completely overwhelmed and there's a real crisis with rehoming at the moment; a smaller rescue charity would likely be able to look after him much better (mind you, I’m not blaming the big ones, they do what they can with the resources they have).
Dry food and water is perfect for him for the time being, but with the cold weather and winter on the way, it won't be enough. Plus, being outdoors, he risks catching all sorts of illnesses and parasites, which won't help, not to mention other cats and potential territorial fights and so on...
As Blue Cat mentioned, if he’s with a rescue before Christmas and stays healthy, he’ll almost certainly find a loving home.
Best of luck with it all, and I really hope everything turns out well for the little guy.
Good evening,
It’s already brilliant that you’re feeding him! Yes, it would be a good idea to get him into a rescue before winter. Since adoption rates at shelters usually go up as Christmas approaches, I think this old lad still has a good chance of being rehomed, especially if he gets a clean bill of health. Have a lovely evening.
Hi there, thanks for looking out for this poor old lad. You can buy some dry food and wet cat food and give him plenty of it. The wet food will keep him well hydrated since it’s about 80% water, and the dry food will fill him up. The worry isn't about him putting on too much weight, it's about the risk of him starving or dying of thirst. And above all, please give him water as well – many people forget that part. As for his future, you might want to think about contacting a local rescue or the RSPCA. An indoor cat will really struggle being outside 24/7, especially if he's already a senior. Not to mention all the dangers out there like attacks from other cats or dogs, cars, diseases, all kinds of parasites, the cold, etc. Winter is on its way, so a proper shelter needs to be found soon. Please keep us posted.
Evening,
Following your replies, I've bought a big bag of dry food so I can give the cat plenty to eat. I'm also putting out a large bowl of water for him to stay hydrated. We’re going to contact a rescue in a few days; we just want to make sure they won't put him down if they can't find him a new home.
Have a good evening.
Evening! A bowl of water and some dry food or wet food—there are some around here and I see some people putting that out for them.
I’ve seen a few, but I haven't found a sheltered spot to put anything yet. That’s really kind of you.
Mind you, I know of some places where there's a type of metal outdoor shelter or something like that, and I think local rescues might be the ones who can install them for you, though I’m not 100% sure.
There’s a woman who looks after a stray; he’s got one of those shelters behind some garages—a quiet little spot—with some bedding inside, and she brings him wet food and keeps him fed.
I’m not sure where they get those shelters from, but I’ve seen them elsewhere too.
And it’s the same near my place; there are stray cats again—it’s been ages since we last had any around here.
Have a good evening!
Evening! A bowl of water and some dry food or wet food—there’s some of that here and I see a few people giving them that.
I’ve seen them but I haven’t managed to find a sheltered spot to put them yet; that’s very kind of you. Otherwise, I know of places where there’s a sort of metal cat shelter or something like that, and I think it’s the local animal charities that can install them for you, though I’m not 100% sure.
There’s a lady who looks after a stray cat; he has one of those shelters behind some garages in a quiet spot with some bedding inside, and she brings him wet food and keeps him fed. I don’t know where they get those shelters from, but I’ve seen them elsewhere.
Same near me, there are some stray cats—it had been a long time since there were any about.
Have a lovely evening!
Thanks for looking out for this poor old lad. You could buy some dry and wet cat food and give him plenty of it. The wet food will help rehydrate him since it’s about 80% water, and the dry food will fill him up. The worry isn't about him putting on too much weight; it’s the very real risk of him starving or dying of thirst. And above all, please make sure you put out plenty of water as well—lots of people forget that part. As for his future, you might want to think about contacting a local rescue or the RSPCA. A cat used to living indoors really struggles being outside 24/7, especially if he’s already getting on in years. That’s not even mentioning all the dangers he’s facing: fights with other cats or dogs, cars, diseases, all sorts of parasites, the cold, etc. Winter is on its way, so a proper solution for his housing needs to be found quickly. Please keep us posted.
