Stray cat on my doorstep

Torgo

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I have two cats. I live in a council housing block (what I guess in the US would be a housing project.) For the last week or so, a small black and white cat has been living in the building.

He is reasonably healthy-looking but wary. No collar. He'll run away from me 9 times out of 10. I've been leaving food and water out for him, and he is partaking of them; have put a warmish lined box out there on the walkway too. I haven't brought him in to the house because I don't know (a) how he will react to my own cats (b) he may be carrying parasites or diseases (c) I just can't have three cats.

It's possible that he has entered the building somehow and isn't able to leave - the doors to the block are heavy security doors, and it's too far to jump down from the 1st floor walkway. I could shoo him out of the block in the hope that he might have people nearby he can't reach - but on the other hand I live at the crossroads of two main roads, and if he is lost or doesn't have people, it might well turn out badly.

I registered him on several lost-pet websites. Shortly I'm going to try to scan him for a microchip - there's a vet down the road if I can get him in to a carrier. Does anyone have any other advice for me?
 

veinglory

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A flier might be a way to check the cat is not "owned" by some crazy person who puts the cat out most of the time?
 

MaryMumsy

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If you have been putting out food and water, it is yours!

When you it at the vet for micro chip scanning, if no chip have it checked for parasites etc. If it's clean, bring it in the apartment.

We have never gone looking to acquire a cat. They just show up in our back yard and stay. We can't leave them out because of predators, coyotes and hawks in particular.

MM
 

cornflake

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How big is the block? Is there a way to put up a notice or some such in a postbox area or even on the door to ask if the cat 'belongs' to someone and is just double dipping for lunch?

If it wanted out, I'd think it'd go sit by the doors and wait until someone was coming or going to dash through or make clear it wanted the door held.

A friend of mine recently in England was called to by a cat who made clear he wanted a house door knocked on or its bell rung so the person inside would come open the door to let the cat in. Friend eventually got the message, person came and opened the door, cat strolled in. If the one you see wanted out through a door, which would presume it got in through one, I'd wager it'd figure a plan.
 

mirandashell

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I've had a cat do that to me too! There is a cat that lives near a house I pass and he oftens runs to his front door when he sees me coming.
 

Torgo

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How big is the block? Is there a way to put up a notice or some such in a postbox area or even on the door to ask if the cat 'belongs' to someone and is just double dipping for lunch?

The first person to meet this cat was on the first floor - they put up signs in the lift, etc, and I think I was the only person to show an interest. I don't think it can belong to anyone in the block (5 floors, 33 flats.) He's outside all night, it seems.
 

Torgo

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If you have been putting out food and water, it is yours!

When you it at the vet for micro chip scanning, if no chip have it checked for parasites etc. If it's clean, bring it in the apartment.

We have never gone looking to acquire a cat. They just show up in our back yard and stay. We can't leave them out because of predators, coyotes and hawks in particular.

MM

We've got no coyotes or hawks! Foxes and pigeons only. But, yeah. I've made contact with a local shelter but he is a handsome chap.
 

Brightdreamer

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Little bit of advice: if you are planning to take him home, do the full vet routine first.

Many years ago, we came home from a trip to find a friendly furball with whiskers greeting us from our own porch. He walked up to us, meowing, as if telling us he lived here now.

We had two other indoor/outdoor cats at the time.

Turns out Purrkins - the new boy - had feline leukemia.

Lost all three of them.

It was one of the many reasons why our next cats were indoor-only pets.
 

Hanson

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Little bit of advice: if you are planning to take him home, do the full vet routine first.

Many years ago, we came home from a trip to find a friendly furball with whiskers greeting us from our own porch. He walked up to us, meowing, as if telling us he lived here now.

We had two other indoor/outdoor cats at the time.

Turns out Purrkins - the new boy - had feline leukemia.

Lost all three of them.

It was one of the many reasons why our next cats were indoor-only pets.
Sad.

Very hard to see cats/pets abandoned.

Vet is your best option Torgo. Fair play for stepping up to the mark
 

Torgo

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Little bit of advice: if you are planning to take him home, do the full vet routine first.

Many years ago, we came home from a trip to find a friendly furball with whiskers greeting us from our own porch. He walked up to us, meowing, as if telling us he lived here now.

We had two other indoor/outdoor cats at the time.

Turns out Purrkins - the new boy - had feline leukemia.

Lost all three of them.

It was one of the many reasons why our next cats were indoor-only pets.

Thanks - this is good to know (but very sad to hear!)
 

frimble3

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I'm another who thinks that if he really wanted to leave the building, he'd have found a way out. Hang by a door and nip out when someone opens it, or howl until he's let out.
If he wants to stay, well, you've put out food and he has partaken. In the cat mind, that's contract and acceptance. You'll have trouble getting him to leave now.
And, yes, if you're taking him to have him checked for a chip, you might want to have him get a complete examination, just in case.
And,
 

cornflake

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As to what others, incl. Frimble have said, here at least, there's an FIV/FLV test that gives like, instant results and is, I believe, pretty cheap, called a snap test. So your vet can easily, probably cheaply check to make sure your other kitties will be safe before you bring home their new buddy. :)
 

laurasbadideas

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People often look for their lost pets at shelters, so if you make flyers, it's probably a good idea to leave some at any nearby shelter (and maybe at vet offices or pet stores).

Good luck! And thanks for looking out for this cat.
 

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I live about a mile from Lake Champlain, and there are a lot of summer renters in the area. It's a real problem with summer renters getting a kitten and then abandoning it when they return home at the end of the summer. We also have Section 8 (low-income) housing down the road, and again there is a lot of turnover with people dumping their pets when they suddenly get an eviction notice.

A couple years ago, we ended up with a very skinny stray female. She'd clearly just had a litter of kittens, though no one ever found the kittens, and she never tried to leave our porch to tend to them. She was sweet as could be with us, but I already had two cats and she definitely was not good with other cats. She ripped through the screen in our kitchen window, got into our house, and attacked our younger cat. I then had to take her to the vet to confirm she didn't have any diseases and to see if she had a microchip, which she didn't. That vet bill ended up costing me $250 after the wormers, Feline Leukemia and HIV blood tests, flea bath, and health check. Add in the other bill for about $200 for cleaning of the wounds on our other cat, and antibiotics to keep infection away. Then, we couldn't have a cat in heat all the time, so there was the cost of a spay too. Thankfully, we found an organization who offered to spay her for $50.

No one ever claimed her, and we tried to rehome her, but that proved futile. The area Humane Societies wouldn't take her saying that they do not accept cats from our town, and our animal control officer only handles dogs. The Humane Society went as far as to tell us to chase off strays in the future.

We ended up stuck with this cat for months because no one claimed her. People want cats not kittens, or they want a cat who loves all other animals. Finally, three months after we found her, the organization that had stepped in and offered the discounted spay said they'd found an older couple looking for a mellow cat and they didn't have any other pets, so we were able to rehome her.