Can I Put A Collar On Someone Else’s Cat?

[tnbsp]

Im not really sure where to post this. One of my neighbors has a little girl cat- a big kitten- that often comes to my porch. She’s skinny and dirty and doesn’t have a collar. I asked around and a woman called me to tell me Princessa (the cat) is hers. I didn’t ask anymore questions as im very shy and dont want to meddle in someone else’s business. But i am worried the cat might not be vaccinated or might not get spaded.. and The other day Princessa tried to attack some of the song birds that eat at my feeder on the porch. I wonder how bad is it to put a bell on her?? I know i should probably ask the owner but I get nervous. A friend of mine (shes a vet technician) told me i can’t capture the cat to take her in to get shots, that even if I pay its against the law, my only option is to befriend the owner but i dont want to start doing that, I’m quite shy and feel like its not really my business what my neighbor is doing with her pet.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

feel like its not really my business what my neighbor is doing with her pet.

you're right, it isn't. However, could you try using prices of cloth sprayed with lemon scented furniture polish around your yard, or surrounded where the birds like to be? Citrus scent can sometimes deter cats.

 

[Kieka]

If you know the cat has an owner and you haven’t talked to the owner to find out what the cat does and does not have or need, you're right that it isn’t business. Let’s say you were to take the cat to get shots but, unknown to you, the cat has had bad reactions to shots in the past? What if the cat just went in for it’s annuals and got shots a week ago? What if you put a collar on her and it turns out she is hypersensitive to collars and/or bells and she hurts herself trying to get it off? There really are a lot of factors at play and you are making assumptions when you could just talk to the person. I get being shy and I get anxiety about interacting with people but you were able to find out who the owner is so either push yourself to find out more or back off and let it be.

If you want to help the cat, ask the owner if she is spayed and vaccinated. Offer to help the owner out if money is the issue if you’d like. If you are more concerned about the birds, get a motion sensor air canister or water sprinkler along the path the cat normally walks to scare her away from the birds and shoo the cat away when she gets near the birds. Or raise the bird feeder out of her reach.

 

[di and bob]

I have my bird feeders high and it is very seldom one of my ferals gets a bird. They hunt mostly mice. Your skinny little friend is most likely hungry, maybe feeding her would solve the problem. I wouldn't think your neighbor would object to that?! If she does tell her a cat that that is left outdoors has to look out for herself and you are just making life a little easier. If she decides to live with youy, I would bet teh neighbor wouldn't even care. i have a cat with me right now that started out as the neighbors. I had her spayed after picking up 4 of her numerous kittens in the street, I didn't need the heartache. He never knew, and never cared. He said once to me that his cats were in the street because I fed them and he didn't. How sad.....if he would have fed them they would have stayed at home. Good luck, I wish you well.....

 

[Kieka]

My cats have outdoor access and I would care very much if someone took one of them in. Differing situations and communication is always a better option then assumptions.

 

[LTS3]

Your skinny little friend is most likely hungry, maybe feeding her would solve the problem. I wouldn't think your neighbor would object to that?!

Unless the cat is skinny due to a medical condition that is being treated for (or not). What if the cat has to be on a special prescription food? Or certain foods trigger a reaction? Unless the OP directly asks talks to the cat's owner and gets more info on the cat, feeding the cat isn't a good idea.

 

[di and bob]

If she lets the cat outside with access to anything it finds, I doubt very much the cat is on a special diet. I agree if she knows the neighbor, talk to them and ask. You might ask why she is so skinny and left to defend herself outside. I told my neighbor I was going to spay his cat because she was having too many kittens that either died or came to eat, he stated he could care less what I did, he had them to mouse. The main thing here is IF YOU LET YOUR CAT OUTSIDE, BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING TO HAPPEN. Including getting ran over, mauled by dogs or other cats, and disappearing. It's enevitable one of those will happen. I've got more tahn a dozen littlr graves to prove it! so taking in a obviously mistreated cat is not high on my morality meter about displeasing a pet owner like this!

 

[Kieka]

If she lets the cat outside with access to anything it finds, I doubt very much the cat is on a special diet. I agree if she knows the neighbor, talk to them and ask. You might ask why she is so skinny and left to defend herself outside. I told my neighbor I was going to spay his cat because she was having too many kittens that either died or came to eat, he stated he could care less what I did, he had them to mouse. The main thing here is IF YOU LET YOUR CAT OUTSIDE, BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING TO HAPPEN. Including getting ran over, mauled by dogs or other cats, and disappearing. It's enevitable one of those will happen. I've got more tahn a dozen littlr graves to prove it! so taking in a obviously mistreated cat is not high on my morality meter!

My cats can’t have poultry but they go outside. The risk of them finding a wild chicken or turkey and catching it is fairly slim to nothing in our area. Nightfury is fairly skinny simply because he is naturally a skinny cat combined with being highly active (and a habit of overeating until he barfs). While many cat owners keep their cats indoors it isn’t universal and isn’t a sign of mistreatment or making the person deserving of having bad things happen. Yes, there are risks with allowing a cat outside. Trust me, I am not oblivious to those risks and I am hyper vigilant about signs of illness or injury to the point I see a vet probably every three months. My vet office knows me well, the cats get annual appointments, shots when needed, flea treatment, two wet meals a day with kibble out between and a curfew to keep them indoors when it is dark to reduce risks a little. But in my situation outside access is something that happens (no, I am not going into detail as to why). This is an international site with widely varying situations, personalities and places. There is not a universal “right” way to care for your cat; feed them, love them and provide them the care they need the best you can. Details such as indoor versus outdoor, dry versus wet versus raw, etc are all personal choices.

I do understand why in your particular case you got involved with your neighbors cat and ended up taking her in. But the OP doesn’t have the owners permission to spay, feed or get medical care for the cat in question. The OP should contact Princesses owner, get more information and express the concerns directly instead of taking uninformed action that may cause harm to the cat or problems with the owner.

 

[Pjg8r]

I don’t know the laws about feeding someone else’s cat, but a cat that is roaming the neighborhood is likely exposed to other cat foods already.

 

[tnbsp]

Hi everyone. Thank you for all your comments, suggestions, and for sharing your personal experiences. I am going to take it all into account and come up with what feels right. For now, I will probably do something to try and deter her from jumping at the birds and think about whether or not I feel it's appropriate to call and chat with the neighbor.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[basscat]

If you just really, really, really wanna put a collar on somebody else's cat.
Come on over. I'll even buy the collar.

 

[GoldyCat]

If you just really, really, really wanna put a collar on somebody else's cat.
Come on over. I'll even buy the collar.

You think she's going to come over to try to put a collar on Gibsy?

 

[Maria Bayote]

I agree to most of the above, talk to the owner, unless the owner is the same as my neighbor who has not understood a word I say. Ask also if you can feed the cat, so she would not be tempted much to hunt the birds if on a full stomach. If that cat is on a special diet the owner would tell you. However, I don’t understand why a cat on a special diet would be allowed to roam outside.

Anyway, since you seem to care a lot for the birds as well as the cat, find some strength to talk to this owner. You can do it! You have the best intentions in mind. It is nothing to be shy about.

Goodluck.

 

[LTS3]

However, I don’t understand why a cat on a special diet would be allowed to roam outside.

I had a neighbor whose mostly outdoor cat had to eat prescription Hills CD for urinary issues and asked that I not feed her cat non-prescription food. I don't agree that special needs cats should be allowed outside but there are people who do for whatever reason and will not listen to what others say Unless you ask the owner directly about the cat, don't assume that an outside cat doesn't have special dietary needs or health issues

 

[basscat]

You think she's going to come over to try to put a collar on Gibsy?

 

[tnbsp]

Thought I’d update what happened, but idk if you guys will see this since its been a few months haha but I want to share because I’m very happy with the way it turned out!

I spoke with the owner. the cat was about one year old, no vaccines and not spayed. I got in touch with a friend of mine who volunteers for a TNR group and they said they could spay and vaccinate the cat for free. With the owner’s permission we got it done! She did have a litter of kittens before we could get her in, but at least now she won’t have to worry about having more. As for collars, she’s had a few on her since she was spayed but they seem to fall off she still visits my porch and my bird feeder most mornings. Shes a cutie. Her name is Princesa.

 

[vyger]

It is good to use breakaway collars if you do try and get one for her. They are designed to pop open if the collar gets caught on anything. It prevents the cat from getting trapped or even strangled from getting entangled.
As far as bells I don't think they have any warning effect for birds. The birds would need to be trained before that would work. My daughter used to have a bell collar on her cat so it was easy to keep track of here as she loved climbing up and finding high places. We discovered that the other cats listened for the bell. I took off the collar once and went to different places and shook it and one of the other cats kept following it thinking she was there. So other cats will learn to associate the bell sound with that cat because they are with them a lot but birds will have no idea what it means.

 

[Furballsmom]

What a terrific update!! Thank you, and she sure is a lovely sweetie!!

 

[kittenmittens84]

It is good to use breakaway collars if you do try and get one for her. They are designed to pop open if the collar gets caught on anything. It prevents the cat from getting trapped or even strangled from getting entangled.
As far as bells I don't think they have any warning effect for birds. The birds would need to be trained before that would work. My daughter used to have a bell collar on her cat so it was easy to keep track of here as she loved climbing up and finding high places. We discovered that the other cats listened for the bell. I took off the collar once and went to different places and shook it and one of the other cats kept following it thinking she was there. So other cats will learn to associate the bell sound with that cat because they are with them a lot but birds will have no idea what it means.

Do they even sell cat collars anymore that aren’t breakaway? Obviously if it’s something handmade that’s different but i don’t think my local pet store has cat collars that aren’t breakaway-type