Need Help Id'ing Kitty!

[S.peno93]

Hi! New to this. I just moved into a new apartment, and about 2 weeks ago met a cute lil all brown tabby short hair hanging around in our back parking lot. I can't tell if they're male or female, can't get too close to them without them getting spooked. But they're small, skinny and young looking. Emphasis on the skinny. Well-maintained coat though and they make a lot of solid eye contact with me. I literally cannot tell if this cat is a stray or a feral! This morning my own cat who I rescued as a stray 3 yrs. ago, saw the brown tabby thru our window and got huffy. So I went outside (to his chagrin most likely) and tried to toss the kitty a piece of canned chicken. That might have been a mistake though - the kitty ran and hid in the bushes. I think they thought I was throwing something AT them. To hurt them.
I would like to gain this cats trust over time and hopefully get them a new home or into a TNR program if they are feral. Any tips besides the basics on how to identify which kind of outdoor cat this is? Thanks (:

 

[shadowsrescue]

I guess to me it really doesn't make a difference if the cat is feral or stray. Most likely the cat needs to be TNR'd and soon. I would get a trap and humanely trap the cat to then be taken for spay/neuter. At that time, the cat can be assessed to determine if the cat would be adoptable. I have done TNR on cats only to then bring them into the house months/years later. The most important thing right now is spay/neuter or you will have more and more and more kitties on your hands.
You can immediately try to trap or you can first start to feed the cat. Just leave out some yummy food during the day while you are able to watch from a distance.

Thank you for caring about this kitty.

 

[Shane Kent]

Welcome to The Cat Site.

I can't help but wonder when you say it is little that maybe it has some siblings near by that may also need TNR? Maybe they are living in the bushes the cat is running to? Possibly you could put some food out near the bushes and see if any more little kitties venture out for food.

As for stray or feral, you can't tell by looking at them as there is no physical difference. If it is afraid of people and living in a bush I think you could assume they are feral.

If the cat is young and malnourished it is best it gets healthy before a spay or neuter operation. I took the two I rescued, sister and brother, to a vet for a checkup and deworming pills and another visit for shots before they got spayed and neutered. The cat should get deworming pill as soon as possible because there is a good chance it has worms if living outside. And if need be something to kill fleas and ticks as it could be why it is so skinny.

If it has fleas and ticks and you tackle them yourself, post back here with approximate age and the health of the cat as you don't want to put the wrong stuff on it. I am fortunate the two I rescued were living on the property where I work and had no exposure to fleas and ticks. I have no experience in dealing with fleas and ticks in a young cat but have seen people on here get different recommendations dependent on the age and health of the cat.

If you need assistance in helping the cat you could search the Internet to see if there are cat rescue people local to you. Where I live is the Cat Rescue Network and possibly there is something similar where you live.

I hope all goes well. God bless you for wanting to help the cat.