Neighbor's outdoor cats are being left outside in freezing cold, no food, no water, no shelter.

[HelloNingNing]

Hi,
I need help and I don't know what to do..
I have my own pets that I worry about but my neighbor is just getting on my nerves. For about a month now, her cats have been asking us for food and attention. I can't lie and say that we didn't give them any but now, they greet us more than they greet her.
The only reason that we feed them is because one of them is so skinny! It's a long haired cat and obviously you'll be thrown of when you feel their body but you could just feel his ribs and spine which made me very concerned.
In the beginning, we didn't really feed them since they had an owner, but now they come to our door every morning and night, eating the food we give them like they haven't eaten for such a long time!!!
At first I didn't really mind the situation since it was summer, they had some whatever animals to catch, and that they ARE outdoor cats, but they don't even get water or any dry kibble from my neighbor. When there's a rain storm, they're outside waiting for her to either come home and let them in. And I know that because I always think about them and check up on them when there IS a storm.
But the problem now is that we by the way LIVE IN CANADA, and it has been really cold this week. Yesterday was 4 degrees Celsius, so cold that I shivered even if I wore a thick sweater. We don't hear her calling them in, or see her feeding them at all so we provided her cats a box with towels in it to keep them warm. We gave them food and water too. MIND YOU, SHE WAS HOME. SHE EVEN CAME OUT ABOUT 30 MINUTES AFTER WE SET THINGS UP. She didn't do anything though.

And since we had some type of "misunderstanding" with her, she has been really rude to us for almost a month now.
She threatened us just an hour ago, saying that if her cats die, we would have to pay for everything because of what we have been feeding them, saying that her cats have a history of appendicitis, which I searched up, not possible in cats.
She also threatened to report us if we "kidnapped" her cats. Like oh my gosh, I have 5 cats that i worry about. I don't need more.. We are honestly quite scared of her based off of how she acts towards us.

Sorry if I kind of ranted but I just want to know if any of you have any suggestion of what I should do?

 

[HelloNingNing]

They might end up dying if we stop caring for them, so we are quite scared. She might blame us too.

 

[TooManyFelines]

Do you have animal protective services and animal rescues in your area? If so, contact them immediately. She is responsible to care for them and she is neglecting that responsibility. Also file a police report if she threatens you. She sounds like an awful person and needs to be dealt with. As for the poor cats, thank you for helping them and please continue to do so, they don’t deserve to be neglected and starved.

 

[jefferd18]

First of all, she can't do anything to you legally and she knows it. The only offense that you are committing towards her is embarrassment. Every time she sees you feeding one of her cats she is reminded of just how crappy of a cat owner she really is, so don't even sweat it. If she comes back at you with her cat's supposed medical condition you can inform her that starvation is also a medical issue.

I hope you can find a sympathetic friend, neighbor, or relative, that maybe could take those cats in. In the meantime please continue to feed those poor babies and just ignore her. Record one of her rants if need be, and if she gets too frisky with the threats than report her. Animal Control can step in, it just depends on who has the position at the time and how much effort they want to extend.

Don't worry about stealing one of her cats, she lost her ownership badge a long time ago.

 

[Talien]

Contact your local SPCA branch and make an animal cruelty report. To put it bluntly, she's full of it and she knows it, it's just empty threats. If she keeps it up you could contact the police and file a harassment complaint.

 

[moxiewild]

Yeah, look up your local animal welfare laws.

I can’t imagine Canada having lower or much lower standards than the US. Providing adequate food, and 24/7 access to adequate shelter and fresh water are the bare minimum here (adequate vet care and even parasite control are also very common).

Like others said, in the meantime, if you can, keep doing what you’re doing. Maybe beef up the shelter a bit or put more than one out if it’s not enough for all of them.

Shelters can be made easily and cheaply with rubbermaid totes/bins and using styrofoam, Reflectix, or emergency/space/Mylar blankets for insulation and warmth.

If you can, use straw (not hay) for bedding rather than a blanket or towel. The latter two retain moisture and also draw heat away from the body, so straw is preferable and relatively cheap.

You can find all other sorts of ideas and tips by googling “DIY feral cat shelter”.

And if you aren’t already, you can afford to do so, and they can eat it quickly enough before it has a chance to freeze, try feeding them wet food instead of (or simply to help supplement) dry.

It will provide better nutrition and has a higher fat and protein content, which will help to keep them warm and help the skinny one gain more muscle mass. Friskies pates are a relatively cheap and decent option in the US at least, but any wet food (and any amount of it if you can’t feed it every day) will likely be an improvement.

Again though, look up your animal welfare laws, and contact a rescue if you need any help understanding them and suggestions for how to move forward with a report.

She doesn’t have any ground to stand on since her cats are outdoors, so don’t worry about her legal threats.

Try to film her house in a way that demonstrates there is no food, water, or shelter available to them.

Also film them waiting at her door (especially during inclement weather), and also how they wait at your door for food and enthusiastically eat it (film the last one multiple times to demonstrate that this is a regular occurrence). This will help support your account to authorities.

You are very right go be concerned. You have such a kind heart, and you are doing the right thing here.

 

[Talien]

She threatened us just an hour ago, saying that if her cats die, we would have to pay for everything because of what we have been feeding them, saying that her cats have a history of appendicitis, which I searched up, not possible in cats.

You know, it may just be me being paranoid (not without cause, unfortunately) but this tells me that she doesn't actually care about the Cats and sees it as a way to get some money. If any of them start acting sick within the next few days it's likely she's intentionally given them something they shouldn't eat to try and "collect" from you.

 

[jefferd18]

You know, it may just be me being paranoid (not without cause, unfortunately) but this tells me that she doesn't actually care about the Cats and sees it as a way to get some money. If any of them start acting sick within the next few days it's likely she's intentionally given them something they shouldn't eat to try and "collect" from you.

Well lets hope she is not completely stupid on top of being mentally unhinged, because unless those cats are pedigrees, she won't be collecting a dime.

 

[HelloNingNing]

You know, it may just be me being paranoid (not without cause, unfortunately) but this tells me that she doesn't actually care about the Cats and sees it as a way to get some money. If any of them start acting sick within the next few days it's likely she's intentionally given them something they shouldn't eat to try and "collect" from you.

Yea, I totally feel that way which is why I was scared. I did not want to get into any trouble.

I haven't seen the cats today at all. Not sure where they are at the moment but my mom talked to the humane society that we know and they gave us info on what to do. They asked for proof like what I have been told in this thread so we will be doing that.

 

[moxiewild]

Yea, I totally feel that way which is why I was scared. I did not want to get into any trouble.

I haven't seen the cats today at all. Not sure where they are at the moment but my mom talked to the humane society that we know and they gave us info on what to do. They asked for proof like what I have been told in this thread so we will be doing that.

Please keep us updated! And we’re here for support if you need it!

 

[HelloNingNing]

Hellooo.
After a long time of neglecting them, she finally let them in yesterday and today. We think that her partner at the moment talked her into letting them in. I'm just hoping that it stays like this as it its almost winter.

Thank you all for the help! I will definitely update again in case things don't last as long.
I'm glad they at least feel warm now though.

 

[Antonio65]

Don't worry about stealing one of her cats, she lost her ownership badge a long time ago.

Your entire post is a masterpiece, but the last line deserves a golden award!

 

[HelloNingNing]

Hi. Its been about a few days and when I updated you all, she only kept them in for about 2 days and she went back to leaving them out. And for the past few days, her cats are always waiting in front of our door for feeding and attention. Especially at night..

Here are some pictures that i took 10 minutes ago.

Here's her other cat. This was taken a few days ago when it was cold.

I'm thinking of letting them in tonight if she doesn't let them in. It will be really cold and it'll rain and I hope that they wait outside our door so that we can provide them with shelter.

We don't have a bin lying around that we can use to change the cardboard box hut I've created.

That's all I've got.

Not sure if we have enough evidence to report her.

 

[Talien]

Not sure if we have enough evidence to report her.

One thing you can do is set your camera to add the day/time date stamp to each picture. Take pictures of them trying to get in her house several times across the day on multiple days, if they can see it's a pattern it should get them to investigate.

 

[HelloNingNing]

One thing you can do is set your camera to add the day/time date stamp to each picture. Take pictures of them trying to get in her house several times across the day on multiple days, if they can see it's a pattern it should get them to investigate.

The photos I take on my phone shows the date the picture is taken, and when details is opened, it shows the time too.

We are not sure if they even try to get in her house. We live in a duplex and her door is about 7-8 feet away from ours. They always try to come into ours when we open the door.

Also update, she gave them wetfood but in the can and she placed it where we give them food, which is beside our door.

I hope she doesn't plan on giving them something bad. My mom was wondeirng why she didint place the food infront of her door to get their attention back instead.

 

[jefferd18]

The photos I take on my phone shows the date the picture is taken, and when details is opened, it shows the time too.

We are not sure if they even try to get in her house. We live in a duplex and her door is about 7-8 feet away from ours. They always try to come into ours when we open the door.

Also update, she gave them wetfood but in the can and she placed it where we give them food, which is beside our door.

I hope she doesn't plan on giving them something bad. My mom was wondeirng why she didint place the food infront of her door to get their attention back instead.

Yeah, no kidding- take that can away. She's one card shy of a full deck anyway, so I wouldn't put her above harming the cats and trying to frame you for it.

 

[HelloNingNing]

Yeah, no kidding- take that can away. She's one card shy of a full deck anyway, so I wouldn't put her above harming the cats and trying to frame you for it.

Her cat already finished the food in it by the time i got to see it..

 

[HelloNingNing]

Update: she complained to our landlords and told them that we wouldn't stop feeding her cats and that we were POISONING THEM. I'm so done with her oh my gosh. I think she did poison them.

 

[HelloNingNing]

We just called the Animal Emergency number and filed the report. They told us to remove everything including food, water, and the shelter. If we see them roaming around during the day, and especially at night, we can file a real report. But the emergency place has our record now.

 

[TooManyFelines]

Honestly, if you know someone who would give them a good home (easier said than done, I know) you ought to just re-home them behind her back. She is an a$$hole, and crazy, and they deserve better.