Random Cat Keeps Visiting My House?

[liivdd]

A few weeks ago, this little black female showed up at my house and we let her in to give her some food because she looked quite hungry. Straight away she dived for my cat’s (male 4yrs) food bowl and ate the entire thing! She had a pink collar on but I didn’t think to check it as she was just visiting.

Pretty much every day since, she has come back to visit and we don’t feed her but she always eats whats in my cats food bowl. Today she even used his litter tray! She hasn’t had her collar on since the first day she visited, but is definitely the same cat.

She likes to follow my cat around the house (he’s huge, twice the size of her) and he gets very skittish. I’m not sure if he’s scared of her or he just doesn’t know how to play with other cats properly. He usually cowers backwards and runs off but sometimes we see him chasing her around too. However, if she gets too close he puts his paws up and taps her - it doesn’t get violent just playful.

She keeps coming back and I’m not sure whether to keep letting her in the house as it might unsettle my cat, although sometimes he likes to chase her round too but it tends to be more of her chasing him.

She’s really friendly with me and my family, so we don’t mind her visiting but obviously our own cat comes first! I’ve attatched some photos so you get a sense of scale although I couldn’t snap a very good photo of them side by side!

Thanks,

Olivia

 

[aliceneko]

day

Perhaps she is missing (that might explain why she is friendly towards you, she might have missed human company whilst on the prowl), have you checked her collar? If it has an address on it maybe you could visit it or ring a phone number if that's included? Or if not, perhaps put up missing cat notices?

I remember I had a cat who used to come to our house for milk every evening after I came home from school as a child. The cat didn't have a collar on but he looked well fed so we just presumed that he was a social neighbourhood cat. He stopped coming to us after a fortnight or so though.

 

[ArtNJ]

Hey I'm sorry for preaching at you, but my brother's cat died during home renovations because the cat licked a tub just like the ones you have lying around. THE TUB WAS CLOSED but there was enough product drizzled on the lid or the sides to fatally poison the cat. So please be careful.

As far as the neighborhood cat, seems fine since you saw it with a collar the first day and can therefore probably assume vet care. People that have an indoor/outdoor cat - and I do - pretty much have to be ok with this sort of thing if they are reasonable. That said, don't feed the cat if reasonably possible, and don't keep it overnight unless a storm is imminent or you start getting the picture that they don't allow the cat in at night. If you feel weird about it, buy the cat a cheap collar and attach a note -- saw a funny exchange of that nature shared around a while back.

There is a neighbors cat here that shows a lot of interest in coming in, and I'd allow it since I actually helped rescue/place him when he was a feral kitten, but my own cats are very hostile to new cats so its a no go.

 

[liivdd]

Perhaps she is missing (that might explain why she is friendly towards you, she might have missed human company whilst on the prowl), have you checked her collar? If it has an address on it maybe you could visit it or ring a phone number if that's included? Or if not, perhaps put up missing cat notices?

I remember I had a cat who used to come to our house for milk every evening after I came home from school as a child. The cat didn't have a collar on but he looked well fed so we just presumed that he was a social neighbourhood cat. He stopped coming to us after a fortnight or so though.

If she ever comes back with a collar on I’ll make sure to do so! I think we’re going to call round our neighbours at the back to see if she’s theirs because thats where she seems to be coming from. Thanks!

 

[liivdd]

Hey I'm sorry for preaching at you, but my brother's cat died during home renovations because the cat licked a tub just like the ones you have lying around. THE TUBE WAS CLOSED but there was enough product drizzled on the lid or the sides to fatally poison the cat. So please be careful.

As far as the neighborhood cat, seems fine since you saw it with a collar the first day and can therefore probably assume vet care. People that have an indoor/outdoor cat - and I do - pretty much have to be ok with this sort of thing if they are reasonable. That said, don't feed the cat if reasonably possible, and don't keep it overnight unless a storm is imminent or you start getting the picture that they don't allow the cat in at night. If you feel weird about it, buy the cat a cheap collar and attach a note -- saw a funny exchange of that nature shared around a while back.

No don’t worry!! I’ll be extra careful about letting them near the room we’re renovating. The door should’ve been shut but it wasn’t, I’m sorry for worrying you.

I’ll make sure I keep an eye out for when she’s visiting. Thanks for the idea of the cheap collar, if she starts coming round more frequently I’ll sort something like that out.

Thanks for the help

 

[catlover73]

If this cat does not have a collar you and your neighbors do not know if she has a home you could buy a cheap collar yourself and try putting a note on it with your phone number. You could ask in the note if this baby has an owner and ask them to reach out to you. It is great that you are looking out for this baby and keeping her fed while trying to figure out what is going on.

 

[Desertmouse]

I think it’s kind of sweet honestly. It almost sounds like when your kid’s friends come over after school to play and eat everything laying around .

The chasing interaction sounds like play to me. Of course you always got to put your guy first, but from the sound of it he doesn’t seem to mind to much. As long as he seems ok with it I wouldn’t worry about him, but do keep a eye on him and make sure it stays that way. I’m assuming he is fixed though, if not that’s a whole other story.

I would make sure that your cat is up to date with all his shots just so he doesn’t pick something up from her. Also, I love th idea of the collar and note thing! Maybe you end up making a great new friend of her owners. You could also ask around with your neighbors and see if they have any idea who she belongs to.

 

[liivdd]

Hi again!!

Thanks for all the replies this has really helped me figure out what’s going on. It’s currently 9.30pm and she just jumped onto my bed and layed on my chest for around half an hour while my cat stared (he wasn’t too happy but I didn’t have the heart to push her off she was purring so loudly!). I had no idea she was even in the house! She still hasn’t got a collar on so I definitely think I’ll have to buy one and stick a note to it - surely she should be home by now. I’m beginning to think that she could be a stray, and if so I don’t want to kick her out but I don’t want to keep her here if she belongs to someone. If nothing comes from the note should I take her to my local vet?

This is starting to get weird! (but still cute)

 

[liivdd]

Okay so apparentely my mum let her in the house - she was standing outside our back door. Surely she must be a stray?

 

[Desertmouse]

Okay so apparentely my mum let her in the house - she was standing outside our back door. Surely she must be a stray?

it sounds like that could be the case, but I would try putting up flyers and maybe posting in any local online communities (like Craig’s list or Facebook or something).

A word of warning just in case, try to always show your cat affection before giving affection to the new girl (not that I wouldn’t have done the same thing in just case, just something to keep in mind). If you end up adopting her, your little guy will have a easier time if he doesn’t see her as stealing you or his resources. Going off that, if you do think she is a stray you might want to get her her own bowl in a different location so your guy doesn’t see her eating all his food and being a threat. I’m sorry I know that’s a little contrary to what I said before but if you might end up keeping her if she is a stray sometimes things like this can play a big factor into how well the cats get along.

 

[kissthisangel]

I would take her to the vet for a chip check, or if you post on Facebook many people have the ability / machine to do this and they will come for free. Look for a local lost and found group. I would recommend posting a description of the cat only, not a photo at first. keep back one of her defining features to allow you to identify the genuine owner. Ask them to send you a picture of the cat they are missing. I say this because unfortunately some people who are just looking for a free cat might see the pic and hear the story and say it is their cat. She may well be a neighbor that has decided your home is more appropriate than hers so it makes sense to go ahead with a collar and a note or even a paper collar.

 

[danteshuman]

I'm thinking of 2 cats in my life.
1) Fio ... our cat we fed... and she was an obese spayed cat. She went all around the neighborhood begging and people fed her thinking she was pregant! For years!
2) Buddy .... showed up one day eating our semi-feral's food in the garage. He had a fur indent from a collar, walked around the home like he owned it, extremely affectionate to humans and aggressive to cats. It was during the housing crisis of 2008 that he showed up. All the know kill shelters were full, 6 months in a row! We put up fliers, no one called. Finally 18 months later we found him an only cat home

So I would post fliers all around your area with the cat's description (up to 5 miles out, cats will wander far!) I would keep both cats inside and care for them for now. So 1) the stray cat gets enough food (2 food bowls) & 2 if the stray is eating at more than 1 house, then her owners will be alerted to the issue.

I like the chip check idea. We stopped feeding our semi-feral in the garage because we didn't want to attract more stray cats or keep feeding that mama possum

I also don't let my boys outside at night and they are restricted to the back yard. I wish the people I live with would not let the semi-feral out at night. Why? Because cats get hit by cars way to often.

 

[danteshuman]

All the no kill shelters *sigh*

 

[ArtNJ]

I wish the people I live with would not let the semi-feral out at night. Why? Because cats get hit by cars way to often.

I've actually never seen a dead pet by the side of the road, or at least not in a decade in which I've seen a dozen dead deer or more. I feel like my cats are at very very low risk outside. Granted we live on a cul-de-sac and have a bit of public land in back, but the cats I see in or near the street all dart into the bushes or a space by the sewer when cars pass by. In other words, they seem smart enough to fear the cars.