Well, guys, we have a new addition who's been showing up at our house for the past month or so...a very pretty gray/black tabby. I haven't been able to examine the cat too closely, but it's definitely NOT an unaltered male. I'm going with female for now.
My downstairs neighbor first noticed her in mid-December and I saw her not too long after. She's relatively friendly as long as we take it slow. I haven't taken action on her since she only shows up sporadically. Friday was the first time I'd seen her since New Year's Day. She looks healthy, good weight, clear eyes, shiny fur, so my first thought is that she's someone's indoor/outdoor cat. Personally, I wouldn't let my cats outside in this neighborhood, since the streets are pretty busy. I've been putting out food when I see her, but she only eats a little before she walks away. Obviously, she's getting her meals elsewhere.
Like I said, there's a good chance that this is someone's pet, but I need to find out for sure. I've been trying to get her to come inside, so I can get a breakaway collar with a note on her for the owner to call me. She'll come inside, but panics when the door closes, so looks I'll need to earn her trust. If that doesn't work, will get a few pics and make some flyers to pass around the neighborhood. My main concern at this point is assuring the cat is fixed. She shouldn't be roaming the neighborhood if she's not. If it's a case where the owner can't afford to have her spayed, I can point them in the direction of some low cost spay/neuter options. Any cat that comes on our property is going to get fixed, so if I can't find the owner in a reasonable amount of time, will get her to the vet myself.
If anyone has any other ideas, I'm open to them, but that seems like my best course of action for now. Thanks!
My downstairs neighbor first noticed her in mid-December and I saw her not too long after. She's relatively friendly as long as we take it slow. I haven't taken action on her since she only shows up sporadically. Friday was the first time I'd seen her since New Year's Day. She looks healthy, good weight, clear eyes, shiny fur, so my first thought is that she's someone's indoor/outdoor cat. Personally, I wouldn't let my cats outside in this neighborhood, since the streets are pretty busy. I've been putting out food when I see her, but she only eats a little before she walks away. Obviously, she's getting her meals elsewhere.
Like I said, there's a good chance that this is someone's pet, but I need to find out for sure. I've been trying to get her to come inside, so I can get a breakaway collar with a note on her for the owner to call me. She'll come inside, but panics when the door closes, so looks I'll need to earn her trust. If that doesn't work, will get a few pics and make some flyers to pass around the neighborhood. My main concern at this point is assuring the cat is fixed. She shouldn't be roaming the neighborhood if she's not. If it's a case where the owner can't afford to have her spayed, I can point them in the direction of some low cost spay/neuter options. Any cat that comes on our property is going to get fixed, so if I can't find the owner in a reasonable amount of time, will get her to the vet myself.
If anyone has any other ideas, I'm open to them, but that seems like my best course of action for now. Thanks!