Worried about and frustrated by neighbour cat

Willowy

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My poor outside cats are out in a hundred-degree heat every day. I even water down the lilacs near our place to give them some cool dirt to lay on, but they prefer being in a metal garage! Mama has 4-week old kittens in there, too. I have two big pans of water in the shade of the building and when it got so hot I even have a box fan in the garage to stir things around. Cats are desert animals so I pray they aren't as hot as I am!
I was gonna say something like this too, because we had an indoor-outdoor cat when I was a teenager and I'm sure at least some of the neighbors thought he was horribly neglected. He had all his vet care done and had every opportunity to be a spoiled indoor cat but that is NOT what he wanted. He would find a way out. He roamed far and wide and hunted and fought and even joined a nearby church (seriously! He was in their church directory and everything) and was there every Sunday. I suspect some of the neighbors even tried to keep him indoors and soon found out that wasn't going to happen. He was his own cat and lived on his own terms.

And if they don't have AC it's probably no better indoors; at least outside he can find a cool bush to sleep under.

So, I honestly don't think Butters is being neglected, and even if they agree to let him move with you, you'll probably find out quickly how much he doesn't want to be inside all the time. Yeah, it stinks that it gets your cats all in a tizzy and is against the city codes, but some cats are just like that.
 
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corvidae

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I respectfully disagree, W Willowy . To me, part of being a responsible guardian to pets is keeping them safe from harm- and keeping the local ecosystem safe too. I don’t think it’s right to let cats free roam, and in this cats case I am routinely noticing new injuries in addition to him being outside in extreme weather. I’m aware some cats become accustomed to being outside, but in my experience and that of the cat rescues I’ve known, it is totally possible to transition cats to living indoors (barring some ferals), if the humans are providing adequate enrichment indoors. Catios and leash training are both safer opportunities for experiencing the outdoors as well.
 
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corvidae

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We really are good cat owners.......
I think about this all the time. The “norms” of how cats are treated in our society right now allow this kind of thing. I totally get how many people see Butters and pet him and exclaim about how cute he is- but seeing him as much as I do I see the dark sides of letting your cat free roam. Especially as an old male cat who eats only dry food, I worry that if he was having litter box problems or a blockage his owners wouldn’t notice because he’s always outside!
I saw him a couple hours ago- he was on our step meowing for us to come out and say hi.
 
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corvidae

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More of the same lately, but some updates from yesterday and today.
yesterday we were walking the cats, and Butters was around. I had our chillest cat and worked to distract Butters from Mindy, who my roommate was walking. Merle got a little too close while I was distracted by a neighbour and Butters hissed and lashed out at him, which was really frustrating. We were going to
I just saw a poster that Butters is mjssing. He hasn’t been seen since 6pm last night (we saw him in the afternoon). I’m furious that this happened, because we KNOW he’s been roaming further and his people have been doing nothing. I hope he finds a safe place to be, whether that’s back with his owners and they change their approach or with people who will keep him inside. I’m so upset right now.
 

rubysmama

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I just saw a poster that Butters is mjssing. He hasn’t been seen since 6pm last night (we saw him in the afternoon).
That seems odd that his owners would put up a missing sign so soon, when they generally show such a lack of interest in him.

I hope he finds a safe place to be, whether that’s back with his owners and they change their approach or with people who will keep him inside. I’m so upset right now.
I hope he finds a safe place too. Let us know if you hear of any updates. Hugs...
 
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corvidae

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It does seem weird, rubysmama rubysmama ! It’s so frustrating that they have had so many opportunities to keep him safe, and there have been so many warning signs, and yet it’s after he goes missing that they actually mobilize.
 
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corvidae

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I walked through the neighbourhood shaking some treats this morning and didn’t see him. This afternoon his owners dropped off little “missing” posters in mailboxes (including ours). I’m so sad this is happening, and so angry that they didn’t consider this as a potential outcome of their (lack of) care for Butters. He wasn’t wearing a collar and he’s pretty dandruff-y and his teeth are pretty bad, so I think it’d be easy for someone to assume he is a stray. I’m worried something more sinister has happened to him though.
 
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corvidae

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Butters has been found safe and has been returned to my neighbour. He was found hunkering under a deck a few blocks away. I talked with his owners a bit, and asked if they wanted any tips on leash training so this didn’t happen again. They said no, since they’re moving to a house “with a more enclosed yard” - I’m not sure if/how they’re expecting him just to stay in the yard?
I’m feeling relieved he’s okay but very torn with this outcome.
 

fionasmom

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Thank you for letting us know. Do you think that he has a food source a few blocks down or that someone was taking an interest in him? His owners probably do expect him to stay in the new yard, just as a dog would, because they have long since showed that they are poor owners and guardians. I am sure that they are not planning on putting up the Jackson Galaxy fence topper that keeps cats in and predators out.
 
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corvidae

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Yeah his owners seem to suspect someone else has been feeding him and that’s why he didn’t come back to them. I hope someone will look out for him in his new neighbourhood. I won’t lie, there was a part of me hoping he would return JUST after they moved away and then we could foster him and conveniently not tell them. It’s such a rough situation.
 
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