Worried For Neighbor's Cats (matting, Skinniness)

[TopsyTriceratops]

Hi everyone, I've come across a conundrum as of late, and my worry is ceaseless. There's these two cats, Tiger and Webster, who are very friendly and charming boys. I have no pictures as of late I'm afraid, so the best I can do right now is explain the problem. These cats roam outside of their house from time to time, and he's never had such horrid mats before. I haven't been able to see these guys for a while, which concerned me deeply until I got to see them again today on my walk. Now I don't know my neighbors very well, I just know I'm super intimidated about them. I barely see the neighbors at all if ever, and the cats only come out when they leave their garage door open for them to get some air. The cats, to my knowledge, don't go any farther than the driveway(s) and stick close to home when outside.
Webster, a black tabby, has huge mats across his lower back. When I pet him, he sheds a ton of fur instantly. We live in the desert, so he must be super hot being a black cat. I don't bring brushes on my walks, just sometimes a camera-phone to record the wildlife. I really want to groom him, to help him shed or get rid of those horrid mats, but they aren't my cats.
Tiger (a tan-ish tabby with black marble stripes) seems to be fine grooming wise, but he seems pretty skinny to me. Now, being someone who worries about EVERYTHING, it could just be my warped perception. He walks fine, doesn't stagger, and everything. It's just that when I pet his sides, my hands go so deep. I didn't feel his ribs to my memory, just the stomach area was rather thin. Again, it could just be me, as I don't know the ideal waist size for an average cat.
Can anyone throw me some advice on what to do? I mean, I suffer from anxiety, and I'd hate for those angels to suffer if I could prevent it.

 

[red top rescue]

I would suggest befriending the neighbors by petting the cats in their driveway when they do come out. Start asking them about the cats in a friendly way, how long have they had them, where did they come from, etc. If the cats are pretty happy, even if not cared for physically in a way you would do it, the owners may be uneducated about grooming, or that mats can cause skin problems, etc. and if you are friendly, the owners probably will be also, and eventually you can say something like "he must be hot in this climate. Have you ever considered getting him clipped for the summer? You could even mention the popular "lion cut" where the ruff and head are not clipped and everything else is except the tail tip etc. Most people have no problems talking about their cats and it's a great way to make friends, and you could help the cats by befriending the owners. The best way to make friends or even acquaintances is to ask them questions. You don't have to worry about what to say, just ask questions about their cats. I bet once they start talking, you will stop feeling intimidated by them. And as long as you are asking the questions, you dont have to worry about what to say in a conversation. Great social skill, being interestED instead of interestING. It cures our shyness.

 

[abyeb]

The "rib feel" test is typically the most reliable for checking a cat's body condition (ideally, you should be able to feel the ribs, but not see them), but you can also check out a feline BMI chart, like this one: Your Cat | Is your cat a healthy size? | Feline Nutrition

I agree with Red Top Rescue's idea, to just talk to the neighbors. You'll be able to find out more that way.

Thank you for caring about these kitties!

 

[surya]

Maybe bring a brush on your walks and brush them a little bit every time you see them? I doubt your neighbor would object. And ask the neighbor if they have been treated for worms. That's often why outdoor cats are too skinny.

 

[Margret]

This may sound like a crazy question, but when is the last time you saw your neighbors? If this is something new, there's a chance that something has gone wrong, anything from illness to death to simply being totally distracted by money worries. I don't know where you live, though your description sounds like a rural location. I live in a suburb of a large city, and several times when we've accidentally left our garage door open a county sheriff has come to our door to do a "health and wellness check," because our neighbors got worried and called them. We were not offended by these visits; it's good to have neighbors who are concerned.

Margret

 

[TopsyTriceratops]

Well, I have noted my concerns for their animals in the past, and they got offended, so I'm afraid to try talking to them again. I suffer from paranoia of other human beings, and these people never come out. The only time one came out, I spoke to her about the 8 or so dogs they have in their yard and I was worried if they were okay.
Now, the problem with ME is, well, since I lock myself up all the time, I can't communicate well. There was a ton, TON of poop in their yard, and you could smell it a ways from the house. They have a lot of big dogs which they claim to be wolf hybrids, but I don't press. I told them about the large amount of poop, and they said "I wouldn't ask about that", so I apologized and left. I felt horrible, I know I upset them with my poor choice of words.
Sometimes they fire a gun out of nowhere and I run home in terror, but since we live out of town, it's likely they're scaring off a coyote or some wild animal. Or, shooting one. They don't take kind to coyotes and the like, and shoot them on sight. Almost always I heard their hybrids fighting viciously, like wolves would do, but it's been strangely lacking in that lately. Maybe it's a good thing, and the doggies just made amends.
I don't see the neighbors go out with their cats, they just open the garage door. The cats go back inside on their own; I don't stay around long enough for the neighbors to get them back in.

 

[surya]

Would you be willing to take the cats in your house and care for them? If the cats are being badly mistreated and neglected you might want to consider that.

 

[scraggles]

Do you have a local humane society that you could phone and talk to?

I’m not sure how it works in the US but I know I once had to phone my local branch of the SPCA out of concerns I had over a neighbour’s horse. I just explained to them that I wanted an expert to have a look at the conditions that this horse was being kept in as I really didn’t think they were adequate. They really were very helpful and I could follow up with them a while after to see how things went.

Report Animal Cruelty

 

[TopsyTriceratops]

Yes, but I'm also worried that they'll suspect me since I walk by their house every day or so on my walks.
I looked briefly, and it says I need all sorts of evidence and stuff before even thinking of asking people in charge to check for the animals. Does anyone know of anything else I can do that won't get me a target on my back?

 

[scraggles]

I completely understand. I had the same dilemma when I rang the SPCA as I'd been having a look around where this horse was being kept and I worried that the owners would know exactly who'd phoned. I live in a built up area though so I figured I'd risk it as really it could have been anyone who got in touch.

Do you have any other neighbours or family/friends that you could talk to to see what they think about what's happening? It might be easier to judge this emotional situation if you can step out of it a bit and get another perspective. If they've also seen what's going on they might help you work out what's best, or they might feel like they could make a call somewhere or maybe they might be able to talk to your neighbours themselves.

 

[TopsyTriceratops]

I suppose I could, but nobody walks up to the house like I do to my knowledge. I remember several ambulances pulled up to the house once at night as I walked by, one of the neighbors came out to see. Neither of us knew what happened, but that was before I found the cats in this state. HOWEVER, that was quite a while ago, and I saw the cats enough times in good health for a while before they vanished and I saw them again recently.

 

[scraggles]

O.K. – well if the cats were at one stage in good health then, like Margret suggested, maybe something has changed in the owners’ circumstances for them not to be now. Especially if an ambulance was called.

All I can suggest is that if you want to do something then you have to choose what that is.

Either you help these cats personally by talking to the owners or phoning some organisation yourself to get local advice. Or as surya suggested, bring a brush with you on your walks, or even maybe some food? Feeding them though might get complicated as you it could bring on difficulties, you would have to look at it as long term etc. etc. etc..

If you don’t feel like the above would help them sufficiently, then you have to look externally and find someone that can help. Have a good think and see if any of your neighbours/family/friends might be willing to listen to your concerns and take it from there. See if they might go and see the house for themselves, or they might have spoken to the neighbours recently and know what is going on. Talk to others and judge the situation with the help of their perspectives.

Thanks for caring about these cats…