More cat concerns....
So, I'm beginning to get concerned about the neighbor cat who's hanging around. For the past few days, she's been hanging around my house almost all day. It's after seven now, and she's still out back and doesn't seem to have any interest in going home.
I don't want her to abandon her home and owners, but I also don't want to shoo her away when she's not misbehaving and I don't have a problem with her being out back. And if she wasn't hanging out here, I suspect she'd try to find somewhere else to hang out.
I'm not sure about how her owners are treating her. She has a collar and a rabies tag, which is good. But I don't see any sign that she has food or water in her own yard. My mom offered her a little bit of cat food today. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but she just devoured it. She's really small, so I think she might still be a kitten. When one of my cats was young, she ate like a horse. She seems healthy, but she's desperate for attention and seems happy to hang out in my yard all day.
I feel kind of guilty that she's been spending so much time at my house, but I have to wonder if she would be hanging around so persistently if she was getting what she needed from her owners. In the past, I've found that most neighbor cats who are let outside will wander around but return home when they want to eat or rest.
It looks like she might belong to the neighbor's young daughter, who only lives there part-time. So I wonder if it's a case where the parent doesn't really care that much about the cat.
I'm not really sure what to do. I don't want to call animal control, because I'd hate to see her taken away and I'm not sure if her treatment is really neglectful or not. Since she's not my cat, I can't treat her like she's mine. I don't really want to talk to the neighbor, because I can't imagine that would go over well.
I really like the cat, but it's kind of a tough situation. I have no idea how to handle this in the long-run.
This entry was originally posted at http://citrinesunset.dreamwidth.org/101873.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
I don't want her to abandon her home and owners, but I also don't want to shoo her away when she's not misbehaving and I don't have a problem with her being out back. And if she wasn't hanging out here, I suspect she'd try to find somewhere else to hang out.
I'm not sure about how her owners are treating her. She has a collar and a rabies tag, which is good. But I don't see any sign that she has food or water in her own yard. My mom offered her a little bit of cat food today. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but she just devoured it. She's really small, so I think she might still be a kitten. When one of my cats was young, she ate like a horse. She seems healthy, but she's desperate for attention and seems happy to hang out in my yard all day.
I feel kind of guilty that she's been spending so much time at my house, but I have to wonder if she would be hanging around so persistently if she was getting what she needed from her owners. In the past, I've found that most neighbor cats who are let outside will wander around but return home when they want to eat or rest.
It looks like she might belong to the neighbor's young daughter, who only lives there part-time. So I wonder if it's a case where the parent doesn't really care that much about the cat.
I'm not really sure what to do. I don't want to call animal control, because I'd hate to see her taken away and I'm not sure if her treatment is really neglectful or not. Since she's not my cat, I can't treat her like she's mine. I don't really want to talk to the neighbor, because I can't imagine that would go over well.
I really like the cat, but it's kind of a tough situation. I have no idea how to handle this in the long-run.
This entry was originally posted at http://citrinesunset.dreamwidth.org/101873.html. Please comment there using OpenID.