Hi All

need some advice last few nights we've had a feline visitor to our house, we live in a built up area so its not unusual to have cats around but this one is meowing outside our door, we've lived here for two years and never seen her before.

we haven't given her any food but she got to the dog bowl but let her in the last two nights because we live near to where the british championship fireworks are held and its cruel to leave animals outside when its like a nuclear war.

now she's in very good condition except her nails are a bit overgrown and her left eye has some leakage making me think she might have a minor infection so i'm inclined to think she might be a housecat thats escaped but I could be wrong. Do you think i should take her to a shelter when there could be the possibility she's just on the lookout for a night time owner for when she gets kicked out to roam.

You could if you wished take the cat to a local vet and ask them to scan for a chip that might identify the cats owners or check for a collar that might give the same information, the cat might just be doing the rounds, they choose their friends not their owners.

Try putting a collar on the cat with your phone number and a message saying you think the cat is stray but to call you if not.

Scanning for a chip is a good idea too, but you will need to catch the cat and keep it until you can get it to the vet.

very good idea about putting a collar on the cat, I must remember that one

We had a stray cat turn up, took her to vets to see if chipped, no,
posted messages everywhere, contacted rspca , they were no help at all, long story short we kept her, 12 years later, she's a darling, a very loving cat

Excellent, she choose you for a reason. Cats own their so called owners, not the other way around.

That is so true, she defo rules our house!!

We're trying not to get attached as she's gorgeous but i'm allergic and we have a siberian husky (though he's not bothered). If the little lady comes round tomorrow we're gonna take her to the vet to check if she's chipped, it will be sad if she isn't as she's obviously house trained and looked after.

How long have you lived at the address? Could it be the previous owners cat who has found their way back to your house?

That's what we did, I too found RSPCA useless......she (the cat) chose my then 4 year old daughter , unbeknown to us she was pregnant, we kept one of her kittens, and had her spade. She's still attached to my daughter, in fact they (her son) both are.

Nearly 3 years, she is definitly living in our garden now, spoke to the vet today the way I described her they think she's an escaped house cat to so we're keeping her in overnight and taking her in the morning.

Can any cat owners tell me do your female cats get over attached when their in heat, I've never met a cat like it, she'll sit at my feet when i'm on the couch and put her paw up like a dog

My cats are both neutered so I can't help with your query, they are still affectionate when they want attention though. Mine even miaow at me for attention.

Keep us posted how it goes at the vets tomorrow, lets hope kitty can find her home again

No micro chip, called all the vets and homes in the area to register her. Vet says she's not yet a year old, clipped her nails and bought some cat food.

She's made her little spot on the sofa - and has pretty much been asleep or snoozing since 5pm yesterday, I'm concerned that she's not drinking any water so i've started putting it in her food. We've left our back door open constantly and she's not even gone near it. Starting to get nervous for when she poo's in the house

I'm sure she will go outside for a poo, cats are generally quite clean. She sounds a little cutie - my cat visitor is soooo soft! He just pops over for a cuddle.

What are you going to do with her?

I would take some photos and print some leaflets and stick them up on poles in your locality.
If you don't get a response then rethink what to do.
Have done this in the past with good results.

I wouldn't sweat about water if you're not giving her dry food just make sure its available - best to keep the bowl in a separate area to the food and make sure its got no detergent residue in.
Our old family cat ate tinned food and I never saw him drink water - they get enough from tinned/pouches. She may drink from ponds/puddles/the toilet when you're not looking though

Both my cats refuse to drink water from their bowl.....for some reason it has to be from a cup...in the bathroom!!

Happy Ending - boyfriend passed a newsagent and saw her picture up on the wall, her name is Charlie and she is 14 years old and lives about a mile away. Lady was so happy she cried when she came to pick her up; said she's been missing over a week and that she's quite skinny, couldn't believe how chilled out she was with us.

Miss her now but allergy would have been to much in the long run.

Brilliant news and thankyou for caring for Charlie

Yay for a happy ending, and well done you for going to all that effort. I hope if either of mine went missing they would be found by someone as lovely as you

Thank you from me too. If ever my cat had gone missing I would have wished that she'd found someone like you. I don't think many people would have gone to the effort that you did.

There's one thing really puzzling me and this is addressed to the many cat-lovers here.

How could a vet possibly assess a cat as being not yet one year old when it's actually fourteen? That's a bordering on elderly cat.

Ahh - lovely to hear a happy ending
Just goes to show the importance of getting our little furry wanderers chipped though.
As for the vets age mix-up - I think they look at the buildup of plaque on the teeth - I suppose if this cat had her teeth cleaned regularly it would make her seem younger?

I feel the same - I hope if any of my cats ever go missing (again) they will be looked after as well by kind strangers.

I think vets are rubbish at estimating ages. A stray came to live with my parents about 10 years ago and the vet said she was very elderly at the time. Ten years on, she's as sprightly as ever.

It's puzzling me because I would have thought that it would be basic knowledge for a vet. Even if the cat's teeth had been cleaned every six months.

I think that every one of us cat lovers could tell the difference between just out of kittenhood and easing into slowdown.

Flubber - please don't be offended. I wish there were more people like you but your vet's assessment startled me.

Anyway, Charlie is home with her mum. It touched me that mum cried when re-united.

Thank you for your effort.

Ahhh I love happy endings