Cat on the front porch

UndergoingMitosis

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Hey AW animal lovers, I'm looking for some advice.

I just helped my sister move into a dumpy college house. When we walked up, there was a cat with no collar sitting on the front porch.

My sister hates cats, so she freaked out and chased it away. Except it came back, over and over, always hanging out by the front door. I suspect that the four girls living in the house before had been at least feeding the cat, because my sister chased it all the way down the block and it still came back to sit on her front porch. One of the upstairs bedrooms smelled like it might have had a litter box in it (though it might have just been the smell from the very, very dirty bathroom next door).

The cat made a beeline for the door while we were moving furniture on more than one occasion, trying to get inside. And before my sister started chasing it away, it sat very calmly on the porch with me. I didn't try to pet it (because petting an unknown cat seemed like a very bad idea), but it seemed pretty okay sharing space with a human, so I think it's used to people.

My suspicion is the girls who rented the house last year thought it would be great fun to have a cat and then left it behind when they moved. As I said, my sister is *not* a cat person, so she just wants it gone. I'm worried about the cat, though. Is there someone to call in this scenario? If I call a shelter, are they going to euthanize the cat?
 

cornflake

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Aw poor kitty. Obviously I have even less idea of what went on than you do but it sounds exactly like they fed and housed the cat and then just moved and abandoned it, as shitty people are wont to do.

Petting a perfectly calm cat sitting by you seems like a fine idea to me, but I once tried to pet a buffalo I spied by the side of the road, so I am perhaps not the best judge. Really, cats are not at all shy about being shy or letting you know to back off - if it's sitting there by you on the porch while your sister has freaked out and chased it away it's probably perfectly fine with people and is like 'uhm, kibble and petting and furniture? I'd open the door myself but - thumbs. Get with the program, new people.'

I don't know where you are but yes, some shelters do not have room and do kill after a set amount of time - for adult cats the odds are often not great. There are likely rescues, no-kill shelters or fostering situations (small rescues that rely on individuals) available. Search for one of those terms and your town and you should be able to find something, or ask around at the local vet or pet store about rescues, etc. in the area. Or, you know, you could go buy a litter box and some nice kibble and toys and get yourself a very nice-sounding roommate. :)
 

Kerosene

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Sounds like it was abandoned.

Try to get into contact with the girls that lived there previously and ask them about the cat.

Maybe put out fliers in the area about a found cat.

After a month or so, just assume it was abandoned or somewhat wild.

I wouldn't take it to a shelter. There's no use for a cat. Just let it roam as it wishes, maybe leave out some food.

Perhaps you could ask around to friends, or put up ads in the community center or online about a abandoned cat needing a home.

You could always take it in (I did with my domestic/feral mix kitten) and try to make your sister real with it (if she's not allergic, what's the problem? Seriously). At most, just don't let it into the house. If it tries to get it, smack it away and it'll learn not to enter after some time.


To approach it, just let it sniff you hand and wait for it to either licks or brushes up against you. Then its friendly. Food always helps too.
 

UndergoingMitosis

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I wish I could take the cat, but no pets allowed in my apartment :(

A quick google has revealed a couple of promising rescues in the area. I'll wait a little to see if someone comes for the cat, and I think my sister has the contact info for the previous tenants.

ETA: My sister REALLY hates cats. Like in a phobic kind of way, not in a "rargh I really want to kick a cat right now" sort of way. She didn't like it even on the front porch. I think she's crazy, but it is her house, and she really doesn't want the cat there. Maybe one of her roommates will convince her when they move in, but I'm not hopeful.
 

mirandashell

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I think the best thing she can do is ignore the cat. Don't feed it, don't look at it, don't acknowledge its existence. It will get the idea and move away. Cats can look after themselves pretty well. Much better than dogs.
 

Myrealana

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I'd call animal control. There's no telling what vaccinations the cat may or may not have, or what parasites it may carry.

Adult cats do get adopted from shelters (All of my cats are testimony to that) and even if it doesn't, a short but safe life in good hands is better than a painful death from being hit by a car or starving.
 

JRehnay

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I would absolutely call animal control. I second what Myrealana said.
 

Polenth

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I think the best thing she can do is ignore the cat. Don't feed it, don't look at it, don't acknowledge its existence. It will get the idea and move away. Cats can look after themselves pretty well. Much better than dogs.

It could be this is a stray they started feeding. In which case, the cat probably can look after itself. But a cat raised as a house cat is unlikely to be that good a hunter or know how to survive outside in all weathers. The cat could just as easily be one they got as a kitten and raised, so has no idea what to do.

It may manage to find a new owner, but the idea that it'll live the wild life and be fine is the reason so many cats are abandoned when people move house.
 

mirandashell

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I never mentioned living the wild life. In my experience, cats attach themselves to another household.

But whatever, I never claimed to be an expert.
 

cornflake

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I'd call animal control. There's no telling what vaccinations the cat may or may not have, or what parasites it may carry.

Adult cats do get adopted from shelters (All of my cats are testimony to that) and even if it doesn't, a short but safe life in good hands is better than a painful death from being hit by a car or starving.

Those aren't the only options though. Cats do get adopted from kill shelters (and adopting from shelters is awesome!) but there are more adult cats (and kittens) than people looking for one, in shelters that kill for space.

Rescues get animals checked by vets, treated, and placed in homes or fostered with individuals until the animals can find homes. Some are bigger orgs, some are small house-to-house type deals, but they're dedicated and won't kill an animal just because some fuckwit took it in, convinced it that there was a warm, safe inside place, that food came in a nice bowl, and then took off and closed the door.
 
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cornflake

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Cats, in my experience, will often go begging at neighbours' houses. It could easily belong to someone else in the neighbourhood and just got used to hanging out at this house because the people who lived there petted it and gave it treats.

Certainly happens - I recall a (true) story about someone who found a cat hanging around, opened the door, fed the cat and the cat came back nightly, so he got all the accoutrements, toys, had a kitty. One day a neighbour came over and noticed the guy had apparently gotten a cat - the exact same cat that lived in the neighbour's house during the day (with another round of bowls, toys, etc.) and was out at night.

The one in the OP though seems really persistant, considering the OP's sister apparently quite sternly chased it off more than once. A cat that does the neighbourhood rounds would just move on to the nice house it knows down the street or go home rather than keep coming back to the screechy new lady whacking a broom or whatever, I'd think. The OP said it tried to get inside more than once too, which is different, to me, than the cat from down the street that comes over for treats and pats. Also has no collar at all, or anything, which seems odd for an outdoor cat that does 'belong' to someone.
 
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JimmyB27

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Also has no collar at all, or anything, which seems odd for an outdoor cat that does 'belong' to someone.

None of the six cats my Mum has had over the years have had collars. They can be dangerous for a cat that likes to climb, and are easily replaced these days with a chip.
 

cornflake

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None of the six cats my Mum has had over the years have had collars. They can be dangerous for a cat that likes to climb, and are easily replaced these days with a chip.

Good point. Most ppl I've known with cats go outside have collars - many with bird bells but mostly because the chip thing here often gets screwed up. A number of companies that don't all share tech, missed chips, etc. I presume it works better there. I'd think a rescue or anything that takes a presumed stray to a vet the vet would scan for a chip.
 

JulianneQJohnson

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Don’t just ignore the cat. This is not a feral cat, this is a pet that was abandoned. Yesterday my mom and I took such an abandoned cat to the vet and paid to have it put down. The poor thing had obviously never learned to take care of itself. All it wanted was to come into my folks house. I will not give you the details of the shape that this poor creature was in. After having a close look at it, I nearly threw up. As much as I love kitties, I couldn’t bring myself to touch it. I lured it into the cat carrier with catnip. My mom paid to have it put down, and the vet did a good Samaritan on the cremation. When they asked when we wanted to pick up the carrier, my mom told them to keep it.

What breaks my heart is that this pitiful creature was once someone’s pet, and then simply abandoned. I’m sure they thought he’d be just fine. I cannot imagine how many years he suffered because people assumed he could take care of himself.

Don’t do nothing. Find that cat a home. Find it a shelter, even if it stands a risk of being put down. Don’t assume he’ll magically turn feral. Don’t let him become like that poor creature I had to get put to sleep yesterday. A suffering soul who only wanted to come into our house and be loved.

Whoever abandoned him, I hope they die in a fire.
 

Shakesbear

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So agree with Julianne. Find someone or an organisation to look after the cat. Please do not ignore another living creature. My mother took in an abandoned cat who gave her many years of love, laughter and company. They deserve so much better than to be left in the cold.
 

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I recommend asking the neighbors about the cat. The old woman that lived across the street from me had details on all the neighborhood cats, whether stray or belonging to someone.

This thread is breaking my heart ): I really hope the kitty in question turns out to belong to someone and is just a food hog and a stranger lover.
 

UndergoingMitosis

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My sister's roommate moved in today and had some quality cat time. Kitty is apparently a purr-er. They're checking around to see if it's someone's cat, but for now my sister's boyfriend (who lives two doors down) got the cat down to his place and set up food and water bowls for it on his back porch. A bunch of the houses on their street are unoccupied at the moment (which happens during the summer a block away from a college campus), and a bunch more just changed hands on June 1st. So I'm not terribly optimistic that this cat is going to go back to wherever it came from, but we're definitely making sure before we do anything else.

If it does turn out that the cat doesn't belong to anyone, my sister's roommate's parents (who just moved their daughter in) have met the cat and like it. They also just lost their 20 year old cat a few months ago, so they have offered to take the cat if no one claims it. It looks like the crisis has been averted, and a happy ending is on the horizon for this kitty!
 

JulianneQJohnson

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So glad to hear it! I imagine that you are correct, and that some irresponsible students abandoned the cat when it became inconvenient. I'm so glad that it found wonderful folks to help it, and find it a home.
 

cornflake

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My sister's roommate moved in today and had some quality cat time. Kitty is apparently a purr-er. They're checking around to see if it's someone's cat, but for now my sister's boyfriend (who lives two doors down) got the cat down to his place and set up food and water bowls for it on his back porch. A bunch of the houses on their street are unoccupied at the moment (which happens during the summer a block away from a college campus), and a bunch more just changed hands on June 1st. So I'm not terribly optimistic that this cat is going to go back to wherever it came from, but we're definitely making sure before we do anything else.

If it does turn out that the cat doesn't belong to anyone, my sister's roommate's parents (who just moved their daughter in) have met the cat and like it. They also just lost their 20 year old cat a few months ago, so they have offered to take the cat if no one claims it. It looks like the crisis has been averted, and a happy ending is on the horizon for this kitty!

Oh, yay! Very happy for kitty and sister's roommate's parents, heh. Hope your sister can keep it together until kitty moves house while it's visiting at her bf's! :)
 

heyjude

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Oh, yay! I'm so glad there's a happy ending for kitty. :)

When I went to grad school, the first time I went into my new house a cat slithered in after me. I was not a fan of cats at the time, but this cat would not take no for an answer. There's actually a long story here, but I wound up with two kittens because of it. That cat changed my life.