Cat Chat Feline Forum

I have a cat that has been visiting me for a few days and was very hungry when he first appeared. I have been feeding and giving him plenty of water daily as I did not want him to starve and have also got my dad to build him a shelter which I have placed in a secure place to protect him from the weather. Unfortunately, I cannot take him in as I already have a cat who lost his brother back in March and is only now getting used to being on his own and will not accept another cat.

The only question I have is what is the best insultation to use inside a cat shelter that will protect him from the cold while I try my best to track down his owner. He is definitely someone's pet as he is far too friendly, but he is not microchipped.

If I cannot track down his owner how long should I wait before rehoming him? I have put up posters saying cat found, but not giving too many details as his owner would know his distinctive markings, but no response so far.

Straw gives good insulation.

Have you contacted all the local rescues? Thank you for caring.

I haven't tried the local rescues yet because I do not want to take someone's pet if he has been lost. I will continue to advertise his details for the next couple of weeks and see if that generates any interest. Obviously, I am a bit worried about him especially with the cold weather setting in and bought him a self-heating pad which I will put in his shelter tonight. Thanks for the straw idea and I will try to get some at the weekend.

Still no luck in finding the owner, but my neighbour across the road thinks he lives in the house behind them, but hasn't seen the occupiers for a few weeks. I will attempt to put a letter through the door and see if they contact me.

I did try again to introduce him to my cat at the weekend, but Buddy is having none of it. He chases him out the door.

if you are willing to give this cat a home, should he turn out to be homeless, you might find your incumbent cat will gradually get used to him if they meet outdoors, where both have room to avoid each other - you could try feeding them both outside within sight of each other, and gradually bring the new boy's dish nearer the back door - you might well find you can feed them both in the kitchen eventually, and that your boy will be willing to share his house once he finds the newcomer poses no threat

the important thing in these sort of encounters is to let them get acquainted at their own pace, and not have any frightening experiences during the process

MC , good on you girl looking after the wee soul .
You should just let the rescue centres and local vets and police station know you have him because that's the places that someone might check when looking for their missing pet ? What do yu think ? Xx

Unfortunately, I cannot take this cat in because Buddy lost his brother suddenly back in March and it took me a while to get him back to normal. He is only 3, so still very young, but my vet has advised me against introducing another cat and to keep him as an only pet.

My neighbour across the road thinks he is a cat that lives in the house behind her so she is going to ask and let me know. If not, I will let the rescue centres, local vets etc know that I have found a cat just in case someone is looking for him. I know how it feels to loose a pet because I lost one a few years back and was lucky enough to find her after a month, due to some kind person having taken her to the local vets.

There is one bit of good news though. If I cannot locate his owner I do have friend that would be willing to take him in, but cannot do this until the 29 December.

Thanks for all the advise, it is most appreciated x