Charlie.

You need to talk to Soop.

Well, I thought I could ask for advice here but for some reason no one is up for helping me out. Oh well, never mind.

Hi ruby lady, I'm a dog person but lots of cats live nearby. If you feed them (cats) they keep coming back even if they have their own home. Your GP practice will tell you if you need a tetanus jab but I wouldn't think so for just a scratch from the cat. Perhaps you could phone the cat protection league for advice?

Hi Ruby I have had two cats, and to be honest they never had any injections apart from their initial ones, they never became ill other than later on in life.
Daughter did take on board a stray (it used to roam round the garage) and of course she started feeding it, it did need medical treatment at some stage which she had to pay for as she couldn't then just leave it to fend for itself, she did have it pts about 5 months all it's teeth were bleeding and it couldn't eat,there was no one else to see to it and had she left it , it would have just gone away to die.

I suppose if you start feeding the cat/stray then it does sort of become your responsibility and depends if you want to take that on board, it will keep coming back whilst you are feeding it, and it may try to make it's home there, I have heard that you shouldn't feed strays, as they will then expect it, it's very hard to ignore and animal especially when it has come for food, but...then if it becomes ill could you ignore it!

We have had a couple of stray looking cats around here and I have been so tempted to leave some food out for it, but I have resisted and they have gone now, after having my own two cats pts not that long ago I really didn't want to get involved with another, although it is not my nature. Maybe as OP has said..someone will be along with more professional advice...good luck

There is a stray cat in our road and Sue across the road took pity on it and feeds it every morning, but it would seem that most of the road is also feeding it as it is HUGE now, however I am not sure where it goes in the winter as Sue does not allow it into her house. This has been going on for about 2-3 years now.

I would find out if the cat is microchipped. The local vet will be able to tell you, that is, if you can get it there. A friend of mine lost his cat for13 days recently, and had it returned to him because of the microchip. It was found 13 miles away. He reconned to had been stolen, and managed to escape.

It's not your cat, ruby so I don't really understand your concerns. If you feed a cat that comes into your garden it's bound to return. If you don't feed it somebody else probably will.

The only way you can get any information about it is to ask around the neighbourhood or catch it and take it to the vets to see if it has been microchipped.

I wouldn't worry about winter just yet.

The sounds like Six Dinner Syd whitewave

With "stray" or "stolen" cats I do wonder how many of them climb into a a nice warm workmans van or car and get carriied off while they are still asleep.
A friend of mine had a cat who would climb into anyones car given half a chance. My friend "found" this kitten when he strolled into the health centre where she worked.

I suspect he did the same thing when he lived at my friends house and then got carted off somewhere else.

Rubylady, I thought I was giving you advice when I said talk to Soop, she knows all about looking after a stray/feral cat.

I would certainly ask around and see if anyone knows where the cat comes from. If it does have a home the owner probably has no idea it is getting food elsewhere. One of mine was being fed by another family and even had another name for a while!

I f you are sure it is a stray and you aren't able to take it in I would go to the Cats Protection League as they would be able to find it a proper home and get it off the street.

rubylady you can check the gender of Charlie if you can manage to get a look at her rear end. Get down to her level & if you can see 2 holes close together, then she's a female.

All cats want a comfortable, warm home to live in, & company, so just giving her shelter won't keep her warm enough during the winter.

You'll need to take her to the vet, in a cat box, for a check up to see how well she is. The vet will worm her & de-flea her, if necessary. Older cats, generally, don't need as many vaccinations as younger cats, but ask the vet what's best. She's probably eating loads because she has worms.

Get her neutered or him castrated a.s.a.p. Female cats can start breeding as early as 3 months old & can produce more than100 kittens in a lifetime - yikes!

If she scratches you, you shouldn't need a tetanus. I was bitten by a stray cat, who I was helping to save a few years back, & was advised by the vet to have a tetanus, but a scratch isn't serious.

I'd suggest you call a local cat rescue near you to ask if they can take her on. It's a myth that cats are less needy than dogs. They suffer from many ailments, especially as they age, & can require a lot of veterinary care. My old boy is back & forth to the vets with hyperthyroidism, mega colon & other issues.

I don't mean to deter you from helping Charlie, but it is a big thing to take in a stray cat. All of my cats over the years have been strays, & I wouldn't change that, but cats need love & medical care aplenty.

Good luck & hope all works out for you & Charlie.

One of our cats, Mowgli, came back with a posh new collar and name tag 'casper'! He'd invited himself into a neighbour's house 4 doors away and they thought he was a stray!

loopylou that's hysterical. What a rotten cheek Mowgli has, ha! I found out that my old cat Toby was visiting my neighbour for extras, and I was really shocked. Cats, eh....

'Six dinner Sid' is a popular story at our house anya! rubylady maybe you've got enough to contend with without a cat who may/may not be a stray

Thank you all for your lovely messages. It is very insightful to read what you have to say and I shall take notice of the advice given, thank you.