# Cat people: Am I helping or hurting?



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

There is a cat who lives in our townhouse complex - not too close to me, but within the area - and he has always hung around outside. He's very chill, loves getting attention from people, doesn't mind dogs. His people had a baby about 3-4 months ago. Since then, I have noticed he is out WAY more - and often late at night (10pm). I have also noticed he has become very skinny. Last night, I came home around 10:30pm, and he was out on the sidewalk, sort of perched there. Just sitting there, as people walked by him. He had been there earlier in the day, too, when I came home with Shala from a walk around 5:30pm. So - I stopped to pet him (this is at 10:30pm and it was chilly!) and he was so bony. So I tried picking him up and he was totally fine with that, and so I carried him to my house, had him wait outside while I went in and opened a can of tuna and brought some out to him. I was very happy that he did not wolf down the whole plate. He ate a bit and I watched him leave. I am totally thinking, I will do it again, because the poor thing looks utterly neglected and depressed. I don't really know his people. I know they have two outside cats. But I don't really want to call them and say, hey, what's up with your cat, you know? I just worry they are coping with a new baby and the cat is getting a bit neglected. Their other cat (who I see far less often) has not become so thin and sad looking. But am I helping or hurting? Please let me know whether I should be doing this. I totally don't mind if it becomes a daily thing. I would just start buying cat food.


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

I wouldn't say you're hurting anything, but you may end up adopting him if you pay him more attention than they do. It's fairly common for outdoor cats to pick a new owner. My grandparents ended up with a neighbors cat after he just started coming over and hanging out all the time. They found his owners and asked about him, turns out they had a lot of other cats and that he wasn't a fan of so he just picked a new house to live at. When my grandparents moved he stayed with the house because the new owners just loved him. I wouldn't be afraid to ask the neighbors about him.

As far as being skinny, it sounds like there's something going on with his thyroid or other medical issue. If he's not starving for tuna but he's very skinny, he's probably eating just like normal but still losing weight. I assume he has plenty of birds and other rodents to eat so there's no reason for him to go hungry. Plus the other cat is still getting food it seems.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Our first cat was indoor/outdoor all his life...

He lived to be about 20 years old and had hyperthyroid issues his last few years. This caused him to be very thin. Even though he'd eat. Towards his last couple years he was fur (long haired cat) and bones. He also was a lot less active in his old age. A lot of lying down in strange places. Not so much interest in hunting. Sleeping more.

Other thing to point out... one of our neighbors (former - since they moved away) - literally did kick their cat outside after having a baby. Because he wanted to be inside - their cat would sit on their porch and curl up as close to the front door as possible. A lot of crying to get in. 

Our cat is sort of the same way, fwiw.  He's indoor/outdoor. We don't mind him being outside all day, but he has to be inside at night when there are more predators around. If it's cold and raining - forget about it. He will be running around the house and pawing and howling at every window. There's no keeping a cat outside long term unless he wants to be outside.... 

If the cat is hanging outside and has always been an outdoor cat - it's likely the weight issue is related to age or condition (hyperthyroid or kidney problems). 

Giving kitty food to him won't hurt anything... but might encourage him to hang out around your home more.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Thanks for the great replies, you two. Much appreciated. I had worried it might be a health thing making him so skinny. He does seem to lie in strange spots to me - right in the middle of a sidewalk, for example, as people walk around him. I hope they will take him to the vet. I will keep offering food when I see him at night. I wouldn't mind if he adopted us - as long as he's okay with a dog in the house who loves cats! He is pretty chill around Shala, but he only lets her get within a foot or so of him. His brother cat will come right up and rub under her chin :smile2:


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## brianne (Feb 18, 2012)

I'm not sure I qualify as a cat person, but here goes...

I adopted a barn cat a couple of months ago and got lots of great advice here on the forum. The one thing I hadn't considered was that if he ate mice, birds, etc., he would need to be de-wormed regularly. 

Is it possible that the skinny cat may have a case of worms? Worming medicine is pretty inexpensive if you decided to give it a try. 

What about ticks or fleas? I think these can make cats feel pretty miserable just like our dogs would if they were infested. 

The other thing I heard (ages ago with my first cat) is that too much fish isn't good for cats. My vet had recommended that I give my indoor cat chicken, turkey or beef-based cat food because it was easier on their kidneys than the seafood flavors.

It's very kind of you to take care of this cat. Very sad that he is being neglected by his family.


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## Jessie'sGirl (Aug 30, 2010)

We have three cats. When Jess arrived, Jasper, who came to us as a stray, spent more time out of the house. Cats like to visit friendly neighbours, and one of mine informed me that Jasper was spending time at their house, and would it be OK if she fed him. He's a picky eater, so I didn't mind him getting 
an extra meal, but I was glad she had let me know, so I wouldn't be worried if he didn't eat as much as usual.
Callie, our 17 yr old is under veterinary care for hyperthyroid and kidney failure. She eats ravenously but weighs 6.5 lbs. She is skin and bones. 
I would check with your neighbour. They probably won't mind the cat having a second home.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Jessie'sGirl said:


> We have three cats. When Jess arrived, Jasper, who came to us as a stray, spent more time out of the house. Cats like to visit friendly neighbours, and one of mine informed me that Jasper was spending time at their house, and would it be OK if she fed him. He's a picky eater, so I didn't mind him getting
> an extra meal, but I was glad she had let me know, so I wouldn't be worried if he didn't eat as much as usual.
> Callie, our 17 yr old is under veterinary care for hyperthyroid and kidney failure. She eats ravenously but weighs 6.5 lbs. She is skin and bones.
> I would check with your neighbour. They probably won't mind the cat having a second home.


I have actually been watching out for his family, and decided I would definitely talk to them and ask them if they mind if I feed him (or would they like me to bring him home if he is out late at night). They live sort of on the other side of the development, and have a very new baby, so it could be a while before I see them. But I do want to check in with them for sure. I realized I'd want to know, too, if someone was feeding my cat. :smile2:


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