Feeding Cats That Don't Belong to you.....

We haven't got a cat. Our neighbours cat is notorious for coming to our front garden and pooping. We just ignore it. I certainly wouldn't feed someone else's cat, not unless it looked starved.

No but my dad has a issue with the next doors cat he has one that keeps doing big dumps in his garden

On youtube there are so many my house but not my cat videos. Cats are so opportunist and curious. I'm certainly not going to feed neighbour's cats or even befriend them if they look healthy the issue comes when cats are desperate for shelter, thinning rapidly and look to be in very poor health.

In my experience a lot of people become disinterested in their cats and nowadays many families are under huge amount of financial pressure even struggling to feed their own family as well as they like. There is a growing underclass of people as we become a much poorer indebted nation. We are approaching a third of a million people who are homeless i.e. on the streets or in temporary accommodation in England alone. More and more people are struggling and I'm sure many will not be able to properly feed their cats.

I worked for age concern many years ago and I remember a woman who had 2 cats herself which were very well treated but she also bought the cheapest nastiest cat biscuits that her cats wouldn't eat at all. She argued if a cat would eat them it was desperate for food so she did feed some other cats that came into her garden. Her logic seemed flawed when a huge cat would keep coming into her garden which was the most obese cat I've ever seen in person so to speak. It looked like its whole body would become rectangular going through a cat flap. A very friendly cat who was always keen on a tummy rub as it would pretty much walk up to you and then collapse and expose its stomach to you but it definitely didn't need additional cat biscuits. I spoke to the woman and said she really needs to stop feeding that cat as she could damage the health of the cat and cause their owners huge vet bills. I don't know if she acted on my advice.

england.shelter.org.uk/media/press_release/at_least_309000_people_homeless_in_england_today

My neighbour has 4 cats, they are always crapping in our garden, so no I don't feed them

There is now a proposed law, supported by the Government, that would make abducting a cat or dog punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine or both

So calling here puss or here boy to a stray or someones cat or dog could be viewed as abduction and put you in prison.

It's a sad fact that cats that get used to being fed outside their usual home are easy prey to those who wish them harm by poison etc. So I would never encourage the feeding of any animal that's not yours.

I wouldn’t feed a cat i didn’t own unless it looked underweight or a bit ill. I’d be annoyed if someone was feeding my cat as diabetes is common in cats.

Some cats have more than one home!

My brother had a cat he named Guigsy after Oasis's Paul McGuigan..

Guigsy used to wander over the back to the home below of an old lady who not only loved him but had made arrangements who was taking care of him when she died!!

My brother's wife was gobsmacked when a neighbour told her!

A few years ago after returning from a holiday we had a cat living in our garden and would cry by the front door. After several days while my husband was swimiming with the children I fed the cat. Next day I rang local vets and police to report the cat, children also asked at school. We eventually took her in and paid for several vet procedures due to growths. The owner never materialised. The vet convinced me that as she needed treatment some dreadful owners take their pets on a long journey and abandon them.

No you should never feed animals that don't belong to you. You've no idea if they are special diets.