Advice on neighbor's outdoor cat

[glensgirl]

So we have this little cat that comes to visit us almost every day. She comes up the back deck and looks through the sliding glass door and meows at either me or one of our cats. Ocassionally I give her a little food because she is very skinny or invite her into the kitchen for a few minutes of attention. Yes, I am crazy. I know she is someone's pet because she used to have a flea collar. This cat is tiny. I'd say she weighs about 6 pounds because one of mine is 12 and she is only half the size of her. Anyway I love animals and if DH would let me I would probably have more. Well today I pulled two ticks of of her. She could have more, these two were just kind of hanging onto her fur. So I won't be letting her in anymore. My concern is her getting lyme disease or worse bringing it home to her family. I'm not sure exactly who she belongs to. A woman down the street told me she thinks she belongs to her neighbors across the street. I did see another little cat on their front porch one day when I walked by and their little girl was excited to see ours through the window last night when she was trick or treating. I have met them once, well twice if you count last night. The wife is pregnant and they have a little girl too who is maybe about 6 years old. So do I ring their doorbell, first ask them if the cat is theirs and let them know about the ticks and all the deer (and deer ticks) in the woods so they can get her a new collar? Am I being too nosey? If I had known about the ticks yesterday I could have said something last night.

[lorbo]

first off, the family will not get lyme disease from the cat...it's not transmitted that way.

i don't know that i would contact the family...it does seem like the cat is neglected. i don't agree with cats living out of doors-i have 5 cats and all have lived inside all of their lives. outdoor cats have the toughest and shortest of lives usually-i think the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is 2 to 2 1/2 years. maybe pull the cat in, place a notice for a found cat...wait for a response...if no response, she's yours....if the family responds, then voice your concerns. HTH!

[glensgirl]

lorbo-I know they won't get lyme disease from the cat. But if the ticks jump off of her and bite someone in the family then they can get it that way. Our two cats are indoor also. There are too many predators in the woods around us that could get them.

[diam124]

lorbo-I know they won't get lyme disease from the cat. But if the ticks jump off of her and bite someone in the family then they can get it that way. Our two cats are indoor also. There are too many predators in the woods around us that could get them.

Yep, that's how DH contracted Lyme disease (from his cat bringing ticks in). After that they would comb her everytime she came in the house from being outside.

I don't think you have to say something to the owners (although I wouldn't let the cat in your house), but it also couldn't hurt. It's frustrating to see how others neglect their animals. Our neighbor has 2 cats and 1 is pretty much mostly outdoors. She is so sweet and always comes to say hi to us. Strangely she doesn't wear a collar. We're friendly with the neighbor so DH has said something about it several times to the neighbor but they say she keeps losing them so there's no point. It seems like they're just inviting trouble, but there's nothing you can do.

[tlew12778]

I'd put a regular collar on her and send her home with a note. If you were sure her owners were not using a spot treatment (doesn't sound like it since she had ticks but you never know) I would put a flea collar on her with a note, but I guess you cannot be 100% sure about that.

[KrissyCat7]

I'd probably buy a collar for the cat. I'd also watch the cat to make sure that it isnt being neglected. If there is obvious signs of abuse, you should report it.

[jnettie]

I think putting up a sign might be a good place to start, and getting her a collar is a good idea. Actually, my Stepmom got her cat this way...the neighbors never let the cat in the house, so SM started letting her in ours, and eventually she just never went back to the neighbors' house! :p They didn't even seem to care.

BTW...just because she's small doesn't mean she'd neglected. We currently have a cat who is only 6 lbs. I even asked the vet about it because I was worried, but she's not sick, just little. When I was a teenager we had a cat who was also very small. She was a runt, and never really grew more than your average older kitten. Sometimes cats are just small.

[glensgirl]

Thanks everyone for your replies!
I was thinking about buying her a collar and sending her home like that. And I don't think I'll walk up and ring their doorbell but if they are outside during one of my walks I'll ask if the cat is theirs and mention the ticks. And I don't necessarily think she is neglected, just an outdoor cat. I think she may be just small and young since the other cat I saw on the porch was around the same size. Plus she is only at our door during the daytime. I've never seen her at night, so I think they may let her in at night.

[alisong]

We have a cat who sounds really similar to your neighbor's cat. He's a skinny little guy (probably 8 or 9 pounds), and is absolutely miserable if he's cooped up inside (we've tried). He's just a social butterfly, and goes to visit all the neighbors. I think a couple of them let him inside - at our old house there was one neighbor in particular he'd hang out with every day. They even bought him toys! If we put a collar on him, it's off within two days. He is microchipped, and we do give him regular flea treatment (ticks aren't a problem around here). And he snuggles in bed with us every night (under the covers). He's most definitely loved, and we would be devastated if someone decided to steal him.

Just wanted to offer a different perspective. :D

[Asha]

a flea collar will not totally prevent fleas. a flea collar will just prevent fleas from attaching in the area near the collar. the cat really needs a flea treatment like advantix.

perhaps, she is a stray and the neighbor just feeds her. we have a few cats like that in our neighborhood. the neighbor might have put a flea collar on the cat just to help out the cat.

[glensgirl]

Alisong-Thank you for your perspective! I definitely do not want to take someone's pet away from them or pass judgement. This happened to me when I was maybe 5 or 6 (and I still remember 30 years later). We had a cat that went outdoors. Well some neighbors decided to take her in and she ended up having kittens. They never gave her back to us or offered her one of the kittens. I'm sure they thought my parents were irresponsible pet owners and didn't deserve her. This was back in the 70s. Just want to add that any pets we've had since have been "fixed".

My main concern is that the cat doesn't get sick and she doesn't bring deer ticks home to the family. I don't know if the fact that the wife is pregnant poses any additional risks. Then again they could be checking her when she comes in anyway. These ticks were tiny though and could be missed especially if there are any burrowing in her skin. They almost looked like a speck of dirt or a tiny piece of dried leaves, but once I had them on my finger I could see that they were most definitely ticks and got rid of them immediately.

[Photobug]

Just another thought, collars can be dangerous to outdoor cats who are unsupervised. They could get hooked on or hung up on any protruding object. When I was younger, and we fed a bunch of feral cats in the neighborhood the vet we consulted told us NOT to put collars on them.

[katiadarling]

Collars that don't detach if they become stuck on something can be dangerous, but they now make a number of quick detaching and stretchy collars so that if a cat is out and gets snagged on something it will come off the cat without too much of a struggle.

[glensgirl]

Thanks everyone. I talked to another neighbor and my husband and they both think I should let the owners know. They seem to think I can do it in a nice way. So I will stop by there in the next couple of days.