Feral cat in garbage?

Lately I've been noticing a big, chubby rag-doll-like beige cat walking through our backyard in the afternoon and near or in our garage. The other night, when my husband went to close the garage door, the same cat was startled and jumped out of the garage. Apparently, this cat had lifted the plastic lid off one of the garbage cans, had gotten into a black plastic garbage bag, and was feasting on four chicken bones (barbecue chicken from our supper). As the cat looks big and healthy, could he be a feral cat? We have a new neighbor on our street that built a wooden fenced-in area next to the house for his dogs. I'm surmising that maybe he has a cat, too, and that explains why we've been noticing this cat. Could the cat already be stalking territory in wait of my female kittens??


Cats aren't the only things with tabby stripes!

I would ask the neighbour to see if it belongs to them . At least you would know . Sorry I am not much help here .

It was probably tossed out of a house and is now a stray. I would feed it if it were me, but I can understand when some people do not choose to do that, because when you feed one, others will come.

You might consider making your kitties indoor-only cats. This is a pretty hotly debated topic. I'm not pro-indoor only cats per se - for me, it depends upon the area, the dangers, (like coyotes, proximity to roads and traffic, the number of other stray/feral cats in the area, things like that). But given your other post, it sounds like where you are your pets might be better off indoors only. Cats can be very happy indoors - it just takes some extra time and commitment on your part to keep them happy without all the stimulation of being able to be outside.

The Cat Site hosts an article on this: Tips for keeping your indoor cat happy

We'd feed him too. But hissy's right - that usually attracts more. But we'd also be willing to trap him/her (and the others that showed up) and get him/her (and the others) spayed or neutered (as would hissy).

It wouldn't hurt to ask the new neighbor either, just to make sure.

Thanks for the advice, LDG. My kittens are indoor cats only and the vet recommended that I keep them indoors. Mysty was found as a 5 or 6 month old kitten living under our back porch, so I suspect he was either the offspring of a feral Momcat or one of the neighbors' cat's kittens. Up until last winter, we had some unseasonably mild winter weather with very little snow, so it's highly likely that the ferals living in the woods had better chances for survival. After we found Mysty, we began a training process until he felt comfortable in our house at night. We also kept him inside during the late morning and afternoon for a long cat nap. Eventually we were able to pet him, pick him up, and he would often curl up next to us to sleep on the sofa. We even taught him some tricks, like begging for his food. Knowing now what I do about the back wooded area, I would hesitate to allow the kittens outside. I feel bad about Mysty, but in retrospect, if I had gotten him neutered before he wandered off, we might still have him as a pet. It's painful, but you do learn from your mistakes. We had no idea that coyotes could be so destructive!

My neighbor, who lives several houses down the street, is still missing her outdoor cat. He was a male with a collar and ID tag, but I'm not sure if he was altered.