It's been quite awhile since I posted on this site, but I am in need of some advice regarding a possible stray who may not be a stray... but well here is the backstory. Sorry it's going to be long.
About a year after we moved into our house, an adorable orange cat started coming around. Very friendly and wore a little bell around his neck. He would come to our yard and hang out but would always go home. We saw him one day on a walk and figured out he lived two doors down. We assumed this cat was new to the family since we never saw him before. We really didn't know these neighbors at all either, just would nod hi when we would walk by. Fast forward a few month's later and the house got foreclosed on. We saw the kitty a few times and then one day we noticed the house had been boarded up. We stopped seeing him around that time. Worried that he might have been in the house we poked around and talked to neighbors. Kitty was not in the house.
We then found out after talking to neighbors that this kitty had belonged to the old lady who lived there. Her son and family had moved in when the lady started getting really sick and that was about the time we started seeing this kitty outside (had never seen him before). The lady died and the family just stayed as long as they could before they were kicked out. It was assumed that the family must have taken the kitty with them.
Flash forward several months to late October. Kitty shows up in our back yard cold and hungry. We feed him and love on him, but don't bring him in. We talk to one of our neighbors and she said this was the first she has seen him too. Several weeks of him just coming by and hanging out and us feeding him and then he disappears again. It was also around about that time that we were starting to think of bringing him in, but then he was gone. We worried a bit and checked local shelters and asked neighbors but no one had seen him.
Almost one year later, late October or early November, kitty shows back up. Great condition but starving and cold. We now know that he has a family. We assume that he must have gotten out, but the coincidence of him showing back up at the same exact time is a little unsettling. Several weeks go by and it's getting cold again and we make the decision that we are going to bring him in. The next night we are waiting for him and he never comes home. We started to fear the worst when we heard that there was some aggressive dog at our neighbors house across the street and the police came and there was talk that this dog had gotten a cat. My husband wandered the neighborhood, we stopped at the shelter, I found the police report for the dog incident but there was no mention of a cat in it. We asked around, nothing. I felt so guilty that this cat may be dead. I told my husband that if we saw him again he was coming in and we would find the owners.
Now on to this year... Late October comes and goes and I can't help but think that he was gone. And then tonight... almost one month to the day that we saw him the first time late October... guess who is in our back yard. I almost cried, I knew it was him immediately. When we pulled in the drive way he was just sitting there like he was waiting for us. He was so very scared and hungry. This cat is so friendly that he let me, practically a stranger, pick him up and take him into the house. He is now sleeping comfortably in a cat bed.
So now onto the what should I do part.
First every year since this poor cat lost his owner at almost the same exact time each year, he shows up at our house hungry and scared. We first thought he must have escaped but then the second year it was a little suspect and this year I have no doubt something is not right with this scenario. Of course our first thought is someone is going on vacation and kitty gets the boot out of the house so he goes back to the place he knows.
Second... he is not neutered, yet this is obviously an inside house cat and by all appearances well cared for.[font=arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif] Ears are clean, fur is well kept, eyes and nose are clear. There is no wear on the nails but they desperately need [/font][font=arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif]cut and the paw pads are clean.[/font]
If this were an outside cat from the area, then we would see him all the time. We know all the strays in the area and he only shows up for a few weeks around this time of year.
We want to find the owners, but I really don't know what to say to these people if they do come forward. I mean honestly I don't want this cat leaving my house un-neutered regardless and plan to make an appointment for him Monday morning. That is non-negotiable to me.
So what should I do. I don't think I can think logically in this case and could be jumping to conclusions, but really this whole situation seems fishy to me.
About a year after we moved into our house, an adorable orange cat started coming around. Very friendly and wore a little bell around his neck. He would come to our yard and hang out but would always go home. We saw him one day on a walk and figured out he lived two doors down. We assumed this cat was new to the family since we never saw him before. We really didn't know these neighbors at all either, just would nod hi when we would walk by. Fast forward a few month's later and the house got foreclosed on. We saw the kitty a few times and then one day we noticed the house had been boarded up. We stopped seeing him around that time. Worried that he might have been in the house we poked around and talked to neighbors. Kitty was not in the house.
We then found out after talking to neighbors that this kitty had belonged to the old lady who lived there. Her son and family had moved in when the lady started getting really sick and that was about the time we started seeing this kitty outside (had never seen him before). The lady died and the family just stayed as long as they could before they were kicked out. It was assumed that the family must have taken the kitty with them.
Flash forward several months to late October. Kitty shows up in our back yard cold and hungry. We feed him and love on him, but don't bring him in. We talk to one of our neighbors and she said this was the first she has seen him too. Several weeks of him just coming by and hanging out and us feeding him and then he disappears again. It was also around about that time that we were starting to think of bringing him in, but then he was gone. We worried a bit and checked local shelters and asked neighbors but no one had seen him.
Almost one year later, late October or early November, kitty shows back up. Great condition but starving and cold. We now know that he has a family. We assume that he must have gotten out, but the coincidence of him showing back up at the same exact time is a little unsettling. Several weeks go by and it's getting cold again and we make the decision that we are going to bring him in. The next night we are waiting for him and he never comes home. We started to fear the worst when we heard that there was some aggressive dog at our neighbors house across the street and the police came and there was talk that this dog had gotten a cat. My husband wandered the neighborhood, we stopped at the shelter, I found the police report for the dog incident but there was no mention of a cat in it. We asked around, nothing. I felt so guilty that this cat may be dead. I told my husband that if we saw him again he was coming in and we would find the owners.
Now on to this year... Late October comes and goes and I can't help but think that he was gone. And then tonight... almost one month to the day that we saw him the first time late October... guess who is in our back yard. I almost cried, I knew it was him immediately. When we pulled in the drive way he was just sitting there like he was waiting for us. He was so very scared and hungry. This cat is so friendly that he let me, practically a stranger, pick him up and take him into the house. He is now sleeping comfortably in a cat bed.
So now onto the what should I do part.
First every year since this poor cat lost his owner at almost the same exact time each year, he shows up at our house hungry and scared. We first thought he must have escaped but then the second year it was a little suspect and this year I have no doubt something is not right with this scenario. Of course our first thought is someone is going on vacation and kitty gets the boot out of the house so he goes back to the place he knows.
Second... he is not neutered, yet this is obviously an inside house cat and by all appearances well cared for.[font=arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif] Ears are clean, fur is well kept, eyes and nose are clear. There is no wear on the nails but they desperately need [/font][font=arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif]cut and the paw pads are clean.[/font]
If this were an outside cat from the area, then we would see him all the time. We know all the strays in the area and he only shows up for a few weeks around this time of year.
We want to find the owners, but I really don't know what to say to these people if they do come forward. I mean honestly I don't want this cat leaving my house un-neutered regardless and plan to make an appointment for him Monday morning. That is non-negotiable to me.
So what should I do. I don't think I can think logically in this case and could be jumping to conclusions, but really this whole situation seems fishy to me.
