Garage visitor

A fluffy grey cat has been visiting our garage at night. We have only seen it from our cars so it runs every time.

Every other cat visitors we've had in the past were neighbors cats and we knew where they came from and that they always went home.

I'm not sure what to do, if anything. Because the cat is so fluffy and only comes after dark it is hard to tell if s/he is well fed and groomed. My big concern is that it will be getting down near freezing this week. Also, since I don't know if this cat is a stray or friendly I worry about someone accidentally letting it into the house. I wouldn't want anyone to get bit by a strange cat.

What do you think I should do?

A question is, are you willing to help it?  For example, adopt it if it is a homeless?  Possibly adopting as your outside cat, if you dont wish to have it as your inside cat.

Re question if it MAY be owned.  The only safe way to know is to have it written up on message boards around.

Observe, successful semiferales can look quite healthy and well fed.

And also, many cats allwed to go outside on their own, are quite shy.

Few are biting unless cornered, or somebody trying to carry them against their will.

If you think it is owned but perhaps astray, I would recommend to help it, and simultaneously seek after the owners. Old or new.

If you think it is a homeless, observe, dont give it food unless you are prepare to help it. If you give it food, you also take a responsibility.

Good luck!

I looked online at missing cats in our area. I found a cat that my DH and I both think could be the cat. If this is the cat he is very shy and declawed. I'd really like to try to catch him in case this is the same cat. I don't like the idea of a cat with no claws out on his own. Any ideas of how to do this? Should I contact the family?

I've decided to try to trap the cat in my garage. I put food and water in there. I also put a cat bed and carrier both sprayed with that pheromone spray. He busted our side door to the garage open once (which is not hard at all) so I know he knows both ways to get in. My hope is that he'll find the food and be hungry and cold enough to come back when the main garage door is closed. Then I can close the small door and lock him in. I may not be able to get him in a carrier but I can keep him in there long enough to call the people I believe own him. I

Sounds like a plan.  You might want to make sure he can't hide anywhere within your garage.  It would be awfully frustrating to call his (hopefully) owners and then not be able to get him out.

Have you though about using a humane trap?  You tie the trap open and feed him in it.  Once he gets to going in, set the trap and you'll have him.  It will startle him a little but that may be better than trying to chase him down.

It sounds like he may have gotten lost or wandered off.  Thank you for helping him!

Apparently I can borrow traps. I couldn't get one today but I will call on that tomorrow. If I do trap him in the garage, I'll get some warm blankets and he can live there until I can get him in a portable trap.

I hope I can get a picture of him tonight. Then I can check better against the lost cat pictures online.

Once you trap him, you may not be able to have a close enough look at him (they sometimes get scared and act wild in the traps).  Cover the trap and put it on top of a pee pad.  If he pees, that will soak it up and it is easy to change.

Covering the trap will help calm him down and keep him warm.  You can lift the cover to take a photo.  Have you called the potential owners?  Try to do that ASAP - if they are his owners, that will keep his time in the trap to a minimum.  If they aren't, you will be able to take him and have him vetted.

Good luck!

I only have their email, but I did email in case they had any suggestions for me of food or anything he likes that might keep him coming. And maybe they'd like to drive by and check for themselves. I haven't heard from them yet. I also contacted my vet and they will scan for a chip and find out who the owners are and I don't need an appointment.

He was not in the garage when I got home but the food bowl I put out was empty. That's good because it was very full so he's hungry and he knows he can get food here. Also now i know he's probably not someones outdoor cat if he was that hungry. Hope he comes back for the night because the temperature is supposed to be below freezing. I'd like him to be a little warmer.

In addition to the food, could you set up a potty and bed?  The bed will keep him inside and warm, plus it may tempt him to stay around more.  The potty will tell you if he used to using one (and thus probably a lost inside cat).

Hopefully, the vet will locate a chip and the owners will be identified soon.

He ate a ton last night, so I think he'll be back. I have a bed and carrier with a blanket inside if he wants to sleep in either. I didn't think of a box until last night and was out of clean litter so for the moment he has a dunkin donuts box with some slightly used litter. Best I could do at 11pm. I have a cat hideaway that my cats never liked. Thinking of putting some fleece in there so he can get cozy warm if he wants.

If he's not a lost cat I think he may just become our new outdoor cat. We have plenty of rodents tearing up our yard. Perfect place for a stray.

So annoyed right now. I'm letting this cat in my garage feeding it and cleaning its litter. (I've named it Pat because I don't know if it's a boy or girl. Like the old SNL sketch) I'm ok with that too. I contacted the possible owners and visited the local vet to look for postings. What annoys me is not the cat (Pat seems very sweet) it's the people.

I contacted the people I thought owned it and said I wasn't sure it was theirs but if they could give me info on his likes that may help. No response. So I wrote and told them I didn't want the reward I am just concerned about the cat especially if it's declawed.

OMG! I got a response to that and was she mad. For my information her cat is FRONT DECLAWED ONLY! Then she demanded a picture. I was not criticizing her choice. Just trying to help Pat.

Well I saw Pat close up last night and I don't think it's the same cat so I visited the vet. I said the cat was long haired and grey or brown. Hard to tell in the dark. They had a call in for a grey and brown cat with a tan belly, but I haven't seen Pat's belly so they couldn't help. Then the vet asks when Pat showed up. I said a week ago and she said she didn't know when this grey/brown cat went missing. No help again. I can't have their phone number and they won't give the family mine.

Ugh! I just had to vent. I am determined to help Pat. Pat was super hungry and uses a litterbox, so Pat must be someone's pet. Hopefully I'll have more luck tomorrow.

It remings me when our oldest resident went missing.  We had him written up everywhere, and from several farms and streets around they phoned: "your grey cat is here at our place".

Now, he was almost exactly where he disappeared, in the cellar of the same house (although we WERE seeking through the whole house, including this cellar!).  but it did learned me there are a lot of dumped / astray cats, it is not only what is told in horror stories from USA, in Sweden it is not much better....

I mean, grey cats arent that usual, so if there were grey cats everywhere, there must also been lotsa of other cats too...

Identification on distance isnt easy is another lesson.

It is since this day Im trying to help strays and dumped and also semiferales as much as I can...

Yeah, people.  The only thing that keeps me from becoming entirely discouraged with the human race is the fact that I've met so many nice people here on TCS.

Good luck - I hope you are finally able to contact the cat's original owners.

Well I was wrong about the color. Looks more like a tortoiseshell. Called the humane society and another vet and no reports. And the vet that said I could get a trap from the humane society was wrong. So now I'm trapless, but not giving up. Either have to make friends or find a trap.

They have relatively cheap traps at Tractor Supply (around $35).  Not the best if you use them a lot but for a one-time deal, good enough.  You can also get a carrier and rig it up like a trap.  Tie a length of twine to the door, then thread it through the hole at the top of the carrier's opposite side.  With the door left open, feed the cat inside the carrier.  Once she gets all the way in, pull the twine and the door will close.

The tricky part is that this takes two people.  One to pull the door closed and one to be close enough (but out of sight) to run and secure the door.  Pulling the twine tight will help keep her inside the carrier but won't keep her from bursting out, so you have to be quick.

You can keep her (and she's probably a "her" - tortoiseshells usually are) in the trap overnight in the garage.  Put pee pads under it and cover it with a blanket or towel.

You can feed her in the trap or carrier for a few days to a week without "springing the trap."  This will get her used to being inside it.  The night before your appointment, set the trap to spring (or trap her in the carrier, whichever you decide).