is it wrong to feed somebody else's cat ?

[elmore]

there's this really cute cat that belongs to the downstairs apartment. she's always out and is always friendly and affectionate and often tries to follow me in to the building. i love cats and am tempted to let it come in to my apartment and give it some food or milk, however i am aware there may be an unwritten social rule that i am crossing here (it happens)...

to be honest i guess i'd be doing this to encourage it up more often as i love cats, but unfortunately aren't in a position to get my own.

so my question is, is this as out of order as i suspect ?

 

[j]

I have a sometimes-cat that comes around - I thought he was a stray, and fed him for a while. I posted a thread about whether to take him in. It turns out he is someone's cat (pretty sure the people upstairs though I haven't asked yet) - they took off the collar I put on him and put another one on with a tag. Still comes around to hang out though.

My rule is that I don't feed him anymore, but I let him in when he comes and scratches on the sliding door to the deck. He comes in and hangs out, lies around on the chairs for a couple hours maybe, and either leaves, or I kick him out when I am leaving or going to bed. If someone were out calling for him (I'd hear it) I'd kick him out then too. I don't want him to get used to relying on me for food or spoil his diet, but especially when it's cold out like tonight (I think he may be scratching right now actually) I feel like I can't just let him sit out there all night, in case he got locked out.

Probably the best/most correct thing to do would be to go talk to the neighbors and ask if it's okay if cat hangs out for a while, and see if they have a schedule for her etc. and want her in at a certain time.

 

[il ciclista]

i think you will be fine so long as you let it back out....if they were that worried about it they wouldnt let her run around outside

 

[Teacher]

I swear to God, I thought the title read "is it wrong to feed somebody else cat". I just had to check that out.

 

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by Teacher

I swear to God, I thought the title read "is it wrong to feed somebody else cat". I just had to check that out.

Me too. Then I was hoping for some sort of...euphemism, but again...no dice.

FWIW - we have a number of strays in the neighborhood. I leave food out when I see them around, but then again they have to contend with the raccoons and squirrels, so it's anyone's guess.

This was nice though: we have this rather crotchety lady in the neighborhood, a widow (her son and daughter-in-law live next-door), really in-your-face about neighborhood standards, a bit of a martinet, really. She's taken in a few of the strays and nursed them back to health. Who knew she had a heart?

 

[jgold47]

I wouldnt. Animals are kind of stupid with their diet. They 'obviously' cant tell you if something will make them sick, allergy, etc..., so dont feed them without permission.

 

[il ciclista]

not suppose to give milk either

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by j

I have a sometimes-cat that comes around - I thought he was a stray, and fed him for a while. I posted a thread about whether to take him in. It turns out he is someone's cat (pretty sure the people upstairs though I haven't asked yet) - they took off the collar I put on him and put another one on with a tag. Still comes around to hang out though.

My rule is that I don't feed him anymore, but I let him in when he comes and scratches on the sliding door to the deck. He comes in and hangs out, lies around on the chairs for a couple hours maybe, and either leaves, or I kick him out when I am leaving or going to bed. If someone were out calling for him (I'd hear it) I'd kick him out then too. I don't want him to get used to relying on me for food or spoil his diet, but especially when it's cold out like tonight (I think he may be scratching right now actually) I feel like I can't just let him sit out there all night, in case he got locked out.

Probably the best/most correct thing to do would be to go talk to the neighbors and ask if it's okay if cat hangs out for a while, and see if they have a schedule for her etc. and want her in at a certain time.

This is actually a pretty cool situation, j.

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by Dakota rube

This is actually a pretty cool situation, j.

Yeah, sort of a "cat-with-benefits" situation.

 

[HedgeFundHotSHot]

Depends if the cat is privately owned or property of a cat house.

 

[HORNS]

Originally Posted by RJman

Yeah, sort of a "cat-with-benefits" situation.

I think there's just an unspoken rule about cats that are allowed outside and roam by their owners that if you want them to hang out with you, then fine - cats classically have roamed and spread their love all over the neighborhood. Have some kitty treats in your home to give them and stay away from anything ***** when considering treats. Considering the sentiment with many people who hate cats, the owners will almost definitely be delighted that their cat is in good hands when it is away from its home base.

 

[JustOut]

It's just a cat. Feed it some steak for all I care.

 

[AThingForCashmere]

Originally Posted by elmore

there's this really cute cat that belongs to the downstairs apartment. she's always out and is always friendly and affectionate and often tries to follow me in to the building. i love cats and am tempted to let it come in to my apartment and give it some food or milk, however i am aware there may be an unwritten social rule that i am crossing here (it happens)...

to be honest i guess i'd be doing this to encourage it up more often as i love cats, but unfortunately aren't in a position to get my own.

so my question is, is this as out of order as i suspect ?

If the cat likes your food better than what its getting at home, you're in for a problem.

 

[Joffrey]

Originally Posted by elmore

there's this really cute cat that belongs to the downstairs apartment. she's always out and is always friendly and affectionate and often tries to follow me in to the building. i love cats and am tempted to let it come in to my apartment and give it some food or milk, however i am aware there may be an unwritten social rule that i am crossing here (it happens)...

to be honest i guess i'd be doing this to encourage it up more often as i love cats, but unfortunately aren't in a position to get my own.

so my question is, is this as out of order as i suspect ?

Yes.

 

[Fobulush]

Domesticated animals are finicky when it comes to food. My roommate feeds her cat a raw food diet and she left it with me for a week. I had to step out for 2 days so I ended up filling its bowl with dry food. When I came back, the cat had thrown up on a places on the carpet. Apparently, it was so used to the raw food diet that it couldn't handle the dry food.

An outdoor cat is probably not as delicate, as it has a chance to eat all this random food from garbage cans like Heathcliff. It might be okay to feed it. But I wouldn't suggest feeding an indoor cat anything unless you already know its diet.