I may have to start buying cat food wholesale
By Koalemos
@Asylum (47893)
Manchester, England
June 20, 2016 8:30am CST
There are several stray cats near my home, some of which frequent my rear garden. Naturally I usually leave some food outside because they are often hungry. As a result I have become quite popular and several of them know where to get fed.
On arrival home today I noticed one cat was already outside the rear French doors and lay there looking at yesterday’s empty bowl.
As soon as I put some food out the cat fed and wandered off, followed by 3 others who came along soon afterwards.
I recently began buying multi packs of 400 gram tins of Kitekat and Whiskers, which contain a selection of poultry and fish varieties.
Once the first tin has been consumed I place another in the bowl to ensure that each cat manages to get some food daily, but lately the second helping is gone within 15 minutes.
The above photograph is not good quality, but I had to take this through the glass in the French doors to avoid scaring them during lunch.
23 people like this
24 responses
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
21 Jun 16
@JudyEv He certainly is generous with the gifts!
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
21 Jun 16
@missjessicadawn More like emotional blackmailers.
3 people like this
@missjessicadawn (3286)
• United States
21 Jun 16
@Asylum Awwww! Poor babies! lol
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
20 Jun 16
You have made a rod for your own back now! Wait for the patter of zillions of paws you can kiss goodbye to your gadabout days!
2 people like this
@CRK109 (14558)
• United States
21 Jun 16
There is a program I watch on the Animal Planet channel called "My Cat from Hell" and it's run by a man named Jackson Galaxy. One of the shows he did a few weeks ago was with a man and his father who were feeding 15-20 feral cats in their neighborhood. Because that cat population grows at a rather alarming rate, they captured the cats (in traps), had them neutered and then brought them back. They also put out plastic crate houses for the cats to sleep in to avoid nasty weather. And Jackson Galaxy provided them with tons and tons of food for those cats to keep them fed. I know so many people who feed cats, as you do, and it really can get expensive. But I'm glad someone out there is caring for some of the cats who live in the wild.
2 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
21 Jun 16
Surviving in the wild is not so bad for animals that are born in the wild. However, it must be harsh for pets who are accustomed to being fed and cared for if the owners move away.
This is most likely the case for many of these cats because true feral cats tend to be vicious and territorial.
3 people like this
@CRK109 (14558)
• United States
21 Jun 16
@Asylum Not only that but if one family is feeding the cats, and if their number keeps multiplying, other neighbors might become angry about all the feral cats in the neighborhood and begin doing things to harm the cats. A dear friend of mine, many years ago, saved three feral cats in a harsh winter snow storm. She and her neighbor brought them in and kept them as pets. And those cats did very well as pets, surprisingly. I guess they were so happy to be indoors and warm that they forgot to be vicious! lol
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Jun 16
Any concern that the situation may get out of hand? If too many cats take up your generosity?
2 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
20 Jun 16
@JohnRoberts There appear to be a few magpies that enjoy the cat food as well.
2 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Jun 16
@Asylum I know. It's tough being a cat lover sometimes.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
27 Jul 16
@Asylum Gizmo, who we've had for 12 years back on Memorial Day is getting less shy. I didn't realize who I was petting and tried to do something that I can get away with from the non-feral cats, didn't let me do so, but he also didn't run away. He'll never be tame, but he's not as feral as he was back in 04.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
26 Jun 16
I did try some sachets of cat food about a week ago. When I opened the first one I was appalled because it looked like a block of slime. I ended throwing it all away rather than feed them with that trash.
I am using about 2 large tins of food and some biscuits each day, which costs about £10 per week, so I shall continue with that.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
26 Jun 16
@thea09 The packet that I have is manufactured by Whiskers and is described on the box as 'Tasty filled pojets'. It is a biscuit like shell containing chicken. I usually mix it with either cat food or occasionally corned beef and it seems to be quite well liked.
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
28 Oct 16
I believe that the large cat in the picture is the mother of the other two. My neighbour put a hutch outside for them to shelter so the two kittens are living in there now. The mother still comes around daily.
Every morning the two kittens are sat next to my French doors waiting for breakfast.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
28 Oct 16
@SIMPLYD My house is a semi detached and we took down the fence in the garden years ago, so my neighbour's garden and mine are one large area. The kittens sleep in the hutch that he put out, which is just a few feet from my French doors.
They now have somewhere sheltered and safe to live and know where to get fed twice a day. When I take a holiday my neighbour puts out extra food during my absence.
@rebelann (111189)
• El Paso, Texas
20 Jun 16
What I would do .... if there are no dogs about .... is cook up a whole chicken then when I'd used what I wanted I'd put the rest of the carcass out for them. Sometimes kat food you buy isn't nearly as good for them.
A side benefit is that the carcass could attract mice for them to feed on, woodn't that be ideal?
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
21 Jun 16
the picture is pretty clear. it's like you're right there.
maybe it's good to put another dish next to that so they can all eat at the same time instead of waiting turns?
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
21 Jun 16
@hereandthere It does have a voracious appetite, but it never tries to stop others from eating. It is also becoming less greedy now that it is realising that food will be available tomorrow as well.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
21 Jun 16
@Asylum the big black cat seems to be hogging the food.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
26 Jun 16
Cats never forget where they get a meal so you had better start buying larger quantities as the word get out that you are a feeder!!
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
26 Jun 16
@BelleStarr They caught me unawares this morning. I was just about to go out and make some progress at cutting the grass at the rear, but two of the cats came by to look at the empty dish. The feeling of guilt forced me to feed them first and wait until they had finished.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
26 Jun 16
@Asylum lol I love animals and I would not be able to let them go hungry either so in my book 'sucker' is a good word.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
20 Jun 16
So you are becoming the neighborhood "cat man". In the US, this task is usually taken up by women. Many schools have a woman employee who feeds stray cats, and becomes very unpopular because of it. Beware that you don't make your neighbors unhappy with your generosity.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
20 Jun 16
My next door neighbour has two cats of his own. He often feeds them in the garden during decent weather and other cats come over to join in. This is what originally drew my attention to the number of hungry cats around.
He is currently on holiday in Tenerife, so they now depend solely on me.
I would rather upset the neighbours than risk letting the cats starve, but fortunately none of them are the type of people to object.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
21 Jun 16
@ElizabethWallace I suspect that they nnewly feral, that is they have been pets but the owners have moved away.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Jun 16
@Asylum Good. Have these cats all been "fixed" (as we say), or are they feral?
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
20 Jun 16
Fortunately they rarely fight over the food and are happy to share, which seems unexpected for strays. I did see one cat yesterday that was eating while a kitten was sat watching. I waited until the cat has had a decent feed, then walked towards it. This caused it to run off and the kitten was then able to eat.
It seems that I have to watch out for such things in future.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7477)
• Canada
26 Jun 16
We refrained from feeding the stray cats in our area back in Ontario. The problem was that people from the city would drop cats off at the end of our driveway in the country. If we started feeding them we would quickly end up like the people across the street. We would have had dozens of them. Not a good thing when you keep chickens and ducks.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
26 Jun 16
@koopharper I agree wholeheartedly, too many people callously discard their pets and others end up taking responsibility.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7477)
• Canada
26 Jun 16
@Asylum It isn't that I don't like cats (because I do like them) or that I'm coldhearted. I just don't like people dumping their problem on my doorstep. I don't have the resources or time to take care of it for them. Now I'm so far off the beaten path that it doesn't happen here.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
20 Jun 16
Allowing any creature to starve would be unforgivable. I have encountered a few problems, but they can be dealt with.
The one in the foreground on the left was eating yesterday and the kitten on the right was sat watching from the side, so I suspect that the larger cat was being selfish. I allowed to have a decent feed, then walked towards it. This worked perfectly because it ran off and the kitten was then able to eat.
As a rule they are content to feed alongside each other, but I do have to keep a close watch so that vulnerable cats do not miss out.
2 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
21 Jun 16
My neighbour did adopt two stray cats a couple of years ago. They often wandered by so we both began to feed them. Gradually they became more trusting of us and would wander into each of our houses. It must have cost Gavin a fair amount to take them to the vet and ensure that they were healthy.
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38659)
• Midland, Michigan
26 Jun 16
The word such as it is will continue to get out that you've become a supplier. I don't know how the cats inform each other, but it appears that somehow they are. You may have to share your life's savings in feeding the strays, or decide beforehand when to stop. It could even be that some are getting fed at their homes and coming to your place for another helping much like teens will do.
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (14351)
• West Haven, Connecticut
20 Jun 16
Thats very kind of you to feed those stray cats although it can be pricey
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (14351)
• West Haven, Connecticut
20 Jun 16
@Asylum Just get it wholesale so you can save some money
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
20 Jun 16
@BACONSTRIPSXXX At this rate I may need to buy shares in a pet food company.
2 people like this
