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Cat Interaction with Stray

16:05:54

Question
Hello,
I have recently begun feeding an emaciated feral stray cat that has been living in my garden and nibbling at the leftovers of my other cat's outdoor bowl.  He is male and is very unfriendly at this point.  However, my question is more to do with the behaviour of my pet cat.

She is an indoor-outdoor cat, and has seemed relatively content with the stray living in the garden and eating her leftover biscuits (they interact and seem friendly with one another, though she seems dominant).  However, when I bring food outside specifically for the stray and she is around, she seems really put off and even puffs up a bit.  When I try to pet her after these incidents, she runs away and refuses to come inside (or even into the garden), sometimes for hours.

Is it alright for me to continue to feed this stray?  He was so thin and hungry, but I can't catch him and winter is coming soon.  I reckoned it would be alright since she is tolerating his presence, but I really don't want to upset my current cat.  Is her behaviour normal for this kind of situation?  Sorry if I'm being paranoid, I just don't want her to feel like I'm replacing her and trying to push her away.

Thank you in advance,
Stephanie C.


Answer
Hi
I think you are doing a lovely thing in helping to feed this stray cat. You may find though that he may eventually want to adopt you as his family so you would have to be prepared to look after him. Regarding your other cat, it is a good sign that she seems to tolerate him, her behavior is completely natural, she is behaving in a normal way. All you have to do is to make sure that you give her lots of attention during this time of getting to know the other cat. Cats don't really feel put out and she will know that it is still her home, she is just letting the other cat know who is boss. Her behavior to you is just because while she is showing the other cat who is boss she has reverted to her natural cat behavior as opposed to the kitten mother behavior she normally displays with you. This is normal.

Don't worry, and i would continue to feed the stray if you want to.

Kate