Porch Cats

[BoatRich]

Those of you who live in the city and have porches (is this specific? I feel like RIchmond is a weird place in that regard?) do you get cats on/around your house on a regular basis? Any tips for making sure they have food and water and aren't dying but also not actually taking them in? My lease won't let us have pets but we have like three or four cats on our porch every morning.

[blakestree]

They won't starve, and if you feed them they are yours.

edit:
Great band name, btw.

[frodog]

Maybe put some food out on a neighbor's porch so they start hanging around there? Idk, but they'll probably not starve if there are rodents and such to hunt + garbage, though that's not ideal... I don't know if it gets super cold in Richmond during winter, but that can be a problem in these parts.

There are lots of cats in my 'hood, and since I got two of my own, those other rando cats soon figured out they could sneak in and eat from their bowls... It's how cats do. I just close the door to the little room where the food is, 'cause if I actively started feeding them they would probably stick around.

[MEC]

If you're not wanting to feed them you could still put out fresh water.
That way you're not attracting more cats but still helping.

You could also look into the TNR program to help reduce future problems:
http://www.richmondspca.org/feralcats

[Chankgeez]

That's our new band name, MEC:

Trap-Neuter-Return

[MEC]

That's our new band name, MEC:
Trap-Neuter-Return

I'll make stickers.

[Chankgeez]

[snipelfritz]

Cats are semi feral anyway. But yeah there's an orange and white kitty I see around my front door occasionally.

[Mudfuzz]

Those of you who live in the city and have porches (is this specific? I feel like RIchmond is a weird place in that regard?) do you get cats on/around your house on a regular basis? Any tips for making sure they have food and water and aren't dying but also not actually taking them in? My lease won't let us have pets but we have like three or four cats on our porch every morning.

Yes.
No, there are many other things like raccoons, coyotes and opossums that would eat such food.. also.. they are already someone else's cat… they know this, you know this, it is a important understanding, basically these cats are just as much your neighbors as the humans that live around you… just not as irritating...

[Big Mon]

Around Thanksgiving of last year, we had a cat that showed up on our back porch. She had a tag on her collar. I called the shelter she was rescued from, who in turn contacted the owner/s and gave them my contact info. Never heard back from her sorry ass people. So we let her live with us. I'd never been particularly fond of cats, as I am a dog person, through and through. But she's the sweetest, most affectionate and loyal cat I've ever known. She's an outdoor cat in the spring and summer, and lives indoors from late fall through the winter. Her name is Memphis Minnie and she's derpy and lovable. She may wander a little bit but she always comes home to us.

[BoatRich]

Those of you who live in the city and have porches (is this specific? I feel like RIchmond is a weird place in that regard?) do you get cats on/around your house on a regular basis? Any tips for making sure they have food and water and aren't dying but also not actually taking them in? My lease won't let us have pets but we have like three or four cats on our porch every morning.

Yes.
No, there are many other things like raccoons, coyotes and opossums that would eat such food.. also.. they are already someone else's cat… they know this, you know this, it is a important understanding, basically these cats are just as much your neighbors as the humans that live around you… just not as irritating...

That makes sense, they're definitely way better than people.