QB Cats

If you are worried about a cat in our area, this is a guide on what to do.

There are a large number of cats in QBC, a mix of pet, stray, abandoned and feral cats. To reunite strays with their owners plus keep pets protected and healthy, we need to work together to care for and neuter all types of cats. This will stop them breeding, which causes more problems for everyone. In particular, it can create more feral cats that then tend to live short and painful lives without vet care.

If you have a pet cat, the top thing you can do to ensure cat safety is to have it neutered (see below).

Feral = born in the wild and is not socialised with people. They tend to be unfriendly or nervous of people and out after dark more often than pets.
Stray = a lost pet. They tend to be in better condition and friendlier. However, it’s difficult to tell as many strays are very nervous but calm down as soon as they are rescued.

Unknown or found cats

Injured cats

If the cat is injured, catch it (see below).

Next call the RSCPA on 0300 1234 999 and get an incident log number. Note this down and take it along with the cat to a vet. The vet should give immediate emergency treatment for free, assisted by a payment from the RSPCA if you have the log number. If necessary go straight away without waiting for the log number.

The vet will scan the cat and contact an owner or else a local charity to care for it.

If necessary ask the community for help finding the cat’s owner (see below).

Uninjured cats

If you often see a cat you don’t know that worries you or is a problem, first try to work out if it is a pet, stray, abandoned or feral, just by observing it.

Do not regularly feed a cat that isn’t yours. It may be feral/stray/abandoned. It may or a pet on a special diet (especially older cats that may look thin) and it encourages them to stay away from home perhaps missing medication and distressing the owner. There are many ‘Six Dinner Sid’ cats out there!

However, if a cat is losing weight or starving then it may be kindest to give some food.

If it is friendly and wearing a collar, try attaching a little paper message to the collar asking the owner to contact you by another method.

If it is friendly but there is no collar, it may be a stray, abandoned or feral. Put your message on this paper collar template. Only tape the ends together and not all the way around, so the collar can release the cat quickly if it is trapped.

Many neighbours have scanners that can quickly check if the cat is microchipped in the back of its shoulder blades or surrounding area. If the cat is chipped then a charity can contact its owner.

Giving just a little food can make it easier to scan or attach a message!

If a collar message or scanning is unsuccessful, try asking the community for help.

If after trying to contact an owner and getting advice, you believe the cat to be a stray or abandoned or feral, it may be time to catch it, especially if it is unneutered.

Ask the community

For advice about a local cat, first contact our resident experts using the form below.
They have chip scanners and will pass on any chip number found to the Waltham Forest Cats Protection to check against the database and deal with.

If necessary, take photos of the cat and post them to your street’s Whatsapp group or else the QBC Facebook Group, See if anyone recognises the cat and get advice. If necessary get input from the local branch of Waltham Forest Cats Protection (WFCP) or RSPCA. Remember everyone is volunteering so the more we can do as a community the better.

You can also use websites such as Pets Located and Waltham Forest Lost and Found Cats group on Facebook.

Catching a cat

This requires patience. Especially for feral cats you may be able to borrow a humane trap from neighbours or charities such as Waltham Forest Cats Protection (WFCP) the RSPCA.

You’ll need to put in some effort, mostly establishing a regular evening feeding station, Many neighbours have done it successfully. Working in partnership with a local charity can make it go smoothly and they will deal with the cat once caught.

Adopting a cat

If a cat you found does not have an owner and you want to adopt it, contact a local charity. They may be able to get the cat neutered, vaccinated and chipped, for a donation less than the cost of paying for it all yourself.

Neutering

Neutering is a surgical operation that stops female cats from becoming pregnant and male cats from making female cats pregnant.

One unneutered cat can produce up to 21,000 cats over 5 years if it has many litters, all its offspring remain unneutered and they continue to breed in turn. This overpopulation leads to fighting and the spread of disease among all cats. This results in injuries, sickness and then costly vet trips.

Neutering your cat means there is less chance of it getting lost while searching for a mate. It also won’t be part of the problem by fathering or mothering unwanted/feral kittens.

Dead cats

It is distressing to find a dead cat. If possible take the cat to a vet, They will scan it and try to contact the owners. Otherwise, move the cat to a safe location and ask a neighbour for help getting to a vet. Dead animals can be reported to and removed by the council. It is much kinder for an owner to know what has happened than to continue to hopelessly search for a missing pet.

Lost cats

If you have lost your cat.

Post a recent photo on your street’s Whatsapp group or the QBC Facebook Group.

Make posters or leaflets for the streets around your home. Deliver leaflets or knock on the doors of your neighbours asking them to check their gardens and sheds.

The best time to search is at night when it is quiet and they may feel safest to come to you. Walk around shaking biscuits or a toy they like. Only call their name when walking towards your home. Try hanging out your worn clothes or their used blankets to help them smell the way home. Similarly, a used litter tray or the contents of your hoover placed near your house can help. Put these somewhere that the rain will not wash the smell away.