Why feeding is not enough…

A little while ago, I was contacted by a lady regarding a cat she was concerned about. She was moving home, and she and her neighbours had been regularly feeding a rather handsome boy. The situation had been sustainable for four years, but as one of the “primary feeders” in his network, the lady was understandably anxious about leaving him. The cat wasn’t especially tame, and she knew it would be a challenge to gain his trust in a home, but she cared about him a great deal so made the decision to take this boy with her.

Unfortunately, a matter of months later, he started to get ill. He was taken to the vets, and it was discovered he was diabetic. This made caring for him even MORE complicated, as there was no way anyone who wasn’t experienced with unsocialised cats could administer insulin for him. His diabetes was managed for a while with dietary food, but it wasn’t a long term solution. I received a message a couple of weeks ago letting me know that this boys condition had worsened and the lady had sadly had to make the decision everyone dreads.

While this boy had people who genuinely cared about him, the necessity for trust building was to some degree, overlooked. And that meant that tragically, this boy couldn’t be given the veterinary assistance he needed and potentially could have received were that considered a little more.

This is in no way a criticism of the people who fed him. Societally, this is the course of action considered the norm if you’re concerned about a cat. But it’s actually not helpful overall unless you’re able to recognise and ensure the other aspects of care that a cat needs.