What to do with a friendly stray cat with a tattoo before winter?

It sounds like he is acting like a typical friendly kitty. It is possible that he was once owned and that it why he is so friendly. He may have been lost or abandoned, but still has a pleasant attitude around people. If he is gentle enough that you could take him to a veterinary hospital or animal shelter, they could scan him for a microchip to find information on his previous owners. Typically truly feral cats are afraid of people and will not allow this type of contact with people.

If none of your nearby neighbors claim him as theirs, I would recommend setting some food out in a live trap. Once trapped your veterinarian can check the sex, determine if it is spayed or neutered, and proceed with the surgery if not. Vaccine status is unknown so likely you will have to start over to ensure protection.

Oh dear, poor little cat! Since you already have the cat in a cage, I recommend taking the cat to a vet immediately for evaluation. Try to avoid handling the cat further since you do not know if he has been vaccinated for rabies and animals in pain can become quite aggressive. The vet will also be able to scan the cat to determine if a microchip is present because this would allow them to find the cat's owners. If you cannot take him to a vet, look for a local shelter because most have veterinary care available. I hope that all goes well!

Thank you for your questions about Patio Cat. Certainly providing a warm bed and a place to get out of the wind/weather will help. Many people will use a styrofoam cooler with a hole cut out to hold in the heat. Provide fresh food and water. Make the food a high quality such as Royal Canin, Purina ProPlan or Iams. Certainly you can have this cat vaccinated, treated for parasites and even spay/neutered. Outdoor cats can produce many kittens, they can also act as a source of fleas and intestinal worms, cats who are not fixed can also be more prone to fighting and getting injured. Many cities offer programs to help spay, neuter and vaccinate homeless cats and I recommend to look into one of these. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am not a lawyer or with law enforcement so please do not consider this any sort of legal advice. This is a tough one. You can always call the animal shelter/ animal control near you. Perhaps you could just offer the cat food off your property? Start with just a little off your property, then move closer and closer to the neighbor's? Or, if she is friendly toward you and you can handle her, you could consider trying to make her your official pet. In most cases, if you can get her into the vet for a checkup, a vaccine or two, and a microchip-ideally, then she is yours and you can claim her as your own outdoor cat. Of course be aware that other cats may head your way when you start placing food outside - you may end up back where you started. Best wishes to you and the kitty!

Hello and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. What a beautiful cat and creative name! This looks like a dilute tortoiseshell (tortie) and is most likely a female. I would provide a box outside near where you are feeding her so that she will be more likely to hang around. As she gets more comfortable with you and more used to human contact, you may eventually be able to keep her inside the garage and then eventually inside the house. Some cats who already have a taste of outside can be difficult to keep strictly indoors and might constantly try to escape.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The best thing you can do to help this family of cats would be to have your parents contact a local animal control officer, who can rescue these cats and bring them to a shelter so they can get any necessary treatment (deworming, flea treatment, and appropriate food), and be put up for adoption. These cats, especially as strays, are likely not vaccinated and can be dangerous to handle, and can spread diseases amongst themselves but also to humans. I hope this is helpful! Thank you for taking the time to help these cats.