Caring for a stray (1): how to tell if she is hungry or has eaten?

Well is her weight good? Is she skinny, athletic, fat? All these are
indicators if she is eating well. You also might want to see if she needs
hairball remedy. Even if you do not see hairballs they are still there.
You could also putt a safety collar on her and place a sale type tag that
reads: If you are this cats owner please call, and leave your phone number.
If not one calls assume she is homeless and leave food out all the time, if
you want her to stay around. You might end up meeting allot of people and
making friends.
Gina


"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"Ajanta" wrote in message
...
With no experience in pets, I started feeding a stray/homeless cat.
Initially, I later learned, she was fed by a nighbor, but felt
harrassed by his cat and children. So she would eat there but climb one
floor up to my porch to relax. It is quieter, sunnier, higher up here.
That's how we met. She was always friendly, dignified, independent.
Never made a mess, never begged, and always wanted to leave after a few
hours. I never knew and still don't all the places she goes to.

When my neighbor left for Europe, it fell upon me to take over feeding.
That was a minor adjustment for her and she easily learned it.

Now, it sounds stupid, but here is my problem: She is not my pet, I
don't know all the places she roams, she may well have other sources of
food even if they are not stable, and I cannot tell when she is really
hungry and when she has already eaten enough elsewhere.

As I said she does not let me know she is hungry but comes and hangs
around. If I don't offer her food, she won't beg. But, perhaps because
she may have spent many hungry days, she finds it hard to resist the
food that is offered. (On rare occasions, when she is neither hungry
nor likes the food served, she'd eat only a little and most of it is
wasted, but that is the smaller problem.) The bigger and more frequent
problem is that she already ate something, tends to overeat and get
sick. This happens about once a week.

So, dear experts on cat behavior, please help me figure this out. How
can I get a hint whether she is hungry or full?

I have tried asking around if anyone feeds her (no one I asked). I have
tried putting a can in front of her and watch her reaction, but I have
no clue until I open the can and watch the results. (Sorry to be gross,
but I can tell from her vomit that mostly it isn't hairball but some
food in addition to what I gave.)

Thanks!

I had a similar problem with Kitty Fc when she was living in my garden.
Did she belong anywhere, and who was feeding her if anyone?
It turned out that she was begging here and there from neighbours and
getting table scraps. Once I was certain she was homeless and fed her
twice a day without fail she stopped going around filching where she could
because she became confident of twice daily meals.

Tweed
..and now she is queen of the house..

As I said she does not let me know she is hungry ...

If you give her food and she eats it, she was hungry.
If she doesn't eat it, she wasn't hungry.

Shadow Walker wrote:

: Well is her weight good? Is she skinny, athletic, fat? All these are
: indicators if she is eating well.

I didn't mean how to tell if she is generally well fed, but if she was
actually hungry or had already eaten that specific day! The reason is,
if I guess wrong and open a can, it goes waste.

She tends to visit my porch regularly whether she is hungry or not, she
takes interest in the cupboard and cans whether she is going to eat or
not after I open one, so I haven't been able to use such behavior to
guess if she is actually hungry.

Fat Freddy wrote:

: If you give her food and she eats it, she was hungry.
: If she doesn't eat it, she wasn't hungry.

I know but if I knew she is not hungry and doens't plan to eat, then my
food won't go waste. This way, I put out the food, and if she leaves
with only a nibble or two or even without eating, then that food is
practically wasted. I have tried saving such portions but she resists
eating them later even when she is hungry.

"Ajanta" wrote in message news:181020050048536913%

I know but if I knew she is not hungry and doens't plan to eat, then my
food won't go waste. This way, I put out the food, and if she leaves
with only a nibble or two or even without eating, then that food is
practically wasted. I have tried saving such portions but she resists
eating them later even when she is hungry.

Pick up some cat treats with a resealable pouch. If she really goes for a
few of those, then she's probably hungry and you can try opening a can. You
can also get plastic lids for cans too on the off chance she isn't really
hungry. After all, you're only talking about .50 cents or so to find out.

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 05:40:51 +0000, Ajanta wrote:

Shadow Walker wrote:

: Well is her weight good? Is she skinny, athletic, fat? All these are
: indicators if she is eating well.

I didn't mean how to tell if she is generally well fed, but if she was
actually hungry or had already eaten that specific day! The reason is, if
I guess wrong and open a can, it goes waste.

She tends to visit my porch regularly whether she is hungry or not, she
takes interest in the cupboard and cans whether she is going to eat or not
after I open one, so I haven't been able to use such behavior to guess if
she is actually hungry.


Find out if there are any books on "Mental Telepathy" -- then study/

Upscale wrote:

: You can also get plastic lids for cans too on the off chance
: she isn't really hungry.

I have those. Even with a lid I am uncomfortable about leaving
food out for up to 24 hours it may take her to return, but if
I refrigerate and later rewarm she would refuse it anyway.

: After all, you're only talking about .50 cents or so to find out.

Yes, the expense is not a big deal, it has been more like simply
a desire to figure her behavior. Also maybe the feeling that food
should not be wasted.

Fate may have solved that problem for me in an unexpected
way: I just started feeding a second stray. She is not so regular yet
but will probably become so very soon. Then, any opened can is
unlikely to remain uneaten for long.