Every time I go out I see this poor cat sitting and sleeping outside a house with not much protection against bad weather.
He's must be old and/or ill. He walks slowly. He doesn't quite miao. He's very dirty. I tried to stroke him last day but I felt a couple of lumps on his neck, and another on his head. I saw a piece of old cloth by the door, I guess he sleeps there also at night. He's surely given his food outside. His dish is by the door.
I wonder what kind of people are they to treat a poor cat this way?

I'd like to know if there are some associations I can contact for help.
Please help.
Thank you

If the cat is in bad condition please call the "Berner Tierschutz". You will find the contacts here:
http://www.bernertierschutz.ch/index.php?id=157

They are open til midday.

Thank you very much.

I've just forwarded the phone number to a swiss friend. I am not so good at speaking German in the phone, but I wrote them an email.
As soon as this friend gets back to me, or they answer my email, I'll let you know.. Thanks for your help.

Just wanted to thank you for caring about the old cat!
that's is very sweet of you...
and good luck with helping it to a better life!
Keep us posted please!

The person who was supposed to call the Berner Tierschutz didn't call, saying that it is better I speak with the owners first. I am not sure I want to go this way. They are surely not nice people!

The Tierschutz answered my email only to say that I should call them.
I'll phone tomorrow morning.

What happens in these cases?
do they come around and take him to a better place?

Just try to speak to them -- you might find someone with passable English. The cat obviously needs someone to talk for it because cats really don't like to be dirty. He sounds like no one else is caring for him. You're doing a good deed!

Offer to buy him.

it can be quite tricky to go up to somebody and tell them that we think their pet is neglected. it might not be a bad idea to get some more people from the neighbourhood in the boat or/and find out more about the owner before you approach them (and that, i suggest, with help of a native speaker... :-)... and with an aim to also try to HELP THE OWNER (i was in a situation where i found out the owner just couldnt care for their cat anymore and in another case, the owner was so old he didnt even notice his cat was sick).......

again, good luck!
you're on a mission!
keep us posted!

The Berner Tierschutz didn't react as expected. They said they can only phone the owners. I got the name from the mailbox and sent to them together with some pictures (here attached). The pictures don't really show how bad this poor chap is, but you can see that he has also areas without hairs. He's got also some bad bruises.
I have to say that I am not sure they understood the situation! I don't see how a phone call can change his life.
What else can I do? any other association I can contact?

As a cat lover, I really appreciate what you are doing - hope you will find some answers and ways to help this poor little thing.

Thank goodness there are caring people like you around. Thanks for what you are doing for this poor cat.

Hi there, you are very good to care for this poor cat. I am a cat owner and I would recommend you go and talk to the owner. Don't condamn them for what they are doing, just try to find out if they realise that their cat is in a very bad shape and needs attention and care. As someone asked before, can you take the cat yourself and look after him? otherwise, if the owner doesn't want to do anything : go to a vet, show him the pictures, ask him what you can do. Go to a brockenhaus, buy a basket, with an old duvet, and give it to the cat. put some food and some water everyday if you can. It's what I would do. Please, keep us in touch. Thanks

I would continue to pursue this with the Berner Tierschutz, especially if you think that they might not have fully understood the plight of the poor old cat. But if the Berner Tierschutz does not consider the condition of the cat sufficient to warrant intervention, then the best thing to do is to step in yourself.

This requires extreme tact and diplomacy. And it is often best approached as an offer to help the owner, rather than an accusation or judgement. The latter rarely helps the animal, and only puts you in the line if fire.

What I have done in similar situations is to start with friendly casual conversation with the owner. I mention how much I love older pets, talk about my oldies - and after a few conversations and a friendly rapport is established, once you get to know the owner you can suss out his/her attitude to the cat, and offer appropriate help. "By the way, if you ever need transport to the vet, please let me know, I'm there practically every week as it is..." that kind of thing.

In a similar situation, it turned out that the cat was actually a stray who had taken up residence and wouldn't leave - but the person at the house didn't want to encourage the cat, so did not feed or care for it. In that case it was easy - I took the cat to the vet, reported her as a Findling, then took her to to a Katzenheim.

As for other organizations to call... I don't know anyone in Bern, but a quick Google comes up with this:
http://www.katzenhilfe-bern.ch/index.html

It looks like they deal largely with strays and ferals, but perhaps you could contact them for advice as how best to proceed.

For general questions about the animal law and animal welfare you should speak with Tier Im Recht. This is not the kind of organization that would undertake care of the cat, but rather a platform for information on the law. But they might be able to advise as to next steps.
http://www.Tierimrecht.org/

And finally, are you willing/able to pay for the animal's treatment, or even to take the animal on? The latter would of course require a transfer of ownership - getting back to the original point about needing tact and diplomacy in speaking with the owner.

You are doing a very good thing - paws crossed for the poor old cat.

Before we condemn the cat owner for this, i just wanted to relate a story about an old, feral cat we once took in. She was skinny and in reasonably good shape when we took her in, but a lifetime on the streets meant that she would scarf all of the cat food (including that of our other cats) and got so fat that she couldn't reach her back properly to bathe herself. She was feral and wouldn't let us get close, and over time she developed hair balls and a bald spot much like the cat in the picture.

It could be that your old friend is simply arthritic and cannot reach her back to clean properly. As a long-haired cat, she should be brushed regularly to help prevent these problems, but judging from the photos, it doesn't seem that she is underfed.

We have another cat right now that bathes herself neurotically, also causing bare patches. She's not neglected in any way, but we can't do anything to stop this neurosis short of putting her in one of those Victorian collars.

All i'm saying is that all might not be as it seems. Try to have a word with the owners before having the cat rehomed. There may be more to the story than meets the eye.

Thanks for all your answers.

Meloncollie, I just sent an email to the first links you sent me. Thank a lot.
Unfortunately I can't take care of this cat by myself, I don't have the financial means. I already have a cat and I am still trying to organize my life here in Switzerland. I only work occasionally.

Village idiot, I never said this cat is not fed. There is a dish by the door.
I have to say however that I saw feral cats in better conditions than this one.
More than the wounds and the bald area, what bothers me is the fact that he has big lumps/cysts by his neck and head. It could be a tumor. This means that he could be soon in big pain..

Hi Annas,

You're doing the right thing. We just lost one of our cats to cancer, and I feel terrible for this one. He deserves a comfortable end, even if it's just an end. If there is anything we can do to help, please let us know (PM).

Cheers,
Chris

VI makes a very good point here - you really should speak to the owners to ensure that you have interpreted what is going on correctly before taking further steps.

VI's story reminds me that most of my mutts looked like abuse/neglect cases when they came to me. (Well, several actually were abuse/neglect cases, which is why they came to me. ) But anyone who saw one of my newbies in the first six months would have been shocked at the dog's condition - and assumed that I was to blame.

Or, anyone seeing Melon in his last days - he was dearly loved, always treated like a king, given the best of everything, top-notch vet care, but his old body was inevitably breaking down. Despite his infirmaties he loved to sit and sunbathe in the garden. A casual observer might have interpreted the scene as a sick dog left outside. Which was soooooo far from the truth.

So just sayin' - try to speak to the owner and learn a bit more. If nothing else it will put your mind at ease as to the steps you are taking, and help to give Tierschutz a clearer picture.

FYI, Tierschutz cannot just sweep in and take an animal away - there is an investigation process, which can take weeks to months. If the owner opposes, the case may need to go to court before action can be taken. The goal of Tierschutz taking 'interest' is often to educate the owner as to his/her responsibilities and improve conditions for the animal in the home - so that the animal can remain in the home.

But again - good on ya for taking steps to help this cat.

The Animal Protection in Bern told me that I should not worry anymore, that they spoke with the owner and this cat is regularly checked by a vet, that he has freedom to go in an out, that the bald areas are only a problem with long hairs, and that is all good with him.

if there is really a cat door, how is possible that an old cat prefers sleeping outside when it is raining and cold? if the cat is free to go in why the lady pushed him away from the door with a foot? Why his dish was then always by the door and only yesterday she took it away?

How is possible that this cat is regularly seen by a vet whilst he has not only bald areas but also bad wounds and big lumps by his head and neck?
I also mentioned that the cat doesn't walk well, perhaps he has arthritis. I also said that he hasn't got voice.. no answer for all of that.
I am very sad.

Oh Anna, I can only imagine how you feel. I think you did everything you could, it seems the 'owner' just wanted to evade a fine. Hopefully she will be more considerate with the cat in the future.
I was thinking you could offer to find the cat a new home but then that would expose you as the person who complained?