Help! Last night a cat came into our top-floor flat through the window, and we can't seem to get it to leave. We did manage to coax it out of the flat but it is currently outside our door at the top of the stairs, and has been there for nearly 12 hours. It is just lying down and maybe seems a bit out of sorts? It doesn't seem particularly friendly, flattening it's ears when I put my hand out towards it, so I have not managed to feel for a collar, and it is impossible to SEE if it is wearing one as it is a very fluffy long haired cat. I don't think it's feral as it looks very well groomed.
I love cats, but want to avoid touching it as I am allergic to them! I can't seem to shoo it down the stairs towards the front door, and don't know what to do with it. It's not interested in offerings of milk or water, and looks a bit scared, cowering in a corner and not wanting to move. Should I try and put it back out the window it came in? Or is there anyone I should phone to come and pick it up free of charge? Or maybe we should keep it here and look after it and put up an advert locally asking for the owner to come and pick it up?
Any suggestions would be great!

Sounds like the kitty is lost / scared. Poor thang.



Maybe call a local animal shelter?

Here's the info for "Tierschutz" (Animal Protection) and they also run a shelter:

Berner Tierschutz
Geschäftsstelle und Tierheim
Postfach 37
3020 Bern-Riedbach
Telefon 031 926 64 64
www.bernertierschutz.ch
info@bernertierschutz.ch

Else call the non-emergency number for the local police and ask for help.

Is it fattish-looking and female? Pregnant cats sometimes behave like this just before giving birth.

Sounds like poor kitty has had some kind of shock or accident. Tomcat's suggestion is the best you can do for the cat at the moment, they'll know how to deal with it.

You could also try calling the Tierambulanz Bern (Animal Ambulance): 079 706 09 47.

Thanks for all your replies. I have sent a message to the Berntierschutz and am waiting to hear from them. Bought some cat food to offer it but it wasn't interested, as I had expected - I know how fussy cats are about their food! It still seems very scared. I did manage to stroke it a bit, and have a feel for a collar, but it isn't wearing one. It seemed just about relaxed enough to be stroked but started acting funny when I went to lift it up. It is still refusing to head downstairs to the door. Can't tell the sex, or whether it is pregnant, but it is quite fat. Hard to tell how much of it's size is just fur though. It's been sitting there for about 18 hours, trying to hide behind various objects, which doesn't seem to be normal behaviour for a happy, healthy cat. I hope the animal shelter people get back to me.

Just a thought. How long have you lived in the flat. Could it be the cat belonged to people who have moved on? Might explain the somewhat bizarre behaviour ie why the cat targeted your place and once it got in, refused to budge. Might also explain why it's out of sorts to find things have changed??

Mrs Boris, please keep us posted with what happens to the kitty, please make sure it has access to fresh water. I found the cat that bore my cats infront of my house, it was abandoned / lost and highly pregnant. It did let me bring it inside as it was very very sick and not far from death. It was not interested in eating, but did drink fresh water when I gave it to her. Since it was Sunday I couldn't buy kitty stuff so I had to make a box and fill it with shredded paper so she was comfy. She gave birth the next day and then started eating a lot after that.

ps. Try putting up "found cat" signs in the neighborhood and local Migros / Coop. Nothing is worse for a loving family to lose their pet and not knowing what happened to it.

Cats have been known to travel huge distances to return home.
http://www.petmedsonline.org/record-...lost-cats.html

Maybe a ask a neighbour if the folks before you had a cat?

Just my CHF 0.02: Maybe a phone call would yield a faster response?

If the cat lets you stroke him/her but resists being picked up it sounds as though there could be an injury. Do you live on or near a busy road?

annie

In any case, since the cat's going to be with you for a while, why not make her more comfortable.
Since you described her as "fat", she may be pregnant really.

Get a carton box, line the inside with some newspapers and an old towel.
Cut up a hole or make a kitty basket.
Give her WATER!

I think she may give birth and she has chosen YOUR HOME or you to be the home.
I know you may be afraid or allergic to cats, but maybe this is a chance for you to overcome that fear.

I love cats and animals in general. Provided they are housetrained, or they are mine.

Wish you good luck!

HAT

Hat, looks as if you've just adopted a litter of eight (assuming the cat is with kit)

While you are waiting for the Tierschutz folks to contact you, take a look at the listing of lost kitties on the STS website:

http://www.tierschutz.ch/cms/de/tier...kriterien.html

Many of listings have a picture of the lost cat - click on the 'i' for more info.

And, you can file an online report of having found the cat (actually, there is a legal obligation to report a found critter to the cantonal authorities) - hopefully, the owner is looking for his/her cat and may see your listing.

http://www.tierschutz.ch/cms/de/tier...e/meldung.html

And, you could always take the kitty along to a vet to see if he/she is microchipped - some police stations have chip readers as well.


Good for you for taking care of the poor critter - sounds like he/she found the right person to turn to for help.

Thanks for all your advice, but it has all kind of been taken out of my hands now as the cat has gone. As it was outside our flat on the stairs, and not actually IN our flat, the neighbours downstairs found the cat, and asked me if it was mine. I said that it wasn't and told them that it came in through our window. I had to go out yesterday evening. I left the cat fresh water and cat food, but when I got back last night the cat was gone. Presumably our neighbours have taken it in / put it outside / found the owner / had an animal shelter take it away. I haven't seen them to ask.
I am not afraid of cats, HAT, only allergic to them, so I have no fear to overcome. I love animals and have owned 2 cats, a dog, hamster, rat and rabbit. I am just conscious of the fact I can not take antihistamines at the moment due to breast feeding, and the only reason I didn't want the cat to be actually IN my flat is because I couldn't be sure it wouldn't be vicious towards my two very young children, as cats can lash out when scared.

I had no idea if it was pregnant, or even if it was a female.
I'm pretty certain now that it must have come from one of the adjoining buildings as I can't see how it would have got up to the 4th floor otherwise.

Nev, interesting article about cats travelling amazing distances to return home. We've lived here for 1 year, and think the previous occupiers did have a cat as there are scratch marks on some of the wood panals consistant with a cat sharpening it's claws, but our neighbours who have been here for years didn't appear to recognise the cat. Also, the cats who had travelled a long way returned filthy, thin, smelly, with matted coats and bleeding paws. This cat looked like it was very well pampered!

Well, what happened to it, I don't know. I shall update when I speak to the neighbours about it.

Thanks everyone for your concerns and advice! It's good to know there are plenty of people out there willing to help a kitty!

Mrs Boris

I am actually SORRY to hear that the cat is gone, and you don't know how it happened.

Please check with the neighbours on what they did with it, or they are equally mystified.

I heard of some people who take cats and then torture them to death. Not in Switzerland, but it is possible.
Sigh.

Good luck.
HAT

Hi all,

Finally found out what happened to the cat - it lived next door and has been returned to it's owner. Yay! Happy ending.
Thanks!

That's really good to hear that the kitty is back home.
Our cat did the same thing once.

We live in a top floor flat and soon after we starting letting our cats onto the balcony one of them disappeared. We were very worried it had fallen off the roof.
But it had actually walked over the rooftop to the adjoining building and into an apartment window.
Fortunately the owner of the flat figured out it was ours and came to our door asking if we were missing something. (ours is also a house (and roof) cat, so it probably would have been afraid to be sent out the front door too)

"Roof cat", have to add this one to my vocabulary.

Great to hear this happy ending. I wonder if after making such a bond with cat she will become a frequent visitor now for Sunday lunch