Shortly after I got my three, I discovered there's a local lad called Felix who's semi-feral, and is fed by a neighbour. He's absolutely gorgeous and quite friendly. My three used to growl and hiss at him through the cat flap, whilst Felix would gaze at them whimsically, finally mustering up a half-hearted growl just to keep in with the in crowd!
When I started letting my lot out, they used to posture at each other (with mine doing the bulk of the posturing!) although it never came to fisticuffs as far as I know! Anyway, our Mr Felix has taken to sneaking in when my lot are out and nicking their food! If I catch him he's out of the catflap like a shot ... but will return in minutes! He's definitely not starving, butch furry lad that he is! When this started happening about 2 weeks ago I decided to keep mine in at night so that Felix would get fed up bashing his nose trying to get in the catflap .... well, it worked with my friend's cat! But oh no, after a week of keeping my little darlings in, as soon as I let them out again who should turn up but Felix! I've deduced that Felix saw my three outside and worked out that the catflap must be open! However, when I looked out of the window into my garden I saw Felix who'd just leapt through the catflap with an agility that belies his size, and my little Sabby was sauntering off down the path with Felix behind him! Now, I can only assume that they've made friends! If that's the case, then I don't mind Felix popping in now and again. (oh, and BTW, there's no point in my getting magnetic collars - my Sabby loses his regular one on a regular basis!
BUT ... I need a bit of advice how to handle this. I'm aware that it's possible Felix might not even be a real stray, and that he might also be carrying FIV. I'm not sure how to go about it, but I feel I should approach the lady who's adopted him and get her to get him to a vet, get checked for a chip, and tested for FIV. Has anyone had any experience like this, and if so, how have you found the best way to go about it - bearing in mind that the well-meaning lady regards Felix as her own? (I don't know this lady, my next door neighbour gave me the heads up). Any advice would be welcome!
