Another reason not to let your cat outside...

I have posted before that we let our cat out because she was a stray and she stayed in our yard keeping us from having to really worry about her.
WELL...Kitty has made friends with the little girls across the street. I saw a bowl next to their side door and checked it out. It was just water and at the time I thought nothing of it. THEN a few days later, there was Kitty laying in the middle of the street waiting for the little girl. Ugh! I then told the girl to please not give her water and if she does go to her house, please bring her back home. It was time for Kitty to go to the vet. She's been getting skinny and being 13, we thought she needed to be checked. It turns out that she has a hyper thyroid and she has to take pills for it. Rather than force pill her and stressing her out, we started putting her pills in with her soft food. The other day my husband informs me that Kitty hasn't been wanting to eat dinner. We quickly figured out that they must be feeding her. I asked the little girl yesterday if she's been feeding her and she asked "Why?". I proceded to explain to her that Kitty needs to eat AT HOME to get her medicine. At that point she told me they had been feeding her and that she would let her mother know what I said.
I am completely ticked off about this whole situation. I had told the mother that she had this condition and that she was old, I asked for the water to be taken up and I asked that she be brought home. What in the blankity blank makes them think it's OK to feed her?!
We have now decided to keep her in the house making her completely misserable. I could just SCREAM!

I can't believe that after you told the mother about her need for medicine, that she is still feeding her!!!! What's wrong with her?

We put cat food outside and have for years, because there are lots of strays in our neighborhood. I've called the local humane society and they won't come get them, and so many people around our house let their cats out and they aren't spayed or neutered. I just can't stand to listen to a cat cry from being so hungry, so I just always put dry cat food out for the strays that want to eat. Anyway, our next door neighbor's cats eat too, but I asked my neighbor if this was a problem and they said they didn't care if the cats ate at our house. I can't imagine my neighbor telling me to stop feeding them so they can get their medicine at home and me not doing it.

I honestly don't know what would make them do this.
I want to talk to the parents about it but I don't want to come off as seeming like I'm insulting their kids. Now isn't the time anyway because I'm a bit peeved.
I could never imagine feeding anyone else's cat without their permission let alone playing with someone's cat outside of their yard.
When I was a kid my aunt had a cat lady in her neighborhood and my aunt taught me to play with the cats in the lady's yard and if I saw one out of the yard to bring it home.

I dont mean to be rude and I feel bad that your kitty isnt getting the medicine she needs. However, I often feed the outdoor cats in our neighborhood, they annoy my cats and scratch our screen doors, so we give them food to leave us alone.

If you want your cat to eat at home ONLY, then it really needs to stay at home.

Good Luck

Elissa

That's not rude at all.
Now don't take this as being rude. If your child were playing with a neighborhood cat and the owner talked to you about the cat needing medicine and had already asked that you not give her water (she has a water dish in our yard), would you still feed it?
Also, if the stray cats are bothering you, why don't you call animal control rather than feed them?
Kitty will be staying in the house from now on. She used to stay in the yard, that's why we let her out.

I would NOT purposefully feed the cat, if I knew the owners did not want it fed. Although, we often have food out for other cats that I am sure they could get into.

We have called animal control, they are people's cats, so they cant really do anything for us.

Elissa

Your situation is totally understandable and completely different than ours. Kitty is the only outdoor cat in the neighborhood and did not leave the yard until this incident. We felt she was no more in danger than, for example, our neighbor's dog who stays in his yard untied.
We'll probably take her out supervised. She's not the kind of cat that runs from us. Unfortunately, her hunting days may be over.

I feel so bad for your kitty. Maybe talk to the lady and explain that you understand her daughter likes the cat and wants to play with it, but the cat has medical problems and it is IMPERITIVE that she only eat at home. Maybe tell her that her daughter is welcome to come to your yard and pet the cat if she wants??? I'm just throwing out ideas here. If that doesn't work, is there a treat that your cat likes? Mine love honey turkey from the deli, maybe you could give her the medicine with the treat (if she's not eating it with food, because she's full from eating at neighbors). Hope everything works out with you and kitty

OHHHH... I just remembered this. My sister used to have a cat, "Pig". Pig had something wrong with her liver and she had to take a pill everyday. She was an indoor/outdoor cat. My sister used to give her the pill with food early in the morning before she went outside. Maybe try that, then even if she eats lots at the little girls house, she'll already have gotten her medicine!

Thanks so much Sadie'smama!
Your first suggestion is what I am going to do.
Your second suggestion is an awesome idea other than she has to take half of her pill in the morning and the other at dinner.