Should I help the stray cat

[milly143]

The past few nights there has been a cat wondering around outside my house crying awfully. It sounds almost as if it's in pain although I've never been able to see close enough. I have come to the conclusion he is a stray and feel so bad. Would it be a bad idea to try and get a good look at him and give him some food, baring in mind I already have a cat? Would my cat feel threatened if I did this?

[B00]

Are you sure it's not fighting or possibly mate calling, hence the noise?

[Bohne]

We took in a stray last year, and our existing cat was not happy.
However, he had started coming in on his own, eating the cat food, and disappearing again, so we slowly started getting him used to us.
After a few months we took him to the vet and got him neutered.
He was one of the cutest cats ever, unfortunately got run over by a car after about a year.

We still have lots of cats from the neighbourhood coming in, some of them cry like babies, but I am sure, it's not because they are in pain.

So, and to finally answer your question:
Your cat would probably not like it at all, but if it makes you feel better, have a look at the stray.
It does not mean you have to take him in for good!

[Dee Sa]

probably hungry, pls kindly leave out a little food & water when you hear the cries and take it from there. If you dont want to "adopt" him into your home, at least the cat knows where he can get some food.

P.S. We keep our cat in at night because there is a fox around and when we hear terrible cat screams we know the fox has taken one and its horrible.

[milly143]

Thanks for your answers. I hadn't thought that it might be a mating call but it's different from the fighting sound. I know it's not my own cat because I won't go to bed unless he is indoors and he gets locked in through the night. Perhaps tonight I'll leave a little food out when I hear him and see if I can get a good look at him just to make sure he is ok.

[mw]

Do you know for definate it is a stray?

My 11 year old cat went missing last summer and i thought she was dead. It turned out some people were feeding her. It turned out she had a stroke and didnt know how to get home (although it wasnt far away). It is nice of people to feed cats but also very frustrating for the owners who cant finds their pet.

The point i am trying to make is please make sure it is definately a stray as someone may well be looking for it and it is horrible loosing a cat.

Try putting up posters or ask neighbours to see if they know the cat first before you trytot make it your own.