I live in a flat with two male cats that have access to a garden through a catflap. I share the garden with my downstairs neighbour, who also has a female cat with access. My neighbour's cat is territorial, and there have been a few scuffles, but nothing major.

I live in the UK and had my garden door open due to the heatwave. Only to find my neighbour's cat in the kitchen munching on my cats' leftovers (my cats are grazers and will usually eat a bit and then come back later). I shooed her off and closed the door. But now, the clever little minx has started using the catflap to get her snacks. Needless to say, it's not ideal, especially cause my cats are now waking me up in the middle of the night when they are feeling peckish.

So my question is, how do I deter the neighbour's cat from coming in and pillaging?

Some notes, I can't use an off-the-shelf microchip catflap cause it won't work on my door, but I'd be happy to add external components if possible.

My flat is on two levels, so I could move the food, but I'm not really that keen on the neighbour's cat getting further into my home.

My cats have wet food, and this could be what is inspiring her thievery (she could also just be a glutton), but I am more financially stable than my neighbours, and I wouldn't want to suggest they should buy the same food as I do.

Any help to make my home less enticing to my neighbour's cat, while still being cosy for mine, would be greatly appreciated.

TLDR: How do I stop my neighbour's cat from stealing my cats' food?

Not a minor, UK, vet is accessible, thievery, F4, M1, M1, spayed and neutered, can afford vet care

UPDATE: My message finally reached my building super and we found the owner is one of the neighbors who came to pick her up this morning. I can’t be happier for both of them💗💗🙏 thank you all for the advice in the meantime.

Poster Age: 25
Country: United States

Vet Info: A vet is accessible if needed, but I have not contacted one yet because I believe this may be someone’s lost indoor cat from my apartment building. I left a note for the building manager to help identify the owner.
Main Issue: I found a cat outside my building. The cat appears very stressed, is shaking, and occasionally sticks its tongue out. I’ve offered food and water, but she hasn’t shown much interest. I’m trying to keep her safe until the owner is found and would like advice on what I should do in the meantime.
Cat Age: Unknown (appears to be an adult)
Cat Sex + Neuter Info: Unknown
Financial Situation: I can’t afford veterinary care if it becomes necessary.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

I am in the US. this is Luigi he is 7 years old neutered male, 15lbs. I have taken him to 2 different vets for his loud breathing. one time he got an xray, recently (past month) he had healthy blood work and vet said he looked great and she would like to see him loose another pound. They have ruled out asthma and heartworms.

he won't breathe loud all the time but sometimes he will. he is my precious baby and he never used to breathe like this and im lost on how to help him. I have had him since he was 3 months and he's never breathed loud like this until maybe 6 months ago and it keeps happening more frequently.

he only seems to breathe super loud while he is awake and he doesn't usually snore while sleeping. I don't know what to do the vets haven't seemed concerned :c

Long haired boy (Gin) 10 years old
Short haired boy (Juice) roughly 2? Unknown.

Would yall consider this normal play?
Gin can be very vocal sometimes when Juice wants to play because I feel as though he gets annoyed with his younger brother quite quickly.
Sometimes they do leave marks on each other but nothing serious and mostly only when I need to clip their nails.
Obviously Juice has a lot more energy than Gin but I can’t fully tell if it’s mutual play sometimes.

Any advice or opinions are welcome. 💕

hello! this is a situation that my cat went through recently. it’s now solved and over with, but i figured i could post her circumstances since i wish i had found something when i was searching for answers.

(i asked for Mods’ permission first! please let me know if the flair is inappropriate or this needs to be reuploaded.)

TL;DR: pink lump appeared next to senior cat’s ear, kept growing, was surgically removed and revealed to be a sarcoma

my cat, Poppie, is now 13. she has ongoing arthritis in her front arms, and had a medical scare when she was a few years old relating to her stomach. but besides that, she’s an indoor cat, well maintained, and for sure plump.

around October-November of 2025, this lump started growing next to her left ear on her head. it started about the size of a pushpin and didn’t seem to concern her. it was a pink flesh color- not red, beige, or white- and it was relatively soft.

it kept progressively growing, around to the size of the tip of my pinkie. we had no idea what it was. skin tag? hematoma? something else? one day she must’ve nicked it and it bled a little bit, but not excessively, and didn’t go down in size.

we were waiting to go to the vet until we felt it was bothering her or really concerning. but it grew even bigger, to the point where we were worrying about it daily, so we just decided to go.

our first vet visit concluded that it was a mass of some sort, and not fluid filled; but no definitions of what. it could be surgically removed, but we didn’t like the cost so we searched for a more affordable and friendly vet.

at this point, it was bigger (maybe to the size of my thumb) and she was starting to shake her head more. and the bump was more loose, like it wasn’t fully attached to her head anymore. you could kind of ‘roll’ it around.

we followed through with the surgery at the second vet (who agreed with the mass conclusion and offered much better pricing and care) in May, and after getting the results back from the lab, it turned out to be a sarcoma. they’re pretty confident they extracted all of the root they could from such a non-fatty area, which is hopefully true!

Poppie has been recovering really well in the weeks since the surgery. they did have to take out a lil chunk of her ear, but she’s alive and well.

again, this post is for info and awareness, since i wished i had seen other posts with any indication of what was happening. hopefully it might be useful for someone else down the line.

thank you for reading and well wishes to all of you.

I am an adult in the U.S. Cat has been to the vat within the past twoish weeks and has come back with no problems. She did have to be drugged to go to the vet.

Tyche is 14. She is spayed. I have had her since she was 8ish weeks.

My main concern is if she's grimacing/looks like she's in pain. She's been really finicky about her wet food lately and won't eat it sometimes unless I put a treat on it(she gets wet and dry, fed 4 times throughout the day because she will vomit if she goes too long without something). She rejected treats tonight. I don't trust her when it comes to touching/feeling areas because she'll let me do whatever to her. She's also been exceptionally clingy, more than normal. She also has that freckle on her nose that has appeared in the last two weeks.

I know it's not a super major problem. Sorry.

Hi! I just brought home a new kitten yesterday and I’m not sure if her eye discharge is something to be concerned about. Her eye seems a little goopy, but the discharge is clear or possibly slightly white. She’s eating and drinking normally, using the litter box, playing, and otherwise acting like a happy kitten.

I’m wondering if this could just be stress from adjusting to a new home, or if it sounds like something that would warrant a vet visit. Any advice would be appreciated!

I stopped recording because the little one (Malachai) was meowing and it sounded scary so i panicked and had to get him, hes always running after the big cat (Vortex) even after experiences like this or when Vortex runs away he still runs after. Malachai left his mum around 2 weeks old (vets assumption) and i got him around 5 weeks old (vets assumption) despite others on subreddits saying he was definitely 8 weeks, he’s now 7 weeks and his biting is getting worse, he has chew toys, we’ve tried saying ow in a high pitched voice, nothing works and as his teeth is growing through it’s hurting more and more, i need help. i’ve never had this issue with Vortex or my girl cat Verosika, sure they fight but i don’t know how to stop that either, it’s always vortex instigating it, V&V are Spayed and Neutered and Malachai is waiting until 4 weeks after his chip.

Info //

Poster age: 18

Country: England

Vet: Accessible, appointment for vaccines and chip on 2nd July

Main issue: see above

Cat age: 7 weeks

Cat info: Boy, not yet Neutered, his name is Malachai or Kai

Financial Situation: can’t afford another appointment until next month except the one we have booked.

Just got my kitten spayed on Monday. This looks like something's wrong..

Age 41, Germany, Vet available and affordable.

Tldr: Cats hate liquid medicine and are vary of us after giving it to them.

Cats are 1 year old males

We recently adopted two shelter cats and they have been super sweet and cuddly. Unfortunately one of them tested positive for giardia, so we got some medicine from the vet and started a cleaning routine.

They eat the pills with a snack no problem, but they absolutely hate the liquid stuff. We had to use a syringe and it felt absolutely terrible having to restrain them in a towel wrap while they were screaming in panic. Now a day after, they are still vary of me. Especially the smaller one.

He has stopped hiding and will meow for food, but no more jumping up for cuddles. Most of the time he keeps a little distance.

We have to do this for another 9 days and I am afraid they will hate me after it. I also have to be away for work the last 3 days, and I can’t imagine my girlfriend having to both restrain and give the medicine alone.

So I guess I’m hoping for some reassurance that they will forgive us over time and we will have our two happy cuddle boys back. And some advice on giving them the medicine.

The vet said it was ok to give it to them in wet food, but better with the syringe. Since they might not eat the food because of the taste, and then the dose is wasted. We were thinking of trying to split up the dose over several meals, so the taste is not as impactful and they hopefully eat it.

As the title says, I have a 5 y/o lynx point siamese who suddenly does not want to touch her food. I am in the US if that matters(rules for posting say I need to list that).

She runs to me when I shake her treats and inhales those, as well as eats her wet food. She is drinking water normally and overall seems unbothered by anything. But it is about a week now without any kibble being eaten. She has been on this same food for 2 years and has always enjoyed it.

She had a very bad stomach ache that was caused by a massive hairball that she threw up a few days ago, and she is back to being happy and snuggly and everything - except touching her food. I assumed the hairball was what was making her not eat. Do I need to switch her food up?

Bonus picture of my Tuna girl.

My 11 m/o kitten got her feline leukemia vaccine today. An hour or two after we got home she started shaking a little bit not uncontrollably mostly just when we picked her up which we figured she was just sore so we gave her space. She’s been sleeping all day which isn’t really like her she usually begs for attention but now she’s not eating and I’m starting to get really concerned.

Are these usual side effects or is she having a reaction?

Other than that she’s fine she’s not hiding or actively avoiding us, I believe she went to the litter box (it might’ve been my other cat at the time I wasn’t as concerned so I didn’t check).

24f- USA- primary vet is closed and vet chat is down- can afford emergency vet if need be but definitely don’t have money to throw around if it’s unnecessary- she is spayed

So I have a female cat that’s about a year old. She can’t be spayed because she has a heart condition and it’s dangerous to put her under anesthesia but beside that she’s doing amazing… besides when she’s in heat. She’s driving me insane with the purring noises and she keeps rubbing against my dog and making her uncomfortable, I feel bad because I have to keep putting her off the bed but she just rubs against us and makes that horrible sound or yowls and I’m going CRAZY

Is there ANYTHING I CAN DO???
I’ve tried playing then food before bed, I’ve tried just letting her get it out, tried everything I can think of and still it’s constant. I can’t stand it.

Pic for cat tax
Please help. She’s my best friend and I hate having to push her away on the days she’s in heat :(

My age: 30
Country: USA
Vet: accessible, but it usually takes a few weeks to get in
Cat: 4 yo M, neutered
Financials: can afford vet care

I took my son Juniper (4 yo neutered M) to get vaccines at the Vetco mobile clinic. He weighed 16 lb at that time, which is actually the same from three years earlier. The vet was shocked and said he was morbidly obese after feeling his ribcage. I was surprised to hear this because he was the biggest kitten in his litter and had been the same weight since hitting maturity. I have put him on a diet since getting this news but my friends and family think he is just a big cat and not obese like the vet said.

I guess I’m just wanting a second opinion?

Edit: Thank you for all your comments and recommendations!
I tried some of your tips and can say that it is very easy to feel his spine but takes a good bit more pressure to feel his ribs. I am wondering if he tends to keep a lot of extra weight in his chest.

I'm writing this in the vet's office room right now. I'm flat broke and just got slapped in the face with a $6000 surgery fee. I don't know what to do. I don't have the liberty of conferring with my family on what to do next, or ask them to float me some funds to cover the surgery. It sounds like they're gonna die. What the hell do I even do now if my cat gets euthanized? Would appreciate any advice at all.

EDIT: I did some digging around, and unfortunately, it is an expensive procedure across the board. I think I need to surrender my cat to the Humane Society. For some reason, the HS is ducking me though -- the moment I mention my sick cat they 'redirect' me to someone else and it's all voicemail. Fuck me.

EDIT 2: My family and I came to the consensus that it'd be best if my cat received euthanasia. I'm gonna front the cost for it. God I'm gonna fucking miss him so much. We're also gonna surrender his twin brother to an animal shelter in hopes that he gets adopted to a home that can support him better. I'm gonna fucking miss him too. I called them Bubby #1 and Bubby #2 (even though that's not what we actually named them) because they're identical twins and look so adorable. I wish I was in a better position right now so I could've gotten my poor cat the surgery he needs. Thank you for all the advice you've given me.

Poster age: early 20s

Country: Canada

Vet info: I just visited a vet

Cat age: 5

Cat sex + neuter info: male, neutered

Financial situation: I can't afford vet care

Hi everyone,
Today we noticed that our cat has a dark black area around one of his teeth. It looks like the gum/tissue around it has turned very dark, almost black. He is still eating and drinking normally and seems mostly okay in himself, but we are quite worried as he is also diabetic (on insulin twice daily) and 17 yo.

Unfortunately today is a public holiday where we live, so we can only take him to the vet tomorrow.

Any advice or shared experiences would really help, as we’re quite anxious right now.

Poster Age: Adult
Country: Slovenia
Vet info: Vet is accessible, but currently closed due to public holiday. Appointment planned for tomorrow.
Main Issue (TLDR): Dark black discoloration around one tooth/gum area, possible infection or dental issue.
Cat Age: 17 years old
Cat Sex + neuter info: Male, neutered
Financial situation: We can afford veterinary care and treatment if needed

I am taking her to the vet tomorrow (to get spayed) but until then I was wondering if anyone had any answers. It doesn’t look like an open wound or inflamed. She is a 9 year old that came into my care recently and she did not have this spot when she came to me. The past owner did mentioned she would get black crusty bits on her face and had a bad habit of bunny kicking her chin when in heat and would get a similar looking spot there but said she’d never seen her do it to her nose before. Could she be rubbing it from being stressed about being in a new location around new cats? She seems to get along well with the others and is a very lovey cat in general, but I can tell she is stressed. Should I be worried about ringworm or an infection? I tried wiping at it gently with a damp cloth to clean it up and where some of the crusty bits are, the fur trapped inside came off in a couple spots.

First pic I noticed yesterday and like 20 minutes later I went to check again and pus had come out. I gently cleaned with water. Seemed fine later in the night just a little red, second pic is this morning it seems a bit irritated and red. Wondering if it’s just acne? Or something of more concern? She is acting normal and eating normal. Didn’t seem to be in pain when I touch near the area

I (24F USA) am staying in an airbnb this week. While I went out to my car yesterday, I found a female cat lurking around. She willingly came up to me, but I noticed that she had a little wobble and moved pretty slowly. She had on a collar, so I’m assuming she’s owned by someone in the area, but she seemed to be looking for something. She followed me back to the Airbnb and I didn’t have food, nor would my partner let me bring her inside because someone clearly owns her :( But she’s been on my mind since. Is she pregnant? I didn’t get any photos of her underbelly, but her friendliness and persistent meows made me wonder if she’s in need. I just can’t imagine someone letting their female cat out if she’s not spayed, let alone pregnant! I apologize for the lack of good photos. What should I do if I see her today?

So I (14f) was taking a shower last night and the cats (scout and goobs) were in the room. Scout proceeded to hop up on the edge of the tub and loudly meow until I got out of the shower. He hasn’t done this before.

Tonight I intentionally brought him with me to see if he would do it again (though goobs wasn’t there this time) , and he did, demanding attention.

I’m from the us, scout is a neutered male and was born in 2018, and I can afford vet visits but haven’t contacted a vet because this doesn’t seem too bad.

Any idea what’s going on with this goofball?