I AM shocked to learn that some veterinary practices are advising people not to feed any distressed cat that may appear on their doorstep because “if you feed them, they will never go home”.

Over many years, I have tried to help every distressed cat that has appeared by my house.

I have done everything in my power to find their owners, with considerable success I might add.

The majority of such stray cats have been utterly lost, often many miles from home and are always famished.

How could I ever have re-united them with their owners if I had not fed them in the first place?

Of course there will be some who are opportunistic feeders.

And there will be some whose owners do not feed their cats sufficiently because they believe that they will be able to fend for themselves.

But if a cat you’ve never seen before turns up on your doorstep meowing desperately how you can not feed it in order to try and save it is beyond me.

Cats can become lost for all sorts of reasons, if they use a subway they may get disorientated, they may be scared by a loud noise like a firework and run off in a blind panic, especially now that fireworks are not just around on November 5.

They may hop into a tradesperson’s van and wind up anywhere in the country, or some cats are simply abandoned.

So please help your local distressed and possibly famished cat and try to locate the owner.

Vets usually keep a lost and found book or computer record so a simple phone call with them with a description might be all it takes.

Many people use Facebook so a post on Redditch Lost & Found with a picture I’m sure has helped many a cat (and other animals).

But a microchip in invaluable, providing the information on it is kept up to date.

If you cannot locate the owner and cannot keep the cat, there are organisations to help.

To ignore a distressed cat is to perpetuate the suffering, what cruelty.

Name and address supplied

Redditch