Best approach for (probably) stray cat?

[Anonymous]

My teenager rows from the Anacostia Boathouse, and lately there’s been a cat hanging around the parking lot. It’s very friendly with people and seems well-fed, but it seems to be a stray. It has a notched ear like a spayed/neutered feral cat.

Everyone’s been discussing what to do, and they seem to be leaning toward leaving it to roam but feeding it and taking it to a vet to make sure its health needs are taken care of. But I’m curious, does anyone with more experience or knowledge have suggestions about what to do? On one hand, the cat is people-friendly enough that it might be a good candidate to find an actual home. On the other hand it seems neutered and fed and happy with its current situation. Do animal groups recommend a particular course of action with friendly strays? Or has anyone been in a similar situation and learned from experience?

[Anonymous]

let a catch neuter release charity know where it is and otherwise leave it alone

[Anonymous]

Do you want a cat? If so, take it to check for a chip and if none is found, take it home. If you don't, leave it, the employees are probably feeding it and the group that spayed it probably vaccinated it as well.

[Anonymous]

Here in Arlington, they don’t take strays unless they are injured/distressed.

[Anonymous]

Fairfax would say leave it alone. We tried to bring in a stray once because it was so young and friendly, but it had feline leukemia, so it couldn’t live with our indoor, non-infected cats. Many, many strays have feline leukemia.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like the consensus is to leave it alone. Thanks all for weighing in!

All my cats have been indoor-only, and my most beloved cat was a housecat-turned-stray-turned-housecat, so it’s hard for me to see an outdoor cat as not in need of rescue. But really this little guy does seem to be living a good life, being fed and getting lots of scratches.