is it my place to take this cat?

[rhythmicgoldfish]

so i live in an apartment complex with self locking security doors in NH and a woman in the other building has an older indoor/outdoor cat when the cat is outdoors she has no shelter, food, clean water and no way to get back into her home. i feel like this is cruel, i see her outside sometimes for days and i would like to catch her and bring her to a no kill shelter

am i being a drama queen about this or is it genuinely cruel to expect her to stay outside, i have a cheap cat carrier from target and since i would never risk bringing any kitty illnesses into my home i would leave the carrier at the shelter

[Carmel]

I wouldn't. Shelters aren't a good place to send older cats, they're less likely to be adopted, and a cat used to the outdoors may adjust terribly to being adopted by a family that wants to keep it indoors.

Have you spoken to this lady about her cat? To get a feel for her commitment level towards it, how often she feeds it, how often it comes inside? About how she shouldn't have it outside for long periods without food or water? That would be the first thing I would do.

Are you sure the cat is outside all day and night and it's not just you seeing it out there and assuming it is never beening let in at all? Blacky at times will be outside in the wind and rain and snow, all of her own choosing since she has cat door to come and go as she likes.