Late-working person brings in the neighbor's cat at 2AM after finding him frozen on the fire escape, sets to find the feline a foster family since this isn't the first time he's abandoned outside in the cold.

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  • 01
    First, lets set the stage., I live in Upstate NY, it gets cold here. Also I live on the third floor of a downtown apartment building.
  • 02
    Outside my office window is our fire escape, which is shared with the other unit on our floor.
  • 03
    fire escape in new york
  • 04
    Last night, as I finished up work at around 2am, I saw a cat on our balcony.
  • 05
    cat on a fire excape, looking down to the camera through the slits on the metal bars
  • 06
    I am calling them Torchy. Torchy belongs to our neighbors, but this is the second time seeing him I outside my window.
  • 07
    Last night it was 9°F, and Torchy was showing early signs if hypothermia. I brought him in, let him steal my body heat, then made him a warm shelter and fed him.
  • 08
    cat sleeping on a cozy blanket
  • 09
    I would have let him stay in but we have 5 cats already. I am thinking I will not allow this to happen a fourth time, because if I see a half frozen torchy on my fire escape again, I will take more drastic actions.
  • 10
    TL;DR My neighbors let their cat out on our third floor balcony in dangerously cold weather and im planning to make sure it doesn't happen a fourth time byfinding kitty a foster family.
  • 11
    fire escape in new york
  • 12
    solardune if this is a jump to conclusions. Is it possible that Torchy wanted to go out and was perfectly capable of returning home? Is there a cat flap? Open window? Do you know? I wouldn't go straight to stealing. Maybe the cat likes to wander. Talk to your neighbours first.
  • 13
    OP EvilBetty77 He is on the fire escape, so no cat flap involved. And I doubt peiole are leaving their windows open in single digit temperatures. He wasnt out there when I checked this morning. So he must have been let back inside. But he was trying to get into my apartment to keep warm so I dont think he could get back into his own.
  • 14
    cat napping on a heating radiator
  • 15
    Wild_Course2034 Damn. Try talking to your neighbors first? Does the baby look neglected too or is it just that he was outside?
  • 16
    We have a cat that is an epic escape artist and he'll often do it when the weather is quite terrible. We honestly do all we can but sometimes he just does his thing and I often think if someone saw him soaking wet and cold they'd also hate us. And I'm not home only 3 hours a day 4 times a week & we have 3 layers of kittyproofing on all doors and windows and he still manages to escape? I've now added cameras and we have a neighbor who will take him in if she finds him outside.
  • 17
    All this to say, sometimes people do their best and cats still do stupid things. Talk to your neighbors or yeah
  • 18
    OP EvilBetty77 He seems healthy, but that can change quick when youre on a metal balcony in o degree weather with no shelter.
  • 19
    Wild_Course2034 If he has the ability to go back inside through a window or a flap it might be a choice. Cats don't always act in their own best interests
  • 20
    OP EvilBetty77 looks at her big fluffy idiot yeah that tracks. Im not sure if that was an option though. Im not great with heights, so I didnt go out on the escape to see if the window was open.
  • 21
    cat looking outside of the window, the view is snowy and wintery
  • 22
    stevenr21 Talk to your neighbors first and let them know
  • 23
    Ambitious_Dragon_13 our cat escaped through the front door and was outside for a month in temps between 5-20 F. yes, super cold, and ideally we would have had home inside where he was warm with us, but he was fine when we finally found him and got him home. eventually that same cat totally left (lol, we tried hard to keep him inside, but he was an outdoor cat at heart,
  • 24
    he escaped several more times and became more and more difficult to bring back inside) and lived outside in the new england winters for many years. it is very lovely that you snuggled this little buddy, but if you kept this cat without checking in with your neighbors about the situation
  • 25
    Madds 933 Instead of stealing the cat, why not approach Torchy owner and see what the situation is.
  • 26
    They may overwhelmed, or just don't think cats need warmth. Some people assume since they have fur they'll always be warm. You're a kind person for helping Torchy.

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