Hey all. I am dorming on campus this summer, and occasionally there a few cats outside the dorm. They all look fine, like maybe they are someone's 'outdoor' cat who hangs out on campus for hand-outs. But there is this one cat that is smaller than the others, maybe a teen-kitten who is thin and scrawny and i feel so bad for it. People put some food out there occasionally, and I was thinking of trying to do the same regularly, if i can find something cheap enough, as well as maybe putting some water too. But in the long run, is this a good idea? I would hope that it would set an example and others might join in, but how could I know that would happen. I don't know if people put food out during the regular school year because I attend the the other campus. I though about maybe asking someone in res-life, but that could be risky. They do not allow animals in the dorm, so I don't know how they would respond to acclimating an animal to being fed right outside of it. Probably better off just going ahead and giving him some food.
What are your thoughts?

You should take the cat to an animal shelter so it can be fed and taken care of until someone adopts it. I'm not saying you and otheres taking care of the cat are bad at it I'm just saying you might want to keep in mind the best interest of the cat. :(

That sounds like a good idea. It passed my mind to try to find a nearby vet and ask if they'd check the cat pro-bono and make sure he's not sick, but then what?

I would also take it somewhere, you never know if it's owner has been looking for it. An Animal shelter can check if it has a chip too.

I would also take it somewhere, you never know if it's owner has been looking for it. An Animal shelter can check if it has a chip too.

He is thin and scrawny and has not been cared for. That is why I feel sorry for him over the other healthy-looking cats the happen by. He doesn't look like an owned cat, he has not been taken care of. And he is around here the most often. More than the others that look like they might have homes.

if you really aren't sure if he is owned or not, you could put a collar on him with a little note, that asks if he has a home or not- cos he looks hungry and is always looking for food (make it friendly!), and asking them to call you to let you know, cos you're thinking of getting him a new home fi nobody responds. and then give it a week... feed him that long, but don't actively encourage him to not go home- incase he does have one. if he goes home someone will notice it, and maybe they'll be p!ssed at you for implying they don't care for their cat, but they'll hopefully call so you don't take it, and then you'll know whether he's just skinny, or being badly looked after, or homeless. i'd hate for someone to loose their naturally skinny cat by accident. then after a week, you can get the cat re-homed, and you'll know that you did your best, and wont be worrying that someone is looking for their cat.

I wonder if it was a previous students cat that was abandoned when they left the school. Might be why he is hanging around there.

It most likely didn't belong to a student. The dorms are strictly no-pets.

You should take the cat to an animal shelter so it can be fed and taken care of until someone adopts it. I'm not saying you and otheres taking care of the cat are bad at it I'm just saying you might want to keep in mind the best interest of the cat. :(
Yep.

So there seem to be the most votes for a shelter. How do I find one that will take care of him so he can be adopted and won't put him down after a while? How do I find one in my area, period?

Do an internet search for no kill shelters in your area. Or look in the phone book and call and ask them their policies.

I'd definitly get it and take it somewhere a.s.a.p. Here (on a farm) lots of strays come around(most are scared of people). About a year ago one cat, that was sooo friendly, kept comming around late at night(was pretty thin, so we figured he didn't have a home), so we fed it, gave it water, made it a little shelter, and kept looking for him during the day to take him in town to the vet, but could never find him.... anyway... after a couple weeks he stopped comming around, and I still fear the worse. To this day I still think of "Rags" and regret not catching him (even if it meant keeping him in a kennel outside overnight) and getting him to the vet and finding him a good home. I would've kept him if I didn't have so many cats already...sorry, just had memories of him.....
Anyway, if you don't get it somewhere, u may end up regretting it. Sounds like he needs a good home. I'd take Kpickells advice and try to find a no kill shelter. Hope all ends up well for it!

If I was sure he wasn't owned....
I would bring him to a vet and then adopt him!!

But since you can't have pets in the dorms (and dorms aren't a place for cats anyways) then I would call and find a shelter to take him in.

I would try to find the owner, but if it looks uncared for, and doesnt just look naturally skinny im not sure if I would want the cat returned to his/her owner. Have you alerted any vets? Know of any friends or family that want a cat that could take him in? Since you can't keep this kitty maybe you could catch him and he could stay with a friend or family member until you can find him/her a new home (that is if they couldn't keep him/her themselves)?

Good news! I mentioned the cat to my roommate and she let me know that he is now safe from the elements, having been given a towel to sleep on inside the vestibule of the dorm, and is also being given food that was purchased for him.

Better news! I saw the cat today on my break from work, and she was eating a can of food a guy gave her. I mentioned to the guy i was glad to see he was being fed (he told me it's a she- I never looked) and he called animal people to take her somewhere to be taken care of. He said his dad is a vet, and feels she might be sick or maybe pregnant. He seemed to care a lot about helping her, so hopefully she will go to a good shelter.

aw, that's great!

If there are a bunch of cats roaming around you may the beginnings of a feral cat colony and you may want to contact http://www.alleycat.org/ and start a TNR (trap, neuter, return) program to end the sadness before it starts.

"Managed" colonies can become very sad things with over population and disease. TNR is a great solution to the feral cat problem.