So we're getting frequent, almost daily, visits from a cat that is not one of ours. He's a fairly young cat, turns up and makes calling chirruping type noises. One theory is that he's interested in our two female cats, but they aren't interested in him, though they tolerate him

So this cat seems to appear upstairs, around the house, and usually runs off when he sees one of us. Today, he was stealing one of the our cat's food that had been left. As I got closer, I was expecting him to run off. He didn't, and I was able to touch him (though this caused some growling and hissing, but not running). He was booted out of the cat flap, followed by the big bruiser of a male cat we have who turned up. Was he so hungry that eating was more important than running?

Over the weekend, he was playing in our garden. There's a cat toy out side, and he seemed to be really enjoying it.

So the big question now is - is that cat a stray? Is he coming to us because he knows there's food, toys, and a feeling of safety (he wanted to come in though the catflap when the neighbour's were repairing their shed roof last week). If he is a stray, should we take him in?

It's tricky. He may be being a cat and being opportunistic, and he has a home already. He has a big territory (we see him in load of places), and he's clearly not neutered. But he doesn't look unkempt or tatty.

I guess we'll have to ask around. Our neighbour's who seem to know everything are away at the moment. They usually know what's going on and where cats come from.

RSPCA - see if the cat has been chipped?

We had a stray turning up at work on a daily basis for weeks, until we checked with the RSPCA, who tracked the chip to the owners in Spain. They moved to the island recently and hadn't updated their address.

It's worth a try.

One of my neighbour's kitten was a visitor to my garden last summer and was tolerated by my cats too. Have you checked with neighbours?

If the cat looks well fed and happy then more than likely he or she does have a home and is pushing its luck visiting the neibouring dwellings

If you are concerned check for a chip as Speadie said.

I have taken in strays in the past. One was a very skinny female that my ex husband found hanging around a building site and the second was a very ill mature man who I gave a home to for his final days. I managed to get him to a vet and he was very poorly with feline aids and did not survive for much longer after I took him in.