Okay, it has been awhile, so let me update.
I have come here because I need some help from fellow friends of cats. I will start by telling you that I have next door neighbors who are very careless. They litter quite a bit, leaving empty soda cans in their yard that blow into ours. They play loud music. They also have pets that they let run loose in the street unattended. My neighbors play games on their iPhones as the dogs chase the mail man and use the bathroom in the yards all over our neighbors. They are not the most conscientious of people.
Anyway, for the last few months a pretty black cat also began wandering the neighborhood. He looks like a Bombay to me. My neighbors say it is their cat. They never mentioned what his name was, so I call him Salem inspired by the cat from Sabrina the teenage witch. My mother would occasionally feed him a cat treat when he wandered into our yard lost. I was a little reluctant to feed another person's cat, worrying about diet and allergies, but when my mom noticed that the cat looked really scrawny and malnourished and said that she could see his rib cage, we decided to start regularly leaving food for Salem. I don't think my neighbors are feeding him.
They also don't give him adequate shelter. We never see him go inside into their home, and there's no cat house or outdoor shelter arranged anywhere in sight for him. He just is left out in the street rain or shine. Whether the weather is dangerously hot or a bad storm nobody takes care of him. I would happily let Salem visit inside my house to protect him since they don't seem to care where he goes. But because I have pets of my own I can't let a cat I don't know come into the home as it doesn't look like my neighbors give him medical care, if they're not feeding him regularly than he probably doesn't have the vaccinations he needs, and I can't risk infecting the pets in my own house. Salem doesn't even wear a flea collar or have a license.
I was gonna build or buy a dog/ cat house, and sit it on my front porch so that he always has a place to go. It isn't my responsibility, but I just can't stand to see Salem left out in a storm.
They are bad pet owners. When the cat comes around to rub against their leg or meow to say hi they will ignore him and shoo him away annoyed. It is really so sad, especially since Salem is a sweet cat. I can walk up to him and pet him, he'll meow to me and purr, roll over on his back and rub against my leg. He has attached very fast to me.
Two days ago while my neighbors enjoyed a cook out in their yard a strange, stray appeared and attacked Salem. The neighbors took no notice. I heard the cats screeching and I ran out and parted the two. The stray cat ran off, and Salem chased after him in pursuit. I could not follow where they went.
I saw Salem again today, and the side of his face was badly swollen as if he had been punched in the jaw. I presume it came from the attack from the stray cat. I felt so bad seeing him injured, and want to take him to the veterinarian. It is infuriating that the neighbors still do nothing.
I have thought of just picking him up and taking himself to the vet, and paying whatever medical bills. I have also considered contacting animal control because I think I may be able to make a case of animal neglect/ cruelty to them.
I am at the same time hesitant to go to animal control though because the state animal control in my community euthanizes most of the animals they receive. They don't have resources to take care of all the animals and put to sleep about 70℅ of the animals they get. If nobody claims a lost pet in 72 hours(?) or adopts them from their program than they can be put down. So I am scared to take Salem there.
There are some non-profit animal shelters in my community like Aarf that are no-kill, so Salem would definitely be safe there. However, it is officially a legal issue if I remove a cat that someone else claims ownership of, only animal control can take a pet that is supposed to belong to someone on grounds of abuse. You can surrender a pet of your own that you can't take care of bring in a stray cat or dog that you found to Arf or the Humane Society, but if someone else is claiming ownership they are not supposed to be involved. That's the job of the city.
I am not sure what to do. Should I just leave it alone and try to look out for him next door as best I can? Or should I bring in animal control? I am worried he will be euthanized by animal control, but I am also worried he might be killed on the streets either hit by a car, attacked again by another animal, drink some antifreeze or some other poisonous substance of heaven knows what. I have also thought about asking my neighbors if they would be willing to sell the cat to me? They may not agree though.
What do you guys think would be best? If you have any other ideas I haven't thought of then please share.