Everyone has probably experienced it: a skinny cat suddenly appears in the corner of the neighborhood, next to a building, in the water meter box. It looks at you quietly, a little afraid of people, and seems to be waiting for something. You soften your heart and put a little rice on the table, and it reappears the next day. And the question arises: should I care about it? If I want to help, what should I do?

1. Why did it show up on your doorstep?

This type of cat tends to be in several situations:

Native stray cats: born and raised in the wild, used to vigilance and dependent on foraging;

Lost/abandoned domestic cats: once cared for but living on the streets for various reasons.

"Community cat": it has been active in a certain area for a long time and has some trust in people.

It chooses to approach humans out of an instinctive desire for food and safety. The fact that you see it means it's already trying to trust you.

2. Should I care? How can I help so that it's actually helpful?

While short feedings are kind, helping more systematically can really improve the cat's situation:

The most basic: regular feeding 
Fixed time and fixed place to avoid cats running around due to food.

Food tries to use cat food to reduce odor and prevent nuisance.

The most critical: TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) 
This is the fundamental way to control the number of stray cats.

Find local cat-loving organizations or volunteers to assist in the TNR action.

After release, they can continue to be fed and become “community cats”.

Optional help: 
Build a simple shelter, such as an outdoor cat house, a heat preservation nest, especially in winter.

3. These methods may seem “kind”, but they are actually not good for cats: 
Randomly feeding scraps of food or stimulating food may make cats sick.

Continuous feeding without de-sexing will only cause the cat population to expand rapidly.

“Pick up and try at home,” but cannot take care of it for a long period of time; instead, it may lead to secondary abandonment.

You do not need to “save all the cats”, but you can be a little responsible for the one you met.

Maybe you just handed out a bowl of rice when it was the hungriest, gave it a nest when it was the coldest, and arranged for it to be neutered and returned when it was the most vulnerable. These seemingly insignificant kindnesses could be the warmest moments of their lives.

If you are willing to take care of it, please do so seriously and persistently; if you can't for the time being, please don't give it a favor and then pull out quickly. For stray animals, the greatest harm is never indifference, but false hope.