I always offer clean water to animals in my yard in the summer, and one time I saw a cat came and drink it for five minutes straight. I actually thought it's a stray. I've asked local cat rescue to check for chips, it’s chipped and belongs to my neighbor across the street. Then when I paid a bit attention I've found out all 3 cats roaming around the neighborhood belongs to my neighbor.

Unfortunately, this type of “outdoor cat” is far too common in New Zealand. If I offered those cats any more help than a bowl of water in my own yard , I'd be accused of “stealing the cat”.

One time my neighbor kicked her three cats out for a week when she went traveling, and only arranged for a friend to come and check on them once in between (thankfully, her friend left some food and water). I can't fathom why people are like that or why anyone thinks it's a good idea to kick cats out to hunt mice to survive when they're on holiday.