Question
There's this cat in the neighborhood which doesn't have an owner, and I suspect she has never had one since she's very cautious and doesn't get very close.
I left her food sometimes: lately for about a week, she is coming around meowing continuously. My first guess was that she is hungry, but she doesn't eat or drink; and even if she does, that doesn't keep her from meowing again. She even waits for me to leave the house and follows me meowing. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't bother me: I just feel that she wants something and I can't understand her.
What is she asking me for?
Answer
If she's not satisfied with food/drink it may be that she is actually seeking nothing more than attention. Adult cats don't meow to each other (in cat-world it's only used to communicate between mothers and kittens) so she's definitely trying to say something to you. As to what, well that's a bit harder to be sure on (sadly there's no cat-translator yet) as a rough meow-vocabulary usually develops between a cat and it's slave-human.
In general terms though you can get a rough idea from the pitch and duration of the meow:
One or two short meows = A standard "greeting" meow, the cat equivalent of "Hi"
Multiple meows, especially if accompanied by a vertical tail = Excited greeting. e.g. “Great to see You!” often there's a subtext of "Have you got any food handy?" Or "Give me some fuss" as well.
Mid-pitch meow = Polite request for something, “I'd like to eat.” or "Play with me" or "Fuss me!"
Longer, more drawn-out mrrroooow = Demand for something, often an escalation of the "Polite Request" e.g. “Open the door. NOW.” or "Feed me puny Human!"
Low-pitch MRRRooooowww = Complaint of a wrong you have done. e.g. “You still haven't fed me!” or "The litter tray is full of poop and I need to go" or "You're ignoring me and it's making me cross!" etc.
High-pitched, relatively loud RRRROWW! = Anger or pain. e.g. "You just stepped on my tail you oaf!"
Hiss = Aggression e.g. "Go away!" Or "Don't mess with me or I'll totally claw your face off!" Hissing is used cat-to-cat as is growling as well as to humans.
BRRRUPP! = "Excuse me, coming through!"
PRRRIP! = General happy noise
Chirping/Chittering = Mild frustration e.g. "I can't reach it (the prey/toy)"
Multiple "Yowl!" Sounds = "I'm in heat"
Low-pitched growl = "This food/toy/blanket/whatever is MINE, don't come near!"
From how you describe it I think this is likely a plea for fuss or attention, and as @Mick mentions in his comment you probably want to consider carefully before going ahead as the cat may be looking to bond with you and if you aren't prepared to reciprocate then it may be inadvisable to encourage her.
Vocalisations do vary from cat to cat, some don't even "talk" at all. The nuances of an individual cats "speech" are something that an owner gets used to over time. That said there is substantial overlap across many cats in general terms and the list here is intended as a rough starting point for people like the OP who don't have any history with the cat they are trying to understand, it's not always going to be right but it's better than nothing.
Answered By - motosubatsu