who is that?

I own a duplex, living upstairs and renting out the bottom. The lower unit sticks out, with the roof of the back sloping down under my kitchen windows.

This PM I looked out the kitchen window and thought I saw Zane on the roof. I thought, "HOW did he get out?" Then I took a second look and realized that although this cat looked a lot like Zane, he was a great deal thinner, as is almost every other cat with the possible exception of Garfield. How this cat got onto the roof, I don't know, and what he was doing there I have no idea.

He wasn't a stray/feral; he looked most healthy and well-fed.

Could he have somehow sensed Zane inside and come to investigate?

Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

Could he have somehow sensed Zane inside and come to investigate?

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I'd say that's quite possible. I'm in a basement apartment, so all of my windows open up at ground level. There are several outdoor / semi-feral cats in the neighborhood and they'll often wander by and peer in the windows at my cats. I think they can smell them from quite a distance away.

As for seeing a near-double of your cat, I've had a similar experience. My father owns a rather large apartment building a few blocks from where I live and I used to help out with trouble calls at the apartments. When I went into the basement there where we keep keys, tools, etc. I was confronted with a cat that had somehow found its way into the basement. It looked identical to my Promise. This cat was the same size, was also a tuxedo cat, and had nearly identical markings. It wasn't until after I picked my jaw up off the floor and took a good look at the cat that I realized the pattern of black and white wasn't quite the same and looking into the cat's eyes I could tell it wasn't Promise. Still, I wonder to this day if it might have been one of her litter mates because the resemblance was so striking.

Its a good thing that Zane couldn't get out, because Zane HATES other cats, and although he's declawed in front (NOT my doing--he was that way before he came to me!), he still has teeth, rear claws, and sheer bulk, and knows how to use all three to great effect.

One of my neighbors has a couple of cats that look a lot like one of my girls. Since they're also outdoor cats, people can hear me calling my cat's name and scolding her why she's so far away. Then I look down and there's my baby right beside me. It's embarrassing.

Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

Its a good thing that Zane couldn't get out, because Zane HATES other cats, and although he's declawed in front (NOT my doing--he was that way before he came to me!), he still has teeth, rear claws, and sheer bulk, and knows how to use all three to great effect.

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Once when I went out to get the mail there was a strange cat on the porch, whom I did not see right away-- but Zane did! He charged out between my legs like a small, furry, gray guided missile and gave the interloper a cross-body check that would have done credit to a NHL player. Interloper broke away and ran, while Zane stood there, puffed out like a porcupine, hissing like a pressure cooker coming to full steam.

NOBODY messes with my Zane!