How do you feel when you see strangers play with your cat

for example, i walk past a house that regularly has a cat outside it

i am sure the people can see me stroking it and playing with it who own the cat

I just wonder, what do they think ? and what do you think if they do it to your cat?

Well, all our cats are indoor-only, but when we have people come into the house and they want to touch the kids, I'm OK with it. I like to see them interact with the cats and want the cats to enjoy being with people. I like the fact that the instant visitors sit on the couch or chair, they immediately have cats on their lap. And if they don't like cats, well, then.......good-bye!

Does that make sense?

yes, but allowing someone in your house implies you know them to some degree

I am talking about complete strangers

My cat is indoor so she isn't public property for strangers. Many people it seems are not nice to cats outside roaming around. I think the owner would be pleased, that is if they were watching their cat at that exact moment in time, to see a nice interaction with a friendly stranger.

I would walk by this one outdoor/indoor (though indoor was rare) cat almost every day going to and from campus. After a while, I started to pet the cat every time I passed. One day the owners were out when I passed by to pet the cat. We had a nice conversation, and they actually appreciated the loving I was giving their cat, because they knew he was outdoor/indoor but still wanted to be pet and loved outdoors, which they usually don't do since he wanders their block.

I don't let my cats roam loose. If a stranger was petting my two outdoor cats that would mean they broke into my fenced backyard (and cut through a lock). So they'd be getting the police called on them.

The neighbors across the street let their cats roam and don't really seem to care what their cats do or who pets them. They'll sit right outside and watch their cats poop in our yard and not be the least bit sorry or embarrassed over it, too....

no one else is going to stroke it, so I may as well.

I would commend anyone that could get close enough to one of my cats to pet them while they're out.

I think it depends for me. There's a neighbor kid that I don't know and he used to come into my yard to pet my dog while she was tied out. He'd also go after my cats trying to pet them. That bothered me. You don't just go into someone's yard that you don't know and start petting their dog(s), and you don't lay down in their yard trying to get the cats to come up to you. I'm especially weary of this kid because a "cat that can't be identified" bit the kid and they called the police.

If my cats were to walk up to someone and that person was being friendly and petting them, I imagine I would be fine. I can't say for sure, because I've never had that happen.

Miezi (indoor/outdoor) will walk up to just about anybody and demand to be petted, and I really think she's turned some people into cat lovers with her affection. Most people seem to find it flattering. Jamie (who only goes outside on a leash), on the other hand, won't tolerate 99% of strangers petting him, so I warn people not to even try. As soon as they get too close, he hisses and/or growls anyway.

If I'm walking down the street and a cat meows at me or comes to me, I stop and pet it.

I always try to pet kitties i come across but I suppose that if I had an outside cat and I saw someone petting him/her, I would initially probably be very wary, and would most likely approach the person to see what their intentions are- that sounds kinda sad sad that I should even have to have that fear. If it were someone that I had seen previously petting my cat it would probably make me happy that my kitty made someone else happy

you can tell by looking at them what their intentions are, the good people and the bad ones

I haven't had too many people object to me loving on their cat.

We had a neighbor a few years ago who had a cat who roamed the neighborhood. I tried for along time to resist her, but she was presistent, and I ended up letting her come in my house, etc. When I finally met the owners she was happy that her kitty had a "safe house" she could go to, so it worked out great for all of us. Except that I was devasted when they moved. But, then, I wouldn't have my kitties now if they hadn't, so it all worked out.

Originally Posted by fuggles

you can tell by looking at them what their intentions are, the good people and the bad ones

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Very rarely can you truly judge a person by the way they look, and in fact it's rather insulting to do so.

I'm actually one of the people many would judge harshly due to how I dress when I dress casually. Metal band shirts, especially black metal shirts tend to bother people (even if the shirts are tamer).

I'm a terrible hypocrite. I am the type who would approach a friendly cat and try to pet it, but I would probably freak out if someone did the same to mine. I wouldn't be rude, mind you, but I would run out to secretly "supervise" and make sure all was well with my cat. My cats don't really go outside; Siamie only goes in the fenced backyard. And Buster is allowed out sometimes in the Purrfect fence, but it stays locked. (He has a fence and climate-controlled building all to himself, as he Feline Leukemia positive. Don't worry...he gets plenty of attention. We've thought about adopting another cat who is Feline Leukemia + as a friend for him, but don't think he would wants a friend since he is almost 20 years old and set in his ways.) Speck and Daisy are full-time inside cats, though we would like to get them a Purrfect fence, too.) That was a long answer! Sorry.

Since mine are indoor, the time the people I invite into my house are people I would trust around my cats. Especially now that I don't invite kids in (since they tormented my kitties the 1 time I did).

Nero and Hoshi love to meet new people and soak up the attention they find ways to get even from the biggest dog-person. I dont often see anyone's cats out, most of the roamers here are ferals, and I recently got two of them to accept pettings and become more trusting. I WAS a little jealous when Tom Cat started letting everyoneeee love on him Now he spends more time at my in-laws house than ours.

there aren't many ferals in the UK unless you live in london

Im a little anal about people coming in and petting the kitties. Not so much with Bacon/Jules and Gigi because they are both lovey dovey and arent afraid to climb up or along a person to be held in the position they like. NONE of my cats like to be held like a baby on their backs, they like to be in the meatloaf position in your arms or up over your shoulder like burping a baby. There is one person who comes over all the time and Hercules adores her, but she insists all the time of trying to hold him on his back and he lets out this pitiful "OMG I dont like this" meow that literally grates my ears and makes me want to snatch him away and yell "that is NOT how you hold him".......But at the same time, youd think he would figure out shes gonna hold him like that every time (after 3 yrs) but he keeps going back for more...as soon as she comes in the house and says his name he comes running and jumps on the counter for his head scritches.


Im a positively anal kitty mom.....but I am atleast nice enough to warn people coming in the house to watch Gigi like a hawk because if she is sitting and stares at you, that means shes going to jump up on you to be carried around. Noone believed me that she would do that till she did it to BFs brother and he wasnt paying attention even after being warned repeatedly to watch cuz she might jump. Now he makes sure he catches her to she can drape across his shoulders.

Originally Posted by fuggles

for example, i walk past a house that regularly has a cat outside it

i am sure the people can see me stroking it and playing with it who own the cat

I just wonder, what do they think ? and what do you think if they do it to your cat?

Click to expand...

I don't feel anything because I never have strangers here, but what I say to cats on my walks who allow me to greet and pet them is "if you were my nice cat I sure wouldn't let you out here for anyone to hurt or steal".

And I say it LOUDLY, just in case anyone is watching.

Lately though, I've gone the other route and tried to discourage friendly cats from greeting me. Trying to make them less trusting of any random person walking down the street, you know? For example:

The other day on a walk these two cats sitting on a stoop saw me and came running across the road to greet me. If a car had been coming they would have been hit.

Instead of rewarding them for this, I didn't speak to them, instead I walked back across the road so they would follow me, and when we got back to their house I stamped my foot to chase them back up onto the stoop.

It sounds mean, but does anyone really want their cats running across the road to greet strangers? I sure wouldn't.

And....disregarding the road danger for a moment, I could have scooped those cats right up and walked off with them, and those people never would have known what happened to them.

I could have been a sicko who delights in torturing cats, or someone who works in a lab, looking for experimental subjects.

I just don't understand why anyone would risk their cats this way.

don't cats naturally want to go outside

Originally Posted by fuggles

don't cats naturally want to go outside

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No. Millions of cats live long, happy, healthy, SAFE happy lives inside.