How do you feel when you see strangers play with 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?

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....

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

It depends on the cat and how they were raised. I have one that I tried to take out on a harness as a kitten. He was too scared by all the sounds and smells outside. He did not want to be out there and still doesn't. Siri was dumped outside for nearly a year and didn't want to be an outside cat (scardy cat). She's a housecat and never even looks at the door.
The kittens were caught early and don't remember being outside - when they hear the outside door open they'll often run out of the room.

For the most part they all prefer to spend their days lazing about the house and playing with each other.

Unless you buy special windows, they do not filter out all UV. You'll still get sunburned sitting behind one. Plus on good days, many people do open their windows.

The argument could be made that don't those living in the UK get sick because they get less sunlight than someone living near the equator? They don't because massive amounts of sunlight isn't needed.


(cat foods also have D3 added to them)

Well they don't do it to my cats because they are 100% inside cats. Only strangers that pet them are at shows - and Jack knows most of the judges now anyway, so they are not strange any more

I would suppose that if they didn't want their cat petted by strangers, they would keep the cat inside. However, one of these days the cat will not be sitting in the front yard because sooner or later someone will be picking up the cat and taking him/her home!

Being outside does not guarantee sunlight. Cats love to sleep in sunny windows, or a sun beam on the floor.

I honestly don't like it, BUT if I know it's an adult who is being gentle with the cat I don't think I'd have a problem with that in my neighborhood. Kids on the other hand I cannot stand to touch my cats (other anything else on my property, honestly) which is why I have no trespassing signs everywhere. We had a black and white stray we fed, named him and found out a neighbor kid thought he was a "neighborhood cat" (Which I guess technically he was) but they had named him "Oreo" ... that irritated me, but then "Oreo" hasn't been seen in awhile, I don't know if he's found a new home or what.

If someone comes IN to the house then I know them, but Chickster will still run and so did Boo. The only person my Boo liked was my sister, and he preferred females in general. He had never seen an african american before so when a friend of mine who WAS african american came over, Boo nearly attacked her. I had to shoo him off to my room. My friend looked at me, laughed and said, "You have a racist cat!!" But after that he was cool with her. I don't like my young neice and nephew to try and chase my cats around. They don't hurt animals but they also don't realize they are scaring the poo out of her just by hunting her down.
But, then again, if I had a choice, I wouldn't have outside cats. That's just IMHO, having an outside cat has caused much heartache for me in the past. I guess if they don't say anything to you about it they don't mind.

Unless a cat comes up to me I don't usually go after one to pet it. I don't trust animals I don't know (You never know what sort of attitude they may have).

Chickster loves being indoors and is mostly terrified of going outside, thankfully. I can't stand another dog attack or hawk attack or deadly fight with a mysterious animal.

Am I strange b/c I don't even like people that I let into my home to touch my cat? Unless it's someone like my sister or our inlaws or something, then I don't mind, but like we've had our real estate agents (we're on our second one) into our house and they've petted Nora, and I always tense up when I see them do it. It takes all of my power to keep from saying "DON'T touch her!!" lol Maybe I'm a weirdo but I just don't like it.

It's funny because I'm sort of the same way. Yet, when I went to my supervisor's home, I saw her Ragdoll (that would be Miss Kitty) under the kitchen table. I immediately dropped down on the floor to pet her. I cannot resist a cat. Except for my cousin's flame-point Siamese. I think I can manage to keep my hands off him...in the interest of keeping my hands.

I don't really mind too much as the only time I let them out is when I'm out so I can keep an eye on them. I don't really pet other peoples cats unless I either know the person or else the cat comes up to me looking for attention, in which case I'm more than happy to oblige

As mine are indoors, the only strangers who pat my cats are at shows or people who come to see what the breed is like at our home.

One neighbour lets her kitty outside, Hamish follows me down to check the mail getting pats and circling my legs - but since I know the neighbour I'm not really a stranger patting her cat