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

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.

don't they get ill from a lack of sunlight

Originally Posted by fuggles

don't they get ill from a lack of sunlight

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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!

Originally Posted by fuggles

don't they get ill from a lack of sunlight

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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.

Originally Posted by kara_leigh

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.

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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

Originally Posted by fuggles

don't they get ill from a lack of sunlight

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Lol..No. If they would, we would have very sick animals (and people) here in the north where the sun doesn't come up at all during the winter (the polar night thing).

My cats are indoor only, so i'm fine if people who visit me are petting them. I wouldn't want a stranger petting them in unsupervised situation, you can never know what people are up to these days (for example the lady who was caught on tape petting a kitty and suddenly just dumped the poor kitty in a trash can).

don't cats naturally crave to go outside

is it just because you live in an apartment

Originally Posted by fuggles

don't cats naturally crave to go outside

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See my post at #21. Not all cats want to be outside even if they have been before. And if they've never been outside, most don't want out to begin with.

It has nothing to do with my home, I have my own house. It has to do with idiots being everywhere and not being able to comprehend something as simple as the signs that say 10 and 20mph (residential streets) and "slow children at play". One of these days one of my moronic neighbors that likes to do 35 down the street is going to hit a child. That they have no concern of that definitely means they'd hit a cat or dog.

I would be so happy if I saw someone petting, playing or stroking my cat, because in my location right now, pet lovers, especially cat lovers are rare, most of the people here hates cat, they find look or treat them like they are plague.

Originally Posted by MysteryCat

I would be so happy if I saw someone petting, playing or stroking my cat, because in my location right now, pet lovers, especially cat lovers are rare, most of the people here hates cat, they find look or treat them like they are plague.

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So why would it make you happy to see one of these creeps approach your cat? People do terrible things to cats.

It's not just cars and predators that are the danger. People do terrible things to cats.

Originally Posted by fuggles

don't cats naturally crave to go outside

is it just because you live in an apartment

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Have you read any of the replies to your question?

Cats do not necessarily "crave" to go outside, as has been explained in several posts here in your thread already, and the reasons we choose to keep them in, including my post above. .

But anyway, I'm interested in your answer to your original question. You asked how people feel if they see strangers playing with their cats.

How do you feel, if you see strangers playing with your cats?

Originally Posted by otto

So why would it make you happy to see one of these creeps approach your cat?

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I think MysteryCat meant more that they would love to see more actual cat lovers in their area. I think we can all agree it would be nice to live around people that liked and were considerate of the animals around them (and of other people...).

I am actually fairly lucky. Dumb drivers aside, a lot of the people on my street are dog and cat owners and thus are cat friendly. I've had one neighbor stop by to ask if I let any of my cats roam the neighborhood because she trapped and spay/neutered when she could afford it. (I'm pretty sure she got the fluffy light colored seal point that wanders around.. he didn't neuter himself).
She was talking to Sherman through the window and calling him a pretty boy.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I think MysteryCat meant more that they would love to see more actual cat lovers in their area. I think we can all agree it would be nice to live around people that liked and were considerate of the animals around them (and of other people...).

I am actually fairly lucky. Dumb drivers aside, a lot of the people on my street are dog and cat owners and thus are cat friendly. I've had one neighbor stop by to ask if I let any of my cats roam the neighborhood because she trapped and spay/neutered when she could afford it. (I'm pretty sure she got the fluffy light colored seal point that wanders around.. he didn't neuter himself).
She was talking to Sherman through the window and calling him a pretty boy.

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Oh right, LOL!

I talk to kitties in windows, too. It's only when I see them outside I don't like to encourage them to be friendly with me, a stranger. I used to. I used to always make friends with neighborhood cats.

But after some of the pictures I've seen, that are circulated on the internet ..people deliberately go out and torture family pets and photograph what they are doing and post them in forums like this, I'll spare you the details that are burned into my brain- I no longer encourage outdoor pet cats to be friendly to me.

but only because they don't know outside exists

imagine a human who has never seen a certain colour

it would be impossible for him to comprehend it or know it existed, but once they see it, they want to see it more

Cats know outside exists. They look out the windows all the time. Cat TV.

Like some of the other posters, I have rescued strays who had no interest in ever going outside again.

Originally Posted by fuggles

but only because they don't know outside exists

imagine a human who has never seen a certain colour

it would be impossible for him to comprehend it or know it existed, but once they see it, they want to see it more

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I have taken all of my cats outside (in a leash), they do not like it at all. They are afraid and want to get inside as soon as possible. I tried to teach them but they only like 'safe outdoor experience' which in my case was the balcony.

Adding few pics to show what they were thinking about the world outside:
Utu just about to dash back to the door


Despite his name, Kuura (Frost in english) does not like winter..