Did you put a price on him or was he "free to new owner?"
Maybe you could trade him for a handful of magic beans...
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How do forum members feel about other people feeding and treating your cat as theirs.
- Thread starter drakie58
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Maybe you could trade him for a handful of magic beans...
LOL, you two!
Pretty much this. One of my cats is allowed outside,(only during the day. No cat of mine will ever be allowed out after dark) but I make sure that he is collared and micro-chipped. I'm also planning on buying him a tag with my phone number on it, so that if someone finds him, my number is there to call. Honestly, I agree with what some of the others have said. It sounds like you keep your cat out all the time. If you do, that might be a reason why he goes to your neighbour. He might feel like they're giving him something you aren't. If you're that upset about what your neighbours are doing, maybe take steps to ensure that your cat has everything he needs at home. When he comes home, let him in for a few hours, give him attention and affection. Just friendly suggestions. 
Also, why are you so miffed about your neighbours feeding and caring for your cat, when you're willing to let them have him/her for a fee...? That makes no sense.
Also, why are you so miffed about your neighbours feeding and caring for your cat, when you're willing to let them have him/her for a fee...? That makes no sense.
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In my area, it is not safe to let cats outdoors at all, we have coyotes and cougars (among other preditors) and there is also a busy road 50 feet from my front door.
But even in other suburban areas around us, people don't put collars on their cats and just let them roam. We have 0 "no kill" shelters around us and any cat that is picked up by animal control is pretty much guaranteed to be euthanized because there is never any room for them at the (very few) shelters around here.
People who let their cat roam with no collar and no microchip or no visible proof of being owned reap the consequences when someone else decides to take the cat in. Because no visible proof of ownership = stray in my opinion. Now, hypothetically, if a neighbor confronted me about a cat that I took in, I'd want visible proof that the cat was theirs (ie clear pictures) before returning the cat. But I WOULD return the cat obviously and respect their wishes if they told me not to feed the cat. But any outdoor cat in this area typically doesn't live to be 10 years old, if that.
About not fixing cats, I feel like that is a form of abuse because repeated pregnancies can literally kill a cat, and unfixed males will fight and fight and give themselves battlescars galore, along with increased chance of the cat contracting deadly diseases like feline leukemia.
So if I (hypothetically) had a neighbor who didn't fix their cats and let them roam, I'd likely steal the cat. Because to me, that is abuse. And I KNOW the cat would be better off. And my uncle is a vet and we get free or low cost vet care from him so I'd definitely have the means to get them fixed and vaccinated. Maybe I'd do TNR on them and let them return to the neighbor's house after their incisions healed (provided that these hypothetical cats were actually being fed).
Also, cats are not like plants and cars. Cars and plants are inanimate objects. Cats are living things that deserve respect and proper care. Anyone who adopts a cat (or any other animal) and doesn't have the decency to give it proper medical care, obviously does not care about the cat. And if you can't afford to give your animals proper medical care, you shouldn't have any pets. Or your pets should be relinquished to a shelter or someone who can give them a better life. It is that simple.
Good god what kind of hideous people do you live around?!
OP, cats can, and do, choose themselves a new home sometimes. My grandma's cat went to live with an elderly gentleman near us for a few years, for example. Has anything changed at home that could affect her?
Is she chipped/wear a collar? You could ask the rspca for advice.
In New Zealand (and the UK) there isn't really the concept of outdoor cats, there's cats and cats who live indoors because their owners live in flats or don't let them out. It's just typical and it being safe for cats to go out and behave like cats is the sign of a good area.
Believe it or not, poisoning is pretty common. In some places, it may be illegal, but it still happens. People get tired of going out to their gardens, working and weeding and digging up cat feces. It's disgusting and there's no reason for it. I love cats, I adore cats and I get tired of dealing with cat feces all over my gardens.
People get tired of going out to their cars and seeing cat paws all over the car. Or having un-neutered cats spraying all over their house.
People get tired of outside cats coming onto their property and scaring the crap out of their indoor cats. Redirected aggression is NOT a pretty picture. It is awful to be awakened at 2:00 in the morning when my cat is screaming and keening at the top of her lungs because there's a strange cat out on the back deck. My cat can't get to the outdoor cat, so it turns on another of my cats. And they go at it, screaming and fighting under the kitchen table. It's an ugly, ugly situation. And it's all caused by an outside cat whose owner thinks it Ok for the cat to "roam".
People put poison out, people shoot cats, people run over cats with their vehicles. It happens. We have coyotes, foxes, and hawks, too. Life is not pretty for an outside cat. It is what it is. If you don't like it, don't let your cat outside or be willing to deal with the consequences if you do.
People get tired of going out to their cars and seeing cat paws all over the car. Or having un-neutered cats spraying all over their house.
People get tired of outside cats coming onto their property and scaring the crap out of their indoor cats. Redirected aggression is NOT a pretty picture. It is awful to be awakened at 2:00 in the morning when my cat is screaming and keening at the top of her lungs because there's a strange cat out on the back deck. My cat can't get to the outdoor cat, so it turns on another of my cats. And they go at it, screaming and fighting under the kitchen table. It's an ugly, ugly situation. And it's all caused by an outside cat whose owner thinks it Ok for the cat to "roam".
People put poison out, people shoot cats, people run over cats with their vehicles. It happens. We have coyotes, foxes, and hawks, too. Life is not pretty for an outside cat. It is what it is. If you don't like it, don't let your cat outside or be willing to deal with the consequences if you do.
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Wow, I'm going off the urban/suburban areas I know.
I've never heard of poisonings and we don't have guns here, at least those who have guns aren't bothering with cats. There's no coyotes and the foxes don't have much friction with the cats, and are the ones waking you up at night.
The cats in my home town like to use our gravel driveway. We can't complain always having cats ourselves.
It's fascinating seeing the differences. I had never thought of cats as indoor animals and I know some of my family judge me for having cats with no outdoor access now!
The UK went mental when a woman put a cat in a bin but the M25 cat killer (DON'T look it up, it's too horrible) shows the dangers.
I've never heard of poisonings and we don't have guns here, at least those who have guns aren't bothering with cats. There's no coyotes and the foxes don't have much friction with the cats, and are the ones waking you up at night.
The cats in my home town like to use our gravel driveway. We can't complain always having cats ourselves.
It's fascinating seeing the differences. I had never thought of cats as indoor animals and I know some of my family judge me for having cats with no outdoor access now!
The UK went mental when a woman put a cat in a bin but the M25 cat killer (DON'T look it up, it's too horrible) shows the dangers.
I live in the suburbs. There's no wild coyotes or any predators here (aside from the hawks).
I commute to and from work, and I can't tell you how many dead cats I find at the side of the road and they are there for days before finally picked up by street clean up crews. I see so many "missing cat" signs posted around here, as well as on craigslist. My coworker once bragged that he put poison in his gardens to get rid of cats that's bothering his dogs (thankfully he doesn't work here anymore). There's a huge feral cat population by my job and I often see them with battle scars or injured. I've found dead feral kittens around a week or two of age- some too sick to save. My other coworker has taken in "friendly" strays, and I often wonder if the cats belongs to someone else and she isn't bothering to look for their original owners. She believes if the cat comes to her asking for food, and if she feeds them, the cats are now her's.
It's a constant reminder to me that no place is safe for cats to roam free.
I always go home to see my cats safe, warm and happy inside. I never have to go out, worrying about them getting hurt.
I commute to and from work, and I can't tell you how many dead cats I find at the side of the road and they are there for days before finally picked up by street clean up crews. I see so many "missing cat" signs posted around here, as well as on craigslist. My coworker once bragged that he put poison in his gardens to get rid of cats that's bothering his dogs (thankfully he doesn't work here anymore). There's a huge feral cat population by my job and I often see them with battle scars or injured. I've found dead feral kittens around a week or two of age- some too sick to save. My other coworker has taken in "friendly" strays, and I often wonder if the cats belongs to someone else and she isn't bothering to look for their original owners. She believes if the cat comes to her asking for food, and if she feeds them, the cats are now her's.
It's a constant reminder to me that no place is safe for cats to roam free.
I always go home to see my cats safe, warm and happy inside. I never have to go out, worrying about them getting hurt.
I also live in the suburbs and for the life of me I cannot fathom letting my cats outside ever. Cats (to me) are indoor animals. They have been domesticated for a very long time and have come to depend on us. To me, that means keeping them inside where there is a far lesser chance that they will be injured or killed.
I would not let them outside unsupervised any more than I would a toddler. I do not judge anyone who does let their cats out because this is a decision we all have to make for ourselves.
I would be a nervous wreck if I knew any of them were outside alone. There are so many things that could harm them. It just isn't worth it. My girls were rescued from an abandoned house and had to fend for themselves for who knows how long. Both of them did get out once (and that took about 10 years off my life- I was frantic) but neither went past the driveway and neither have tried to get out since. To my knowledge, Henry has never been outside and has never expressed any interest in doing so.
I would not let them outside unsupervised any more than I would a toddler. I do not judge anyone who does let their cats out because this is a decision we all have to make for ourselves.
I would be a nervous wreck if I knew any of them were outside alone. There are so many things that could harm them. It just isn't worth it. My girls were rescued from an abandoned house and had to fend for themselves for who knows how long. Both of them did get out once (and that took about 10 years off my life- I was frantic) but neither went past the driveway and neither have tried to get out since. To my knowledge, Henry has never been outside and has never expressed any interest in doing so.
There are still a fair number of indoor/outdoor cats in the small town where we live, but also quite a few dead cats. Most of the people who work at the animal shelter won't let their own cats outside because we've been involved in trying to identify roadkill far too often and get reports of missing cats all the time.
There are probably a lot more indoor/outdoor cats with "second homes" than people imagine, and not necessarily because they're being fed. A guy down the street from us insisted on letting his cat out at night for years and years and was rather shocked to learn that she hightailed it to our house, climbed the ivy to reach the bedroom balcony, and spent her nights in bed with us. Another cat used to travel several blocks to visit our dog after the family's Boxer had died. Our last indoor/outdoor cat (back in the 90s) had a cat flap in the laundry room window, and it was quite common to go downstairs in the morning and find 6-8 strange cats there, especially in winter. We used to joke that he'd invited them back for breakfast.
If you let your cat have outdoor access, you have to accept that they'll find ways to amuse themselves, including finding a "home away from home".
There are probably a lot more indoor/outdoor cats with "second homes" than people imagine, and not necessarily because they're being fed. A guy down the street from us insisted on letting his cat out at night for years and years and was rather shocked to learn that she hightailed it to our house, climbed the ivy to reach the bedroom balcony, and spent her nights in bed with us. Another cat used to travel several blocks to visit our dog after the family's Boxer had died. Our last indoor/outdoor cat (back in the 90s) had a cat flap in the laundry room window, and it was quite common to go downstairs in the morning and find 6-8 strange cats there, especially in winter. We used to joke that he'd invited them back for breakfast.
If you let your cat have outdoor access, you have to accept that they'll find ways to amuse themselves, including finding a "home away from home".
Is it really such a bad thing to share your cat with an older couple if he brings them such happiness? I understand part of your anger is because they assumed he was theirs entirely but that may not have been an unreasonable assumption if he hung out most of the time at their place. For all the reasons stated above, I keep my cats indoors now, but there was a time when I didn't. My Wesley used to disappear for hours and I finally realized he was going next door where an elderly woman was spoiling him totally rotten. It was there he was introduced to ham warmed in the microwave to just the right temperature. She obviously loved him and he obviously loved her so it seemed the best thing to do was to continue as things were. It actually worked out really well except that after we moved away, I had to start investing in ham.
There is a wonderful child's story called "Six Dinner Sid." Here's the Goodread blurb:
Unbeknownst to each of his owners, Sid the cat lives with six different people on the same street. By doing so, he's able to get six different dinners every night! He also answers to six names, sleeps in six beds, and maintains six different personalities. All is perfect for Sid - until the day he catches a dreadful cough. Then it is off to the vet not once, but six times!
There's a delightful version on YouTube.
There is a wonderful child's story called "Six Dinner Sid." Here's the Goodread blurb:
Unbeknownst to each of his owners, Sid the cat lives with six different people on the same street. By doing so, he's able to get six different dinners every night! He also answers to six names, sleeps in six beds, and maintains six different personalities. All is perfect for Sid - until the day he catches a dreadful cough. Then it is off to the vet not once, but six times!
There's a delightful version on YouTube.
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When I was a teenager we had a big indoor-outdoor ex-tom who was the neighborhood cat. He was a "member" of the church on the corner (they actually had his picture in the membership book!), and probably ate and slept at a bunch of other houses, we never knew exactly. When he died my mom sent an "obituary" to the church, and posted it on the lightpost, so people would know. He was a cool cat. My parents' cats now also go outside but they aren't as sociable as he was. They barely leave the deck, which is safer anyway.
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Good one! LOL
Yes, My new girl, Sammy is indoor/ outdoor as well. Only because she came from the area, & knows it. (I believe she was one of a few "put out" a couple doors down, when someone passed away. (from what a neighbor tells me). So, she pretty much stays w/ in a 2-3 house radius. I also make her stay in after dark. Now that it gets dark earlier, once she's in for dinner, she's in for the night. I'd like to keep her inside, but she is SO adamant about going outside. Even during the Hurricane Mathew storm we had this summer, I went to Pet Smart & bought calming treats, & spray for the house, & they barely worked! She still wanted to go out so bad, even though the weather was bad. Of course I kept her in, but she about drove me crazy! ..and yes, I gave her play time . I do that everyday! (she loves "da bird!")
Pretty much this. One of my cats is allowed outside,(only during the day. No cat of mine will ever be allowed out after dark) but I make sure that he is collared and micro-chipped. I'm also planning on buying him a tag with my phone number on it, so that if someone finds him, my number is there to call. Honestly, I agree with what some of the others have said. It sounds like you keep your cat out all the time. If you do, that might be a reason why he goes to your neighbour. He might feel like they're giving him something you aren't. If you're that upset about what your neighbours are doing, maybe take steps to ensure that your cat has everything he needs at home. When he comes home, let him in for a few hours, give him attention and affection. Just friendly suggestions.
Also, why are you so miffed about your neighbours feeding and caring for your cat, when you're willing to let them have him/her for a fee...? That makes no sense.
Anyway, she has had All of her shots & boosters, is FIV negative, & I did have her micro-chipped. She also has a glow in the dark collar, (even though she doesn't go out at night), & I also have a tag on the breakaway collar w/ her name on it, & on the back it says, "call mom" & my cell number.
So, I understand both sides of it, if it is a pretty safe area, & she doesn't go too far.
I also worry that she may eat some dry food that anyone puts out for strays, or whatever, especially because I only feed wet, but I just can't know for sure, but I keep an eye on her weight.
Angel became indoor only after his first 2 yrs of coming to me. He was easy to transition to indoor only, for his last 4 yrs, because at the time he was on amatriptyline for his cystitis, so he was chilled out!
I told my vet if I were going to keep Sammy inside, I would need some for her! LOL!
She just likes being outside. A lot of the times, she stays up on the porch laying in her bed out there. (the bottom of an old carrier w/ a cpl towels in it for her).
It's the same with my boy, Oscar. He loves being outside, and will bolt through the door if no one's paying attention, lol. He's also comfortable being inside all day, especially if it's hot, but every morning when I get up he leads me to the back door and asks if he can go out. Most times I do, but with the weather being this hot, and his being slightly overweight, he can easily suffer from heat-stroke. I like the idea of a glow-in-the-dark collar. I wonder if you can buy them here...hmm. Must look that up...
Yes, My new girl, Sammy is indoor/ outdoor as well. Only because she came from the area, & knows it. (I believe she was one of a few "put out" a couple doors down, when someone passed away. (from what a neighbor tells me). So, she pretty much stays w/ in a 2-3 house radius. I also make her stay in after dark. Now that it gets dark earlier, once she's in for dinner, she's in for the night. I'd like to keep her inside, but she is SO adamant about going outside. Even during the Hurricane Mathew storm we had this summer, I went to Pet Smart & bought calming treats, & spray for the house, & they barely worked! She still wanted to go out so bad, even though the weather was bad. Of course I kept her in, but she about drove me crazy! ..and yes, I gave her play time . I do that everyday! (she loves "da bird!")
Anyway, she has had All of her shots & boosters, is FIV negative, & I did have her micro-chipped. She also has a glow in the dark collar, (even though she doesn't go out at night), & I also have a tag on the breakaway collar w/ her name on it, & on the back it says, "call mom" & my cell number.
So, I understand both sides of it, if it is a pretty safe area, & she doesn't go too far.
I also worry that she may eat some dry food that anyone puts out for strays, or whatever, especially because I only feed wet, but I just can't know for sure, but I keep an eye on her weight.
Angel became indoor only after his first 2 yrs of coming to me. He was easy to transition to indoor only, for his last 4 yrs, because at the time he was on amatriptyline for his cystitis, so he was chilled out!
I told my vet if I were going to keep Sammy inside, I would need some for her! LOL!
She just likes being outside. A lot of the times, she stays up on the porch laying in her bed out there. (the bottom of an old carrier w/ a cpl towels in it for her).
Yes, I got the collar & tag at PetSmart, if you have one there.
The glow in the dark ones are almost 9.00, but worth it. The tag is 7.00 & change, then you engrave it there in the machine w/ a code on your receipt. All together it was 17.00 & change.
I remember, because a few wks ago when I got home, she was laying in the carrier on the porch, & when she came in w/ me, I noticed her collar was gone! So I said, " sorry baby, you have to stay inside until mommy gets back w/ a new collar for you."
So off to the store I went! I hate I had to spend that again after only abput a month, but timing was good I guess. I had originally thought she was a boy (Samuel) but after the get visit, found out she was a she! [emoji]128516[/emoji] So since she already knew Sammy as her name, Samuel became Samantha. Lol!
So a pink collar helped me finally see her as a her....after 2 months of thinking she was a boy!
Too bad, I had a few good names had I knew she was a girl.
She's so velvety, I would've named her Velvet! (Or Onyx, or Raven....) But, she already knew Sammy, so I kept it.
I did think about changing it on the way to get the new collar & tag though! [emoji]128516[/emoji]
I like that name for a cat. Sammy. It makes her sound like she's cute. Yeah, that happened with my boy Oscar one day. He came home all "Meow!" and I was like, "Oscar, where is your collar?" Him: "Meow?" So I pretty much did the same thing. when I put said collar on him, he HATED it. Tried to pull off and bite through it, but I'd planned for that and had gotten him a leather one. Lol.
But yeah, I noticed that too, collars are expensive. I believe that they're a necessity, but gee it can get bad. I saw one that was almost 20 dollars once, and was like: "Nope!"Yeah, I wondered at that with my new girl too. I had to lift her tail to see, and the whole time, she looked at me as if the whole thing was SO undignified. Like an, "EXCUSE me! I don't do that to you! Do you mind?" Once it was determined that she was a girl, she promptly sat down and glared at me for at least five minutes. Lol!
Excellent post! I agree with you totally.
All of my 8 inside cats were born feral. Once they got used to being inside they rarely went outside. When they did go outside they got in a few fights and Tiger lost his left eye but they came out of it ok. Muffy is the only one I have left and she is now 17 years old. Sometimes she will go out in the yard or the deck but never anywhere else. I do worry about the ferals getting a disease from Muffy or Muffy getting a disease from them. Muffy's two brothers had FeLV.
I think it's a price you pay when you let your cat outdoors - you never know where they will end up going.
Several years ago we had a cat come round to our place, very friendly, I knew she wasn't a stray. She wanted to come in very badly, but I wouldn't let her until one New Years Eve when it was so cold and late and she was out. We brought her in and called the number on the tag. Turned out her family was a couple houses up from us - but they were out of town! After asking around at other neighbors, we found out the people who were supposed to be watching her, and NO ONE WAS HOME! Well, needless to say, she stayed at our house that night. DH ran out to the store and got some food and litter box, and she slept on our spare bed.
After that, and after speaking with her family, she was a frequent visitor and we had their blessing. They knew we fed her a bit and offered her shelter and a comfy bed when she wanted it. If they were having a party, for example, it was a sure bet she would be heading down to our house. We LOVED that little cat!! But never felt she was ours, although her people sometimes referred to us as the grandparents - spoil her and send her home.
They moved in 2005, and of course took her with them. We were heartbroken, but that gave us the shove to go out and adopt a couple of our own. Cindy, who went to the Bridge in 2014 and Swanie, who is my big fuzzy boy. Now we have Cricket (because you have to have at least 2). Not only that, but I fell in love with the rescue where we adopted Cricket and now I volunteer there, and feel like part of the family. And my kitties do NOT go outside so I don't know how I would feel if they went visiting other people.
PS - the neighbor kitty we fell in love with was Misty - which is where my user name came from.
Several years ago we had a cat come round to our place, very friendly, I knew she wasn't a stray. She wanted to come in very badly, but I wouldn't let her until one New Years Eve when it was so cold and late and she was out. We brought her in and called the number on the tag. Turned out her family was a couple houses up from us - but they were out of town! After asking around at other neighbors, we found out the people who were supposed to be watching her, and NO ONE WAS HOME! Well, needless to say, she stayed at our house that night. DH ran out to the store and got some food and litter box, and she slept on our spare bed.
After that, and after speaking with her family, she was a frequent visitor and we had their blessing. They knew we fed her a bit and offered her shelter and a comfy bed when she wanted it. If they were having a party, for example, it was a sure bet she would be heading down to our house. We LOVED that little cat!! But never felt she was ours, although her people sometimes referred to us as the grandparents - spoil her and send her home.
They moved in 2005, and of course took her with them. We were heartbroken, but that gave us the shove to go out and adopt a couple of our own. Cindy, who went to the Bridge in 2014 and Swanie, who is my big fuzzy boy. Now we have Cricket (because you have to have at least 2). Not only that, but I fell in love with the rescue where we adopted Cricket and now I volunteer there, and feel like part of the family. And my kitties do NOT go outside so I don't know how I would feel if they went visiting other people.
PS - the neighbor kitty we fell in love with was Misty - which is where my user name came from.
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I was being sarcastic to them. They told me they wanted to keep my cat and didn't want to pay me for him. I was basically saying that I thought it pretty rife that they wanted something I paid $300 for, for nothing. I had no intention of selling him. If I did they would be the last people I would sell him to.
