I got a funny sense of deja vu reading this thread title.
As Oscar Wilde might have said "To lose one cat may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two (or more?) looks like carelessness"
This would appear to be the third cat that has bailed on you in 5 years. You write in the OP that 2 years ago that the same woman enticed another moggy from your home.
In this thread you started 5 years ago in 2009 yet another cat upped sticks and moved down the road.
Was this to live with the woman you complain of today or a different neighbour?
Either way a pattern seems to be forming which makes me waiver towards sympathy for the cat(s).
P.S. Do you call ALL your cats Tilly?
Apologies I didn't realise it was as long ago as that. I did say approximately but didn't realise it was 5 years ago. How time flies. No I'm talking about the same cat. However it possibly feels sooner because it was a good 12 or so months later when I finally reigned myself to her never coming back and so.I did something I didn't want to do and I signed her over to her but didn't see the sense in bring responsible for a cat which I no longer had. If she was gonna have her I made sure she was gonna be responsible for her.
I very much regret that now. Had I had known she would have her put down I would never have let her take ownership.
Why doesn't she just get her own cat? it isn't like rescue centres are empty.
Because clearly she doesn't want to pay for one and also she wants one that someone else (i.e me) has paid to microchip, flea, worm and vaccinate. The minute she has to spend money on the animal she doesn't want it hence why she had Tilly put down the minute she had a vet bill on her hands. That much I have managed to figure out.
Because clearly she doesn't want to pay for one and also she wants one that someone else (i.e me) has paid to microchip, flea, worm and vaccinate. The minute she has to spend money on the animal she doesn't want it hence why she had Tilly put down the minute she had a vet bill on her hands. That much I have managed to figure out.
It's a small risk when owning outdoor cats - they don't operate the same way dogs do loyalty-wise and a dodgy cat-botherer can potentially interfere with the way the cat goes about its routine.
It's bad luck to have someone like that within a certain radius of your home. All you can do is have a chat with Citizen's Advice perhaps, and see if you have any rights to stopping a neighbour allowing an outdoor cat into their house.
My gut instinct is that unless she's physically picking up the cat and taking it in, then it's going to be hard to do much about it. If the cat's going in of its own volition it's probably a dead end in terms of action you can take.
Is there anyway you can attach a camera / tracking chip to the cat?
That way you could wait until the cat wanders off, check where she is and if she's at the neighbours, go and knock and ask for her back?
after it's happened a few times, she wouldn't be able to deny letting the cat in and you'd have some evidence if you did want to go down the legal route!
Maybe there is the chance that the lady couldn't afford to pay for the cats treatment. As you have just said you signed the cat over to her so you may feel bad about it but really there isn't anything you can do. Hopefully your cat was given a safe loving home to live out her last few months/years. To be honest I don't get this cats have no loyalty rubbish. I have had cats all my life and have never had any wander off to live with someone else.
Maybe there is the chance that the lady couldn't afford to pay for the cats treatment. As you have just said you signed the cat over to her so you may feel bad about it but really there isn't anything you can do. Hopefully your cat was given a safe loving home to live out her last few months/years. To be honest I don't get this cats have no loyalty rubbish. I have had cats all my life and have never had any wander off to live with someone else.
I do agree with this tbh.
Of course cats will have a roam, a nibble and little adventures but they only really 'leave' a home if they are unhappy, find it stressful etc.. I'd seriously consider whether its best for you to keep cats at all? Maybe have some rabbits in a hutch or a dog if you have the time? I know cats spend a lot of time alone, but is it that you are never home? Have young kids or something, upsetting the cats... Making them want to leave?
I understand the old lady and 'enticing' to a slight extent, but really I doubt she's a pied piper luring you're cats from a home they love with a bit of steak or chicken... I've known loads of people have cats who grab nibbles at neighbours houses, but they've always went home. I'd consider the root of this issue, ie you and/or your home environment.
Am not sure of the previous circumstances but if I can comment. As an owner of cats (but do you ever own them?), I would hate anyone to try to entice my lot away. I have 3 and am fostering kittens. Get people in my front garden trying to pet them and entice them.
It's not at all right, but lady up the road doesn't sound quite well.
Tell her to stop bringing your cats in and threaten to report her to the RSPCA if she continues as technically the diet she fed your previous poor cat caused the cat's death so threaten to report her for animal abuse on those grounds.
Should hopefully get her to lay off abit.
Also be sure to give your cat occasional treats, let them sleep where they want, have best seat in house, show plenty of attention towards your cat so he/she feels secure and appreciated.
I've known 3 cats who have left home completely and moved to neighbours houses, 2 of them simply because the food was better (no stress at home). I've also known a cat who has left home because a toddler lived there. He wasn't getting fed at the new home, so went back briefly to his old home just to get fed.
The cat from up the road, decided he wanted to live with us. Every time I walked past the house where he lived, he'd be sitting on the doorstep day and night in all weathers looking so miserable.
One day he started sitting on my doorstep, we already have a ginger tom cat who is 16 years old, so I didn't want to rock the boat and upset him by feeding a stray. Anyway I took pity on him and fed him and invited him in out of the cold, both cats get on really well. He had very bad teeth and could hardly eat his food and was very thin, so I took him to the Vet, who said he needed to have his teeth out and that he was quite an old cat.
Having his teeth out (costing a small fortune) has been the making of him, with only 4 teeth left, he eats me out of house and home and is now one fat happy affectionate cat. His previous owners now have a dog. I hope he doesn't decide to start sitting on my doorstep.
Something sounds very amiss here - cats will wander off and may accept a meal at another house, but they won't usually desert their nearby owner, with whom they have been living, unless there is a serious problem of neglect, ill treatment or some change in the household that they can't come to terms with, such as the arrival of a dog. Cats are very territorial and the garden and immediate environs of where they live, is their territory. Highly unusual for them to desert.
Keep your remaining cat in for a while. Put him/her in cat carrier and take him/her out in your car for a random 20 minute drive, this will confuse the cat to its surroundings and it will struggle to find its way back there.
We have a kitten, about 5 months old and one of our neighbours who lives down the road, who we are friendly with, also has a 2 year old cat and a 15 year old dog. Our cat has started going over to hers a lot and I don't think it is always voluntary. She is a bit of a recluse and always has animals around the house. Last week, I hadn't seen our cat around the house for 2 days. I knew where he was so I went over to her and asked for him back. I politely said to her not to feed him and if he comes anywhere near her house again to not let him in. She said that she was feeding him treats and some posh food (can't remember the name of it) and he is always sleeping on her bed. I'm thinking this is why he is hanging around her house, the food. Heck, we feed him Whiskas kitten food and give him the odd dry treat too, but it seems that's not good enough!
Anyway, I took him home and everything was OK. Now, I have been away since Friday and upon my return this morning I was told that the cat hasn't been seen all weekend and is presumably back over at my neighbours house. My partner didn't want to go over and say anything in case it made a scene.
Our cat is only a kitten and I don't want him, at this early stage, to simply forget about us and now start living with the neighbour instead. He's our cat and, as our first cat, we went and bought lots of food and equipment for him to create a nice home for him and now it's all going to waste because our neighbour is, seemingly, taking him away from us whether she knows it or not.
I want to approach her again but I don't want it to turn nasty.
Cats are very self-centred. You can entice them back with more attention, better treats and a nice environment. Ours cheated on us for a while but eventually worked out where her real home was.
I had a neighbour's cat move in with me a few years ago - I never fed him so he would go home for meals but he didn't like her other cat. As soon as the other cat died he moved back to hers and never came in again! I think he just wanted to be an "only" cat.
Of course cats will have a roam, a nibble and little adventures but they only really 'leave' a home if they are unhappy, find it stressful etc.. I'd seriously consider whether its best for you to keep cats at all? Maybe have some rabbits in a hutch or a dog if you have the time? I know cats spend a lot of time alone, but is it that you are never home? Have young kids or something, upsetting the cats... Making them want to leave?
I understand the old lady and 'enticing' to a slight extent, but really I doubt she's a pied piper luring you're cats from a home they love with a bit of steak or chicken... I've known loads of people have cats who grab nibbles at neighbours houses, but they've always went home. I'd consider the root of this issue, ie you and/or your home environment.
Rabbits are not 'easy' pets that people should get if they don't have the time or commitment for a cat or dog. Rabbits' needs are far more complex than a free roaming cat's and they suffer miserably if they're stuck in a hutch and ignored. They are also awful pets for children, but that's another story. Please don't advise people to get them!
Go to the old ladies house, invite yourself in in a friendly way and make it clear you know she is enticing the cat to hers and there is no point lying about it. Offer to drive her over to the rescue centre so she can get her own cat, which if she gets an adult one will come with all the injections, etc.
She clearly just wants a pet to look after. Make it easy for her to get her own one and she should leave yours alone.
I disagree. The majority of the cats my family and I have owned in the past have been every bit as loyal as dogs. We've only ever had one that wonders off to the neighbours houses occasionally for food.
It's easier said than done keeping a cat who is used to going outside, inside. When I moved house with my tom, he was climbing the walls. Despite our best efforts to keep him inside, it took him just three days to find an escape route (we were trying to keep him in longer to acquaint him with the area/smells and whatnot) - he came back, thankfully, and can now once again go in and out as he pleases.
Plus the cat may see it as punishment, especially if they are so used to coming and going as they please. So I would only really advise the OP go down this route if there is absolutely nothing else that can be done.
It can be very difficult keeping them indoors, which is why I get annoyed when people say cats should be kept indoors to avoid them pooing in neighbours gardens or getting ran over. We built a cat run in the garden and one of ours still climbs the walls and will go out despite our best efforts to keep him in. Luckily he normally comes back after a couple of hours.
My experience of owning cats in the past was that they were always very loyal to me. They'd wander off into the neighbours where they'd be fed now and again but would always come home. Maybe I was just lucky.
Same here, I've had many that were incredibly loyal, to the point where they will come for a walk round the village with me.
This reminds me of my (estranged) sister who had a cat years ago and her neighbour kept feeding it and then eventually a cat flap appeared in the neighbours door and she ended up having the cat. My sister then got a dog which she decided to give away when she had her son and I jokingly asked her what she was going to do when she got fed up with her son. Little did I know that in years to come her son would go to live with his dad when they both split up....hey ho!
OP, can you not get some of that cat repellent and spray it over your neighbours lawn and doorstep when she is not looking?
Rabbits are not 'easy' pets that people should get if they don't have the time or commitment for a cat or dog. Rabbits' needs are far more complex than a free roaming cat's and they suffer miserably if they're stuck in a hutch and ignored. They are also awful pets for children, but that's another story. Please don't advise people to get them!
Eeeeek you sound like you have rabbit-related PTSD!
We had rabbits as kids/teenagers, as well as cats... Probably why they sprung to mind, having took one of my rabbits off with me when I went to uni many years ago, he was a lot easier for me to care for, than my now very fussy and demanding cat! But well, each to their own and all that!
They were certainly not an awful pet when I was a child, your warning sounds peculiar to say the least!
This reminds me of my (estranged) sister who had a cat years ago and her neighbour kept feeding it and then eventually a cat flap appeared in the neighbours door and she ended up having the cat. My sister then got a dog which she decided to give away when she had her son and I jokingly asked her what she was going to do when she got fed up with her son. Little did I know that in years to come her son would go to live with his dad when they both split up....hey ho!
OP, can you not get some of that cat repellent and spray it over your neighbours lawn and doorstep when she is not looking?
Not that difficult to keep a cat in. Don't have a cat flap and make sure kitty isn't near the front and back doors when you open them. Our cats allowed outside but not all the time.
Eeeeek you sound like you have rabbit-related PTSD!
We had rabbits as kids/teenagers, as well as cats... Probably why they sprung to mind, having took one of my rabbits off with me when I went to uni many years ago, he was a lot easier for me to care for, than my now very fussy and demanding cat! But well, each to their own and all that!
They were certainly not an awful pet when I was a child, your warning sounds peculiar to say the least!
You took ONE of your rabbits? That shows just how unsuitable they are for people who don't do proper research. Rabbits should always be kept in pairs unless there is a very strong reason for keeping one solo. Rabbits are definitely not easier to care for than cats and they are definitely not suitable pets for children, but they are one of the most neglected pets
Comments
Apologies I didn't realise it was as long ago as that. I did say approximately but didn't realise it was 5 years ago. How time flies. No I'm talking about the same cat. However it possibly feels sooner because it was a good 12 or so months later when I finally reigned myself to her never coming back and so.I did something I didn't want to do and I signed her over to her but didn't see the sense in bring responsible for a cat which I no longer had. If she was gonna have her I made sure she was gonna be responsible for her.
I very much regret that now. Had I had known she would have her put down I would never have let her take ownership.
Because clearly she doesn't want to pay for one and also she wants one that someone else (i.e me) has paid to microchip, flea, worm and vaccinate. The minute she has to spend money on the animal she doesn't want it hence why she had Tilly put down the minute she had a vet bill on her hands. That much I have managed to figure out.
See a solicitor
It's bad luck to have someone like that within a certain radius of your home. All you can do is have a chat with Citizen's Advice perhaps, and see if you have any rights to stopping a neighbour allowing an outdoor cat into their house.
My gut instinct is that unless she's physically picking up the cat and taking it in, then it's going to be hard to do much about it. If the cat's going in of its own volition it's probably a dead end in terms of action you can take.
That way you could wait until the cat wanders off, check where she is and if she's at the neighbours, go and knock and ask for her back?
after it's happened a few times, she wouldn't be able to deny letting the cat in and you'd have some evidence if you did want to go down the legal route!
I do agree with this tbh.
Of course cats will have a roam, a nibble and little adventures but they only really 'leave' a home if they are unhappy, find it stressful etc.. I'd seriously consider whether its best for you to keep cats at all? Maybe have some rabbits in a hutch or a dog if you have the time? I know cats spend a lot of time alone, but is it that you are never home? Have young kids or something, upsetting the cats... Making them want to leave?
I understand the old lady and 'enticing' to a slight extent, but really I doubt she's a pied piper luring you're cats from a home they love with a bit of steak or chicken... I've known loads of people have cats who grab nibbles at neighbours houses, but they've always went home. I'd consider the root of this issue, ie you and/or your home environment.
It's not at all right, but lady up the road doesn't sound quite well.
Should hopefully get her to lay off abit.
Also be sure to give your cat occasional treats, let them sleep where they want, have best seat in house, show plenty of attention towards your cat so he/she feels secure and appreciated.
One day he started sitting on my doorstep, we already have a ginger tom cat who is 16 years old, so I didn't want to rock the boat and upset him by feeding a stray. Anyway I took pity on him and fed him and invited him in out of the cold, both cats get on really well. He had very bad teeth and could hardly eat his food and was very thin, so I took him to the Vet, who said he needed to have his teeth out and that he was quite an old cat.
Having his teeth out (costing a small fortune) has been the making of him, with only 4 teeth left, he eats me out of house and home and is now one fat happy affectionate cat. His previous owners now have a dog. I hope he doesn't decide to start sitting on my doorstep.
We have a kitten, about 5 months old and one of our neighbours who lives down the road, who we are friendly with, also has a 2 year old cat and a 15 year old dog. Our cat has started going over to hers a lot and I don't think it is always voluntary. She is a bit of a recluse and always has animals around the house. Last week, I hadn't seen our cat around the house for 2 days. I knew where he was so I went over to her and asked for him back. I politely said to her not to feed him and if he comes anywhere near her house again to not let him in. She said that she was feeding him treats and some posh food (can't remember the name of it) and he is always sleeping on her bed. I'm thinking this is why he is hanging around her house, the food. Heck, we feed him Whiskas kitten food and give him the odd dry treat too, but it seems that's not good enough!
Anyway, I took him home and everything was OK. Now, I have been away since Friday and upon my return this morning I was told that the cat hasn't been seen all weekend and is presumably back over at my neighbours house. My partner didn't want to go over and say anything in case it made a scene.
Our cat is only a kitten and I don't want him, at this early stage, to simply forget about us and now start living with the neighbour instead. He's our cat and, as our first cat, we went and bought lots of food and equipment for him to create a nice home for him and now it's all going to waste because our neighbour is, seemingly, taking him away from us whether she knows it or not.
I want to approach her again but I don't want it to turn nasty.
Then tell the cat stealer to F off.
Rabbits are not 'easy' pets that people should get if they don't have the time or commitment for a cat or dog. Rabbits' needs are far more complex than a free roaming cat's and they suffer miserably if they're stuck in a hutch and ignored. They are also awful pets for children, but that's another story. Please don't advise people to get them!
She clearly just wants a pet to look after. Make it easy for her to get her own one and she should leave yours alone.
I disagree. The majority of the cats my family and I have owned in the past have been every bit as loyal as dogs. We've only ever had one that wonders off to the neighbours houses occasionally for food.
It can be very difficult keeping them indoors, which is why I get annoyed when people say cats should be kept indoors to avoid them pooing in neighbours gardens or getting ran over. We built a cat run in the garden and one of ours still climbs the walls and will go out despite our best efforts to keep him in. Luckily he normally comes back after a couple of hours.
Same here, I've had many that were incredibly loyal, to the point where they will come for a walk round the village with me.
OP, can you not get some of that cat repellent and spray it over your neighbours lawn and doorstep when she is not looking?
Eeeeek you sound like you have rabbit-related PTSD!
We had rabbits as kids/teenagers, as well as cats... Probably why they sprung to mind, having took one of my rabbits off with me when I went to uni many years ago, he was a lot easier for me to care for, than my now very fussy and demanding cat! But well, each to their own and all that!
They were certainly not an awful pet when I was a child, your warning sounds peculiar to say the least!
That's a good idea
You took ONE of your rabbits? That shows just how unsuitable they are for people who don't do proper research. Rabbits should always be kept in pairs unless there is a very strong reason for keeping one solo. Rabbits are definitely not easier to care for than cats and they are definitely not suitable pets for children, but they are one of the most neglected pets