Stealing animals….

[BlindHaze]

Ms Haze and I moved a few months back and there were a few seemingly stray cats around our new area. They seemed pretty wary of people so we just kind of let them be. However there is one cat who seemed to pop into our garden every couple of days and relax by drinking out of our somewhat stagnant pond… she also seemed like the dominant cat in the area, and wasn’t afraid to mix it with the Tom cats.

Eventually, this cat would come in for a timid stroke and then jump back a few yards. She seemed quite hungry and slim, but not emaciated. A few weeks later, she was passing by and I tempted her with a bit of sandwich ham. She would grab it with her claws and teeth and back off a yard or two, closer to the door to the garden.

All of a sudden, she then became very friendly. I woke up one day and she was sitting on the window ledge by our kitchen window and wanted to come in. She’d come in for a bit of fuss and a ‘nearly sleep’ - she slept with one eye open and would appear to be sleeping until you got close to her and would stop and stare at you.

Over time (well, about a month), she had her own food bowl, she’d come and go as she pleases, but as I was working from home she’d spend most the day napping in the front room where I worked, followed by sitting on my lap and then having another nap. She became very friendly and would love to sit on people’s laps, purring away whilst you stroked her.

Anyway….

Ms Haze and I went away for a few days last week, and we had a friend come round and feed her in our absence. However when we got back, she was nowhere to be seen. That was until the doorbell went and our neighbour came round to pick up an Amazon delivery I’d taken for her. She asked if we were missing our friend with the red collar - she said that she’d been taken back to her home just around the corner from us. I was happy and sad at the same time. Happy that she’s safe and home, sad because we’d lost a companion - I’m a bit of a softy when it comes to cats.

However, yesterday she popped round for the first time in a while (without her collar). She seemed very hungry and we still had some cat food left which she ate in seconds. She came in for some attention too, and jumped back and forth between me and Ms Haze. We put her out for the night and she was howling to come back in until the early hours of the morning. We let her be, as she has a home elsewhere.

Once again, today she has come round, hungry as anything and wolfed down some more cat food. She’s come in to get some more attention and also to have a nap. She’s sitting on the corner of our bed, sleeping as we speak.

My question is this - is it wrong to adopt her? Or would that be stealing her? Maybe we should encourage her to go back to her home, but she seems desperate to come and stay here with no bribery apart from food, shelter and attention. Which I suppose is all a cat wants….

Edited September 4, 2021 by BlindHaze

[Mentholdan]

My advice would be to ask the owner if the cat is for sale, if they say the cat is not for sale then there's not a lot you can do. You could just take the cat and plead ignorant "which is what I would do" and if the owner kicks up a fuss you could then tell them that if they took more care of the cat it might not come round to your place for food and attention. 

[DaveM]

Take it to the vet and see if it is chipped. If not chip it. Although that really would be stealing it. Difficult if you are attached to the cat to not want to step in. Might sound a bit patronising to them but if you do talk to them ask of they are struggling to afford to feed it because if often looks and behaves like it isn't eating. Explaining your concern is for the animal. If they care as much as they claim they should appreciate your concern rather than taking offence

[ghost22]

i have an 8 year old tom myself who demands food about 9 times a day , funny thing is , as soon as hes fed he fecks off over the back fence to do his rounds , i found out last year about 5 of my neighbours feed him also 🙂

[BlindHaze]

Thanks folks, I know the right thing to do is make sure she goes back to her home, I think I was just trying to convince myself otherwise. Only known her for a month or two but she is really is friendly.

@ghost22 You’re right there, cats don’t often show loyalty, they go where they want to be. Reminds of something I heard once, ‘dogs think you’re god because you feed them. Cats think they’re god because you feed them’….