Cat won't come inside

[meepmoop]

Hi all,

Our cat has always been aloof but now he will not come inside or greet us at all.

I've actually watched him run over to our neighbours to say hello though. They give him affection and I don't believe they shut him in as I see him in our front garden at some point everyday he just won't come in.

We've taken to leaving food and water out for him as he is very slender at the best of times but he is a good hunter.

I'm not sure how to encourage him back in, I don't want to force him as he will not settle if I just bring him in. He will literally tear up the carpet and bang doors. I can't actually get close enough to him at the moment.

Any thoughts or do I just have an outside cat now

I have a similar cat, but for slightly different reasons. I have a pair of siblings and they were happy together until Obie (who is nosy and wanders into people's houses) got locked in a neighbours for 5 days while she was on holiday (she had no idea poor woman..he'd snuck in)

After that his sister rejected him completely...has never accepted him back and hisses at him when he comes in for food. Now now lives 90% time at a neighbours 4 doors down :( He comes in now and then for food and a quick fuss..he's a lovely cat.. but won't stay and it makes me very sad.
I don't think there is much you can do, except perhaps try and tempt him close with really nice food..tuna, a bit of cheese?

Ah just leave him to it. I rarely see one of my cats during the summer, he's out enjoying himself in the lovely weather. When winter rolls in he'll be underfoot the whole time. It's just how cats are :)

Give him treats when you see him, don't leave food outside - that is how you get foxes/badgers. But perhaps you should go and sit in your garden and see if he'll come for some affection outside?

Try spending time outside with him. Ours is rarely in the house when the weather is good but will come over for affection and dreamies when we are in the garden.

We had a similar problem but our cat scratched and meowed constantly at front door and when you opened it he came in, ate a few mouthfuls of feed and went out through the back garden round the side and back to the front door to do it again. It was like groundhog day and it got so bad we ignored him in the hope he'd give up and come in the back way. That didn't happen and a busybody neighbour reported us to the RSPCA for neglect. They came out and saw the situation and that it obviously wasn't neglect and they advised us to keep him shut in from time to time so he knew we were in charge not him. He eventually stopped doing it but we've not spoken to the neighbour since, why not come and talk to us first before reporting us and basically wasting everyone's time