To think my nieghbour wants to steal my cat?

[malificent7]

DD and I have 2 georgeous cat sisters. They don't get on that well and are very different.
Cat 1 is quite a dominant house cat and doesn't wander far. She is very faithful. Cat 2 is a lovely, gregarious tart friendly cat who lays on the street, follows us and everyone else everywhere. She eats two meals a day with us then eats everyone else's food too on the street!

Trouble is everyone thinks she's a stray as she is so damn friendly. A few months ago she lost a lot of weight and I was very worried. I took her to the vet and he diagnosed fleas. We had been treating her but as she goes out all the time she picks them up.
We carried on treating her and now she looks healthy and amazing. She did look like a stray at the time but we soon addressed the issue.

Our friend informed us that a mutual neighbour had been feeding her but I didn't mind too much . Tonight however dd saw the woman grab our cat and take her in. I decided to go and ask for her back civilly.
She laid into me an d told her I don't feed her (I do-2 meals a day wet and dry)
I leave her alone when I go on holiday. (I do leave cats at home but my vet nurse friend comes and feeds them twice a day as they got kennel cough at kennels.)
Apparently I shouldn't let her outside at all and if she had my cat she wouldn't let her sit on the road etc.
Admittedly this does worry me silly. Kitty loves to sunbathe on the road. She is NOT a house cat though and she needs space from her sis.

She is kind to be concerned but I feel so sad that she has accused me of being a shite owner when both cats are vaccinated, neutered, fed, flead, wormed and loved.
When she did loose weight I got her treated. AIBU to think kitty is just a different personality.
When I pointed this out to the woman she said humans have different personalities (eg ...me)and I prob couldn't look after dd either.

I might add that I asked for her back as dd was hysterical that someone had taken her cat in.

Should I keep kitty in or let her out? I wouldn't mind if kitty chose a new owner as I know what cats are like but this woman was so rude to me and horrid about dd that I'd rather kitty chose someone else. I do think her dominant sister stresses her out and perhaps she's be happier elsewhere but we do look after her as best we can.
.

Well you know where she will likely be if you ever loose her so you can just call the police for theft. I don't think that it is fair to keep her in if she doesn't like it.

I think you should carry on exactly as you are. You can't keep a cat happy by keeping it in if it's used to going out and some cats are just utter chancers when it comes to getting meals - there is one in my road that I'm sure is fed by about 5 houses. You have told her what's going on with the cat but she sounds too rude and self righteous to listen so perhaps no point in engaging further with her

Don't keep your cat in, it's not fair on her if she wants to go out and roam around. What your neighbour did was VVU. Maybe get a solicitor's letter to warn her that grabbing your cat and taking her into her house is theft and she shouldn't do it again.

Why have you started two threads on this, OP?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_litter_tray/3050815-To-report-my-neighbours-for-cat-theft

I posted again here for traffic Whattodoaboutthis.

It is theft isn't it? I'm going to the police station tomorrow to complain.

Does she have a microchip? If not, definitely get one so she doesn't just do it and claim it as hers.

Unfortunately, as she's not a house cat, it's not classed as theft on the eyes of the law, you cannot 'own' a non house cat. There's not really much you can do tbh, other than hope neighbour realises you do look after your cat

I think you should carry on exactly as you are. You can't keep a cat happy by keeping it in if it's used to going out and some cats are just utter chancers when it comes to getting meals -

This^

NDN has 2 cats. One couldn't give a shit and leaves you well alone the other one is forever trying to get inside our house. I've never let it in or fed it, not because I don't like cats, although the whole spraying over the kids trampoline every sodding morning didnt help but because it needs to understand JonSnowsWifes isn't home. I do feel bad sometimes though. Last week when it was raining hard, constantly, it was outside meowing away, saw the Neighbour later who told me it had already been fed twice and kept pestering her to go out. I can see how someone else can misinterpret it.

Yes... cats are great at pulling the oldheart strings
I have a cat flap so all the local moggies try to steal my cat's food. I don't jump to the conclusion that they are not looked after though... I just think they are typical chancers cats.
It just hurts she thinks I don't feed kitty. I do but so does everyone else.
She has threatened to call the RSPCA. I told her to go ahead... I have nowt to hide.
And yes... She is microchipoed.

Well if she tried to keep your cat in she won’t have much luck will she?
She sounds like a busybody and a twat but cats will go where they want. It’s sad if your cat decides to move in with some new people and nobody should encourage this by feeding cats that aren’t theirs but it happens.

Let her call the RSPCA. They'll come out and see that all is well.

DM had a neighbour who once did this because she was a nosy cow thought she was mistreating her dog. The officer was not impressed his time had been so evidentally wasted.

So she didn't give the cat back?

It's a myth that you can't own a domestic cat. The case of the MP's wife prosecuted for stealing his new partner's cat made the press a few years back: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-15115530

@HouseOfGingerbread, it definitely isn't a myth, sorry. That article doesn't state wether it's an indoor or outdoor cat, I don't know anything about cats, but assume that a 4 month old kitten would be kept inside, thus an indoor cat. Outdoor cats will not be classed at theft in the eyes of the law

Just keep your cat within your garden by cat proofing it.

Next time mention the expensive medication your cat takes. . Google something if necessary! If she thinks she would have to shell out if she kept the cat she may think twice. . Nasty bint. .

She said humans have different personalities (eg ...me)and I prob couldn't look after dd either.

How on earth did you keep your temper?

Some cats don't like being inside it's just weighing up the risks vs there happiness. My mam just lost one of hers (dog attack) it was horrible, she did everything to try and save him and ended up with a huge vets bill and sadly no cat.

She blamed herself for a bit but the vet told he had a happy 12 years roaming he'd of been miserable as an inside cat.

My cat left her home with a neighbour to come and live with me. She’s like your outdoor cat, v friendly and loves being petted. I think not getting lap and bed time with the neighbour coupled with young kids and dogs made her move. But she’s still a community cat and jumps through whichever open window she feels like in the road. But she always comes home in the evening if she’s been bobbing about. If your cat gets more of what she wants with the neighbour she may choose to move but the neighbour will have no chance keeping her in

I am horrified by this idea that you can't own an outside cat. My two roam about during the day as they wish and come in and out of the cat flap as they wish. Does that make them free agents and not owned by me? I certainly paid money for them so I would say I own them

Of course you own your cat!! The law says you aren't responsible for it once it leaves your house. . So any fuckwit neighbours complaining about shit and plants dug up have to stfu or buy a water pistol!

"Just keep your cat within your garden by cat proofing it."

My cat is pissing herself laughing at this. I presume it was a joke?