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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To leave neighbour who stole my cat a note

256 replies

MrsHoodwink · 09/09/2018 00:35

Ok “stole” is a strong word but they are trying to coax my boy to live with them and were just caught by my ex picking the cat up and taking it in their house

It’s a very friendly cat but is like that with everyone that walks past, they told my ex he even has a food bowl in their house Angry He said they started calling of him as soon as they got out their car

Now I know cats chose their homes but I don’t think you should take them on purpose Blush

I wanted to knock but it’s past midnight, aibu to post a note saying he has food allergies and to please leave him alone? They were concerned about him being out at night but I have a catflap he’s just hunting/wandering Hmm They also called my other cat “skinny” but she’s perfect weight Blush

OP posts:
Dollymixture22 · 09/09/2018 09:41

Totally agree with the special diet argument. You can get vet only diet collars to ram the message home.

www.kittycollars.co.uk/personalised-cat-collars/

I spend a fortune provide my cat a good quality diet - I would be raging is some neighbour started feeding her.

Saffy101 · 09/09/2018 09:52

That is SO annoying, I once had tenants , they were next door to me, when they left...both my neutered female cats did too!!! A silver tabby and a fabulous grey... So I know people will REALLY do it. AsTwoBlueShoes says people are sure that others don't feed them right!!! CF's! Get it microchipped if it isn't. Lots of good advice in other posts. We saw daughters cat go in someones house once and just went around and asked for it back. It used to be gone for long periods - it stopped after that!!! Good luck.

Runrunrudolf · 09/09/2018 10:04

This is madness people seem to think they can just take a kitty?
Happened with our old neighbours before we moved they have a beautiful ragdoll(okay maybe not that beautiful haha) some other neighbours adjacent to them kept coaxing him in she took measures to stop it like keeping him in at night ect but one day he was missing all day before he came back with a collar and all their contact info on it Confused She removed the collar and then they took him down the vets to say he was starved and someone was trying to steal their kitty! Luckily he had a microchip and I'm not sure if they tried stealing him anymore Hmm

The simple answer is to adopt a kitty of your own, I definitely second some of the ideas here but If they keep trying surely you can report them?

flumpybear · 09/09/2018 10:12

I'd go tound, just say your ex mentioned about the cat situation and it's all clicked into place now, that your cat has a condition which has been much worse recently and the vet has told you that he may be being fed the wrong type of food, you realise he's a really lovely friendly cat but they're damaging him and his life could be reduced if they continue, but also your vet bills are increasing due ton them feeding him incorrectly for his problem
Wink

Frenchsticker · 09/09/2018 10:22

My old neighbours had a cat. We would stroke it if it came into the garden but never fed it or anything.

After a few months it started waiting at the door for us to come home from work, then would walk in, take up a spot on the chair and stay for hours, totally ignoring us Grin

This happened almost every night for years. When the owners got wind of it they were really arsey and basically accused us of stealing the cat.

Not saying this has happened to you, in fact it isn’t because we never fed it, but just wanted to share an example of how cats sometimes just treat another house like their own. Whenever I see posters of lost cats I bet that half of them have just moved in with a neighbour.

Member984815 · 09/09/2018 10:50

Our neighbours have 2 cats when they are not home they come to my door or window for attention , I don't feed them but if windows or doors are open I often find them in beds . Both me and my eldest daughter have been badly bitten whilst trying to remove them , we still adore them

StoorieHoose · 09/09/2018 10:53

But frenchsticker why did your allow it into the house? Can’t you see why your neighbour was a bit arsey?

StoorieHoose · 09/09/2018 10:54

member that would irritate the hell out of me finding cats on my beds

MovingThisYearHopefully · 09/09/2018 10:58

Exactly Frenchsticker. Theres a saying isn't there? Dogs have owners, cats have staff! Grin Many staff in many places. Things aren't always as they seem. Cats are incredibly social creatures & just do their own thing. I regularly hear my neighbours talking to my cat & I'm happy she is bringing pleasure to others. I don't see the harm if the cat is happy & not being harmed tbh. They can feed her if they want to. Saves me money lol. Its only when it goes to the next stage where someone steals a cat, as Saffy describes earlier on that it becomes wrong & a police matter.

MairyHole · 09/09/2018 11:03

I've had a similar problem as French.

Once sitting on my bed minding my own business reading scary stories on reddit and my neighbour's black cat out of nowhere jumped on my lap! Scared the bejeezus out of me. That one used to come in all the time even though we only had one window open a crack and we couldn't close it because we had a terrible damp problem. It would hide under our bed and it would take us ages to catch it and get rid. Luckily our neighbour knew of its habits but we never encouraged it at all and in fact actively discouraged it so I would have been annoyed to have been accused of cat stealing - I was a mere victim of this cat's tenacious love of our flat

Feefeetrixabelle · 09/09/2018 11:09

Do you have a local spotted page on Facebook. Post it up in their that he’s going missing and being fed by strangers. Or knock on their door and say if they do it again you’ll take further action against them. You don’t have lie to spare their feelings they are being knobs so tell straight

MairyHole · 09/09/2018 11:09

It would also sometimes wait near our door and try to rush in when we opened it. It was such a pain in the arse and I don't even like cats

FanciedAChangeToday · 09/09/2018 11:10

Not sure you can cat proof a garden by just making the fence higher - neighbours cat jumped into my bedroom window a few weeks ago goodness knows how as it was 2 storeys he must have jumped. Frightened the life out of me

Original poster
MrsHoodwink · 09/09/2018 12:58

I would’ve fully believed them at first if they had said he was wandering into their house, but when they were caught last night they were calling of him from the end of the street and then went and picked him up from in front of my house and carried him to theirs (my ex shouted when he realised it was my cat, they’d opened their front door at this point) so they’re definitely doing it on purpose Sad

Just working up the courage to go round now, I have anxiety so I’ve been rehearsing what to say!

OP posts:
MulticolourMophead · 09/09/2018 13:09

Cats are considered property in law, so yes, people can be charged with theft if they take a cat.

StoorieHoose · 09/09/2018 13:12

Knock the door

Say Give me my cat back please and Stop encouraging him into your house or I will call the police

Walk away with cat. Get GPS tracker and bang on their door every single time he is there

CherryCherryCherry · 09/09/2018 13:22

Grrr this makes me SO angry. I'm another one with a similar cat story but not going into it (very long but happy ending) You could say that cat costing you a fortune in vets bills as you have to give it mefication for a heart condition (which is expensive as prescription only) and if they are feeding it then causes problems with that medication. Drop in that if they want the cat then maybe they should take on the cost?

CherryCherryCherry · 09/09/2018 13:24

Be brave. Deep breath OP. Just and go speak to the thieving gits! We're all with you! And let us know what they said.

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 09/09/2018 13:46

Definitely try and nip this in the bud, otherwise you could end up like this MNer whose situation went on for FOUR YEARS. She ended up moving!

Oldraver · 09/09/2018 13:46

Haven't read all the replies.

If I thought someone was keeping my cat in I would go round there knocking no matte rwhat time of night. Maybe if they were got out of bed a few times they might think better of it.

I've been through this shit with my neighbour at the back, kept my cat ina lot so that he missed vets appointments and anti-biotics. Frankly these type of people are nuts and can't be reasoned with

Original poster
MrsHoodwink · 09/09/2018 13:48

I’ve just been and knocked, there was no answer so either they’re out for Sunday lunch or hiding from me in the backs! Will keep you all updated

OP posts:
CherryCherryCherry · 09/09/2018 13:51

Well done for knocking though. Where's your cat?

Mrsmadevans · 09/09/2018 13:54

My retired parents NDN cat did this , it was in the house all day until the NDN come home . I think it liked company tbh.

LyndorCake · 09/09/2018 13:56

Go on OP!
You've got the whole of MN backing you here. You can do it!!
(DH and I are totally invested in this now)

LillianGish · 09/09/2018 14:06

Cat’s are a bit rubbish aren’t they? My mum had a cat that sat outside her kitchen door and miaowed it’s head off to be let in - she didn’t want a cat, never fed it or anything, but this cat definitely gave the impression it had nowhere to go. In the end she knocked on a few doors and discovered it lived a several houses away and having established it wasn’t abandoned tried to ignore it. It still hung around in her garden and miaowed at her door - had she been more of a cat lover I can easily see how she might have been tempted to let it in. I wonder how many people who say they have adopted strays have in fact just pinched someone else’s cat?

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