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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to expect people not to feed and then hijack my cat for a week?

12 replies

bohemianbint · 29/07/2007 17:33

Seriously, dunno who it is, but someone must be feeding one of my cats because he'll often go missing for over a week, and then saunter back in all fat and healthy.

I'm sure they just mean to be nice, but he obviously stays there for days being fed, which is all very jolly for the cat but a bit stressful for us when we have to start worrying about whether to put up posters, and end up cancelling vets appointments because some selfish sod has decided to keep him for a week!

P*sses me off, he's blatantly a well looked after and doesn't need feeding elsewhere, and I bet he's getting nasty wet food as well. I think it's totally wrong to feed and harbour someone elses cat (when it's obvious he comes from a good home!)

AIBU?

OP posts:

alicet · 29/07/2007 17:41

I think you are absolutely right. Not unreasonable at all.

However people may not even be aware they are doing it. A few years back we had a lovely big black cat who would wander in through our cat flap. If we ever saw him eating our cats food we would throw him out for exactly the reasons you describe but he would just come round and back in again (even though we were mid terrace and would put him out the front). Since the kitchen and cat food were at the back of the flat we wouldn't be aware of him coming in if we were anywhere other than the kitchen.

I was not prepared to either put a lock on the cat flap (there was quite a step up to this and our own cats couldn't activate the sensor when we tried this so were stuck outside) or to not leave out food for our own cats (I worked irregular hours sometimes away for 24 hours at a time so couldn't get them into fixed mealtimes). We were just about to go knock on the neighbours door and ask them if they knew he was doing this when we found out his owners had moved away and left him so we adopted him (left messages at the vet down the road where he was registered in case they got in touch). We would NEVER have adopted him if this wasn't the case.

So while I totally sympathise with you it can be more difficult than you might think to not feed a cat!

EscapeFrom · 29/07/2007 17:45

They might actually think he is their cat.

Original poster

bohemianbint · 29/07/2007 17:46

nooooo - he has a collar with his name and address on it!

OP posts:

CorrieDale · 29/07/2007 17:48

yanbu

My sis had this. The cat eventually moved in with the other family and is still there now. DSis was peeved because the other house is 5 bed and in the 'best' part of her area and she feels as though the cat has managed to wangle some social climbing.

bran · 29/07/2007 17:49

Sellotape a "Please do not feed, special medical diet" note onto his collar.

Original poster

bohemianbint · 29/07/2007 18:58

lol Corrie at social climbing cat! V good idea Bran...

I wouldn't mind but we're the idiots that are paying his pet insurance and pay for his vet care!

OP posts:

MyTwopenceworth · 29/07/2007 19:03

You are totally missing the point.

You don't own the cat.

You are staff.

Your cat is simply sampling the delights of a different hotel for a few nights. He's tired of the Hilton, he's trying out the Ritz!

'Your' cat (he's not your cat, you're his humans) has no loyalty.

This is the dictionary definition of a cat....

Four legs. Fur. Will screw you over for a plate of prawns.

Carmenere · 29/07/2007 19:10

I had this when I moved into our house. the cat literally spent 24 hours a day in our garden and although she had a collar had no name tag and didn't look that well looked after. Because there had been loads of house moves in our area and after asking all the neighbours about her, we started feeding her as she seemed starving. She was DEFINITELY living in our shed at that time. Dp used to get up for work at 5 am and she would run out of the shed to be fed. We eventually presumed that she had either been left behind by a mover or had run away from a mover.

So about 6 months later there was a sign on a local lampost and I dutifully rang the number and told the owner not to worry because their cat had been living at my house. The stupid bitch actually accused me of trying to steal her cat
I was fecking furious because I didn't even like the bloody cat but it had totally insinuated itself into my household. WTF would I be doing ringing the owner if I was trying to steal the cat. I fed it out of the goodness of my heart.
I stopped feeding it. It is still around, just not as often.

It may not be the other persons fault.

bran · 29/07/2007 19:21

That's very true Carmenere, even the best looked after cat can do a completely convincing impression of a starving/abandoned cat to get what it wants.

LOL at MTPW.

skinnygirlNOT · 29/07/2007 22:46

Reminds me of 'Six Dinner Sid'. Have you read it?

MrsJohnCusack · 29/07/2007 23:29

YANBU, it is very very annoying

however, we did have an intinerant 'visitor' who used to march into our flat and eat our cats' food (we had 3 and they liked to snack throughout the day so there was no hiding the food away) and then settle down on the chair and growl furiously at me if I approached him with a view to chucking him out. He was extremely sleek, well fed and obviously looked after.

he would come for 3 weeks or so and then disappear, I felt terrible that his owners might think I was feeding him but he was feeding himself...I reckon he had 'staff' (LOL MTPW, exactly) all around the area and spread his favours

MrsJohnCusack · 29/07/2007 23:33

clarification: our visitor was feline...

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