Can you ‘steal’ a cat

[Confusedrelation]

Historically an elderly relation started to feed a cat that came into their garden, and then started to tempt it into the house. The cat moved in after a while (just stoped leaving). She would stay in all day and they let her out at night. They did check with a local vet, but the cat didn’t have a chip. After about 6m I pointed out they had effectively adopted the cat (who by the way was not a stray, fat and sleek and obviously well looked after), and they should check if she was vaccinated and spayed. But they wouldn’t as she wasn’t their cat. It ended up pregnant and they dropped her into a shelter not to be seen again.

I was annoyed but bit my tongue other than my initial comment (grown up with cats, thought you shouldn’t feed others cats as they will go where there is food. Plus letting them out at night means more likely to get pregnant/ into a fight). What has happened has happened.

But I’ve just found out they’ve done it again and have a ‘new cat’. I can’t say anything as it will cause a (major)falling out. But is it ok I’m annoyed?

My local FB cat group are the worst for this. There's at least two posts a week. The latest

"(description of cat) has come to visit in the (street name). Very soft friendly chatty and confident. Not keen on going out into this cold night though as she followed me straight into the house. Who is she? I hope she hasn't wandered and gotten lost"

Thinly disguised as I hope she hasn't gotten lost in my locked spare room where she is going to stay until her owners stop looking for her

It is worth pointing out that sometimes cats choose to move into a new home.

My grandma had a couple of cats she acquired, she never fed them, but they would come into the house if anything was left open and sleep on her / her sofa. She never fed them. One of the cats started looking really ill though so she tracked down the owners (I don't know how) and the cat had some horrible feline disease (I don't remember the details) and the owner wasn't going to do anything about it. The cats also weren't spending any time in the house because of (I think) the children, so the neighbour basically set my grandma should take both the cats and deal with them.

Also when I was wee we sort acquired a couple of cats, again we never fed them but they hung out in our house quite a lot, at first my dad tried to keep them out (hates animals in the house) but eventually gave up as you have to open doors / windows sometimes!

I don't think you should ever start feeding someone elses cat, and you should never prevent them leaving your house, but you can't really stop them preferring to spend time with someone else.

I should point out I spent the best part of a year trying to get the cat to go home but she didnt feed it and locked her out on bonfire night when the poor thing was terrified (I let her sleep over that night because I found her trembling with her head stuffed in a carrier bag) 🤦‍♀️

Probably not a popular view but...

I don't have a lot of criticism for your elderly relative. Keeping someone else's cat is theft as they are property. As I understand it if you are acquired by a cat then you need to take steps to find and return it to its owners. The cat should have a collar and tag and be chipped. If the cat has no id and is not chipped there's not a lot you can do. They did check with the local vet with no result. It doesn't sound feral but just because its fat and sleek doesn't mean its not a stray. There's one cat wandering here, well fed that was left behind by a nearby tenant when they left. People feed him but he's a bit of a bully so nobody takes him in.

I'm in a small semi-rural cul-de-sac and its overrun with cats some with collars some without. I like cats but a lot of people with cats seem to get them because they're easy, you let them out and don't have to take responsibility for them. We all complain of dog shit but here the place tends to be full of cat shit but that's ok because you don't have to clean up after cats, unless its your place they choose to shit in.

Want to stop your cat from being 'adopted'? Chip it and if possible keep it in.

Of course, it's theft. Although you should always have your cat chipped and spayed. Unfortunately, cats can be very fickle, but this is no excuse for stealing a cat. But taking it a shelter when it got pregnant!!

If you aren't sure, ask your neighbours or take it to your nearest vet and they will check for a chip.

A neighbour did that to us. She kept feeding one of our cats and she disappeared for weeks at a time. She was obviously kept indoors to keep her there. I saw her in the road one day and picked her up to take her home, but she wouldn’t stay.

I fou d out where she went and spoke to the woman, but she wouldn’t stop feeding her and in the end we had to leave her there. A few months later the woman got in touch to say that the cat needed treatment at the vet and would we pay. Er, no love. You took my cat, you pay for her.

Take a photo of the cat, make posters saying "is this your cat? Currently being cared for at ....." with your relatives' address.

This make me v upset. It's happened to us a few times, even when they have chips it doesn't necessarily help.

You absolutely can steal a cat and it infuriates me. I love cats. Sometimes they appear in my garden. But I'm not about to lure them into my house - that's someone's pet! If you did that to a child you'd be locked up for life.

I once had one of the friendliest cats in the world; when I was at work she'd go down to see the people who lived in the flat below mine - they absolutely doted on her. When I got home from work they would either let her out or carry her up (if it was cold or raining!). It was very civilised and they did not feed her either. They'd been beguiled by her one horrible rainy day and she'd not gone up that one extra floor and found herself at a front door with no catflap. That very first time, as soon as they heard me calling her they brought her up.

In case either of them read this, she lived to 19, and was happy but senile! Our new tabby kitten looked after her in her dotage - he really was solicitous and looked after her.

I think it's wrong, but equally the original owner is wrong for not making the cat happy and for not putting a stop to it.

I think this is nonsense. Wrong for not making the cat happy? As per pp, cats are ridiculously fickle and will of course go where they’re fed with lovely treats (like my neighbour offers) And how do you propose putting a stop to it when you probably have no idea who’s got your cat?

I’m delighted that my cat only liked me and wouldn’t go near other people. Seems to be a common theme with the dog, who refused to let someone stroke him today and the horse who refuses to be caught by anyone but me. 😂

Ok thanks. Il going to gently find out if they have taken it to the vet check for a chip as a first step/ put up notices there etc. I do think they are wrong for feeding it (unless it’s in bad condition and obviously a stray). I don’t know how long they have been feeding it and taking it in for, as they are unlikely to discuss it with me after last time, but i have other sources ;) and if not long I’ll suggest they stop. It may not go down well but at least I’ve tried.

My next-door neighbour's cat years ago used to come in, even though I never fed her. I'd go into a bedroom and find a fat tortoiseshell longhaired bundle asleep on the bed. She liked the sofa too. Apparently she visited several houses in the street. Her owner said she was just nosy and daft.

Can you get the cat scanned for a chip yourself during a visit? You don't necessarily need a vet's appointment. Quite a few groomers have scanners these days and any local cat rescue person will know how to get hold of one.

Yanbu. If you're concerned about a cat, it doesn't take much effort to search for an owner and look at local ads online for missing cats. Only when you've exhausted all avenues is it acceptable to decide to adopt it, at which point you become 100% responsible.

I've adopted one after some cunts moved and left him behind. As he was a roamer I was initially one of a few that looked after him depending on where he went, and funnily enough it didn't take much effort for all of us carers to find each other and identity where he came from. When he made this his retirement home and officially belonged to me, I became the only one responsible for all the associated costs of an elderly scrapper.

I've also had one cat stolen years ago. Because as a healthy, happy farm cat that had free access to the house, it was apparently cruel he was out by choice most of the time. Within hours of being taken to his lovely new home he was dead, having bolted for freedom and then hit by a car because he had zero experience of town life.

The person that found him posted online, and was contacted by his heartbroken murdering fucking cruel new owners as well as me, hence I know what happened. It would have been a quick death, but I'll never forgive the cunts for the fact they caused it, and especially for the fact his last few hours he must have been petrified.

We had this done to us years ago .Neighbour stole our then young DC's cat .Gleefully took my DM at the time they had changed her name and they shut her in .We never did get her back .Police said they couldn't do anything. Hence our's are all microchipped .Call your relative out that potentially is a child's much loved pet .Selfish and thieving .Our DC was broken hearted .It is wicked to steal a person's pet .

told

I gained a cat who would happily wander in if a door was open or jump through an open window. I would stroke her and put her out. She was known locally for her friendliness. I had a house warming party and found her curled up asleep on a bed at 4am. I still put her out. She would lie in the window of her owners house and when she saw my car pull up, would disappear, only to be at my front door a minute later. Her owner used to text me "incoming cat". Her owners had 2 toddlers, 2 dogs and another cat. She was loved but didn't get the fuss she did at my house. Eventually I started feeding her as she spent so long in my house. Now she lives there. During the summer she visits 2 other houses. The occupiers text me to let me know she's there (she gets food, play, cuddles) then late afternoon she ambles back home.