Is this how you get a cat?

[Anycrispsleft]

I've been in and out gardening, kids are playing with the neighbours (we're not in the UK, rules here allow it ) and I had the doors open. Just come in and found this chap on the sofa. I know him like - when his mum goes away for a night he comes up on our patio and miaows at the door to be let in - but he's made himself properly comfortable this time!

@XenoBitch

Cute, but this is someone else's cat. Please don't steal him. I have lost 2 this way.

Oh yes. Don't feed him, or blame the owner of he starts wearing on your carpets to claim the territory.

*weeing

He looks very comfy - but maybe contact local neighbours and/or vets - someone could be distraught that beloved cat has disappeared.
Maybe posters - but not with a picture, might encourage catnappers.

anti-histamines may help with allergies until you find his people

I know whose he is, he lives in the house whose garden backs onto ours. Don't worry, I'm not going to steal him! He's gone now - as I thought, he scarpered as soon as the kids came back in.

@Wolfiefan

We had two black and white cats. I walked past the bed in the spare room and reached out to stroke the cat on there. And then realised it wasn’t my cat. Next doors cat. I put him out but had to admit to them he had tried to move in and said if they ever “lost” him to come and search at ours first.

This happened to me too with a black and white cat! Said hello to "my" cat in the kitchen, then walked in to the living room to find my actual cat sleeping on the sofa. Went back to the kitchen and said "oi" to not-my-cat at which point he at least did have the good grace to look sheepish and scarpered out of the cat flap!

A friend of mine had a cat adopt them in this way and her DH was allergic. He just soon realised his place and started taking a daily antihistamine tablet and now they have a cat!

Final story - I follow Stacey Solomon on Instagram and she commented yesterday that although they've moved house they decided to leave their cat behind with the neighbour that the cat had adopted - sounds like it was all agreed with the neighbour.

In the meantime, the semi-feral cat that had adopted their new house's previous owner has now resurfaced, so they now have a new cat!

Fickle creatures they are. At some point you either gain or lose a cat in this manner!

Rude to your guest, letting children disturb his nap
Glad that no-one's panicking that he's missing

@Sparklesocks

There’s a ginger cat in our area who comes in to any window/door he can find and sets up shop before moving on again. He doesn’t care! The owner posted on a local fb group apologising and asking not to feed him as he’s gained a bit of weight quickly - I’m guessing from all the makeshift hotels he drops into

Do you by any chance live in Wells? There is a ginger cat who everyone calls King Boris who has many homes...

@babymidgetgem I don’t but that is an amazing cat name!!

@HopeHappy could be worse. DH once saw a black and white shape at the back door and went to let the cat in. Then spotted the cat in the living room already. What he was about to let in? A badger.

I once went into the kitchen in the dark and saw what I thought was my black cat crouched over the food bowl. I went to pet him, and nearly screamed - his entire tail was missing, there was just a small stump.
Thankfully, he hadn’t suffered a horrific injury - it was a different cat, with an old amputation, who had snuck in for a midnight snack!

Heard a big cat fight and then heard our cat sprinting up the stairs, went out to check on him and saw him running past and scooped him up and was checking he was okay and giving him a little cuddle when I looked up and sitting at the top of the stairs was my actual cat, looking utterly slain 😂

This is definitely how you get a cat. We looked after our neighbour's cat when she went on holiday and he started to come into our house more and more (neighbour knew and didn't mind). When she moved, the cat stayed with us. 4 years on, we're all happy with the arrangement. Ex neighbour still visits occasionally and he runs to greet her 😊

Looks like he’s chosen you!

Before we got our cat our neighbours cat used to sneak in our house and sleep underneath our kitchen table or on our kitchen units. Her house was busy and noisy with little children, i think she visited for some peace and quiet and a sleep.

put him back out and don’t let him in again, or feed him. He presumably has owners who would miss him if he left to live elsewhere

All the shops have somewhere for him to sleep!