Asking her to leave the cat with us....

[LoveMyPiano]

My next door but one neighbour is about to finally move out, after about 5 months virtually living with boyfriend, but coming to and fro the apartment (I am in a house next door to the little block).

She has/had two cats. A black one, probably less than a year old, that has been left in the apartment mostly all of the time; and an older one who has always roamed the complex and back road and who has been in my house a lot, comes onto the garden (catches rodents but not birds strangely) and has virtually adopted my friend who also lives in the apartments. It seemed that he was effectively left behind and we have cared for him with all kinds of food (he became very underweight and scruffy at first but now his coat is like silk [maybe we should all eat cat food!], he has a mix of some dried and some wet, and has really improved since we added the pouch food.

He is nicely looked after by us jointly - and now allowed to stay in overnight (previously, not - and mainly his choice - he is very nocturnal). He waits for my friend to come home, and he also seems to know when I will go round but sometimes totally indfferent and stays in one of his many beds/spots. For example, last night, I had my Saturday pizza with the plate resting (lightly) on his head. He will not get off my lap until I tip him off....

Please suggest any way I persuade her to leave him with us. She and I are not especially friendly (due to anothe nasty neighbour - now gone- influence) but I have never said a nasty thing to or about her or her little boy, and she knows what the cat has been doing. But now, her actual move out is imminent, and I have heard (from another neighbour) that she plans to take him...... He was not happy in her home before, as he seems to like quiet, and she has a big boisterous dog and a (I think) 6 year old - and of course the other cat..... I would not criticise any of this - but I really want to plead with her to leave him with us, where he is doing so well, and is such a help to my need to look after something.

He keeps his opinion to himself when I play the piano..... but that eye speaks volumes

I think there is no harm in asking, although I am concerned that there are some issues between you and her, as I am not sure why you feel the need to clarify that you haven’t said anything nasty about her or her child (as if this wee a normal thing to do).

Anyway, when I was about 27 a neighbour asked if they could keep my cat. I liked my cat, I looked after her, but it was an apartment and I was working long hours in London. So the cat started spending time with some neighbours who were in more than I was. I had no problem with the cat having other humans in her life. Anyway they were moving, they loved the cat, they were moving to a big house with big garden, they asked if they could take her. After thinking about it for a couple of days, I realised that this probably was the best thing for the cat, so I said

*yes

I have not even said that it is - technically - wrong in moving and taking the cat.

There’s no ‘technically’ about it. A woman moved house and took her pet with her. It’s a perfectly normal situation. What’s not normal is you thinking the whole thing was done by stealth because of you. Frankly it sounds a bit obsessive.

@WomanStanleyWoman

I have not even said that it is - technically - wrong in moving and taking the cat.

There’s no ‘technically’ about it. A woman moved house and took her pet with her. It’s a perfectly normal situation. What’s not normal is you thinking the whole thing was done by stealth because of you. Frankly it sounds a bit obsessive.

I did not think the move was done by stealth "because of me", although I can see how you might have thought that's what I meant... (I'm not that important )

Without wanting to explain any further - and at risk of sounding obsessed (which I sort of "am" - with the welfare of this cat, who was as far as anyone could tell, abandoned months ago) - there are reasons for things being the way they are.
I have now been told the way in which she took him, and I was right to be concerned; that's all I will say.