Someone's adopted our cat

[AngelHMum]

We have three cats and one of them is a bit of a wanderer who comes and goes at strange hours while the other two are the stay at home type.

We noticed about a week ago that we hadn't seen the wanderer for a couple of days so my teenage son went out to look for her. This isn't that unusual as she spends a long time outdoors in the summer and has been known to come in during the night and then disappear all day again. So for all we knew she was coming in when we were in bed. Her food was disappearing until last week so we didn't worry too much.

Anyway my son has been out calling her and he thought he spotted her in a garden a couple of streets away but he couldn't get close enough to be sure.

My husband has walked by the same house today with our younger children and saw our cat sitting on their window sill. So he knocked on the door.

The man who lives there says they've adopted her and insured her already so she's now theirs because he has the papers to prove it.

Our cat is micro-chipped and we can prove she's ours - she had a collar on when she disappeared but my husband said she didn't have one on today. She's definitely ours because she has some distinctive markings.

Why would anyone just take a cat in even if they thought it was a stray (which she wasn't) and insure it without checking for a chip? I also don't understand how you can insure a cat without knowing how old it is in the first place.

My husband has gone round with the cat basket to collect her but what do we do if they won't give her back?
Has anyone got any experience of this?

I think that as the law goes, cats are 'property' so you could speak to the local police station, especially as she is chipped so you can prove ownership.

However, if she has decided the other house is her home I think you may be a bit stuck, as they are very independent and short of keeping her indoors forever I'm not sure you could prevent her from going back willingly

IIRC the phrase is 'Dogs have Owners, Cats have Staff' !

Hope you can get her back.

The vet will have checked for an original micro chip first surely?

I would let the cat be, perhaps said cat is not happy being part of a 3 cat family.

Yes it did occur to me that if they keep feeding her and letting her in then she will keep going back.

I just think it's a bit naughty if they do though especially as they now know she belongs to children. My husband did explain that the kids have been missing her.

She is the most independent of our three cats but I don't get why anyone would want to take in and pay for an animal they knew full well belonged to someone else. Should you not be 100% certain the animal is a stray or abandoned before you claim it as yours?

It's not even as if she looks neglected or anything - she's quite clearly well cared for always wormed and de-flead. She is a bit on the skinny side, but she always has been small it's just her build.
She's one of those animals you could feed six times a day and she wouldn't put weight on because she's so active always out climbing trees and chasing around.

Cargirl - they didn't say they had taken her to a vet - I get the impression they haven't.

She's lived with our other two cats for the last 9 years. I think if she was unhappy with the situation she'd have gone elsewhere a long time ago.

I think most cats who go out tend to be multihomed.

You can't stop her visiting there. Do you shut her in overnight? If so you could go around every evening and collect her?

No we don't shut them in overnight - they have a cat flap and come and go as they please, always have done. My husband and I both work so it never seemed fair to keep them indoors and we do live in a quiet village in the country - not in a big town.

We've never had any problems before even when she may have disappeared for a day or two previously she always returned fairly soon.

My husband has just returned with her in the cat basket. She looks pleased to be with the children again and is having fusses.

He asked the man to please not feed or encourage her if she goes back and I suppose we'll have to see how we get on. At least we should know where to find her if she disappears again.

I think you have over estimated your cats loyalty to you and the other cats

Hopefully if they stop feeding her that will do the trick! One of our previous cats filled his days
a) annoying the dog next door by mercilessly teasing him
b) visiting the family 5 doors up for a bit of affection
c) gracing us with his prescence in the evening so he could be "put to bed" and then go out on the tiles most of the night!

Oh no I've not overestimated anything - she's always been independent. Our other two cats are best friends and are often found snuggled up together. They groom each other and get along famously.

This one has always been the type that turns up for a warm fire in the winter and her food and water but won't sleep on your bed or sit on your knee. Mind you she has always enjoyed playing with the children.

I know cats wander and it doesn't bother me if she visits elsewhere from time to time. What has bothered me is someone else deciding she's theirs without any effort to find out if she has a home already.

The cat's behaviour is normal cat stuff - it's the way the other chap has been that bothers me. I feel like telling him to go and adopt one from the local rescue centre if he wants one that much !

This REALLY annoys me! The same thing happened with our cat, he kept going missing for longer and longer periods and then would turn up obviously having been fed and he was also getting overweight as he was basically getting double or triple feeds and we couldnt stop feeding him or he wouldnt come home at all! It was very distressing esp when we had vet appointment etc as we couldn't guarantee he would turn up at the right time. I found out he was being fed (and allowed in and shut in ) in two neighbours houses and they both had their OWN cats. I had to go round and have a word several times before they stopped feeding him. The last straw was when we were sposed to be taking him to the cattery and going away. This time I spoke to the dad of the one house (previously i had spoken to the mid aged daughter who tbh I dont think had taken any notice) and I was almost in tears so I think that hit it home as things have got much better since then. And luckily the cat turned up in time!!

What annoys me is that people will will feed, fuss and keep a cat in but its US that frontlines him, US that takes him to the vet, US that worries about him. You can bet they'd suddenly remember he's not theirs if he turned up the end of his tail missing or his eye lid ripped up (both actual injuries hes had, being male hes been in a few rumbles)

If its any consolation he is much more of a home body now he's got a bit older. Our vet advised keeping him in for a couple of weeks so he would root again but we only managed 1 as it really distressed him and he started spraying everywhere. And this would be tricky with more than one cat. I would try and stay as polite as you can when dealing with this other guy and then if necessary tug the emotional heart strings, 'the kids feelings' 'the worry' etc. A lot of people don't really understand cat behaviour and they assume if a cat comes to their house they they arnt being looked after elsewhere. Why not suggest they do get a rescue cat? It would prob stop your cat going round.

First thing to do is call the microchip company and report this to them so they have a log of this. In any dispute the fact you have logged a problem will go a long way to any legal arguements in the future. They should be able to advise you further from there what to do.

tbh i would be very surprised if they have insured her without taking her to a vet beforehand. ig they did they are mad, she could have had health problems that she needs medication for or been a stray with unknown health issues. i reckon it is just a line they have spun to get your husband to let them keep her. all your husband has to do is ask them to accompany him to a vet to have her scanned for the microchip. make sure your husband brings her vaccine record book and some ID for himself so the vet will verify that he owns her. when you do get her back, it is likely taht she will go back there and i am afraid if it was my cat i would let her stay if she did because cats will stay where they are happy and it seems like they are happy to have her. cats choose their owners!

oops, have just read further and see that you have her back. i hope he will stop feeding her but i wouldn't bet on it. let her be, she is obviously a free spirit and wont commit herself to one house. try and see the positive side of it, she is happy, he is happy to feed her, you might save a bit on food, and if ever you need a cat sitter you could find you have one willing and able

What I find odd is that she didn´t eat the food & come back!

But yes-odd to adopt a cat that isn´t obviously a stray, imo.