Passers-by stroking your cat

[Jan49]

If your cat goes into the front garden or street and is on the pavement or wall, do you mind if passers-by stroke it? I've always assumed it was OK to stroke a cat if it was happy to be stroked. I've never done anything else like feeding it or taking it into my home, just stroking it where it is if it's in the street.

There are 2 cats in our street who are often on the pavement and we stop and stroke them, maybe once or twice a week as do other people. However the owner of one cat told my (adult) son the cat is having medical treatment and should not be stroked and this will apply for a year. I frequently see it being stroked by passers-by and it wears no collar or information. The owner of the other cat (a near neighbour) seems friendly but recently the cat followed me to my front door. The owner came out of her house, said in a friendly tone "I'd prefer people not to pick him up" then carried him back home. I feel stupid now for not having explained that he'd just followed me but I was waiting for her to add something to what she said and instead she just left.

So I'm wondering. Are we doing something wrong if we stroke a cat we see in the street?

you have weirdo neighbours!

It makes my day slightly brighter if I come across a cat that wants to be stroked when I'm out and about. There is a gorgeous black cat on the way to the DC school that runs up to us when he sees us for a stroke. He then walks us to the end of the street .

Quite simply, if a cat didnt want stroked it wouldn't allow you to do it. I have two cats, one of them would allow it, the other would scarper if you so much as looked in his direction.

Oh I love stroking the neighbourhood cats, as we are without feline company at home now and before too-you can't have too much kitty love.

There is one cat on our road who sits on his windowsill looking at you in a friendly manner, but the moment you put your hand out to coach him, he gives an almighty hiss

When we had an open plan garden (new build estate house) I used to hate opening the door to find some random sitting on the doorstep to play with our cats. That felt like a real invasion of privacy.

At one time we had a couple of kids from down the road who used to come to the front door, pick up our cats and take them back to their house. I didn't like that, and did eventually ask them to stop.

But people out on the pavement stroking the cats on the pavement is fine, if the cats are wanting to be stroked.

They are CATS. They choose, surely?

If her cat shouldn't be petted in the front of the house, she should keep him at the back.