[quote TheBalletCats]@Veterinari
Novel idea perhaps, but when responding to a thread it helps if you don’t just make up your own version of things.
Do you not think @ProfessorInkling would have mentioned if her cat were one who’s unhappy in a multi-cat household? The cat in question simply likes outdoor time. Like many cats in households of all sizes & configurations.
The woman you’ve characterised as responsible i. has been feeding a cat she had good reason to believe (given the collars he wore) belonged to someone else; ii. failed to take this cat, when she decided to abduct him [because that’s what it was] to the vet to check for a microchip for weeks; & iii. drove with him loose in the car. Had she been caught doing the latter it could have earned her 3-9 points on her Licence. That piece of absolute idiocy was putting at risk not only her life & the life of OP’s cat, but those of every creature they passed on their journey. How anyone who volunteers for a cat rescue could do something so dangerous is utterly baffling.
There is no reason to believe, particularly given the actions detailed above, that the cat chose to stay with OW rather than being shut in there. If she had shut him in, that wouldn’t guarantee his not returning if she’s been ponying up umpteen treats/fresh chicken/daily catnip - to the cat it’s fine, he’s been back to his humans, clearly things can go back to the status quo ante. Clearly I’ve no definitive proof of that, but the fact he’s now perfectly happy in OP’s house in terms of food, feline friends, humans & essentially everything bar being gated, suggests no wish on his part to make a permanent move.
Announcing that OP - & indeed the rest of her family - weren’t actually bonded to one of their cats because his Six Dinner Sid tendencies (Two Teatime Tom?) got him catnapped is a really quite cruel thing to do when she’s had such a stressful time and the assertion is the product of your imagination.
It’s clear OP - & her family - are actually very aware of their cats’ needs (including the fact that how they help their their cats fulfil the higher levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs - I’m not sure how self-actualisation works for a cat, I’m referring to “Esteem” and “Love & Belonging” - needs to be tailored to each cat) & how to meet them.
Do you think Lord Veterinari would have given Wuffles up to Foul Ol’ Ron? The Lord Veterinari who not only left a dog biscuit on Wuffles’ grave every week after his eventual death; but never a yellow one, because Wuffles didn’t like those. In The Truth Wuffles was, after all, in a situation where he could, by your reasoning, have chosen his home. My guess would be scorpion pit time for anyone who tried to keep hold of Wuffles. I’m assuming OP doesn’t have a scorpion pit (but I’m prepared to be told I’m wrong…) but as a general sentiment regarding [attempted] pet theft* it seems reasonable. And indeed just as reasonable - & useful/helpful - as your post to go off on something of a Discworld tangent here, undatisfactory an analogy as it is.
- Obviously Foul Ol’ Ron et al were not dognappers, but rather were protecting Wuffles.[/quote]
Gosh that's a very long and irate post!
Interesting how some folks respond to an alternate perspective!
If the situation is as you say, then OP has nothing to worry about does she?
Cat can be let out and will choose to return home.
Neighbour is unlikely too 'imprison' him given that OP knows where she lives and vet has made it clear she cannot keep a cat that isn't hers.
It's a non-issue isn't it?