We occasionally agree to feed our neighbours' cat when they are away. In the first couple of days, it generally seems sweet and friendly - purrs a lot, rubs up against our legs, seems to enjoy being stroked etc. It appears without fail when we go to give it fresh food, whether it's inside the house or outside - it comes rushing towards us as soon as we arrive. But after its owners have been away for a few days, the cat starts to get a bit aggressive - it still purrs and rubs up against us, but it stands in front of the door and tries to swat us when we leave, and occasionally it tries to nip as well. My teenage dd was too scared last time to go and feed it again, and I must say that I didn't really enjoy it either.
Not being a cat owner myself, I know nothing about feline behaviour, but the only thing I can think of is that the poor cat may be feeling lonely if its owners are away for more than a couple of days? Is that possible? And if so, is there anything we can do to minimise the aggression?
The neighbours have asked us to help again next week, and we're not really sure what to say. Don't mind putting down food and water for the cat, but we haven't really got the time to spend hanging around and petting it etc. We did mention the aggression to the neighbours last time when they came back, but they didn't really say much... just something about the cat being grumpy.
Can anyone advise? I feel really sorry for the cat if it's craving company, but we can't provide that company so wondering if it might be better to tell the neighbours to make alternative arrangements?