I think my cat found a new family :(

[DianeSnizzy]

I have 4 cats. Three of them are strictly indoor cats. The fourth is in and out. Her name is Baby.

Well, I think Baby found a new family. Every time she goes out, she makes a dash for the house diagonally behind me. She's spayed, so I don't think it's a "boyfriend". She hangs out there for hours on end. When I come home, she'll come running to me, but she doesn't want to come in the house right away. Then, when she does come in, she'll have something to eat, look around, rest for a while, and then sit by the door to go back out.

The weather here is getting colder, so it's not because it's "springlike" weather. She didn't even come home last week when it was raining. :(

Do cats do this normally??

[catmandu]

Sometimes a Cat may find better accomidations.
Thats how Tubby 2 , Scrappy 2 and Moose came to live here.
And why Elizabeth took up residence heres, Scout and Gary too.
Maybe Baby is the only Cat there.
Is there a way you can see Baby is all right?

[Logan]

That is exactly how I got my Butter. I found out, about six months after he joined me, that the lady who cared for him for about six months before, lived just across the creek from us. She never let him inside. How he found me, I will never know, but he came, and he stayed. He visits my neighbors on occasion, but mostly hangs out at our house. He is an indoor/outdoor cat because that is the only way he will have it. We have moved since I got him and he has been just fine. I hope your kitty will be fine, too.

Logan

[DianeSnizzy]

I think you both may be right. Baby Kitty gets annoyed at 2 of the cats (who, incidentally are HER kittens --- but they're now 3 years old!) and doesn't bother too much with the other cat (who doesn't bother with anyone, anyway).

It's funny.... when you mentioned that the cats came to live with you from other families. That's how Baby came to live with me. About 5 years ago, she was just hanging out in a tree in front of our house. She was there for a few days. The boy next door asked if I had cat food. Well, instead of bringing the food out to her, I let her IN the house and fed her and let her sleep. Needless to say, we got attached to one another. How can you NOT get attached to a ball of fur that purrs as loud as a Harley Davidson and cuddles up with you? LOL!! She was about 6-9 months old at the time.

About a year and a half later, some other kid (14 years old or so) saw her and CLAIMED she was his cat. I told him no, that I have had her for well over a year and, if he wants to claim her now, he'll have to give me all the $$$$ I laid out for vet bills, etc. (LOL! I wasn't about to give her up) He told me that he had two cats that looked exactly the same and one of them had gone missing "a while ago". Anyway, he didn't take her back and she stayed with us.

Well, looking back on it, this kid lived in the same house --- the one diagonally behind us. We're all renters here and I don't think the kid even lives there anymore, but that was the house he lived in when he tried to claim Baby.

I'm thinking also that someone there is probably feeding her or letting her in to sleep or whatever. She's a beautiful cat --- tortoise shell and striped ---- and very, very affectionate. If she feels more comfortable there, that's cool with me. But I'll definitely miss her! :(

[Catty1]

When I lost a cat once, I posted a sign and picture saying "If he is living with you and eating all your food, that's fine. I just want to know he's okay!"

And I got to see him as an only cat in his new home. :)

Diana, don't be afraid to check with your neighbour, just to make sure she's ok with it, and that you are glad she has a good home. Just reassure her you are not there to take her back!

Um...does that mean you have room for another rescue? :)

[Bengalz]

Diana,

Eve became our furbaby recently after she decided she wanted to be an only child. She was adopted by our neighbour along with one of her kittens. Once the kitten grew up Eve would have nothing more to do with her and wandered the neighbourhood. Eventually she came to us and stayed :) Our neighbour naturally felt bad at first however, came to the realization that Bella (the baby) was her cat and Eve wanted/needed attention of her own. (PS there are also 2 dogs in their household - probably too much competition for a kitty princess :p )

I agree with Catty - don't hesitate to speak to your neighbour. I hope everything works out well for everyone.

[DianeSnizzy]

Hi Catty,

I'll take a look over by the neighbor's house... if she's outside, I'll talk to her. I wouldn't mind Baby living with her so long as they're both happy together.

If it turns out she's NOT hanging out with that neighbor (even though I think she is because she ALWAYS makes a dash for that house when she goes out!), then I'll make a sign like you made. I'd rather know that Baby is safe, warm, full, and happy than not know.

Another kitty.... Hmmm.... I would LOVE it! But my hubby wouldn't!! He thinks we have too many cats as it is! One time, I heard a cat crying and crying. It was 11pm and I went out to investigate. My husband was yelling "don't bring any more cats in here!" (LOL!!) Well, I came back and told him "you're not going to believe this" and his first reaction was "I don't wanna know" (he thought I found a family of kittens). It actually turned out to be the across-the-street neighbor's cat stuck in a tree. She was waaaay up in the tree and couldn't get down. I called the Volunteer FD, but they said they couldn't do anything and to just wait because if the cat got up there, she can get down (which she did the next day)

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Hi Bengalz!

It's so true how some kitty princesses want to be the only ones in their queendom! LOL!!!!

My Snizzy (he's a boy) is THE king of the house! He's the only male cat and he lets it be known that he's the boss! He's the first to the food bowl, first to the water bowl, first to greet me in the morning, first on the bed with me at night, first on the clean, warm laundry basket.... I could imagine what he would do if I brought another male into the house. He would probably have a fit!!! LOL!!!!

[LilacDragon]

I am not understanding this whole outdoor cat thing.

My cat lives in my house. I don't have to worry about exposure to illness, poisoning, attacks by a dog, him being hit by a car, and I know that he is warm and fed.

There isn't much that bothers me more then finding kitty paw prints on my car, cat crap in my garden, dead cats on the side of the road, and having to slam on my brakes to keep from hitting a cat crossing the street.

I think it is pretty ironic that a lot of the time, some of the people who yell loudest about dogs that are kept outside and dogs running lose are people who have outdoor cats.

[Laura's Babies]

I think some cats are born to go to a certian person and sometimes it take a crazy journey for them to end up where they actually belong. Samantha always knew she was suppose to own me, she laid claim on me and my house 2 years before we could convienced her human that she belongs here. Her previous human said she wouldn't stay in the house, cried to get out all the time...(She would let her out and Samantha would run streight to my front door and cry to come in.) Here she has no interest in going outside.

When I lived in Florida, there was a cat that hung out at a friends house. Sometimes for days and then you wouldn't see him for days. I think Blackie had several or more homes and just spread himself around as the mood struck him.

[Logan]

I am not understanding this whole outdoor cat thing.

My cat lives in my house. I don't have to worry about exposure to illness, poisoning, attacks by a dog, him being hit by a car, and I know that he is warm and fed.

There isn't much that bothers me more then finding kitty paw prints on my car, cat crap in my garden, dead cats on the side of the road, and having to slam on my brakes to keep from hitting a cat crossing the street.

I think it is pretty ironic that a lot of the time, some of the people who yell loudest about dogs that are kept outside and dogs running lose are people who have outdoor cats.

I think that ideally, we would all like to have our cats safely indoors at all times. But everyone's situation is different. I can only discuss my own situation, obviously, and some of our members at Pet Talk, who have "known" my Butter since the day he came to me, probably understand why it is that I let him go outside when he wants to. Butter had obviously lived on his own for a long time (he was estimated to be 3-4 years old when I took him in) and that was in January 2001. To try and keep him inside, with his personality, would have been impossible, and he and I would have been very unhappy. I know it is a risk, but it is one that I have chosen to take for the sake of his happiness and my own sanity. Luckily, as he has gotten older, he pretty much sticks close to our house when he is outside, and we live on a very quiet culdesac, so I guess he is just about as safe as he is going to be. And thankfully, he really has begun to prefer the inside to the outside anyway. Most of his outside time is spent lying on one of the cars in the sunshine, or on the deck with the dogs.

I will never be able to adopt a cat through a rescue group because of my willingness to let my cat outdoors, but one day, when I'm ready to add a second cat to my household, I'm sure that I will be able to find one who needs us. Whether I will keep it inside all the time, I don't know, but I certainly would try.

Just wanted to try and give you an explanation and ask you to please don't make judgements when you don't really know the situation.