How can I get my cat back ?!!

[Redrum]

This has been going on for months now and I have had enough and dont know what to do next. Some people have been keeping our cat in, feeding him also. Each time we let him out he goes straight to this house and the people have admitted they thought he was a stray (he is microchiped and returns without his collar time and time again), I have reported them to the police. 4 days ago our cat has disappeared again, tonight I have been round to these people and politely asked if they had seen our cat to which they replied, 'oh yes, we have been keeping him in today cos it was raining' and we have been feeding him and keeping him in cos he is happy here" - I asked why they had not phoned me (they have had my number for ages) they said they refused to after getting the police involved, so I again told them i was reporting this matter to the police as they guy had by now told me to 'f' off, he then said go to the effing police and slammed the door in my face ! I am distraught and so so upset, why do people feel they have the right to do this ? I have been to the police and await what will happen next if anything.

[paraffin]

Hi Redrum:

A sad tale indeed and one I can relate to because exactly the same thing happened to us quite a few years ago but it wasn't a bad tempered affair for us, luckily.

Basically, from how you describe this, it seems almost to amount to theft and I believe you'd be perfectly entitled to involve the Police.

The bottom line is that no one decided to feed your cat except these people and this situation's entirely down to them. They know they shouldn't be feeding it and the problem wouldn't have arisen had they just ignored your cat in the first place.

Good luck.

[pastafreak]

You might actually try posting this in LAW.......I seem to remember reading that cats are not viewed as 'property' in the same way as dogs because of their natural tendency to wander. Good luck anyway.

[ruthann58]

once he comes home i would be inclined to keep him in so he cant go to theirs, cause while they feed him he will keep going back good job he is chipped at least you have got proof he is yours , good luck i hope you can get this sorted out xx

[samuelcat]

I don't think there is much you can do.
They say you cant chose a cat,they choose you.
We had a cat that decided it wanted to live with an elderly couple up the road.Aside from keeping puss locked in our house we could not stop it. We spoke to them and they were happy to keep him.
From the other side of the problem we gained a cat from a neighbour.We had a young kitten and there cat wasn't much older and they became play mates. We try to discourage him but he just kept coming back.
Eventually they asked if we wanted to take full responsibility for him and he has been part of our family for 7 years.

[madmaggot]

I had the same thing happen with one of my cats. I spoke to the neighbour and asked them not to feed her but they said she just comes in on her own. They said they thought she was a stray because she looked ill. I told them that she was on medication which was administered in her food and that if they fed her she was not getting the medication; that was why she looked ill.
It was OK for a while then started happening again. I again went round and explained the situation and told them that if they insisted on feeding her they would have to give her the medication and also get the supplies from the vet. I showed them the bills for �45/month.
After that she returned home as normal; seems that when they thought it was going to hit them in the pocket things changed and all of a sudden it became possible to stop her going there!

[Whoever]

Is there any reason why your cat keeps visiting this couple? There may be one or more things about your home which your cat has started to dislike, whereas it finds the other place more congenial.
1. Do you continually play loud music? Cats like peace and quiet.
2. Do you have noisy children? Again, these often make cats nervous and jumpy.
3. Does anybody in your house smoke? Cats often do not like the smell of tobacco.
4. Do you work which causes your cat to be shut out all day, in the rain which it may not like?
5. Is your cat given plenty of attention or neglected? It sounds as if the couple who are encouraging him may be retired and have plenty of time to fuss him, let him sleep in the dry undisturbed wherever he likes and let him be the centre of attention whereas perhaps he might not be in your house.
Cats are very fussy creatures. Sadly, you can never really "own" them. They have minds of their own and if they feel somebody else is treating them better, they may well desert. I hope the police can help sort this issue out for you, but short of keeping your cat locked in all day, which would be very cruel, especially in good weather, I'm not sure how else you can resolve the problem,

[MWB]

Perhaps you can take a new kitten round to your neighbours & give it to them in return for your cat.

They MIGHT go for this. Not a lot of people can resist kittens.

I can feel your distress, good luck.