Cat knapping?

[Roughquest]

I have had an increasing problem with my cat going 'missing' - lately he had not appeared for his food and only this morning I awoke to the sound of his meowing and then heard next door open their patio doors and then the meowing stopped. I got out of bed and went down to tap his food bowl as I know what my cat sounds like and he didnt appear, I went to the garden fence and peered over to see my cat inside next doors kitchen ! He saw me and could not get out. I was most upset and angry as they know he blongs to me, so neighbour opened upstairs window to see me calling my cat and I asked if she could let him out please, to which she got her husband to do this, no apology ! I was livid. How can I avoid this happening again?

[iheartruby]

Surely the only way to deal with this is to either keep puss indoors permanently or tell them to stop letting him in as you're not happy about it.
Or are they unapproachable?
I certainly would have a word - no way would I have someone else housing my pet.

[campbellking]

Maybe your kitty is as nosy as Campbell cat who lives here. She managed to go missing for 2 days last summer, having got herself locked in somebody's house (who then went to stay at his girlfriend's). She remerged from beneath his floorboards when he came home, filthy dirty, and no wiser for the experience, as the first thing she did after food and a clean up was to go into our next door neighbour's house through an open window. When we were looking for her, we did discover that she socialises with an awful lot of people down our street. She's been a bit better behaved this summer, but who knows where she'll go next....

[abstibus]

Two friends of mine had a Siamese cat that got itself into next door's removal van. They had to travel from Birmingham to Edinburgh to collect it.

[garner]

You know roughquest it might not be your next door whats at fault, it could be your cat.They are funny creatures our cats and if they take to a household they make it their second home its as if they need a reserve so to speak.In fairness , at least they are ok with him its better than being nasty like some people can be towards cats. g

[lizzydrippin]

Cats tend to choose where they want to live and don't really 'belong' to any owner as such. We can choose to take responsibility for their welfare with regards to food, vet visits, flea and worming treatments etc (though I can't help wondering whether the neighbours actually want that part as well as the cats company). One of my cats spends at least half of her time at an elderly neighbours house who lives 4 houses along from me, I know she loves to be there and also loves to come home sometimes, I don't mind in the least, as long as my cats are safe and happy I don't mind if other people want to love them and invite them in. It would only become an issue if someone was going to move away and want to take the cat with them and in that case I would let the cat go wherever I thought it would be the happiest. Cats are normally quite good at letting you know exactly what they want.

[yelofox]

Where I work - down the back is a load of houses - Every day there is a lovely grey and white cat and a tabby and white cat, that waits for me to come out at lunch time to give them a stroke. one day the owner of the cats was in her garden - I asked if she minded me talking to them and she didnt - she told me they were called Tom and Tilly. - Its nice to see them everyday.

If for some reason they are not there I call them and they both come running!

[goosing]

one of my cats has made friends with a student living a few doors away - mainly due to some tins of tuna - when he realised I was the cats main servant he introduced himself and said he was missing his own cat at home. He's promised not to take her indoors, just to play with her in the garden

[slinkycat]

i shouldn't worry too much, as much as we love them, cats are opportunists, if they think they can have dinner at yours and dessert at a neighbours, then they will. We had a cat who spent all day in the corner shop next door, getting lots of attention from the owners and customers, and she only came home when the shop shut each day. The shop owners were as devastated as us when she died.
Rosie wasn't daft, she had two loving families!

[twinny_15]

I too had a cat who visited a neighbour, it was my daughter's cat and she got upset about her being missing,so I had a word with neighbour and discovered his wife was terminally ill and found comfort with sooty so I explained to my little girl and had to get new kitty.