Cat disappears for days at a time.

DD does not set out to feed her visitor. He's a bit of a bruiser and her own little cat can't stop him. He also batters the cat flap, makes an awful racket when he decides to come in and avail himself of the comforts of DD's home.

People feeding other people's cats really annoys me, I've had cats with food allergies that I ended up unable to let out at all. People should think of other people's vets bills when taking responsibility that isn't theirs. I'd never feed someone else's cat unless I was sure I had a stray on my hands

I also had a temporary cat a few years ago. He was a stray my neighbour pointed out to me. He was living under their carport and they were feeding him. He'd been there 2 or 3 weeks in bad weather, so I took him in. He settled straight in, was a bit lively.

After a month, he started wanting to go out and gradually stayed out longer and longer. Eventually he only came back at night and even then only if I called him, and was never hungry.

I stopped calling him and didn't see him again.
I think he had a home and had got lost, but then eventually found his way home again and just popped back to visit me.

We had a visiting cat for a while last year. He lived across the road, and seemed to like my husband who really isn't keen on cats!
The family moved house and took him with them.?

You can get smart cat flaps which only reads your cats microchip so no interlopers, also even smarter ones which tell your phone what cats gone out and you can put a curfew on to shut them in at night if you want. You can also get tracker collars so you can pinpoint on your phone where your cat is- might be useful if you have a wanderer.

Maybe somewhere else has a more appetising menu?

Update:- now DDs interloper cat has disappeared. They were so used to him being around that now they're worried. They'd got so fond of him. Their own cat is having a whale of a time with the food bowl to himself for a change. What's happened to the mystery cat?

Geekesse
Yes Six Dinner Sid definitely springs to mind!

It is said that many cats have more than one home.

geekesse

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My daughter had, and loved, this book. Now my grandson has it too.

We have cats so even a 2 year old can understand a greedy cat.

My brother had two male cats who were brothers. When they had their first baby one of the cats just moved on to another childless couple. When DB was moving abroad, he went to see the other couple to explain and they were happy to keep the cat on a permanent basis. Whereas his home loving brother was crated up and flown abroad ?

Everyone near where I live know where my Oliver lives and have "shoo'd" him home if he gets too comfortable when he goes visiting.
Only once did he stay out for 2 nights when I was really worried but he had invited himself into next doors house and hidden in a bedroom.
No one feeds him so he has to come home I make sure he is in by 8pm and then lock the cat-flap I always leave out a litter tray for during the night most times it is not used.

www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Dinner-Sid-Inga-Moore/dp/0340894113/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&crid=1041Z90GL8NCU&keywords=six+dinner+sid&sprefix=Six+dinner+%2Caps%2C273&tag=gransnetforum-21&qid=1602596046&sr=8-1

Coincidentally, my DD just sent me this pic of the cat that seems to be taking over their home. She looked down and there he was just watching TV with her!

The mother has been neutered as we just wanted one litter of kittens from her as we had homes for them all with family and friends. We wouldn’t want her to litters of unwanted kittens so we responsibly had her neutered after these were born. At the moment my daughter is keeping the kittens in so they can’t wander with Mum to the other house. The spray bottle is a good idea but I think the man she’s going to wouldn’t use it as he seems oblivious to anything that is said to him. He just says what a lovely cat she is and I think wants her round. He has a family so it’s not as though he’s lonely and on his own. I think if the kittens eventually go out there’s nothing we can do to stop them. I think my daughter has tried thane something really tasty when she returns but it hasn’t really worked. Thanks for all your responses though even if just to reassure me that it’s what I thought- nothing that she can redo.

My step mother 'adopted' a cat that she said was a stray. "No way" I thought when I saw it. It came in through french doors during the day and the started to stay nights as well. It would disappear for a few days /weeks sometimes at first.

She didn't have any pets. So she bought bowls and food. I pity the lovely home it came from.

Sorry to say but your daughter has probably lost her cat and kittens. Perhaps if they do come back the lady could be given a kitten?

There are 2 cats upstairs, both went into isolation at the beginning of lockdown !!!!????
Now as the dog is now downstairs with me during the day the cats have come out.
One of them has been coming down here in the evenings when the Dog goes up.
DD says to me yesterday,,, "have you seen Link", male cat, " he has not been in at night for a week.
OOps, reminded her he has been here for the past week, at least I think I told her !!
They all get on but the Dog always wants to play with the older cats.
I got one of those 'looks' that DDs are so good at giving
He went home last night, we shall see tonight !!!!

When one of my cats repeatedly visited a house about a mile away, they kindly phoned me each time to go and fetch her. I supplied them with a spray bottle for water, asking them to shoo her away. She eventually stopped going there.
However, she then started disappearing for a week at a time. The only sighting I had was when she was found unconscious on the roadside in the next village, about 3 miles across the fields. The vet thought she had been kicked! She always wears a collar with phone number, and I also added another tag asking 'where does this cat go?' I never had an answer, but she always returned well fed.
Fortunately as she has got older she barely goes out at all so I am spared the worry.

The water spray is something perhaps you could suggest.

No, you can't stop a cat from wandering, or from deciding that she prefers to live with a neighbour!

Please insist that your daughter has the cat neutered. It is not so likely to stop a female wandering off as a male, but it will prevent unwanted kittens.

Thanks for all your messages. I really didn’t think there was any solution but thanks for reading anyway.
We wanted one litter of kittens and my daughter has kept two and family have the other two. She has been neutered almost as soon as possible after the kittens were born as we are responsible owners.

images.app.goo.gl/deA5dcwoseiraYKJ6

Same question as Midgey- not only will it help, but more importantly, it would ensure that it does not allow the infernal vicious circle of more and ore unwanted and stray kittens.

One non neutered cat can lead to 100s of 1000s of more cats in a lifetime

Humans don't own cats. Cats choose where they will live and who will serve them.

Cats, unlike dogs, have no loyalty to their humans whatsoever. They're totally prepared to pack up and go somewhere else, without a backward glance, if they see something/somewhere that they like better. I've provided feline utopia for all of mine and, for the most part they've stayed with me but one, in particular, just upped and left and decided that the house a few doors down was a better option. I tried hauling her back, keeping her in, giving her treats when she did come in and even paid ££s for a Feliway plug in from the vets to make her feel calm and secure at home. All to no avail; she divorced me! Out of over 30+ cats, over the years, she was the only one who buggered off. I have found over the years that femail cats are less affectionate and loyal than tom cats.

Has the cat now been neutered? That helps enormously.