Gransnet forums

Pets

I've brought you a present -said by the cat

(105 Posts)
grandtanteJE65 Mon 19-Jul-21 10:56:29

Usually when cats proudly bring you a present, it is a bird or a mouse, as I am sure you will all agree.

Mine has done this too in the past, but this summer he has proudly presented me with A CAT!

A young, healthy, adult tom cat, who acknowledges our cat as the elder cat in authority here and treats him with great respect, but quite plainly regards me as Mummy!

The new cat is a stray and no-one has come forward to claim him, nor is he chipped or tattooed.

The old cat looks fondly and proudly on when the youngster cuddles me or marches into the house looking for me. He evinces no jealousy at all, but does insist that he still has precedence and reserves the right to turf the other out if he gets tired of him.

"Out" being a foot or so from the back door for ten minutes - nothing to worry about at all.

Anyone else been given a cat by the resident cat?

We rather suspect our old cat knows he won't be here much longer and has provided us providently with his successor!

Gwyneth Tue 20-Jul-21 23:01:23

I’m also a cat owner and I really enjoyed reading your post. Your cat sounds lovely.

Nanna58 Wed 21-Jul-21 11:34:52

I think you have a generous and loving cat who is making sure you have the company you will need when he’s gone- how lovely!

jaylucy Wed 21-Jul-21 11:40:45

Oh how lovely!
I would check social media - and post in your local community group to see if anyone has lost the cat and check with a local vet to see if the youngster is chipped. Male cats are reknowned for wandering sometimes great distances.
You may be just really lucky and your old cat may well have brought you a special gift, but a good idea to make sure he isn't being missed by someone else first!

Brownowl564 Wed 21-Jul-21 11:41:32

That is super cute and didn’t make me, as a cat owner, well up at al!

LouLou21 Wed 21-Jul-21 11:42:11

I went into the street to call my cat and a woman several doors down was calling hers, when the cat came sauntering up the woman said that’s my cat, I had to show her a photograph of the cat as a kitten before she would believe me,evidently my cat had been eating and sleeping at hers for months.

Aepgirl Wed 21-Jul-21 11:53:24

Some years ago, long before e-mails and FaceBook, a very elderly cat sat on my doorstep and refused to leave. I gave it water but not food as I thought it would go home when hungry. Anyway, it stayed all day and into the evening so we brought it indoors (we are not cat lovers, but felt quite sorry for it) and put it into the utility room overnight. The next morning it greeted us warmly. We asked around, nobody claimed it or knew anything about it. We bought it food and it stayed with us for a couple of months. Then one evening a lady just down the road knocked on our door and accused us of ‘kidnapping’ her Sally. We brought Sally out to her, she took one look and fled back indoors. We took her back to the lady’s but the next day Sally was back on our doorstep. We kept her for about 10 months until she sadly died. The vet thought she was about 14 years old. Then her ‘owner’ gave us a box of chocolates for looking after her!

paperbackbutterfly Wed 21-Jul-21 11:53:56

We only had our youngster a few months when he came back with an identical cat! 10 years on and they are like brothers. Where one goes the other follows. Maybe he was lonely on his own? smile

Daisydaisydaisy Wed 21-Jul-21 11:54:18

Awww thats so lovely.. are you happy to be adopted Mum?

Venus Wed 21-Jul-21 11:57:12

Lovely story and what a kind cat you have brought up. I hope they remain friends for many more years together.

JdotJ Wed 21-Jul-21 11:57:24

Heartwarming

sandelf Wed 21-Jul-21 12:03:44

Absolutely wonderful!!

SooozedaFlooze Wed 21-Jul-21 12:06:53

I have an ex stray tom who has a mate that he lets in the garden to eat his food & make himself at home.

Susysue Wed 21-Jul-21 12:08:51

Ohhh lovely stories. Grandtante, you should write a book, you have a great way of telling a tale. Aren't animals wonderful. I have dogs not cats and they do make me laugh with their antics. Unfortunately terrified of all rodents so don't think I will ever be a cat owner just in case presents are brought in!!

Willow500 Wed 21-Jul-21 12:18:27

Over the years we became known in the feline world as the best cat hotel in the area so decided there must be a notice somewhere when a vacancy arose - one out one in kind of thing grin although at times the one out hadn't quite made it so we were a little over booked!

Now we've moved we are down to the last two we've had for some years so thought word hadn't reached the new locals however this morning I found the attached waiting patiently grin

Smurf52 Wed 21-Jul-21 12:20:36

How sweet is that. grin

Rosycheeks Wed 21-Jul-21 12:22:43

My cats girlfriend lives next door. She would come in all the time if I let her my cat wouldnt mind. She is always in our garden you would think she was ours.
My cat brought home mice ive had 2 dead rats. Frogs ive just found a crispy one this morning when I pulled out a cupboard but the odd one was 2 bats. One was dead the other we didnt notice until we came home that night. Thankfully it was alive so we let it out to freedom. I found out latter if you find a bat you should get in touch with the Bat protection league. I now subscribe to them I like Bats. I phoned the vet about rabies, they said there isnt any but I could have the cat vac'd if I wanted its the vac for if you take your pet out of the country, oh how much I asked £50 was the reply I said I would wait until my cat was foaming at the mouth!

annodomini Wed 21-Jul-21 12:25:11

Willow500 ? lol!

Alioop Wed 21-Jul-21 12:30:43

What a lovely story showing how having pets brings so much joy to our hearts.

Cressida Wed 21-Jul-21 12:32:57

Our cat brought us a CAT too. We've had her for 4 years now.

He'd tried unsuccessfully on a couple of previous occasions but his first attempt was busted by social media when the cat turned out to be a well known local stray who's 'patch' included a Sainsbury's Local. He'd never have stayed.

Attempt 2 was doomed to failure from the start as we recognised Bruce immediately. He belonged to a neighbour but was looking for a 'better' home.

His 3rd attempt was a tiny female that we found under a fruit tree. Kitt had to have brought her into the garden because he would have had to show her the route under the decking. She wasn't chipped and we had no success finding her owner so we gave in and arranged for her to be neutered through Cat's Protection. It turned out that she was over a year old and had already been spayed but the vets didn't discover that until they opened her up.

GrannySomerset Wed 21-Jul-21 12:34:16

Great stories. How I miss our late lamented felines but daren’t have anything DH could fall over. We used to say his mother could trip on a bus ticket and he is far worse.

Most unusual gift to us was a young magpie, dragged in somehow through the cat flap and then released. Flew into the hall to perch on the grandfather clock whilst swearing mightily at the totally unconcerned cat. Opened the front door and retreated until our reluctant visitor flew off. Cleaning up the clock was a major job.

poshpaws Wed 21-Jul-21 12:35:21

Thank you for your lovely and so well written post!

I've been in animal rescue for over 30 years and have been lucky enough to witness some amazing friendships between animals (often of different species to one another) and it's just so heartwarming. I do hope your original cat lives many more years to teach his new apprentice all the ropes!

I'm going to add a couple of photos I've always loved - one of my late Chinese Crested Dog, Winston sitting on my late husband's lap with the baby rabbits we were handrearing, and one of my dear old JRT, Jane, nursing the orphaned piglet she adopted when her own singleton puppy was stillborn. I hope they make you smile as much as your post did for me. thanks

Blondiescot Wed 21-Jul-21 12:37:11

My husband was never much of a cat lover, but years ago, we came home one freezing cold night to hear meowing in our garden and found a ginger tom sitting huddled on the garage roof. Well, we took pity on him and brought him inside and fed him some tuna. The next day, we discovered that neighbours down the street had emigrated to Australia and abandoned the poor cat. He "adopted" us and lived with us until a ripe old age. One day, he came sauntering in with a live rabbit in his mouth, which he promptly dropped on the kitchen floor - the poor thing dashed behind the cooker and my husband had to dismantle it to get it out and let it go free.

Riggie Wed 21-Jul-21 12:39:28

We rather suspect our old cat knows he won't be here much longer and has provided us providently with his successor!

I was thinking that as I read through!! And I'm not even a cat person. (By which I mean I like other people's cats ?, but could never have one as I'm allergic).

TwiceAsNice Wed 21-Jul-21 12:49:50

My cat is a house cat except for going on my long flat balcony where she loves to sunbathe so no offerings although she is fascinated to try and reach tiny insects if she spots them.

DD has two cats they bring in occasional birds much to everyone’s disgust and last night I stopped Hermione trying to hurt an enormous moth she’d spotted in the front garden. It was carried through the house and let go in the back garden. Hermione was livid!

Purplepoppies Wed 21-Jul-21 12:51:16

Someone I know had a cat who kept sneaking into the neighbours house and stealing a kitten (always the same one) and bringing it home. The lady kept returning it until the owner gave up and said keep it! Once it was a fully paid up member of the family, the kitten stealer wasn't interested in it anymore!
But the kitten stealer has also bought home other people's underwear, babies toys, used condoms and a bag of heroin!
Me personally, I prefer dogs ?