Can you ever 'own' a cat?

Cats make their own choice, when they can.

I am reminded of an old sketch French and Saunders did as two mad cat women. They used to say in strong West Country accents “You’ll never train a cat.” It was so funny.

You dont ever train a cat. They train you to attend to their needs.

Dogs have owners, cats have staff.

All our cats over the years have clearly been fond of us. Absolutely no need for the trite ' cats have staff' comments. Can only be made by those who don't really know cats.

People shouldn't feed what they see as stray cats.
This story is not unusual.
People should chip their pets as a precaution but no, we don't 'own' any animal really.

I don’t agree with ‘owning animals’ either. You take them in and make them part of your family. Both cats and dogs will generate towards anyone who offers them food but dogs are not usually allowed to roam like cats.

I prefer that cats are free spirits, we have had many cats over the years and apart from a couple of lap cats who preferred to stay with us, the rest loved being out and about though I don’t think other neighbours fed them. Unlike dogs most cats like their own company, they are not pack animals, and they don’t have the same attachment to an alpha male or female - the owner.

As they say, dogs have owners, cats have staff - which they choose!

A cat moved in to our neice's house and kept coming back no matter how much they threw it out.

Then they saw a missing cat post on their local online site and contacted the owner who collected the cat and kept it in for a few days.

A week later, DN went into the bedroom and found it curled up asleep on the bed. This happened twice more before they all bowed to the inevitable and it's real owner brought all it's stuff round and DN installed a catflap.

Dogs think they're human, cats know they are divine.

They choose people to feed and care for them, we do not choose them.

I agree with the other posters. Cats are free spirits. they make their own choices.

I think the story in the OP is very silly. It's absurd to go to such lengths. Let the cat choose...

I’ve lived with cats my whole life. I’ve never had one which was not happy and loving towards me. My present two are house cats because that’s what they were when I adopted them in middle age.
I think now that cats should be kept indoors as the outside world is full of dangers. In the future people will not think of letting their cats out to roam, poo in next door’s garden, kill the birds.
Dogs used to roam free but nobody would dream of allowing that now.
If your cats live indoors they will not move in with the neighbours.

We share our garden with a cat. She likes to watch us when we are out in the garden. She knows what she wants, but always keeps her distance from humans. I often think she wants something - but rarely know what- so I just chat to her whilst I peg out the washing. She has some favourite spots to soak up the sun, or keep out of the rain. I don’t think anyone owns her. She shares her presence with all the neighbours.

Our latest two Maine Coons were rehomed by us after their breeding days were over. We were apprehensive but found that they'd been beautifully trained by their breeder. Absolutely no problems with them. They didn't scratch furniture, pester us for food, jump up on work surfaces etc etc. They always used their litter tray. Excellent and well trained. Also very affectionate to DH and I and friendly and sociable with our visitors.

My cat is sitting on my knee as I type.
She would be here all day if I let her.
She is allowed out and has a cat flap but prefers to be indoors.
The one good thing though is she doesn’t have a litter tray, she prefers to go outside for that, preferably in my neighbours front border !!
She is an absolute darling.
I don’t own her, we live together in mutual harmony.

As I thought most agree cats will choose where to rest their oh so weary heads despite us humans wishing otherwise.

Sadgrandma

I don’t agree with ‘owning animals’ either. You take them in and make them part of your family. Both cats and dogs will generate towards anyone who offers them food but dogs are not usually allowed to roam like cats.

Most dogs I know wouldn't leave their owners just because someone else was offering tasty food. Dogs are greedy but they're also very attached to their owners.

Cats may be very attached to their owners but they seem to retain more independence & more likely to be "free spirits".

Dogs descend from pack animals, many big cats live solitary lives, I think it's just a genetic difference.

Put simply no you can’t own a cat, it’s the other way round x

No, no one will ever own a cat. Family lore from my childhood is that my mum & dad had a tabby cat called Simon. When my parents brought newborn me home from hospital, Simon took one look at this noisy, smelly bundle, stalked off down the garden path, crossed the road and took up residence in Mr & Mrs Bowen’s house, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Cats are imperious creatures with a mind of their own .
If they don't like living with you they will leave and if they don't like people they'll demonstrate it .
I had a unneutered tom Siamese once .
He was gentle with me and my kids ,but he nearly took a visitor's eye out.
I had another part Siamese and he attacked every workman who came to the house .
They refused to come .
And the vet refused to treat him unless fully sedated. His hands shook shook violently as he injected him and he said that he was dangerous !
And yet ,though he was playful with me -he never did anything vicious .

I've had a lot of rescue moggies .

By the far ,
the silliest cats that I've owned are Persians - too frightened to go in the garden alone .
A leaf landed on one of them and she was so frightened that she ran up a small tree and it was so difficult to extract her .

Since our little stray came to live with us a year ago, Ive been comparing the two species.

They can’t be compared - that I have learned.

My little terrier was totally bonded to us and gave us all his loyalty and love until the minute he died. He was at his absolute happiest when the three of us were together enjoying each others company especially on nice long walks. His world was complete as long as his pack was with him. So his need was entirely on the beings in his life.

My little cat is at the moment totally bonded to her territory and the humans it contains. She is at her happiest when her routine is identical to the day before and the day before that, including feeding, bed and daily routine. Her need is centred on her hunting grounds (the garden) her warm bed, her feeding and then us for protection, especially when she is sound asleep at night.

But would she be lost without us? The answer I think is that she would miss us for the routine and protection we give her, but she is hard-wired to survive.

Cats have only been domesticated for 10k or so years Dogs - at least 3 times that.

Legally, this depends on where you live.

The law in Denmark now states that ownership of cat only exists if the cat is chipped. Anyone taking in a stray cat should have the cat checked - if it is chipped, they may not keep the cat, but they or the vet, doing the checking, is obliged to contact the owner the cat is registered to. If that person no longer wants the cat, is able to keep it, or has died and no relatives are prepared to keep the cat, it can then be re-registered to the person who has take it in.

If the cat was not chipped, the finder may pay to have this done, and the cat can then not be claimed by anyone else, or put down by muncipal animal control, or by a person who dislikes cats and find it on their property.

I suspect this last group of people are not bothered by the fact that they should check if the cat is chipped or not.

Emotionally, it depends on your relationship to your cats, whether you "own" them or not. I talk to mine, and they respond with a variety of sounds or through body language.

They own me to the extent of being huffy if I am away too long in the course of the day, or have the temerity to go away for an overnight stay anywhere - we have not yet progressed to (perish the thought!) a holiday.

And when they want a cuddle, they expect me to drop whatever I am doing and oblige!

18 months after his death, they still occasionally look for my husband in his work-shop or stare at the empty sofa.

So who owns whom?

I love cats, they do give lots of love. I like their independance.
I have never had a cat disappear, one left home for two days
returning home very hungry. I would love another one but wary of the road here now, .Would not ever have a house cat because I just feel cruel, when I get family cats to look after and they have to stay in, they sit on the window sil looking out. I am a free spirit and need to get out myself so I understand..

I love cats,one visits every day..his owner left him, he is a good natured cat, arrives every morning for breakfast,then goes out on his travels,back for dinner, has a sleep on a chair...I've no idea where he goes at night, probably someone else takes him in..