Cat now living elsewhere

My vets cat did this because she hated her brother. I was in the waiting room one day and remarked what a lovely cat the next patient had. It was the vets cat who had decided to live with her.

Had you thought that the cat may be pregnant again?

I had a cat that did this. I had 4 cats and he obviously didn't want to share, even though he was the youngest, newest addition. He was about 4 when he moved. Once a month or so he would come back to visit, but never wanted to stay. If I shut him in he would get very agitated and would escape at the first opportunity. Once time he came back, he had been to the vets and had a surgical wound that was shaved and stitched. So he had a nice new family.

Could she be pregnant again?

We had two separate cats who left home, one after I’d given birth to my first child. This cat had been extremely close to me throughout my pregnancy. She returned occasionally & briefly, and we tried to persuade her to stay, but she didn’t seem able to accept a baby in the house. We knew where she had moved to and that she was well cared for.

The second cat, years later, moved out when we got a dog. Dog and cat had a calm relationship, but our cat wouldn’t stay. We tried and tried to find him after he left but eventually gave up.

Two years later he reappeared. Walked into the house, checked everything, was really affectionate, then left for good. We still had the dog.

We’ve had other cats and dogs and children over the years, and all have lived in harmony.

We had a pure white cat years ago “snowy toes” who after we moved from Devon to Sussex moved out and across the road to an elderly lady. He grew enormous living off the fat of the land, no wonder he moved out as clearly cat food wasn’t good enough in our house.

But the lady adored him and we were reconciled to his rejection of us.

The oldest cat I have had wandered from the next road where he belonged and its owner put him on the " missing " list online. On seeing the picture I rang the owner and told her that the cat kept coming here. Although the woman told me not to feed it she made no attempt to collect him and take him and there it ended about 6/7 years ago and he's still here.

One thing though, the cat had a red collar ( no name ) which I'd left on him because he wasn't mine but a few months later he'd had the collar removed when he came in after his usual walkabout. I believed there were a few cats living at the house so maybe he felt pushed out.

She’s definitely not pregnant as my daughter managed to get her spayed after the kittens were born ! It just seems a bit sad she’s so overweight but there’s nothing we can do about it.

I am a cat person and like the way that they decide where to live however it is sad when they choose somewhere else.

A cat turned up at my DD's back door. My DD did not encourage her, but the DGC did! She looked hungry so they gave her some kitchen scraps. She became a regular visitor, and has now moved in.
DD did find out who the cat belongs to, and spoke to the owner who was disappointed that her cat had moved out and was living elsewhere, but she also understood that things had changed in her household, her last child has left for university. Perhaps the cat needed the company od children.
DD told the cat's owner that she is welcome to visit her whenever she would like to.

Not my cat (and not my house either) but funny.

That’s one thing with dogs, they stick with you through thick and thin.

Cats are free spirits, so you never really own them, they just decide to stay.
We used to get a 'stealth' cat that sneaked in through the cat flap, and we only heard him when his collar hit the food bowl.
As one of our cats was dopey, we couldn't change to a magnetic flap because he was afraid of the click it made.
Eventually we discovered that 'Squeak' was in fact a rather grand Gabriel who used to be a stray and was used to sneaking in to steal food. Young mum was distraught as he was much loved and well looked after. We never solved it, they moved away, and that was that!

The cat should be spayed. Perhaps her new owners will realise this.

A dog would never do this. They are faithful even in death, as in the case of Grey Friars Bobby.

I think cats are very much independent and do just as they please!!! We have 2 half Bengal cats, now nearly a year old which we adopted at 7 months when their previous owner found them too much to handle! They are brother and sister, now both spayed and very different characters. The male is very loving and gentle while his sister is much more fiesty and def in possession of cattitude! Now they go out, they both need to keep coming back every half an hour or so just to check we’re still here I think and to see if there is anything else to eat - they are well fed honestly. I’m sure that if any of the neighbours fed them they would love them too and possibly move out!

We adopted a "stray". Several weeks later the owner turned up. It transpired that they had got a new scary dog. They let us keep the cat who would have only come back to us anyway. She lived to a ripe old age. Nowadays, microchips are more common so we could have found where she came from.

About 15years ago there was a stray cat who lived in our outbuildings. She’d never come near us even though we tried for a few years. One day I looked out of the window and she was walking up to our back door with a kitten’s scruff in her teeth. She dropped it at the back door and trotted back to the outbuildings. A minute later, same thing with another kitten until there were 4 kittens at the back door. I didn’t know if she was showing us what a clever proud mum she was or that she needed help to feed them but she let us stroke them. After a few weeks of this they all hung around the house but over a short time period 3 of them disappeared but one stayed. We kept ‘Belch’ as a house cat. Some years later when my DD moved out she claimed Belch as hers and took her with her and they both settled in nicely. But Belch started disappearing for a few days at a time. When DD drove past an Indian neighbour’s house she saw Belch on their doorstep and stopped to talk to the lady living there. Apparently Belch loved Indian food which she said she regularly gave her and Belch eventually moved in with them! Obviously tasty Indian food is far more superior than the standard Gourmet she was getting at DD’s. ???

We had a rescue cat for years who disappeared early every evening coming home late at night. She ignored the food I put down as she got thoroughly spoiled at the local pub.

We have a neighbourhood cat that has shared herself around several houses in our close for years. She is not chipped and nobody knows where she originated from. She tends to sleep in our next doors house but is often in ours during the day.
In our neighbourhood online forum someone was saying her cat kept going missing (now home) and she was going to find out who was stealing it and report them to the police.
I can understand her being upset when her cat doesn’t come home but I would think stealing seems a bit harsh as cats seem to choose where they go. (Not the cat in our road)

A beautiful, old long haired tabby lives next door but one. His owner is out from the crack of dawn till late. He goes from house to house for affection. He doesn't care if you don't feed him, he just wants some love. He would move in with me if I let him. Mother cats often reject kittens when they are grown to prevent inbreeding and get her ready for her next brood.

Gill33

She’s definitely not pregnant as my daughter managed to get her spayed after the kittens were born ! It just seems a bit sad she’s so overweight but there’s nothing we can do about it.

Jackiesue

cornishpatsy

I am a cat person and like the way that they decide where to live however it is sad when they choose somewhere else.

I had a stunning Bengal and he kept going to a neighbours house. When I was in Spain my DIL phoned to say someone had put a note through my door to say that the cat had a swelling on his cheek. I phoned my vet and said I would settle the bill when I got home so my DIL took him to the Vet. I put a note on the cats collar saying do not feed me. Most of the time my cat stayed home, on another occasion I went round this neighbours home to collect him. Then when he was quite elderly he went missing again I went to the house again and the man carried him to the front door after this the cat was quite ill and after a stay at the Vets he had to be put down the Vet thought that he had eaten rat poison. I will never forgive this couple who had my cat in their house and were feeding him. I would have noticed he was ill much sooner and got him treated. To everyone DO NOT FEED A CAT THAT Does not belong to you unless it clearly is a stray. If you want a cat, get one of your own. I notice the first couple did not take him to the Vet when he had a swelling on his cheek. Also how would you know the cats dietary needs, people who feed other people’s cats could be feeding them something that is not good for them and what if the cat was on medication.

I must ask - is your cat chipped ? If it is, at least you can prove ownership.
Cats can be quite fickle creatures and are renowned for going anywhere they are likely to get fed!
I would guess that as her litter is grown, she feels that she has done her job and it's ok to wander at will once more. Sometimes the fact that you are keeping some of her young will make her feel unwanted.
As others have said, she may well already be pregnant again so has found a new space for peace and quiet away from the kittens.
I think that you DD may have to accept that she now only has 2 cats that she will hopefully chip and neuter as soon as she can . The mum cat may well continue to wander between the two houses or may just stay put. I think it's too late to do the litter tray outside trick to bring her home though.

Where I live there is a very old feral cat who lives at various homes, currently with a lovely couple of older people. Neighbour's tell me that he used to have a home but has been living the hobbit life for the last thirteen years.A friend's cat would often disappear for a few weeks at a time but always returned home, until one day he didn't come back. After a couple of years they got another cat and assumed the first one had decided to live elsewhere. Nine years later he strolled back into their kitchen, sniffed the cat bowl and demanded food. The newish cat was not impressed. After that he came and went as he chose.
I'm afraid I'm not a great fan if cats these days, even though I've had them over the years. No loyalty, they just use us and we put up with it.