other people and your outdoor cat

i like to stalk the neighbourhood cats so i can stroke them! how do people who own outdoor cats feel about strangers stroking their cats? do you worry they're about to kidnap them or does it make you happy to see that your cat is appreciated ?

 

when I used to have outside/inside cats for me it depended on the people. I didn't like perfect strangers messing with my cat but people I knew didn't bother me. I used to let my little meezer, Missy, go outside now and then - until someone stole her. She's very tiny and it might have been assumed she was homeless. She was gone 3 days and when I put a poster at the local store she was home that night.

I did have a cat that used to attend all the neighborhood BBQs...needless to say she was a bit plump.

I wasn't comfortable with strangers making of my cats...knowing full well what goatlickers can do to cats makes me leery and it's one of the many reasons why my cats don't go outside any more.

 

I'd be concerned with strangers 'handling' my baby but on the other side of the coin, I have to admit that when hubby and I first moved into our house, I had been kittyless for over 10 years and a neighbor's cat would come running up to me as soon as I would step out of the car or house. She was soooo friendly that I couldn't resist petting and playing with her. But aside from water, I wouldn't give her anything else in fear of dietary problems. I really enjoyed her company and could tell that she enjoyed mine.

 

I don't think I would mind strangers playing with Kyrre. But I WOULD mind if someone stalked/chased him so that they could pet him. [-X

Everybody above the age of 10! should know that a cat who doesn't want to be held, shouldn't be held! And a cat that wants to be left alone, should be left alone!

A six year old girl in my neighborhood is constantly coming over to "hug the cat", and she really squeeze him!
"How to treat animals" should be on all parents' agenda :m10:

 

I live on a road with several kids, mostly over the age of 10. They love the cats so much and every day they stop by and pet them when they walk home from school. Sometimes I peek out the window to make sure everything is OK. All I ever hear is them talking sweetly and petting them nicely. I really have no worries with these great kids and the cats love the attention.

My Wrigley is the indicator. She can't be approached by anyone she doesn't trust. When I see her allowing the kids to pet her I know everything is good.

 

I don't mind people stroking my cats but I do worry someone will kidnap them, recently I heard someone trying to coax my cat courtney out of my back garden at 2am and i got up to call her in because it just seemed susspicious I guess.

Also years ago my cat Tango went missing for about 3 - 4 days, there were a few new houses being build right next to ours at the time and we suspected that perhaps he was traped in one of the new buildings so we went out in the middle of the night to call him (thinking we'll be able to hear him better at night time because its so quiet)

Now this is the strange thing .... a little black cat came up to me meowing right at me so I went to pet it and it ran a few feet then turned back round and started meowing at me again, my dad said 'follow it !' so I did and it ran into a neighbours house so I started to call for Tango again and I could hear him! He was in the house that the black cat had just lead me too!

Turned out the guy who owned the house was a complete drunk and he claimed he didn't know that our cat was trapped in his house (for 3/4 days), Tango was shut in an upstairs bedroom with no food or water and was a total nervous wreck, he had a big lump on his side and it looked like he'd been kicked, it was clear to me he'd kidnaped him.
We were just so happy to have him back, it has taken Tango quite a few years to get back to his old self since that happened.

 

Poor Tango. :m10: I used to let Vene out and I loved it when my neighbor pets her. (Vene was a traitor) The neighbor was nice enough to ask me if it's ok to pet her. Milo got really sick recently from going outdoors and I worry about him getting trapped in garages and so forth so he's banned from going outdoors.

 

glad to hear tango is alright. did that little black cat belong to the drunk man do you know?
just wanted to clarify, when i meant 'stalk' i mean i remember where/when i saw certain cats on a particular street, so i 'look out for them' not necessarily chase them at full speed. i never intend to frighten them in anyway, but try the gentle approach.

 

hee hee hee...pepto...i doubt if you were maliciously stalking kitties...you would be posting on the cat forum!!!! doesnt seem to go hand in hand!!! lol lol

i have a black cat that lives across the street. he used to come over alot..and visit otis. i havent seen him much lately. i never let them sniff each other, because i didnt know what shots the kitty had had....

might have had a disease....

but i love that kitty. pet it every chance i get...

but....he uses my yard for a kitty box. little presents everywhere :shock:

 

lol i'm sorry that made me laugh :lol:

i live in da hood and so i'd pesonally be wary about ANYONE touching my cats - that is if they were outdoor cats which they aint

but then again i worry about everything... so maybe dont listen to what i think lol

theres a cat that lives in the building here and she's outdoors all the time. She's a black and white with the white bib on type thing. She's so cute and i feel so bad for her that she's not getting any love to i talk to her and pet her once and awhile.

i'm a sucker for a furry face. *pauses.. looks around* on PETS... not people... pets... *slinks off* lol

 

eternal flame...i love your new little picture.....

 

Pepto, I didn't think you actually meant stalking the cats! I used to pet a cat down my old street called 'squeeker' he was a big ginger tom and he always came to me for a fuss, I had spoken to his owners and they were fine with me stroking him.
The black cat was owned buy the drunk man I think , but I'd never seen the cat before and I don't remember seeing him again.

 

We used to have a neighboring kitty - Domino :cry: I really liked Domino he used to hang out with my cat Sessy. Domino disappeared over the summer. I told his owner the year Sessy disappeared that he really should keep Domino in at night, but he wouldn't. Now he wants another cat and my boss (friends with Domino's owner) told him to see me - I told her I won't be his reference unless he changes his way about letting a cat out at night. Everyone in our area loses cat every year to wildlife and as long as this animal is fed it'll hang around and continue to get cats.

So Domino was a neighborhood cat that I used to spoil

 

Last night at my monthly book club meeting (at a girl's house who has two dogs)....one of my friends who NEITHER her NOR her husband ever had any pets while growing up or now. I have told her before that it's good for kids to grow up with animals, teaches them compassion and how to care for something else. My friend said that her 1 year olds favoried magnets are of a dog and cat....so the friend who has the dogs, brought out one of her dogs....the little boy LOVED the dog!!!! We were all really playing it up for my friend, and I think after seeing her son's reaction to the dog, she might be getting a puppy sometime.
Bad thing is that I don't really know how she'll be with a dog (she'll need some training pre-puppy purchasing time).

 

well pepto i'd just like to say the way I see it all the people who own outdoor cats can't be all that concerned about what happens to them or they wouldn't be "outdoor" cats which is an oxymoron in and of itself! So anyway go ahead and give them some love atleast someone is!!