What is it about my neighbour's cat?
By Humbug25
@Humbug25 (12540)
October 3, 2008 2:23pm CST
I do like cats, but my own, if I had one. I have like, craters in my front garden where my neighbour's cat has been sleeping in the long grass. If I am in the back garden hanging out the washing I hear him meeowing from a distance and then he appears from over the fence and will proceed to wrap himself around my legs. I will usually bend down, give him a friendly stroke, maybe have a chat with him and then crack on with hanging the washing out. Sometimes I go out to hang out the washing and he is already out there sitting on one of my garden chairs. The thing he seems to love the most is to make me jump out of my skin, like when I am washing the dishes in a daydream looking out the window and he will jump onto the bins that are positioned directly below the window sill outside.
I have never once fed 'Pilchard' or encouraged him to into my house, so why does he spend more time around my house than he does his own? I know how disloyal cats can be so I try not to let him feel too welcomed at my house. Have you ever lost your cat to a neighbour because they have fed it?
3 people like this
12 responses
@kellyjeanne (1576)
• United States
6 Oct 08
You won't like my answer! LOL!
I'm an animal lover - especially cats! They are so beautiful and there's something so enigmatic about them. If I got that kind of attention from a neighbor's cat I would be so honored because cats are usually very aloof to strangers.
You say you have long grass. Do you mow the lawn? Maybe those craters wouldn't be there if the grass was kept short. Since the cat obviously likes hanging out in your yard that would seem the thing to do since you can't tell a cat what to do or where to hang out. It looks like he may have found a new home.
Have you talked with the neighbor and told her about the situation? If she was open to it would you consider adopting the cat?
I'd strongly suggest you talking with your neighbor about it. Maybe you both can come up with a solution.
I'd really be interested in the outcome also. Good luck to you both and the kitty!
Purrs,
Catwoman=^..^= & Mija
1 person likes this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
7 Oct 08
Hi ya kellyjeanne
Yes my grass is long and I am aware that cats do like long grass but the problem is that in England we have had a lot of rain and I haven't been able to cut my grass. I think he would still lay there anyway! I did bring it up in conversation with her the other day just saying about how much time he spends around my house and she just said he was a funny old cat. I do like cats but would not like to adopt one as I don't want the responsibility that comes with have a pet cat, I am a single parent to 3 young boys and that's enough!! 
Thanks for your response 
Thanks for your response @kellyjeanne (1576)
• United States
9 Oct 08
Thanks for your cheerful answer! I just wanted to say that I wasn't being critical about your long grass. With all the rain you get in England I imagine it would be kind of difficult to mow the grass!
Here's a saying that I heard a couple of years ago:
"Women and cats will do as they please and men and dogs will just have to get used to it!"
I love that saying because cats are so fantastically independent!
Have a great day sweetie!
Purrs,
Catwoman=^..^= & Mija
1 person likes this
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
6 Oct 08
A cat on the kitchen table or counter is something for which I will not stand. My cats will not do that because I trained them early. You need to keep a rolled up newspaper or a water pistol handy to make Pritchard understand that getting on either is not acceptable.
1 person likes this
@ellie333 (21016)
•
3 Oct 08
Hi Humbug, the two cats I have now are very loyal to me but have to go through a neighbours garden to venture out ans Sybil will jump on the fence and wait til she says come on then before going through which we find hilarious but she has a big bull mastiff so I guess my cat is checking she is not abou before procedding. I have lost one cat to a little old lady who did in fact used to feed her more than the dry food she got with me and she was a wanderer anyway and used to just pop in when she felt like it but all the others have been goos at staying in or near home and no at the neigbours. I think Pilchad would probably move in to yours if you did start feeding eh! Huggles. Ellie :D
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
3 Oct 08
Hi ellie333
I did find a flea in my house the other day and as I have no pets at the moment there is only one place it could have come from. My neighbour has assured me that he has been treated but I guess they still give the odd one a ride! Yes I think that if I did start feeding him then she would lose him but I usher him out everytime he steps a paw in my house!
Cheers ellie
PS Good to see p1kie's back eh?
1 person likes this
@ellie333 (21016)
•
3 Oct 08
Hi Humbug, this may sound a bit mad but my cats have never had fleas and I use a large ameythest crystal in their water bowl, harmless to them but fleas hate it so they are never bothered by them, maybe suggest to your neighbour as once puchased it save money on specialist Frontline treatments.
Yes it is great that P1keys back, I haven't seen him here yet but I am not as active as had a pretty weird week but have communicated and commented on his blog too.
Huggles. Ellie :D
@quinnkl (1667)
• United States
4 Oct 08
We have a couple of cats that find their way to our patio once or twice a day. Sometimes Oscar is even there when we get home in the afternoon and walks us down the sidewalk to the door of our duplex. We don't really know where he lives, just that it is in a house across the street somewhere (Oscar is our name for him). He is just a friendly little guy! Who knows why they do what they do. I have enough trouble figuring out why my three in my house do what they are doing! I really have never felt it as a sign of disloyalty, but friendship!
1 person likes this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
4 Oct 08
Hi there quinnkl
We used to have a cat when I was younger, he wore a collar and everthing but a neighbour started to feed him and soon after he started living with her. She must have been feeding him lots of yummy fish and things because we gave him all the love a cat could want just maybe not a luxurious meal!! We also have a cat that follows us half way to school some mornings and will cross the road just to walk with us but he has no collar so I don't know his name but he looks healthy so we know he belongs to someone as he is well fed!
Thanks for your response
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
5 Oct 08
If you don't want your neighbor's cat hanging around your house, don't make him welcome. You have done right by not ever feeding him, but you shouldn't pet him, either. You can shoo him out of your flower beds. If he doesn't leave when you holler scat, throw water on him and dust your beds with red pepper. Our city has a lease law for cats as well as dogs. The problem there is that if he gets picked up by animal control, it will probably make an enemy of your neighbor. It would solve your problem, though. I'm not anti cat. Actually, I love cats. We have a cat, but we keep him indoors at all times, except for his regular check-ups at the vet. He is neutered, vaccinated, and licensed, but we still keep him indoors. Others should do likewise.
1 person likes this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
5 Oct 08
Hi there bellis716
That's the thing, I do like cats and like to pet them and as my son has had a serious phobia of animals I have encouraged him to stroke cats and dogs but he needs to see me do it so that he know's the animal won't hurt him. I don't mind Pilchard being around my house it's just that if my door is open, which it always is if the weather is good and I am hanging washing out, he will make a b-line for the door and next minute I know he is sitting on my kitchen table and I don't even see him go in.
Thanks for your response
@ticuso (127)
• Mexico
5 Oct 08
well the way I hear it, cats find people not visa versa, I really believe that your a lucky person, that this cat has chosen you believe me you should try the lottery or a casino and it seems to me that dispite anything you are a very nice person, people do not bend down to pet a cat, consider yourself lucky!!
1 person likes this
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
3 Oct 08
Our cat is always to be found in the Summer months curled on my next door neighbours bed if you please! It's upstairs, she's a right madam, she goes in or rather sneaks in and knows exactly where the bedroom is and she gets up onto the bed and falls asleep, the cheek of her! Cats are certainly not loyal. My ex had four cats and one of them Edward had to be put on a diet because he was a fat cat! Anyhow he only goes into the house a few doors down, pushes the other two out of the way and starts helping himself to their dinner, of their personalized plates!!!!! Cheeky monkey! Watch out you don't get into bed one night and find something warm and furry in bed with you! (I am talking about the 4 legged variety rather than the 2, naturally) ;0)
1 person likes this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
3 Oct 08
Hi there wolfie34
I wouldn't have thought you were talking about anything else apart from the 4 legged variety!! . The other day my son left the back door open while he was outside playing whilst I was on the pc upstairs and who should jump write up onto the keyboard and scare the living daylights out of me? Yep Pilchard!
Cheers wolfie
. The other day my son left the back door open while he was outside playing whilst I was on the pc upstairs and who should jump write up onto the keyboard and scare the living daylights out of me? Yep Pilchard!
Cheers wolfie 
@ruby222 (4847)
•
11 Oct 08
Humbug..lovely they may be ,but cats are fickle creatures lol .i have a friend,she is black and white,fur all over,she comes virtually every morning when I open the back door,she will follow me into the kitchen if my little white tornado(the dog)is not about.but although I know its cupboard love I fall for it every time..and I will admit I find her irresistable,and she has me well and truly weighed up.She waits until I put the saucer full of juicy meaty chunks in front of her,and then she holds bsck until she has had a good spoiling.She has been known to walk down the garden after me lol.and she does not give in until I go through all of the list of possibles that she could want!!
@Anne18 (11029)
•
3 Oct 08
Before we got our cats, our neighbours cats used to live in our garden, but not any longer now we have our two cats.
One of our cats used to live in next door's garden, until just recently and they now have a dog!!!
I think it is a cat thing!!
Just think your children can have all the joys of having a cat but without the cost of you feeding it and paying the vets bills!!!
@apples99 (6556)
• United States
3 Oct 08
Hi, humbug25 my cat is very loyal, in fact he tends to run from strangers all of the cats Iv had were like that they only felt comfortable around me or my family, I usually get my cat as a kitten then raise them to adult hood, and I dont have to worry much about losing my cat, because I keep him indoors so he dosent get hurt or lost I think cats can be very loyal depending on how well they have bonded with there human companion's.
1 person likes this
@Chevee (5905)
• United States
3 Oct 08
I have never owned a cat my neighbors had stray cats hanging around their house because they fed them, and they would breed too so they ended up with lots of cats, those cats would be everywhere, they like to get on the hood of my car when I come home I guess because it warm there. And when mating season started you couldn't rest for those cats. All night long I would here this meowing and fighting and arguing, until I would get out of my bed and go run them away. Thank goodness we finally got animal control and they picked up all those stray cats. Now I sort of regret it because when the cats was here I didn't have problem with those darn squirrels.
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