Problem with neighbours

[Soph1]

Hi, looking for advice. Our cat who is 4 years old ( we’ve had since a kitten) is being enticed to next doors house. What started out as a friendly hello which I have no problem with has turned slightly obsessive by the family. The kids have bought cat toys, he’s putting on weight so I’m sure he’s being fed although this has been denied by them. There’s been posts on social media that have been shown to me with comments of stolen from neighbour & the caption ***** & her baby. I’ve asked them not to interact so much and to not take him into their garden and definitely not their house but I’m being ignored.
It’s impacting our household as our kids are getting upset and feel they are losing him. To be honest I am too. I know it’s said that cats choose homes etc etc and our cat is a bit of a hussy and loves affection but in the 4 years we’ve had him we’ve never had this problem. He says a quick hello to other neighbours but this particular family are full on. They get the hump with us when we call him back. It’s getting ridiculous now and I don’t know what else to do. I’ve put a “I have a loving home” collar on him which I didn’t need to do as they know he has a home.

[fjm]

I would suggest to them that as their children obviously love cats so much they consider this delightful cat you have just spotted in the local rescue...

[Soph1]

Thank you for your response, we had a convo a while ago about pets and their opinion is they are too much responsibility? Which baffles me a bit and it would seem they want the enjoyment bit without the cost. Which is a shame because there are plenty of lovely cats needing a home.
Thanks again for your reply

[susand]

Could you cat proof your garden to stop your cat venturing onto their property? They would then be unable to interact with him unless they took the extreme and illegal step of trespassing on your property to reach him.

[Kay]

that would be my solution too - and not just because of the neighbours - it gives enormous peace of mind to be able to stop worrying about traffic, predators, dogs, cat fights etc

it doesn't have to be the whole garden - I have an enclosed patio area around the back door which is 40x30 feet