Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi everyone,

I know nothing about cats at all! I am a dog person so this is a first.

I moved into a new house in March and the previous owners said that their cat had gone missing and to keep an eye out for it. Around April time it made an appearance and I fed it on and off.
The previous owner said that it had been going to a neighbours house on and off too and she was fine with that. However in the past month that cat has now made our house (its prior home) its home. It eats here twice a day and sleeps every night.
I am going to take it to the vet to get checked out but I need to speak to the neighbour first to see who has 'claimed it' (the previous owner has said we can have the cat if it's happy here).

Though it's a 'stray' I think it had been spending a lot of time living outdoors and goes from being quite nice and affectionate to being skittish and 'feral'.

When does a cat belong to someone? Does it belong to me or the neighbour?
Also any advice about making it more domesticated?
Currently it comes and goes when it pleases (I don't lock it in at night) as it has access to a cat flap.
Should you lock it in at night?

Thanks in advance!

Hi there and welcome - this isn't a strange question at all - cats have a habit of doing this sort of thing

A similar situation happened to me over 10 years ago; there was a feral cat community building up in the street; the CPL and RSPCA came and caught some kittens, despite the erstwhile 'owner' being about from time to time, and in fear and trembling, I caught some kittens too, and, having made friends with one of the adult cats (still with me today) she BROUGHT me 5 kittens. One by one, across the street into the cellar, which by this time was known as the 'drop-in' centre lol. The CP rehomed the kittens and neutered the mother and 2 more cats and they moved in with me. At this time their 'owner' drifted away - he was a bit of a mess, poor chap; he could scarcely look after himself, never mind the cats, but though I had been wary of trouble, the CP took the attitude that whoever was feeding the cats was their guardian. (All very well for them; they didn't have to live in the street!)

Needless to say there were toms involved and one was a genuine feral; the other one apparently had a home nearby. Both of them moved in with me too. I only found out about Ali Kat's 'home' after I'd had him neutered and I was so worried that I rang the RSPCA for a bit of legal advice. They were actually very helpful - as I remember it, they told me that if a cat had been living with me for over a fortnight, I could legally claim it as mine. The law may have changed of course but I can recommend ringing them.

As it turned out, Ali's 'home' seems to have been a bit of a washout; he was thin and dirty when he came to me, with that distinctive grey patch between the shoulderblades of a cat that shelters under parked cars; he turned into a most beautiful cat, and if his 'home' still had any interest in him, it didn't do anything about a massive abscess (he was a bit of a fighter, bless him!)

In the light of my own experience, I'd say that your cat is, well, definitely your cat! Plus the previous owners have given their approval. It might be a good idea to seek out these other neighbours and have a friendly word if they're approachable, just to find out if they have any interest in the cat; cats do 'play away' and are quite capable of eating breakfast in one home, lunch in another and tea in yet another...sounds like your little guy was forced to find food wherever he/she could until you turned up!

But by the sound of it the cat has decided his/her home is with you - sounds as if he/she's made a good choice

Don't worry about 'domestication' - that will happen in time; sounds like it's happening already. A cat will be wary at first but it will start to be loving and they do vary - I have a 4 year old who came to me, from another home, as an adolescent, and although affectionate in her own way, she's still skittish; my old tomcat Finn, the feral, was a real 'wildie' on the street, but, after deciding to move in after neutering, climbed on to the bed and purred and purred and almost overnight turned into a feline equivalent of a golden labrador - with everybody! They are all different lol!

Good on you for adopting this cat, all the best for many happy years ahead

Hi Laura and welcome to CC.

I was always a 'Dog Person' - until the day I found a tiny black kitten (our Pussy Willow) in the middle of the road. I now have 5.

As Lilith says cats decide where they want to live. My sister has a cat like that. It's previous owners gave it away, but the cat decided he didn't like the new family and moved in with Judy.

I hope your neighbour can accept that!

Thank you for taking in this little one. Good luck and keep in touch. Any questions and there are folks with a lifetimes worth of knowledge on here - only too pleased to help.