How can I get my cat back?

Question

My cat has started going round to our neighbours where they apparently feed her fresh salmon. She is never at home any more except in the early hours of the morning but then she goes again before everyone gets up.

She used to love me and my boyfriend and would come running up to us when ever we got home and would spend the night in my room with us. I never see her now unless I'm up late and it is really getting me down. I really worry about her and the fact that she is only eating salmon worries me. She is an oldish cat (11) and i expect that she needs more in her diet.

How can i get her to come home? I want to avoid asking the neighbours not to feed her as i know they only mean well and i might seem rude. I have been sat down the garden shouting her and rattling her food and she doesn't come. I feel kind of guilty because maybe she loves them more and is happier there. But i worry about her health and i really miss her.

Please help. Thank You

P.S I know i might sound sad. But o'well.

Answer 1

If you don't say anything to your neighbours, then you're going to lose your cat!!! I think they're probably doing more than feeding her, maybe they're letting her into their home as well. Just explain politely that if they are feeding or letting your cat in their home, would they please stop it,say that you're having to throw food away etc, the thing with cats is they will go to someone who keeps feeding them salmon as opposed to cat food, but if the salmon stopped coming she would come home, really your neighbours have got to stop encouraging her at all, she will soon get the message!!!  EDIT>>>>>> You're going to have to bite the bullet and see the neighbours, tell them that shes always throwing up and has diarrhoea, tell them anything to make them stop, say she has to have special expensive food from the vets as normal food doesnt agree with her because of stomach problems etc!! so anything they are feeding her is making her ill??!!

Answer 2

tell them you have noticed that she has got terrible fleas

Answer 3

Tis happened to my cat and one day the cat luckily ame in aos we gave the cat to my nan but what works is what my uncle did. If you have a cat flap then set it so that the cat can come in but not out so that the cat will be there when you wake up, what they then did is kept the cat in for a few days or maybe more inhope the cat would forget the other house, What cats love is tinned tune, doesn't matter how cheap they just like the juice, we feed my cat14p tins of tuna every couple of days as a treat :D

hope this helps you good luck finding the right answer :D

Answer 4

You have to face your neighbours. If my cat started doing that I would be so upset and feel like she didnt love me so just explain how you feel to your neighbours and if they are anoyed by it stuff them. Or next time your cat is in lock her cat flap lol and have a while cuddling her and feeding her her normal food.

By the way is your cat a tabby? Cos theres this stray in our area that eats at my neighbours and sleeps at mine. But neighbour doesnt give it salmon. I live in Norwich by the way. (In case this is your cat lol)

Answer 5

Cat's are like that.

Independent creatures. They will love you and leave you.

I'd not worry too much about her right now.

When the weather gets cold she will be back looking for her home comforts.

Answer 6

She'll probably still lose the collar.  Do your neighbors know she is yours?  Do you know which neighbors are feeding her salmon?  You can talk to them and ask them to stop feeing your cat because you have to feed her a special diet.  Your other option is to finally bring her inside.  She is getting older.  You need to be able to watch her.   Otherwise, one day she may finally go off and die, and you'll never know what happened to her.

Answer 7

i WOULD TALK TO THE NEIGHBOR... tell her she has a special diet (yours) and you do not like her eating food that is not on her diet.

They are BRIBING her!  Do they really WANT HER??

When my cat was doing this . I put a collar on her (breakaway) and then wrote a note on the collar that people could read easily... it said...

THIS CAT HAS A HOME... PLEASE DO NOT FEED HER..

If you feed her she doesn't like the food that has been perscribed for her.

this seemed to stop it.

If it doesn't stop it for your cat then you might have to keep her inside for a while.

Yes you do sound sad .. but it is understandable... I had a cat stolen from me and I cried for a while over it!

If the note does not work deffinately TALK to them and let them know that this is causing your cat not to come home.

I would buy something your cat can't resist to feed her for a while... like chicken livers cooked.  or samon too.

You might read the book "6 dinner Sid" too

good luck and tell us what you do and what the result ok?

Answer 8

My cat loses all his collars too.  I think the only solution is to keep the cat inside.  otherwise you can't control what the cat does.

it's tough though, all of mine go out.

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Answer 9

Feed it good food then??? And give it some TLC.

Answer 10

you must tell your neighbours that you appreciate them feeding your cat but it is affecting her relation ship with you, suggest that there are plenty of kittens wanting good homes at the moment and suggest helping her to find one!

Answer 11

Does the neighbor know this cat is yours?  The first thing is to talk to the neighbors.  Second, figure out why she is wandering.  You think its the salmon, but I bet she is getting more than just food.  How much attention does she get during the day?  If you and your BF's schedule is very varied and unpredictable, your cat might have found someone a bit more predictable.  Cats do best on a very predictive schedule (ex 6:00 am food, 6:30 15 minutes of petting, 5:00 food, 7:00 lap time, etc)

Next time she comes in, I would actually keep her inside for a week or two.  This will reestablish your home as her territory, but make sure that you keep things on a schedule.  This will help keep your cat create a routine so that when you let her out again, the schedule is there, and she will automatically follow, within kitty reason.

Also, your cat really needs to have a collar with ID.  Instead of paying a small fortune for collars and name tags, buy personalized labels meant for use with home sewing that has been personalized with a phone number and then sew them onto cheap, breakaway collars.  Its cheaper this way, and the labels and collars won't cost very much money.  You should also have her microchipped, and soon, before this become a your cat vs my cat court issue (if you or your neighbor thinks this way).  That way, you can prove ownership, and if animal control gets her, you get her back very fast, with or without a collar.

A diet exclusively of salmon is not good for cats.  Salmon, especially the bits meant for human consumption will cause nutrient deficiencies in cats such as blindness (lack of taurine).

As for the neighbors keeping her, why not point out that there are any number of wonderful cats looking for a new home at animal shelters.  You might even offer to get them a cat, if you really want to.  But, this is your cat, and the neighbors are not doing her a favor by feeding her salmon.

Answer 12

First of all, keep her inside.  Cats live a longer, healthier life.  They do not NEED to be outside unless they are barn cats, and can be injured by cars, get diseases, or poisoned by people that do not want your cat on their property.  Your cat is basically considered a stray if there is no collar/identification - and can be picked up by animal control.  If you absolutely must leave your cat outside (and I can't think of ANY reason), then you need to inform your neighbors that he is owned by you, and you would appreciate it if they would not feed him.  You don't know what exactly they are feeding him, and could cause you to have some unwanted vet bills if he gets sick (and you won't be able to tell the vet what he's been eating).  So, basically the choices - in my opinion - is leave the cat indoors, or talk to the neighbors and ask them not to feed the cat.  

No matter what the decision you make - you need to get identification on the cat, including it's rabies tag. If your cat bites or scratches a person, and they do not know who the owner is, the SPCA has the right to put the animal to sleep to test for rabies if proof of shots are not readily available.

Answer 13

keep the cat in for a few weeks and get back into feeding her regular while she in see if it helps . If not you will have to speak to your neighbour