This is not our cat.
July 8, 2017 2:22 PM Subscribe
This is not our cat. We don't own a cat. But this cat seems to badly want into our house. What do we do?
We came back from shopping this morning to find the aforementioned cat hanging out on our porch. It was meowing in what I would describe as a grumpy or angry tone at us. It came toward us but wasn't hissing and didn't have its back up or anything. We thought nothing of it, but we continued to hear the meowing. It had come around to the back of the house and was sitting on our window sills, looking to all the world like it desperately wanted to come into the house. We closed all the windows and the shutters (because we could only stand so much of it staring directly into our souls) and it got up on the roof of the house and started peeking in the bedroom windows.
This was around noon. Five hours later, it's still there. At one point we left the house again and it darted out see us. When we came back it was there, and for a minute I wasn't sure we were going to be able to get around it into the house. It reappeared on the back window sill, and now it's back on the roof.
It is meowing constantly, but otherwise does not seem to be in any distress. We're not cat people or anything but it seems like it is in good enough shape. It isn't panting or anything, and it's hard to tell with all of its fluffy fur but it doesn't seem to be malnourished. It's strong enough to jump up to the second floor windows, at least.
What do we do? I have to believe it belongs to a family somewhere but for some reason it's decided to claim our house as its own. We're worried it does need some kind of help, but we also don't want to leave out food or water for it in case it does adopt our yard (or another animal does).
We came back from shopping this morning to find the aforementioned cat hanging out on our porch. It was meowing in what I would describe as a grumpy or angry tone at us. It came toward us but wasn't hissing and didn't have its back up or anything. We thought nothing of it, but we continued to hear the meowing. It had come around to the back of the house and was sitting on our window sills, looking to all the world like it desperately wanted to come into the house. We closed all the windows and the shutters (because we could only stand so much of it staring directly into our souls) and it got up on the roof of the house and started peeking in the bedroom windows.
This was around noon. Five hours later, it's still there. At one point we left the house again and it darted out see us. When we came back it was there, and for a minute I wasn't sure we were going to be able to get around it into the house. It reappeared on the back window sill, and now it's back on the roof.
It is meowing constantly, but otherwise does not seem to be in any distress. We're not cat people or anything but it seems like it is in good enough shape. It isn't panting or anything, and it's hard to tell with all of its fluffy fur but it doesn't seem to be malnourished. It's strong enough to jump up to the second floor windows, at least.
What do we do? I have to believe it belongs to a family somewhere but for some reason it's decided to claim our house as its own. We're worried it does need some kind of help, but we also don't want to leave out food or water for it in case it does adopt our yard (or another animal does).
Response by poster: A little over a year. We never saw any indications that the previous owner had a cat-one of us is allergic and probably would have reacted when we viewed the house.
posted by synecdoche at 2:31 PM on July 8, 2017
posted by synecdoche at 2:31 PM on July 8, 2017
If there is a really similar looking house nearby it may just be confused. My cat can't tell the differences between apartment units when he escapes.
posted by AlexiaSky at 2:32 PM on July 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by AlexiaSky at 2:32 PM on July 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
If you are renting the house, is there any way to see if any tenants even before the last one might have had a cat? There have been stories of some cats getting lost on a trip, or the owners leave without the pet because they can't find them, and the cat will show up years later...
posted by itsflyable at 2:33 PM on July 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by itsflyable at 2:33 PM on July 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh dear god do not let it in. And definitely don't feed it. Cats learn that if they are persistent people will do both and they are fucking relentless. I petted my friends neighbors cat two days in a row in January and it's still trying to get into her house to this day. It's a very well fed and loved cat, cats just don't believe there is enough food or attention in the universe.
posted by fshgrl at 2:35 PM on July 8, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by fshgrl at 2:35 PM on July 8, 2017 [18 favorites]
Put a photo on craigslist and next door in case it's lost and email one to your landlord and call it good. I bet you will find out that this cat lives nearby and does this to everyone.
posted by fshgrl at 2:36 PM on July 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by fshgrl at 2:36 PM on July 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
It could be a neighbor's cat. I recently had a similar experience with a cat that turned out to live about a block away.
If you have a neighborhood mailing list, or NextDoor, or perhaps just a neighbor that seems to know everyone's cats (we actually have someone in my neighborhood with her own chip reader), check with them.
posted by adamrice at 2:37 PM on July 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
If you have a neighborhood mailing list, or NextDoor, or perhaps just a neighbor that seems to know everyone's cats (we actually have someone in my neighborhood with her own chip reader), check with them.
posted by adamrice at 2:37 PM on July 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Is it possible that it gave birth in your garage/basement/crawlspace/etc. and is now trying to get at the kittens?
posted by jesourie at 2:41 PM on July 8, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by jesourie at 2:41 PM on July 8, 2017 [15 favorites]
Response by poster: As I mentioned, we've been here a little over a year; we bought from the previous owner who had lived in the house since it was built. No other tenants, no landlord.
posted by synecdoche at 2:43 PM on July 8, 2017
posted by synecdoche at 2:43 PM on July 8, 2017
Cat ran into a coworkers house out of nowhere and immediately gave birth in his attic.
Does she look in the family way?
posted by St. Peepsburg at 2:51 PM on July 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
Does she look in the family way?
posted by St. Peepsburg at 2:51 PM on July 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
Do you want the cat in your house? Do you want to potentially be this cat's second home? If it were me, I'd open the shutters and let it come in if it wants to but I like cats. In my old house if you opened your windows, you would get cats coming in. They didn't do any damage, they wandered around, sniffed things, had a nap, played with bottle tops (she brought her own). We didn't have shutters or screens so we didn't really have a choice lol. Even if the windows weren't open, next door's cat would dart in if you opened the door to a delivery driver.
It does seem strangely insistent though, in our new house we can't let cats in because we have a bird and they all lost interest after a few minutes of not getting a reaction. I would want to let it in just to find out what it wants lol, the curiosity would be too much for me
posted by missmagenta at 3:02 PM on July 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
It does seem strangely insistent though, in our new house we can't let cats in because we have a bird and they all lost interest after a few minutes of not getting a reaction. I would want to let it in just to find out what it wants lol, the curiosity would be too much for me
posted by missmagenta at 3:02 PM on July 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
If you're on NextDoor you can post there, in case someone's cat has gotten loose and does not realize it is at the wrong house.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:02 PM on July 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Lyn Never at 3:02 PM on July 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
A cat that is hanging around for hours and hours is probably not just visiting from a neighbor, most of the time when we have neighbor cats visiting, they stay for not more than 30 minutes (usually way less), and then head home because hey, nap or snack time. They typically don't hang out and meow at you for hours and hours, that is definitely a cry for help.
So this cat may be lost or misplaced, or abandoned. While you try to figure this out, I would personally give it some food and water. [If the cat DOES have a home and is just hanging out, then whatever, so it comes back and visits because it gave you food once, you can just ignore it]. Other things I would do: if the cat lets you, pet it and in doing so check out how it feels, cats can look well fed when they are as fluffy as this one, but they may not actually be. See if leads you some where. Cats will often try to get you to follow it (thinking of the mama cat/kittens idea mentioned upthread). And then of course the usual, take it to a vet to get scanned for a chip if no collar.
posted by nanook at 3:05 PM on July 8, 2017 [30 favorites]
So this cat may be lost or misplaced, or abandoned. While you try to figure this out, I would personally give it some food and water. [If the cat DOES have a home and is just hanging out, then whatever, so it comes back and visits because it gave you food once, you can just ignore it]. Other things I would do: if the cat lets you, pet it and in doing so check out how it feels, cats can look well fed when they are as fluffy as this one, but they may not actually be. See if leads you some where. Cats will often try to get you to follow it (thinking of the mama cat/kittens idea mentioned upthread). And then of course the usual, take it to a vet to get scanned for a chip if no collar.
posted by nanook at 3:05 PM on July 8, 2017 [30 favorites]
Another thing you can do it get a collar and tape a folded note on it with your number asking the owner to call you. If you don't hear anything, then you can take steps to adopt or rehome the cat. (After checking for chip and whatever else you do in your neck of the woods to reunite lost pets with their owners).
posted by nanook at 3:08 PM on July 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by nanook at 3:08 PM on July 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
My first thought was also mom cat looking for a kitten. Maybe in a nook near your house - under a porch, in a basement window well, in a shed, that kind of thing? Might be worth seeing what happens if you go outside and stand quietly, and walk the perimeter of the house pausing to listen.
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:09 PM on July 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:09 PM on July 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
This behavior is so odd, even for a cat. I'd guess it's a female and she's looking for her kittens. Nthing the suggestions above to look around the outside of your house and listen carefully for little "mini-me" meows.
posted by onecircleaday at 3:15 PM on July 8, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by onecircleaday at 3:15 PM on July 8, 2017 [12 favorites]
Give the cat fresh water. Give it food. Let it in, follow carefully and see if it is looking for a kitten. Post pics at major intersections saying the cat is found and seeking it's owner. If you can catch the cat, take it to the vet to see if it is chipped.
If there is no chip and no one responds to your found posters - congratulations! You won a cat!! Seriously, tho, someone will respond to the posters. Thanks for putting in the effort, it's a great blessing to be able to help out.
PS -- Check for fleas. If there are no fleas there is every chance this cat is getting monthly treatments and belongs to a neighbor. I wouldn't let it inside if it has fleas, but if you put outside food and a bed, the cat will likely stick around until you find it's owner.
Post to CL or find a No Kill shelter or rescue if you don't want a cat and the owner never shows up. Vets in your area may know the owner, or someone who will adopt if you can't.
posted by jbenben at 3:47 PM on July 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
If there is no chip and no one responds to your found posters - congratulations! You won a cat!! Seriously, tho, someone will respond to the posters. Thanks for putting in the effort, it's a great blessing to be able to help out.
PS -- Check for fleas. If there are no fleas there is every chance this cat is getting monthly treatments and belongs to a neighbor. I wouldn't let it inside if it has fleas, but if you put outside food and a bed, the cat will likely stick around until you find it's owner.
Post to CL or find a No Kill shelter or rescue if you don't want a cat and the owner never shows up. Vets in your area may know the owner, or someone who will adopt if you can't.
posted by jbenben at 3:47 PM on July 8, 2017 [4 favorites]
Can you go around to your within-walking-distance neighbors and see if any of them recognize the cat? Or maybe one of them is a cat-lover who would be motivated to come and get the cat from your yard to take it away to a vet to see if it's microchipped, or find it a home if it's not? I mean, I have my current cat because she showed up on the porch of a buddy of mine and he couldn't keep her because his girlfriend was allergic. Odds are good that one of your neighbors will be non-allergic and cat-friendly enough to take the problem off your hands.
posted by oh yeah! at 3:58 PM on July 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by oh yeah! at 3:58 PM on July 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Just let it hang out overnight and take it to a vet to be scanned for a chip, see if you can find the owner.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:01 PM on July 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by DarlingBri at 4:01 PM on July 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
When I had a regular cat visitor, I wrote a note saying "Hi, is this your cat? He visits me so often that I'm concerned he may be lost. Please call me on .....". I folded the note up and wrapped it around his collar.
Turned out he wasn't being well cared for by his family and was visiting several other homes in the area besides mine. The note put us all in touch with each other, with the result being that one of the other people he visited adopted him, with the full consent of the original family.
There are lots of possible scenarios that might cause a cat to roam. Maybe his owners are on holiday and he's not getting enough cuddles from the cat-sitter. Maybe his owner isn't able to care for him properly and he needs to be adopted. Heck, my own cat started dining at a neighbour's because his tooth was sore and he needed softer food - I had no idea until they put a note in my letterbox, after which he got a swift trip to the vet and a change in diet.
Please don't remove the cat from the area until you've explored local options for getting in touch with his owner and/or other people who care for him.
posted by embrangled at 4:07 PM on July 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
Turned out he wasn't being well cared for by his family and was visiting several other homes in the area besides mine. The note put us all in touch with each other, with the result being that one of the other people he visited adopted him, with the full consent of the original family.
There are lots of possible scenarios that might cause a cat to roam. Maybe his owners are on holiday and he's not getting enough cuddles from the cat-sitter. Maybe his owner isn't able to care for him properly and he needs to be adopted. Heck, my own cat started dining at a neighbour's because his tooth was sore and he needed softer food - I had no idea until they put a note in my letterbox, after which he got a swift trip to the vet and a change in diet.
Please don't remove the cat from the area until you've explored local options for getting in touch with his owner and/or other people who care for him.
posted by embrangled at 4:07 PM on July 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
The cat belongs to your neighbor and is expanding its territory to include your house. If you don't want it to include your house, don't let it in!!!
posted by Toddles at 4:25 PM on July 8, 2017
posted by Toddles at 4:25 PM on July 8, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks for the tips so far.
To clarify a couple of things, we definitely do NOT want this cat in the house—very bad allergies to cats.
The cat does not seem to be in a family way at present. When we got home earlier it was rolling around in the dirt on the pathway in front of our house and did not appear to be pregnant.
It doesn't seem interested in any particular part of the house or the yard. It's wandered around quite a lot from front to back. Rather, it seems interested in US more than anything. I don't know how it knows but when we go upstairs, it seems to go up on the roof; when we go downstairs, it stays down.
We don't have CL in our town but I'll be out and about later and see if any neighbours recognize kitty.
posted by synecdoche at 4:48 PM on July 8, 2017
To clarify a couple of things, we definitely do NOT want this cat in the house—very bad allergies to cats.
The cat does not seem to be in a family way at present. When we got home earlier it was rolling around in the dirt on the pathway in front of our house and did not appear to be pregnant.
It doesn't seem interested in any particular part of the house or the yard. It's wandered around quite a lot from front to back. Rather, it seems interested in US more than anything. I don't know how it knows but when we go upstairs, it seems to go up on the roof; when we go downstairs, it stays down.
We don't have CL in our town but I'll be out and about later and see if any neighbours recognize kitty.
posted by synecdoche at 4:48 PM on July 8, 2017
Well, this is not my cat begging to get into my house. At least it wasn't in 2013 when I took that picture. She just liked to visit a lot, or so I thought. I had her scanned, no chip. Turned out, she was a neighbor's, but stayed outside all the time because she hated their other cat. It took two years after she adopted me for me to realize it. One day they asked if I wanted her. Now she looks outside.
posted by Stewriffic at 5:00 PM on July 8, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by Stewriffic at 5:00 PM on July 8, 2017 [20 favorites]
I'd call the police department and animal control, let them know you found it and ask if there is a vet you can take it to check to see if has a chip. In my town, a lot of people report their lost animals to the police department/animal control, but no one thinks to call them when they found one.
I'd also post this on facebook/nextdoor and call animal rescues near me to see if anyone has lost this cat.
posted by katinka-katinka at 6:24 PM on July 8, 2017
I'd also post this on facebook/nextdoor and call animal rescues near me to see if anyone has lost this cat.
posted by katinka-katinka at 6:24 PM on July 8, 2017
Super random, but...rolling around in the dust outside this sort of manner?
Before our cat was fixed, when she was in heat, she would act towards us like we were the object of her unbridled interest and love and yell for us from the next room. This might be someone's fluffy well-cared for cat looking for love in all the wrong places. Continue to ignore. She'll get over it.
posted by theweasel at 7:39 PM on July 8, 2017 [7 favorites]
Before our cat was fixed, when she was in heat, she would act towards us like we were the object of her unbridled interest and love and yell for us from the next room. This might be someone's fluffy well-cared for cat looking for love in all the wrong places. Continue to ignore. She'll get over it.
posted by theweasel at 7:39 PM on July 8, 2017 [7 favorites]
We closed all the windows and the shutters (because we could only stand so much of it staring directly into our souls)...
You instinctively know that the cat is biding its time until it can get in to suck your very life force from your poor allergic bodies.
Putting water out would be the most humane thing to do. As hot as it is, animals can become dehydrated easily. I wouldn't encourage the cat by feeding it at this point, unless it seems to be extremely hungry after a day or two. You're going to want to start posting to find the owner anyway ASAP, and if the cat doesn't appear to have a home, at least notify the animal control, and/or take it to a no-kill shelter.
posted by BlueHorse at 10:19 PM on July 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
You instinctively know that the cat is biding its time until it can get in to suck your very life force from your poor allergic bodies.
Putting water out would be the most humane thing to do. As hot as it is, animals can become dehydrated easily. I wouldn't encourage the cat by feeding it at this point, unless it seems to be extremely hungry after a day or two. You're going to want to start posting to find the owner anyway ASAP, and if the cat doesn't appear to have a home, at least notify the animal control, and/or take it to a no-kill shelter.
posted by BlueHorse at 10:19 PM on July 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Theweasel:
Yes, that looks exactly how it was rolling around!
It actually occurred to me that it was in heat, between the constant meowing and the rubbing up against every available surface it can find...
posted by synecdoche at 7:03 AM on July 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yes, that looks exactly how it was rolling around!
It actually occurred to me that it was in heat, between the constant meowing and the rubbing up against every available surface it can find...
posted by synecdoche at 7:03 AM on July 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
A lot of cats roll all the time. All of my cats (fixed, never in heat), rolled many times of day, typically when someone they liked was looking at them. It is a kind of a combination of 'look at me! I am rolling!', and submissive behavior (also so you will like them and not hurt them'. Rubbing up against things is a marking signal. The cat is trying to mark you and your surroundings because it wants to make you its human. Maybe in heat? But probably trying to find a new home.
posted by nanook at 7:33 AM on July 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by nanook at 7:33 AM on July 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
If you do nothing else, *please* put some water out for this cat so it doesn't die.
posted by stagewhisper at 2:30 PM on July 9, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by stagewhisper at 2:30 PM on July 9, 2017 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: I thought I'd come back to this to report... We found that cat's owner!
A concerned neighbour took kitty in temporarily. She's done this before and was able to find a vet who did an evaluation free of charge. It turns out the cat was an older male but there were signs it was loved—it had had some dental work done—thought it wasn't chipped. He wasn't in great shape but after just a few days of regular meals he had clearly improved significantly, and turned out to be a very loving, friendly guy.
We redoubled our efforts to find the owner and received a call about two weeks after we found the cat. It turns out his name is Henry and he belongs to a family that moved to an adjacent neighbourhood not long before. There were a couple of little girls who were ecstatic to have their kitty back.
posted by synecdoche at 8:26 AM on October 10, 2017 [5 favorites]
A concerned neighbour took kitty in temporarily. She's done this before and was able to find a vet who did an evaluation free of charge. It turns out the cat was an older male but there were signs it was loved—it had had some dental work done—thought it wasn't chipped. He wasn't in great shape but after just a few days of regular meals he had clearly improved significantly, and turned out to be a very loving, friendly guy.
We redoubled our efforts to find the owner and received a call about two weeks after we found the cat. It turns out his name is Henry and he belongs to a family that moved to an adjacent neighbourhood not long before. There were a couple of little girls who were ecstatic to have their kitty back.
posted by synecdoche at 8:26 AM on October 10, 2017 [5 favorites]
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