Cat Leaving Her Territory

[Neo815]

Hello friends,

Can a stray spayed cat who has bonded with you and selected you as her human changer her territory? Can she change her favorite person even if she is treated well. Is it possible for her to keep more than one favorite person?

Thanks

 

[Olwince]

Hi Neo815,

I hope I understood your question correctly; you are asking if it is possible for an outdoor cat who has bonded with you and lives at your house to start living in another place with other people.

I think yes it is possible for a stray cat, or even a very outdoor cat that is someone's pet (not even sure if there is a difference from the cat's perceptive), to have found more than one house they regard as "home territory" and stay there regularly. I think cats can bond with and be very close to more than one person, but I'm not sure if they actually commit to a single "favorite". Maybe it is more like "this human have been very good to me for a long time, and this place is safe and comfortable, so I'll stay here because there is no reason not to." That was just what I imagine goes on in a cat's mind. You may find more expert opinions at the "Caring for Stays and Feral" forum.

Just an anecdote: Some years ago I lived briefly in the house of this old lady who run kind of an "open house". There were several people boarding there and helping out around the house. There were the resident cats and dogs, and then cats from around the neighborhood, neighbors' cats, strays, ferals all visited and hung out, sometimes spending the night there, and other times not appearing for a day or two. One of them was this old tuxedo who would always come for weekend refuge when her usual home is packed with partying people. I've ran into her going the opposite way as I was carrying a case of beer into her house more than once. I imagined her saying "yep, they're getting going, I'll be back around Sunday afternoon..."

 

[susanm9006]

Growing up we had a tomcat who started out as ours but as an adult began spending more and more time at a neighbors a few blocks away. Eventually he decided he liked it better there and never came back to our house.