So I bought a house, and the next door neighbour has two cats, Casper and Daisy. I rarely see Casper, but Daisy is now a firm feature in my life. She comes over every day, and waits outside my back or front door, depending on my schedule, which she seems to have picked up on somewhat. I work nights, so I tend to see her in the day.
My neighbour remarked on how she'd taken to me, as he said she was usually nervous of new people, and he'd also told me she was an outdoors cat, and wouldn't even go inside his house anymore, and that when they'd recently been a big thunderstorm, he'd left the window open for her, but she'd stayed outside sheltered under some tarpaulin.
Well, she has no such reservations with my house. At first she would just sit in the grass, or on the back step and peer into the kitchen and observe me, but now she will just wander in and out as she pleases. I have to make sure the kitchen door to the rest of the house is closed, or I end up having to search the house for her.
If I sit down on the back steps, or in a dining chair in my kitchen, or in a deckchair in the backyard, she jumps up onto my knees, and pushes her head into my hands so I can pet her, or she can sit in my lap and observe the garden, or just look at me, and occasionally tap me with her paws, then usually settles down for a sleep of a few hours, or however long I have to spare, before I rouse her. I've taken to leaving books lying around, so I can have something to do whilst she snoozes away in my lap. If she's not sure if she's allowed in, if she can see I'm sitting eating, and thus there is no room on my lap, I only have to pat my lap, and she will come in and leap up, and then depending on what I'm eating, she goes up my arm and sits across my shoulders, sometimes just perching on one, either making abortive attempts for the food, and just loudly purring in my ear. I can even get up and wander around with her on my shoulders, whilst I make myself a cup of tea or whatever. Or she will perch on the back of the dining chair, til I come sit back down. She follows me up and down the garden as well, if I'm going to the shed, or to put out washing, she just wanders down the path after me, or if I am gardening, she just sits in the grass and watches me.
She has scent-marked the backdoor, the dining room table, whatever book I'm holding (not by spraying, but by rubbing her cheeks on them - at first I just thought she had itchy cheeks, til I looked that up), and I think she must have been neutered, as she hasn't tried to spray in the house. She doesn't do any of her business in the house, although she did start to use the vegetable patch I dug, as I assume she thought it was a giant litter tray for her. She also sits in my lap and grooms herself and also occasionally me. Oh, and she uses my gate posts as scratching posts.
Anyway, the point of all this is, as she clearly has decided I belong to her, now I am worried for her welfare. Like, should I consider feeding her? She's managed for 10 years on her own, and I'm assuming my neighbour still leaves out food for her. and our garden's back onto a forest anyway, so I'm sure there's lots of wildlife she could catch. I was putting out a bowl of milk, til I was told milk is bad for cats, so I stopped that, and put out a bowl of water instead, so on hot days she will have something to drink. She has also licked a plate clean that had had salmon on it, when I'd turned my back, and I've also once gave her the the remains of cooked lamb on the bone that I'd had left over. She now seems to think I'm going to feed her though because she just look inside and meows, even if I'm outside and she comes up to me then goes back to the backdoor looking inside, like she's waiting for me to go get her food. And to my shame I eventually go and give in, and get her a teeny piece of tinned salmon. I don't want to have accidentally made her dependent on me for food. Also, I don't have a cat-flap, I can't be leaving my backdoor open for her at all hours for her to come and go, and equally I don't want to leave the windows open either, as I don't want flying pests coming in. But I feel guilty, because if I've been upstairs in the house for hours on end, then come down, and open the backdoor, she's sat there waiting for me, and I don't know how long she's been waiting. Another also, her claws could probably do with being trimmed, depending on what I'm wearing, they go right through the fabric, and whilst they don't puncture my skin, they can be sharp. On that note, should I buy a scratching post, to save my poor gate posts? Plus, my parents are not cat people and will freak over having a cat around when they finally come to visit. Luckily, they live about 400 miles away, but I have just over a month before they show up, but I don't know what I'm going to do when they do. Mind you, she may not want to come in, whilst they're here.
What am I to do? I can't tell my neighbour "Oh, by the way, I've accidentally stolen the affections of that cat you had since she was a kitten", plus I have no idea how to take care of a cat, plus she's not even my cat! I am on a cat website, for a cat that is not even my cat. This is a ridiculous state of affairs. Should just let things carry on as they are or what? Any insight on this matter would be much appreciated.
My neighbour remarked on how she'd taken to me, as he said she was usually nervous of new people, and he'd also told me she was an outdoors cat, and wouldn't even go inside his house anymore, and that when they'd recently been a big thunderstorm, he'd left the window open for her, but she'd stayed outside sheltered under some tarpaulin.
Well, she has no such reservations with my house. At first she would just sit in the grass, or on the back step and peer into the kitchen and observe me, but now she will just wander in and out as she pleases. I have to make sure the kitchen door to the rest of the house is closed, or I end up having to search the house for her.
If I sit down on the back steps, or in a dining chair in my kitchen, or in a deckchair in the backyard, she jumps up onto my knees, and pushes her head into my hands so I can pet her, or she can sit in my lap and observe the garden, or just look at me, and occasionally tap me with her paws, then usually settles down for a sleep of a few hours, or however long I have to spare, before I rouse her. I've taken to leaving books lying around, so I can have something to do whilst she snoozes away in my lap. If she's not sure if she's allowed in, if she can see I'm sitting eating, and thus there is no room on my lap, I only have to pat my lap, and she will come in and leap up, and then depending on what I'm eating, she goes up my arm and sits across my shoulders, sometimes just perching on one, either making abortive attempts for the food, and just loudly purring in my ear. I can even get up and wander around with her on my shoulders, whilst I make myself a cup of tea or whatever. Or she will perch on the back of the dining chair, til I come sit back down. She follows me up and down the garden as well, if I'm going to the shed, or to put out washing, she just wanders down the path after me, or if I am gardening, she just sits in the grass and watches me.
She has scent-marked the backdoor, the dining room table, whatever book I'm holding (not by spraying, but by rubbing her cheeks on them - at first I just thought she had itchy cheeks, til I looked that up), and I think she must have been neutered, as she hasn't tried to spray in the house. She doesn't do any of her business in the house, although she did start to use the vegetable patch I dug, as I assume she thought it was a giant litter tray for her. She also sits in my lap and grooms herself and also occasionally me. Oh, and she uses my gate posts as scratching posts.
Anyway, the point of all this is, as she clearly has decided I belong to her, now I am worried for her welfare. Like, should I consider feeding her? She's managed for 10 years on her own, and I'm assuming my neighbour still leaves out food for her. and our garden's back onto a forest anyway, so I'm sure there's lots of wildlife she could catch. I was putting out a bowl of milk, til I was told milk is bad for cats, so I stopped that, and put out a bowl of water instead, so on hot days she will have something to drink. She has also licked a plate clean that had had salmon on it, when I'd turned my back, and I've also once gave her the the remains of cooked lamb on the bone that I'd had left over. She now seems to think I'm going to feed her though because she just look inside and meows, even if I'm outside and she comes up to me then goes back to the backdoor looking inside, like she's waiting for me to go get her food. And to my shame I eventually go and give in, and get her a teeny piece of tinned salmon. I don't want to have accidentally made her dependent on me for food. Also, I don't have a cat-flap, I can't be leaving my backdoor open for her at all hours for her to come and go, and equally I don't want to leave the windows open either, as I don't want flying pests coming in. But I feel guilty, because if I've been upstairs in the house for hours on end, then come down, and open the backdoor, she's sat there waiting for me, and I don't know how long she's been waiting. Another also, her claws could probably do with being trimmed, depending on what I'm wearing, they go right through the fabric, and whilst they don't puncture my skin, they can be sharp. On that note, should I buy a scratching post, to save my poor gate posts? Plus, my parents are not cat people and will freak over having a cat around when they finally come to visit. Luckily, they live about 400 miles away, but I have just over a month before they show up, but I don't know what I'm going to do when they do. Mind you, she may not want to come in, whilst they're here.
What am I to do? I can't tell my neighbour "Oh, by the way, I've accidentally stolen the affections of that cat you had since she was a kitten", plus I have no idea how to take care of a cat, plus she's not even my cat! I am on a cat website, for a cat that is not even my cat. This is a ridiculous state of affairs. Should just let things carry on as they are or what? Any insight on this matter would be much appreciated.
didn't see that coming. Thought it would be a happy story. Why don't we live in a world where cats don't die, eergh.
