I think my neighbours are trying to steal my cat. Please i need help and advice.

[user200400]

I have a cat that is an outdoor/indoor he goes outside at least once a day. (he has been and outdoor cat for TEN years) and loves being outside. When ever i let him outside he always comes back within a couple of hours (he consistent). Last summer july and august 2022 i would let him out in the mornings and he wouldn't come back for 5,6,7 hours at a time. i found it unusual he also was sick alot last summer he didnt eat for almost a whole month and he had loose stools for several weeks he had an upset stomach. i had a feeling that someone was feeding him and keeping him inside their house wich would explain him getting sick (he has a sensitive stomach) and would also explain him not coming home for 5 hours at a time. towards the end of the summer i starting going around asking people if they were feeding him i did find out that there were two neighbours/houses at the end of my block that are next to eachother that were giving him milk and tuna. which would explain my cat getting sick. one of these 2 neighbours is new to the neighbour and i think they maybe be related to eachother or just super close maybe friends. one of them said there was a cat meowing for 5 hours and i know 100% it was my cat i think they had him in side there house my cat excessively meows alot when he wants to go outside the fact they had inside their house all of that meowing means he wanted to come home but they werent letting him out to come home he was being held against his will. but one if these 2 neighbours lied and said it was another cat but i know it was my cat. my cat gets very easily anxious and meows excessively. one of them even came to my house with her daughter and wanted to see my cat. now throughout the year 2023 they constantly circle my house with their cars to see if i have my outside on my property or inside through my window. i find this odd. one of the daughters from these house in december asked me if i had fingured out was was going on (when i was going around asking people if they were feeding him or keeping him inside thier house ) and i think she made it seem like to her family and her neighbours next door like i hadnt figured out what was going on it was them there were feeding my cat and keeping him inside there house. the parents and guests they have over drive up and down my street to see if i have my cat outside in my yard and then shortly after one of their kids or will walk by i think they are trying to take him and relocate him to a different adress or neighbourhood. they go around the neighbour hood try to look for him is what it seems to me if they see him out they will tell the kids and they walk back to the location of where they saw him. one of these people had a pet rabbit it went missing (there are coyotes and foxes in my neighbour hood) and one time she fabricated a story saying that she saw her rabbit on my property (which is NOT true) this girls rabbit doesnt roam off her property so im not sure why she would lie about that. i dont know what to do my cat has been a outdoor cat for years if i keep in inside everyday for the rest of his life his emtional well being he will become miserable is is very vocal and gets stressed if i dont let him out i would have to take him to the vet and see if i can get him anxiety medication. i have been trying to put him on a leash but he doesnt like it too much.
what should i do? one of the times i spoke to the people they made a comment it would be devastating to lose a pet i think she might have been reffereing to my pet. i asked her if she was still feeding my cat put she said she was scared too but i know for a fact she was still feeding him. because he got sick again and she kept him inside again for 5 hours. but they lie about it.there its 2 nighours houses that i think are trying to take him.
what should i do ?

also i think now they have gotten their relative involed or another family.

 

[IndyJones]

Are you able to build an enclosure for him?

Unless they actualy come onto your property and take him it will be hard to do much as far as the law goes.

As far as the stalking and creepy behaviour of the neighbours goes, could you put up a couple of wyze cams? If you can't prove they are tresspassing it will be very dificult to do much plus the pressence of security cammeras may act as a deterant itself.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I echo all of the above. Whatever the reasons are in the neighbors' mind for doing what you think they are doing, they are not going to stop.

So, in order to protect your cat, you need to build/buy a catio/cat enclosure that enables your cat to spend time outside - it would just be in a confined space. Catios/enclosures can also have access to the home whereby your cat could come inside when he wants. There are tons of potential options on the internet, just do a search on 'catios and cat enclosures'.

There is a good chance if you do this, you won't have another issue with the neighbor(s) again.
Cat Enclosures - TheCatSite

 

[IndyJones]

I echo all of the above. Whatever the reasons are in the neighbors' mind for doing what you think they are doing, they are not going to stop.

So, in order to protect your cat, you need to build/buy a catio/cat enclosure that enables your cat to spend time outside - it would just be in a confined space. Catios/enclosures can also have access to the home whereby your cat could come inside when he wants. There are tons of potential options on the internet, just do a search on 'catios and cat enclosures'.

There is a good chance if you do this, you won't have another issue with the neighbor(s) again.
Cat Enclosures - TheCatSite

This is what i meant by an enclosure chose a fine hardwear cloth, not chicken wire which could have an object or finger easily stuck through it.

They can be constructed with scrap or builder grade wooden frames with hardwear cloth stapled to the frames.

 

[Mighty Orange]

Might look into a cat tent.
cat tent

 

[Mamanyt1953]

You can, of course, try to transition your cat to indoor only. Which would be safest, given the situation. This has some ideas for making it easier. The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside - TheCatSite

Also, if your cat is not microchipped, get this done ASAP. It is simple, painless, and not terribly expensive. Then REGISTER THAT CHIP! This means if your neighbor takes the cat again, you can prove without doubt that he is yours.

 

[user200400]

yes he is microchipped! he has been an outdoor his whole life ten years. he screams really loud when he wants to outside and he meows/yowls all day long the only time he is quiet is when he is sleeping. he is stressed. it makes me sad he cant go out he loves being outside. i thought about attachting a gps to a collar but i dont know if it will work.

 

[user200400]

I echo all of the above. Whatever the reasons are in the neighbors' mind for doing what you think they are doing, they are not going to stop.

So, in order to protect your cat, you need to build/buy a catio/cat enclosure that enables your cat to spend time outside - it would just be in a confined space. Catios/enclosures can also have access to the home whereby your cat could come inside when he wants. There are tons of potential options on the internet, just do a search on 'catios and cat enclosures'.

There is a good chance if you do this, you won't have another issue with the neighbor(s) again.
Cat Enclosures - TheCatSite

i will look into an enclosure. i dont think the neighbours know that i have noticed what they are doing. should i maybe confront them again and call them out on it?

 

[user200400]

Are you able to build an enclosure for him?

Unless they actualy come onto your property and take him it will be hard to do much as far as the law goes.

As far as the stalking and creepy behaviour of the neighbours goes, could you put up a couple of wyze cams? If you can't prove they are tresspassing it will be very dificult to do much plus the pressence of security cammeras may act as a deterant itself.

should i confront them again? also i forgot to mention one time i was in my yard with my cat on a leash and one of the kids was hiding behiind my hedge and was trying to call my cat over.

 

[lucyrima]

I wouldn't spend money on 'tents' etc... if your neighbor's determined to catch/keep him. I'd tell the police everything and if they go and scare her, then she's unlikely to do it again, but not knowing your 'area' there, it's hard to say much more... I personally have never had an intentionally outdoor cat (or dog) - just asking for trouble of a lot of kinds.

 

[tiggerwillow]

I agree with everyone else about building a catio for your cat, and put security cameras up filming the catio so the neighbours will be a lot less likely to even try to get your cat out of the catio. If they try, they will get caught on film doing it and you could hand the footage over to the police.

 

[goingpostal]

If you let your cat run loose, you aren't going to have control over what happens to it when it leaves your property. Keep it contained, problem solved.

 

[Hobiflowery]

I agree with the others, it's definitely a scary situation. I would be careful about confronting them again, because they definitely know already you kind off got an idea about what they are doing and that might urge them to try to get him even faster before you take actions.

Like many here said, a catio is the best and safest option besides keeping him inside. I also would keep him inside until you finished building it because those people might realize that you are building an enclosure and try to take him beforehand, as later on it will be almost impossible.

He definitely won't like this and will make it known but it would be so much safer and its not forever. A short time of discomfort for him but better and safer for him in the longer run.

Depending on how big your yard is you can make the catio big as well. Of course it's not as big as a completely free roam and your boy will need time to get used to that as well, but it's in general a lot safer - not just because of the neighbors but also because of all the other bigger predators out there, since you mentioned coyotes. Like this there is also no chance he could ever be hit by a car, get hurt by unleashed dogs or other strays.

Outdoor cats have a shorter average lifespan than indoor cats or cats with secure outdoor time, so like this you are doing something to increase the chances of him being around for a very long time greatly

 

[ellen m]

A very good cat behaviorist once sent me some research papers on catios, showing that formerly free-roaming cats are just as happy in an outdoor enclosure! I can tell you that my very active cat, who formerly roamed the neighborhood, is perfectly content in his catio. This surprised even me, because he was extremely active, with a very wide "territory" in the neighborhood before. So I would def look into the catio suggestion. This is a messy situation, and a catio is best for his health and lifespan anyway!

 

[heatherwillard0614]

I highly agree with above said statements. Especially the catio and security cameras. You can get them and point one at the catio and a few around the house to keep an eye on your property. Also make a report of the behavior with the police. They won't be able to do anything at this time but if you make a report and something happens they will have the incident report as evidence building against them. Even if it is just to report their stalkish behavior.also post no trespassing signs and ask them not to come near your house. Then if they even come on your property you call the police and they can get in trouble for that. I hope nothing happens to your fur baby and you can keep him safe and secure.
Security cameras and the catio will be your best set of defense in this situation.

 

[user200400]

MOD NOTE: Threads merged
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Last year i made a post concerning that a couple of neighbours i thought were trying to steal my cat. they were keeping him inside their house and feeding him and lying about it. i eventually stopped letting him out and i got him used to going out on a leash supervised on my property. since i stopped letting him free roam outside and they no longer had access to him i suspect and have reasons to believe that there is someone that works at animal service that is assoicted with this family that was keeping him inside their house. i sent animal service a cheque to renew my cat pet license and they told me they did not receive it which i dont believe and also somebody change my postal code information on my pets profile at the animal service shelter where my cat is registered. also i received a letter in the mail by animal service claiming that my cat microchip was not registered when it fact it is registered and they already have my microchip information on file. animal services is lying. every time i call animal service to ask a question the neighbours seem to show up on the same day and pry around my property. this sounds paranoid but my gut feeling is telling me that there is someone that works at animal service that is could be assoicted with this family. if thats true animal service can very easily make up some lie and come take my pet away. what do i do??? i am terrified. this sounds odd but other stuff that happened this year everytime i spoke with this family last year the same dates this year they would creep around my property. and also a man and woman wearing uniform i didnt see if it was animal control or someone else that works for the city come to my house and the car they come out of was not a labled city car just a regular suv, they were looking around my property. then the next day a city truck was parked at the corner of my street and when they saw me they drove off fast. and it came back again twice that week at the same time. im not sure if they are doing this just to scare me or if they are planning on doing something.
what do i do?? i am very depressed about this situation. and i dont know how i would be able to prove all of this. please help i dont know whats going on. or what to think. im scared to comfront them again. they have an obssession with my cat i dont know why they cant just go and buy their own cat.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Are you still allowing your cat to roam? Is he neutered?

All said and done, keep him inside, or build/buy a catio/cat enclosure in your back yard, and be done with this. You don't know what is going on and likely never will. You're lucky your cat has not disappeared with all that has gone on. My sister had an indoor/outdoor cat that was 'stolen' because apparently someone thought he deserved to be in a home to be properly taken care of. He eventually escaped and came home. She never found out exactly what happened, but he was well taken care of during the time he was gone. Bottom line - she never let him outside again.

Stop all of this now by protecting your cat and forgetting about whatever might be going on with the neighbors. Keep him inside or give him a catio/cat enclosure that confines him to your property.
The 5 Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside - TheCatSite
Cat Enclosures - Freedom Without The Risks For Curious Cats - TheCatSite
Building A Cat Enclosure - A Creative Project for Cat Lovers - TheCatSite