why does strange cat want to come in my house?

[maverick_kitten]

When my kitten ran away for a few days (some of you may have seen the thread) another cat tried to move in with us!

She’d been gone three days when a kittenish looking black and white cat started showing up in our garden. This was probably due to the fact that we had started to leave prawns out to entice maverick to come back which I could understand but then she kept trying to break into the house!

No matter how many times we shooed the cat away or ignored it she showed up everyday and knocked on the windows to get in. She tried the windows, door handle, glass roof, everything she could to get in. she even scaled the side of our house and climbed in through a tiny bathroom window! I went up stairs and found her curled up in my bed asleep.

As soon as Maverick came back she gave the other cat the evil eye through the window and the cat seemed to accept she wasn’t getting in.

I saw her today though which reminded me and prompted me to ask: why was the cat so keen to get into my house?

She seemed well loved and cared for, was very friendly and sleek looking so doubt it was a feral.

I’m assuming it was a female as it was a tiny build (like mav) and had a more ‘female’ looking face and didn’t spray anywhere.

Could she smell my cat and wanted to get in? Why didn’t the cat take the hint that she wasn’t wanted- lol (actually I would have adopted her in a second if I though she was a feral).

For three days solid she sat outside my house. My dad calls her ‘bunnyboiler’ now after that woman from fatal attraction.

Cats are such strange little creatures, no matter how much I read up on them I cant understand the working of their minds.

 

[ktlynn]

Maverick, this poor little cat! She wants a home!!! Your description of how desperately she was trying to get into your house, and your efforts to discourage her make me terribly sad. Just because she looks good does NOT mean that someone is caring for her. Not all ferals or stray cats look terrible. You know the old saying, "don't judge a book by its cover"? She is probably lost, or abandoned. I highly doubt she would be trying so hard to get into your house "for 3 days solid" if she had her own home to go to!

She has obviously known humans and been in someone's home before. Please try to find her family. If you can't and are unable to care for her yourself either, take her to a reputable no-kill shelter so she has a chance to be part of a family again. No cat should be left on their own outdoors, far less a small (maybe still a kitten), friendly cat who in all likelihood has been abandoned.

 

[maverick_kitten]

I’m pretty sure she has a good home as I think I’ve met her owner whilst out looking for my own cat. (The descriptions seemed to match, she’s a very unusual looking girl but I’m not sure)

The kindest thing I could do for her is ignore her as harsh as that sounds. I’m not heartless and it does hurt me to do it but my own cat would hurt and perhaps seriously injure her if I kept encouraging her to come into the garden.

There’s a few ‘cat ladies’ around which leave food out for strays so she wont go hungry. I would continue to leave out food but we’ve got rabbits as well and don’t want to risk encouraging foxes. She looked well fed to me.

What you said about "don't judge a book by its cover" did however struck a chord and I’ll ask at the local shelters again tomorrow when they open to see if anyone’s missing a kitty. As much as she wants to move in with me that’s not a possibility.

Just assumed she was after more prawns! In my defence I can be very dense sometimes and our area is pretty urban so the ferals tend to live in a wooded area about a mile away and look very ‘feral’.

 

[ktlynn]

Maverick, I have to wonder about that "good home" this kitty may have.... she was at your house for 3 straight days- where was her family? If she in fact belonged to a good home and was gone all that time, why didn't they make an effort to find her, as you did when Maverick was gone? You were understandably frantic and made every effort to find your kitten. Where is THIS cat's family?

I understand your problem with having her in your yard and being unable to take her in.
On the other hand, I respectfully disagree that ignoring her is the way to go. If she's been abandoned she will need more than the occasional handout from the neighborhood cat ladies. She needs to be spayed so she doesn't add to the feral population, and she needs shelter. Since she's so pretty and friendly, as well as small, (we know how people go for the little ones) it sounds like she's very adoptable.

I'm glad you'll be checking at the local shelters to see if she's been listed as missing. IMO you should go one step further and bring her to a no-kill shelter. If she indeed has a family, they will look for her there. If no one claims her, you have gotten her off the street and given her the chance to find a new home.

 

[maverick_kitten]

my only problem with that is ktlynn if she does have a family and i take her to a shelter they will be going frantic and they might not be reunited. my local shelter told me the major cause of missing cats is people 'rescuing them' and turning them into shelters or adopting them when they have only gone for a visit.

this has happened to several friend i know who own cats which are allowed use to a cat flap. if no-ones in or they are feeling a bit ignored they go for a visit to the neighbours.

i dont mean to cause offence but i think its jumping the gun a little to assume shes a stray cat because i she was in my garden three days. especially as i was putting down every food and comfort i could to attract my own cat back! as i said i havent really seen her that much since except for when she's passing through.

an idea i had which i saw on another cat site is if you think you've found a stray put a collar on it with your phone number and a note saying she's been hanging around that way if she has an owner they should ring or atleast take the collar off next time you see her.

the shelter says theres no cat fitting her description been reported missing and to just keep an eye out to make sure she looks healthy etc.

i couldnt tell you where her family is but for all i know she could have been going home late at night during those three days and returning early morning. i will keep an eye out for her but i would prefer not to intervene unless i was sure she needed medical attention becuase as far as i'm concerned she is someones pet.

 

[ktlynn]

Maverick, one of the first things people do here (in the US) if their indoor-outdoor cat goes missing, is to check the shelters. I am surprised it isn't like this in the UK. Mistakenly rescued cats being a major cause of them disappearing sounds strange to me, but if this is truly the case, isn't everyone aware of that situation by now?

If it weren't for the fact that the kitten sat in your garden for 3 solid days, and as you said, "knocked on the windows, tried the windows, the door handle, the glass roof, everything she could to get in, she even SCALED THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE and climbed in through a tiny bathroom window... I found her curled up in my bed asleep"
I would believe the possibility that she had a family. This is NOT normal behavior for a kitten who has a family. You realize that too, since you posted this thread about "why does strange cat want to come in my house?"

Honestly, if she was just hungry, or looking for an extra treat, she would not be doing the things you described above. Hanging out in the garden, yes. Stopping by occasionally to see if there were treats, yes. Sitting there for days on end and literally climbing into your house? No way. She wants more than food. She was SLEEPING ON YOUR BED for crying out loud! - does this sound like a cat who just wants a treat?

I don't recommend putting a collar on her. For one thing, they are dangerous. They can become snagged on branches or fences and strangle her, and even the breakaway collars don't always work. For another, if she is indeed on her own, which I believe she is, and she is only a kitten, the collar will become too tight around her neck as she grows. Since no one is caring for her, no one will be able to remove it.

It's irresponsible for a shelter to tell you to "just keep an eye on her" after all that has already happened. Should you wait til she's sick? Or hurt? Or pregnant? Or maybe she will just disappear like so many uncared for cats do. IF this kitten actually belongs to someone, which is very unlikely, she is being greatly neglected to seek out shelter and love from a strange family. Quite frankly, she should be re-homed if that's the case.

 

[kikaimegami]

This sounds like how I got my current kitty. Basically, around where I live, people just fail to spay and neuter their cats, so theres lots of extra kitties around. The children play with the kittens, and the kittens end up following them around. These kittens are usually very very friendly, but starved for attention, and will do anything to get in the houses.

I'm wondering if your neighbourhood "cat ladies" are like the people around where I live and don't spay all their cats, and this is just one of the subsequent kittens from that. If I were you, I'd take the kitten in, but go door to door in the immediate area (a kitten like that wouldn't have wandered far on its own) and see if anyone is missing a kitty. If not, she just sounds like she wants a good home, and you sound like the right kind of person to give her one

 

[jcat]

We had a former neighbor's cat trying to move in with us for over four years. Her owner died, and we took her in in late September, which was an absolute fiasco, because Jamie won't accept other cats. A woman two doors down took her in on Boxing Day, but Zsa Zsa is still at our house every chance she gets. With her it's a bit complicated - neighbors kept mistaking her for Jamie (only allowed outside on a leash), and delivering her to our door. She had, and has, a good home, but simply wants to live here, for some reason known only to herself. We have 19 indoor only or indoor/outdoor cats living on our block (yes, I keep count), and many of them end up at our house, presumably because we have a fairly "natural" yard, with lots of hiding places (and mice and shrews), a little pond, bird feeders, and catnip, and we don't chase them away. Your place might just be a good place for cats to "hang out". They sense where they're welcome.
I was unsure whether one little calico had a home, and made up "posters" with her picture and our phone number, which I stuffed in neighborhood mailboxes. I soon got a response - she lives a few houses down, but simply prefers to hang out in our yard, and beg for food. I encountered her on her own doorstep this afternoon on my way home from work, and she ran right over to me, complaining. Her owner was clearing the snow off his driveway, so she decided that was the perfect time to yowl to be let inside. When I asked him why he didn't just put her inside, he said he had - twice, but then she sat in the window and yowled to be let back out.
You'll probably have to do a little bit of "investigating", but just because a cat is hanging around doesn't mean it doesn't have a home or is being neglected.
Reading the contributions posted while I was writing this one, I'd have to say that in my experience, it's not unusual for a cat to enter a strange house and sleep in your bed. Window screens aren't common here. When we first moved to Germany, we had a Boxer and a Siamese cat, and pretty soon a "visitor", a black cat that we'd find curled up in bed all the time. It took us months to find out where the cat belonged, and that happened by chance. He actually lived several blocks away from us, and had been raised with a Boxer. The Boxer died, and he apparently saw ours on the dog's daily walks, and followed him home. Whenever the doors or windows were open, the cat came in and made himself at home. Fritz (the dog) and Pirate (the cat) were very tolerant, so there were no problems. The cat's owners thought it was funny. Until we got Jamie (5 1/2 years ago), another neighborhood cat, 25 in June, regularly climbed the ivy on the front of our house, came in through the open balcony door, and curled up in bed with us at night. She still visits, which is remarkable at her age, but now we have the windows and doors screened, so she can't just climb in.
We took in an approximately 8-year-old feral, Straycat, whose company we enjoyed for over six years, until his death. He had a cat flap, and could come and go as he pleased. He often brought home friends, so it wasn't unusual to find 6 or 8 "strange" cats, many of them obviously not strays or ferals, staying overnight and in line for breakfast in the morning.

 

[eburgess]

She most likely smells food and wants to find it.

 

[jan]

If she doesn't have a collar can you check to see if she's been microchipped? I think you only have to pop them to a vet/RSPCA/shelter and they run the scanner over their scruff, it takes seconds. I've seen the receptionist at our vet's do it when people have called in with lost animals - you don't even need to see the vet.

I do sympathise though - it's difficult to know what to do for the best. One wrong move and you could either be taking away someone's pet or leaving a lost/homeless animal to its own devices. If it helps, the last time I found a cat in our garden, I put myself in the owner's shoes and asked myself - "If it was one of mine what would I want someone to do - leave my cat to find it's own way home, or look after it until I could be traced." Put like that there was no choice as far as I was concerned - I'd want someone to take my cat into safety until they could trace its home. Yes I might worry for a few days, but better that than leave the cat to get run over/attacked by dogs/starve/freeze.

 

[ghostuser]

We had a neighborhood cat that came to visit us off an on for 14 years. He would sit outside our house and scream for us to bring him food and sit and visit with him.

After about three months of the off again, on again visits, my mom and I went door to door on our streets looking for the owner. Turned out that he had 6 regular houses he went to, and one true "owner" who got him his shots and gave him a place to stay. He just liked to see everyone. There were times when it would be six months between visits, and sometimes he would come every day. He was Bootsie/Brutus/Kitty-Kat/Tuxie, and I'm not sure how many other names he had.

The best thing to do for this kitty is to knock on people's doors and try to find if he/she does have a perminant home. Some loser may have dumped the cat in the area, and it really is homeless. If that's the case, then please consider taking it to a shelter so it's not left to fend for itself. If it does have a home, then consider yoruself lucky to have a kitty visitor that likes you!

 

[diane8704]

Maverick...I think some of these people are being waaaaaayyyyy too hard on you! My cat samantha, when she was an outside kitty, disappeared for 3 whole days. No sign of her, I was terrified that she'd been hit by car, drove up and down the road...she was gone. 3 days later she comes walking up to the house, pretty as you please. Now, the whole time she was gone, it was pouring rain, and here comes my cat clean as a whistle. She didnt look like she had been outside, she smell like she had been outside. I have a feeling someone found themselves in the same position you did and tried to keep her inside, and she managed to get away and come home. My guess would be that maybe she heard you calling for your runaway and was just being curious. If she keeps showing up, maybe then you should think about finding her home. But I agree, if she looks well fed, clean and healthy, chances are, she's just vacationing somewhere else, and really like the view!!!

 

[mom of franz]

I saw her today though which reminded me and prompted me to ask: why was the cat so keen to get into my house?

I'm not sure what you should do now, but I may have an answer to your question. Most likely your resident cat posted and advertisment in the London Times, looking for a companion. The ad might have gone something like this:

WANTED: Kitty friend for homebound cat. Share wonderful home with lots of cozy places to hide and numerous sun-drenched window sills to contemplate the meaning of life or just take long kittie naps. Great food, excellent bathroom facilities and enough scritches to go around for everybody. Call XXX-XXX=XXXX, and we'll chat! P.S. My owner does not know about this, so mums the word.

I believe your Kitty gave the outside gal the "evil-eye" to keep you off track and not suspect her when you get the credit card bill for the post. After all cats don't ordinarily have pocket money...hell, they don't even have pockets!

 

[maverick_kitten]

ktlynn- actualy its not that unusual for a strange cat to come in and sleep on your bed. we had a visitor from two doors down for years who always tried to sneak in.

"It's irresponsible for a shelter to tell you to "just keep an eye on her" after all that has already happened. Should you wait til she's sick? Or hurt? Or pregnant? Or maybe she will just disappear like so many uncared for cats do. IF this kitten actually belongs to someone, which is very unlikely, she is being greatly neglected to seek out shelter and love from a strange family. Quite frankly, she should be re-homed if that's the case."

with all due respect without knowing the area and the background i feel that you can't really comment. she is well fed, clean, sleek and looks healthy. if she was really homeless with all the bad weather we've been having i would expect her to look atleast a little dirty like the truely feral cats i've seen around here. she didnt even have muddy paws! her fur for one does not have that matted, course, dirty quality that so many ferals have from not being stroked or brushed. without causing offence i am more inclined to go with the advice offered to me by my local shelter as i feel that they are telling me what they think is for the best.

the people i *think* she belongs too are a mother and daughter (the most adorable 5 year old girl who wanted to help me go look for my kitten dressed in a fairy outfit complete with wings! lol)who live in the flats behind us who adopted her from a local animal shelter. was wondering if maybe the cat wanted to come in because of all the noise and fuss from the holidays? if it was a new cat from a shelter it might not be used to a lively family and wanted to come to a quiter house which smelt of tuna, cat litter and prawns. lol

kikaimegami (spelled right?) my local vet coincidently lives the next road from me and tnr's strays, thats how she got two of her four cats. i wouldnt imagine she could have missed such a cutie? especially as you wouldnt even need to trap her!

my mum saw the cat again across the road from us in a neighbours garden so maybe today she'll pay us another visit?

 

[maverick_kitten]

Originally Posted by diane8704

Maverick...I think some of these people are being waaaaaayyyyy too hard on you! My cat samantha, when she was an outside kitty, disappeared for 3 whole days. No sign of her, I was terrified that she'd been hit by car, drove up and down the road...she was gone. 3 days later she comes walking up to the house, pretty as you please. Now, the whole time she was gone, it was pouring rain, and here comes my cat clean as a whistle. She didnt look like she had been outside, she smell like she had been outside. I have a feeling someone found themselves in the same position you did and tried to keep her inside, and she managed to get away and come home. My guess would be that maybe she heard you calling for your runaway and was just being curious. If she keeps showing up, maybe then you should think about finding her home. But I agree, if she looks well fed, clean and healthy, chances are, she's just vacationing somewhere else, and really like the view!!!

you must have been going frantic! my little sisters friend 'found' a kitten with a collar on and took her home and kept it. the kitten wasnt neutered and had litter after litter of babies before evetually running away or getting killed. horror stories like that make me never want to let my cat out again! the poor thing was really mistreated, they didnt really feed it and it got no love and affection. if only i'd known in time i could have called the rspca or adopted it myself.

 

[maverick_kitten]

Originally Posted by maverick_kitten

I saw her today though which reminded me and prompted me to ask: why was the cat so keen to get into my house?

I'm not sure what you should do now, but I may have an answer to your question. Most likely your resident cat posted and advertisment in the London Times, looking for a companion. The ad might have gone something like this:

WANTED: Kitty friend for homebound cat. Share wonderful home with lots of cozy places to hide and numerous sun-drenched window sills to contemplate the meaning of life or just take long kittie naps. Great food, excellent bathroom facilities and enough scritches to go around for everybody. Call XXX-XXX=XXXX, and we'll chat! P.S. My owner does not know about this, so mums the word.

I believe your Kitty gave the outside gal the "evil-eye" to keep you off track and not suspect her when you get the credit card bill for the post. After all cats don't ordinarily have pocket money...hell, they don't even have pockets!

if only that was true! my cat is so mean she would pulverise the poor new comer in a second! lol

she once brought home a playmate she found at the end of our garden, a HUGE black and white scardey cat with a pretty collar on. she brought him to the back door and miaowed for him to follow her in. he took one look and ran away. she's never forgiven him for that and now chases him out of the garden if he ever sets foot there!

 

[ktlynn]

I don't think that anyone who has replied to Maverick's thread has been hard on Maverick. No one has criticized her.

The question was "Why does strange cat want to come in my house?" Several members have expressed theories/opinions/ideas in answer to that question, myself among them. We can only reply with answers based on past experience or intuition. That's what I did. I don't doubt everyone else did that too.

So, I would respectfully disagree that I personally "without knowing the area or the background can't really comment"! All I know about the "area and background" is by the information Maverick provided, same as everyone else. And like everyone else, I responded to the info that was given the best I could. After all, if you're posting a question, isn't the whole idea to get comments? With so many members on this board, you're bound to read replies that tell you things you don't want to hear, but that doesn't mean the comments are without validity. The point is - we all have the right to express an opinion or make a suggestion, and we all have the right to reject or accept it.

I believe all the replies posted were written with the best of intentions and with concern for the welfare of the kitten above all else. I know mine were.

Maverick, you never mentioned until recently that "it's not that unusual to have a strange cat come in and sleep on your bed". Since you've had that experience before, I'm wondering why you posted the question.

If you don't agree with my thoughts on why this kitten is behaving as she is, that's fine. I hope I'm wrong and she's got a great, loving family. I just doubt that's the case and I don't see what's wrong with saying that.

 

[sashacat421]

Originally Posted by wodesorel

We had a neighborhood cat that came to visit us off an on for 14 years. He would sit outside our house and scream for us to bring him food and sit and visit with him.

After about three months of the off again, on again visits, my mom and I went door to door on our streets looking for the owner. Turned out that he had 6 regular houses he went to, and one true "owner" who got him his shots and gave him a place to stay. He just liked to see everyone. There were times when it would be six months between visits, and sometimes he would come every day. He was Bootsie/Brutus/Kitty-Kat/Tuxie, and I'm not sure how many other names he had.

The best thing to do for this kitty is to knock on people's doors and try to find if he/she does have a perminant home. Some loser may have dumped the cat in the area, and it really is homeless. If that's the case, then please consider taking it to a shelter so it's not left to fend for itself. If it does have a home, then consider yoruself lucky to have a kitty visitor that likes you!

This is almost identical to what happened to us at my old house I had for 10 years. But it was an orange tabby instead. He appeared in a blizzard and was part of our lives for many years. He'd disappear for months and we thought the worst. We fed him but never were able to get close and he looked rather well-kept for a longhair. We opened up our outdoor basement and made a bed for him on the water heater and he just kind of adopted us. At year 6 I was able to pick him up for about 5 seconds, but still not enough to get him to a vet. We named him Carmello for his caramel-colored coat. I put up flyers, posted on websites as able, faxed vet offices just in case, but nobody came forward. I was so sure he had an owner, but looking back the signs were there and I was wrong! Because I couldn't stand the thought of a shelter, no-kill or not, we made every effort to keep this guy comfortable and fed. Just something in my gut told me to. At year 10 I found out from a neighbor on the fringes of our area that this vagabond guy had about 4 or 5 "homes" and was playing us all!

But it didn't change me, I still was "of service" to him.

When we moved to the country 2 years ago I walked and knocked on doors before we drove away, letting people know we were moving and to take care of Carmello because he wouldn't come with us. It made it a lot easier knowing any one of the "hotels" he had arranged for himself would keep an eye on him.
.....Just a little food for thought,

 

[diane8704]

I think that some of the posted threads were a bit snarky. Don't get me wrong, everyone is entitled to their opinion on the matter, but too many cats end up in shelter's because families "rescued" them! Just the other say, my sister picked a cat up outside the country store where she works because she didn't want it to get hit by a car. She gets it home, feeds it, and discovers it's a neutered male who had recently been to the vet. He stood outside the door and cried to come in because he saw the other cats. Turns out, he escaped out of his owners door when her kids left it open. Had she taken him into her house, or to the shelter, his family may never have been reunited with him.
I think there are boundaries, and you have to use your best judgement.
I agree with you...the shelters were irresponsible, and you made valid points. But I just think some of the things that were said were a little critical.

 

[ekseabolt]

Please be careful........This is something that happened to me. We had a neighborhood cat (not spayed) that would come around our house from time to time and wanted in. I had a 14 yr old Female at the time and Male and Female kittens that were 1 1/2 yr.old siblings. This one day a little girl from our neighborhood (the owner of this cat) brought her to my door. As soon as my Daughter opened up our front door she got away from her owner and came into my house. I have had alot of cats in my life and I have never seen anything like it before. All my cats were fighting her (the intruder) and between themselves. It took nearly 45 minutes for me to get this scared cat out of my house. After this happened my cats were still upset by this for a month afterward. They would not quit fighting with my older cat even though I kept them apart for this amount of time. One would fight her and then the other would follow. I had to find another home for both of my kittens because they would beat up on my 14 yr. old anytime she came into contact with them. It was the most disturbing thing I have ever had happen to me.