Someone stole our Cat!
A couple of weeks after moving into our new home, we noticed that one of our cats went missing. Our cats are outside cats but typically stay close to the house no matter how far they might wander. You can call their names when you go outside and typically they would come meowing all the way. One day we only heard one set of meows and sadly was missing our boy cat. We looked and looked for several days but he never showed up. I was convinced that he either got lost exploring our new home, killed, or that someone had stolen him.
As it would turn out, someone in fact did steal our cat. A few moments ago, I was outside walking our dog for his last pee-run of the night and low and behold who comes meowing out of the bushes but our boy cat, Yang!!! It was a bittersweet reunion between me and the cat and then the dog and the cat. Yang and our dog, KoJo, are best buds always playing and fighting with each other when they are both outside. You could tell that Kojo really missed his pal as he was loving all up on our long lost friend. I say that someone stole our cat because lets just say he came VERY well fed. I’m talking stomach bigger than his head fed. I like the fact that the person who stole our cat was so nice to him to feed him until he became as big as a house but that is OUR cat! Case and point, hands off granny he is mine!!!!
Now my husband and I are having the debate of whether or not we should turn him into an indoor cat since we know for a fact that someone stole him. I like the idea just so long as he stays in the “man cave” also known as the basement. He would fit right in being a male and all but my husband is worried that he might mess up his “mojo”. So what do you do? Does he remain an outside cat for someone to snatch up again, or attempt to turn him into an inside outside cat so long as he resides in the “man cave”? He couldn’t possible come up stairs because of several reasons, first of all he is a long hair cat which means lots and lots of shedding. The second and main reason is because not only I but also one of my stepsons are allergic to cats which makes it near impossible for us to enjoy them more than a couple of pats on the head.
What would you do? I’m tempted to go buy him an “official” collar and tie a note around his neck that says “Hands off, B****es, he’s mine!” but would be too afraid that whoever finds the note might keep him locked inside for good.
What is your opinion??
A mother of 2 boys and wife to a needy husband, life in the Diva's household is never stress free. Utilizing all of the wonderful benefits that the 'net has to offer (and avoiding housework if at all possible), the Diva is trying to make a name for her self through her product reviews. Join the Diva on this journey called life as she attempts to become a respected writer or at least pretty darn close to it. 
I am sorry to hear about your cat and I would suggest keeping him indoors for the future, as the chances of him being stolen again are very likely to happen.
Since your stepson is allergic to the cat then possibly put a tag on his collar so that whoever will know that he does belong to someone else. Now I would not put those exact words on him though. LOL.
I have a cat too but he is only kept indoors.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
I think that when you keep your cat outside, you have to know that it is going to wander. That’s what cats do. If he’s well fed, it just means someone else is loving him too…. not necessarily stolen him.
You could put a collar on him with a name tag (as the law probably requires - at least it does here) but you risk getting in trouble when he’s found wandering and people knowing he belongs to you.
I say let him continue to be a wandering cat. If he’s always been outside, he’s not going to be happy inside. Of course, my two cats live inside and are both declawed…. a decision I will always regret. Not only because of exactly what declawing entails, but because I can never turn them into outdoor cats since they are defenseless.
Put a collar and a tag with his proper name - so at least the other people who are taking care of him call him by the right name!
We had a dog when I was a teen that wandered the neighborhood. She was very well fed because she sat at 2 different bus stops in the morning and was fed by the kids, then she had a couple of regular houses she apparently hung out at during the day. She came home with stacks of pancakes in her mouth sometimes. One day I heard her being called “Lady” by someone… her name was “Sparky” so at least then I knew who was feeding her. I did have to tell them she was mine and what her real name was though… it just bugged me that she was being called something else!
July 29th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
When I had outdoor cats, I used to worry about them endlessly. Now I have only indoor cats and I think everyone is better off that way.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
I have to say, I’m taking care of cats for a friend for, yes, two months (I know, I know…) and she said, “don’t let them outside, they’re indoor cats.” But, all they do is sit by the window, stare out the glass doors, gazing longingly the entire time at the exciting outdoor world. I’m having guilty parent feelings…
One thing I learned: if you do make them indoor cats, buy cat grass because apparently that grass hanging out of their ass from chomping it outside serves a fiber purpose, if you know what I’m sayin.
good luck…
lindsay from BeThree.com
July 30th, 2008 at 1:22 am
wow… reading this reminded me of a time long ago when one of my dogs were dognapped. my dogs aren’t “outdoor dogs” but they do keep to my garden and my house, and we did have a fence. but she had burrowed under the fence and used to wonder the streets outside, then come back to our gate and bark to be let in. i told myself for 2 weeks to close that hole up and never got around to it, until one day she ran out and i went out to find her and she never came back. i combed the streets for her and called out her name. i brought my other dog out to look for her too. we walked everywhere and looked for her for days… i’d even printed flyers and gave them out at every house. it was so painful for me. i kno she was dognapped because she would always come back, and she had a collar, and the neighbour’s maid had seen someone carrying her off and that b*tch didn’t tell us till 3 days later. a week later we got a call from a vet who said someone had dropped her off after she was apparently knocked over by a taxi miles and miles from our house, but she was so badly abused and obviously not from a taxi, her pelvic bone was broken in 2 places and her leg was all swollen from the toxins, and her entire stomach was bruised. we did everything she could but the toxins were too much and she died a week later. it’s been like 8 years but i still haven’t gotten over it…
sorry i’m ranting here but i think if you do love your kitty and want to keep him, you need to do something to ensure that some devil out there doesn’t take him from you. like how my dog was taken forever from me.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:22 am
I agree with Robbin. My best friend had an outdoor cat and said that her cat only came over to eat and hung out with her neighbors a few houses down ALL the time. It was like, it was THEIR cat! Not hers… so it’s normal.
I’d put that collar on him with his name on it and even put a chip in him? I don’t know but I imagine it’ll be hard on the cat if he’s been an outdoor cat all his life to be indoors all the time. He’ll drive you nuts, believe me. He’s very happy it sounds like so he’ll be fine…
He still thinks about you though… he came back! haha
Good luck with that girly. =)
July 30th, 2008 at 2:32 am
State law requires all dogs and cats to be licensed. This means you will have to have your dog or cat that is over four months old vaccinated against rabies. Then you send proof of that vaccination to the county office where you live, and they send you a tag for your pet to wear on its collar. This tag tells people that your pet has had its rabies shot, and it tells the county what types of pets you own. This tag is different from an ID tag, which is not required by law but is a very important item for your pet to wear.
Remember, your cat can’t talk. The people who found him and fed him have no way of knowing who he is or where he belongs. I wouldn’t necessarily call it theft. If he has no collar the law doesn’t require anyone to return him to you. I’m sure they did it out of human kindness, not malice.
Glad you got him back though!
July 30th, 2008 at 8:25 am
I don’t think you can say for sure that your cat was stolen. I think if someone really stole him, they wouldn’t let him outside because of the chance he may return home. Also, some cats just wander off for long amounts of time and then come home when they are ready. Cats will find food wherever they can, so just because he is large and seems well fed doesn’t mean someone fed him. He may have found food himself. I’ve had about 50 cats in my lifetime, and almost all of them lived outside. I had a couple of cats who “disappeared” and then just all of a sudden returned one day.
You probably should get him a collar as long as it doesn’t bother him too much. Like the person above mentioned, it’s probably required by the law anyway. But, if someone “steals” your cat, the collar isn’t going to matter anyway.
I just hope your kitty doesn’t go missing again!
July 30th, 2008 at 9:08 am
I agree. It seems someone was being kind to an unidentified cat in the neighborhood. Put a collar and tag with your phone number on the cat. The person would know who the call the next time your cat goes visiting.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I’m not a cat person, but it would really bug me if someone stole my pet! I’d put a personalized collar on him, but I’d keep it to his name and maybe the family name
July 31st, 2008 at 4:03 pm
He probably just wandered off. Especially being in a new neighborhood and all. I would get him licensed with a tag though. It is required. And if he’s wandering outside it is just a good idea for him to have all his shots so he stays healthy.
On the other hand, our neighborhood has a sad little cat hating couple who traps wandering cats and takes them to the pound.
So feel fortunate that the neighbor who found your kitty just fed him and didn’t try to do away with him.
We keep our cats indoors because of these lovely neighbors.
Glad he wandered home and the family is complete again!
August 4th, 2008 at 8:52 am
If you put a collar on him, chances are no one will feed him because they’ll know he has a home. BUT my mom always cautioned to make sure that it’s loose enough so he won’t strangle should the collar get caught. In an emergency, he should be able to get his head free. I don’t even think you have to put his name on his collar. I think a collar will say, on behalf of your boycat, “Don’t worry about me, folks. I am loved and taken care of.”
Of course, your cat will probably not like the collar at first, but that’s another story.
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:07 pm