This is a well known phenomenon. The cat distribution system.
Happened to my partner twice in the last ~10 years or so. The first was Zora, a black/white lady who was very chill and liked to stare at people (usually me, but yeah). Very friendly and outgoing. She was distributed to my partner at a bus stop. Anytime someone visited while we had her, she would go and greet them, since we're pretty sure that she was convinced that people only ever came to visit her to give her pets.
She played fetch, ate fries and Cheetos.... She's a great girl. She passed away a few years back and I still miss the little shithead.
Then we were distributed shadow. His nickname is manager, because he tells everyone what to do, and occasionally where to go. He's got sass when he needs it and he's our fluffy little man. When he was distributed to us, he basically showed up at our door and when we opened it, he came in and made himself at home. He's a very distinguished gentleman, and demands the freshest food, tastiest treats, and only the prescribed 82.475 pets in any one petting season. If you slow down or stop at any point before this quota has been satisfied, he will glare at you like he's about to end your life if you don't resume.
He's got a little white spot on his chest that looks like a bowtie, so he's always ready for a fancy party. He doesn't like guests though, and when anyone new shows up, he will depart quickly and won't be seen for at least 4 hours after the guest leaves.
His hobbies include windows (mostly looking through them) and trying to eat any food I may have.
Lovely read, lovely critters.
I had to pay the cat tax. I couldn't tell the story and not include something.
The cat distribution system has been good to us.
Yes!
This one said to me "You can't get away while I'm under the gas pedal." It was a (confirmed) stray barn cat. The most lovely and patient cat i ever knew.
I've been acquired by two different cats in variations of this scam.
"Get in, loser. We getting tuna." - Cat
This reminds me.
I need to check for more frozen tuna at the store. I found this one brand that’s amazing and soy marinated seared sashimi was a big win last time.
Or how you accidentally steal someone's cat...
This cat is escaping.
"DRIVE MOTHERFUCKER!!"
"It's TORTURE in that house, they give me JUST 3 MEALS AND 2 SNACKS A DAY!"
I don’t have a cat. I’m always amazed at people who just let theirs roam free about the neighbourhood. I feel like that’s a good way to let your cat get hurt, abducted or worse.
Just yesterday evening, I was coming back from work on my bike. And there’s this lovely orange cat just walking in the middle of the street. No collar or anything, but looked healthy and well kept as far as I could tell. I’ve seen him around once before in the next street over.
If I was so inclined, there’s basically nothing stopping me from picking him up and taking him home. That should be somewhat concerning to his actual owners, no?
We found our cat young and starving, being left alone outside.
But he was used to be outside and just locking him in would be cruel.
He mostly happily hides in a hole or some cellar around, when he is outside anyway.We tried giving him a safety collar, but he was already like 6 months old, when we found him and wasn't used to one. So he always got rid of the safety ones and we were too afraid that he should strangulate himself with a non-safety one.
He is chipped. So I hope this is enough, when someone catches him.
But he is very shy with other people and it worked out for 13 years now I'm different areas of the city - sometimes, in his young and wild years, he was gone for 2-3 days, but he always came back happy and hungry :-)A collar or other physical appariments wouldn't stop you from abducting it either. Where I come from and (I assume) in many parts of the world, cats have an electronic chip in their neck with basic info about the owner and how to contact them, which would be discovered when you bring them to the vet.
But I think that's more of a cultural thing. Personally, I consider not letting your cat roam free in the neighbourhood (if you have the ability to let them) unjust and borderline animal abuse, close to how I would consider it if you kept your dog inside all the time.
Finally, taking a cat home out of, what, pettiness(?) sounds like a terrible idea, because beyond any notion of ethics, dealing witha cat you keep away from their territory and the people they know would be both a psycological and financial perspective. If you want to be hurtful to someone, there are easier and cheaper ways to do it than to abduct their pets.
So no, as a pet owner, abduction is really not anywhere near being a concern for me. Getting run over though? That IS a concern, particularly when cats panic. However, cats have far better hearring than we do and can hear cars from a mile away (esp when they're familiar with them).
I think the owners assume that no one has been a dick in the last 5 years, and hope it means no one will be a dick for the next 5 either. It seems like you're getting close though so maybe take a different road so you avoid the temptation of stealing a cat since it seems unusually strong in you.
That's okay he's a catburglar.
no collar + no chip = free kibby
If people insist on leaving their cats outside, the bare minimum they can do is put a collar on them
"quick, follow that car"
My cat adopted my apartment about 10 years ago.
You don’t get a cat, they get you
Exactly, they have been chosen!
thats how a cat gets you, yes
Not far off from how I got a cat. Enjoy your cat!
That's how I acquired all the cats in my lifetime.
Basically, yes. Or to be more precise, this is how a cat gets you.
Sometimes you choose the cat, sometimes the cat chooses you
sometimes the cat chooses you, sometimes you get choosen by the cat?
That some kinda Eastern thing?
Far from it.
Extra points for the subaru! 🥰
"Catback, Catback, Catback"
