| This sounds like a familiar scenario.
I have a neighbor and very good friend who spoils her two cats rotten,
but one of them (Sweetpea) prefers to spend a great deal of his
time over at my place with my two cats, Chauncey and Nikki. I can't
tell you how many times Donna thought her cat was missing and the
whole time, he was at my house, happily munching/playing away.
We have tried everything to get Sweetpea to go to his REAL home;
however, most of the time, the only thing that works is for Donna
to come over and bodily carry him home and keep him inside.
Fortunately, my fiance and I have grown very attached to Sweetpea,
and if Donna and her husband ever move, we would be glad to let
him stay with us. In fact, the only way my fiance will let me have
4 cats is if the 4th is Sweetpea.
If your kitty has grown so attached to the neighbors and they love
him as one of their own and you wouldn't feel any guilt or remorse
letting him go and you know they will take good care of him, then
I see no reason why he shouldn't stay where he is happy. From the
sound of your note, it doesn't seem as if you are very attached
to him, although I certainly don't doubt for a minute that you don't
love him.
Whatever you decide, go with your heart, and you'll be glad you
did.
/Roberta
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| Roberta
That is the answer I thought I would get. I am just a bit worried
that as it is the neighbours who are the ones that are moving, that
the cat might get a bit confused and try to find our home. I doubt it
but it might happen.
As to me being attached to him, yes I was. In fact, I was heartbroken
when he kept disappearing but it was also heartbreaking to keep
him in and shut the cat flap when he so obviously wanted to be with
his mates.
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| Hi again,
I can see the predicament you are in and it is a very tough one.
Perhaps you should discuss it with your neighbors (if you haven't
already) and see what they want to do. Do they want to take your
cat with them? If they do end up moving with him, my suggestion
is that they keep him indoors for a week or two with the other cats
so he gets used to the new enviornment. As a precautionary measure,
a collar and i.d. tags would be helpful in the event that he does
wander off.
My neighbors keep toying with the idea of moving to another state
to accommodate the husband's new job. If and when that happens,
we will probably be faced with the exact same situation. I called
my neighbor last nite to let her know Sweetpea was at my house and
she came over and brought him inside for the night. When she let him
back out this morning, there he was, meowing at our balcony door.
She is a wonderful person and loves all animals, and her cats are
treated like kings...it really can make you feel bad when your pet
prefers another person/place when you know in your heart that you
are doing all the right things.
I wish there was a right and wrong answer in this case, but
unfortunately there isn't. Sometimes we have to separate our own
feelings from the situation at hand and try to look at things from
a cat's point of view. Good luck and let us know how things turn
out.
/Roberta
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