'I feel so betrayed': Woman heartbroken after realizing her 7-year-old “lost” cat has found another family and acts like she's a stranger

Author image for Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown • Writer and Editor
May 14, 2025 7:00 PM EDT

Cats work in mysterious ways, and this one has chosen a path that's leaving his owner heartbroken. This kitty has always been an adventurous outdoor lover, roaming the neighborhood and hanging out in various backyards, becoming a familiar face to everyone on the block. But one day, he went completely missing, leaving his worried owner frantic. Searching and putting up missing ads eventually led to a surprising discovery: the cat had been staying at a woman's house two blocks away, perfectly healthy and surprisingly happy.

His collar had been swapped out with a new one, and when the owner approached, the cat tried to run away. Apparently, the woman had tried bringing him back multiple times, but he always darted back to her house instead. The owner finally took him home, but as soon as he was let inside, the cat bolted right back to the woman's place.

Now, the owner is feeling a mix of emotions—hurt, confused, and betrayed. The cat clearly loves his new home, but the question remains: Should the owner try to keep him indoors or let him stay with the woman who's clearly become his new family?

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  • 01
    Ok so I have a 7y.o male ragdoll who loves the outdoors. He's always lounging in the neighbours backyards and everyone on my block is very familiar with him. However over a month ago he went completely AWOL. I got really worried and put up a missing ad for him
    via r/Egnug
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10505557760
    via By Nils Jacobi / Canva

    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.


     

  • 03
    straight away and contacted everyone on my block to see if they knew where he went. One neighbour said she saw him walking around at 1am with a woman. So I hunted around our entire neighbourhood and last week I finally managed to find him. He'd been staying with a
    via r/Egnug
  • 04
    woman about 2 blocks down from me in a unit. I couldn't believe my eyes, not only was he completely fine but he looked really happy. I noticed his collar was missing (which has my address on it) and was replaced with a new one. As soon as I walked over to him he tried to run away??? Apparently the woman had tried to bring him
    via r/Egnug
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    Cheezburger Image 10505563136
    via By Norma Gabriela Galvan / Canva

    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.


     

  • 06
    back to my house multiple times but he immediately ran back to her house instead. I later confirmed this was true and she hadn't just kidnapped him. I was so excited to see him and took him home after thanking her for looking after him but as soon as I put him down he bolted out the house as fast as he could and ran
    via r/Egnug
  • 07
    back towards her building. It's been like this for a while now and still no sign of him again. This might sound silly but I feel so... betrayed??? I raised him and one day he just up and finds a new family and legit acts like I'm a stranger? I didn't even know cats could do that :( It's been well over a month now and I wanted to look
    via r/Egnug
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    Cheezburger Image 10505563392
    via By corelens / Canva

    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.


     

  • 09
    at options such as surrendering or transferring ownership as he seems to be happy where he is now. Does anyone have any suggestions?
    via r/Egnug
  • 10
    NewNecessary30... • 18h ago That's what happens when you have outdoor cats. Expect them to roam and choose where they want to go. You can't control that. That's nice of your neighbour to have tried bringing him back to you though, instead of catnapping him.
    via u/NewNecessary3037
  • 11
    You can keep him inside and maybe install a catio so he can still be outside, just without running away. Ragdolls are not cheap cats so it's definitely an expensive lesson to learn.
    via u/NewNecessary3037
  • 12
    This_Ding09745 17h ago Sign the cat over. Set the captive free. A different cat is in your future.
    via u/This_Ding09745
  • 13
    Ready_Regret_15... 17h ago When I got divorced, my cat and I moved from a very nice house on a lake to an apartment. My ex was allergic to cats and the cat was always my cat. He was an indoor outdoor cat and when I moved to the apartment he was so miserable and one day when
    via r/Ready_Regret_1558
  • 14
    I opened up the door he ran out. He started being an escape artist, and I could not keep him in the apartment. one day after he had escaped out. I was driving around looking for him, and I saw him in the yard of a beautiful house with a woman that was doing her gardening. He was
    via r/Ready_Regret_1558
  • 15
    rolling around in the grass and looked so happy. I stopped and talked to the woman and found out this is where he had been going every time he ran out of the apartment. He had found a second home. The woman said her and her family had fallen in love with him and would keep them if it were
    via r/Ready_Regret_1558
  • 16
    OK with me. I ended up letting that cat go to a better home that he was happier at and was a much better fit than the one I had to offer. I eventually went to the shelter and adopted two little kittens that never wanted to go outside and never did and we were all very happy inside!
    via r/Ready_Regret_1558
  • 17
    . Wide_Chemistry8... 13h ago I had a cat that decided he liked my next door neighbor better and moved out.
    via u/Wide_Chemistry8696

  • Cats are always looking for a change of scenery. One minute they’re lounging in your yard, the next they’ve moved to the neighbor’s place, probably signing a lease for a better spot.

  • 18
    III_Front8983 • 18h ago Question, did he ever love. the outdoors himself or did you let him out? Do you give him a lot of affections and attention? It's possible he never really wanted to be an outdoor cat & this lady took him in and he actually loves the attention, cuddles, and being cozy? I'm just taking a
    via u/III_Front8983
  • 19
    wild guess here though because often humans assume cats want to be outdoors but that's just us assuming & not showering them with attention? Some solutions can be visiting or trying to be more present in his life (whatever that may look like)
    via u/III_Front8983
  • 20
    ImaginaryWeb80 - 18h ago . Your cat unfortunately picked her.
    via u/ImaginaryWeb80
  • 21
    • _ fujiko 18h ago Letting your cat outside involves having to accept that they might leave you, whether intentionally or not. And not all cats truly want to live outside in the elements or want to be wandering around looking for human contact. Taking them out on leashes or building a catio is the best thing for them as opposed to just letting them fend for themselves.
    via u/__fujiko
  • 22
    Apprehensive Ca... • 18h ago Cats choose their owners. The cats I've had that chose us have always been the best pets. The one my daughter chose years ago was awful. We rehomed her with a friend, and it was an absolute perfect fit. Don't take it personally. It's just cats being cats.
    via u/ApprehensiveCamera40
  • 23
    idk1089 18h ago • If you really still want to keep him you could try to bring him indoors (assuming you're in the US it's safer for cats anyway). However if he's this hellbent on living with her then just talk to her about transferring his
    via u/idk1089
  • 24
    microchip over to her name and address. Give her contact info for his vet and bring over his toys and food. and such, and that's pretty much it when it comes to transferring ownership.
    via u/

  • Looks like it might be time for a formal ownership transfer. Cats don’t ask—they just upgrade their living situation, leaving us humans to figure out how to handle the paperwork.

  • 25
    BabyBug0199 • 17h ago I'm not going to lie, I would be devastated. As much as it hurts, if he's determined to be with her, then that's what's best for him. If custody does go to the "other woman," ask if you can visit him or get updates from her, if that's something you would want. Whatever you decide, don't blame
    via u/BabyBug0199
  • 26
    ): yourself. Animals are so weird, and sometimes they make weird choices. I'm sure you were a wonderful and loving owner, and him leaving doesn't make you bad in any way. Sending you lots of kitty love and support
    via u/BabyBug0199
  • 27
    varys2013 • 18h ago A neighbor of ours lets her cats come and go as they please. She lost an orange one a couple of years ago. I'd assumed it was lost to predation, but it's also possible someone finally took him in and he decided to stay there. Cats keep their own council about such matters.
    via u/varys2013

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hoomans pets lost and found advice cat owners pawrents heartbreaking Cats
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